Stem Cell Clinic

Japanese Scientist Falsified Claims On Groundbreaking Stem Cell Research

By Stem Cell Medical Center

April 1, 2014

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Less than three months after a rising Japanese scientist made claims of a significant stem cell breakthrough, new evidence has come forward that confirms the findings of the groundbreaking study were falsified.

Haruko Obokata, the lead author of a study published in the journal Nature in January, claimed that stem cells could be created by dipping blood cells into acid, potentially leading to hope in growing Stap (stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency) cell tissue to treat illnesses such as diabetes and Parkinsons disease. But scientists at the Riken Centre for Development Biology in Kobe, Japan, the same center where Obokata conducted her research, is now saying the researchers claims were falsified.

The latest news comes after criticism surrounded the research last month, after researchers from around the world could not replicate the teams findings using the same approach. The growing body of criticism led some on the research team to consider retracting their paper, which in turn led to further investigations from investigators within the Riken Centre.

Despite the growing controversy, Charles Vacanti, a tissue engineer at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Womens Hopsital in Boston, a coauthor of the study, said at the time that he would stick by the results.

It would be very sad to have such an important paper retracted as a result of peer pressure, when indeed the data and conclusions are honest and valid, Vacanti told theWall Street Journal in March.

But as of now, it has come to light that nearly all claims made by Obokata were manipulated and she had falsified images of DNA fragments used in her research, according to the Riken Centre investigative team.

The manipulation was used to improve the appearance of the results, Shunsuke Ishii, the head of the committee set up to investigate allegations that the research was fraudulent, told The Associated Press.

When the news broke in January that Obokata, who had just received her PhD three years earlier, had appeared to create a new method of turning blood cells into stem cells easily, she became an instant hero, with many calling it the third most significant breakthrough in stem cell research, according to a report in The Washington Post.

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Japanese Scientist Falsified Claims On Groundbreaking Stem Cell Research

Major breakthrough in stem cell manufacturing technology

By Uncategorized

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have developed a new substance which could simplify the manufacture of cell therapy in the pioneering world of regenerative medicine.

Cell therapy is an exciting and rapidly developing area of medicine in which stem cells have the potential to repair human tissue and maintain organ function in chronic disease and age-related illnesses. But a major problem with translating current successful research into actual products and treatments is how to mass-produce such a complex living material.

There are two distinct phases in the production of stem cell products; proliferation (making enough cells to form large tissue) and differentiation (turning the basic stem cells into functional cells). The material environment required for these two phases are different and up to now a single substance that does both jobs has not been available.

Now a multi-disciplinary team of researchers at Nottingham has created a new stem cell micro-environment which they have found has allowed both the self-renewal of cells and then their evolution into cardiomyocyte (heart) cells. The material is a hydrogel containing two polymers -- an alginate-rich environment which allows proliferation of cells with a simple chemical switch to render the environment collagen-rich when the cell population is large enough. This change triggers the next stage of cell growth when cells develop a specific purpose.

Professor of Advanced Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering, Kevin Shakesheff, said:

"Our new combination of hydrogels is a first. It allows dense tissue structures to be produced from human pluripotent stem cells (HPSC) in a single step process never achieved before. The discovery has important implications for the future of manufacturing in regenerative medicine. This field of healthcare is a major priority for the UK and we are seeing increasing investment in future manufacturing processes to ensure we are ready to deliver real treatments to patients when HPSC products and treatments go to trial and become standard."

The research, "Combined hydrogels that switch human pluripotent stem cells from self-renewal to differentiation" is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of Nottingham. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Major breakthrough in stem cell manufacturing technology

Arroyo's alternative medicine doctor unlicensed

By Uncategorized

MANILA, Philippines The alternative medicine doctor who took in former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2012 for possible stem cell therapy is not licensed to practice in the Philippines.

On Tuesday, April 1, Antonia Park of the Green & Young Health & Wellness Center admitted to Rappler in a phone interview she is not a registered physician in the Philippines because "I'm not from here." She is instead a registered medical practitioner in London and Korea.

"Thats why its a wellness center. If dito ako [registered], maglalagay na lang ako ng medical center," she said, referring to her center located in Tagaytay City. (That's why it's a wellness center. If I am registered here, I might as well put up a medical center.)

A document from the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) dated Aug 12, 2013 showed Park is not in the database of physicians which contains the names of those duly authorized to practice medicine in the Philippines.

