Robert Vondracek has had multiple sclerosis for 20 years. His speech is starting to slur and he's been having more trouble getting around, and when he heard about a controversial stem cell therapy that might help, he got excited.

"I heard about the stem cell treatments being done right here in Phoenix," said Vondracek, 61. "It shocked me because it was not approved in this country, I didn't think."

The therapy was offered by an Arizona plastic surgeon who gives the stem cell treatments in the same clinic where he does cosmetic procedures.

But when Vondracek's neurologist heard about his interest in the therapy, which would cost $7,000 per treatment, "He went crazy," said Vondracek. He strongly advised Vondracek against it.

Plastic surgeons, other doctors and naturopaths at more than 100 clinics round the country are charging thousands of dollars for a controversial procedure called stem cell therapy to treat a range of disorders, including neurological diseases like MS and Parkinson's.

Robert Vondracek and his girlfriend, Terese Knapik.

The procedure has angered many neurologists and prominent researchers who say these doctors are preying on vulnerable people and capitalizing on the huge but still unrealized potential of stem cell research, which they say is years away from producing an approved treatment for neurological diseases.

"Peddling snake oil in the guise of stem cell therapies is really a threat to legitimate research," said Dr. George Daley, director of the Stem Cell Transplantation Program at Boston Children's Hospital, past president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research and a professor at Harvard Medical School.

"Finding cures is hard, it takes sometimes decades, it's extremely expensive and it's not something that we can just wish and hope for," he said. "It can only be achieved through very, very hard work."

Dr. George Daley is a nationally recognized expert on stem cells at Boston Childrens Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

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Use of Unproven Stem Cell Therapy Questioned

Posted by Dana Sparks (@danasparks) 2 day(s) ago

Uniting the Global Stem Cell Community

The World Stem Cell Summit, December 3-5 in San Antonio, unites and educates the global stem cell community. With more than 1,200 attendees from more than 40 countries, the annual World Stem Cell Summits interdisciplinary agenda explores disease updates, research directions, cell standardization, regulatory pathways, reimbursements, financing, venture capital and economic development.

Throughout the week, the Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine will use social media to connect using the hashtag #WSCS14. At the end of the week, we'll let the tweets, Google+ posts, Flickr photos, Facebook posts and YouTube videos tell the story.

The World Stem Cell Summit includes in-depth programming and more than 200 international speakers, including leaders from theMayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine:

About the World Stem Cell SummitMayo Clinic, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Kyoto University Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), BioBridge Global, Baylor College of Medicine and the Regenerative Medicine Foundation have joined the Genetics Policy Institute to organize the10th Annual World Stem Cell Summit the largest and most comprehensive multi-track interdisciplinary stem cell conference.

Related LinksMayo Clinic at World Stem Cell Summit 2013Mayo Clinic at World Stem Cell Summit 2012

Regenerative MedicineWorld Stem Cell Summit

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Uniting the Global Stem Cell Community

Okayama City, Japan (PRWEB UK) 2 December 2014

Researchers at Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Kyorin University School of Medicine have successfully generated a kidney-like structure from just a single cell.

It has been predicted that the kidney will be among the last organs successfully regenerated in vitro due to its complex structure and multiple functions, states Shinji Kitamura, Hiroyuki Sakurai and Hirofumi Makino at the beginning of their latest report, before continuing to describe results suggesting a far more positive prognosis for the pace of kidney regeneration research. Despite the anatomical challenges posed by the kidney anatomy and the complexities understood from embryonic kidney development processes, the researchers have demonstrated that kidney-like structures can be generated from just a single adult kidney stem cell.

In embryos, kidney development requires two types of primordial cells cells at the earliest stage of development. However by generating kidney-like structures from a single type of kidney stem cell the researchers provide evidence for differences in the organ development in adults and embryos.

Kitamura, Sakurai and Makino researchers from Okayama and Kyorin Universities - took kidney stem cells from the different kidney components of microdissected adult rats and grew them in culture. A method for growing three-dimensional cell clusters showed that kidney-like structures could form so long as the initial cell cluster was large enough.

The minimum cluster size required might suggest that not all the kidney stem cells have stem cell characteristics. Therefore the researchers cloned kidney stem cells and confirmed that kidney-like structures still formed from the clusters of clone cells after a few weeks.

