Yoshiki Sasai Suicide: Japanese Stem Cell Scientist Found Dead In Kobe Facility

A Japanese scientist who was among a team of researchers accused of falsifying the results of two stem cell studies committed suicide Tuesday at a government science institute in western Japan. Yoshiki Sasai, deputy director of the Riken Center for Developmental Biology, was found by a security guard at the Kobe facility with a rope around his neck, the Associated Press reports. Authorities said he had suffered from cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead two hours later.

Sasai, 52, was considered an expert in embryonic stem cell research and co-authored two research papers published in January in the journal Nature that detailed a seemingly groundbreaking method of harvesting stem cells to grow new human tissue. Sasai and lead author Haruko Obokata reported having successfully altered ordinary mouse cells into versatile stem cells by immersing them in a mildly acidic solution. The resulting cells were named stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP) cells.

The studies were initially praised as being on the cutting edge of stem cell treatment, but were quickly disputed when other scientists could not replicate the experimental procedure. The papers were retracted six months later after the journal found they contained erroneous data, among other flaws.

Scientists at RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe are deeply concerned about the allegations regarding the recently reported STAP cells, the center said in a statement released in March. We wish to express our strong commitment to maintaining the highest level of scientific integrity to the public and the scientific community. We are fully aware that trust from the society is crucial for research activities carried out in RIKEN.

The scandal apparently affected Sasais health. Following the initial revelation that the research he was involved in may have been flubbed, he was hospitalized in March for stress, according to Riken spokesman Satoru Kagaya, who told reporters during a televised news conference on Tuesday that Sasai "seemed completely exhausted" when they talked over the phone in May.

Several suicide notes were found on Sasais secretarys desk, according to the Wall Street Journal. The content of the notes has not been made public, but officials said two of the notes were addressed to Riken officials, one of whom was Obokata.

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Yoshiki Sasai Suicide: Japanese Stem Cell Scientist Found Dead In Kobe Facility

Embryonic Stem-Cell Research: Experts Debate Pros and Cons

Experts debate embryonic stem-cell research. What are the pros and cons? Is it necessary? Is it ethical? Get the facts and learn the issues from the experts themselves.

The positions couldnt be more polar.

Some say it could save lives. Others say it kills them. And the embryonic stem-cell research debate shows no signs of dying down any time soon.

We invited each participant to write an argument, then read the opponents argument and write a rebuttal. Neither was allowed to read the others initial argument before writing his own, and neither could read the others response before rebutting.

Opponents point out that research on adult stem cells has yielded more practical results so farfor example, bone marrow transplants. But proponents believe embryonic stem cells hold more promise. Besides, they say, research on adult stem cells has been going on longer than on embryonic ones.

In the end, whatever such cells may or may not be able to give us, the question comes down to: Is embryonic stem-cell research ethical? And thats what we asked our experts to debate.

Share your opinions in the comments section at the end of the article.

Human embryonic stem-cell research is not only ethical, it is an essential field to pursue to make key advances in biomedical research to treat diseases effectively where there are currently no curesincluding, but not limited to, paralysis from spinal cord injury, diabetes, Parkinsons disease and cancer.

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Embryonic Stem-Cell Research: Experts Debate Pros and Cons

Quebec womans leukemia battle highlights need for minority bone marrow and stem cell donors

MONTREALA Quebec womans desperate online plea for a compatible stem-cell donor in her bid to fight cancer a second time is shedding light on the lack of minorities on official lists in Canada and abroad.

Mai Duong finds herself battling leukemia again and doctors say they would like to proceed with a transplant of bone marrow or cord blood stem cells within a month.

But Duong, 34, has discovered that locating the right person can be a needle-in-a-haystack challenge, particularly for those who are from a non-Caucasian background.

This is a global problem, Duong, who is of Vietnamese origin, said in an interview from her room at Montreals Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital.

We cant do a scavenger hunt every time someone has this type of problem.

Duong, who returned home a few days after being interviewed, said a recent bone marrow biopsy showed no signs of cancer. She will now begin four weeks of maintenance chemotherapy, which is given in lower doses to assist in prolonging a remission.

The mother of a 4-year-old girl, Duong successfully fought off acute leukemia in 2013 with chemotherapy. She had to terminate a 15-week pregnancy to undergo the treatment. Duong was in remission until a blood test revealed leukemia had returned this past May.

Seventy per cent of people who had that type of leukemia were just cured with chemotherapy, and unfortunately Im in the 30 per cent, she said.

The diagnosis and a lack of a match in her family have touched off a mad scramble to find a fellow Vietnamese donor. An online campaign has taken that hunt global.

I have cancer, I had a relapse, I dont have a bone marrow (donor) these are things I cannot change, Duong said. So I said, what can I do about it?

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Quebec womans leukemia battle highlights need for minority bone marrow and stem cell donors

Disgraced Japanese stem cell scientist found dead

Suspected suicide: Yoshiki Sasai in April. Photo: AFP

Tokyo: A renowned Japanese stem cell scientist who co-wrote research that was later retracted in an embarrassing scandal has been found dead, police say.

