Regulatory News:

Cellectis (Alternext: ALCLS; Nasdaq: CLLS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing immunotherapies based on gene-edited CAR T-cells (UCART), announced today the first administration in the Phase I clinical study in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) for its investigational product UCART123, one of the Companys wholly-controlled TALEN gene-edited product candidates. This marks the first allogeneic, "off-the-shelf gene-edited CAR T-cell product candidate targeting CD123 to be investigated in clinical trials.

This clinical research in AML is led by Principal Investigator Dr. Gail J. Roboz, Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and Director of the Clinical and Translational Leukemia Programs at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

The clinical trial will investigate the safety and efficacy of UCART123 in patients with AML. AML is a devastating clonal hematopoietic stem cell neoplasm which is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and accumulation of leukemic blasts in bone marrow, peripheral blood and, occasionally, in other tissues. These cells disrupt normal hematopoiesis and rapidly cause bone marrow failure. In the U.S., there are an estimated 19,950 new AML cases per year, with 10,430 estimated deaths per year. While complete response rates can be as high as 80 percent in younger patients who undergo initial induction cytotoxic chemotherapy, the majority of AML patients relapse and die from the disease. AML patients with high-risk genetic features have an especially urgent unmet medical need, as their outcomes are dismal with all existing treatment modalities, including allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

"After being granted rapid approval from Regulatory Authorities and Institutional Review Boards to initiate UCART123 studies, the enrollment and treatment of the first patient represents a major milestone for Cellectis, and we are eager to hit the ground running with the recruitment of our first patient for our second UCART123 Phase I study in BPDCN soon, said Dr. Loan Hoang-Sayag, Cellectis Chief Medical Officer. "This first program targeting CD123 will be a paradigm shift for our Company, as it will provide a wealth of valuable additional knowledge and data to drive our gene-edited allogeneic CAR T-cell platform.

"We are excited to be enrolling our first patient with UCART123 and are hopeful that this novel immunotherapy modality will prove to be a significant and effective weapon against AML, said Dr. Roboz.

The clinical trial is part of a strategic translational research alliance that was formed between Cellectis and Weill Cornell Medicine in 2015. Dr. Monica Guzman, an associate professor of pharmacology in medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, is co-principal investigator whose work focuses on preclinical and early-stage testing to optimize the development of stem cell-targeted cancer drugs.

About Cellectis

Cellectis is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing a new generation of cancer immunotherapies based on gene-edited T-cells (UCART). By capitalizing on its 17 years of expertise in gene editing built on its flagship TALEN technology and pioneering electroporation system PulseAgile Cellectis uses the power of the immune system to target and eradicate cancer cells.

Using its life-science-focused, pioneering genome engineering technologies, Cellectis goal is to create innovative products in multiple fields and with various target markets.

Cellectis is listed on the Nasdaq market (ticker: CLLS) and on the NYSE Alternext market (ticker: ALCLS). To find out more about us, visit our website: http://www.cellectis.com

Talking about gene editing? We do it. TALEN is a registered trademark owned by the Cellectis Group.

Disclaimer

This press release contains "forward-looking statements that are based on our managements current expectations and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk that the preliminary results from our product candidates will not continue or be repeated, the risk of not maintaining regulatory approval to pursue UCART123 clinical trials, the risk of not obtaining regulatory approvals to commence clinical studies on UCART123 in other countries or on other UCART product candidates, the risk that any one or more of our product candidates will not be successfully developed and commercialized. Further information on the risks factors that may affect company business and financial performance, is included in filings Cellectis makes with the Security Exchange Commission from time to time and its financial reports. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170627006309/en/

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First in Human Administration of UCART123 in Cellectis' AML Phase I Clinical Trial at Weill Cornell Medicine ... - Markets Insider

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on First in Human Administration of UCART123 in Cellectis’ AML Phase I Clinical Trial at Weill Cornell Medicine … – Markets Insider | June 28th, 2017

When Shannon DeAndrea saw a knot on her 18-month-old sons head last July, she thought he had just fallen.

But more popped up and wouldnt go away. He also began feeling sick.

I finally decided he needed to see a pediatrician, said DeAndrea, who lives in Blairs.

She was told he had ear infections and her son, Nathan, was put on rounds of antibiotics. The knots were normal, she was told.

Another medical provider said he looked anemic. Blood work revealed his hemoglobin was dangerously low.

We ended up in the ER, DeAndrea said. They couldnt figure out why he was anemic.

Shannon and Nathan were sent to Roanoke, where he was diagnosed with a stage 4 neuroblastoma on Aug. 23. He had a tumor in his abdomen that spread to his bone marrow. He had spots on his skull, ribs and spine.

Neuroblastomas are cancers that begin in early nerve cells of the sympathetic nervous system, according to the American Cancer Society.

Since his diagnosis, her son now 2 has had several rounds of chemotherapy and two stem cell transplants and is doing well.

Now hes just like a normal 2-year-old, DeAndrea said. Hes running around with his sister. Hes eating well.

Dr. William Clark is associate professor of medicine and attending physician at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center Stem Cell Transplantation Program. Clark said the procedure is used for conditions including multiple myeloma, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and leukemia.

Stem cell transplants are used to replace bone marrow that has been destroyed by cancer or destroyed by the chemo and/or radiation used to treat the cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

High doses of chemo (sometimes along with radiation), work better than standard doses to kill cancer cells. However, high doses can also kill the stem cells and cause the bone marrow to stop making blood cells, which are needed for life. The transplanted stem cells replace the bodys stem cells after the bone marrow and its stem cells have been destroyed by treatment, according to the American Cancer Society.

Two types of stem cell transplants include autologous, which uses stem cells from the patients own body, and allogeneic using stem cells from another person, Clark said.

For leukemia patients, most of the time, we give them stem cells from someone else, Clark said. Chemotherapy helps lower the leukemia disease burden, but the new immune system provided by the new stem cells can fight against the cancer cells and get rid of them, he said.

Virginia Commonwealth Universitys cancer center performs an average of about 160-195 stem cell transplants per year, Clark said. Slightly more than half are autologous procedures, and the rest are allogeneic, he said.

Whitt Clement, former delegate who represented the Danville area in the General Assembly, underwent a stem cell transplant for acute myeloid leukemia in September 2015.

The most important aspect for patients is being self-aware and their own best advocates, Clement said.

My experience was that the patient has to ask a lot of questions throughout the process, he said.

He suspected something was wrong when he noticed his platelet count declining over seven years. He went to a hematologist and had a bone marrow biopsy that revealed his condition.

If I had not taken the initiative myself and gone to see a hematologist, matters would have progressed to the point where I would have been symptomatic, Clement said.

Finding the perfect match in a donor is also important, Clement said. Fortunately, he had a sibling who met all the criteria and donated stem cells.

A person can get great matches from unrelated donors, but its preferable for a donor to be a sibling, said Clement, partner at Hunton & Williams law firm in Richmond.

Your body has an easier time tolerating the new stem cells, he said.

Clement served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1988-2002, and as Virginias secretary of transportation from 2002-2005 under Gov. Mark Warner.

For someone with multiple myeloma, the transplant does not cure the disease but delays the time it returns by up to seven and a half years, Clark said.

Lymphoma, leukemia and sickle cell anemia can be cured with the procedure, Clark said. Lymphoma can be cured in about 50 to 80 percent of cases, depending on the lymphoma, Clark said.

The first 30 days after the transplant are the most critical, Clement said. During that time, different organs can have varying reactions to the new cells. It can affect the kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract, skin, and cause other side effects.

The idea is that the closer the match, the less likely youll have those adverse reactions, he said.

The process includes being put on an immunosuppressant to prevent the immune system from attacking the new cells, Clement said.

He credits the quality of his recovery to asking lots of questions and being his own advocate tape recording conversations with medical providers, coming in with written questions.

