13 June 2012 Last updated at 08:31 ET

Japanese stem cell scientist Dr Shinya Yamanaka has been awarded the Millennium Technology Prize.

His award is for discovering how to reprogram human cells to mimic embryonic stem cells, which can become any cell in the body.

Called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, these now aid research into regenerative medicine.

He was joint-winner with Linus Torvalds, who created a new open source operating system for computers.

This is the first time the prize has been shared by two scientists - they will split the 1.2m euros ($1.3m; 800,000) award.

My goals over the decade include to develop new drugs to treat intractable diseases by using iPS cell technology and to conduct clinical trials using it on a few patients with Parkinson's diseases, diabetes or blood diseases.

The President of the Republic of Finland, Sauli Niinisto, presented the prize at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki.

Dr Ainomija Haarla, President of Technology Academy Finland - the foundation which awards the prize every two years - said: "The International Selection Committee has to judge whether an innovation has had a favourable impact on people's lives and assess its potential for further development to benefit humanity in the future.

"The innovations of both this year's winners embody that principle.

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Stem cell scientist wins award

MANILA, Philippines -- "The Buzz" host Boy Abunda is going to Europe this weekend with his mother, who is suffering from dementia and Alzeimers disease.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News on Tuesday afternoon, Abunda said he will bring his mother to Germany to try stem cell therapy.

"Ako ay pupunta sa Europe hindi para magbakasyon. Dadalhin ko po ang aking ina para magpagamot sa Germany. Ito po 'yung fresh stem cell therapy. Maganda 'yung dini-diretso na dahil napag-uusapan ito," Abunda said.

While Abunda is in Germany, Kris Aquino will take his place on ABS-CBN's entertainment talk show "The Buzz."

In the interview, Abunda also said he's proud of Aquino, who's now open to doing extreme adventures, while continuing to be a good mother to her two sons.

"Ang daming nagbago kay Kris. May mga bagay na hindi ko inakala na gagawin ni Kris like 'yung diving, zipline at marami pang iba. Natutuwa ako that she has become more open to many things. She has become more adventurous. She has retained being the doting mother that she is pero mas malalim ang halakhak niya ngayon sa buhay. She's just so joyful. Natutuwa ako habang pinapanood ko ang kanyang adventure sa 'KrisTV,'" Abunda said.

Abunda said he's also hoping to do a new project with Aquino.

"I'm hoping na someday ay muli kaming magtagpo sa isang palabas dahil marami ang humihiling na kami ay magsama sa isang palabas. Sigurado ako sa puso ko na kami ay gagawa at gagawa dahil magkadugtong ang aming pusod," he said.

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Abunda to try stem cell therapy for mom

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By Lisa Flam

Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts made some news of her own today: Shes been diagnosed with a rare blood and bone marrow disease called myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a condition once known as pre-leukemia. Roberts, a breast cancer survivor, said she received the diagnosis several months ago and will receive a bone marrow transplant from her older sister later this year.My doctors tell me Im going to beat this and I know its true,she wrotewhen she announced her diagnosis. MDS is a pre-cancerous disorder half way between benign and malignant, said Dr. Martin Tallman, chief of the leukemia service at New Yorks Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. It occurs when the bone marrow produces blood cells that break apart and disintegrate when they enter the blood stream.

When the marrow produces blood cells, theyre cracked, theyre fragile and faulty and they disappear, he said.Those disappearing blood cells leave patients with a low blood count, Tallman told msnbc.com, which can leave patients feeling fatigued from anemia, susceptible to infections like pneumonia and suffering from internal bleeding. The condition is curable, though it can also lead to fatal complications, primarily through infection, and some MDS patients develop leukemia.

MDS is more common in people over 60, and in most cases, doctors dont know why they developed the disorder, though genetic changes that take place as people get older are thought to be the cause. A minority of MDS patients develop the disorder following chemotherapy for cancer treatment.

Sometimes treatment for cancer can lead to other serious medical issues and thats what Im facing right now, Roberts said on the air this morning, noting that she beat breast cancer five years ago. Tallman explains that as chemotherapy drugs are killing cancer cells, they can also cause genetic changes in healthy cells, which can lead to whats called treatment-related MDS. We are able to cure certain disease but we pay a price, he said.

About 12,000 people a year are diagnosed with MDS in the U.S. each year, according to the American Cancer Society. The number of cases of MDS is rising, according to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering website, because there is a growing population of older people, and because patients are living longer after being treated for their first cancer.

For years, patients with MDS were treated with antibiotics and blood transfusions, but three new types of chemotherapy drugs to fight MDS became available starting in about 2004, said Tallman, a hematologist-oncologist.They are effective in about 30 percent to 40 percent of patients, he said. Some patients dont require treatments at all and can live with the disease; others are cured with the chemotherapy drugs alone. The only proven cure for MDS is a stem cell transplant, Tallman said, describing what it also called a bone marrow transplant.