Certification Antonia Carandang Park

Park and some of her clinic staff are facing charges of estafa and reckless imprudence resulting in homicide. The charges were filed last year by businessman Bernard Tan with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after his 23-year-old daughter Kate died.

Kate, an Ateneo student who graduated with honors in March 2013, died 4 months later on July 4, due to a tumor that blocked the entry of blood to her heart, secondary to Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The disease is an uncommon but curable cancer of the lymphatic system.

High-profile patient

Kate was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. After undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she was declared cancer-free in January 2012. The cancer recurred around May or June of the same year, however, prompting Kate to try something else besides traditional treatment.

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Arroyo's alternative medicine doctor unlicensed

UTSA Ph.D. students bring stem cell advancements to veterinarians

By Uncategorized

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

1-Apr-2014

Contact: KC Gonzalez kc.gonzalez@utsa.edu 210-458-7555 University of Texas at San Antonio

Two University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) biomedical engineering doctoral students, Ramon Coronado and Tony Yuan, have launched Mobile Stem Care LLC, a company that will help veterinarians treat their patients with the latest advancements in stem cell therapies.

The first of its kind in Texas, Mobile Stem Care is a mobile service that offers adipose stem cell and platelet rich plasma (PRP) isolation to veterinarians for treatments in dogs, cats and other animals suffering from degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis or hip dysplasia, ligament and tendon injuries or non-healing wounds.

Mobile Stem Care takes adipose tissue (fat) collected from the affected animal by the veterinary doctor and isolates the adult stem cells on-site in less than 90 minutes. A concentration of the animal's stem cells and other immune-regulatory cells are returned to the doctor and injected into the damaged area of the animal to stimulate growth of healthy cells and aid healing.

Steven A. Davis, M.D., founder and director of the Dermatology & Laser Center of San Antonio, clinical professor at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and co-founder of privately held StemBioSys, Inc., is an investor in Mobile Stem Care.

"The first thing you invest in is people and I'm very confident in Tony and Ramon. They are energetic, bright, and they have proven themselves in a degree program with a lot of credibility," said Dr. Davis. "The stem cell arena is exciting from both a scientific and commercial standpoint. Mobile Stem Care is a unique idea and its services have value in the biomedical sphere. I think it can be successful."

Coronado and Yuan began the Ph.D. program in Biomedical Engineering in 2011 and became fast friends, sharing a common passion for science, helping others, rock-climbing and now business. Since 2012, they have worked in the laboratories of the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research where they have been exposed to advancements in stem cell research and treatments.

The company idea came to fruition in August 2013 when Coronado and Yuan started the Graduate Certificate program in Technology Entrepreneurship and Management offered through the UTSA College of Business and led by Cory Hallam, UTSA chief commercialization officer and director of the Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship. The 12-hour certificate is designed to help current UTSA graduate students unlock their inner entrepreneur and equip them with the fundamental skills required to start a technology company.

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UTSA Ph.D. students bring stem cell advancements to veterinarians

Stem cell treatment improves heart muscle function

By Stem Cell Treatment

Home > News > health-news

Washington, April 1 : In a heartening news for patients with severe ischemic heart disease and heart failure, a new human trial shows that stem cells, when injected directly into the heart muscle, are effective for failing hearts.

"Our results show that this stem cell treatment is safe and it improves heart function when compared to placebo," said Anders Bruun Mathiasen, a research fellow in the cardiac catherisation lab at Rigshospitalet University Hospital Copenhagen, Denmark.

This has the potential to benefit many people who suffer from this common and deadly disease, he added.

Ischemic heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, results from a gradual buildup of plaque in the heart's coronary arteries and can lead to chest pain, heart attack and heart failure.

In the study, researchers injected a type of bone marrow stem cell known as mesenchymal stromal cells directly into the heart muscle of a group of patients with chronic ischemic heart failure.

Six months after treatment, patients who received stem cell injections had improved heart pump function compared to patients receiving a placebo.

"The procedure to inject stem cells into the heart requires only local anesthesia so it appears to be a promising treatment for patients who have no other options," Mathiasen mentioned.

Although there are other therapies available for patients with ischemic heart disease, these therapies do not help all patients and many patients continue to face fatigue, shortness of breath and accumulation of fluid in the lungs and legs.

Previous studies have shown mesenchymal stromal cells can stimulate repair and regeneration in a variety of tissues, including heart muscle.