Ive been able to recover better because of that, he said.

Its a long journey and so a person confronted with the transplant situation has got to prepare himself for a long journey that requires a lot of questions along the way, Clement said.

There are about 20 million potential stem cell/bone marrow donors in the BeTheMatch Registry in the United States, Clark said.

Stem cell transplants began in the late 50s/early 60s with the first successful procedure done in an identical twin, Clark said. However, stem cell transplants were limited until medicines that prevent rejections became available.

The number of procedures increased in the 1980s, Clark said.

Danville resident Susan Mathena, cancer patient navigator at Danville Regional Medical Center, became a donor about 20 years ago because she wanted to help people. Mathena has also been an organ donor since she got her drivers license.

I see patients all the time that need stem cell transplants, Mathena said. We always need a source of bone marrow donation.

Though she will age out of the stem cell donor list soon, she could still be contacted if she is the only match for someone in need, she said.

Clark will speak next month on stem cell/bone marrow transplants at Ballou Recreation Center at an event held by the Cancer Research and Resource Center of Southern Virginia in Danville.

Thousands of patients with blood cancers like leukemia or other diseases like sickle cell anemia need a bone marrow/stem cell transplant to survive, including some of our own community members, said Kate Stokely Powell, coordinator at the center.

Clarks presentation offers an opportunity in Southside for people battling illness, medical students and professionals and the public to learn from an expert in the field of stem cell transplants, Powell said.

Doctors, hospitals and families affected by a blood cancer disease have done a great job of building a massive database of blood types for potential donor matches, Clement said.

For DeAndrea and her son, Nathan, the first transplant included four or five days of chemo. The new stem cells following the chemo that killed off his old stem cells from the transplant were like a rescue, she said.

Its wiping you out and then giving you your cells back to restart your immune system, DeAndrea said.

A second round of heavy chemo was to try to kill what was left of the cancer and replenish cells, she said.

It was rough, it was a nightmare, DeAndrea said. It was by far the worst phase of his treatment, but I believe, in the long run, its worth it.

She said the procedures should increase Nathans chances for survival and prevent a relapse.

Nathan just finished radiation Tuesday and will go in for a biopsy of his bone marrow this week, DeAndrea said.

Well find out next week where we stand as far as the cancer goes, she said.

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After two stem cell transplants and several rounds of chemo, 'now he's just like a normal 2-year-old' - GoDanRiver.com

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on After two stem cell transplants and several rounds of chemo, ‘now he’s just like a normal 2-year-old’ – GoDanRiver.com | June 25th, 2017

Photo of Jonathan Pitre and his mother, Tina Boileau, taken in Minnesota. Tina Boileau / -

Doctors in a Minnesota hospital continue to search for answers to a mysterious infection that has left Jonathan Pitre feverish, nauseated and short of breath.

Pitre, 17, of Russell, has been in the University of Minnesota Masonic Childrens Hospital for the past two weeks, suffering from an array of complications more two months after his stem cell transplant. Doctors are also trying to adjust his medications to better deal with his increased pain levels.

Hes having a tough run, said his mother, Tina Boileau, and I really dont know when it will get better.

The teenager suffers from a severe form of epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a painful and progressive skin disease that has left deep, open wounds on his body.

Last week, Pitres face and neck became swollen in response to what doctors believed was some kind of viral infection. That swelling has been brought under control, but a battery of tests has yet to reveal the source of the infection, which continues to cause problems.

Pitres breathing is laboured and hes running a high-grade fever of about 104 F (40 C); he has also developed bleeding and painful sores in his mouth.

We still have no idea what were dealing with, said Boileau. Its frustrating because Im at the point where it would be nice to see that all that Jonathan has gone through has been worth it.

Doctors are monitoring Pitre for graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), but all of his tests have so far been inconclusive.Anyone who receives stem cells from another person is at risk of developing GVHD, a condition in which the donors white blood cells turn on the patients own tissues and attack them as foreign. It can range from mild to life-threatening.

About one-third of the almost 50 EB patients who have had a stem cell transplant at the Masonic Childrens Hospital have experienced the condition.

Pitre checked back into hospital earlier this month just three days after being released following a stem cell transplant that had successfully taken root in his bone marrow. Bone marrow stem cells produce most of the bodys blood cells, and are responsible for arming its immune system.

Pitre has been in Minnesota since mid-February to undergo the transplant, his second. The first ended in disappointment on Thanksgiving Day last year.

Tests show Pitres latest transplant remains fully engrafted, and there are signs that it has started to improve the condition of his skin.

Originally posted here:
Jonathan Pitre still ailing as doctors search for answers - Ottawa Citizen

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on Jonathan Pitre still ailing as doctors search for answers – Ottawa Citizen | June 24th, 2017

June 22, 2017 Credit : Susanna M. Hamilton, Broad Communications

Scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have found that a set of genetic mutations in blood cells that arises during aging may be a major new risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In contrast to inherited genetic predispositions and traditional lifestyle risk factors, such as smoking or an unhealthy diet, the new mutations are "somatic mutations" that originate in stem cells in the bone marrow as people age.

Because the mutations are relatively common in older people (over 10% of people over the age of 70 harbor at least one of these mutations), potential future efforts to screen for the mutations in blood cells, identify people at increased risk for coronary heart disease, and reduce risk in those individuals through lifestyle changes or therapeutic interventions could have a significant clinical impact, according to the researchers.

"There is more work to be done, but these results demonstrate that pre-malignant mutations in blood cells are a major cause of cardiovascular disease that in the future may be treatable either with standard therapies or new therapeutic strategies based on these findings," said Benjamin Ebert, a co-senior author of the new study, an institute member at the Broad, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a hematologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Featured in the New England Journal of Medicine, the work also contributes to the broader understanding of pathogenesis in coronary heart disease by supporting the hypothesis that inflammation, in addition to elevated cholesterol levels, plays an important role in this illness and potentially other diseases of aging.

"A key finding from this study is that somatic mutations are actually modulating risk for a common disease, something we haven't seen other than in cancer," said first author Siddhartha Jaiswal, a pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and researcher in the Ebert lab. "It opens up interesting questions about other diseases of aging in which acquired mutations, in addition to lifestyle and inherited factors, could modulate disease risk."

Previous research led by Ebert and Jaiswal revealed that some somatic mutations that are able to confer a selective advantage to blood stem cells become much more frequent with aging. They named this condition "clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential," (CHIP), and found that it increases the risk of developing a blood cancer more than 10-fold and it appeared to increase mortality from heart attacks or stroke. In the new study, the researchers analyzed data from four case-control studies on more than 8,000 people and found that having one of the CHIP-related mutations nearly doubled the risk for coronary heart disease, with the mutations conferring an even greater risk in people who have previously had a heart attack before age 50.

While the human genetics data showed a strong association between CHIP and coronary heart disease, the team hoped to uncover the underlying biology. Using a mouse model prone to developing atherosclerosis, the scientists showed that loss of one of the CHIP-mutated genes, Tet2, in bone marrow cells leads to larger atherosclerotic plaques in blood vessels, evidence that this mutation can accelerate atherosclerosis in mice.

Atherosclerosis is believed to be a disease of chronic inflammation that can arise in response to excess cholesterol in the vessel wall. To examine this on a cellular level the team turned to the macrophage, an immune cell found in atherosclerotic plaques that can develop from CHIP stem cells and carry the same mutations. Because Tet2 and other CHIP-related mutations are known to be so-called "epigenetic regulators" that can alter the activity of other genes, the team examined gene expression levels in the Tet2-mutated macrophages from mice. They found that the mutated cells appear to be "hyper-inflammatory" with increased expression of inflammatory molecules that contribute to atherosclerosis. In support of this finding, humans with TET2 mutations also had higher levels of one of these molecules, IL-8, in their blood.

