Stem Cell Clinic

Stem Cells in Circulating Blood Affect Cardiovascular Health

By Stem Cell Medicine

Released: 4/21/2014 8:55 AM EDT Embargo expired: 4/23/2014 5:00 PM EDT Source Newsroom: Ohio State University Contact Information

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Newswise COLUMBUS, Ohio New research suggests that attempts to isolate an elusive adult stem cell from blood to understand and potentially improve cardiovascular health a task considered possible but very difficult might not be necessary.

Instead, scientists have found that multiple types of cells with primitive characteristics circulating in the blood appear to provide the same benefits expected from a stem cell, including the endothelial progenitor cell that is the subject of hot pursuit.

There are people who still dream that the prototypical progenitors for several components of the cardiovascular tree will be found and isolated. I decided to focus the analysis on the whole nonpurified cell population the blood as it is, said Nicanor Moldovan, senior author of the study and a research associate professor of cardiovascular medicine at The Ohio State University.

Our method determines the contributions of all blood cells that serve the same function that an endothelial progenitor cell is supposed to. We can detect the presence of those cells and their signatures in a clinical sample without the need to isolate them.

The study is published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Stem cells, including the still poorly understood endothelial progenitor cells, are sought-after because they have the potential to transform into many kinds of cells, suggesting that they could be used to replace damaged or missing cells as a treatment for multiple diseases.

By looking at gene activity patterns in blood, Moldovan and colleagues concluded that many cell types circulating throughout the body may protect and repair blood vessels a key to keeping the heart healthy.

The scientists also found that several types of blood cells retain so-called primitive properties. In this context, primitive is positive because these cells are the first line of defense against an injury and provide a continuous supply of repair tissue either directly or by telling local cells what to do.

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Stem Cells in Circulating Blood Affect Cardiovascular Health

Stress Could Activate "Crosstalking" Cell Signals That Turn Bodys Natural Wound Healing Process Against It

By Uncategorized

Durham, NC (PRWEB) April 23, 2014

Stress could activate "crosstalking" cell signals that decrease the bodys natural healing process after a wound occurs, according to a new study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine. The finding helps explain how stress impairs healing and, conversely, could lead to a way to overcome chronic wounds resulting from serious burns and other skin injuries.

Chronic wounds are a major global health problem, with annual costs in the United States alone of more than $23 billion, said Roslyn Isseroff, M.D., of the University of California Davis and the Northern California Health Care Systems Department of Veterans Affairs. She was a lead investigator in the study along with Mohan R. Dasu, Ph.D.

The precise process that prevents their healing is unclear except for two constants: a prolonged inflammatory response and the bacterial colonization of the wound bed. These two interrelated factors are thought to contribute to the wounds chronic state.

Previous studies had demonstrated an increase in epinephrine (adrenaline), as occurs during stress, produces an increase in the activity of TLR2 (Toll-like receptor 2), a protein that appears to stimulate the early inflammatory process needed to set the steps of healing in motion. Together they alter the ability of stem cells and keratinocytes, the barrier-forming cells that make up 90 percent of skin, to repair wound damage by slowing down the stem cells migration to the area and by promoting inflammation.

To compound the potential for damage, bacteria in the wound can activate the TLR2 system, and crosstalk to the epinephrine signaling system, creating a cycle of escalating damaging signals.

The Isseroff and Dasu team, which included colleagues at UC-Daviss Institute for Regenerative Cures and California State University, decided to look at how increased epinephrine and TLR2 stimulation affected stem cells taken from bone marrow and keratinocytes by analyzing the "crosstalk" between their signaling pathways. The researchers tested their theory in cultured cells and in mice. In both instances they found that the crosstalk led to impaired healing, with elevated levels of TLR2 as well as MyD88 and IL-6, both of which regulate the activation of numerous pro-inflammatory genes, in the wounds.

Thus, our data describe a recipe for decreasing cell migration and exacerbating inflammation via novel crosstalk between the adrenergic and Toll-like receptor pathways in wounds, Dr. Dasu said.

"These findings have implications for understanding the mechanisms controlling the differing susceptibility to infections and immune/inflammatory-related conditions in wounds," said Anthony Atala, M.D., editor of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

The full article, Crosstalk Between Adrenergic and Toll-Like Receptors in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Keratinocytes: A Recipe for Impaired Wound Healing, can be accessed at http://www.stemcellstm.com.

