Stem Cell Clinic

World's first lab grown stem cells implanted

By Stem Cell Medical Center

Tokyo, Sep 13 (IANS): Japanese researchers have successfully implanted lab-grown retinal tissue from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) into a woman in her 70s - the world's first recipient of stem cells.

In a two-hour procedure, a team of three eye specialists led by Yasuo Kurimoto of the Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital transplanted a 1.3 by 3.0 millimetre sheet of retinal pigment epithelium cells into an eye of the woman who was suffering from an age-related macular degeneration.

The procedure was performed at the Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation Hospital, next to the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) where ophthalmologist Masayo Takahashi had developed and tested the cells.

Kurimoto performed the procedure in a mere four days after a health ministry committee gave Takahashi clearance for the human trials, the scientific journal Nature reported.

She took the patient's skin cells, converted them into iPS cells and then coaxed them to differentiate into retinal cells.

The patient experienced no effusive bleeding or other serious problems.

"The patient took on all the risks that came along with treatment and surgery. I have deep respect for the bravery she showed in resolving to go through with it," Kurimoto said in a statement.

Kurimoto also thanked Shinya Yamanaka, a stem-cell scientist at the Kyoto University "without whose discovery of iPS cells, this clinical research would not be possible".

Yamanaka shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work.

"We have taken a momentous first step toward regenerative medicine using iPS cells," Takahashi concluded.

Read more:
World's first lab grown stem cells implanted

Japan carries out first iPS stem cell retina surgery

By Stem Cell Doctors

TOKYO: Japanese researchers on Friday (Sep 12) conducted the world's first surgery to implant "iPS" stem cells in a human body in a major boost to regenerative medicine, two institutions involved said.

A female patient in her 70s with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common medical condition that can lead to blindness in older people, had a sheet of retina cells that had been created from iPS cells implanted. "It is the first time in the world that iPS cells have been transplanted into a human body," a spokeswoman for Riken, one of the research institutions, told AFP.

The research team used induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells - which have the potential to develop into any cell in the body - that had originally come from the skin of the patient. Until the discovery of iPS several years ago, the only way to obtain stem cells was to harvest them from human embryos.

"We feel very much relieved," ophthalmologist Masayo Takahashi, the leader of the project at Riken, told a news conference after the surgery in Kobe. "We want to take it as a big step forward. But we must go on and on from here."

In a statement, the institution said that "no serious adverse phenomena such as excessive bleeding occurred" during the two-hour procedure. The surgery is still at an experimental stage, but if it is successful, doctors hope it will stop the deterioration in vision that comes with AMD.

The patient - one of six expected to take part in the trial - will be monitored over the next four years to determine how well the implants have performed, whether the body has accepted them and if they have become cancerous.

AMD, a condition that is incurable at present, affects mostly middle-aged and older people and can lead to blindness. It afflicts around 700,000 people in Japan alone.

The study was being carried out by researchers from government-backed research institution Riken and the Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation Hospital.

Stem cell research is a pioneering field that has excited many in the scientific community with the potential they believe it offers. Stem cells are infant cells that can develop into any part of the body. Harvesting from human embryos is controversial because it requires the destruction of the embryo, a process to which religious conservatives, among others, object.

Groundbreaking work done in 2006 by Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University, a Nobel Laureate in medicine last year, succeeded in generating stem cells from adult skin tissue.

Here is the original post:
Japan carries out first iPS stem cell retina surgery

Next-Generation Stem Cells Transplanted in Human for the First Time

By Stem Cell Clinic

Surgeons implanted retinal tissue created after reverting the patient's own cells to a "pluripotent" state

Researchers were able to grow sheets of retinal tissue from induced pluripotent stem cells, and have now implanted them for the first time in a patient. Credit: RIKEN/Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation

A Japanese woman in her 70s is the world's first recipient of cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, a technology that has created great expectations since it could offer the same advantages as embryo-derived cells but without some of the controversial aspects and safety concerns.