The work demonstrates that CHIP associates with coronary heart disease in humans, that mutation of the CHIP-related gene Tet2 causes atherosclerosis in mice, and that an inflammatory mechanism likely underlies the process. More work is needed to show whether other genes that are mutated in CHIP also lead to increased inflammation. The team is also exploring whether interventions such as cholesterol lowering therapy or anti-inflammatory drugs might have benefit in people with CHIP.

Inflammation is also thought to modulate several other diseases of aging besides cardiovascular disease, such as autoimmune disorders and neurodegenerative disease. Because CHIP also increases in frequency with age, somatic mutations that alter inflammatory processes could influence several diseases of aging, though more work is needed to test this possibility.

"By combining genetic analysis on large cohorts with disease model and gene expression studies, we've been able to confirm the earlier hints of CHIP's surprising role in cardiovascular disease," said co-senior author Sekar Kathiresan, director of the Broad's Cardiovascular Disease Initiative, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and director of the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. "Beyond the mutations that you inherit from your parents, this work reveals a new genetic mechanism for atherosclerosismutations in blood stem cells that arise with aging."

Explore further: A role for mutated blood cells in heart disease?

More information: Siddhartha Jaiswal et al. Clonal Hematopoiesis and Risk of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, New England Journal of Medicine (2017). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1701719

A new study provides some of the first links between relatively common mutations in the blood cells of elderly humans and atherosclerosis.

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Aging-related mutations in blood cells represent major new risk factor for cardiovascular disease - Medical Xpress

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on Aging-related mutations in blood cells represent major new risk factor for cardiovascular disease – Medical Xpress | June 22nd, 2017

The small pack of scientists running for political office has grown by one.

Stem-cell researcher Hans Keirstead, 50, announced last week that he will try to unseat Californias Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R). Keirstead, a Democrat with a PhD in neuroscience from the University of British Columbia, was a professor at the University of California at Irvinebefore launching and selling several biotech companies.

Rohrabacher, who represents the 48th District in Southern California, has been in Congress since 1988. Democrats there see 2018 asa vulnerable year for the incumbent. Although Republicans outnumber Democrats in thedistrict, Hillary Clinton swung it in the 2016 election. And Rohrabacher has come under scrutiny for his support of acloser relationship with Russia. In May, the chair of Orange County Democrats toldThe Washington Post that challengers were coming out the woodwork to oppose him. Five candidatesbesides Keirstead have declared they are running for the seat.

Keirstead emerged from academic and entrepreneurial fields. Hepioneered a technique to purify stem cells You cant go putting toenails into the spinal cord, he said and applied this method to spinal-cord injuries and diseases such ascancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. In 2014,he sold a stem-cell company in a deal reportedly worth more than $100 million. (He will not fundhis own campaign, he told the Los Angeles Times.) Keirstead has thesupportof314 Action, a nonprofit group that encourages scientists to seek public office.

The Post spoke by phone with the first-time candidate. The following is lightly edited for space and clarity.

TWP: Your opponent, who is a member of the House Science Committee, told Science magazine in 2012 that he loved science. How would you compare your approaches to science?

Keirstead:Im delighted that Dana Rohrabacher loves science. Thats fabulous. But Im also very convinced that he doesnt understand science. Theres a real big difference. If you love science, thats one thing. If you dont understand it, you cant effect change, and you make wrong decisions.

Dana Rohrabacher does not understand global warming. He actually attributed it to the flatulence of dinosaurs, in a serious manner, a while back. [Rohrabacher hassaid this wasa joketo make fun of scientists who study cow methane.]

His inaction and lack of understanding has tremendous detriment on the scientific community. Likewise is the funding to health care and how to fix the health-care system that [former president Barack] Obama put in place. That was not a perfect system by any means; its got problems.But it has also bettered our system. It needs to be worked with in order to further better our system.

TWP: Has your career in stem-cell research influenced your politics?

Keirstead:I was front and center in the national and international debate on stem cells. I was the first scientist in the world to have developed a treatment for spinal-cord injury using stem cells. The dramatic nature of the recovery we saw in rodents, going from paralyzed to walking, drew a great deal of attention and really put me at the center of this issue as it was just coming to light in the public forums.

I did a lot of advising of senators and congressmen all throughout those years and periodically since that time. . . . I was one of the key scientific advisers to Proposition 71 that turned into the $3 billion California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, a not-for-profit that distributes $300 million every year for regenerative medicine in a broad sense.

That was a very good example of how medical breakthroughs and discoveries and advancement are not at odds with economic development. You do not have to cut medical budgets to stimulate the economy. Any scientist and medical doctor will tell you: Give me some time, and I will generate a treatment. And most of the time they are right. What happens with that treatment is small companies are born, people stop dying, quality of life improves.

I see what the governments doing right now as very much opposite that. Frankly, when I look at the deficits of Congress, I see why. When I look at who is in the administration, the types of individuals that we have in Congress, I see very hard-working people doing what they feel is a terrific job. But there is just not the broad and deep field experience in the medical and health-care sectors.

TWP: Was it this perceived deficit that motivated you to run for Congress?

Keirstead:First and foremost, I see it as a continuation of my lifelong pursuits of trying to help people.

I see Congress as a larger stage to effect positive change. If I could have some positive influence in Congress, I could aid [those] that are trying to do good in the world but are having difficulty.

Let me give you an example: Im now expanding into brain cancer. Im running a Phase 2clinical trial with my team.I will not be able to do that if these policy changes of Trumps are instituted and a small company like mine is faced with double user fees. Its not in the budget. I cant ask an investor for another half of a million dollars for an administrative fee.

I see the administration putting insurmountable challenges in front of small businesses. Im about generating treatments to help people, putting medicines in peoples homes. And Im looking to the future and seeing that tap shut off.

Read more:

As scientists erupt in protest, a volcanologist runs for Congress

This group wants to fight anti-science rhetoric by getting scientists to run for office

Tens of thousands marched for science. Now what?

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He broke ground in stem-cell research. Now he's running for Congress. - Washington Post

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on He broke ground in stem-cell research. Now he’s running for Congress. – Washington Post | June 21st, 2017

Frances Wang, KXTV 8:33 PM. PDT June 17, 2017

Dawson Deschaine passed away on June 10th after a 2-and-a-half year battle with leukemia. He was only 8-years-old.

While most kids try to earn gold stars for their work, Dawson Deschainefelt a little pride every time he earned a bead.

"The Beads of Courage program is these beads that [represent] every poke, every hospital stay, every bone marrow biopsy, every chemotherapy," said Breanna Deschaine, Dawson's mother.

Dawson was diagnosed with leukemia in January 2015 at just 6-years-old. The battle would last two-and-a-half years. It was all Dawson ever knew.

"He mostly knew nurses, doctors, family," said Jason Deschaine, Dawson's father. "He had a lot more adult conversations than kid ones."

Breanna said he was an old soul. He even drank a cup of coffee every morning (decaf, of course).

"They accidentally sent him coffee [instead of hot chocolate] to his room one day," said Breanna.

Dawson's mom said he was an old soul. After getting coffee instead of hot chocolate, that's what he drank every morning (decaf, of course). pic.twitter.com/eYx7Ed57XX

Dawson battled leukemia for 2-and-a half years. Smiled through it all. Chemo, stem cell transplanted, bone marrow biopsies... pic.twitter.com/NN5NoFSFLI

Now you know an infectious smile like Dawson's comes with some pretty funny stories.

Last August, Nevada County made Dawson an honorary firefighter. They called it 'Dawson Day' with a ceremony and all.

Sweet Dawson passed away this Sat. after battling leukemia. He was only 8 years old. Last yr, he became an honorary Nevada Co. firefighter. pic.twitter.com/RkVOY0WGhD

Dawson was given a badge, his own turnouts, and boots. He even got to respond to an injured biker.