Roberts says she is beginning a pre-treatment regimen of chemotherapy today before undergoing the bone marrow transplant. Her doctors gave her a good outlook, she wrote.

They say Im younger and fitter than most people who confront this disease and will be cured.

Originally posted here:
'GMA' host Roberts on illness: 'I will beat this'

June 12, 2012

The use of stem-cells building-block cells that are harvested from embryos or adults to treat heart disease could rely on faith as much as it does science, after billions of dollars in research has not produced the results that researchers have been looking for.

Questions and concerns on the topic arose during the recent opening of the multi-million-dollar Scottish Center for Regenerative Medicine (SCRM) in Edinburgh, chaired by Sir Ian Wilmut, the renowned scientist whose Dolly the sheep clone in 1996, was a groundbreaking step in stem cell technology.

During the opening ceremonies of the Center, Christine Mummery of the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands discussed how a 2001 claim, based on mice experimentation, indicated that bone-marrow cells could mend heart damaged by coronary disease, caused a mad rush of people to the clinics looking for a cure-all.

With nothing in the way of systematic research in animals, the first patients were being treated within a year, prematurely by Mummerys account. She argued that the paper that launched the mass stampede was completely wrong, and subsequent studies proved that. But despite the findings, the 2001 paper has never been withdrawn.

Norwegian professor Harald Arnesen in 2007 voiced his concerns over those heart trials as well. He concluded that they were not convincing and that one German team had achieved striking results only because the control group had done particularly badly. Arnesen called for a moratorium on this kind of stem-cell therapy, based on that research.

But neither Arnesen, nor Mummery, could deter clinicians. Another trial, the largest to date, began in January 2012 and included 3,000 heart-attack patients recruited from across Europe. The trial was funded by the European Union as well.

The idea behind the trials is straightforward. During a heart attack, a clogged blood vessel starves heart muscle of oxygen. Up to a billion heart muscle cells, called cardiomyocytes, can be damaged, and the body responds by replacing them with relatively inflexible scar tissue, which can lead to fatal heart failure.

What is notably surprising, explained Mummery, is that stem cells come in many different forms: Embryonic stem cells are the building-blocks of the body and have the potential to turn into all 200 cell types found in the human body. Adult stem cells, however, are limited in what they can do. For example, bone marrow stem cells only generate blood cells.

So, the 2001 study claiming that bone marrow stem cells could turn into healthy heart muscle was a surprising and exciting claim, although a bold move.

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Some Stem-Cells May Not Be The Answer For Heart Disease

By Jacque Wilson, CNN

updated 1:44 PM EDT, Tue June 12, 2012

2009: Robin Roberts on her cancer

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- Robin Roberts' battle against myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, is just beginning. The "Good Morning America" anchor will undergo chemotherapy before having a bone marrow transplant later this year.

"Bone marrow donors are scarce and particularly for African-American women," Roberts wrote Monday. "I am very fortunate to have a sister who is an excellent match, and this greatly improves my chances for a cure."

More than 10,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with blood-related disorders every year, according to the National Marrow Donor Program. Often the best treatment is a bone marrow transplant. During the procedure, a donor's stem cells are directly transfused into the sick patient's bloodstream. The patient's new cells multiply over time to create healthy bone marrow.

Unfortunately, the chance of finding a match on the national registry is as low as 66% for African-Americans and other minorities, compared with 93% for Caucasians.

Be the Match, the national registry, has 10 million potential donors, but only 7% are African-American. While the percentage is comparable to the overall African-American population in the United States (which is 12%), the registry is meeting only about a third of the needs for African-American transplants, said Dr. Jeffrey Chell, CEO of the National Marrow Donor Program.

Tuskegee's ghosts: Fear hinders black marrow donation

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Robin Roberts found a match, but others likely won't be as lucky

By Jacque Wilson, CNN

updated 1:44 PM EDT, Tue June 12, 2012

2009: Robin Roberts on her cancer

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- Robin Roberts' battle against myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, is just beginning. The "Good Morning America" anchor will undergo chemotherapy before having a bone marrow transplant later this year.

"Bone marrow donors are scarce and particularly for African-American women," Roberts wrote Monday. "I am very fortunate to have a sister who is an excellent match, and this greatly improves my chances for a cure."

More than 10,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with blood-related disorders every year, according to the National Marrow Donor Program. Often the best treatment is a bone marrow transplant. During the procedure, a donor's stem cells are directly transfused into the sick patient's bloodstream. The patient's new cells multiply over time to create healthy bone marrow.

Unfortunately, the chance of finding a match on the national registry is as low as 66% for African-Americans and other minorities, compared with 93% for Caucasians.

Be the Match, the national registry, has 10 million potential donors, but only 7% are African-American. While the percentage is comparable to the overall African-American population in the United States (which is 12%), the registry is meeting only about a third of the needs for African-American transplants, said Dr. Jeffrey Chell, CEO of the National Marrow Donor Program.