In a two-hour procedure starting at 14:20 local time today, a team of three eye specialists lead by Yasuo Kurimoto of the Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, transplanted a 1.3 by 3.0 millimeter sheet of retinal pigment epithelium cells into an eye of the Hyogo prefecture resident, who suffers from age-related macular degeneration.

The procedure took place at the Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation Hospital, next to the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) where ophthalmologist Masayo Takahashi had developed and tested the epithelium sheets. She derived them from the patient's skin cells, after producing induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and then getting them to differentiate into retinal cells.

Afterwards, the patient experienced no effusive bleeding or other serious problems, RIKEN has reported.

The patient took on all the risk that go with the treatment as well as the surgery, Kurimoto said in a statement released by RIKEN. I have deep respect for bravery she showed in resolving to go through with it.

He hit a somber note in thankingYoshiki Sasai, a CDB researcher who recenty committed suicide. This project could not have existed without the late Yoshiki Sasais research, which led the way to differentiating retinal tissue from stem cells.

Kurimoto also thanked Shinya Yamanaka, a stem-cell scientist at Kyoto University without whose discovery of iPS cells, this clinical research would not be possible. Yamanaka shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for that work.

Kurimoto performed the procedure a mere four days after a health-ministry committee gave Takahashi clearance for the human trials (see 'Next-generation stem cells cleared for human trial').

Read this article:
Next-Generation Stem Cells Transplanted in Human for the First Time

Woman Receives First Stem Cell Therapy Using Her Own Skin Cells

By Uncategorized

TIME Health medicine Woman Receives First Stem Cell Therapy Using Her Own Skin Cells A Japanese woman is the first to receive retinal cells made from her own skin cells

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Japan surgically transplanted a sheet of retinal pigment cells into the eye of a 70-year old woman on Friday.

The cells are the first induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, given to a human patient. They were made by Masayo Takahashi, who grew them from the patients own skin cells, which were treated with four genetic factors to revert back to an embryonic-like state. Takahashi then soaked the cells with the appropriate growth factors and other compounds so they developed into retinal pigment cells.

The patient was losing her sight due to macular degeneration, because her retinal pigment endothelial cells were damaged by an overgrowth of blood vessels. Replacing them with a new population of cells can restore her sight.

MORE: Stem-Cell Research: The Quest Resumes

Stem cell scientists are starting to test their treatments in eye-related diseases, because parts of the eye are protected from the bodys immune system, which could recognize the introduced cells as foreign and destroy them. Thats not a problem with the iPS cells, since they are made from the patients own skin cells, but its an added safety net to ensure that the therapy is safe and hopefully effective.

Because iPS cells are genetically treated to erase their skin cell development and revert them back to an embryonic-like state when they can become any type of cell, there are still concerns about their safety when transplanted into patients. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved a trial involving iPS cells so far, only stem cells made from excess IVF embryos have been approved for treating macular degeneration. A 19-member committee of the Japanese ministry of health approved the experimental procedure four days ago, according to Nature, after Takahashi made her case, with the help of Dr. Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University, who shared the 2012 Nobel Prize for discovering iPS cells.

MORE: Stem Cell Miracle? New Therapies May Cure Chronic Conditions like Alzheimers

Japans stem cell scientists are hoping the surgery is a success; the field has been struggling since a well-publicized paper about a new way to make iPS cells was retracted amid allegations of fraud.

Its not known whether the cells will continue to grow and form abnormal tumors, or whether they will migrate to other parts of the body. But now that the first patient has received them, those questions and more, about the effectiveness of stem cell therapy might be answered soon.

View post:
Woman Receives First Stem Cell Therapy Using Her Own Skin Cells

First iPS stem cell retina surgery gives hope for AMD patients

By Stem Cell Doctors

TOKYO - Japanese researchers Friday conducted the world's first surgery with "iPS" stem cells on serious eye disease Friday, possibly paving the way for treatment of a common cause of blindness, two institutions involved said.