"He kept telling the EMTs how to wrap the leg!" said Breanna.

And his firefighter card, he never took for granted.

"He was getting ready to go to clinic one day," said Jason. "He comes back running in the house saying 'I need my ID Card!'...'No no, I need it. Just in case mom gets pulled over, [I can say police officer,] I am with the fire department.

It's reminiscing and laughing about stories like this that keep his family strong and smiling even when it hurts.

"People always ask how we're doing. As you can tell we smile. Dawson would never let us cry in the room," said Breanna.

Dawson's community made sure his last months in this world was full of adventure. Sadly, he got too sick for his Make-A-Wish: to go to Hawaii and swim with dolphins.

Dawson had plenty of adventures his last 6 months. Sadly, he never got to swim with dolphins in Hawaii... it was his dream . pic.twitter.com/UQeAqIwzW3

On June 10th at 6:05 AM, with his parents and his sister by his side, Dawson passed away.

Even up until his very last moment, he gave his family a thumbs up.

"He couldn't talk very much. Just the thumbs up that he was still good. He was Awesome Dawson," said Breanna, through tears. "It was his signature. No matter what...I told him 'It's OK Dawson. You fought the hardest battle and you won.'"

"You're not supposed to cry!" said Melody, Dawson's grandmother. "He's watching you."

And if Dawson was watching, what would they say?

"I would say thank you, for the opportunity...you pulled our community together and made our family so strong," said Melody. "We all love him very, very much. And miss him."

Breanna said she would read to him again from his favorite book 'Love You Forever.'

"His favorite saying from his favorite book: 'I love you forever. I like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be," said Breanna.

Dawson's family hopes to continue his legacy by bringing the Beads of Courage program that got him through his darkest days into more hospitals.

Donations can be made on the Beads of Couragewebsite, under Dawson's name.

And until they see Dawson again, the family says they'll live by this motto: 'Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.'

That is what Dawson would've wanted.

2017 KXTV-TV

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Awesome Dawson: The legacy an 8-year-old boy who battled leukemia leaves behind - ABC10

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on Awesome Dawson: The legacy an 8-year-old boy who battled leukemia leaves behind – ABC10 | June 18th, 2017

Russias Progress 67 (67P) cargo craft is orbiting Earth and on its way to the International Space Station Friday morning carrying over three tons of food, fuel and supplies. Meanwhile, the three member Expedition 52 crew researched a variety of space science on Thursday while preparing for the arrival of the 67P.

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Jack Fischer will monitor the automated docking of the 67P to the Zvezda service module Friday at 7:42 a.m. EDT. NASA TV will broadcast live the resupply ships approach and rendezvous beginning at 7 a.m. The 67Ps docking will mark four spaceships attached to the space station.

Fischer spent the morning photographing mold and bacteria samples on petri dishes as part of six student-led biology experiments that are taking place inside a NanoRacks module. In the afternoon, he removed protein crystal samples from a science freezer, let them thaw and observed the samples using a specialized microscope.

Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson tended to rodents Thursday morning cleaning their habitat facilities and restocking their food. In the afternoon, she moved to human research swapping out samples for the Cardiac Stem Cells study that is exploring why living in space may accelerate the aging process.

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Station Crew Researches Mold, Rodents and Stem Cells as Cargo Ship Chases Station - Space Fellowship

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Station Crew Researches Mold, Rodents and Stem Cells as Cargo Ship Chases Station – Space Fellowship | June 16th, 2017

Newswise You might think stem cells only exist inside a fetus, but your adult body has a stockpile of stem cells, armed and ready to respond. These remarkable cells can develop into any other type of cell, like muscle or bone or nerve cells.

Researchers know heart attacks and strokes summon these cells. They flock to your heart or brain from all over your body to help you stay alive.

But, scientists did not realize other injuries, like a torn ACL of the knee, could command the army of stem cells to deploy.

Kevin Baker, Ph.D., Beaumont director of Orthopedic Research, conducted a study with Beaumont orthopedic surgeon Kyle Anderson, M.D., and others that revealed ACL tears send a signal to stem cells throughout our body.

After an ACL tear, Dr. Baker and his colleagues found a six-fold increase in stem cells circulating around the knee, similar to the bodys response to a major, life-threatening event like a stroke or heart attack.

However, when the stem cells arrive to help regenerate and repair the injured ligament, they get stuck. They cant get through the thick membrane that surrounds the knee joint.

We think this discovery will help us to understand how the body responds to an ACL injury, and also how post-traumatic osteoarthritis develops after a joint injury, Dr. Anderson said.

Post-traumatic osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis that develops after a knee injury. Its a common injury that affects veterans, athletes and anyone who puts stress and strain on their knees. But, until now, little was known about how the body attempts to heal these injuries.

As we age, the number of stem cells in our body declines. This could explain why your knee joint doesnt heal as well after a trauma when you are older, Dr. Baker said.

Osteoarthritis affects more than 30 million adults in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and many of these cases occur after trauma to a joint. Its also a leading cause of disability.

The next step of our research will be finding methods to get the stem cells inside the joint. If the stem cells can get through the membrane around the knee, they could help speed up the healing process and perhaps delay or prevent arthritis, Dr. Baker added.

The study, funded in part by the American Orthopedic Society of Sports Medicine, is entitled, Acute mobilization and migration of bone marrow-derived stem cells following anterior cruciate ligament rupture. The authors believe it is the first study of its kind to reveal the bodys systemic stem cell response to an ACL injury.

Dr. Baker and Dr. Andersons research will appear in an upcoming edition of the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. Other members of the research team are Perry Altman, M.D., Beaumont orthopaedic surgery resident, as well as Asheesh Bedi, M.D., and Tristan Maerz, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan.

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Researchers Discover Body's Stem Cell Army Hits a Wall When ... - Newswise (press release)

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on Researchers Discover Body’s Stem Cell Army Hits a Wall When … – Newswise (press release) | June 16th, 2017

Domainex will expand its two-year-old collaboration with Imperial College London to discover new therapies that reduce heart muscle damage during heart attacks, the partners said today.

Domainex and Imperial aim to discover a treatment that inhibits the enzyme MAP4K4, which is linked to cell death following heart attacks. Since the collaboration was launched in 2015, the partners said, they have discovered novel, potent, and selective MAP4K4 inhibitors using human cardiac muscle grown from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

The inhibitors have shown promise in protecting these cells against oxidative stress, a trigger for cell death during heart attacks, Domainex and Imperial said.

As a result of the progress, Imperial College London said, its Professor Michael Schneider, Ph.D., has secured a follow-on award of 4.5 million (nearly $5.8 million) from the Wellcome Trusts Seeding Drug Discovery initiative to continue the research.

From its Medicines Research Centre near Cambridge, U.K., Domainex said, its researchers will continue to provide integrated drug discovery servicesincluding further biochemical, cellular and biophysical assay screening, and structure-guided medicinal chemistry coupled with drug metabolism, safety, and pharmacokinetic assessment of promising candidates.

Domainex and Imperial said they aim to advance potential treatments into preclinical development and ultimately to clinical evaluation.

"We have already identified a number of very exciting, novel inhibitors through structure-based drug design," Domainex CSO Trevor Perrior said in a statement. The innovative cardiac muscle assay developed by the team here at Domainex working in partnership with Imperial College London, is enabling early testing on human cardiac muscle cells, which will make cardiac drug discovery more efficient and effective in identifying efficacious candidate drugs.

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Domainex, Imperial College London Extend Cardiac Therapy Collaboration - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Domainex, Imperial College London Extend Cardiac Therapy Collaboration – Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News | June 14th, 2017

When President Donald Trump urged the biopharmaceutical industry to reduce the price of new medicines and to increase its manufacturing in the United States, many took it as a threat.

We believe its a call to action. Americas ingenuity in biomedical research is unsurpassed. However, our country is losing out to other nations in the fastest growing biotechnology sector, called regenerative medicine: harnessing the capacity of our cells to repair and restore health and sustain well-being.