Tuskegee's ghosts: Fear hinders black marrow donation

See the rest here:
Roberts found a match -- others won't be as lucky

By Jacque Wilson, CNN

updated 1:44 PM EDT, Tue June 12, 2012

2009: Robin Roberts on her cancer

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- Robin Roberts' battle against myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, is just beginning. The "Good Morning America" anchor will undergo chemotherapy before having a bone marrow transplant later this year.

"Bone marrow donors are scarce and particularly for African-American women," Roberts wrote Monday. "I am very fortunate to have a sister who is an excellent match, and this greatly improves my chances for a cure."

More than 10,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with blood-related disorders every year, according to the National Marrow Donor Program. Often the best treatment is a bone marrow transplant. During the procedure, a donor's stem cells are directly transfused into the sick patient's bloodstream. The patient's new cells multiply over time to create healthy bone marrow.

Unfortunately, the chance of finding a match on the national registry is as low as 66% for African-Americans and other minorities, compared with 93% for Caucasians.

Be the Match, the national registry, has 10 million potential donors, but only 7% are African-American. While the percentage is comparable to the overall African-American population in the United States (which is 12%), the registry is meeting only about a third of the needs for African-American transplants, said Dr. Jeffrey Chell, CEO of the National Marrow Donor Program.

Tuskegee's ghosts: Fear hinders black marrow donation

Read the original:
Roberts found match; many not as lucky

By Jacque Wilson, CNN

updated 1:44 PM EDT, Tue June 12, 2012

2009: Robin Roberts on her cancer

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- Robin Roberts' battle against myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, is just beginning. The "Good Morning America" anchor will undergo chemotherapy before having a bone marrow transplant later this year.

"Bone marrow donors are scarce and particularly for African-American women," Roberts wrote Monday. "I am very fortunate to have a sister who is an excellent match, and this greatly improves my chances for a cure."

More than 10,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with blood-related disorders every year, according to the National Marrow Donor Program. Often the best treatment is a bone marrow transplant. During the procedure, a donor's stem cells are directly transfused into the sick patient's bloodstream. The patient's new cells multiply over time to create healthy bone marrow.

Unfortunately, the chance of finding a match on the national registry is as low as 66% for African-Americans and other minorities, compared with 93% for Caucasians.

Be the Match, the national registry, has 10 million potential donors, but only 7% are African-American. While the percentage is comparable to the overall African-American population in the United States (which is 12%), the registry is meeting only about a third of the needs for African-American transplants, said Dr. Jeffrey Chell, CEO of the National Marrow Donor Program.

Tuskegee's ghosts: Fear hinders black marrow donation

Read more:
Roberts found a match -- others won't

CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

International Stem Cell Corporation (ISCO) (www.internationalstemcell.com) has announced new sales and marketing initiatives for its Lifeline Skin Care products (www.lifelineskincare.com). These efforts are designed to enable Lifeline to robustly, strategically and profitably grow the business.

Consumer Advertising

During June and July, new integrated advertising campaigns will be launched in three marketing channelsonline, in newspapers and magazines, and through direct mail. The campaigns will feature Lifelines innovative stem cell technology and proof of the brands potential: younger looking skin. Although the ads will eventually be national in reach, the first few months will be devoted to optimizing the creative approach, targeting, frequency, timing, positioning, offer and ROI.

Key Opinion Leader and Peer Group Influencer

Elizabeth K. Hale, MD, one of the nation's top dermatologists, is now endorsing Lifeline Skin Care to both consumer and trade audiences. Dr. Hale is an Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at New York University, a private practitioner and a guest of the Doctor Oz show, the Today Show and Good Morning America. During the week of June 4 she met with beauty editors for Prevention, Health, Town and Country, Allure, FoxNews.com and InStyle, to present Lifeline Skin Care and its unique technology. The endorsement of a leading dermatologist should not only enhance the credibility of the brand but increase its visibility.

Strategic Partners

Email campaigns through strategic partners have been very successful at marketing Lifeline products. To expand that effort, several new key opinion leaders have now agreed to endorse Lifeline Skin Care to their social networks, including Mrs. Jeri Thompson, a conservative spokesperson, radio and TV guest and advocate for non-embryonic stem cell research; and authors, experts and media personalities in the areas of women's health, yoga, cosmetic dentistry, and retirement planning. Many of these partners plan to market Lifeline through their social network (email marketing, blogs, Facebook, etc.) as well as through personal and radio appearances. Most of these campaigns will launch during the third quarter.

Professional Channels

During the week of June 12, Lifeline is launching two campaigns directed to 27,000 cosmetic dermatologists and day spas. These campaigns are focused on providing information to skin care professionals, including dermatologists and plastic surgeons, to understand and embrace the significance and value of stem cell extracts for skin rejuvenation.

