Stem Cell Clinic

Scientists achieve promising results towards restoring vision in … – Ophthalmology Times

This finding marks a first step towards potentially restoring vision in eye diseases characterized by photoreceptor loss. (Image credit: AdobeStock/Victoria Key)

A preclinical study using stem cells to produce progenitor photoreceptor cellslight-detecting cells found in the eyeand then transplanting these into experimental models of damaged retinas has resulted in significant vision recovery.

According to a Duke-NUS Medical School news release, this finding, by scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School, the Singapore Eye Research Institute and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, marks a first step towards potentially restoring vision in eye diseases characterized by photoreceptor loss.

Our laboratory has developed a novel method that enables the production of photoreceptor progenitor cells resembling those in human embryos, Tay Hwee Goon, PhD, first author of the study from Duke-NUS Centre for Vision Research, said in the news release. Transplantation of these cells into experimental models has yielded partial restoration of the retinal function.

The degeneration of photoreceptors in the eye is a significant cause of declining vision that can eventually lead to blindness and for which there is currently no effective treatment. Photoreceptor degeneration occurs in a variety of inherited retinal diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosaa rare eye disease that breaks down cells in the retina over time and eventually causes vision lossand age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision impairment worldwide.1

Asst Prof Tay and her team developed a procedure to grow human embryonic stem cells in the presence of purified laminin proteins that are involved in normal development of human retinas. In the presence of the laminins, stem cells could be directed to differentiate into photoreceptor progenitor cells responsible for converting light into signals that are sent to the brain.

When these cells were transplanted into damaged retinas, the preclinical models showed significant recovery of vision. A diagnostic test called electroretinogram also identified significant recovery in the retinas via electrical activity in the retina in response to a light stimulus. The transplanted cells established connections with surrounding retinal cells and nerves in the inner retina. They also survived and functioned for many weeks after transplantation.

Moving forward, the team said in the news release it hopes to refine their method to make it simpler and achieve more consistent results than earlier attempts to explore stem cell therapy for photoreceptor cell replacement.

It is exciting to find these results, which suggest a promising route towards using stem cells to treat those forms of visual deterioration and blindness caused by the loss of photoreceptors, Helder Andre, PhDm head of Molecular and Cellular Research from Karolinska Institutes Department of Clinical Neuroscience and a senior author of the study, said in the news release.

Enrico Petretto, PhD, director of the Centre for Computational Biology at Duke-NUS and the study's bioinformatics analysis lead, discussed the research.

Our method may also be useful for understanding the molecular and cellular pathways that drive the progression of macular degeneration, perhaps leading to the development of other therapeutic approaches, he said in the news release.

According to the release, the next challenge for the researchers is to explore the efficacy of their method in models of photoreceptor degeneration that more closely match the human condition.

If we get promising results in our future studies, we hope to move to clinical trials in patients, Karl Tryggvason, MD, PhD, from Duke-NUS Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders Program, and the corresponding author of the study, said in the release. That would be an important step towards for being able to reverse damage of the retina and restore vision.

The protocol underlying the procedure developed by Tay has since been licensed to Swedish biotech start-up Alder Therapeutics.

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Unsure About Why Your Hair Is Going Grey? Scientists Might Have Found The Answer | HealthBeat – Times Now

Hair usually starts to slowly lose colour from 35 years of age while this can occur earlier as well. Colour produced at the hair follicle, pores around the root of hair, does not change the colour once hair starts to grow. With age, these follicles fail to produce enough pigment, as a result, once hair dies and regrows, it does not change the colour.

Updated Apr 20, 2023 | 03:45 PM IST

Published in the Nature journal, the study looked at how stem cells can affect follicles ability to produce colour.

Photo : iStock

Why does hair start to go grey?

Hair usually starts to slowly lose colour from 35 years of age while this can occur earlier as well. Colour produced at the hair follicle, pores around the root of hair, does not change the colour once hair starts to grow. With age, these follicles fail to produce enough pigment, as a result, once hair dies and regrows, it does not change the colour.