The body of Yoshiki Sasai, 52, was discovered hanging inside the stairwell of a building that houses the Riken Centre for Developmental Biology, one of the country's most prestigious scientific research institutions.

The office is in the western city of Kobe.

Haruko Obokata, who was mentored by Yoshiki Sasai. Dr Obokata's research on stem cells published in Nature was found to have been falsified. Photo: AP/Kyodo News

"Yoshiki Sasai was discovered hanging on Tuesday morning inside one of Riken's research buildings and, after being sent to hospital, he was confirmed dead at 11.03am," a spokesman for the Hyogo Prefectural police said.

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"Police are investigating the case as a suspected suicide."

He added that authorities discovered "farewell notes" that Dr Sasai had left behind, with public broadcaster NHK reporting that one was left for Haruko Obokata.

Dr Sasai mentored Dr Obokata, whose study earlier this year was hailed as a "game-changer" in the quest to grow transplant tissue in the laboratory.

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Disgraced Japanese stem cell scientist found dead

Bong Revilla Jr. at Jinggoy Estrada, naalarma sa nangyari kay Lolit Solis

USAPANG CELL at stem cell.

Kuwento ito mismo ni Lolit Solis tungkol sa kanyang ikalawang stem cell treatment sa Germany kamakailan, kasamang muli ang alagang si Lorna Tolentino.

Like the first stem cell treatment she underwent more than a year ago, hindi ikinakailamuch less ikinahihiyani Nay Lolit na amining courtesy of her friend Dra. Vicki Belo ang milyong piso ring halaga ng nasabing medical breakthrough.

Malaki ang iginanda ng kundisyong pisikal ng talent manager-TV host makaraan ng unang gamutan. Mas gumaan daw ang kanyang pakiramdam.

But her diabetesthat manifested when she turned more than 60became burdensome sa puntong kinailangan na niyang mag-insulin. Ito ang itinuturong culprit ni Nay Lolit kung bakit bagamat matagumpay naman ang kanyang ikalawang stem cell treatment ay nawalan siya raw ng malay nang makauwi nat nagpapahinga sa kanyang West Fairview residence.

Dahil naalarma ang kanyang mga kaibigan most specially in showbiz, there was a seemingly endless barrage of phone calls after she regained her consciousness.

A concerned Bong Revillaalso her wardrang her up. Tanong daw nang tanong ang senador kung anong nangyari kay Nay Lolit at kung ano ang kailangan nito.

Moments later, ang nasa kabilang linya naman daw ng telepono ay si Jinggoy Estrada, na noong malamang libre lang naman ang naturang treatment ay ito pa raw ang nanita sa kanya na may halo namang malasakit, Eh, kasi naman, ang hilig-hilig mo sa libre, no! Hayan tuloy nangyari sa yo!

Realizing that Senator Jinggoy had a point, tumawa na lang daw si Nay Lolit.

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Bong Revilla Jr. at Jinggoy Estrada, naalarma sa nangyari kay Lolit Solis

Japanese scientist dies by suicide after stem-cell research scandal

A Japanese researcher at the centre of discredited research that was initially hailed as a potential breakthrough for stem-cell treatment, killed himself after months of stress and exhaustion, officials said on Tuesday.

Yoshiki Sasai, co-author of the high-profile research that had seemed to offer hope for replacing damaged cells or even growing new human organs, was found early on Tuesday at the Riken institute where he worked in Kobe, western Japan, police and the institute said.

It is confirmed as a suicide, said a police spokesman. It was a hanging.

Sasai, 52, had been hospitalized in March for stress and become less receptive to media inquiries during the controversy over the teams research, said Riken spokesman Satoru Kagaya.

The scientist had seemed completely exhausted in their last phone conversation around May or June, Kagaya told a televised news conference.

As deputy director of Rikens Center for Developmental Biology, Sasai supervised the work of lead author Haruko Obokata, which took the world of molecular biology by storm when it was published in the British journal Nature in January.

It was retracted after months of controversy that made front-page news in Japan and tarnished the countrys reputation for scientific research.

The journals editor-in-chief, Phil Campbell, issued a statement in London describing Sasais death as a true tragedy for science and an immense loss to the research community.

Yoshiki Sasai was an exceptional scientist and he has left an extraordinary legacy of pioneering work across many fields within stem cell and developmental biology, Campbell said.

It is very unfortunate that this happened, said the governments top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. Mr Sasai contributed greatly in the field of developmental biology and was an internationally renowned researcher.

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Japanese scientist dies by suicide after stem-cell research scandal

Japanese scientist stem-cell scientist Yoshiki Sasai commits suicide

Yoshiki Sasai, who was embroiled in a stem-cell scandal, committed suicide He was found with a rope around his neck at science institute Riken in Japan Mr Sasai, 52, was deputy chief of Riken's Center for Developmental Biology He co-authored stem-cell research papers with falsified contents

By Ted Thornhill

Published: 06:20 EST, 5 August 2014 | Updated: 09:29 EST, 5 August 2014

A senior Japanese scientist embroiled in a stem-cell research scandal died on Tuesday in an apparent suicide, police said.

