Stem Cell Clinic

The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute announces largest-ever stem cell repository

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

22-Oct-2014

Contact: David McKeon dmckeon@nyscf.org 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation @nyscf

NEW YORK, NY (October 22, 2014) The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute, through the launch of its repository in 2015, will provide for the first time the largest-ever number of stem cell lines available to the scientific research community. Initially, over 600 induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines and 1,000 cultured fibroblasts from over 1,000 unique human subjects will be made available, with an increasing number available in the first year. To collect these samples, NYSCF set up a rigorous human subjects system that protects patients and allows for the safe and anonymous collection of samples from people interested in participating in research.

A pilot of over 200 of NYSCF's iPS cell lines is already searchable on an online database. The pilot includes panels of iPS cell lines generated from donors affected by specific diseases such as type 1 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis, as well as a diversity panel of presumed healthy donors from a wide range of genetic backgrounds representing the United States Census. These panels, curated to provide ideal initial cohorts for studying each area, include subjects ranging in age of disease onset, and are gender matched. Other panels that will be available in 2015 include Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, Juvenile Batten disease, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

"NYSCF's mission is to develop new treatments for patients. Building the necessary infrastructure and making resources available to scientists around the world to further everyone's research are critical steps in accomplishing this goal," said Susan L. Solomon, CEO of The New York Stem Cell Foundation.

NYSCF has developed the technology needed to create a large collection of stem cell lines representing the world's population. This platform, known as the NYSCF Global Stem Cell ArrayTM, is an automated robotic system for stem cell production and is capable of generating 200 iPS cell lines a month from patients with various diseases and conditions and from all genetic backgrounds. The NYSCF Global Stem Cell ArrayTM is also used for stem cell differentiation and drug screening.

Currently available in the online database that was developed in collaboration with eagle-i Network, of the Harvard Catalyst, is a pilot set of approximately 200 iPS cell lines and related information about the patients. This open source, open access resource discovery platform makes the cell lines and related information available to the public on a user-friendly, web-based, searchable system. This is one example of NYSCF's efforts to reduce duplicative research and enable even broader collaborative research efforts via data sharing and analysis. NYSCF continues to play a key role in connecting the dots between patients, scientists, funders, and outside researchers that all need access to biological samples.

"The NYSCF repository will be a critical complement to other existing efforts which are limited in their ability to distribute on a global scale. I believe that this NYSCF effort wholly supported by philanthropy will help accelerate the use of iPS cell based technology," said Dr. Mahendra Rao, NYSCF Vice President of Regenerative Medicine.

To develop these resources, NYSCF has partnered with over 50 disease foundations, academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and government entities, including the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), PersonalGenomes.org, the Beyond Batten Disease Foundation, among several others. NYSCF also participates in and drives a number of large-scale multi stakeholder initiatives including government and international efforts. One such example is the Cure Alzheimer's Fund Stem Cell Consortium, a group consisting of six institutions, including NYSCF, directly investigating, for the first time, brain cells in petri dishes from individual patients who have the common sporadic form of Alzheimer's disease.

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The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute announces largest-ever stem cell repository

Human Skin Cells Reprogrammed Directly Into Brain Cells

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Newswise Scientists have described a way to convert human skin cells directly into a specific type of brain cell affected by Huntingtons disease, an ultimately fatal neurodegenerative disorder. Unlike other techniques that turn one cell type into another, this new process does not pass through a stem cell phase, avoiding the production of multiple cell types, the studys authors report.

The researchers, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, demonstrated that these converted cells survived at least six months after injection into the brains of mice and behaved similarly to native cells in the brain.

Not only did these transplanted cells survive in the mouse brain, they showed functional properties similar to those of native cells, said senior author Andrew S. Yoo, PhD, assistant professor of developmental biology. These cells are known to extend projections into certain brain regions. And we found the human transplanted cells also connected to these distant targets in the mouse brain. Thats a landmark point about this paper.

The work appears Oct. 22 in the journal Neuron.

The investigators produced a specific type of brain cell called medium spiny neurons, which are important for controlling movement. They are the primary cells affected in Huntingtons disease, an inherited genetic disorder that causes involuntary muscle movements and cognitive decline usually beginning in middle-adulthood. Patients with the condition live about 20 years following the onset of symptoms, which steadily worsen over time.