Originally posted here:
Stem cell treatment improves heart muscle function

New human trial shows stem cells are effective for failing hearts

By Stem Cell Treatment

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

31-Mar-2014

Contact: Beth Casteel bcasteel@acc.org 202-375-6275 American College of Cardiology

WASHINGTON (March 31, 2014) Patients with severe ischemic heart disease and heart failure can benefit from a new treatment in which stem cells found in bone marrow are injected directly into the heart muscle, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.

"Our results show that this stem cell treatment is safe and it improves heart function when compared to placebo," said Anders Bruun Mathiasen, M.D., research fellow in the Cardiac Catherization Lab at Rigshospitalet University Hospital Copenhagen, and lead investigator of the study. "This represents an exciting development that has the potential to benefit many people who suffer from this common and deadly disease."

Ischemic heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, is the number one cause of death for both men and women in the United States. It results from a gradual buildup of plaque in the heart's coronary arteries and can lead to chest pain, heart attack and heart failure.

The study is the largest placebo-controlled double-blind randomized trial to treat patients with chronic ischemic heart failure by injecting a type of stem cell known as mesenchymal stromal cells directly into the heart muscle.

Six months after treatment, patients who received stem cell injections had improved heart pump function compared to patients receiving a placebo. Treated patients showed an 8.2-milliliter decrease in the study's primary endpoint, end systolic volume, which indicates the lowest volume of blood in the heart during the pumping cycle and is a key measure of the heart's ability to pump effectively. The placebo group showed an increase of 6 milliliters in end systolic volume.

The study included 59 patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and severe heart failure. Each patient first underwent a procedure to extract a small amount of bone marrow. Researchers then isolated from the marrow a small number of mesenchymal stromal cells and induced the cells to self-replicate. Patients then received an injection of either saline placebo or their own cultured mesenchymal stromal cells into the heart muscle through a catheter inserted in the groin.

"Isolating and culturing the stem cells is a relatively straightforward process, and the procedure to inject the stem cells into the heart requires only local anesthesia, so it appears to be all-in-all a promising treatment for patients who have no other options," Mathiasen said.

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New human trial shows stem cells are effective for failing hearts

New human trial shows stem cells are effective for failing hearts: Bone marrow-derived stem cells injected directly …

By Stem Cell Treatment

Patients with severe ischemic heart disease and heart failure can benefit from a new treatment in which stem cells found in bone marrow are injected directly into the heart muscle, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.

"Our results show that this stem cell treatment is safe and it improves heart function when compared to placebo," said Anders Bruun Mathiasen, M.D., research fellow in the Cardiac Catherization Lab at Rigshospitalet University Hospital Copenhagen, and lead investigator of the study. "This represents an exciting development that has the potential to benefit many people who suffer from this common and deadly disease."

Ischemic heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, is the number one cause of death for both men and women in the United States. It results from a gradual buildup of plaque in the heart's coronary arteries and can lead to chest pain, heart attack and heart failure.

The study is the largest placebo-controlled double-blind randomized trial to treat patients with chronic ischemic heart failure by injecting a type of stem cell known as mesenchymal stromal cells directly into the heart muscle.

Six months after treatment, patients who received stem cell injections had improved heart pump function compared to patients receiving a placebo. Treated patients showed an 8.2-milliliter decrease in the study's primary endpoint, end systolic volume, which indicates the lowest volume of blood in the heart during the pumping cycle and is a key measure of the heart's ability to pump effectively. The placebo group showed an increase of 6 milliliters in end systolic volume.

The study included 59 patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and severe heart failure. Each patient first underwent a procedure to extract a small amount of bone marrow. Researchers then isolated from the marrow a small number of mesenchymal stromal cells and induced the cells to self-replicate. Patients then received an injection of either saline placebo or their own cultured mesenchymal stromal cells into the heart muscle through a catheter inserted in the groin.

"Isolating and culturing the stem cells is a relatively straightforward process, and the procedure to inject the stem cells into the heart requires only local anesthesia, so it appears to be all-in-all a promising treatment for patients who have no other options," Mathiasen said.

Although there are other therapies available for patients with ischemic heart disease, these therapies do not help all patients and many patients continue to face fatigue, shortness of breath and accumulation of fluid in the lungs and legs.

Previous studies have shown mesenchymal stromal cells can stimulate repair and regeneration in a variety of tissues, including heart muscle. Mathiasen said in the case of ischemic heart failure, the treatment likely works by facilitating the growth of new blood vessels and new heart muscle.

The study also supports findings from previous, smaller studies, which showed reduced scar tissue in the hearts of patients who received the stem cell treatment, offering additional confirmation that the treatment stimulates the growth of new heart muscle cells.