Second place is not an option. The regenerative medicine market is growing about 21 percent a year and is expected to be worth over $350 billion by 2050. Today, the U.S. regenerative medicine sector is generating $3.6 billion in revenues and has produced 14,000 jobs. By 2050, the industry could create nearly a million new jobs nationwide.

Regenerative medicine will also reduce the cost of disease. Such therapies will replace drugs, devices, and surgery, saving lives, increasing productivity, and reducing the cost of care. This transformation will add trillions in value to our economy.

Finally, regenerative medicine will also make America more secure. Our nation still lacks the ability to quickly and cheaply mass produce vaccines, antidotes, and cell therapies to counter pandemics and bioterrorism. Our fighting forces need reliable sources of these countermeasures and deserve immediate access to treatments that give them back their lives. We shouldnt outsource the safety and well-being of our nation and our Armed Forces to other countries.

To regain leadership in regenerative medicine, U.S. firms dont need government loans, tax credits or massive de-regulation. Instead, it needs the opportunity to invest in reducing the time and cost of manufacturing cellular therapies. To the extent that regenerative medicine is curative it must be made available at vaccine like prices. At present, only a handful of people can afford such treatments.

China and Japan are now in forefront of reducing the cost of producing stem cells, tissue, and other products with restorative biological properties. As a result, they are attracting more capital and forming more new companies than the U.S.

In 2014 Japan became the first country in the world to adopt an expedited approval system specifically for regenerative medical products and to allow outsourced cell culturing. Two products were approved under the new system within a year of its adoption.

By contrast, the Food and Drug Administration regulates any use of manufactured stem cells as equally risky without regard to prior use, health benefit, or therapeutic potential. Indeed, many of the most common stem cell therapies including bone marrow transplants and blood transfusions would require 10 years of FDA review if they were brought to market today.

The problem isnt over-regulation. Its outdated regulation. Safety checks and benchmarks for cell manufacturing should be based on real world evidence of past applications. Regulation should focus on the specific potential side effects for each specific potential use. In this regard, we agree with incoming FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who has noted, Expediting the development of these novel and transformative technologies like gene- and cell-based therapies doesnt necessarily mean lowering the standard for approval, as I believe other countries have done. But it does mean having a framework thats crafted to deal with the unique hypothetical risks that these products pose.

In fact, the United States has the best regenerative medicine manufacturing technology in the world. But it is literally sitting unused in warehouses.

For example, under the Accelerated Manufacture of Pharmaceuticals program, private companies partnered with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop mobile cell and tissue manufacturing plants that can be set up almost anywhere. The facilities can produce cells and tissues at a fraction of the current cost. These mobile factories make real-time production of vaccines and biologics for potential bioterrorist threats and pandemics possible. They are also low-cost, high-tech platforms for experimental evaluation of any type of regenerative medicine.

AMPs are operating in Indonesia, Singapore, China, and Japan where cell products including vaccines are being mass produced. Not a single AMP is being used in the United States because of outdated regulations.

To remove this regulatory obstacle, the Trump administration should establish a separate regenerative medicine pathway. This pathway, which could be developed by DARPA, FDA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, would develop regulatory standards for the safe manufacturing and testing of development of regenerative products to treat battlefield related traumas such as traumatic brain injury, life-threatening limb damage, and drug-resistant pathogens.

The focus on the conditions and circumstances unique to war or counter-terrorism is both appropriate and strategic. After World War II, Franklin Roosevelt directed that the scientific and entrepreneurial talents used to achieve ramp up war-time production of penicillin and blood plasma be used in the days of peace ahead for the improvement of the national health, the creation of new enterprises bringing new jobs, and the betterment of the national standard of living.

What was created exceeded that vision. The cooperative efforts to achieve mass production of penicillin and blood plasma inspired and supported the creation of industries that employ millions of people today.

Similarly,developing an affordable source of cell therapies to heal our fighting forces and protect the homeland will yield a wide array of affordable technologies and cures that will produce, in FDRs words, a fuller and more fruitful employment and a fuller and more fruitful life. Simply put, by making the manufacture of regenerative medicine affordable can help make America great.

Robert Hariri is CEO of Celularity. Robert Goldberg is vice president of Center for Medicine in the Public Interest.

Morning Consult welcomes op-ed submissions on policy, politics and business strategy in our coverage areas. Updated submission guidelines can be foundhere.

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Regenerative Medicine Can Help Make America Great - Morning Consult

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on Regenerative Medicine Can Help Make America Great – Morning Consult | June 12th, 2017

The researchers constructed mouse models for WNT10A-associated HED by deleting the Wnt10a gene. The mutant mice displayed the same symptoms as HED patients with severe loss-of-function mutations in the WNT10A gene. Long-term absence of WNT10A leads to miniaturization of hair follicle structures and enlargement of the associated sebaceous glands, a phenomenon that is also observed in male pattern baldness.

We showed "that -catenin pathway activity and adult epithelial progenitor proliferation are reduced in the absence of WNT10A, and identify Wnt-active self-renewing stem cells in affected tissues including hair follicles, sebaceous glands, taste buds, nails, and sweat ducts, the authors wrote. Human and mouse WNT10A mutant palmoplantar and tongue epithelia also display specific differentiation defects that are mimicked by the loss of the transcription factor KLF4. We found that -catenin interacts directly with region-specific LEF/TCF [lymphoid enhancer factor/T-cell factor] factors, and with KLF4 in differentiating, but not proliferating, cells to promote expression of specialized keratins required for normal tissue structure and integrity.

Interestingly, the UPenn team also discovered that cracking and scaling of palm and foot sole skin in WNT10A patients is due to decreased expression of a structural protein called keratin 9, which is specifically expressed in these regions of skin and contributes to its mechanical integrity.

"Our studies took us back and forth between human patients and our mouse model," said Dr. Millar. "Our goal was to find what happened to cellular components affected by the WNT10A mutation to make better treatments."

Dr. Millar and her colleagues showed that decreased proliferation and keratin 9 expression in the absence of WNT10A resulted from the failure of signaling through a well-characterized pathway that stabilizes -catenin, allowing it to enter the cell nucleus and activate gene transcription. These findings indicate that small-molecule drugs that activate the -catenin pathway downstream of WNT10A could potentially be used to treat hair thinning and palm and sole skin defects in WNT10A patients. These agents may also be useful for preventing hair loss in a subgroup of people with male-pattern baldness.

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Potential Baldness Pathway Uncovered while Studying Rare Skin Disease - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Potential Baldness Pathway Uncovered while Studying Rare Skin Disease – Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News | June 9th, 2017

Miami Herald

Want to save a life? Cuban American searches for bone marrow donor Miami Herald According to Gift of Life, a nonprofit, Boca Raton-based bone marrow and blood stem cell registry, 55 percent of Hispanic cancer patients and 75 percent of multiracial patients are never matched, some dying while waiting to get a transplant. The data ...

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Want to save a life? Cuban American searches for bone marrow donor - Miami Herald

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on Want to save a life? Cuban American searches for bone marrow donor – Miami Herald | June 3rd, 2017

Illustration of the heart patch using artificial capillaries.

Editors note: This is a guest post by Frances Ligler, Lampe Distinguished Professor in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill. This is one of a series of posts from NC State researchers that address the value of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Judging from evidence provided by Star Wars and The Six Million Dollar Man, repairing body parts seems to require a screwdriver. However, teams of scientists and engineers are exploring other ways to repair our bodies and NC State faculty and students are collaborating across colleges to perform cutting-edge experiments to further regenerative medicine therapeutics.

Before joining NC State, Michael Daniele (an assistant professor of BME and electrical and computer engineering) and I invented a method of making long strings of artificial blood capillaries by creating soft walls in between fluids streaming through a small channel. Cells present in the streams were incorporated into the capillaries to mimic the 3-D architecture of your capillaries and veins.