The research involved adult human skin cells, rather than more commonly studied mouse cells or even human cells at an earlier stage of development. In regard to potential future therapies, the ability to convert adult human cells presents the possibility of using a patients own skin cells, which are easily accessible and wont be rejected by the immune system.

To reprogram these cells, Yoo and his colleagues put the skin cells in an environment that closely mimics the environment of brain cells. They knew from past work that exposure to two small molecules of RNA, a close chemical cousin of DNA, could turn skin cells into a mix of different types of neurons.

In a skin cell, the DNA instructions for how to be a brain cell, or any other type of cell, is neatly packed away, unused. In past research published in Nature, Yoo and his colleagues showed that exposure to two microRNAs called miR-9 and miR-124 altered the machinery that governs packaging of DNA. Though the investigators still are unraveling the details of this complex process, these microRNAs appear to be opening up the tightly packaged sections of DNA important for brain cells, allowing expression of genes governing development and function of neurons.

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Human Skin Cells Reprogrammed Directly Into Brain Cells

University Of Pennsylvania's T-Cell Therapy Shows Promising Results

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By C. Rajan, contributing writer

The University of Pennsylvania has announced promising results of its novel chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy for cancer.

In the study involving 25 children and five adults with end-stage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), there was an impressive 90 percent response rate with complete remission.

Twenty-seven of the 30 patients went into complete remission after receiving the investigational therapy (called CTL019), and 78 percent of the patients were alive six months after treatment. The longest remission among the patients has lasted almost three years.

The patients who participated in these trials had relapsed as many as four times, including 60 percent whose cancers came back even after stem cell transplants. Their cancers were so aggressive they had no treatment options left, said the studys senior author, Stephan Grupp, MD, PhD, at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The durable responses we have observed with CTL019 therapy are unprecedented.

The ongoing study is being conducted by researchers at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). The CAR trial program enrolling children with leukemia is also expanding to nine other pediatric centers.

The experimental CAR therapy received FDAs breakthrough designation in July for the treatment of relapsed and refractory adult and pediatric ALL. The novel treatment was pioneered by Penn researchers and then supported by Novartis. Penn entered an exclusive global research and licensing agreement with Novartis in 2012 to develop and commercialize personalized CAR T-cell therapies for cancers.

"This represents a really powerful therapy for ALL," Penn oncologist David Porter says. "We've treated enough patients to confirm that. It's time to start multi-center trials."

A CAR is a genetically engineered marker protein that is grafted onto T cells, which are part of the immune system. The CAR activates the T cell to attack tumor cells that express specific markers; in this case, the target is a protein called CD19.

The treatment procedure involves removing patients' T cells via an apheresis process and then genetically reprogramming them to hunt tumor cells. When injected back into patients bodies, these new hunter cells multiply and attack tumor cells expressing CD19. The hunter cells can grow, creating 10,000+ new cells in the body for each single engineered cell injected into the patients.

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University Of Pennsylvania's T-Cell Therapy Shows Promising Results

Spinal Cord Injury, Lenny Larsen | Stem Cell + Epidural Stimulation Treatment Testimonial – Video

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Spinal Cord Injury, Lenny Larsen | Stem Cell + Epidural Stimulation Treatment Testimonial
Only the 2nd patient to receive the revolutionary epidural stimulation + stem cell treatment for spinal cord injury, Lenny was able to breathe on his own for the first time since his tragic...

By: Beike Biotech

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Spinal Cord Injury, Lenny Larsen | Stem Cell + Epidural Stimulation Treatment Testimonial - Video

More than 900 Physicians Converge on Buenos Aires for Global Stem Cells Groups First International Symposium on Stem …

By Stem Cell Treatment

MIAMI (PRWEB) October 22, 2014

More than 900 physicians researchers and regenerative medicine experts from around the world attended the First International Symposium on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina Oct. 2-4, 2014.

The event, hosted by Global Stem Cells Group in partnership with Julio Ferreira, M.D., President of the South American Academy Cosmetic Surgery, offered an opportunity for many of the worlds most respected authorities on stem cell and regenerative medicine to showcase advancements in research and therapies on a global level.

An interdisciplinary team of leading international stem cell experts provided a full day of high-level scientific lectures geared to medical professionals. Pioneers and luminaries in stem cell medicine who served as featured speakers at the event included:

Lord David Harrell, PhD., a scientific leader recognized nationally, internationally recognized expert in neuroscience and regenerative medicine and a member of the Global Stem Cells Group Advisory Board spoke on spoke on the cellular composition of bone marrow with a focus on stem and progenitor cell activities of bone marrow stem and progenitor cells.