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Stress Could Activate "Crosstalking" Cell Signals That Turn Bodys Natural Wound Healing Process Against It

Autologous stem cell therapy improves motor function in chronic stroke victims

By Uncategorized

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

23-Apr-2014

Contact: Robert Miranda cogcomm@aol.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair

Putnam Valley, NY. (Apr. 23, 2014) People who have had a stroke, often suffer motor deficits with little potential to restore neurological function. However, a study conducted in Taiwan, that will be published in a future issue of Cell Transplantation, but is currently freely available on-line as an unedited early e-pub at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/content-ct1168Chen, has found that when one group of stroke victims had their own peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) injected directly into the brain and a similar group did not, those who received the PBSCs experienced some "improvement in stroke scales and functional outcome." Those in the PBSC-injected group also received injections of the growth factor granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), known to be potentially neuroprotective.

"In this phase 2 study, we provide the first evidence that intracerebral injection of autologous (self-donated) PBSCs can improve motor function in those who have suffered a stroke and have motor deficits as a result," said study corresponding Dr. Woei-Cheng Shyu of the Center for Neuropsychiatry, Graduate Institute of Immunology and Translational Medicine Research Center, China Medical University in Taiwan. "Our study demonstrated that this therapeutic strategy was feasible and safe in stroke patients who suffered a prior stroke, but within five years from the onset of symptoms."

According to the authors, there has been little advance made in restoring neurological function following ischemic stroke. However, since neuronal death is the primary mechanism that limits functional recovery, stem cell therapy is emerging as a potentially effective regenerative approach. Once more PBSCs are being increasingly used as a self-donated source for cell therapies for regenerating skeletal muscle, heart and neurons. The PBSCs may need to be "amplified" with G-CSF, speculated the researchers.

All of the patients in the trial had suffered a stroke in the past, as long as five years prior to this study. At the end of a 12 month follow-up, the group of 15 patients with neurological deficits who received injections of PBSCs experienced neurological and functional improvement based on a number of clinical outcomes measures. The control group of 15 patients with neurological deficits that did not receive the PBSC injections did not experience the same beneficial outcomes.

The researchers reported that nine of the 15 patients undergoing PBSC transplantation experienced "positive motor evoked potentials" (MEPs) after transcranial magnetic stimulation, but why MEPs appeared in some of the transplanted group, but not all, was unclear.

"Despite this success, it should be noted that this was a preliminary study and, due to the small number of patients, are tentative," concluded the researchers. "In the future we plan to conduct a multi-center, large-scale, double blind, placebo-controlled randomized studies to better evaluate the effect of PBSC implantation in patients suffering from the effects of past stroke."

"This phase II study offers pilot clinical evidence supporting the use of autologous stem cell-based treatment for stroke" said Dr. Cesar V. Borlongan, Prof. of Neurosurgery and Director of the Center of Excellence for Aging & Brain Repair at the University of South Florida. "Clarification of the impact of G-CSF on the cells and whether other factors are necessary to maximize the benefit of cell transplantation, as well as further studies with a larger number of patients are necessary to determine equivocal safety and efficacy of this treatment".

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Autologous stem cell therapy improves motor function in chronic stroke victims

Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center Visits the Forum at Deer Creek: Senior Living Center

By Stem Cell Treatment

Deerfield Beach, Florida (PRWEB) April 23, 2014

The Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center, PC, located in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Boca Raton, Florida, announces their invite to speak at the Forum at Deer Creek in Deerfield, Florida on the use of stem cells for various degenerative and inflammatory conditions. This will be provided by Dr. Nia Smyrniotis, Medical Director.

This seminar will be held on April 28 at 2:30 pm at the Forum at Deer Creek, 3001 Deer Creek Country Club Blvd., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442.

At the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center, utilizing investigational protocols, adult adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be deployed to improve patients quality of life with a number of degenerative conditions and diseases. ADSCs are taken from the patients own adipose (fat) tissue (also called stromal vascular fraction (SVF). Adipose tissue is exceptionally abundant in ADSCs. The adipose tissue is obtained from the patient during a 15 minute mini-liposuction performed under local anesthesia in the doctors office. SVF is a protein-rich solution containing mononuclear cell lines (predominantly autologous mesenchymal stem cells), macrophage cells, endothelial cells, red blood cells, and important Growth Factors that facilitate the stem cell process and promote their activity.

