Stem Cell Clinic

Melatonin pre-treatment is a factor that impacts stem cell survival after transplantation

Public release date: 22-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

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

Putnam Valley, NY. -- When melatonin, a hormone secreted by the pineal gland, was used as a pre-treatment for mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) prior to their transplantation into the brains of laboratory animals to repair damage from stroke, researchers in China found that the stem cells survived longer after transplantation. Previous studies had shown that 80 percent of transplanted MSCs died within 72 hours of transplantation. By contrast, the melatonin pre-treatment "greatly increased" cell survival, said the researchers.

The study appears as an early e-publication for the journal Cell Transplantation, and is now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/ct0998tang

The pineal gland is a small endocrine gland located in the center of the brain, but outside of the bloodbrain barrier. The melatonin it secretes acts as a signal and forms part of the system that regulates the sleepwake cycle by chemically causing drowsiness and lowering body temperature. Melatonin is also known to be a powerful antioxidant and has been used clinically to treat sleep disorders.

In this study, the researchers used a melatonin pre-treatment on MSCs they harvested from the laboratory animals that had been chemically modeled with ischemic brain injury (stroke). Previous studies had shown that MSCs "express" melatonin receptors M1 and M2.

"Mesenchymal cells can be harvested from self-donors (autologous) without ethical concerns," said study co-author Dr. Guo-Yuan Yang of the Neuroscience and Neuroengineering Research Center at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China. "Studies have shown that MSCs differentiate into various cells and can, upon transplantation, improve functional recovery after ischemic brain injury. In this study we used laboratory rats chemically modeled with stroke and tried to determine if pretreatment with melatonin would promote cell survival."

Researchers transplanted pre-treated MSCs into one group of brain injured rats and also used a control group of animals that received MSCs that were not pre-treated with melatonin.

Study results demonstrated that the melatonin pre-treated MSCs had "enhanced survival under oxidative stimulation by activating the Erk1/2 pathway" (extracellular signal-regulated kinases), a chain of proteins in the cell that communicates a signal from a receptor on the surface of the cell to the DNA in the nucleus of the cell.

"Our study demonstrated increased survival of transplanted MSCs and revealed that the pre-treated MSCs reduced infarct volume and improved neurobehavioral outcomes for at least 14 days," said Dr. Yang.

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Melatonin pre-treatment is a factor that impacts stem cell survival after transplantation

Stem cell advance boost prospects for retina treatment

July 23, 2013

Blind mice have been able to see once more in a laboratory exploit that marks a further boost for the fast-moving field of retinal therapy, according to a study published on Sunday.

Scientists in Britain used stem cells -- early-stage, highly versatile cells -- taken from mice embryos, and cultured them in a lab dish so that they differentiated into immature photoreceptors, the light-catching cells in the retina.

Around 200,000 of these cells were then injected into the mice's retinas, some of which integrated smoothly with local cells to restore sight.

The rodents were put through their paces in a water maze and examined by optometry to confirm that they responded to light.

Embryonic stem cells "could in future provide a potentially unlimited supply of health photoreceptors for retinal transplantations to treat blindness in humans," Britain's Medical Research Council (MRC) said in a press release.

Photoreceptor loss lies behind degenerative eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, also called AMD.

Stem cells have triggered a huge interest and investment on the back of hopes that they can become replacement tissue, grown in a lab dish, for cells damaged by disease or accident.

But the exciting field has to overcome big obstacles.

One is the ability to coax these immature cells into safely becoming the specialised cells that are needed, rather than turn cancerous.

View post:
Stem cell advance boost prospects for retina treatment

Stem Cell Eye Cells Tested in Mice

Scientists turn embryonic stem cells into photoreceptors that can integrate into a live retina.

Transplanted photoreceptors derived from embryonic stem cells (green) integrate into the damaged retina of an adult mouse and touch the next neuron in the retinal circuit (red).