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International Stem Cell Corporation Announces Marketing Plans for Its Wholly Owned Subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care

CARLSBAD, Calif., June 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Technologies Corporation (LIFE) today announced a partnership with Cellular Dynamics International (CDI), the world's largest producer of human cells derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, to commercialize a set of three new products optimized to consistently develop and grow human iPS cells for both research and bioproduction.

The partnership marries CDI's leadership in human iPS cell development with Life Technologies' expertise in stem cell research tool manufacturing and global distribution network to make these novel technologies accessible to researchers around the world. Life Technologies' commercialization of Essential 8 Medium, Vitronectin (VTN-N), and Episomal iPSC Reprogramming Vectors addresses several challenges associated with developing relevant cells for use in a wide range of studies, from basic and translational research to drug discovery efforts. The effectiveness of these products is the focus of recent validation studies published in the journals Nature Methods and PLoS One.

"The launch of these new stem cell culture products furthers CDI founder and stem cell pioneer Jamie Thomson's vision to enable scientists worldwide to easily access the power of iPSC technology, thus driving breakthroughs in human health," noted Bob Palay, CDI Chief Executive Officer.

To eliminate the variability introduced by a mouse cell feeder layer previously used during the culture of human iPS cells, researchers have adopted "feeder-free" media. However, existing feeder-free culture media contain more than 20 interactive ingredients, many of which, such as bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lipids, are highly uncharacterized and vary significantly from lot-to-lot.This leads to variability in iPS cell growth and differentiation and impedes the progress of disease studies and potential clinical applications.

Essential 8 Medium, manufactured in a Life Technologies current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) facility, overcomes this barrier. In addition, BSA and other undesirable components have been removed from the media, thus reducing the number of ingredients to just eight well-characterized elements required to support efficient growth, eliminate variability, and enable large-scale production of human iPS cells.

"Essential 8 has far fewer variables, it's more straight-forward and a lot more reproducible," said Emile Nuwaysir, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Cellular Dynamics International. "If the goal is to make a billion cardiomyocytes a day, every day, you want to make sure they're all the same. That's virtually impossible using mouse embryonic fibroblasts and it's very difficult using the more complex, feeder-free media that were available before Essential 8."

Optimized for use with Essential 8 Medium, Vitronectin (VTN-N) is a defined, human protein-based substrate that further eliminates variability during iPS cell culture unlike most existing feeder-free media that requires the use of an undefined matrix derived from mouse tumor cells for cell attachment and growth. The combination of Essential 8 Medium and Vitronectin (VTN-N) provides a defined, culture system free of non-human components for robust, cost-effective and scalable iPS cell culture.

Life Technologies is also introducing the Episomal iPSC Reprogramming Vectors, which leverages non-viral, non-integrating technology to deliver six genes to initiate the reprogramming of human somatic cells, such as blood and skin cells, to iPS cells. A non-viral approach offers a key advantage: human-derived iPS cells have more relevance for patient-specific, disease research. Traditional viral-based methods, such as lentivirus or retrovirus, require integration into the host genome for replication and can disrupt the genome of the reprogrammed cells.

"The ability to reproducibly establish andculture iPS cells using defined reagent systems is key for the advancement of stem cell research, disease modeling and drug discovery," said Chris Armstrong Ph.D, General Manager and Vice President of Primary and Stem Cell Systems at Life Technologies. "The commercialization of these exciting new products serves that purpose and underscores our commitment to provide the most innovative and relevant workflow tools to our customers."

All three products were developed at the University of Wisconsin by Dr. James Thomson, whose lab pioneered embryonic stem cell research and much of the technology surrounding stem cell culturing conditions, in vitro differentiation and iPS cell generation.

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Life Technologies and Cellular Dynamics International Partner for Global Commercialization of Novel Stem Cell ...

The cure that helped Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts beat breast cancer may have caused the new disease shes battling, experts said Monday.

And before Roberts undergoes a bone marrow transplant to combat MDS, or myelodysplastic syndrome, she will need to subject her already weakend body to even more chemotherapy.

I know it seems counterintuitive, said Dr. Azra Raza, who heads the MDS Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia. But this is the only way we know how to get rid of these damaged cells before we can start treatment.

MDS is a disease of the blood and bone marrow that if left untreated can lead to leukemia and death.

It is a relatively rare condition, said Raza. The are 15,000 cases diagnosed annually every year in the U.S.

Patients who have been exposed to benzene or who have undergone chemotherapy or radiation treatments for cancer are the most susceptible to MDS, said Azra.

Sometimes stem cells are damaged during radiation or chemotherapy, Raza said. MDS is a bad disease to have.

There are different degrees of severity, added Robert Bona, Professor of Medical Sciences at Quinnipiac University. The ones that are most severe are treated with bone marrow transplants, if theyre young enough and a donor can be found.

Bone marrow donors are scarce, especially for African-American women.