A female patient with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common medical condition that can lead to blindness in older people, had a sheet of retina cells that had been created from iPS cells implanted.

The research team used induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells -- which have the potential to develop into any cell in the body -- that had originally come from the skin of the patient, the institutions said in a statement.

Until the discovery of iPS several years ago, the only way to obtain stem cells was to harvest them from human embryos.

The surgery is still at an experimental stage, but if it is successful, doctors hope it will stop the deterioration in vision that comes with AMD.

The patient -- one of six expected to take part in the trial -- will be monitored over the next four years to determine how well the implants have performed, whether the body has accepted them and if they have become cancerous.

AMD, a condition that is incurable at present, affects mostly middle-aged and older people and can lead to blindness. It afflicts around 700,000 people in Japan alone.

The study was being carried out by researchers from government-backed research institution Riken and the Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation Hospital.

Stem cell research is a pioneering field that has excited many in the scientific community with the potential they believe it offers.

Stem cells are infant cells that can develop into any part of the body.

See more here:
First iPS stem cell retina surgery gives hope for AMD patients

Stem cells help researchers understand how schizophrenic brains function

By Stem Cell Medicine

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

11-Sep-2014

Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary moleary@cell.com 617-397-2802 Cell Press @CellPressNews

Using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), researchers have gained new insight into what may cause schizophrenia by revealing the altered patterns of neuronal signaling associated with this disease. They did so by exposing neurons derived from the hiPSCs of healthy individuals and of patients with schizophrenia to potassium chloride, which triggered these stem cells to release neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, that are crucial for brain function and are linked to various disorders. By discovering a simple method for stimulating hiPSCs to release neurotransmitters, the findings in the International Society for Stem Cell Research's journal Stem Cell Reports, published by Cell Press, could provide new insights into how neurons communicate with each other and could lead to a better understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying a range of brain disorders.

"This study is novel because it shows that stem cell neurons derived from patients can provide new insight into neurotransmitter mechanisms occurring in brain disorders such as schizophrenia," says senior study author Vivian Hook of the University of California, San Diego. "The approach of this study has broad opportunities for uncovering the neurochemistry of brain cell communication in numerous brain disorders, via these studies of human disease in a dish. Findings from these studies will lead to new therapeutic strategies for brain disorders, especially those mental and neurological diseases for which no drug treatments exist today."

hiPSCS are cells that are taken from adults, genetically reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell-like state, and then converted into specialized cells such as neurons. Patient-derived hiPSCs offer the possibility of modeling an individual's disease in a dish and assessing which drugs will most effectively treat the disease. Because dysfunction in neural communication is linked to brain disorders such as schizophrenia, Hook and Fred Gage of The Salk Institute and Kristen Brennand of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai set out to determine whether hiPSC-derived neurons can be induced to release important brain signaling chemicals, allowing disease mechanisms to be studied in a dish.

To address this question, the researchers exposed hiPSC-derived neurons from healthy individuals and patients with schizophrenia to a chemical known to stimulate the release of neurotransmitters. They found that these cells contained neurotransmitter-producing enzymes and were capable of secreting dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrineneurotransmitters that are crucial for brain function and that are linked to various disorders. Moreover, secretion of the three neurotransmitters was enhanced in hiPSC-derived neurons from schizophrenia patients compared with those from healthy individuals.

"The significance of this study is that patient-derived stem cell neurons can uncover previously unknown neurotransmitter brain mechanisms occurring in schizophrenia," Hook says. "Because in vivo human brain research is limited, hiPSC neurons derived from patients create new opportunities to understand changes occurring in brain cells occurring in nervous system disorders. These approaches can potentially define new drug targets for the development of therapeutic agents to improve the lives of schizophrenia patients."