Joseph Purita, M.D., Director of The Institute of Regenerative and Molecular Orthopedics in Boca Raton, Florida, member of the Global Stem Cells Group Advisory Board and a pioneer in the use of stem cells and platelet rich plasma for a variety of orthopedic conditions, spoke about the use of PRP and stem cell injections for treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. He detailed cutting-edge treatments he now offers to his clinic patients, including extensive use of platelet-rich plasma in conjunction with bone marrow stem cells (BMAC), adipose stem cells (SVF) and fat grafts.

Vasilis Paspaliaris, M.D., CEO of Adistem, Ltd., a member of the Global Stem Cells Group Advisory Board and a thought-leading and highly experienced clinical pharmacologist and medical scientist discussed the proven differences in efficacy between the mesenchyme stem cells (MSCs) of a young donor and those of an aging donor, primarily due to the younger donor cells ability to secrete more trophic factors.

According to Benito Novas, Global Stem Cells Group CEO, the world-class event was well received at a time when the field of regenerative medicine is on the verge of changing medical science forever.

We wanted the symposium to help clear up old misconceptions and change outdated attitudes by educating people on the wide range of illnesses and injuries stem cell therapies are already treating and curing, Novas says. We set out to establish a dialogue between researchers and practitioners in order to help move stem cell therapies from the lab to the physicians office and I believe we achieved our goals with this symposium.

Our objective is to open a dialogue among the worlds medical and scientific communities in order to advance stem cell technologies and translate them into point-of-care medical practices.

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More than 900 Physicians Converge on Buenos Aires for Global Stem Cells Groups First International Symposium on Stem ...

Maritza Novas, R.N., M.S.N and Alfredo Hoyos, M.D. to Speak at the EuroMedicom Aesthetic & Anti-Aging Medicine World …

By Stem Cell Medicine

Miami, FL (PRWEB) October 21, 2014

Global Stem Cells Group has announced that Alfredo Hoyos, M.D. and Maritza Novas, R.N., M.S.N. will be speaking at the EuroMedicom First AMWC Latin America Aesthetic & Anti-aging Medicine World Congress in Medellin, Colombia, Nov. 27, 28 and 29, 2014.

The World Congress Colombia event is organized in cooperation with the International Scientific Board of the AMWC Monaco event, the largest international event in the field of aesthetic and anti-aging medicine. The goal of the event is to showcase the AMWCs commitment to innovation, expertise and excellence in aesthetic and anti-aging medicine, and to share a wealth of experience and teaching skills with attendees from around the world.

In addition to keeping up with worldwide practices, the Medellin conference is designed to contribute to enhancing practitioners skills through advanced academic and clinical sessions, as well as lectures presented by prominent experts in the field like Hoyos and Novas.

Novas and Hoyos will discuss the latest advancements in stem cell medicine for cosmetic and anti-aging applications. Hoyos, founder of Stem Lab, Global Stem Cells Group's new representative in Colombia, will also discuss plans to hold a symposium on stem cell and regenerative medicine in Bogota in Feb., 2014.

Novas is a lead trainer and part of the research and development team for Stem Cell Training, a Global Stem Cells Group subsidiary. Hoyos, a prominent Colombian plastic surgeon, is the world-renowned creator of high-definition liposculpture and other advanced body contour techniques. Hoyos will also be promoting the new collaboration between Global Stem Cells Group and his Colombia-based Stem Lab biotechnology company, which develops stem cell techniques for regenerative medicine treatments.

Hoyos serves Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiary Regenestem as exclusive representative for the Colombian territory. Hoyos will be in charge of all Global Stem Cells Group divisions and programs in Colombia, including patient recruiting through Regenestem, physician training and certification trough Stem Cell Training, and stem cell equipment and disposables sales through Adimarket. Five dates are planned for training and physician certification under the Global Stem Cells Group brand in Colombia during 2015.

For more information, visit the Global Stem Cells Group website, email bnovas(at)stemcellsgroup(dot)com, or call 305-224-1858.

About the Global Stem Cells Group:

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions. With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.

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Maritza Novas, R.N., M.S.N and Alfredo Hoyos, M.D. to Speak at the EuroMedicom Aesthetic & Anti-Aging Medicine World ...