During normal growth of hair, cells continuously move back and forth during transition between compartments of developing hair follicles. But as hair ages and grows back, the number of melanocyte stem cells gets stuck in the stem cell compartment resulting in a bulge and preventing colouring. The loss of such function in the stem cells could take blame for loss of hair colour and greying. Findings suggest that such stem cell motility and reversible differentiation could be key to keeping hair coloured and healthy.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.

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Unsure About Why Your Hair Is Going Grey? Scientists Might Have Found The Answer | HealthBeat - Times Now

Unlocking the secrets to aging gracefully: How to keep your spine … – Kevin MD

An excerpt from The Spine Encyclopedia: Everything Youve Wanted to Know about Back and Neck Pain but Were Too Afraid to Ask.

As we age, our cells become less functional, and bodily tissues lose the ability to replenish and regenerate. The spine is not excluded from this process and undergoes predictable degeneration as we age. For some, spinal degeneration turns into serious pain and disability that can end in the need for surgery. For others, this is not the case, and they continue to have active lifestyles despite degeneration in the back and neck. What separates these groups? What can we do to make sure our backs work for us as opposed to having to work for our backs (going to the doctors, getting treatments and surgery)? While the answers to these questions remain somewhat unknown, there are many non-surgical interventions to not only extend the life span of our spines, but also of our lives. These include practices such as following a healthy, low-calorie diet, not smoking, treating osteoporosis, and practicing a balanced exercise regimen.

Case

Mr. Silver is a healthy 70-year-old male. He retired from a career as a teacher at the age of 65 and has been very busy in retirement. He pays close attention to his health and makes sure he does at least 40-50 minutes of vigorous exercise 4-5 times a week. This can consist of a brisk hike, bicycle riding, or even swimming, and he enjoys switching between these activities. He used to be an avid runner but finds hiking, biking, and swimming to be more tolerable to his bones and joints these days. He participates in yoga, and to outside viewers, his posture, gait, and flexibility reflect that of a young man, although he will tell you he feels stiff at times. He has never smoked and only occasionally drinks wine. In addition to these basic tenets of lifestyle, he is very active with his grandkids and enjoys a full circle of friends with whom he regularly socializes. Although he can drive himself to the doctors, he is never short of volunteers who want to come with him for support. He has no pain, has not had a fracture from weakened bones, and takes no medicines.

Getting older is inevitable. The turn of the century Italian philosopher Giacomo Leopardi had this to say about aging: Old age is the supreme evil because it deprives us of all pleasures, leaving us only the appetite for them, and it brings with it all sufferings. Nevertheless, we fear death, and we desire old age. We all want to continue living, but the price for continued life is getting older, including an aging skeleton. Unfortunately, aches and pains are going to be in everyones future, but as a physician, I have noticed that there seems to be a trick to aging gracefully. Looking at colleagues and patients, I have seen those who cruise into old age and those who bruise into old age. In other words, some have no issues in old age, and others have endless problems. While genetics likely play a crucial role in aging, we cannot control our genes (yet). However, we do have the power to change environmental factors and lifestyle choices that accelerate aging. In medicine, we talk about a patients genotype and phenotype. The genotype simply refers to the type of genes a person has (for example, a person has a gene for brown hair), while the phenotype refers to the actual expression of those genes (that is, a person has brown hair). Our environment plays a role in determining the phenotype as expressed with this equation:

Phenotype = Genotype + (diet and lifestyle).

The phenotype we all want is one that allows us to live a long, healthy life. We must assume we are stuck with our genotype, but this equation begs the question: what are the things we can do to age gracefully?

What is aging and why does it happen?

Aging is simply the process of becoming older. Superficially, as we age, we appear to have more wrinkles and blemishes in the skin, and perhaps grayer hair. We dont have the same strength, endurance, and even body shape as we did when we were younger. But on a molecular and cellular level in the body, what is driving these changes?