At NC State, we joined forces with Ke Cheng, an expert in stem cells and cardiology from the College of Veterinary Medicine, to incorporate these artificial capillaries into a degradable patch containing cardiac stem cells. Postdoctoral fellow Teng Su placed the patches on damaged areas of rat hearts and showed both repair of the rat heart tissue and return of the pumping capacity of the heart (which does not happen under the untreated condition where scar tissue forms in the damaged heart).

In another exciting collaboration, Matt Fisher from BME, Rohan Shirwaiker (an associate professor of industrial and systems engineering) and Behnam Pourdeyhimi from the College of Textiles are teaming up to reconstruct damaged knees. They are recreating the underlying fibrous scaffolds that support the cartilage in a manner that better mimics the original knee and supports the growth of the normal cell type within the new scaffolds which should improve healing and support a return to normal function in the knee.

The variety of skills required for this project include designing an entirely new device for printing fibers, understanding how to arrange the fibers and change their composition to accommodate bone or cartilage-forming cells, and learning how the new tissue develops to accommodate physical motion.

The lure of replacement body parts is widespread. There are far more people waiting for replacement organs than can be accommodated by human donors. Learning to use an individuals own cells to trigger tissue regeneration has far more long-term potential to address the ever-growing needs of accident victims and an aging population.

The key to success lies with teams of dedicated scientists, engineers, medical professionals and financial supporters that are focused on using the lessons learned across many fields to solve this grand challenge.

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Can Tiny Plumbing Fix Broken Hearts? - NC State News

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Can Tiny Plumbing Fix Broken Hearts? – NC State News | June 2nd, 2017

COUNTLESS lives across the world could be saved by an Oxfordshire familys appeal to find a bone marrow donor for their little boy.

Two-year-old Alastair Ally Kim has Chronic Granulomatous Disorder (CGD), a life-threatening condition.

He has now become the fourth person in the world to start an experimental gene therapy course at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

In the meantime, his parents have spearheaded 200 international donor drives to find their son a match, signing up 7,000 would-be donors in the process - some of whom have since been matched with other patients.

Father Andrew Kim, 37, of Hinton Waldrist near Longworth, said: We want to use whatever momentum Allys story has to help someone else. We know that matches have come through our drives for other people. Its awesome that someone will benefit from all this.

On Thursday, May 25 family friend Cathy Oliveira organised a drive at the Oxford Universitys Old Road research building, signing up 80 staff members in a day.

Ms Oliveira said: When everything happened with Ally I wanted to show support in any way we could; this is directly beneficial not just for Ally but for others.

Allys CGD means his immune system is compromised and the tiniest infection could leave him seriously ill.

His only chance of a permanent cure is a bone marrow stem cell donation, with a match likely to be of Korean or East Asian origin.

In April the youngster and mum Judy Kim, 36, an Oxford University researcher, travelled to London for him to begin a pioneering new gene therapy treatment.

After a week of chemotherapy to wipe out Allys immune system, cells taken from him are modified in a lab and re-introduced to correct the disorder.

Mr Kim said: Bone marrow would give him back 100 per cent functionality and gene therapy is 10 to 15 per cent; its enough to live in the real world, and not be scared he will die every time he gets an infection.

It has been a roller-coaster of a year, but theres nothing to do but move forward. We are really excited at the thought of him being able to come home this summer.

Blood cancer charity DKMS supported last weeks donor drive in Oxford.

Senior donor recruitment manager Joe Hallet said: Around 30 per cent of patients in need of a blood stem cell donor will find a matching donor within their own family.

The remaining 70 per cent, like Ally, will need to find an unrelated donor to have a second chance of life, so events like these are crucial.

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Oxford University staff join bone marrow stem cell donor drive for ... - Oxford Mail

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on Oxford University staff join bone marrow stem cell donor drive for … – Oxford Mail | June 2nd, 2017

Sickle cell cure is real, as this Kansas patient proves Kansas City Star Intense pain. Fatigue. Repeated infections, emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Desiree Ramirez endured them often until she became the first adult cured at a Kansas hospital of sickle cell disease. Bone marrow stem cells donated by a ...

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Sickle cell cure is real, as this Kansas patient proves - Kansas City Star

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on Sickle cell cure is real, as this Kansas patient proves – Kansas City Star | May 29th, 2017

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Uproxx knows that science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines are driving the future of this planet forward. Every day, we see new ideas, fresh innovations, and bold trailblazers in these fields. Follow us this month as we highlight how STEM is shaping the culture of NOW.

Placentas, umbilical cords pretty much anything that comes out of a womans body is awesome in science speak. Stem cells are the master cells of the body, just waiting to help you out when you get sick. Theyre your own personal repair kit, but, like anything, time kind of screws them up. They become damaged or mutated thanks to environmental factors and the aging process and one day, they lose their incredible healing abilities altogether.

The good news is, science has finally tapped into the potential of stem cell research and, in doing so, scientists have found a solution for all that wasted power: babies. Yes, babies are disgusting blobs that poop, eat, and slobber their parents to an early grave, but those little devils also just happen to have a whole army of brand new stem cells still in their original packaging. The key is to get them before they sell out. (Im starting to equate body parts with consumerism and its getting creepy so Ill stop now.)

Placenta blood, placenta tissue, and cord blood are three sources of stem cells doctors are urging new parents to consider saving after the mom gives birth. They provide a range of cool benefits from treating certain forms of cancer to helping people heal from spinal cord injuries and they can be cryogenically frozen to help a body out whenever it needs some extra healing power. And yes, some people do eat them. Google it, there are recipes.

But while the placenta party has been raging for a while now, theres a new method of extracting stem cells that can be done all the way up into a persons teen years, and all it takes is a quick trip to the dentist. Tooth banking has become the latest way people are choosing to cryogenically secure their gene sequence.

In 2013, Songtao Shi, a dentist, was researching regenerative dentistry in a lab when Shi witnessed something extraordinary. He discovered that when you get a cavity, the dentin the inner, hard layer of your tooth that protects the nerve and pulp from exposure builds up. Basically, your tooth tries to protect itself by making more organic matter.

This led Shi to conclude that stem cells did, in fact, exist in teeth. A bit more study found that while stem cells in adult molars were able to create more dentin which is great if you want to re-grow lost teeth instead of paying a fortune for an implant baby teeth, or SHED cells (stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth) contained a whole different set of code.

While cord blood and placenta tissue contain Hematopoietic stem cells which have been used for decades to treat over 80 different diseases, SHED cells contain mesenchymal stem cells which differentiate into nerve cells as well as bone, cartilage, muscle, and fat. Cord blood contains mesenchymal stem cells too, but according to Shis research, SHED cells were able to create something unusual, dentin osteogenic material a material thats not quite dentin, not quite bone but full of possibilities like the ability to reconstruct bone.

Extracting dental stem cells is a complicated and sensitive process. First, the soft tissue has to be extracted, then it has to be disinfected (spoiler alert: your mouth is a cesspool of germs). Scientists then drill through the enamel and dentin to get to the pulp of the tooth where all the stem cells like to hide out. They take the pulp out, digest it with an enzyme, and culture the cells.

Its a lot of work, but the payoff is huge. Even tiny bits of dental pulp can carry hundreds of millions of stem cells.

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Why Tooth Banking Might Just Be The Next Wave In Stem Cell ... - UPROXX

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Why Tooth Banking Might Just Be The Next Wave In Stem Cell … – UPROXX | May 27th, 2017

Andrew Duffy, Postmedia Network May 23, 2017

, Last Updated: 5:01 PM ET

Jonathan Pitre has been on a medical roller-coaster in the week since blood tests revealed that his stem cell transplant has taken root in his bone marrow.

