Stem Cell Clinic

Post Regenexx Stem Cell Treatment Results for JR’s Knee | Rejuv Medical, Minnesota – Video

By Stem Cell Treatment


Post Regenexx Stem Cell Treatment Results for JR #39;s Knee | Rejuv Medical, Minnesota
JR Burgess had a sport related knee injury. JR, went to Joel Baumgartner, MD to under go the stem cell injections for regenerative growth in his knee. Rejuv Medical has been following JR #39;s incredible results and recovery from the stem cell procedure that he has had done at Rejuv Medical of Saint Cloud, MN. http://www.rejuvmedical.com

By: Rejuv Medical

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Post Regenexx Stem Cell Treatment Results for JR's Knee | Rejuv Medical, Minnesota - Video

Exceptional growth factors for cartilage in osteoarthritis- wnts! – Video

By Stem Cell Treatment


Exceptional growth factors for cartilage in osteoarthritis- wnts!
http://www.stemcellsarthritistreatment.com Cartilage repair and growth requires multiple key factors. Among these are Wnts. Wnts are proteins involved in the development of the skeleton and control cartilage growth. However, Wnt, if control of its effects are lost, can lead to diseases characterized by either excess bone and cartilage growth or inadequate bone and cartilage growth. So the judicious application of growth factors when it comes to stem cell treatment for osteoarthritis must take this into account. http

By: Nathan Wei

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Exceptional growth factors for cartilage in osteoarthritis- wnts! - Video

Osiris Therapeutics Establishes Direct Sales Force for Grafix®

By Stem Cell Treatment

COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (OSIR), the leading company focused on developing and marketing stem cell products to treat serious medical conditions, announced today the introduction of a proprietary, direct sales force for Grafix, a premium cellular repair matrix for serious wounds including diabetic foot ulcers. The team of biologics sales professionals will initially be deployed in 10 major metropolitan areas throughout the United States and is expected to double over the coming year. Field representatives are supported by the Osiris medical affairs staff and a world-class team of stem cell scientists. This organization will enable Osiris to offer wound care practitioners a uniquely sophisticated service, only available from the cell therapy leader with 20 years of experience in the space.

"The decision to take Grafix into the wound care market with our own proprietary sales force was based upon a number of factors, including meaningful progress being made in reimbursement and favorable market dynamics," said Frank Czworka, Executive Director, Wound Care of Osiris Therapeutics. "However, the primary driver behind this initiative is the positive clinical results our physicians and surgeons are experiencing with Grafix. We continue to invest significant resources in Grafix to further demonstrate the clinical benefit it offers patients while favorably impacting overall healthcare costs. A product of this importance deserves a specialized, highly trained sales force."

In 2012, Osiris announced that it had received transitional pass-through status from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS"), with C-Codes being designated for Grafix. More recently, specific codes were added to the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System, or HCPCS code set, for GrafixPRIME and GrafixCORE. These product-specific Q-Codes will assist healthcare providers in seeking coverage for their patients. The Q-Codes that have been established for GrafixPRIME and GrafixCORE are Q4133 and Q4132, respectively.

Grafix has been the focus of active research in the fields of chronic wounds and burns. A 62-patient pilot study, presented at the Desert Foot 9th Annual High Risk Diabetic Foot Conference, was conducted in documented chronic wounds recalcitrant to treatment with standard of care and advanced therapies. The data demonstrated a 70% probability of wound closure by week 12, with a median time to closure of 5.6 weeks. Importantly, closure required a median of only 3 applications of Grafix, resulting in a potential savings over more costly treatments.

Clinical research for Grafix is continuing, including a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial for the treatment of non-healing diabetic foot ulcers. The study is actively enrolling up to 266 patients across 20 sites within the U.S.

About Grafix

Grafix is a human cellular repair matrix containing living stem cells for acute and chronic wound repair. It is a flexible, conforming membrane that provides a high quality source of living mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and growth factors directly to the site of the wound. Grafix is produced by BioSmartTM Intelligent Tissue Processing of human placental membrane. The manufacturing process maintains the integrity of the extracellular matrix, the viability of the neonatal MSCs, and the biologically active growth factors.

About Osiris Therapeutics

Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., having developed the worlds first approved stem cell drug, Prochymal, is the leading stem cell company. The company is focused on developing and marketing products to treat medical conditions in inflammatory, cardiovascular, orthopedic and wound healing markets. In Biosurgery, Osiris currently markets Grafix for burns and chronic wounds, and Ovation for orthopedic applications. Osiris is a fully integrated company with capabilities in research, development, manufacturing and distribution of stem cell products. Osiris has developed an extensive intellectual property portfolio to protect the company's technology, including 50 U.S. and 156 foreign patents.