The researchers add, Although the physiological roles of such cells are currently unclear, analogous cells in the adult human kidney would be a valuable resource for the regeneration of kidneys in vitro.

Background Kidney structure There are more than a dozen distinct types of cell in the kidneys. The basic structural unit of the kidney is the nephron, which filters the blood to regulate the concentration of water and soluble substances such as sodium salts. Each nephron comprises several well-defined segments: the glomerulus, the proximal tubule, the loop of Henle, the distal tube and the collecting duct.

In embryo kidney organogenesis two primordial cell types are required to differentiate into all the different cell types in the kidney: metanephric mesenchymal cells and uteric bud cells. Kitamura, Sakurai and Makino produced kidney cells that could differentiate into a kidney-like structure without these primordial cell types, suggesting these are adult kidney stem cells.

Obtaining kidney stem cells The researchers microdissected adult rat kidneys into segments from the glomeruli, proximal convoluted tubule (S1/PCT), proximal straight tubule (S2, S3), medullary thick ascending limb of Henles loop and the collecting duct. They then grew the cells on mouse mesenchymal cells. While there is no known single biomarker for adult kidney stem cells, immunohistochemical anaylysis identified a number of markers in the kidney stem cells- that are found in embryonic or adult kidneys.

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Kidney organ regeneration research leaps forward

Irvine, California (PRWEB) November 27, 2014

The Ageless Derma skin care company has just released their latest development in the form of a facial mask that exfoliates skin with ingredients such as apple stem cells to renew the complexion and correct texture and tone. The companys Swiss Apple Stem Cell Mask incorporates the cells of a long-living rare apple with other revitalizing ingredients from nature to result in a gentle mask that is effective and calming.

The Swiss apple, Malus Domestica, has its beginnings that go as far back as 18th century Switzerland. Ageless Derma recognized the importance of this plants stem cell extract for its ability to keep the fruit fresh for extended periods of time without wrinkling or shriveling. The Swiss Apple Stem Cell Mask contains the scientific advances that come from the cultivation of these stem cells, having incorporated it into a powerful and effective facial mask to rejuvenate skin and keep wrinkles at bay.

The Swiss Apple Stem Cell Mask contains other natural ingredients that work together to keep skin at its purest and return youthful life to the complexion. Kaolin Clay from the earth absorbs toxins that can enter the skins surface due to environmental pollutants in the air. The clay helps draw out grime and purify skin. Sweet Almond Oil nourishes skin, and adds much needed moisture and smoothness. Safflower Oil improves the texture of skin; especially skin that has become roughened with time and sun exposure. The Safflower Oil in Swiss Apple Stem Cell Mask also locks in moisture and tones skin for a flawless and radiant complexion.

Ageless Derma added fruit extracts to the Swiss Apple Stem Cell Mask for added health and radiance. Pumpkin Fruit Ferment, Pineapple Enzyme, and Papaya Enzyme make this mask luscious and plush. Age-defying antioxidants are also included, with Green Tea Extract and Aloe Leaf Extract added for soothing and fighting free radicals.

The developers at Ageless Derma Skin Care know they are making something extraordinary happen. Their line of physician-grade skin care items incorporates an important philosophy: promoting overall skin health by delivering the most cutting-edge biotechnology and pure, natural ingredients to all of the skin's layers. This attitude continues to resonate to this day with the companys founder, Dr. Farid Mostamand, who nearly a decade ago began his journey to deliver the best skin care alternatives for people who want to have healthy and beautiful looking skin at any age. About this latest Ageless Derma product, Dr. Mostamand says, This natural enzymatic Swiss Apple Stem Cell Mask gently exfoliates dead skin cells that are blocking new cell turnover for a renewed and radiant complexion. This is accomplished without the use of unnatural chemicals that can harm your skins delicate balance.

Ageless Derma products are formulated in FDA-approved Labs. All ingredients are inspired by nature and enhanced by science. Ageless Derma products do not contain parabens or any other harsh additives, and they are never tested on animals. The company has developed five unique lines of products to address any skin type or condition.