While his white blood cell count has soared its now well within the normal range he has also suffered a series of complications that have severely tested his physical endurance.

It has been a long few days, said his mother, Tina Boileau. Hes been through hell.

Pitre, 16, is battling liver, kidney and gastrointestinal problems.

He has been diagnosed with typhlitis, a serious inflammation in part of his large intestine, that brings with it risk of a bowel perforation. He has undergone a series of x-rays and ultrasounds to check for perforations, all of which have come back negative.

At the same time, Pitre is fighting a liver infection that has caused his fever to spike, and his skin to yellow. His blood pressure has fluctuated, and his kidneys are struggling to process all of the fluids and medications that have been been pumped into his body. He hasnt been allowed to eat or drink for days to protect his damaged gastrointestinal system.

Pitre will undergo surgery Wednesday to have another central line installed so that he can be fed intravenously rather than through his existing g-tube, which sends nutrition directly to his stomach.

All of the complications have made it difficult to deliver enough medication to control Pitres pain levels, his mother said.

Its got to get better, she said.

Boileau is placing her faith in her sons new immune system, which has been rebuilt with the help of her donated stem cells. His white blood cell count is at 6.7 which is amazing, she said. And hopefully, that helps him fight everything hes going through.

A normal white blood cell count ranges from 4.0 to 11.

Pitre found out last Tuesday that the white blood cells in his system were all donor cells, which signalled that his transplant had successfully engrafted in his bone marrow. Bone marrow stem cells produce most of the bodys blood, including the white blood cells that are responsible for fighting bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.

Pitres lead physician, Dr. Jakub Tolar, said last week that the Russell teenager remains extremely fragile and susceptible to all kinds of complications. But Tolar also said the success of the transplant has established the pre-condition for his recovery.

It has now been 40 days since Pitre was infused with stem cells drawn from his mothers hip bone at the University of Minnesota Masonic Childrens Hospital.

In the next three months, doctors will be on the lookout for signs of acute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), a complication in which the donors white blood cells turn on the patients tissues and attack them as foreign. Last week, Pitre showed signs of a rash which can sometimes be a telltale sign of the disease, but a skin biopsy showed that the problem was not related to GVHD.

Anyone who receives stem cells from another person is at risk of developing the condition, which can range from mild to life-threatening. It commonly affects the skin, liver or gastrointestinal tract.

Pitre suffers from a severe form of epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a painful and progressive skin disease that has inflicted deep, open wounds on his body.

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'It has been a long few days': Jonathan Pitre on medical roller-coaster - Canoe

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on ‘It has been a long few days’: Jonathan Pitre on medical roller-coaster – Canoe | May 24th, 2017

Beauty elicits a deep, instinctive need to share from an early age. In fact, we defy you to find a more generous creature than a 7-year-old with a sparkly, new lip gloss in her backpack. Cooties be damned, she will prettify every second grader in sight. And we get it: weve built careers on swapping beauty secrets (and, okay, maybe a gloss or two).

We see this same communal spirit, shall we say, within the industry. Across brands and categories, this borrowing of ideas and technologies sparks trends and spawns knock-offs. In 2017, cosmetic ingredients flow freely, breaking all boundaries: Those once reserved for creams find their way into compacts . The same earthy clay and charcoal that purify pores can also whiten teeth and degrease roots.

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And were all for spreading the love when the science is legit. But the latest take-over hair-care companies co-opting buzzy skin-care actives, like peptides, stem cells, and antioxidants has us questioning just how translatable such technology truly is. Are we going too far in attempting to anti-age and revitalize something thats technicallydead?

Because, facts, after all: While skin and hair are composed of similar proteins and fats, living (innervated, blood-perfused) skin cells are in a constant state of renewal, rising up, plump and fresh, from the basal layer before eventually flattening out and sloughing off, says cosmetic chemist Randy Schueller . When injured or damaged, skin has the capacity to heal itself through normal biological processes, adds cosmetic chemist Jim Hammer . Hair, on the other hand, is dead at least the grown-out lengths of which we see and style and twirl. Hairs only vital part is nestled deep within the scalp: The cells of the hair follicles reproduce rapidly, pushing out hair fibers in the process, explains Melissa Piliang, a dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic. But once sprouted from the scalp, those strands possess no living cells or repair mechanisms.

These distinctions have long dictated product goals: Skin care aims to affect biological processes, such as boosting cell turnover, increasing collagen synthesis, and inhibiting pigment production, says cosmetic chemist NiKita Wilson. Knowing this, we obsess over penetration can those actives actually get into the skin to do their good work? and chemists devise deep-diving delivery systems and penetration enhancers to guarantee performance. For hair, there really isnt much that can be done on a biological front short of improving the condition of the scalp to promote healthier strands, adds Wilson. It makes sense, then, that the majority of hair potions are designed to work on the surface, moisturizing and sealing hair to make it glassy, smooth, and full, while minimizing friction and breakage. While certain perfectly sized and shaped hydrators and proteins can seep past the hairs outer cuticle layer, into the deeper cortex, says Wilson, their effect is short-lived. Only chemicals like hair dyes and relaxers can alter hair in a lasting way.

So what of these new skin-inspired #hairgoals were hearing about, like anti-aging, anti-pollution, and high-tech hydration? Most of this is marketing driven with maybe a kernel of truth underneath, says Schueller. That kernel could be a single lab test showing a specific active, when dripped on cells in a glass dish, has some sort of effect which, by the way, doesnt mean it will work when delivered in final products on real people, he notes. Or perhaps a company finds a common water contaminant causes some degree of hair damage and then concocts an antioxidant to combat it. Even if the trauma to hair is miniscule compared to ordinary wear and tear, theyve now got enough data to make an antipollution claim and a new line of products to go with it, Schueller says. Across beauty lines, science sells: How do you make hair care more innovative? By using skin-care ingredients that elevate the level of sophistication, says cosmetic chemist Ginger King.

A successful tactic, judging from the proliferation of skin-inspired shampoos and serums on shelves, real and virtual. But why are we so eager to buy? Our population is aging, of course; yearning to maintain a healthy appearance, to look as young as we feel, says psychologist and marketing consultant Vivian Diller, PhD. Any product that promotes youth, well being, and vitality will be enormously appealing.

According to Rachel Anise, a communication studies professor at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, CA, there may also be social-psychology constructs at work here. People, on the whole, are largely swayed by what she calls the halo effect: We see stem cells, for example, as good at a basic level, and thereby extend their goodness to everything else in which they may be included, even if that reasoning is fundamentally flawed. And then theres the way we process advertising claims, she says, quickly and effortlessly, without thinking critically about them. Instead of questioningif or whyantioxidants may work on hair as they do skin, we'll just see a model with beautiful hair, acknowledge from past experience that antioxidants benefit skin, and automatically make the connection in two seconds, no less that they'll give our hair a youthful edge as well, says Anise.

Lucky for you, beauty analysis is sort of our jam. Here, we reality-check three adapted-for-hair-care claims:

THE CLAIM: Slowing down the aging process

WHAT IT MEANS FOR HAIR: The way hair ages has a lot to do with genetics and overall health, says dermatologist Lindsey Bordone. Hair tends to become finer over time as follicles miniaturize after menopause, she adds. It may turn coarse and brittle, and as pigment production wanes, fade to gray. On the scalp, cell turnover slows, giving rise to oil and flakes. UV rays a main cause of skin aging can degrade hairs proteins and color, but youd need a lot of concentrated sun exposure for that to be a real problem, says Schueller.