ADSCs are the body's natural healing cells - they are recruited by chemical signals emitted by damaged tissues to repair and regenerate the bodys damaged cells. The Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center only uses autologous stem cells from a person's own fat no embryonic stem cells are used. Our current areas of study include: heart failure, emphysema, COPD, asthma, Parkinsons disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and orthopedic joint injections. For more information, or if someone thinks they may be a candidate for one of the stem cell protocols offered by Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center, they may contact Dr. Nia Smyrniotis directly at (561) 331-2999, or see a complete list of the Centers study areas at: http://www.MiamiStemCellsUSA.com.

About Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center:

The Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center is an affiliate of the Cell Surgical Network (CSN). We provide care for people suffering from diseases that may be alleviated by access to adult stem cell based regenerative treatment. We utilize a fat transfer surgical technology to isolate and implant the patients own stem cells from a small quantity of fat harvested by a mini-liposuction on the same day. The investigational protocols utilized by the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center have been reviewed and approved by an IRB (Institutional Review Board) which is registered with the U.S. Department of Health, Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) and the study is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). For more information contact: Info(at)MiamiStemCellsUSA(dot)com or visit our website: http://www.MiamiStemCellsUSA.com.

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Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center Visits the Forum at Deer Creek: Senior Living Center

Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center: Upcoming Lecture at Thousand Oaks Library

By Stem Cell Treatment

Thousand Oaks, CA (PRWEB) April 23, 2014

The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center, PC, located in Irvine, California, announces a free public seminar on the use of stem cells for various degenerative and inflammatory conditions. They will be provided by Dr. Thomas A. Gionis, Surgeon-in-Chief.

The seminar will be held on Tuesday, April 29th at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Thousand Oaks Library, 1401 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks, CA.

At the Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center, utilizing investigational protocols, adult adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be deployed to improve patients quality of life with a number of degenerative conditions and diseases. ADSCs are taken from the patients own adipose (fat) tissue (also called stromal vascular fraction (SVF)). Adipose tissue is exceptionally abundant in ADSCs. The adipose tissue is obtained from the patient during a 15 minute mini-liposuction performed under local anesthesia in the doctors office. SVF is a protein-rich solution containing mononuclear cell lines (predominantly autologous mesenchymal stem cells), macrophage cells, endothelial cells, red blood cells, and important Growth Factors that facilitate the stem cell process and promote their activity.

ADSCs are the body's natural healing cells - they are recruited by chemical signals emitted by damaged tissues to repair and regenerate the bodys damaged cells. The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center only uses autologous stem cells from a person's own fat no embryonic stem cells are used. Our current areas of study include: Heart Failure, Emphysema, COPD, Asthma, Parkinsons Disease, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, and orthopedic joint injections. For more information, or if someone thinks they may be a candidate for one of the stem cell protocols offered by Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center, they may contact Dr. Gionis directly at (949) 679-3889, or see a complete list of the Centers study areas at: http://www.StemCellsUSA.net.

About Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center: The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center is an affiliate of the Cell Surgical Network (CSN). We provide care for people suffering from diseases that may be alleviated by access to adult stem cell based regenerative treatment. We utilize a fat transfer surgical technology to isolate and implant the patients own stem cells from a small quantity of fat harvested by a mini-liposuction on the same day. The investigational protocols utilized by the Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center have been reviewed and approved by an IRB (Institutional Review Board) which is registered with the U.S. Department of Research Protections; and the study is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). For more information contact: Info(at)StemCellsUSA(dot)net or visit our website: http://www.StemCellsUSA.net.