Stem cell and clinical research advances to be presented at NYSCF's Ninth Annual Conference

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

20-Oct-2014

Contact: David McKeon 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation @nyscf

Leaders in translational stem cell research from around the world will present the latest advances in stem cell science that are leading to better treatments and cures to disease and injury at The New York Stem Cell Foundation's Ninth Annual Translational Stem Cell Research Conference.

The opening day of the conference includes a panel discussion on large scale, big data stem cell and genetic initiatives moderated by Susan L. Solomon, JD, CEO and Co-founder of The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), with panelists George Church, PhD, Harvard Medical School; John Greally, PhD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Scott Noggle, PhD, The NYSCF Research Institute; and Eric Schadt, PhD, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Later that day, a discussion on neurodegeneration includes Kevin Eggan, PhD, Harvard University and the NYSCF Research Institute, who will discuss his research identifying an existing drug candidate that may be of use treating ALS and is entering clinical trials in the coming year. The following session on cell reprogramming and cancer includes Michael Milone, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, who will discuss recent research results from his lab and his colleagues including the results of a clinical trial for leukemia featured in The New York Times last week. The first day closes with a conversation on personalized medicine featuring Dieter Egli, PhD, NYSCF Robertson Investigator at the NYSCF Research Institute and Columbia University; Rudolf Jaenisch, MD, The Whitehead Institute; and Sir Ian Wilmut, FRS, FRSE, University of Edinburgh.

On October 23, the day will begin with remarks by Kenneth Adams and Kyle Kimball, President of the Empire State Development Corporation and President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, respectively. The session on translating innovation from the laboratory to the clinic features Stephen Chang, PhD, of the NYSCF Research Institute and Richard Pearse, PhD, of the Harvard Catalyst and eagle-i Network who will discuss their collaboration on the first publicly available induced pluripotent stem cell database. The day will close with a presentation on induced neuronal cells and cell transdifferentiation from the 2014 NYSCF Robertson Stem Cell Prize recipient, Marius Wernig, MD, PhD, of Stanford University School of Medicine.

Sir Ian Wilmut will give the keynote address on October 22nd and Dr. Rudolf Jaenisch will give the keynote address on the last day of the conference.

The full conference agenda can be found at http://www.nyscf.org/conference

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Stem cell and clinical research advances to be presented at NYSCF's Ninth Annual Conference

Stem Cell Hair Therapy – Hair Regrowth Treatment using Adult Stem Cell from Luminesce – Video

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By: Sam Jeunesse

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Stem Cell Hair Therapy - Hair Regrowth Treatment using Adult Stem Cell from Luminesce - Video

Stem cell treatment of spinal cord injuries [Pharyngula]

By Stem Cell Treatment

I have to admit that my first response to these reports out of Britain that stem cells had been successfully used to repair a complete spinal cord transection was skepticism incredulity even. Theyre reporting that a man with a completely severed spinal cord at level T10-T11 is able to walk again! The Guardian gushes! The Daily Mail gets in the act (always a bad sign)! When I read that the patient had an 8mm gap in his spinal cord that had been filling up with scar tissue for the last two years, I was even more doubtful: under the best of conditions, it was unlikely that youd get substantial connectivity across that distance.

So I read the paper. Im less skeptical now, for a couple of reasons. They actually did this experiment on 3 people, and all showed degrees of improvement, although the newspapers are all focusing on just the one who had the greatest change. The gradual changes are all documented thoroughly and believably. And, sad to say, the improvements in the mans motor and sensory ability are more limited and more realistic than most of the accounts would have you think.

The story is actually in accord with what weve seen in stem cell repair of spinal cord injury in rats and mice.

Overall, they found that stem cell treatment results in an average improvement of about 25% over the post-injury performance in both sensory and motor outcomes, though the results can vary widely between animals. For sensory outcomes the degree of improvement tended to increase with the number of cells introduced scientists are often reassured by this sort of dose response, as it suggests a real underlying biologically plausible effect. So the good news is that stem cell therapy does indeed seem to confer a statistically significant improvement over the residual ability of the animals both to move and feel things beyond the spinal injury site.

Significant but far from complete improvement is exactly what wed expect, and that improvement is a very, very good thing. It is an accomplishment to translate animal studies into getting measurable clinical improvements in people.

