Stem Cell Clinic

California's stem cell agency ponders a future without taxpayer support

By Uncategorized

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The creation of California's stem cell agency in 2004 was greeted by scientists and patients as a turning point in a field mired in debates about the destruction of embryos and hampered by federal research restrictions.

The taxpayer-funded institute wielded the extraordinary power to dole out $3 billion in bond proceeds to fund embryonic stem cell work with an eye toward treatments for a host of crippling diseases. Midway through its mission, with several high-tech labs constructed, but little to show on the medicine front beyond basic research, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine faces an uncertain future.

Is it still relevant nearly eight years later? And will it still exist when the money dries up?

The answers could depend once again on voters and whether they're willing to extend the life of the agency.

Several camps that support stem cell research think taxpayers should not pay another cent given the state's budget woes.

"It would be so wrong to ask Californians to pony up more money," said Marcy Darnovsky of the Center for Genetics and Society, a pro-stem cell research group that opposed Proposition 71, the state ballot initiative that formed CIRM.

Last December, CIRM's former chairman, Robert Klein, who used his fortune and political connections to create Prop 71, floated the possibility of another referendum.

CIRM leaders have shelved the idea of going back to voters for now, but may consider it down the road. The institute recently submitted a transition plan to Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature that assumes it will no longer be taxpayer-supported after the bond money runs out. CIRM is exploring creating a non-profit version of itself and tapping other players to carry on its work.

"The goal is to keep the momentum going," board Chairman Jonathan Thomas said in an interview.

So far, CIRM has spent some $1.3 billion on infrastructure and research. At the current pace, it will earmark the last grants in 2016 or 2017. Since most are multi-year awards, it is expected to stay in business until 2021.

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California's stem cell agency ponders a future without taxpayer support

California's stem cell agency ponders its future

By Uncategorized

LOS ANGELES (AP) The creation of California's stem cell agency in 2004 was greeted by scientists and patients as a turning point in a field mired in debates about the destruction of embryos and hampered by federal research restrictions.

The taxpayer-funded institute wielded the extraordinary power to dole out $3 billion in bond proceeds to fund embryonic stem cell work with an eye toward treatments for a host of crippling diseases. Midway through its mission, with several high-tech labs constructed, but little to show on the medicine front beyond basic research, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine faces an uncertain future.

Is it still relevant nearly eight years later? And will it still exist when the money dries up?

The answers could depend once again on voters and whether they're willing to extend the life of the agency.

Several camps that support stem cell research think taxpayers should not pay another cent given the state's budget woes.

"It would be so wrong to ask Californians to pony up more money," said Marcy Darnovsky of the Center for Genetics and Society, a pro-stem cell research group that opposed Proposition 71, the state ballot initiative that formed CIRM.

Last December, CIRM's former chairman, Robert Klein, who used his fortune and political connections to create Prop 71, floated the possibility of another referendum.

CIRM leaders have shelved the idea of going back to voters for now, but may consider it down the road. The institute recently submitted a transition plan to Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature that assumes it will no longer be taxpayer-supported after the bond money runs out. CIRM is exploring creating a nonprofit version of itself and tapping other players to carry on its work.

"The goal is to keep the momentum going," board Chairman Jonathan Thomas said in an interview.

So far, CIRM has spent some $1.3 billion on infrastructure and research. At the current pace, it will earmark the last grants in 2016 or 2017. Since most are multi-year awards, it is expected to stay in business until 2021.

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California's stem cell agency ponders its future

Stem cell brain injections ease Parkinson's

By Stem Cell Treatment

MONKEYS with Parkinson's disease-like symptoms have had their suffering eased by an injection of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into their brain.

Jun Takahashi of Kyoto University in Japan and colleagues injected these cells into monkeys whose brains had been damaged by a chemical that destroys dopamine-producing neurons and so causes Parkinson's symptoms.

Two monkeys received hESCs that had been matured into an early form of neural cell. Six months later, the monkeys had recovered 20 to 45 per cent of the movement they had lost before treatment. Post-mortems a year after treatment showed that the cells had developed into fully functioning dopamine-secreting neurons. Another monkey that received less-mature neural cells also showed improvements (Stem Cells, DOI: 10.1002/stem.1060).

