Stem Cell Clinic

Stem cells may be more widespread and with greater potential than previously believed

By Stem Cell Medical Center

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

30-Jun-2014

Contact: Cody Mooneyhan cmooneyhan@faseb.org 301-634-7104 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

With the plethora of research and published studies on stem cells over the last decade, many would say that the definition of stem cells is well established and commonly agreed upon. However, a new review article appearing in the July 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal , suggests that scientists have only scratched the surface of understanding the nature, physiology and location of these cells. Specifically, the report suggests that embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells may not be the only source from which all three germ layers in the human body (nerves, liver or heart and blood vessels) can develop. The review article suggests that adult pluripotent stem cells are located throughout the body and are able to become every tissue, provided these cells receive the right instructions.

"This study highlights the mutual role of stem cells both for regeneration and in tumor growth by featuring two sides of the same coin: stems cells in cancer and regenerative medicine," said Eckhard Alt, M.D., Ph.D., the article's lead author from the Center for Stem Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. "Our workprovides novel insight on why and how mature has provided us with one universal type of stem cell that is equally distributed throughout the whole body, every organ and every tissue. Small early pluripotent stem cells are ubiquitously located in and around the blood vessels throughout the whole body and serve as a reserve army for regeneration."

In the review, Alt and colleagues suggest that small early pluripotent stem cells are able to replace any kind of tissue in the body--independent of where they comes from in the body--given that these cells receive the correct instructions. When researchers extract these cells from fat tissue, concentrated them and then injected them into diseased or injured tissue, they delivered beneficial outcomes for ailments such as heart failure, osteoarthritis, non-healing wounds, soft tissue defects, muscle, bone and tendon injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. The review also discusses how this is basically the same process that occurs in tumors, except that instead of healing or regenerating tissue, the cells work toward building a tumor. Better understanding and manipulating how these cells communicate not only will open new therapies that heal injury (heart failure, wounds, etc.), but will allow researchers to stop many cancers before they become life-threatening.

"This article suggests that the countless hours spent researching cancer and progenitor cells are finally coming to a head," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "As the intersection between cancer and stem cell research becomes closer and clearer, all of today's medical treatments will begin to look as crude as Civil War medicine."

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Receive monthly highlights from The FASEB Journal by e-mail. Sign up at http://www.faseb.org/fjupdate.aspx. The FASEB Journal is published by the Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). It is among the most cited biology journals worldwide according to the Institute for Scientific Information and has been recognized by the Special Libraries Association as one of the top 100 most influential biomedical journals of the past century.

FASEB is composed of 26 societies with more than 120,000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United States. Our mission is to advance health and welfare by promoting progress and education in biological and biomedical sciences through service to our member societies and collaborative advocacy.

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Stem cells may be more widespread and with greater potential than previously believed

Saving Sabrina: double umbilical cord transplant

By Stem Cell Doctors

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) --

From playing Uno to dancing with her sibling, you would never have guessed that just last year 15-year-old Sabrina Couillard was fighting for her life.

"I was getting really skinny. I was getting bruises everywhere," Couillard told ABC30.

She was diagnosed with leukemia.

"I just broke down (and) cried," Sabrina's mom, Marta Gonzalez told ABC30.

Her only hope for a cure was a bone marrow transplant, but doctors couldn't find a match from a family member. That's when her doctor, Kamar Godder, turned to an alternative stem cell source: the umbilical cord.

"We knew that when you give it to somebody who is heavier, a heavier child or adult it will not quote unquote take," Kamar Godder, MD, Pediatric, Hematologist/Oncologist, Miami Children's Hospital, told ABC30.

Couillard's doctor gave her a double umbilical cord transplant.

"Initially the thought was just to give more of (the) cells," Dr. Godder explained. "Eventually only one will take over, that's the interesting thing."

Dr. Godder says that earlier studies have shown that cell count is the most important factor after degree of match for succesful transplant.

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Saving Sabrina: double umbilical cord transplant

Special birthday present: Stem cell donor returns to Goltry

By Stem Cell Doctors

GOLTRY, Okla. A Goltry-area woman is back on Oklahoma soil after traveling to Milwaukee to give her brother a special birthday present.

Jeni Sumner was the only match among family members tested to donate stem cells to her younger brother, who was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia last year.

Ed Dees cancer went into remission last October but returned earlier this year. Sumner said Dees doctors felt a stem cell transplant would be the best treatment.

Sumner spoke by phone about the events of the past week, as she prepared to return to Oklahoma on Thursday morning.

The transplant began at 2:07 p.m. Tuesday Dees birthday and took about an hour, she said.

We had a little birthday party for him and then he got my present, Sumner said.

Prior to the transplant, Dee went through chemotherapy and had a conditioning treatment, which Sumner said entailed the doctors wiping out his immune system and blood levels.