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Osiris Therapeutics Establishes Direct Sales Force for Grafix®

OHSU Doernbecher Scientists First To Grow Liver Stem Cells In …

By Stell Cell Research

New mouse research in Nature raises hope that human liver stem cells can be similarly grown, transplanted

For decades scientists around the world have attempted to regenerate primary liver cells known as hepatocytes because of their numerous biomedical applications, including hepatitis research, drug metabolism and toxicity studies, as well as transplantation for cirrhosis and other chronic liver conditions. But no lab in the world has been successful in identifying and growing liver stem cells in culture using any available technique until now.

In the journal Nature, physician-scientists in the Pap Family Pediatric Research Institute at Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Childrens Hospital, Portland, Ore., along with investigators at the Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Utrecht, Netherlands, describe a new method through which they were able to infinitely expand liver stem cells from a mouse in a dish.

This study raises the hope that the human equivalent of these mouse liver stem cells can be grown in a similar way and efficiently converted into functional liver cells, said Markus Grompe, M.D., study co-author, director of the Pap Family Pediatric Research Institute at OHSU Doernbecher Childrens Hospital; and professor of pediatrics, and molecular and medical genetics in the OHSU School of Medicine.

In a previous Nature study, investigators at the Hubrecht Institute, led by Hans Clever, M.D, Ph.D., were the first to identify stem cells in the small intestine and colon by observing the expression of the adult stem cell marker Lgr5 and growth in response to a growth factor called Wnt. They also hypothesized that the unique expression pattern of Lgr5 could mark stem cells in other adult tissues, including the liver, an organ for which stem cell identification remained elusive.

In the current Nature study, Grompe and colleagues in the Pap Family Pediatric Research Institute at OHSU Doernbecher used a modified version of the Clever method and discovered that Wnt-induced Lgr5 expression not only marks stem cell production in the liver, but it also defines a class of stem cells that become active when the liver is damaged.

The scientists were able to grow these liver stem cells exponentially in a dish an accomplishment never before achieved and then transplant them in a specially designed mouse model of liver disease, where they continued to grow and show a modest therapeutic effect.

We were able to massively expand the liver cells and subsequently convert them to hepatocytes at a modest percentage. Going forward, we will enlist other growth factors and conditions to improve that percentage. Liver stem cell therapy for chronic liver disease in humans is coming, said Grompe.

The study, In vitro expansion of single Lgr5+ liver stem cells induced by Wnt-driven regeneration, was funded by National Institutes of Health Grant R0I DK05192.

Investigators who contributed to this research include: Grompe, Craig Dorrell, Annelise Haft, Pap Family Pediatric Research Institute, OHSU Doernbecher Childrens Hospital; Clever, Meritxell Huch, Sylvia Boj, Johan van Es, Vivian Li, Mare van de Wetering, Toshiro Sato, Karien Hamer, Nobuo Sasaki, Robert Vries, Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research; and Milton Finegold, Texas Childrens Hospital Houston.

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OHSU Doernbecher Scientists First To Grow Liver Stem Cells In ...

‘Holy Grail’ of stem cell research discovered – Stem Cell Clinic …

By Stell Cell Research

Washington, February 27 (ANI): Scientists have developed sugar-coated scaffolding to improve stem cell technology to cure some of the worlds incurable diseases and conditions.

Stem cells have the unique ability to turn into any type of human cell, opening up all sorts of therapeutic possibilities for diseases from Alzheimers to diabetes.

But how to encourage stem cells to turn into the particular type of cell required to treat a specific disease is the problem that scientists are facing now.

Now researchers at the University of Manchesters School of Materials and Faculty of Life Sciences have developed a web-like scaffold, coated with long-sugar molecules, that enhances stem-cell cultures to do just this.

The scaffold is formed by a process known as electrospinning, creating a mesh of fibres that mimic structures that occur naturally within the body.

The teams results are particularly promising, as the sugar molecules are presented on the surface of the fibres, retaining structural patterns important in their function. The sugars are also read by the stem cells grown on the surface, stimulating and enhancing the formation of neuronal cell types.

These meshes have been modified with long, linear sugar molecules, which we have previously shown play a fundamental role in regulating the behaviour of stem cells. By combining the sugar molecules with the fibre web, we hoped to use both biochemical and structural signals to guide the behaviour of stem cells, in a similar way to that used naturally by the body. This is the Holy Grail of research into developing new therapeutics using stem cell technology, said lead author Dr Catherine Merry, from Manchesters Stem Cell Glycobiology group.

The group anticipate that the combination of the sugar molecules with the fibre web will aid both the growth of stem cells and the formation of different cell types from the stem cell population.

Possible applications include tissue engineering, where the meshes could support cells differentiating to form bone, liver or blood vessels, for example.

The meshes also have potential therapeutic implications in the treatment of diseases such as multiple osteochondroma (MO), a rare disease creating bony spurs or lumps caused by abnormal production of these sugar molecules.