WHAT WORKS: Collagen and elastin proteins can cling to hairs surface, plumping and softening but only until your next shampoo. Plant-based stem cells essentially serve as antioxidants, curbing free radical damage, but their ability to thicken hair (or skin for that matter) is largely unproven. Surprisingly, peptides, which rev up collagen production, do show promise for aging hair. On the face, they plump skin to delay wrinkles and sagging. When applied to the scalp in a leave-on formula, they aid in anchoring the follicles to help strands remain firmly planted for a thicker head of hair, says Wilson. According to dermatologist Jeannette Graf , peptides are especially beneficial for thinning hair, which results from weakened scalp skin and circulation. Alongside peptides, she suggests looking for essential oils of lavender, orange, sage, and lemon peel to improve microcirculation, and enhance the delivery of nutrients to the hair bulb for healthier strands. As for sun care, hats trump UV filters. Think about how much sunscreen you need to put on skin to truly protect it, Schueller says. Its the same for hair and scalp: Youd need a tremendous amount, and whos going to apply that heavy of a coating?

THE CLAIM: Combatting pollution

WHAT IT MEANS FOR HAIR: Every day, our hair, like our skin, is exposed to free radical-inciting pollutants in the air and water. According to dermatologist Michelle Henry, all types of pollution, including particulate matter, dust, smoke, nickel, lead, and sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide [emitted from vehicles and power plants] can settle on the scalp and hair causing significant inflammation, dryness, dullness, even hair loss.If that werent devastating enough, ground-level smog, which contains high levels of ozone, can bleach our hair color, says Hammer. Other contaminants may rob it completely: Premature graying is seen more in smokers than non-smokers as a result of oxidative stress, says dermatologist Nicole Rogers, adding that free radicals from all sources not just cigarettes can affect the follicles' ability to repigment. That said, pollutions precise toll on hair is unknown. I havent seen a ton of research proving its a major threat, says Schueller. Of all the things that can harm hair chemicals, brushing, heat Id imagine free radicals are low on the list.

WHAT WORKS: With thinning and graying as potential consequences, why take chances? While only a diet rich in free radical-quelching antioxidants can truly defend hair at a follicular level, certain products and practices can help safeguard strands from the environment. For starters, washing your hair thoroughly, and with sufficient frequency for your hair type, is key to curbing the scalp inflammation that contributes to hair loss, says Henry.Shampoos with chelating agents, like EDTA, will gently extract heavy metals (found in car exhaust, cigarette smoke, hard water). Youll also want to look for leave-ins with concentrated doses of antioxidants (think: vitamins, tea extracts, idebenone, resveratrol) to neutralize free radicals, and strand-coating silicones, proteins, and polymers, which provide a physical barrier, walling off hair from pollutants, says Hammer.

THE CLAIM: Healing hydration

WHAT IT MEANS FOR HAIR: With a rich blood supply and an abundance of oil glands, the scalp is an extension of our skin, says dermatologist Francesca Fusco . It shares the same lipids and humectants, and is equally prone to dryness and irritation. Hair suffers from dehydration, too, particularly when its cuticle is eroded (by water, heat, and chemicals).

WHAT WORKS: Hyaluronic acid, a water-binding humectant, and ceramides, moisture-retaining lipids, are both found naturally in the skin (and in countless creams and serums). Since they improve the functioning of skin cells, making them more resilient and efficient, both can help keep the scalp in peak condition. When applied to hair (again, leave-on products work best), they coat strands to lock in moisture while also shielding from heat and styling damage, says Rogers, noting a 2002 study in which ceramides were shown to bind to African hair, helping to reduce breakage. Coconut oil and panthenol (a B vitamin) also nourish the scalp, and unlike most other ingredients, can penetrate inside the hair shaft, hydrating from within to enhance pliability, and keeping the cuticle tight and intact.

Bottom Line: The secret to beautiful hair is a healthy scalp. When the scalp is out of whack meaning theres poor circulation, an oil imbalance, or a build-up of cells we see not only flakes and inflammation, but hair that looks and feels unhealthy, and may even shed before its time, says Fusco. Seek out proven actives that take aim at the scalp (many of which do hail from the skin realm): dandruff-fighting pyrithione zinc (in Doves new DermaCare Scalp collection); clays that absorb excess oil and calm irritation (like those in LOral Paris Extraordinary Clay Pre-Shampoo Mask ); exfoliating salicylic acid or willowbark extract, which keep cells shedding at a normal clip to prevent pile-ups; and the aforementioned hydrators to soothe and replenish dry, depleted follicles.

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Trendy Skin Care Ingredients Are Being Added to Hair Care Products - Allure Magazine

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Trendy Skin Care Ingredients Are Being Added to Hair Care Products – Allure Magazine | May 24th, 2017

Stem cell researchers at the University of Calgary have found another piece of the puzzle behind what may contribute to hair loss and prevent wounds from healing normally.

Jeff Biernaskies research, published recently in the scientific journal npj Regenerative Medicine identifies a key signalling protein called platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). This protein is critical for driving self-renewal and proliferation of dermal stem cells that live in hair follicles and enable their unique ability to continuously regenerate and produce new hair.

This is the first study to identify the signals that influence hair follicle dermal stem cell function in your skin, says Biernaskie, an associate professor in comparative biology and experimental medicine at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and Calgary Firefighters Burn Treatment Society Chair in Skin Regeneration and Wound Healing. Biernaskie is also a member of the Alberta Childrens Hospital Research Institute.

What we show is that in the absence of PDGF signalling hair follicle dermal stem cells are rapidly diminished because of their inability to generate new stem cells and produce sufficient numbers of mature dermal cells within the hair follicle.

Biernaskie and his team of researchers study dermal stem cells located within hair follicles. They are looking to better understand dermal stem cell function and find ways to use these cells to develop novel therapies for improved wound healing after injury, burns, disease or aging.

This study, co-authored by Raquel Gonzalez and Garrett Moffatt, shows that PDGF is key to maintaining a well-functioning stem cell population in skin. And in normal skin, if you dont have enough of it the stem cell pools start to shrink, meaning eventually the hair will no longer grow and wounds will not heal as well.

Its an important start in terms of how we might modulate these cells towards developing future therapies that could regenerate new dermal tissue or maintain hair growth says Biernaskie.

Biernaskies lab is looking at the potential role of stem cells in wound healing and the potential to stimulate these cells to improve skin regeneration, as opposed to forming scars.

The research is funded by a grant from Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) and the Calgary Firefighters Burn Treatment Society.

This article has been republished frommaterialsprovided bythe University of Calgary. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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'Signal' Crucial to Stem Cell Function in Hair Follicles Identified - Technology Networks

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on ‘Signal’ Crucial to Stem Cell Function in Hair Follicles Identified – Technology Networks | May 24th, 2017

The American Heart Association (AHA) announced May 19 that it will donate two $1 million research grants to support research on medications and high blood pressure.

The money will be awarded over five years to Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania, according to a statement from the AHA.

[These] competitive research programs are pushing the boundaries of their respective disciplines by undertaking high-risk projects whose outcomes could revolutionize the treatment for new classes of blood pressure medications and our approaches for clinical trials in the era of precision medicine, said Ivor Benjamin, MD, who chairs the AHAs research committee.

Joseph Wu, MD, the director of theStanford Cardiovascular Institute at Stanford University School of Medicine, is leading the research on medication. He plans to use information from stem cells to speed up the slow and expensive process of introducing a new drug to the market.

Our project has tremendous potential significance for testing new drugs very efficiently compared to the traditional drug screening that the pharmaceutical industry has to go througha process that has stagnated and become almost too costly to help patients, Wu said.

The second research project, spearheaded by Garret FitzGerald, MD, a professor of medicine and systems pharmacology and translational therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvanias Perelman School of Medicine, aims to improve blood pressure control over a 24-hour period.

Given the increasing prevalence of high blood pressure in our aging population and in the developing world generally, this program promises to have a considerable impact on global health, FitzGerald said.

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AHA awards $2 million to cardiac research at top universities - Cardiovascular Business

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on AHA awards $2 million to cardiac research at top universities – Cardiovascular Business | May 23rd, 2017