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New human trial shows stem cells are effective for failing hearts: Bone marrow-derived stem cells injected directly ...

'Fabricated' stem cell paper may have just been proven valid

By Stem Cell Treatment

Just weeks after invalidating a groundbreaking paper describing a simple technique for generating pluripotent stem cells, professor Kenneth Ka Ho Lee now believes he has identified the correct approach.

Lee, chief of stem cell research at the Chinese University of Hong, spoke to Wired.co.uk in March about his tentative excitement when he read the Nature study in question, published at the start of the year. The proposed Stap cells (stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency) in it were a revelation, because they suggested there was a simple way to generate embryonic-like stem cells that could potentially be used in the treatment of diseases such as Parkinson's. The method involved reprogramming a donor's own adult blood and skin cells (in this case, mice) by exposing them to extreme trauma, such as an acid bath.

Lee could see its potential, but like the rest of the community he had his doubts. While reports circulated that the images published in the Nature study also featured in older papers penned by lead researcher Haruko Obokata of Japan's Riken Centre, Lee set about trying to replicate the experiment himself.

It didn't work.

Since then the Riken Centre has launched an investigation into the legitimacy of the trial, and that investigation today revealed Obokata had indeed falsified information, including results and images of DNA fragments used.

"Actions like this completely destroy data credibility," commented Shunsuke Ishii, head of the investigative committee and a Riken molecular geneticist, at a press conference. "There is no doubt that she was fully aware of this danger. We've therefore concluded this was an act of research misconduct involving fabrication." Obokata has denied the allegations, but Riken says its own research team will be the one to verify the results and carry out the experiment again.

In the interim however, a coauthor on the paper at the centre of the debacle,Charles Vacanti published yet another protocol for the Stap technique. Vacanti, of ear-on-a-mouse fame, is a professor at Harvard Medical School and published online what he said was found to be "an effective protocol for generating Stap cells in our lab, regardless of the cell type being studied". It was a combination of the two approaches mentioned in the Naturepaper -- the acid bath, and the trituration process (the application of pressure on the cells using pipettes to induce stress). He describes the latter process as being exerted with force, more so than in the original paper, and over a lengthy period -- twice a day for the first week.

Nature had already rejected Lee's version of experiments for publication last month. Undeterred, he set about applying Vacanti's technique. Liveblogging the experiments on ResearchGate, the open source platform where Lee had published his first set of experiments, the Hong Kong researcher immediately saw the excess stress was leading to rapid cell death among the lung fibroblast cells used.

"We estimated that there was a 50 percent decrease in cell number," Lee wrote four days ago on the blog. "In the original paper reported in Nature, such decrease in cell count was reported for day two, which is inline with our current experiment. Day three will be critical as this was the time Oct4-GFP expression [an indication that stem cells are generating] was reported for Stap cells. If we find that the cell number decreased even more drastically in our cultures, we will harvest some of the cultures and use them directly for qPCR analysis [quantitative polymerase chain reaction,a screening technique for stem cells]."

Nevertheless, things appeared to turn around. In his preliminary studies Lee has concluded that it could be the extreme stress through trituration, and not the acid bath, that was responsible for creating the Stap cells. "I am shocked and amazed by the qPCR results for the three-day-old control and Stap cultures," he wrote on ResearchGate, alongside a graph of the results. "Totally speechless!"

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'Fabricated' stem cell paper may have just been proven valid

Stem-cell treatment may help those with severe vision problems

By Stem Cell Treatment

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Paul Walker will undergo an eye procedure next week that could give him back simple pleasures such as working in the garden or leafing through a magazine.

The procedure, an experimental stem-cell treatment, has already restored some sight for two other central Ohioans and holds the same hope for Walker, a Bexley resident who is legally blind.

Are you kidding? was Walkers initial reaction when Susan Benes, a Columbus neuro-ophthalmologist, told him a few months ago that a clinical trial offered the promise of better vision.

The Stem Cell Ophthalmology Treatment Study is a federally approved trial being conducted at Retinal Associates, a medical practice near Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The study tests stem-cell treatment on people 18 and older with glaucoma, macular degeneration and various retinal disorders.

The trial, which began in August and is scheduled to run until 2017, can offer only anecdotal evidence of effectiveness at this point, said study director Steven Levy, a Connecticut doctor who is president of the consulting company MD Stem Cells.

Still, results have been encouraging in the 35 or so people treated to date.

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Stem-cell treatment may help those with severe vision problems

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