Sumner had to give herself injections over four days to make her bone marrow produce more stem cells and push them into her blood.

Those went really well, she said.

The stem cell retrieval process was on Monday.

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Special birthday present: Stem cell donor returns to Goltry

New Stem Cell Production Method Could Clear Way for Anticancer Gene Therapy

By Stem Cell Medicine

Durham, NC (PRWEB) June 27, 2014

A new study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine suggests a new way to produce endothelial progenitor cells in quantities large enough to be feasible for use in developing new cancer treatments.

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are rare stem cells that circulate in the blood with the ability to differentiate into the cells that make up the lining of blood vessels. With an intrinsic ability to home to tumors, researchers have focused on them as a way to deliver gene therapy straight to the cancer. However, the challenge has been to collect enough EPCs for this use.

This new study, by researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, National University of Singapore and Zhejiang University led by Shu Wang, Ph.D., explored whether human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) could provide the answer. iPSCs, generated from adult cells, can propagate indefinitely and give rise to every other cell type in the body, much like human embryonic stem cells, which are considered the gold standard for stem cell therapy.

However, human iPS cells can be generated relatively easily through reprogramming, a procedure that circumvents the bioethical controversies associated with deriving embryonic stem cells from human embryos, Dr. Wang said.

After inducing human iPS cells to differentiate into the EPCs, the research team compared the stability and reliability of the induced EPCs with regular EPCs by injecting them into mice with breast cancer that had metastasized (traveled) to the lungs. The results showed that their induced EPCs retained the intrinsic ability to home to tumors, just as regular EPCs do. They also did not promote tumor growth or metastasis.

We next tested the induced EPCs therapeutic potential by infusing them with an anticancer gene and injecting them into the mice, Dr. Wang said. The results indicated that the tumors were reduced and the animals survival rates increased.

Since this approach may use patient's own cells to prepare cellular therapeutics and is based on non-toxic immunotherapy, it holds potential for translation to clinical application and may be particularly valuable as a new type of anti-metastatic cancer therapy.

With the increasing potential of using EPCs as cancer therapeutics, it is important to have a reliable and stable supply of human EPCs, said Anthony Atala, M.D., editor of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. This study demonstrates the feasibility of generating EPs from early-passage human iPS cells.

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New Stem Cell Production Method Could Clear Way for Anticancer Gene Therapy

Regenerative Medicine Solutions Acquires Advanced Healthcare Partners

By Stem Cell Medicine

Tampa, FL (PRWEB) June 27, 2014

Furthering its goal to restore quality of life to patients with little or no hope of medical improvement, Regenerative Medicine Solutions (RMS) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Advanced Healthcare Partners (AHP). The strategy behind the business move was the realignment of resources, and the innovative use of stem cells to treat an array of medical conditions under one roof. AHP was a leading healthcare management and consulting company, which owned and operated the Lung Institute.

We are now ready to continue growing the Lung Institute to be the world leader in the care of patients suffering from lung disease by providing the best option for their treatment, said Jimmy St. Louis, Chief Executive Officer of RMS. In order to accomplish this mission, we needed to combine all of our teammates and resources together to focus on one company and one mission, RMS.

As a leader in regenerative medicine, the Lung Institute utilizes stem cells from the patients own body to treat lung disease. These autologous cells work to promote the repair and regeneration of previously damaged lung tissue. RMS is a global provider of stem cell therapy for medical conditions in areas of the body other than the lung.

All AHP and Lung Institute 31 employees are now considered employees of RMS, added St. Louis. With everyone together as one cohesive team, we have tripled our number. We are one team, with one goal: utilization of regenerative medicine to improve the quality of life of our patients from COPD to Crohns disease and beyond.

Together, RMS and the Lung Institute will offer patients access to better care with a staff dedicated to one goal: Improving quality of life in patients. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. RMS has facilities in Tampa and Lima, Peru.

About Regenerative Medicine Solutions Regenerative Medicine Solutions (RMS) is a leading global provider of innovative regenerative technologies in order to treat an array of debilitating medical conditions. Committed to an individualized patient-centric approach, RMS consistently provides the highest quality of care while producing positive outcomes. By applying modern-day best practices to the growing field of regenerative medicine, RMS is changing lives. For more information, visit our website at myregenmed.com, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter or call us today at 1-855-469-5864.

About Lung Institute Located in Tampa, Florida, the Lung Institute is changing the lives of hundreds of people across the world through the innovative technology of regenerative medicine. We are committed to providing patients a more effective way to address pulmonary conditions and improve quality of life. Our physicians, through their designated practices, have gained worldwide recognition for the successful application of revolutionary minimally invasive stem cell therapies. With over a century of combined medical experience, our doctors have established a patient experience designed with the highest concern for patient safety and quality of care. For more information, visit our website at LungInstitute.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or call us today at 1-855-4MY-LUNG.