"Monkeys starting with tremors and rigidity [began] to move smoothly, and animals originally confined to sitting down were able to walk around," says Takahashi.

The team says it will probably be four to six years before clinical trials in humans begin.

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Stem cell brain injections ease Parkinson's

Stem Cell Transplant Keeps Hope Alive

By Stem Cell Clinic

Memphis, Tn - Jana Stressel and her husband Jay were living life as empty nesters. She was active and healthy, walking five miles a day. The couple was getting ready for an out of town trip back in 2009, when sickness settled in. Jay knew it was trouble so he rushed his wife of 28 years to the hospital.

"They immediately sensed something was wrong. My blood pressure was really high. I was in bad shape...they went to work on me very quickly," says Jana.

Doctors told Jana she was losing blood from somewhere, so she underwent several blood transfusions. Her kidneys were shutting down. For two weeks, doctors wondered what was going on. Doctor Ed Muir, an oncologist with the Jones clinic, was the doctor who finally diagnosis her.

"He came in and told us I had multiple myeloma."

The cancer was at stage 3, which means the disease was already advanced. To make matters worse, she had kidney dysfunction, which required dialysis. She started chemotherapy the next day.

"My cancer is aggressive so they have to treat it aggressively, and there have been some pretty bad days."

At one point, she was receiving 3 different chemotherapy treatments at one time.

"I never cried, I was never sad, I was never scared. I just pretty much felt like ok, what do I need to go? Let's do it."

Dr. Muir explains Multiple Myeloma as cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow. The plasma cells grow out of control and form tumors in the areas of solid bone.

The growth of the bone tumors make it harder for the bone marrow to make healthy blood cells. This makes a person more prone to infections, back pain, fatigue, and unexplained broken bones, all symptoms Jana had, but ignored.

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Stem Cell Transplant Keeps Hope Alive

Eastday-Big stem cell breakthrough

By Stem Cell Treatment

A NEW stem cell therapy treatment to develop new bones for patients with bone loss and new skin for recipients of plastic surgery has been developed, doctors from Shanghai No.9 People's Hospital announced yesterday.

In the procedure, medical staff use a special machine to collect stem cells from a patient's blood. The stem cells adhere to a base made of a special biological material.

The stem cells are then transplanted into the patient's body, where they grow into either new bones or skin tissue, while the base is absorbed by the human body.

"So far the practice has been successful in treating patients with bone and skin loss," said Dr Dai Kerong from Shanghai Jiao Tong University's translational medicine institute at Shanghai No.9 hospital. "The stem cell technology will be used to develop corneas for blind people as well as treating heart attack and stroke patients by developing new heart and cerebral tissue."

The technology is patented in China and abroad and will be licensed within one or two years, according to Dai.

China has established 51 translational medicine centers to boost the introduction of laboratory research into clinical use.

The complicated procedures and documentation required often prevent doctors from introducing lab success into clinical practice.

Dai said one reagent developed by No. 9 hospital's doctors for in vitro fertilization received a license in Europe within six months and has been used in clinical practice "while this would take at least five years in China."

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Eastday-Big stem cell breakthrough

Gov. Perry's stem-cell firm draws FDA scrutiny

By Stem Cell Medicine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received a complaint alleging the Houston company involved in Gov. Rick Perry's unregulated adult stem-cell operation is a potential danger to patients and not in compliance with federal law.

In an eight-page letter sent last month, University of Minnesota bioethicist Leigh Turner called on the FDA to investigate Celltex Therapeutics Corp., which banks people's stem cells for future reinjection in the event of disease or injury. Perry was the company's first customer last year.

"It appears their business plan involves injecting or infusing on a for-profit, commercial basis non-FDA-approved adult stem cells into paying customers," Turner wrote in the Feb. 21 letter. "This plan conflicts with FDA regulations governing human stem cells."

An FDA spokeswoman declined comment, but Turner said an agency official told him the matter has been assigned to an investigator and is being taken seriously.