Cells are the building blocks that form all our tissues. As we age, our cells age too. Stem cells, which are cells that are capable of becoming a range of different tissues (bone, muscle, blood, etc.), lose the capacity to undergo differentiationthe ability to change from one cell type to another. This is problematic because stem cells are responsible for replenishing damaged tissue, for example, damaged cartilage in joints. So, the body cannot regenerate as effectively.

Unlike the cells in young bodies, cells in the older persons body also lose some of their metabolic capacity and start to accumulate waste proteins, resulting in malfunction. This is thought to occur because of several different reasons:

Thus, the body loses its ability to replace old or damaged cells, and those older cells start to malfunction. This disrupts the complex biological processes in the body.

Cellular aging processes affect the musculoskeletal system, and we know that three things happen:

Yoshihiro Katsuura is an orthopedic surgeon and author of The Spine Encyclopedia: Everything Youve Wanted to Know about Back and Neck Pain but Were Too Afraid to Ask.

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Unlocking the secrets to aging gracefully: How to keep your spine ... - Kevin MD

Selma Blair spent years terrified of being found out she was suffering symptoms of undiagnosed MS – Yakima Herald-Republic

Selma Blair spent years terrified of being found out she was suffering symptoms of her undiagnosed multiple sclerosis on film sets.

The Legally Blonde actress, 50, lived for decades with the physical and mental results of the incurable disease before she was finally diagnosed with it in August 2018, and said she spent time on jobs trying to hide the brutal impacts of the condition, which included bouts of vomiting and well as hair looks and rashes.

Mum-of-one Selma, who has son Arthur, 11, with her fashion designer ex Jason Bleick, 49, whose MS is now in remission partly due to the hematopoietic stem cell transplantation she received in 2019 said in a cover interview for Mays British Vogue magazine: I was worried since the beginning of time that a glaring fault would remove me from the workforce.

And usually it was my incoordination or getting stuck, too weak or sick, in my trailer or any time, really.

The vomiting or body issues were terrifying, (and the) baldness or rashes.

She added about her terror of being found out: I remember being very, very poorly on Hellboy and was diagnosed with cat scratch fever and possible leukaemia in Prague.

I couldnt tell anybody. I couldnt admit alcoholism or (access) treatment in my insurance for fear Id be deemed an insurance risk. I fell apart once I got back to LA.

After Selma filmed the US television remake of Kath and Kim in 2009, she finally pulled away from showbiz as her body was so exhausted.

She added: My autoimmune system was misfiring losing most of my hair and all of my energy.

I kinda bowed out (after the show.)

It was a French exit and everybody else stayed at the party my self-hatred was extreme.

I could not manage well and I couldnt even try to find work it was a running joke: How far was the audition? How many naps would I fit in on the side of the road before and after?

When I quit acting) I spent my days in bed, crying, sometimes binge drinking, sometimes reading and sleeping, seeing doctors and healers I gave up almost until the diagnosis. I was always terrified I would be deemed incapable. Or mentally unsound. My mother taught me that was death for a woman career-wise.

By the time Selma was seven she had lost use of her right eye, left leg and her bladder due to undiagnosed juvenile MS, and would wake up in the night laughing hysterically due to the incurable condition which then led her to uncontrollably weep as an adult.

The floods of emotion were the result of her damaging her frontal lobe and she didnt get a diagnosis for 40 years.

She said: I looked like a normal girl to them, but I was disabled this whole time.

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Selma Blair spent years terrified of being found out she was suffering symptoms of undiagnosed MS - Yakima Herald-Republic

The Beljanski Foundation Launches Annual Integrative Cancer Conference October 13-15 in Jacksonville, Florida – EIN News

The conference offers a chance to bring together people from all backgrounds to discuss cancer-related topics and research.