###

Stem Cell Reports, Hook et al.: "Human iPSC Neurons Display Activity-Dependent Neurotransmitter Secretion: Aberrant Catecholamine Levels in Schizophrenia Neurons."

Read the rest here:
Stem cells help researchers understand how schizophrenic brains function

The Aivee effect

By Stem Cell Clinic

Dr. Aivee Teos newest clinic combines multi-faceted skin typing with essential treatments to get The Aivee Glow

August 28, 2014The Aivee Clinic officially launches at the SM Mega Fashion Hall. After five years since opening her posh clinic at the Fort, Dr. Aivee Teo elevates her passion for advanced skin care technology and anti-aging treatments with the new clinic concept, The Aivee Clinic. The beauty hub couldnt have been in a better locationstationed alongside global fashion brands. Dr. Aivee Teo, one of the countrys most sought after dermatologists, after all, has as much passion for beauty as she has for fashion. Her success in the business of skin care is widely known, and as a fashion lover, she has constantly been on best-dressed lists. Beauty and fashion truly go hand in hand.

What started out as a practice in the pursuit of beauty, one that thrived purely on word of mouth, has inevitably made Dr. Aivee as one of the major players in the industry. Getting healthy, blemish-free, and luminous skin using non-invasive or minimally invasive methods has always been her technique. And she continues to push the standards with a full integration of beauty and wellness with The Aivee Group.

AIVEE LEAGUE

What is The Aivee Glow? Its a signature look defined as a luminous, radiant, and natural beauty that transcends external perfection. With the new clinic, Dr. Aivee strengthens the four pillars of The Aivee Group: The Aivee Institute (first class center for advanced dermatology, cosmetic surgery, hair restoration, and aesthetic stem cell therapy), Stemcare Institute (premiere center for pain and regenerative medicine using fat stem cells), Aivee Skin Science (research center for developing cosmeceutical and nutriceutical products) and now, The Aivee Clinic (skin-focused approach for no-downtime treatments). The Aivee Group is one well-oiled machine, with all its parts complementing each other toward a holistic beauty goal.

GRADE A

Its no secret that the husband and wife partnership of Dr. Z and Aivee Teo, their love and commitment for each other and their field, has brought them happiness and success. From surviving a long-distance relationship, shuffling back and forth Manila and Singapore to attend to their respective clinics, and always pursuing new ways to rejuvenate skin and provide a sense of well-being. All this while keeping their children close by and rarely being separate from each other. And if youve ever had the privilege of interviewing them together, they really finish each others sentences. Whether thats about their practice or about how they commit to make everything work for their family and business.

This dynamic duo established their anti-aging institute over a decade ago, utilizing maintenance procedures, non-invasive lasers, cutting edge technology such as stem cell therapy and liquid face lifts, and cosmetic surgery. The awareness of the growing needs of their patients and their recent travels to the US and Europe brought them to a new realization. With patients requesting for dramatic makeover programs, twice-a-year rejuvenation therapies and innovative treatments with the least amount or no downtime, SmartSkin became the clear answer as the way to move forward.

The SmartSkin Typing concept is a multi-faceted system with a digital tailor-made evaluation of the skin. By assessing and categorizing skin as oily or dry, sensitive or resistant, pigmented or non-pigmented, wrinkled or tight, you come up with a very specific skin type. From this, a highly customized skin treatment can easily be made. In keeping with the holistic approach, skin experts at The Aivee Clinic can then set the appropriate treatment programprocedures, health supplements, and skin careto achieve that healthy glow.

SKIN TECH

Go here to see the original:
The Aivee effect

Feds give Cellerant $47.5M for stem cell treatment that preps for nuclear disaster

By Stem Cell Treatment

Stem cell therapy is one way thegovernments preparing for a nationimpacted by nuclear disaster.

Cellerant Therapeutics has received $47.5 million from the government to develop its treatment for radiation poisoning. If approved, the feds could buy the drug for the Strategic National Stockpile, which is a part of Project Bioshield- a portion of the Bush-era War on Terror that medically readies the nation against chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attacks.