Scientists in the U.K. have produced rod-like photoreceptors from embryonic stem cells, and successfully transplanted them into the retinas of mice. The work suggests that embryonic stem cells could perhaps one day be used as a treatment for patients who have lost their vision to retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, or other degenerative conditions in which the light-detecting rods and cones of the retina die over time.

Currently, there are few treatment options for these conditions; electronic implanted devices are available for some patients in some countries, but their efficacy is limited (see A Second Artificial Retina Option for the E.U. and What Its Like to See Again with an Artificial Retina).The new work,reported in Nature Biotechnology on Sunday, offers hope for a more effective, comprehensive treatment.

The researchers used a new method for growing embryonic stem cells that enables them to turn into immature eye cells and self-organize into three-dimensional structures similar to those seen in a developing retina (see Growing Eyeballs). Immature light-detecting cells were harvested from this culture and transplanted into the retinas of night-blind mice. There, the cells integrated with the natural cells of the eye and formed synaptic connections. The work did not involve testing how well the mice could see after the cells were implanted.

While this particular technique is probably years away from human trials, embryonic stem cells are already being tested in clinical trials for macular degeneration and Stargardts macular dystrophy. Last week, in fact, Japanese authorities announced that an alternative source of stem cells will soon move into human trials as a treatment for eye disease.The BBC reported that Japan has approved the first clinical trial of induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells. These stem cells are made by reprogramming normal adult cells so that they return to a more embryonic-like state so that they can then be converted into other cell types, such as retinal cells. In the clinical trial, doctors will collect a patients own cells, which will then be used in an experimental treatment for age-related macular degeneration. The trial will start with around six patients.

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Stem Cell Eye Cells Tested in Mice

Stem Cell Treatment for Eye Disease

Scientists turn embryonic stem cells into photoreceptors that can integrate into a live retina.

Transplanted photoreceptors derived from embryonic stem cells (green) integrate into the damaged retina of an adult mouse and touch the next neuron in the retinal circuit (red).

Scientists in the U.K. have produced rod-like photoreceptors from embryonic stem cells, and successfully transplanted them into the retinas of mice. The work suggests that embryonic stem cells could perhaps one day be used as a treatment for patients who have lost their vision to retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, or other degenerative conditions in which the light-detecting rods and cones of the retina die over time.

Currently, there are few treatment options for these conditions; electronic implanted devices are available for some patients in some countries, but their efficacy is limited (see A Second Artificial Retina Option for the E.U. and What Its Like to See Again with an Artificial Retina).The new work,reported in Nature Biotechnology on Sunday, offers hope for a more effective, comprehensive treatment.

The researchers used a new method for growing embryonic stem cells that enables them to turn into immature eye cells and self-organize into three-dimensional structures similar to those seen in a developing retina (see Growing Eyeballs). Immature light-detecting cells were harvested from this culture and transplanted into the retinas of night-blind mice. There, the cells integrated with the natural cells of the eye and formed synaptic connections. The work did not involve testing how well the mice could see after the cells were implanted.

While this particular technique is probably years away from human trials, embryonic stem cells are already being tested in clinical trials for macular degeneration and Stargardts macular dystrophy. Last week, in fact, Japanese authorities announced that an alternative source of stem cells will soon move into human trials as a treatment for eye disease.The BBC reported that Japan has approved the first clinical trial of induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells. These stem cells are made by reprogramming normal adult cells so that they return to a more embryonic-like state so that they can then be converted into other cell types, such as retinal cells. In the clinical trial, doctors will collect a patients own cells, which will then be used in an experimental treatment for age-related macular degeneration. The trial will start with around six patients.

View post:
Stem Cell Treatment for Eye Disease

Stem cell advance boosts prospects for retina treatment

Blind mice have been able to see once more in a laboratory exploit that marks a further boost for the fast-moving field of retinal therapy, according to a study published on Sunday.

Scientists in Britain used stem cells -- early-stage, highly versatile cells -- taken from mice embryos, and cultured them in a lab dish so that they differentiated into immature photoreceptors, the light-catching cells in the retina.