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Ageless Derma Introduces Their Latest Innovation: Swiss Apple Stem Cell Mask

Researchers of CEU Cardenal Herrera University (CEU-UCH) for the first time transplanted bone marrow stem cells into damaged brain tissue while applying lipoic acid (a potent antioxidant), with the aim of improving neuroregeneration in the tissue. This new way of repairing brain damage, which combines cellular treatment with drug therapy, has shown positive results, especially in forming blood vessels (a process called angiogenesis) in damaged areas of the brains of adult laboratory mice. Angiogenesis is a process that is essential to the recovery of damaged neural tissues. The investigation was led by Jos Miguel Soria Lpez, deputy director of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at CEU-UCH, and its results were published in the international medical journal Brain Injury.

Professor Soria, who is affiliated to the Department of Biomedical Sciences at CEU-UCH, heads the investigative group 'Strategies in Neuroprotection and Neuroreparation', which carried out the investigation in cooperation with the Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre (CABIMER), located in Sevilla, and the Mediterranean Ophthalmological Foundation, located in Valencia. The research team used the experience they obtained from their previous investigations on the neuroregenerative efficiency of lipoic acid to develop a new remediation strategy for patients of brain damage. This new therapy combines the transplantation of bone marrow stem cells into the brain -- in this case, the brains of adult rats -- with the administration of the potent antioxidant lipoic acid.

Lipoic acid is already used in the treatment of degenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis or diabetic neuropathy. Professor Soria concluded from previous researches he conducted at CEU-UCH that it has the ability to increase the creation of blood vessels, which speeds up cerebral immune response after an injury and stimulates the restoration of damaged tissues. Several other researches, for their part, proved that after brain damage stem cell therapies using a patient's own bone marrow induce functional improvements. The two therapies -- one cellular; the other one pharmacological -- were both applied in this research so as to evaluate their combined effect.

New blood vessels

Angiogenesis -- the process that forms new blood vessels -- in the treated neuronal tissue began only eight days after the application of this new, combined therapy. CEU-UCH professor Soria says that "although bone marrow stem cells disappear from the brain tissue where they were transplanted after only 16 days, new cells keep forming. To put it another way, brain tissue is regenerated by new cells that appear in the brain as a result of stem cell transplantation. This proves the regenerative efficiency of the new combined therapy."

The research also shows how the blood vessels that formed after the treatment grow into the damaged area of the brain. "They act as a kind of scaffolding to that area that allows microglia cells to migrate," professor Soria says. "In the damaged area, they contribute to regeneration." He adds that "the application of both treatments results into high angiogenic activity, which is crucial for an efficient recovery of the damaged brain area." According to Soria, "the laboratory mice that recovered fastest from brain injuries were those that had a higher density of regenerated blood vessels."

Taking into consideration brain damage is, especially among children and adolescents, one of the leading causes of disability and death in the developed world, the good results that were obtained from the combination of the two therapies make the research team very hopeful. "Combining an antioxidant such as lipoic acid with bone marrow stem cells has proven to be an effective remedy," Soria observes. The team plans to conduct future research into similar combined therapies.

The image above shows the transplant of bone marrow stem cells from transgenic mice under the effects of cerebral cortex after suffering local brain damage. Also visible is a neuroprotective drug therapy.

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The above story is based on materials provided by Asociacin RUVID. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Brain injuries in mice treated using bone marrow stem cells, antioxidants

Buddy the beagle can walk again
Buddy the beagle wasn #39;t able to walk when he first arrived at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center. With the help of U of M veterinarians and staff, using stem-cell therapy,...

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Elite Emage Stem Cell Therapy
Elite Emage Stem Cell Therapy.

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

20-Nov-2014

Contact: Scott LaFee slafee@ucsd.edu 619-543-5232 University of California - San Diego @UCSanDiego

While investigating a rare genetic disorder, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that a ubiquitous signaling molecule is crucial to cellular reprogramming, a finding with significant implications for stem cell-based regenerative medicine, wound repair therapies and potential cancer treatments.

The findings are published in the Nov. 20 online issue of Cell Reports.

Karl Willert, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and colleagues were attempting to use induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) to create a "disease-in-a-dish" model for focal dermal hypoplasia (FDH), a rare inherited disorder caused by mutations in a gene called PORCN. Study co-authors V. Reid Sutton and Ignatia Van den Veyver at Baylor College of Medicine had published the observation that PORCN mutations underlie FDH in humans in 2007.