This is part of a $163.8 million commitment from theBiomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA.

The new dollars will go toward San Carlos, California-based Cellerants Phase 2 trial in patients with acute myeloid leukemia, as well as the preclinical trials to treat radiation poisoning, or Acute Radiation Syndrome.

As it relates toradiation poisoning, Cellerant said its drugCLT-008 is meant to provide hematopoietic support after exposure to ionizing radiation such as from a nuclear or radiological weapon, or from a nuclear accident, it said in a statement.

The privately held company also recently wrapped up early-stage clinical studies in patients with acute myeloid leukemia, as well as in patients that are undergoing an umbilical cord blood transplant. Cellerant found CLT-008, was safely tolerated in 75 patients, it said in a statement. Its Phase 2 is testing for a decrease in risk of febrile neutropenia, and infections stemming from chemo.

CLT-008 is essentially a collection of deep-freezed stem cells that can ultimately defrost and mature into working granulocytes, platelets and red blood cells in a person. In nonclinical models, Cellerant has shown that the treatments highly effective in providing protection from lethal radiation, preventing infection, facilitating stem cell engraftment and improving overall survival.

Get our daily newsletter or follow us.

Please enter your email below:

Originally posted here:
Feds give Cellerant $47.5M for stem cell treatment that preps for nuclear disaster

Community rallies for 12-year-old from Pine Island battling leukemia

By Stem Cell Clinic

PINE ISLAND, Minn. (KTTC) -- A Pine Island sixth grader is preparing to return to school after a nearly year-long battle with leukemia. Lacey McClain, 12, was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia last year and has undergone extensive treatment at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus since the diagnosis.

We thought she had mono, said Lacey's mom, Chrissie Jurrens. We took her in to make sure that was the case and the doctor came to us and said her white cell blood count was way higher than normal."

In fact, Lacey's white blood cell count was more than 20 times above normal. On October 29, 2013, she was diagnosed and immediately began aggressive chemotherapy treatment. It wasn't until January that Lacey began going into remission. Her battle didn't end there. Doctors told the family Lacey would also need a stem cell transplant.

Chemotherapy isn't easy on anybody's body, but she did a really good job of keeping her composure and staying strong and just knowing she was going to get through it, said Jurrens.

Months after going into remission, Lacey received a stem cell transplant on June 3. The transplant meant a 49-day stay in the hospital. In total, the 12-year-old has spent more than 100 days in the hospital.

She was my strength and I tried the best I could to be hers," said Jurrens. "We just stuck together."

Since her homecoming in late July, Lacey has spent much of her time resting and keeping up with doctor's appointments in order to get the all clear to go back to school next week. Despite, a compromised immune system, she'll be allowed to return to classes and a normal routine.

I'm excited for her, but I'm nervous because I know that a lot of germs are picked up in school and that's where most kids get sick. I kind of have mixed emotions about it, said Jurrens.

The family hasn't made their journey to recovery alone, Jurrens said there's been an outpouring of support from the community, including a benefit and 5K planned for Saturday, September 13.

She's not totally capable of being that normal kid yet, said Jurrens. I know that she's going to get there and I know that we're going to have good times again and I'm going to see her doing the things that I want to see her doing again."

See the rest here:
Community rallies for 12-year-old from Pine Island battling leukemia

Dr. Jeff Christiansen is Now Offering Stem Cell Therapy for Pets at Five Brevard County Animal Hospitals and Beyond

By Uncategorized

Melbourne, Florida (PRWEB) September 11, 2014

Central Florida board-certified veterinary surgeon, Jeffrey S. Christiansen is proud to announce his partnerships with several Brevard County animal hospitals to bring regenerative veterinary medicine to pets. Dr. Christiansen has been working in the area since January 2006, credentialed to do stem cell therapy on small animals since 2008, and is happy to now offer his expertise through five different locations.