Sylvie Beljanski

The event will support breast cancer stem cell research funded by the Beljanski Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit conducting scientific research into natural plant extracts for cancer treatment and cancer prevention. According to Nathan Crane, Conference and Strategic Solutions Director of the Beljanski Foundation, "the conference will offer cutting-edge solutions, science, and support for putting an end to cancer with top doctors and cancer conquerors from holistic, functional, and integrative medicine." Breast cancer stem cell research is crucially important because breast cancer stem cells are thought to be responsible for the recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer. Unlike other cancer cells, which can be killed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy, breast cancer stem cells have the ability to survive and become resistant to these treatments, leading to tumor regrowth and metastasis. Early research has shown very promising results with non-toxic natural compounds. However, more funding is needed to confirm the benefits on breast cancer stem cells, and this event aims to spread this awareness.

Since August, the Beljanski Foundation, Panacea Community, LLC, and Healing Life International, LLC have partnered to bring this three-day event to fruition. The conference will feature presentations by the top holistic doctors and leaders in functional medicine and provide "education, inspiration, community, networking, presentations, workshops, technology, scientific breakthroughs, entertainment, and fundraising." There will also be a Friday Night Black-Tie Gala dinner.

The Beljanski Foundation is committed to treating cancer holistically and to "study and share knowledge of effective non-toxic, natural answers that work both alone and in synergy with traditional western medicine to cure cancer and other chronic diseases the natural way." Sylvie Beljanski began the Beljanski Foundation to continue her father's work. Known as "the father of environmental medicine," Mirko Beljanski, Ph.D. worked to bring "nature and science together to improve the health and well-being of people," states Sylvie Beljanski. Through the Beljanski Foundation, Dr. Mirko Beljanski's research only continues.

"For a different outcome, let's look at cancer differently. After all, doing the same thing again and again and hoping for a different result is the definition of insanity," continues Beljanski.

Super early bird tickets are available until April 30, 2023. To register and learn more about "Winning the War on Cancer" - The Beljanski Integrative Cancer Conference, follow this link: https://integrativecancerconference.com

To learn more about the Beljanski Foundation and its impact on natural solutions to cancer, click here: https://beljanski.org.

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The Beljanski Foundation Launches Annual Integrative Cancer Conference October 13-15 in Jacksonville, Florida - EIN News

Closing the IP and innovation gender gap in Canada – WIPO

April 2023

By David Durand, founder of DURAND Lawyers and co-founder of MVIP, as well as sitting President of FORPIQ (agenda), Montral, Canada

In the world of innovation, creation and entrepreneurship, gender gaps or disparities should not exist. Science, whether undertaken by a man or a woman, is science, and should be judged solely on the merits of its findings. Yet, research reveals a number of barriers that prevent women from contributing to scientific endeavor and its resulting innovations.

According to a report by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Processing Artificial Intelligence: Analysis from a Canadian Perspective, At the international scale, there was one female identified for every three males involved in AI patenting. By comparison, for patented inventions containing at least one Canadian researcher, that ratio decreases to one female for every six male researchers.

Similarly, data from WIPO reveal that only 16.5 percent of inventors named in international patent applications in 2020 were women. While this share has increased by 3.8 percentage points, progress is slow. WIPO estimates that, at the current pace, gender parity among PCT-listed inventors will only be reached in 2058.

These ratios are concerning, as there is no doubt that women have and continue to be active contributors to the sciences, despite being identified in certain cases as unsung heroes". That is why it is important to encourage more women to engage with the intellectual property (IP) system so they can leverage the value of their work. When more women engage in IP, we all win because diversity in innovation means more talent, more new perspectives, and increased chances of finding solutions to the complex challenges we face.

The Forum International de la Proprit Intellectuelle - Qubec (FORPIQ) promotes the uptake of intellectual property across Canada via its conference and support from its partner network, organizing committee and membership. In honor of Word Intellectual Property Day 2023 and this years campaign theme, Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity, FORPIQ wishes to highlight some of Canadas trailblazing women inventors, creators and entrepreneurs. These individuals exemplify the can do attitude of women and their ground-breaking work.