The basic procedure is straightforward. There is a population of neural cells in humans that do actively and continuously regenerate: the cells of the olfactory bulb. So what they did is remove one of the patients own olfactory bulbs, dissociate it into a soup of isolated cells, and inject them into locations above and below the injury. They also bridged the gap with strips of nerve tissue harvested from the patients leg. The idea is that the proliferating cells and the nerves would provide a nerve growth-friendly environment and build substrate bridges that would stimulate the damaged cells and provide a path for regrowth.

Big bonus: this was an autologous transplant (from the patients own tissues), so there was no worry about immune system rejection. There were legitimate worries about inflammation, doing further damage to the spinal cord, and provoking greater degeneration, and part of the purpose of this work was to assess the safety of the procedure. There were no complications.

Also, Im sure you were worried about this, but the lost olfactory cells also regenerated and the patients completely recovered their sense of smell.

Now heres the clinical assessment. Three patients were operated on; T1 is the one who has made all the news with the most remarkable improvement. There were also three control patients who showed no improvement over the same period.

Neurological function improved in all three transplant recipients (T1, T2, T3) during the first year postsurgery. This included a decrease of muscle spasticity (T1, T2) as well as improvement of sensory (T1, T2, T3) and motor function (T1, T2, T3) below the level of spinal cord injury.

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Stem cell treatment of spinal cord injuries [Pharyngula]

StemGenex New Clinical Study Aims to Provide Relief to Osteoarthritis Patients through Latest Stem Cell Therapy

By Stem Cell Treatment

La Jolla, CA (PRWEB) October 21, 2014

StemGenex, the leading resource for adult adipose stem cell therapy in the US aimed at improving the lives of patients dealing with degenerative diseases today announced their newest clinical study in partnership with Stem Cell Research Centre for Osteoarthritis. StemGenex and Stem Cell Research Centre (SCRC) believe that a commitment to the safety and efficacy of stem cell therapy are paramount when providing care to patients with life threatening diseases.

There are currently 21 million people in the U.S. alone, who suffer from Osteoarthritis. The most common symptoms are joint pain and stiffness which most commonly affect the neck, lower back, knees, shoulders and hips. These symptoms gradually worsen over time ultimately leading to the need for a total joint replacement procedure. StemGenex believe their new clinical study may provide patients improved mobility, significantly reduced pain and ultimately a better quality of life without needing joint replacement surgery.

This clinical study makes stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis accessible to the millions of individuals currently struggling with this painful disease. The protocol used in these stem cell treatments is unique to StemGenex and SCRC, having the possibility of being more effective than other stem cell treatments currently available. These treatments will utilize a multiple administration method which also includes injections precisely targeting the joint space. StemGenex believes these treatments may be able to keep patients from needing joint replacement surgery in the future, due to regeneration of cartilage in the joint.

This clinical study will be conducted under the leadership of the principal investigator,Dr. Jeremiah McDole, Ph.D. Dr. McDole states, We are excited to begin enrolling for this new study. We have high expectations for what we will learn and what advancements can ultimately be implemented. Of course, our focus is always set toward the near future and what can be done to help improve the lives of those individuals with Osteoarthritis.

This study is registered through The National Institutes of Health which can be found at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov and is being conducted under IRB approval of Stem Cell Research Centre (SCRC). There are many patients who are exploring stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis and it is important they have access to top-tier stem cell therapy. By providing patients access to stem cell studies registered through The National Institutes of Health, patients now have the ability to choose treatment that focuses on both safety and efficacy.

Rita Alexander, founder and president of StemGenex stated With so many people suffering from Osteoarthritis its absolutely wonderful to provide a treatment that has not only shown efficacy but also to be minimally invasive. Over the last several years we have observed significant improvement in the symptoms of Osteoarthritis patients through stem cell treatment. Through these registered clinical studies, we will now be able to publish our findings over the next few years.

This clinical study follows on the heels of StemGenex latest clinical studies for both Parkinsons disease and Multiple Sclerosis. Stem cell treatment studies are currently being offered by StemGenex partnering with Stem Cell Research Centre (SCRC) to patients diagnosed with Osteoarthritis as well as degenerative neurological diseases. StemGenex takes a unique approach of compassion and empowerment while providing access to the latest stem cell therapies for degenerative conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimers disease, stroke recovery and others.

To find out more about stem cell therapy, contact StemGenex either by phone at (800) 609-7795 or email Contact@stemgenex.com

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StemGenex New Clinical Study Aims to Provide Relief to Osteoarthritis Patients through Latest Stem Cell Therapy

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