Luckily for Roberts, her sister Sally-Ann Roberts, an anchor at a New Orleans TV station, is a match. And the 51-year-old newscasters age and otherwise good physical condition greatly improve her chances of licking this disease, the experts said.

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Robin Roberts’ breast cancer cure may have caused new illness

istock

"Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts announced this morning that she has myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS. The syndrome is also known as preleukemia.

MDS can be broken down by its name: Myeloid refers to a type of blood cell; dysplasia means a problem with the development of those cells.

The condition occurs when "something goes wrong in your bone marrow -- the spongy material inside your bones where blood cells are made," according to the Mayo Clinic.

A healthy person's bone marrow produces stem cells that mature into blood cells. But the bone marrow of a person with MDS produces abnormal stem cells that turn into defective blood cells.

Deformed cells get into the bloodstream and eventually outnumber healthy blood cells, according to the National Cancer Institute. Often the deformed blood cells don't live as long as they should, producing a shortage in the body.

There are several types of MDS, depending on the kind of myeloid cells - red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets - that are being affected. Having too few red blood cells results in anemia; having too few white blood cells can result in frequent infections.

The term "preleukemia" is a bit misleading, as most MDS cases do not become cancerous. Certain types of MDS can progress to acute myeloid leukemia, however.

MDS can be caused by exposure to chemotherapy and radiation, common cancer treatments. (Roberts is a breast cancer survivor.)

Symptoms are rare during the early stage of the disease, but can include tiredness, shortness of breath and easy bruising/bleeding. Doctors generally diagnose through a blood test and a bone marrow biopsy.

More here:
What is preleukemia or MDS?

"Good Morning America" co-host Robin Roberts, who five years ago beat breast cancer, said Monday that she has now been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a blood disorder caused by chemotherapy for her cancer. She is now taking chemotherapy in preparation for receiving a bone marrow transplant from her sister later this year. Because she is relatively young and healthy, the combination of treatments should cure the condition, doctors have told her.

Myelodysplastic syndrome is sometimes known as pre-leukemia, and many researchers now believe that, if untreated, it will progress to acute myeloid leukemia. It most commonly strikes people between the ages of 58 and 75, but can occur at any age, particularly if the patient has had cancer chemotherapy. It is estimated to affect as many as 50 Americans per 100,000, with about 20,000 new cases each year.

It is a disease of the bone marrow -- the semi-liquid tissue inside bones that produces blood cells. Stem cells in the bone marrow develop into two types of cells, myeloid and lymphoid. Lymphoid cells go on to become white blood cells that fight infections. Myeloid cells develop into three different types of cells: red blood cells, which carry oxygen; platelets, which control bleeding by forming clots; and white blood cells. In myeloplastic syndrome the myeloid cells stop developing; they do not function normally and either die in the bone marrow or soon after they enter the blood. The dysfunctional cells crowd out healthy cells.

Symptoms are often not apparent, but can include shortness of breath, weakness or tiredness, pale skin, easy bruising and bleeding, and fever or frequent infections. The best treatment for the type of disorder Roberts is suffering is to kill all the stem cells with chemotherapy, then replace them with functioning stem cells from a donor -- in this case, her sister. Treatment is usually more effective when the disorder has been caused by chemotherapy.

Roberts announced her condition on the show and on the ABC blog, saying she will continue her job at "Good Morning America" and that "My doctors tell me Im going to beat this and I know its true."

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'Good Morning America' co-host Robin Roberts has blood disorder

061112_RobinRobertsABC_ftrGood Morning America host Robin Roberts announced June 11 that she was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a blood disorder affecting the stem cells in the bone marrow. Celebrities and first lady Michelle Obama have already offered their support on Twitter!

Robin Robertshas a special connection to The Obamas: She found out she was interviewingPresident Obama on the very same day she underwent a painful bone marrow extraction. The combination of landing the biggest interview of my career and having a drill in my back reminds me that God only gives us what we can handle and that it helps to have a good sense of humor when we run smack into the absurdity of life, Robin wrote on her blog. And First Lady Michelle Obama was quick to offer her condolences to the GMA host.

.@RobinRoberts, Barack and I have you in our prayers. We believe in you and thank you for bringing awareness and hope to others. mo, Michelletweeted June 11.

Heres what other celebs tweeted about Robin:

prayers for Robin Roberts tweeted hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.

We all love you & are cheering you on!! tweeted fellow journalist Katie Couric.

I wish my friend@RobinRobertsthe strength, faith & love she will need on this new journey. I send all that and more. tweeted Maria Shriver.

More on Robin Roberts:

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Michelle Obama & More Celebs Tweet At Robin Roberts After MDS Diagnosis

Good Morning America host Robin Roberts announced on Monday June 11 that she was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a blood disorder affecting the stem cells in the bone marrow. Find out all the details on the disease!