FDH is characterized by skin abnormalities such as streaks of very thin skin or different shades, clusters of visible veins and wartlike growths. Many individuals with FDH also suffer from hand and foot abnormalities and distinct facial features. The condition is also known as Goltz syndrome after Robert Goltz, who first described it in the 1960s. Goltz spent the last portion of his career as a professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine. He retired in 2004 and passed away earlier this year.

To their surprise, Willert and colleagues discovered that attempts to reprogram FDH fibroblasts or skin cells with the requisite PORCN mutation into iPSCs failed using standard methods, but succeeded when they added WNT proteins - a family of highly conserved signaling molecules that regulate cell-to-cell interactions during embryogenesis.

"WNT signaling is ubiquitous," said Willert. "Every cell expresses one or more WNT genes and every cell is able to receive WNT signals. Individual cells in a dish can grow and divide without WNT, but in an organism, WNT is critical for cell-cell communication so that cells distinguish themselves from neighbors and thus generate distinct tissues, organs and body parts."

WNT signaling is also critical in limb regeneration (in some organisms) and tissue repair.

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Signaling molecule crucial to stem cell reprogramming

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

19-Nov-2014

Contact: Lauren Woods lauren.woods@mountsinai.org 646-634-0869 The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine @mountsinainyc

Delivering stem cell factor directly into damaged heart muscle after a heart attack may help repair and regenerate injured tissue, according to a study led by researchers from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai presented November 18 at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2014 in Chicago, IL.

"Our discoveries offer insight into the power of stem cells to regenerate damaged muscle after a heart attack," says lead study author Kenneth Fish, PhD, Director of the Cardiology Laboratory for Translational Research, Cardiovascular Research Center, Mount Sinai Heart, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

In the study, Mount Sinai researchers administered stem cell factor (SCF) by gene transfer shortly after inducing heart attacks in pre-clinical models directly into damaged heart tissue to test its regenerative repair response. A novel SCF gene transfer delivery system induced the recruitment and expansion of adult c-Kit positive (cKit+) cardiac stem cells to injury sites that reversed heart attack damage. In addition, the gene therapy improved cardiac function, decreased heart muscle cell death, increased regeneration of heart tissue blood vessels, and reduced the formation of heart tissue scarring.

"It is clear that the expression of the stem cell factor gene results in the generation of specific signals to neighboring cells in the damaged heart resulting in improved outcomes at the molecular, cellular, and organ level," says Roger J. Hajjar, MD, senior study author and Director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at Mount Sinai. "Thus, while still in the early stages of investigation, there is evidence that recruiting this small group of stem cells to the heart could be the basis of novel therapies for halting the clinical deterioration in patients with advanced heart failure."

cKit+ cells are a critical cardiac cytokine, or protein receptor, that bond to stem cell factors. They naturally increase after myocardial infarction and through cell proliferation are involved in cardiac repair.

According to researchers there has been a need for the development of interventional strategies for cardiomyopathy and preventing its progression to heart failure. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, with cardiomyopathy or an enlarged heart from heart attack or poor blood supply due to clogged arteries being the most common causes of the condition. In addition, cardiomyopathy causes a loss of cardiomyocyte cells that control heartbeat, and changes in heart shape, which lead to the heart's decreased pumping efficiency.

"Our study shows our SCF gene transfer strategy can mobilize a promising adult stem cell type to the damaged region of the heart to improve cardiac pumping function and reduce myocardial infarction sizes resulting in improved cardiac performance and potentially increase long-term survival and improve quality of life in patients at risk of progressing to heart failure," says Dr. Fish.

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Delivering stem cells into heart muscle may enhance cardiac repair and reverse injury

Low back, neck, hip, shoulder, and knee arthritis 7 months after stem cell therapy by Adelson
Spence describes his outcome from his "full-body make-over" by Harry Adelson, N.D.. Seven months ago, Spence had his own bone marrow stem cells injected into his low back, neck, hips, shoulders,...

By: Harry Adelson, N.D.

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Low back, neck, hip, shoulder, and knee arthritis 7 months after stem cell therapy by Adelson - Video

By: Adam Feuerstein | 11/18/14 - 10:16 AM EST

Inject a cocktail of undifferentiated stem cellsinto a patient who has suffered a heart attack, and days or even weekslater, the stem cells transform into cardiac cells and rebuild the damaged heart muscle. Months later, the patient has a "new" healthy heart.It's a great story. But so far, the proof remains elusive though not for a lack of trying.