Around 200,000 of these cells were then injected into the mice's retinas, some of which integrated smoothly with local cells to restore sight.

The rodents were put through their paces in a water maze and examined by optometry to confirm that they responded to light.

Embryonic stem cells "could in future provide a potentially unlimited supply of health photoreceptors for retinal transplantations to treat blindness in humans," Britain's Medical Research Council (MRC) said in a press release.

Photoreceptor loss lies behind degenerative eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, also called AMD.

Stem cells have triggered a huge interest and investment on the back of hopes that they can become replacement tissue, grown in a lab dish, for cells damaged by disease or accident.

But the exciting field has to overcome big obstacles.

One is the ability to coax these immature cells into safely becoming the specialised cells that are needed, rather than turn cancerous.

This is where the new work marks a gain, according to lead researcher Robin Ali at the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital.

Read more:
Stem cell advance boosts prospects for retina treatment

Desperate pet owners turn to stem cell treatments

by Jared Dillingham

azfamily.com

Posted on July 20, 2013 at 10:38 AM

Updated today at 10:41 AM

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- An increasing number of pet owners are turning to stem cells to treat everything from arthritis to allergies.

"It was horrific to watch him unable to walk or wag his tail," Sarah Denning said of her then 6-year-old dog, Gary, who suffered from disc problems in his lower back. He was in constant pain.

Denning was about to have Gary euthanized, when her veterinarian, Dr. Tom Newland, at the Adobe Animal Hospital in Scottsdale, suggested they try a stem cell treatment.

Two weeks later, Gary showed signs of improvement. In another month, he was a new dog.

"He started running and playing with other dogs. That was beyond expectations," she said.

Dr. Newland is one of a handful of Valley veterinarians who uses stem cells to treat his four-legged patients.

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Desperate pet owners turn to stem cell treatments

Japan approves landmark stem cell trials

Japan's government has given its approval to the world's first clinical trials using stem cells harvested from a patient's own body.

Health Minister Norihisa Tamura signed off on Friday on a proposal by two research institutes that will allow them to begin tests aimed at treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common medical condition that causes blindness in older people, using "induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells".

Stem cell research is a pioneering field that may offer a cure for conditions that are currently incurable, and scientists hope these clinical trials on a treatment for AMD may offer hope to millions of people robbed of their sight.

The tests will be jointly conducted by the Riken Center for Developmental Biology and the Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation (IBRI) Hospital in Japan.

Riken will harvest stem cells, using skin cells taken from patients, a spokesman said.

The trial treatment will attempt to create retinal cells that can be transplanted into the eyes of six patients suffering from AMD, replacing the damaged part of the eye.

The transplant may be conducted as early as the middle of next year at the IBRI Hospital, he said.

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.

Groundbreaking work

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

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Japan approves landmark stem cell trials

Japan approves stem cell clinical trials

Japan's government on Friday gave its seal of approval to the world's first clinical trials using stem cells harvested from a patient's own body.

Health Minister Norihisa Tamura signed off on a proposal by two research institutes that will allow them to begin tests aimed at treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common medical condition that causes blindness in older people, using "induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells".

Stem cell research is a pioneering field that may offer a cure for conditions that are presently incurable, and scientists hope these clinical trials on a treatment for AMD may offer hope to millions of people robbed of their sight.

A government committee last month approved proposals for the tests, which will be jointly conducted by the Riken Center for Developmental Biology and the Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation (IBRI) Hospital in the western city of Kobe.

Riken will harvest stem cells, using skin cells taken from patients, a spokesman said.

The trial treatment will attempt to create retinal cells that can be transplanted into the eyes of six patients suffering from AMD, replacing the damaged part of the eye.

The transplant may be conducted as early as the middle of next year at the IBRI Hospital, he said.

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.

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

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

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Japan approves stem cell clinical trials