Robin Roberts bravely announced to the world on Monday June 11 that she has been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome, formerly known as preleukemia. The GMA host held back tears as she held her co-hosts hands and revealed her painful secret that shes held for more than a month. MDS is a blood-related condition that involves ineffective production of the myeloid class of blood cells.It is a rare blood disorder that affects the bone marrow, she said.

Left without a transplant, the disease worsens and the patient develops low blood counts due to progressive bone marrow failure. Found mostly in patients between 60 and 75, Robin was diagnosed at the age of 51-years-old leaving her with a good prognosis.

Symptoms can involve severe anemia and require frequent blood transfusions. The mean life-expectancy is 18 to 24 months in mild cases of MDS or even longer when stem cell transplantation is done, but all cases vary.

Robin, who has experienced a series of highs and lows throughout her career, announced that her sister, Sally-Ann Roberts, would be her donor! I am blessed, Robin said because her sister is a virtually perfect bone marrow match. Thankfully,Robins doctors are optimistic of her recovery!My doctors tell me Im going to beat this and I know its true, Robin said.

Success of bone marrow transplantation has been found to correlate with severity of MDS.

Famous patients with MDS include astronomerCarl SaganandwriterRoald Dahl(James and the Giant Peach,Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,) and more.

We wish Robin the best and will be rooting for her throughout her treatments!

HollywoodLifers, do you know someone with MDS? Tell us your story below!

The rest is here:
Robin Roberts Diagnosed With MDS — Details on Her Disease

ScienceDaily (June 11, 2012) Studying mice and humans, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and their collaborators in Paris have identified two proteins that are required to maintain a supply of stem cells in the developing kidney.

In the presence of the two proteins, FGF9 and FGF20, mouse kidney stem cells stayed alive outside the body longer than previously reported. Though the cells were maintained only five days (up from about two), the work is a small step toward the future goal of growing kidney stem cells in the lab.

In the developing embryo, these early stem cells give rise to adult cells called nephrons, the blood filtration units of the kidneys.

The results appear online June 11 in Developmental Cell.

"When we are born, we get a certain allotment of nephrons," says Raphael Kopan, PhD, the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Developmental Biology. "Fortunately, we have a large surplus. We can donate a kidney -- give away 50 percent of our nephrons -- and still do fine. But, unlike our skin and gut, our kidneys can't build new nephrons."

The skin and the gut have small pools of stem cells that continually renew these organs throughout life. Scientists call such pools of stem cells and their support system a niche. During early development, the embryonic kidney has a stem cell niche as well. But at some point before birth or shortly after, all stem cells in the kidney differentiate to form nephrons, leaving no self-renewing pool of stem cells.

"In other organs, there are cells that specifically form the niche, supporting the stem cells in a protected environment," Kopan says. "But in the embryonic kidney, it seems the stem cells form their own niche, making it a bit more fragile. And the signals and conditions that lead the cells to form this niche have been elusive."

Surprisingly, recent clues to the signals that maintain the embryonic kidney's stem cell niche came from studies of the inner ear. David M. Ornitz, MD, PhD, the Alumni Endowed Professor of Developmental Biology, investigates FGF signaling in mice. Earlier this year, Ornitz and his colleagues published a paper in PLoS Biology showing that FGF20 plays an important role in inner ear development.

"Mice without FGF20 are profoundly deaf," Ornitz says. "While they are otherwise viable and healthy, in some cases we noticed that their kidneys looked small."

Past work from his own lab and others suggested that FGF9, a close chemical cousin of FGF20, might also participate in kidney development. FGF20 and FGF9 are members of a family of proteins known as fibroblast growth factors. In general, members of this family are known to play important and broad roles in embryonic development, tissue maintenance, and wound healing. Mice lacking FGF9 have defects in development of the male urogenital tract and die after birth due to defects in lung development.

Continue reading here:
Clues found to way embryonic kidney maintains its fleeting stem cells

SAN DIEGO , June 11, 2012 /CNW/ - Fate Therapeutics, Inc. in collaboration with BD Biosciences, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), today announced the introduction of the first induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-related product resulting from the collaboration between the two companies. BD SMC4 is a patent protected, pre-formulated cocktail of small molecules for improving cellular reprogramming efficiencies and for enabling single-cell passaging and flow cytometry sorting of iPSCs in feeder cell-free and other pluripotent cell culture systems.

"iPSCs have the potential to redefine the way medical research is conducted," said Dr. Charles Crespi , Vice President at BD Biosciences. "However, most current reprogramming technologies are inefficient, which slows research efforts. BD SMC4 is an exciting complement to the BD portfolio of stem cell technologies that can accelerate the pace of research, and, ultimately, drug development."

The collaboration between BD Biosciences and Fate Therapeutics seeks to provide life science researchers and the pharmaceutical community reliable access to advanced iPSC tools and technologies. These technologies are for use in human disease research, drug discovery and the manufacture of cell-based therapies. The identification of the small molecule additives, and their use in an industrial platform for iPSC generation and characterization was recently published in the journal, Scientific Reports (Valamehr et al Scientific Reports 2, Article number: 213, 2012).