The latest company to fulfill this ambitious scenario is NeoStem (NBS) which presented disappointing (but not surprising) results from a small study of its proprietary cardiac stem-cell therapy NBS10 at the American Heart Association annual meeting Monday. NeoStem tried to put some positive spin on the bad news but shares are down 25% to $5.10.

NBS10, formerly known as AMR-001, is an autologous stem-cell therapy derived from a patient's own bone marrow. When injected back into patients following a heart attack, the stem cells are supposed torestore blood flow, rebuild damaged cardiac muscle and improve function.

Except in NeoStem's study, NBS10 fell short on two primary endpoints designed to assess the therapy's efficacy. The study used non-invasive imaging to assess blood flow through the heart, six months after a single infusion of NBS10 or a placebo. There was no difference between NBS and placebo, NeoStem said.

The study's other co-primary efficacy endpoint was a measurement of adverse cardiac "MACE" events --defined as cardiovascular death, a repeatheart attack, heart failure hospitalization and coronary revascularization. To date, 17% of patientstreated with NBS10 have suffered a MACE event compared to 19% of patients in the placebo arm -- a difference which was not statistically significant.

NeoStem said NBS10 therapy was safe relative to placebo and that no patients treated with the stem cells have died compared to three deaths in the placebo patients. But with only one year of follow up on a small number of patients, any claims about a mortality benefit are clinically meaningless.

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NeoStem's Stem Cell Therapy Fails Mid-Stage Heart Attack Study

NOTRE DAME - You could be a life saver!

On Friday, November 21, 2014, the Saint Mary's College student club SMC Stands Up To Cancer will hold a bone marrow registration drive on campus.

It'll take place from 11am to 3pm in Reignbeaux Lounge in Le Mans Hall. For a campus map click here.

To participate, you must be between the ages of 18 and 44. It's completely painless to sign up, requiring just a swab of the inside of your cheek to get a sample of cells.

Your genetic information will be added to the Be the Match marrow database, which searches for possible matches for blood cancer patients. Suitable donors can provide bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells to patients, saving lives.

This will be the second annual bone marrow drive held on Saint Mary's campus. Typically, one person in 540 is a match for a patient with a blood cancer. But a match surfaced out of the 50 registered on campus at the last drive. Allison Lukomski '16, a communicative sciences and disorders major, was a match for a female cancer patient. Lukomski donated peripheral blood stem cells over fall break through a non-surgical procedure.

The bone marrow registration event comes on the heels of the Pink Party Zumbathon, hosted by SMC Stands Up to Cancer, which raised money for cancer research through the national organization Stand Up To Cancer.

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Bone marrow registration drive to be held at Saint Mary's College

Beverly Hills, California (PRWEB) November 17, 2014

Veteran television and movie actor Darius McCrary has received a revolutionary stem cell procedure for his painful knee and ankle. The regenerative medicine procedure with stem cells was performed by Dr. Raj, a top orthopedic doctor in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles.

Darius McCrary is well known for his decade long stint on Family Matters as character Eddie Winslow. He won a Best Young Actor Award for this role along with movie roles in both Mississippi Burning and Big Shots. Currently, Darius appears along with Charlie Sheen in the show Anger Management.

While staying in tip top shape for his career, Darius has developed persistent pain in his right knee and ankle. Rather than seek a regular cortisone injection for pain relief or opt for surgery, he desired the ability to repair the joint damage and achieve pain relief. "I couldn't imagine being immobilized because of injury, so I opted for a stem cell procedure."

The procedures were performed by Dr. Raj, who is a prominent Beverly Hills orthopedic doctor with extensive experience in regenerative medicine. The procedure consisted of a combination of platelet rich plasma therapy along with amniotic derived stem cell therapy. Anecdotal studies are showing that the stem cell procedures for extremity joints allow patients to achieve pain relief and often avoid the need for potentially risky surgery.

Dr. Raj has performed over 100 stem cell procedures for patients who have degenerative arthritis or sports injuries. "Patients do extremely well with the procedures. Minimal risk and there's a huge potential upside!"

With an active acting career, Darius McCrary cannot afford to be distracted with chronic pain. "I'm looking forward to getting back in the gym and going hard without this pain," he stated excitedly. The procedure was filmed and can be seen on Dr. Raj's Facebook page.