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Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center: Upcoming Lecture at Thousand Oaks Library

Prosecutors say Stamina treatment hurt, not helped, patients

By Stem Cell Treatment

Charges of criminal association may be filed in medical case

(ANSA) - Turin, April 23 - Not only was a discredited stem-cell treatment useless, investigations found that it actually hurt a number of patients, prosecutors said Wednesday as they concluded a probe of 20 suspects involved in the Stamina treatment. That includes Davide Vannoni, founder of the Stamina Foundation, who may face indictment in the case now that prosecutors have finished a lengthy probe. Charges could include criminal association to commit aggravated fraud and administration of dangerous drugs, according to prosecutors whose probe examined the treatment of slightly more than 100 patients and found "adverse reactions" in some cases. Another 37 donors of stem cells used in the controversial treatment, rejected by the health ministry, were examined during the investigation. According to prosecutors, Vannoni and other suspects "falsely pretended" to patients and their families that there was "high chance" of recovery from serious illness if they agreed to the Stamina treatment. Vannoni, a former psychology lecturer who was indicted earlier this year for alleged attempted fraud against the Piedmont Region, had also tried to discredit health officials and the national health system while raising social tension, according to prosecutors. Earlier this month, hospitals in Italy that used the discredited stem-cell treatment announced they had suspended the program. That followed announcements last fall by Italy's health ministry that the Stamina Foundation - the nonprofit foundation that developed the treatment - would not be allowed to test it on humans. The foundation was also stripped of its non-profit status after a study found its treatment was "ignorant of stem-cell biology". Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin said she was "not surprised" by the outcome of the investigation. "It is a story that had Italians holding their breath with many concerns and anxieties," she said. "It is important that (the findings) come out clearly, because there are victims, the thousands of people who believed they could have a cure," she said. The Stamina treatment involves extracting bone-marrow stem cells from a patient, turning them into neurons by exposing them to retinoic acid for two hours, and injecting them back into the patient. Supporters of the therapy thought it could be a cure for fatal degenerative nerve diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy, while detractors said it was devoid of scientific merit. A panel of experts appointed by Italy's health ministry said in January it found the therapy seriously lacking in both premise and practice. Their report cited "serious imperfections and omissions in the Stamina protocol, including conceptual errors and an apparent ignorance of stem-cell biology". The Stamina Foundation had asked for 500,000 euros of funding to develop a stem-cell laboratory, a request that earlier prosecutors had argued was fraudulent because the efficacy of the treatment has been "completely disproved".

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Prosecutors say Stamina treatment hurt, not helped, patients

Study finds long-term survival of human neural stem cells transplanted into primate brain

By Stem Cell Treatment

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

23-Apr-2014

Contact: Robert Miranda cogcomm@aol.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair

Putnam Valley, NY. (Apr. 23 2014) A team of researchers in Korea who transplanted human neural stem cells (hNSCs) into the brains of nonhuman primates and assessed cell survival and differentiation after 22 and 24 months found that the hNSCs had differentiated into neurons at 24 months and did not cause tumors.

The study will be published in a future issue of Cell Transplantation but is currently freely available on-line as an unedited early e-pub at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/content-ct1117Antonucci2.

The hNSCs were labeled with magnetic nanoparticles to enable them to be followed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). They did not use immunosuppressants. According to the researchers, their study is the first to evaluate and show the long-term survival and differentiation of hNSCs without the need for immunosuppression.

The researchers concluded that hNSCs could be of "great value" as a source for cell replacement and gene transfer for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal cord injury and stroke.

"Stroke is the fourth major cause of death in the US behind heart failure, cancer, and lower respiratory disease," said study co-author Dr. Seung U. Kim of University of British Columbia Hospital's department of neurology in Canada. "While tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) treatment within three hours after a stroke has shown good outcomes, stem cell therapy has the potential to address the treatment needs of those stroke patients for whom tPA treatment was unavailable or did not help."

Dr. Kim and colleagues in Korea grafted magnetic particle-labeled hNSCs into the brains of laboratory primates and evaluated their performance to assess their survival and differentiation over 24 months. Of particular interest was determining their ability to differentiate into neurons and to determine whether the cells caused tumorogenesis.

"We injected hNSCs into the frontal lobe and the putamen of the monkey brain because they are included in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory, which is the main target in the development of the ischemic lesion in animal stroke models," commented Dr. Kim. "Thus, research on survival and differentiation of hNSCs in the MCA territory should provide more meaningful information to cell transplantation in the MCA occlusion stroke model."