Celltex co-founder David Eller said Tuesday night he is confident the company will "meet all FDA specifications." He emphasized that Celltex doesn't administer stem cells, but stores and processes them at the behest of doctors who later reinject them into patients.

Dr. Stanley Jones, a Houston orthopedic surgeon, injected Perry's stem cells during his back surgery in July.

The plan by Celltex and Perry to make Texas a leader in the therapy have been controversial since details about the governor's procedure became known last summer. The therapy, drawing on the ability of adult stem cells to replenish dying cells, is promising but thought by most medical researchers to need much more clinical study before it is commercialized.

Stem cells are a kind of medicine known as biologics, therapy involving living cells rather than chemicals. Most medical experts say that adult stem-cell therapy involves more than the "minimal manipulation" the agency allows without its oversight because the cells are isolated, cultured in a laboratory and stored for some period of time before being reinjected.

The FDA has recently stepped up enforcement of unregulated adult stem cell activity, though legal experts interviewed last fall by the Chronicle said it was unclear whether the agency would look into Perry's procedure because he seemed fully informed and unharmed by it.

The Texas Medical Board is currently considering a policy that would require providers of stem cells and other experimental drugs to use them only with the permission of independent review committees that assess trials for patient safety. The policy comes up for final approval in April.

Continued here:
Gov. Perry's stem-cell firm draws FDA scrutiny

Canadian researchers receive grant to test stem-cell therapy for septic shock

By Stem Cell Treatment

OTTAWA A team of Canadian researchers has been awarded $442,000 to test the world's first experimental stem-cell therapy aimed at patients who suffer from septic shock, a runaway infection of the bloodstream that's notoriously difficult to treat.

The federal grant will allow researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute to use mesenchymal stem cells, found in the bone marrow of healthy adults, to treat as many as 15 patients with septic shock.

The deadly infection occurs when toxic bacteria spreads rapidly throughout the body and over-activates the immune system, leading to multiple organ failure and death in up to 40 per cent of cases.

One in five patients admitted to intensive-care units suffers from septic shock, making it the most common illness among a hospital's sickest of the sick.

Existing treatments focus on early diagnosis and intervention before organs start to fail. Patients with septic shock require aggressive resuscitation measures, large doses of intravenous antibiotics and, often, ventilators to help them breathe.

Yet because the infection can creep up on patients rapidly and cause unpredictable complications, death from septic shock remains relatively common.

The experimental therapy aims to use donor stem cells, grown and purified at the Ottawa laboratory, to dial down the body's hyperactive immune response and reduce the cascade of inflammation that leads to organ failure.

Early results from animal studies even raise the possibility that mesenchymal cells could eliminate the bacteria that causes septic shock, although the impact on humans is not yet known.

"It's a unique feature of the stem cells," said Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre, the intensive-care physician who is leading the trial. "Certainly no other therapy in the past, other than antibiotics, has impacted the bacterial load in the system."

As with other stem cells, mesenchymal cells can turn into a variety of more specialized cells and tissues that help repair and regenerate damaged organs. And because mesenchymal cells are derived from adults, they sidestep the ethical issues arising from the destruction of human embryos needed to make embryonic stem cells.

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Canadian researchers receive grant to test stem-cell therapy for septic shock

Suspended doctor disputes DOH claims

By Stem Cell Treatment

LEE COUNTY, FL -

The attorney for a Bonita Springs doctor whose license was suspended last week after a patient's death now says a different doctor was treating the patient and the patient had not received a stem cell treatment.

Dr. Zannos Grekos is under investigation by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, however no criminal charges have been filed against him.

Dr. Grekos' attorney issued a one page statement to our newsroom that says the patient died during a different procedure performed by a different doctor.[Click here to read the statement.]

The attorney did not identify the doctor on the statement, but says the other doctor was performing liposuction on THE MAN, not stem cell treatment.

The family of 77 year old Richard Poling of Indiana said he was being treated for pulmonary fibrosis.

The Department of Health's Emergency Suspension Order stated Poling died from cardiac arrest while at Grekos' office.

Dr Grekos' attorney states that the medical examiner's office has not provided a report linking the patient's death to stem cell treatment.