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Regenerative Medicine Solutions Acquires Advanced Healthcare Partners

Mayo Clinic Recommends New Routine Testing for some Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas

By Stem Cell Clinic

Released: 6/26/2014 12:00 PM EDT Source Newsroom: Mayo Clinic Contact Information

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Mayo Clinic Recommends New Routine Testing for some Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas

Newswise ROCHESTER, Minn. A Mayo Clinic-led group of researchers has discovered three subgroups of a single type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that have markedly different survival rates. These subgroups could not be differentiated by routine pathology but only with the aid of novel genetic tests, which the research team recommends giving to all patients with ALK-negative anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL). Findings are published in the journal Blood.

MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video and audio are available for download on the Mayo Clinic News Network.

Patients whose lymphomas had TP63 rearrangements had only a 17 percent chance of living five years beyond diagnosis, compared to 90 percent of patients whose tumors had DUSP22 rearrangements. A third group of tumors, those with neither rearrangement, was associated with an intermediate survival rate.

This is the first study to demonstrate unequivocal genetic and clinical heterogeneity among systemic ALK-negative anaplastic large-cell lymphomas, says Andrew L. Feldman, M.D., a Mayo Clinic pathologist and senior author on the multi-institutional study. Most strikingly, patients with DUSP22-rearranged ALCL had excellent overall survival rates, while patients with TP63-rearranged ALCL had dismal outcomes and nearly always failed standard therapy. Dr. Feldman also is a Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator.

ALCL is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but one of the more common subtypes of T-cell lymphoma, according to the Lymphoma Research Foundation. ALCL comprises about three percent of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma and 10 to 30 percent of all cases in children. Currently, all ALK-negative anaplastic large-cell lymphomas are treated the same, using chemotherapy and, in some institutions, stem cell transplantation. Results from the study make a clear case for additional testing and possible changes standard of care.

This is a great example of where individualized medicine can make a difference, says Dr. Feldman. Patients whose chance of surviving is 1 in 6 are receiving the same therapy as patients whose odds are 9 in 10. Developing tests that identify how tumors are different is a critical step toward being able to tailor therapy to each individual patient.

TP63 and DUSP22 rearrangements are examples of abnormal swapping of DNA that disturbs the way genes are arranged on a tumor cells chromosomes. These abnormalities cannot be seen in the standard microscopic evaluation that pathologists use to diagnose lymphoma, but can be visualized using a genetic test called fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The authors of the study recommend performing FISH in all patients with ALK-negative anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. Learn more about the new tests:

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Mayo Clinic Recommends New Routine Testing for some Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas

Scripps Research Institute Scientists Find Potential New Use for Cancer Drug in Gene Therapy for Blood Disorders

By Stem Cell Clinic

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Newswise LA JOLLA, CA June 26, 2014 Scientists working to make gene therapy a reality have solved a major hurdle: how to bypass a blood stem cells natural defenses and efficiently insert disease-fighting genes into the cells genome.

In a new study led by Associate Professor Bruce Torbett at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), a team of researchers report that the drug rapamycin, which is commonly used to slow cancer growth and prevent organ rejection, enables delivery of a therapeutic dose of genes to blood stem cells while preserving stem cell function.

These findings, published recently online ahead of print by the journal Blood, could lead to more effective and affordable long-term treatments for blood cell disorders in which mutations in the DNA cause abnormal cell functions, such as in leukemia and sickle cell anemia.

Improving Gene Delivery to Blood Stem Cells

Viruses infect the body by inserting their own genetic material into human cells. In gene therapy, however, scientists have developed gutted viruses, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), to produce what are called viral vectors. Viral vectors carry therapeutic genes into cells without causing viral disease. Torbett and other scientists have shown that HIV vectors can deliver genes to blood stem cells.

For a disease such as leukemia or leukodystrophy, where mutations in the DNA cause abnormal cell function, efficiently targeting the stem cells that produce these blood cells could be a successful approach to halting the disease and prompting the body to produce healthy blood cells.

If you produce a genetic modification in your blood stem cells when you are five years old, these changes are lifelong, said Torbett. Furthermore, the gene-modified stem cells can develop into many types of cells that travel throughout the body to provide therapeutic effects.

However, because cells have adapted defense mechanisms to overcome disease-causing viruses, engineered viral vectors can be prevented from efficiently delivering genes. Torbett said that when scientists extract blood stem cells from the body for gene therapy, HIV viral vectors are usually able to deliver genes to only 30 to 40 percent of them. For leukemia, leukodystrophy or genetic diseases where treatment requires a reasonable number of healthy cells coming from stem cells, this number may be too low for therapeutic purposes.

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Scripps Research Institute Scientists Find Potential New Use for Cancer Drug in Gene Therapy for Blood Disorders

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