Improving heel-to-toe gait for improved mobility: Dr. Nancy Mayo, from the Division of Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University, became an entrepreneur in her late sixties. She founded Physio Biometrics Inc., in August 2019. Although no one was interested in her initial 2014 proposal, Dr. Mayo persisted in her biofeedback research to improve heel-to-toe gait for greater stability and improved mobility.

She has created a wearable sensor, Heel2ToeTM, which clips to the outside of a walking shoe. The device provides positive auditory feedback in real time when the wearer makes a good step - one that starts with a strong heel strike.

Today, Physio Biometrics has 135 prototypes of its sensor, all of which are on sale or being used in research projects with seniors and people with Parkinsons disease.

To ensure development of the sensor and its associated algorithms, Dr. Mayo collaborated with a colleague to secure grant funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). This early funding opened up other opportunities to secure research funds from Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives (HBHL) and McGill Innovation Fund among others, to support innovation and provide employment for highly skilled people within her company. Additional revenue generated from workshops and the sale of the devices are being reinvested in the company to ensure the technology continues to evolve in response to consumers needs.

Dr. Mayo notes that becoming an entrepreneur can be difficult because once you start, you cant take your foot off the gas. The role of entrepreneur gets added on to other roles that women scientists take on: researcher, educator, inventor, family caregiver. The competitive nature of being an entrepreneur can mean letting go of other important roles. When confronted with barriers, Dr. Mayo says you can either step up or give up. Giving up is not in Dr. Mayos DNA, as seen from her achievements, including the publication of over 300 scientific papers. Dr. Mayo continues to excel in her field.

Becoming an entrepreneur can be difficult because once you start, you cant take your foot off the gas.

Dr. Mayos words of wisdom to future entrepreneurs, are learn your markets and consumers and provide them with the product that meets their needs, especially when they need a device that allows them to walk better.

Diagnosing infertility in men: Dr. Sarah Kimmins works for the research center of the Centre Hospitalier de lUniversit de Montral (CHUM), Department for Pathology and Cell Biology at the University of Montreal and the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University. She is an epigeneticist, which means she studies how human behavior and the environment have an impact on the way our genes work.

Dr. Kimmins has developed a fertility diagnostic for men called HisTurn, based on biomarkers of the sperm epigenome (biochemical markers associated with DNA).

After reviewing and assessing Dr. Kimmins Report of Invention to the McGill Office of Innovation + Partnerships, the University took on the process of protecting the invention. McGill University also collaborated with Axelys to further support the development of the technology, with Axelys providing insights to support the technology transfer, implementation and commercialization of the HisTurn diagnostic.

According to Dr. Kimmins, the clinical adoption of HisTurn will fill a technology and health-need gap by accurately diagnosing infertility in men and providing clinicians with actionable information to choose the most appropriate treatment plan.

Dr. Kimmins explains that she and the McGill Office of Innovation + Partnerships worked with a patent agent to determine the best IP strategy to adopt to commercialize the diagnostic.

The support of our patent agent was invaluable, as it meant our team had access to the relevant expertise and understanding in the field of science in which I work, as well as deep knowledge of the law and patenting process, which can be tricky to navigate when including epigenomic targets, Dr. Kimmins explains.

With respect to the gender gap in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), Dr. Kimmins says, studies have shown that world-wide women are less likely to be awarded the same grant dollars as men, are allocated smaller lab space and start-up packages, and have increased demands placed on them for mentoring, teaching and service. They are also less likely to have their publications accepted in journals with a high-impact factor. Consequently, women allocate less time and resources to commercializing their science. Until equity is achieved in science, women will continue to be under-represented in patenting, she says.

Dr. Kimmins believes that more scholarships and financial programs should be awarded to underrepresented students (i.e., first generation migrants, low-income students, and others) to enable more talented people to take advantage of opportunities in STEM.