We did reach out to the Department of Heath for comment, but have not heard back from them yet.

We also reached out to Poling's sister who lives in Bonita Springs. She is respecting her family's wishes and is not speaking to the media.

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Suspended doctor disputes DOH claims

Stem-cell breakthrough could mean treatment for Huntington’s

By Stem Cell Treatment

A research report published earlier this week suggests a possible connection between the use of stem cells and a treatment for Huntingtons disease.

Su-Chun Zhang, a UW-Madison professor, is the senior author of the new study, which shows embryonic stem cells may be used to reinstate the neural circuit needed for motor control that is destroyed in Huntingtons patients.

There is no cure for Huntingtons, a terminal disease in which patients lose control of muscle coordination.

The key to the study is the use of GABA neurons, which are responsible for creating the network the brain uses to coordinate motor function, but are reduced in Huntingtons patients. According to the report, researchers found a way to manufacture large quantities of GABA neurons from embryonic stem cells, which they implanted in mice to test how well they would integrate in to the mouses brain.

The cells not only integrated in the mouses brain, but also projected to the corresponding target and reestablished the neural circuit, which restored muscle coordination.

This result suggests a possible treatment for a previously incurable disease, as well as discovering that the human brain may be more resilient than originally thought.

While the findings are optimistic, researchers said in a statement that the technology will not be ready for human trials until further research is completed.

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Stem-cell breakthrough could mean treatment for Huntington’s

Dr. Nikolai Tankovich, President Of Stemedica, Appointed Legate to The Center of Science and Society at The University …

By Stem Cell Medical Center

The Board of Trusties of the Centre for Science and Society at Trinity College of the University of Oxford, England has appointed Nikolai Tankovich, MD, PhD, FASLMS as a Legate of the Centre. Dr. Tankovich is President and Chief Medical officer of Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc. and Chairman of Stemedica International S.A. a manufacturer of ischemic tolerant adult allogeneic stem cells.

(PRWEB) March 15, 2012

Dr. Tankovich has been a frequent lecturer and guest speaker at the Centre for the last several years. The position of Legate recognizes the importance of his continuing role in reporting on the latest worldwide trends in regenerative medicine and biotechnology. Dr Tankovich is a surgical oncologist who holds a Masters Degree in Physics and a PhD in Biophysics. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery. Dr. Tankovich is the author of multiple patents in the fields of stem cells and laser science.

Dr. Frank C. Schuller, Director of the Centre for Science and Society at Trinity College said, We are pleased to formalize our valued relationship with Dr. Tankovich by naming him a Legate of the Center. This honor is in recognition of his extensive contributions to advancing scientific understanding at the University of Oxford, and in anticipation of many years of continuing involvement.

Speaking of his lecturing at Trinity College, Dr. Tankovich noted, It is always a pleasure to present the latest medical and scientific information to some of the brightest researchers and scientists in the world. I look forward to working with The Center to explore the boundaries of science and technology to help translate research into meaningful cures for many of the presently chronic diseases and conditions that are prevalent today.

Richard Silcock, Associate Director of the Centre, said, "During recent years, Dr. Tankovich has generously contributed his extensive knowledge and practical expertise to stimulate lively debates at the Centre on stem cell research and its medical or commercial applications. He joins a panel of Legates who have distinguished themselves in their careers. We are honored that Dr. Tankovich will be an ambassador for the Centre to promote discussion of important issues connecting science and society."

About Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc.

Stemedica Cell Technologies Inc. (http://www.stemedica.com) is a specialty biopharmaceutical company that is committed to the development and manufacturing of best-in-class adult stem cells and stem cell factors for use by approved research institutions and hospitals for pre-clinical and human clinical trials. The Company is currently conducting clinical trials for stroke under US IND using ischemic tolerant mesenchymal (itMSC) stem cells. Regulatory pathways for spinal cord injury, diabetic retinopathy, acute myocardial infarct, acute respiratory distress syndrome and wound repair are also underway.

For more information regarding Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc. contact Dave McGuigan at dmcguigan(at)stemedica(dot)com.

Dave McGuigan Stemedica Cell Technologies Inc (858) 658-0910 Email Information

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