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'Holy Grail' of stem cell research discovered – Stem Cell Clinic ...

Research supports promise of cell therapy for bowel disease

By Uncategorized

Feb. 28, 2013 Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and colleagues have identified a special population of adult stem cells in bone marrow that have the natural ability to migrate to the intestine and produce intestinal cells, suggesting their potential to restore healthy tissue in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Up to 1 million Americans have IBD, which is characterized by frequent diarrhea and abdominal pain. IBD actually refers to two conditions -- ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease -- in which the intestines become red and swollen and develop ulcers, probably as the result of the body having an immune response to its own tissue.

While there is currently no cure for IBD, there are drug therapies aimed at reducing inflammation and preventing the immune response. Because these therapies aren't always effective, scientists hope to use stem cells to develop an injectable cell therapy to treat IBD.

The research findings are reported online in the FASEB Journal (the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) by senior researcher Graca Almeida-Porada, M.D., Ph.D., professor of regenerative medicine at Wake Forest Baptist's Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and colleagues.

The new research complements a 2012 report by Almeida-Porada's team that identified stem cells in cord blood that are involved in blood vessel formation and also have the ability to migrate to the intestine.

"We've identified two populations of human cells that migrate to the intestine -- one involved in blood vessel formation and the other that can replenish intestinal cells and modulates inflammation," said Almeida-Porada. "Our hope is that a mixture of these cells could be used as an injectable therapy to treat IBD."

The cells would theoretically induce tissue recovery by contributing to a pool of cells within the intestine. The lining of the intestine has one of the highest cellular turnover rates in the body, with all cell types being renewed weekly from this pool of cells, located in an area of the intestine known as the crypt.

In the current study, the team used cell markers to identify a population of stem cells in human bone marrow with the highest potential to migrate to the intestine and thrive. The cells express high levels of a receptor (ephrin type B) that is involved in tissue repair and wound closure.

The cells also known to modulate inflammation were injected into fetal sheep at 55 to 62 days gestation. At 75 days post-gestation, the researchers found that most of the transplanted cells were positioned in the crypt area, replenishing the stem cells in the intestine.

"Previous studies in animals have shown that the transplantation of bone-marrow-derived cells can contribute to the regeneration of the gastrointestinal tract in IBD," said Almeida-Porada. "However, only small numbers of cells were successfully transplanted using this method. Our goal with the current study was to identify populations of cells that naturally migrate to the intestine and have the intrinsic ability to restore tissue health."

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Research supports promise of cell therapy for bowel disease

Discgenics Successfully Completes Pilot Efficacy Study of Injectable Discosphere™ Cell Therapy

By Uncategorized

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Discgenics announces the successful completion of an animal study demonstrating safety and efficacy of its novel therapy for reducing back pain caused by degenerative disc disease. This product, known as Injectable Discosphere Cell Therapy (IDCT), features Discgenics' patented, allogeneic, human disc-derived stem cell technology. The study showed that after one injection of IDCT in degenerated discs there was a restoration of disc height and tissue architecture, while noting no inflammatory response.

Discgenics CEO Flagg Flanagan said, " We are very encouraged by the results of the small animal pilot study as it shows the initial safety and efficacy of IDCT, which is produced from adult human disc-derived stem cells.We are optimistic that these early results will be indicative of our therapy's performance in further animal studies and will accelerate us toward human clinical studies and, ultimately, to an FDA cleared product.We believe this technology will revolutionize the way back pain is treated." Discgenics is currently conducting further studies of safety and efficacy in multiple animal species to support future scientific publications and for use in gaining regulatory clearance.

About Discgenics, Inc.

Discgenics is a privately funded spinal therapeutics company that is utilizing adult human disc stem cells within a tissue engineering approach to treat patients debilitated by degenerative disc disease. News and other information on the company are available at: http://www.discgenics.com.

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Discgenics Successfully Completes Pilot Efficacy Study of Injectable Discosphere™ Cell Therapy

Stroke Recovery

By Stem Cell Treatment


Stroke Recovery Stroke Treatment Using Adult Stem Cells
Bryn came to Dr. David Steenblock after suffering from a stroke. After going to numerous facilities he was finally able to get help with his stroke recovery after coming to Dr. David Steenblock. Dr. Steenblock used adult stem cell treatments to help aid Bryn in his stroke recovery. Call 1-800-300-1063 for more information.

By: David Steenblock

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Stroke Recovery

Infusion of stem cells and specially generated T-cells from same donor improves leukemia survival

By Stem Cell Treatment

Feb. 27, 2013 In a significant advance for harnessing the immune system to treat leukemias, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for the first time have successfully infused large numbers of donor T-cells specific for a key anti-leukemic antigen to prolong survival in high-risk and relapsed leukemia patients after stem cell transplantation. Both the stem cells for transplant and the T-cells came from the same matched donors.