To discuss stem cell procedures at Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute and how they can benefit, call (310) 247-0466.

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Veteran Actor Darius McCrary from Family Matters Receives Stem Cell Procedures with Dr. Raj in Beverly Hills

What is a Stem Cell Support Serum? | RG Cell | Agerite Solutions
What is a Stem Cell Support Serum? Paloma: And I suppose my next question would be what is a stem cell support serum? Dean: Well, in skin care, serums are co...

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November 13, 2014

Marc-Andr Skelling of East Angus needs help. The 23-year-old man has Hodgkins Lymphoma, a cancer affecting the bodys white blood cells and lymph nodes. He has been told that without a viable donation of bone marrow stem cells he has less than a month to live.

We need to find a donor, its urgent, said Muguette Skelling, Marc-Andrs mother. Were inviting everyone, no matter who they are, to register with Hma-Quebec.

Bone marrow is responsible for the production of red and white blood cells in the body and therefore a bone marrow transplant can be an effective treatment for a range of blood related diseases. Depending on the context, individuals can receive a transplant either from another part of their own body, or from an outside donor.

Individuals in good health who are between 18 and 35 years of age can register to donate in Quebec. Registration is done online through the Hma-Quebec website. Once registration is complete, a test kit containing a cheek swab is mailed to the registrant that must then be returned. According to Mnard, the whole process from registration to getting onto the list takes twelve weeks.

Read the full story in Thursday's Record.

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East Angus man looking for stem cells

TOWIE tonight will feature a fundraising event for the blood cancer charity and bone marrow register Anthony Nolan, in support of Bobby Norris' mum Kym.

The finale of the ITVBe show will centre around the gala - with a few TOWIE stars reportedly planning surprise fundraising stunts!

Bobby Norris started the campaign #SaveBobbysMum in the summer [PH]

OK! Online columnist Bobby Norris launched a campaign for the charity in the summer after his mum Kym, 54, was diagnosed with leukaemia.

The #SaveBobbysMum campaign led to an astonishing 750% increase in sign-ups for the bone marrow register, but a match for Kym is yet to be found.

TOWIE stars including Chloe Sims have backed the campaign [PH]

Bobby said: "Both me and my mum were over the moon to hear about these huge increases in potential donors."

"It's given us something positive to focus on at a really difficult time."

Bobby Norris has shared this sweet snap of himself with mum Kym [PH]

He added: "For the donor, it's probably just a case of sitting still for a few hours while the stem cells are taken out of their blood.

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TOWIE cast gather to lend support to Bobby Norris' #SaveBobbysMum campaign at charity gala

The ASTIS trial (Autologous Stem cell Transplantation International Scleroderma), launched in 2001, evaluated the efficacy of autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients with systemic sclerosis. A key point to safe use of HSCT is a correct evaluation of cardiac condition, and a close follow up for cardiac complications. In a letter to the Editor published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, entitled Cardiac Assessment Before Stem Cell Transplantation for Systemic Sclerosis, Dr. Burt at the Division of Immunotherapy, Northwestern University and colleagues highlight the importance of performing extensive cardiopulmonary screening in patients with severe forms of systemic sclerosis before administrating HSCT.

HSCT therapy first involves harvestingpatients stem cells. Since Scleroderma, also known as systemic sclerosis, is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease (autoimmune diseases are characterized by a hyper-reactive response of the immune response against substances, and tissues normally present in the body), thesecond step of the process involves destroyingpatients hyper-reactive immune system usingchemotherapy. Afterward, the patients harvested stem cells will be injected back into the body. The objective is to reset the patient immune system to normal standards and thus stop the process of scleroderma.

Systemic sclerosis is associated with many cardiac complications, including intrinsic myocardial ischemia and fibrosis, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, and pericardial disease. While the criteria for exclusion inthe ASTIS trial was mean pulmonary artery pressure greater than 50 mm Hg by echo-cardiogram or cardiac catheterization, theauthors emphasize that this does not exclude pulmonary arterial hypertension. Despite the fact that2009 guidelines updatedtheir information and described pulmonary arterial hypertension as a mean pulmonary artery pressure higher than 25 mm Hg, the authors cautioned that a significant amount of attention has to be dedicated toassessing cardiac risks in these patients to prevent treatment-related mortality.