"Our research focus has uncovered novel technologies to enable the commercial and industrial application of iPS cells," said Dr. Peter Flynn , Vice President of Biologic Therapeutics at Fate Therapeutics. "The BD SMC4 media additive was developed at Fate to enable our scientists to internally perform high-throughput generation, clonal selection, characterization and expansion of pluripotent cells, and we are excited to empower the stem cell research community with these important iPSC technologies through our collaboration with BD."

iPSC technology holds great promise for disease modeling, drug screening and toxicology testing as well as for autologous and allogeneic cell therapy. Building on the foundational work of its scientific founders, Drs. Rudolf Jaenisch and Sheng Ding, Fate Therapeutics is developing a suite of proprietary products and technologies to overcome the remaining technical hurdles for iPS cell integration into the therapeutic development process. Under the three-year collaboration, Fate and BD will co-develop certain stem cell products using Fate's award-winning iPSC technology platform, and BD will commercialize these stem cell products on a worldwide basis. The iPSC product platform of Fate Therapeutics is supported by foundational intellectual property including U.S. Patent No. 8,071,369, entitled "Compositions for Reprogramming Somatic Cells," which claims a composition comprising a somatic cell having an exogenous nucleic acid that encodes an Oct4 protein introduced into the cell.

About Fate Therapeutics, Inc. Fate Therapeutics is an innovative biotechnology company developing novel stem cell modulators (SCMs), biologic or small molecule compounds that guide cell fate, to treat patients with very few therapeutic options. Fate Therapeutics' lead clinical program, ProHema, consists of pharmacologically-enhanced hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), designed to improve HSC support during the normal course of a stem cell transplant for the treatment of patients with hematologic malignancies. The Company is also advancing a robust pipeline of human recombinant proteins, each with novel mechanisms of action, for skeletal muscle, beta-islet cell, and post-ischemic tissue regeneration. Fate Therapeutics also applies its award-winning, proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology to offer a highly efficient platform to recapitulate human physiology for commercial scale drug discovery and therapeutic use. Fate Therapeutics is headquartered in San Diego , CA, with a subsidiary in Ottawa , Canada . For more information, please visit http://www.fatetherapeutics.com.

About BDBD is a leading global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. The Company is dedicated to improving people's health throughout the world. BD is focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the quality and speed of diagnosing infectious diseases and cancers, and advancing research, discovery and production of new drugs and vaccines. BD's capabilities are instrumental in combating many of the world's most pressing diseases. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes , New Jersey, BD employs approximately 29,000 associates in more than 50 countries throughout the world. The Company serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry and the general public. For more information, please visit http://www.bd.com.

SOURCE Fate Therapeutics, Inc.

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Fate Therapeutics And BD Biosciences Launch BD™ SMC4 To Improve Cellular Reprogramming And IPS Cell Culture Applications

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/pqrlwc/analysis_of_the_st) has announced the addition of Frost & Sullivan's new report "Analysis of the Stem Cell Markets-Unlocking the New Era in Therapeutics" to their offering.

This Frost & Sullivan research service titled Analysis of the Stem Cell Markets-Unlocking the New Era in Therapeutics focuses on prospects for the stem cell therapeutics market in Europe and provides valuable recommendations and conclusions for market participants. Market segmentation is based on regulatory framework in Europe relating to research on adult and embryonic stem cells. The main countries discussed are the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, Finland, and the remaining parts of Europe.

Market Overview

New Applications in Drug Discovery Platforms to Drive Stem Cells Market

Stem cells offer exciting potential in regenerative medicine, and are likely to be widely used by mid-2017. Pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies are showing increased interest in stem cell research. The market will be driven by stem cell applications in drug discovery platforms and by successful academia -commercial company partnership models.

The high attrition rates of potential drug candidates has piqued the interest of pharmaceutical and biotech industries in stem cell use during the drug discovery phase, notes the analyst of this research. Previously, animal cell lines, tumours, or genetic transformation have been the traditional platform for testing drug candidates; however, these abnormal' cells have significantly contributed to a lack of translation into clinical studies. Many academic institutes and research centres are collaborating with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in stem cell research. This will provide impetus to the emergence of novel cell-based therapies.

Host of Challenges Need to be Confronted before Stem Cell Therapeutics can Realise its Potential

Key challenges to market development relate to reimbursement, ethics and the complexity of clinical trials. Securing reimbursement for stem cell therapeutic products is expected to be critical for commercial success. However, stem cell therapies are likely to be expensive. Insurers, therefore, may be unwilling to pay for the treatment. At the same time, patients are unlikely to be able to afford these treatments. The use of embryonic stem cells raises a host of thorny ethical, legal, and social issues, adds the analyst. As a result, market prices for various products may be affected. Moreover, many research institutes are adopting policies promoting the ethical use of human embryonic tissues. Such policies are hindering the overall research process for several companies working in collaboration with these institutes.