Reporting results of a pilot clinical trial in the Feb. 27 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers describe the use of T-cells that were taken from a donor, programmed in the lab to recognize the Wilm's Tumor Antigen 1 (WT1) and kill leukemia cells, grown in large numbers, and then infused into patients to promote anti-leukemic activity. The WT1 protein is overexpressed in leukemias and is in part responsible for why the cells have become leukemic.

The best results were achieved when some of the patients received T-cell clones that were exposed to interleukin 21 (IL-21) during the programming and growth process, based on the hypothesis that such exposure would create cells that could survive longer and produce greater anti-leukemic activity after transfer. IL-21 promotes T-cell expansion while helping those cells acquire characteristics of central memory T-cells.

"This is the first time patients have received an infusion of WT1 specific T-cells, and thus also the first demonstration that such cells can provide a therapeutic anti-leukemic effect, as has been suggested from earlier vaccine trials that induce less potent responses," said Philip Greenberg, M.D., corresponding author and head of the Immunology Program at Fred Hutch.

"Ours is also the first report to show that greatly improved T-cell in-vivo persistence can be achieved after transfer by modifying the way cells are generated in tissue culture for therapy with inclusion of the cytokine IL-21," said Aude Chapuis, M.D., lead author on the study and a research associate in the Fred Hutch Immunology Program.

The findings support expanding efforts to target WT1 and provide insights into what is necessary to establish potent and persistent T-cell responses in patients, and such second generation studies have recently been initiated at Fred Hutch. All of the patients, who were treated post-transplant at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Fred Hutch's site for patient care, received adoptively transferred infusions of billions of enhanced CD8 cytotoxic T-cell clones. They were considered at high risk of death because they had already relapsed and/or had a poor prognosis due to unfavorable characteristics of their leukemia.

Four of the 11 patients in the trial received infusions of T-cells that targeted WT1 and were generated in the presence of IL-21. One had detectable relapsed disease and entered complete remission shortly after the T-cells were infused. All four survived after T-cell therapy without relapse for more than 30 months without suffering graft-vs.-host-disease and required no additional anti-leukemic treatment, according to the study. GVHD is a major complication of stem cell transplantation.

Among the seven patients who received infused T-cells generated without the presence of IL-21, two showed direct evidence of anti-leukemic activity, including one patient with advanced progressive disease who had a temporary response.

Researchers undertook the clinical trial because relapse remains a leading cause of death after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for patients with high-risk leukemias. An obstacle to survival is that the beneficial graft-vs.-tumor effect of a transplant can be offset by concurrent GVHD. Interestingly, patients who develop GVHD have reduced relapse rates. This suggests that lymphocytes present in engrafted donor stem cells can cause a concurrent therapeutic graft-vs.-tumor effect. However, because donor stem cells are not selected for specificity for leukemia antigens and commonly recognized proteins expressed by many other host tissues, substantial morbidity and mortality from GVHD can occur.

The scientists theorized that infusions of T-cells that target WT1 could potentially promote additional anti-leukemic activity without inducing GVHD. WT1 is expressed 10 to 1,000 times higher in leukemic cells compared to normal CD34 blood stem cells, and the magnitude of expression correlates with the aggressiveness of acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes.

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Infusion of stem cells and specially generated T-cells from same donor improves leukemia survival

Measure would start stem cell research center at KU Med

By Stem Cell Treatment

Topeka A bill pushed by abortion opponents that would require the Kansas University Medical Center to establish a center that focuses on adult stem cell research will be debated in the Senate on Thursday.

Senate Bill 199, which would create the Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center, was authored by 22 conservative Republican senators, including Senate President Susan Wagle of Wichita, Majority Leader Terry Bruce of Hutchinson, and Public Health and Welfare Chairwoman Mary Pilcher-Cook of Shawnee.

"This has the potential of putting Kansas on the map in making actual patient therapies available," Pilcher-Cook said.

Gov. Sam Brownback also expressed support for the concept.

"Having an adult stem cell center is not only highly plausible, it's being done and used in many places around the world," he said.

"If Kansas could take a leadership position in that, it could be a highly useful thing for people to get treatments. There are number of different maladies now being treated by non-controversial stem cell treatments," he said. He added, "Let's see what develops in the process and in the bill."

The bill would prohibit the center from using embryonic stem cells or cells taken from aborted fetal tissue. Abortion opponents oppose human embryonic stem cell research because it involves the destruction of the embryo.

Under the proposal, KU would appoint a director of the center who would be responsible for oversight of patient treatment and research with adult, cord blood and other non-embryonic stem cells.

The director could solicit grants, gifts and contributions. The bill also sets up a 13-member advisory board.

The center would require $1.1 million to renovate a lab and hire staff and $750,000 annually after that. But the funding has not been secured.

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