Over the years Dr. Christiansen has used stem cell therapy with Vet-Stem, Inc. on cruciate ligament and meniscus injuries, as well as osteoarthritis of the hips and other joints. Once Dr. Christiansen has identified a patient as a good stem cell therapy candidate, the pet undergoes a simple surgery to collect fat that is sent overnight to Vet-Stems lab in California. The day after the collection the fat is processed so stem cells can be extracted and put into concentrated, injectable doses. These doses are shipped back overnight to Dr. Christiansen and he is able to place them in the affected areas of the patient to encourage healing and regeneration.

Even if a pet is not an immediate candidate for stem cell therapy, but is undergoing an orthopedic or other type of surgery with Dr. Christiansen, he offers the ability to collect a small sample of fat for future stem cell use with Vet-Stem. Vet-Stem has the ability to cryo-bank stem cells and grow them in the future to provide doses when needed. This service is called StemInsure for dogs, and provides the insurance of a pet having a lifetime of stem cell therapy available from a single sample collection.

Stem cell therapy can be an alternative for pets that are unable to take anti-inflammatories or have digestive issues, as well as pets that are looking at long-term pain management. Because the stem cells come directly from the patient risk is low, and the procedure is natural.

As part of Superior Veterinary Surgical (and less-invasive) Solutions, Dr. Christiansen will be offering stem cell therapy at the following clinics beginning in September: Island Animal Hospital in Merritt Island, Brevard Animal Emergency Hospital in Malabar, Aloha Pet and Bird Hospital in Indian Harbour, Maybeck Animal Hospital in West Melbourne, and the Animal Emergency and Referral Center in Fort Pierce. He is bringing nearly 20 years of veterinary medicine experience with him, and takes pride in specializing in soft tissue, orthopedic, and spinal surgery.

About Dr. Christiansen and Superior Veterinary Surgical Solutions Jeffrey S. Christiansen, DVM, DACVS graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in 1996. He completed his surgical residency in 2001, following an internship, and in 2002 he became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Dr. Christiansen has been practicing in Brevard County since the beginning of 2006 and runs Superior Veterinary Surgical Solutions. In addition to stem cell therapy, some special areas of interest to Dr. Christiansen include artificial urethral sphincter (for incontinence), juvenile pubic symphysiodesis (for prevention of arthritis secondary to hip dysplasia), prophylactic gastropexy (for prevention of gastric dilatation-volvulus, commonly referred to as bloat), subcutaneous ureteral bypass (for obstructions between the kidney and bladder in cats), ureteral stenting (for obstruction between the kidney and bladder in dogs), and urethral stenting (for urethral obstruction), tibial tuberosity advancement (for tears of the cranial cruciate ligament; ACL in people) and tracheal stenting (for tracheal collapse).

About Vet-Stem, Inc. Since its formation in 2002, Vet-Stem, Inc. has endeavored to improve the lives of animals through regenerative medicine. As the first company in the United States to provide an adipose-derived stem cell service to veterinarians for their patients, Vet-Stem pioneered the use of regenerative stem cells for horses, dogs, cats, and some exotics. In 2004 the first horse was treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy for a tendon injury that would normally have been career ending. Ten years later Vet-Stem celebrated its 10,000th animal treated, and the success of establishing stem cell therapy as a regenerative medicine for certain inflammatory, degenerative, and arthritic diseases. As animal advocates, veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and cell biologists, the team at Vet-Stem tasks themselves with the responsibility of discovering, refining, and bringing to market innovative medical therapies that utilize the bodys own healing and regenerative cells. For more information about Vet-Stem and Regenerative Veterinary Medicine visit http://www.vet-stem.com or call 858-748-2004.

Continue reading here:
Dr. Jeff Christiansen is Now Offering Stem Cell Therapy for Pets at Five Brevard County Animal Hospitals and Beyond

→←