Until equity is achieved in science, women will continue to be under-represented in patenting.

Dr. Kimmins also believes that many of the skills learned as a principal investigator in the laboratory are transferable to entrepreneurial ventures. Running a lab includes securing millions of dollars for its operation and managing and inspiring a team of researchers towards a common goal. You are also constantly presenting your science to different communities, including the public, clinicians and other scientists. So having effective communication skills is essential, Dr. Kimmins explains.

Programs that promote women and their successes are key to attracting more young women to the field of innovation, Dr. Kimmins says.

Doctors Mayo and Kimmins agree that access to flexible funding to cover costs of patenting and to leverage matching funds to secure larger financial streams, is a key to translating an idea into a successful business. The two entrepreneurs applaud, McGills innovation fund (MIF), founded in Autumn 2021 to support entrepreneurial innovation by awarding grants to researchers seeking to commercialize new technologies and discoveries.

The fund seeks to help researchers bridge the valley of death, that precarious interval during which an invention emerges from the lab and makes its way to the market. Thats when the need for financial support is most acute, explains Dr. Mark Weber, Director of Innovation and Partnerships at the McGill Office of Research and Innovation.

To further support women in business, in September 2022, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) launched a CAD 500 million Thrive Platform to assist trailblazing women-led companies to succeed and become tomorrows global leaders. The platform seeks to ensure that women entrepreneurs have access to everything they need to thrive and have a lasting impact on the economy. Its unique offering includes early stage venture capital investment for women-led businesses, strategic investment in women-led and focused funds, as well as emerging models working alongside ecosystem partners to provide equity investments to women-led businesses at the earliest stages of development.

The Innovation Asset Collective also offers grants for women in IP, provided that eligibility requirements are satisfied. The Government of Qubec has also invested CAD 8 million to increase the number of women in STEM, among other initiatives.

Promoting greater IP awareness among women scientists is an important step towards narrowing the IP and innovation gap.

Promoting greater IP awareness among women scientists is an important step towards narrowing the IP and innovation gap. But these efforts need to be complemented by a commitment to provide mentorship and leadership to younger generations in STEM. And that means changing perceptions and mindsets about innovation and IP well before young women begin their studies or pursue their academic careers.

Acknowledgement(s): The author would like to thank Drs. Kimmins, Mayo and Weber, as well as the BDC for their contributions to this article.

Me David Durand, B.Sc. (chem.), LL.L, lawyer and trademark agent, is the founder of DURAND Lawyers and co-founder of MVIP, the sitting president of FORPIQ, and is an advisor to the National Crowdfunding and Fintech Association of Canada (NCFA). Mr.Durand has appeared before the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance regarding crypto-assets within its statutory review of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act and was invited to submit its co-authored brief titled Dont block the blockchain: How Canada can guard against money laundering while maintaining global competitiveness. He has also participated in other consultations regarding the regulation of crypto-asset trading platforms (CSA/IIROC, IOSCO - CR02/2019 ), global stablecoin arrangements before the international Financial Stability Board (FSB), the modernization of Ontarios capital markets (jointly with NCFA) and the transfer of personal data across borders (joint submission with the Chamber of Digital commerce) before the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. He has also recently appeared before the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Research to talk about support for the commercialization of intellectual property (evidence).

Mr. Durand was recently accepted as a subject matter expert for the Standards Council of Canadas Canadian Mirror committee ISO/TC279 on innovation management standards, as well as the IEC SEG15 committee on the metaverse. He has also taught courses on IP law at the University of Ottawa, and was recently published in Durand, D., Mulcair, C. (2023). Whats the Big Idea? The Crossroads Between Investment and IP. In: Bader, M.A., Szerolu-Melchiors, S. (eds) Intellectual Property Management for Start-ups. Management for Professionals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16993-9_8.

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Closing the IP and innovation gender gap in Canada - WIPO