Yoshiki Sasai, who supervised and co-authored stem-cell research papers that had to be retracted due to falsified contents, was found suffering from cardiac arrest at the government-affiliated science institute Riken in Kobe, in western Japan, according to Hyogo prefectural police.

Sasai, 52, was deputy chief of Riken's Center for Developmental Biology.

Tragic:Yoshiki Sasai, who was embroiled in a stem-cell scandal, committed suicide and was found with a rope around his neck at his place of work

A security guard found him with a rope around his neck, according to Riken. Sasai was rushed to a hospital, but was pronounced dead two hours later.

Police and Riken said Sasai left what appeared to be suicide notes, but refused to disclose their contents.

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Japanese scientist stem-cell scientist Yoshiki Sasai commits suicide

Maamba resident awarded Harvard Stem cell institute internship

Yanick Mulumba

Kabungo Yanick Mulumba, a resident of Maamba, Zambia, a graduate of St. Canisius High School, and now a senior at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, is one of forty undergraduate students accepted into the 2014 Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) Internship Program, which provides participants with a challenging summer research experience in a cutting-edge stem cell science laboratory.

Mulumba is spending ten weeks, from June 9 to August 15, in the Harvard University Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology laboratory of HSCI Principal Faculty member Chad Cowan, PhD, known for his research on genetic disease modeling. Mulumbas project this summer is to engineer transplantable white blood cells that dont attack the bodys own cells when used for adoptive immunotherapya treatment that uses biological substances to boost a patients immune system.

The internship has enhanced my critical thinking through troubleshooting and planning of experiments, Mulumba said. Ive also been exposed to leaders in academia and industry who have helped me learn how to combine my interests in medicine, research, and healthcare management.

Over the course of the program, interns participate in a stem cell seminar series, a career pathways presentation, and a weekly stem cell companion course. They present their summer research findings, both orally and in poster format, at an end-of-program symposium.

This program represents an exciting opportunity for undergraduates to gain hands-on experience in stem cell research while working in an HSCI laboratory under the supervision of an experienced researcher, said HSCI Internship Program co-director M. William Lensch, PhD.

The Harvard Stem Cell Institute gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the following sponsors for the 2014 HSCI Internship Program: Biogen Idec, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Regenerative Medicine, Loughborough University (UK), Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

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Maamba resident awarded Harvard Stem cell institute internship

NIH scientist transforming treatment of sickle cell disease

By Partnership for Public Service August 5 at 9:54 AM

Dr. Griffin Rodgers spends most of his waking hours leading the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), but he also manages to carve out time to work on a life-long passion discovering a cure for sickle cell disease.

Long before becoming the director of NIDDK, Rodgers was credited with discovering the first effective therapy for sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder that affects more than 90,000 Americans, most of them African-Americans. The disease, which affects millions of people throughout the world, can damage bones, joints and internal organs, cause acute and chronic pain, and often result in premature death.

Prior to his discovery of a drug treatment in the 1990s, the only options for sickle cell patients were blood transfusions for pain and supportive care.

This initial breakthrough has been followed by the recent announcement that Rodgers and a team of National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers have developed a modified blood stem-cell transplant regimen that is highly effective in reversing sickle cell disease in adults. The findings, based on a clinical trial of 30 patients, represent a potentially transformative treatment.

Dr. Neal Young, chief of NIHs Hematology Branch of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, said Rodgers has been the driving force behind the advanced medical treatments for people with sickle cell disease. His work, said Young, is a very big deal because it will save the lives and alleviate the suffering of thousands of people.

Dr. Thomas Starzl, a physician and researcher who performed the worlds first liver transplant, wholeheartedly concurred.

Griffin Rodgers work on sickle cell disease has been revolutionary, said Starzl. I can only give him rave reviewsfive stars.

Rodgers grew up in New Orleans where he had three high school friends who became debilitated with sickle cell disease. Two of those friends died in their teenage years and the third passed away a few years after high school.

These deaths left a tremendous impression on Rodgers, who pursued a medical career that led him to NIH in 1984 where he began his work on sickle cell disease. Over the years as he made his mark in the laboratory and the clinical setting, Rodgers also progressed through the managerial ranks, heading NIDDKs Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch starting in 1998, becoming deputy director of NIDDK in 2001 and director of the institute in 2007.

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NIH scientist transforming treatment of sickle cell disease

Lumbar disc pain and knee arthritis 8 months after stem cell treatment by Harry Adelson, N.D. – Video


Lumbar disc pain and knee arthritis 8 months after stem cell treatment by Harry Adelson, N.D.
Steve discusses his outcome eight months after his stem cell treatment by Harry Adelson, N.D. for his low back pain and arthritic knee http://www.docereclinics.com.

By: Harry Adelson, N.D.

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Lumbar disc pain and knee arthritis 8 months after stem cell treatment by Harry Adelson, N.D. - Video