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Study finds long-term survival of human neural stem cells transplanted into primate brain

Probe finished in controversial stemcell therapy

By Stem Cell Treatment

Next step by prosecutors could be indictments

(ANSA) - Turin, April 23 - Prosecutors said Wednesday they have completed their investigation into a controversial stem-cell treatment involving 20 individuals, including Davide Vannoni, founder of the Stamina Foundation. The notice means prosecutors could now proceed to indictments in the case that may involve charges of fraud. Earlier this month, hospitals in Italy that used the discredited stem-cell treatment announced they have suspended the program. That followed announcements last fall by Italy's health that the Stamina Foundation - the nonprofit foundation that developed the treatment - would not be allowed to test it on humans. The foundation was also stripped of its non-profit status after a study found its treatment was "ignorant of stem-cell biology". Vannoni, a former psychology lecturer, was indicted earlier this year for alleged attempted fraud against the Piedmont Region. The Stamina Foundation had asked for 500,000 euros of funding to develop a stem-cell laboratory, a request prosecutors had earlier argued was fraudulent because the efficacy of the treatment has been "completely disproved". The Stamina treatment involves extracting bone-marrow stem cells from a patient, turning them into neurons by exposing them to retinoic acid for two hours, and injecting them back into the patient. Supporters of the therapy thought it could be a cure for fatal degenerative nerve diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy, while detractors said it was devoid of scientific merit. A panel of experts appointed by Italy's health ministry said in January it found the therapy seriously lacking in both premise and practice. Their report cited "serious imperfections and omissions in the Stamina protocol, including conceptual errors and an apparent ignorance of stem-cell biology".

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Probe finished in controversial stemcell therapy

Scientists identify cancer specific cell for potential treatment of gastric cancer

By Stem Cell Treatment

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

23-Apr-2014

Contact: Kimberley Wang kimberley.wang@nus.edu.sg National University of Singapore

A team of scientists led by a researcher from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore has identified the cancer specific stem cell which causes gastric cancer. This discovery opens up the possibility of developing new drugs for the treatment of this disease and other types of cancers.

The research group, led by Dr Chan Shing Leng, Research Assistant Professor at CSI Singapore, demonstrated for the first time that a cancer-specific variant of a cell surface protein, CD44v8-10, marks gastric cancer stem cells but not normal cells. Conceptualised by Dr Chan and Associate Professor Jimmy So, a Senior Consultant from the Department of Surgery at the National University Hospital Singapore, the study is also the first to be conducted with human gastric tissue specimens and took five years to complete. This novel study will be published in the research journal Cancer Research, the official journal of American Association of Cancer Research, in May 2014.

Gastric cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with low survival and high recurrence rates for patients with advanced disease. New therapies for the treatment of gastric cancer are urgently needed.

How CD44v8-10 serves as a biomarker

Many cancer cell types express high levels of a cell surface protein known as CD44. This protein marks cancer stem cells that are thought to be responsible for resistance to current cancer therapy and tumour relapse. There are many forms of CD44 and the standard form of CD44, CD44s, is found in high abundance on normal blood cells. It was previously not known which form of CD44 is found on cancer stem cells. This is critical as an ideal cancer target should mark only cancer cells but not normal cells.

Research by the team and other scientists in the field has led to the hypothesis that the growth of gastric cancer may be driven by cancer stem cells. In this study, the researchers analysed 53 patient tissue samples in conjunction with patient-derived xenograft models which are derived from intestinal type gastric cancer. The team is one of the few groups in the world to have a relatively large collection of patient-derived xenograft models for gastric cancer and the first to use these models for identification of gastric cancer stem cells. A total of eight cancer cell lines were used in this study, including six new cell lines which were established by the researchers.

The scientists discovered a cancer-specific CD44 variant, CD44v8-10 marks gastric cancer stem cells but not normal cells. CD44v8-10 promotes cancer cell growth and it is significantly more abundant in gastric tumour sites compared to normal gastric tissue, which makes it easily detectable. The findings results suggest that CD44v8-10 is an ideal target for developing clinical therapeutics against gastric cancer stem cells. As CD44v8-10 is cancer specific, it may also be used as a biomarker for screening and diagnosis of gastric cancer. This is significant as biomarkers for early detection of gastric cancer are currently not available and doctors rely on endoscopy for the screening and diagnosis of this disease.

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Scientists identify cancer specific cell for potential treatment of gastric cancer

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