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New Insights For Cardiac Assessment Before Administering ...

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

10-Nov-2014

Contact: Ccile Martinat CMARTINAT@istem.fr 33-603-855-477 INSERM (Institut national de la sant et de la recherche mdicale) @inserm

This news release is available in French.

The motor neurons that innervate muscle fibres are essential for motor activity. Their degeneration in many diseases causes paralysis and often death among patients. Researchers at the Institute for Stem Cell Therapy and Exploration of Monogenic Diseases (I-Stem - Inserm/AFM/UEVE), in collaboration with CNRS and Paris Descartes University, have recently developed a new approach to better control the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells, and thus produce different populations of motor neurons from these cells in only 14 days. This discovery, published in Nature Biotechnology, will make it possible to expand the production process for these neurons, leading to more rapid progress in understanding diseases of the motor system, such as infantile spinal amyotrophy or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Human pluripotent stem cells have the ability to give rise to every cell in the body. To understand and control their potential for differentiation in vitro is to offer unprecedented opportunities for regenerative medicine and for advancing the study of physiopathological mechanisms and the quest for therapeutic strategies. However, the development and realisation of these clinical applications is often limited by the inability to obtain specialised cells such as motor neurons from human pluripotent stem cells in an efficient and targeted manner. This inefficiency is partly due to a poor understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling the differentiation of these cells.

Inserm researchers at the Institute for Stem Cell Therapy and Exploration of Monogenic Diseases (I-Stem - Inserm/French Muscular Dystrophy Association [AFM]/University of vry Val d'Essonne [UEVE]), in collaboration with CNRS and Paris-Descartes University, have developed an innovative approach to study the differentiation of human stem cells and thus produce many types of cells in an optimal manner.

"The targeted differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells is often a long and rather inefficient process. This is the case when obtaining motor neurons, although these are affected in many diseases. Today, we obtain these neurons with our approach in only 14 days, nearly twice as fast as before, and with a homogeneity rarely achieved," explains Ccile Martinat, an Inserm Research Fellow at I-Stem.

To achieve this result, the researchers studied the interactions between some molecules that control embryonic development. These studies have made it possible to both better understand the mechanisms governing the generation of these neurons during development, and develop an optimal "recipe" for producing them efficiently and rapidly.

"We are now able to produce and hence study different populations of neurons affected to various degrees in diseases that cause the degeneration of motor neurons. We plan to study why some neurons are affected and why others are preserved," adds Stphane Nedelec, an Inserm researcher in Ccile Martinat's team.

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Production of human motor neurons from stem cells is gaining speed

For more than 30 years, stem cells have been the great hope of medical science. Given their remarkable ability to turn into any type of cell in the body, researchers have theorized that they could be used to treat and perhaps even cure all sorts of diseases and conditions from spinal cord injury to baldness.

Progress has been painfully slow for most areas of research but this week researchers in Sweden are reporting a major advancein a possible stem cell treatment for Parkinson's. While the treatment has only been tried in rats, the scientists -- led byMalin Parmar, an associate professor of regenerative neurobiology at the Lund University -- said they believe the results are promising enoughto move to clinical trials in humans within a few years.

A degenerative condition of the central nervous system, Parkinson's affects an estimated 7 to 10 million people worldwide -- including actor Michael J. Fox and Google co-founder Sergey Brin, both of whom have not only raised awareness of the disease through their celebrity but have contributed millions of dollars to advance research.

Parkinson's is caused by the loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain that help regulate things like movement and emotions. The scientistsat the Lund University found that when they turned human embryonic stem cells into neurons that produce dopamine and injected them into the brains of rats, something remarkable happened. The damage from the disease seemed to reverse.

The scientists wrote that while they believe their research was "rigorous," they pointed out that "a number of crucial issues" still need to be addressed before the treatment can be tested in humans. For instance, they need to make sure the cells continue to work the way are supposed to over longer time periods.

Ariana Eunjung Cha is a national reporter for the Post. She has previously served as the newspapers bureau chief in Beijing, Shanghai and San Francisco, a correspondent in Baghdad and as a tech reporter based in Washington.

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New hope for Parkinsons patients in stem cell treatment

David C P. Chen, MD., MHP - Stem Cell Therapy Q A1
David C P. Chen, MD., MHP - Stem Cell Therapy Q A1.

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