In addition to apprehensions about how many products will actually make it through human-based clinical trials, companies are also worried about which financial model can be applied to stem cell therapies, cautions the analyst. Possibly low return on investment (ROI) is also resulting in pharmaceutical companies adopting a cautious approach to stem cell therapeutics. To push through policy or regulatory reforms, the technology platform and geographical location of stem cell companies should complement the terms laid down in EMEA. The methodology for cell expansion and synchronisation must be optimised to acquire a large population of the desired cell at the right differentiation point, adds the analyst. More research is needed in human pluripotent and multi potent stem cell as it differs from mice to humans. Completion of clinical trials will be essential to ensure the safety and efficacy of the stem cell therapy.

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Research and Markets: Analysis of the Stem Cell Markets-Unlocking the New Era in Therapeutics

In Early Study, Procedure Helps Teens Halt Insulin Injections

June 11, 2012 (Philadelphia) -- In an early study, an experimental stem cell procedure helped 15 teens with type 1 diabetes stay off of insulin injections for about 1.5 years, on average.

The study was very small, and the procedure is not ready for widespread use. "We now have a unique approach with some positive findings, but it's still early. We need to better understand the biology behind the treatment and follow patients for long-term side effects," Robert E. Ratner, MD, chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association, tells WebMD.

This is the latest of several stem cell studies to show promising results for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, Ratner notes.

In the new study, 15 of 28 teens with type 1 diabetes who got an experimental treatment using their own stem cells went into remission and did not need insulin injections for an average of about 1.5 years.

The "cocktail treatment" combines stem cell therapy with drugs that suppress the body's immune system. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells within the pancreas.

The experimental treatment is called autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). It aims to kill the destructive immune system cells and replace them with immature stem cells not programmed to destroy insulin-producing cells.

First, patients are given drugs to stimulate production of blood stem cells. The blood stem cells are then removed from the body and frozen. Then, patients are hospitalized and given drugs to kill the destructive immune system cells. The harvested blood stem cells are then put back into the patient.

Eight teens who took part in the study have remained insulin-free for two years, on average. One patient has gone without insulin injections for 3.5 years.

"All our patients considered the [treatment] to be worthwhile and beneficial, though some patients experienced side effects," study head Weiqiong Gu, MD, of Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai, tells WebMD.

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Experimental Stem Cell Treatment Tested for Type 1 Diabetes

A few years ago, concerns over these heart trials were voiced by a Norwegian professor, Harald Arnesen. He concluded in 2007 that they are not convincing and that one German team had achieved striking results only because the control group in its trial had done particularly badly. Prof Arnesen called for a moratorium on this kind of stem-cell therapy.

That still did not deter the clinicians. This January, another trial funded by the EU was announced the largest of all, with 3,000 heart-attack patients recruited from across Europe.

The idea behind the trials is straightforward. During a heart attack, a clogged blood vessel starves heart muscle of oxygen. Up to a billion heart muscle cells, called cardiomyocytes, can be damaged, and the body responds by replacing them with relatively inflexible scar tissue, which can lead to fatal heart failure. So why not implant stem cells that can grow into cardiomyocytes?

Stem cells, of course, come in many kinds: the embryonic variety have the potential to turn into all 200 cell types in the body. Adult stem cells, harvested from the patient, have a more limited repertoire: bone marrow stem cells generate blood cells, for example. So to claim, as was done in 2001, these bone marrow stem cells could turn into heart muscle was both surprising and exciting.

Analysis shows that, at best, the amount of blood pumped during a contraction of one heart chamber rose by 5 per cent after treatment. In a patient where heart efficiency has fallen to 30 per cent of normal, that could be significant but it is relatively meagre, none the less. And it turns out that this level of improvement results whatever the cells injected into the damaged muscle even if they have no prospect of forming cardiomyoctes.

Even the believers in the technique now agree that implanted cells exert a paracrine action, triggering a helpful inflammatory response or secreting chemicals that boost blood vessel formation. But were still waiting for convincing evidence that a patients lost heart muscle cells can be replaced.

Embryonic stem cells offer one route to that goal, though it is difficult to turn them into the right cell type reliably, and there are other risks, such as uncontrolled growths. Another option has come from work by Prof Richard Lee at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, who has found that some adult stem cells can recruit other stem cells already in the heart to become cardiomyocytes.

Meanwhile, other fields of medicine that have seen more systematic research on stem cells are making real progress in using them for example, to treat Parkinsons, diabetes and macular degeneration. The lesson here is that, ultimately, it takes careful experiments, not belief, to make that huge leap from the laboratory to the hospital.

Roger Highfield is director of external affairs at the Science Museum Group

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Heart disease and stem-cell treatments: caught in a clinical stampede