For many years, researchers have been seeking to understand the body's ability to repair and replace the cells and tissues of some organs, but not others. After years of work pursuing the how and why of seemingly indiscriminant cell repair mechanisms, scientists have now focused their attention on adult stem cells. It has long been known that stem cells are capable of renewing themselves and that they can generate multiple cell types. Today, there is new evidence that stem cells are present in far more tissues and organs than once thought and that these cells are capable of developing into more kinds of cells than previously imagined. Efforts are now underway to harness stem cells and to take advantage of this new found capability, with the goal of devising new and more effective treatments for a host of diseases and disabilities. What lies ahead for the use of adult stem cells is unknown, but it is certain that there are many research questions to be answered and that these answers hold great promise for the future.

Adult stem cells, like all stem cells, share at least two characteristics. First, they can make identical copies of themselves for long periods of time; this ability to proliferate is referred to as long-term self-renewal. Second, they can give rise to mature cell types that have characteristic morphologies (shapes) and specialized functions. Typically, stem cells generate an intermediate cell type or types before they achieve their fully differentiated state. The intermediate cell is called a precursor or progenitor cell. Progenitor or precursor cells in fetal or adult tissues are partly differentiated cells that divide and give rise to differentiated cells. Such cells are usually regarded as "committed" to differentiating along a particular cellular development pathway, although this characteristic may not be as definitive as once thought [82] (see Figure 4.1. Distinguishing Features of Progenitor/Precursor Cells and Stem Cells).

Figure 4.1. Distinguishing Features of Progenitor/Precursor Cells and Stem Cells. A stem cell is an unspecialized cell that is capable of replicating or self renewing itself and developing into specialized cells of a variety of cell types. The product of a stem cell undergoing division is at least one additional stem cell that has the same capabilities of the originating cell. Shown here is an example of a hematopoietic stem cell producing a second generation stem cell and a neuron. A progenitor cell (also known as a precursor cell) is unspecialized or has partial characteristics of a specialized cell that is capable of undergoing cell division and yielding two specialized cells. Shown here is an example of a myeloid progenitor/precursor undergoing cell division to yield two specialized cells (a neutrophil and a red blood cell).

( 2001 Terese Winslow, Lydia Kibiuk)

Adult stem cells are rare. Their primary functions are to maintain the steady state functioning of a cellcalled homeostasisand, with limitations, to replace cells that die because of injury or disease [44, 58]. For example, only an estimated 1 in 10,000 to 15,000 cells in the bone marrow is a hematopoietic (bloodforming) stem cell (HSC) [105]. Furthermore, adult stem cells are dispersed in tissues throughout the mature animal and behave very differently, depending on their local environment. For example, HSCs are constantly being generated in the bone marrow where they differentiate into mature types of blood cells. Indeed, the primary role of HSCs is to replace blood cells [26] (see Chapter 5. Hematopoietic Stem Cells). In contrast, stem cells in the small intestine are stationary, and are physically separated from the mature cell types they generate. Gut epithelial stem cells (or precursors) occur at the bases of cryptsdeep invaginations between the mature, differentiated epithelial cells that line the lumen of the intestine. These epithelial crypt cells divide fairly often, but remain part of the stationary group of cells they generate [93].

Unlike embryonic stem cells, which are defined by their origin (the inner cell mass of the blastocyst), adult stem cells share no such definitive means of characterization. In fact, no one knows the origin of adult stem cells in any mature tissue. Some have proposed that stem cells are somehow set aside during fetal development and restrained from differentiating. Definitions of adult stem cells vary in the scientific literature range from a simple description of the cells to a rigorous set of experimental criteria that must be met before characterizing a particular cell as an adult stem cell. Most of the information about adult stem cells comes from studies of mice. The list of adult tissues reported to contain stem cells is growing and includes bone marrow, peripheral blood, brain, spinal cord, dental pulp, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, epithelia of the skin and digestive system, cornea, retina, liver, and pancreas.

In order to be classified as an adult stem cell, the cell should be capable of self-renewal for the lifetime of the organism. This criterion, although fundamental to the nature of a stem cell, is difficult to prove in vivo. It is nearly impossible, in an organism as complex as a human, to design an experiment that will allow the fate of candidate adult stem cells to be identified in vivo and tracked over an individual's entire lifetime.

Ideally, adult stem cells should also be clonogenic. In other words, a single adult stem cell should be able to generate a line of genetically identical cells, which then gives rise to all the appropriate, differentiated cell types of the tissue in which it resides. Again, this property is difficult to demonstrate in vivo; in practice, scientists show either that a stem cell is clonogenic in vitro, or that a purified population of candidate stem cells can repopulate the tissue.

An adult stem cell should also be able to give rise to fully differentiated cells that have mature phenotypes, are fully integrated into the tissue, and are capable of specialized functions that are appropriate for the tissue. The term phenotype refers to all the observable characteristics of a cell (or organism); its shape (morphology); interactions with other cells and the non-cellular environment (also called the extracellular matrix); proteins that appear on the cell surface (surface markers); and the cell's behavior (e.g., secretion, contraction, synaptic transmission).

The majority of researchers who lay claim to having identified adult stem cells rely on two of these characteristicsappropriate cell morphology, and the demonstration that the resulting, differentiated cell types display surface markers that identify them as belonging to the tissue. Some studies demonstrate that the differentiated cells that are derived from adult stem cells are truly functional, and a few studies show that cells are integrated into the differentiated tissue in vivo and that they interact appropriately with neighboring cells. At present, there is, however, a paucity of research, with a few notable exceptions, in which researchers were able to conduct studies of genetically identical (clonal) stem cells. In order to fully characterize the regenerating and self-renewal capabilities of the adult stem cell, and therefore to truly harness its potential, it will be important to demonstrate that a single adult stem cell can, indeed, generate a line of genetically identical cells, which then gives rise to all the appropriate, differentiated cell types of the tissue in which it resides.

Adult stem cells have been identified in many animal and human tissues. In general, three methods are used to determine whether candidate adult stem cells give rise to specialized cells. Adult stem cells can be labeled in vivo and then they can be tracked. Candidate adult stem cells can also be isolated and labeled and then transplanted back into the organism to determine what becomes of them. Finally, candidate adult stem cells can be isolated, grown in vitro and manipulated, by adding growth factors or introducing genes that help determine what differentiated cells types they will yield. For example, currently, scientists believe that stem cells in the fetal and adult brain divide and give rise to more stem cells or to several types of precursor cells, which give rise to nerve cells (neurons), of which there are many types.

It is often difficultif not impossibleto distinguish adult, tissue-specific stem cells from progenitor cells, which are found in fetal or adult tissues and are partly differentiated cells that divide and give rise to differentiated cells. These are cells found in many organs that are generally thought to be present to replace cells and maintain the integrity of the tissue. Progenitor cells give rise to certain types of cellssuch as the blood cells known as T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, and natural killer cellsbut are not thought to be capable of developing into all the cell types of a tissue and as such are not truly stem cells. The current wave of excitement over the existence of stem cells in many adult tissues is perhaps fueling claims that progenitor or precursor cells in those tissues are instead stem cells. Thus, there are reports of endothelial progenitor cells, skeletal muscle stem cells, epithelial precursors in the skin and digestive system, as well as some reports of progenitors or stem cells in the pancreas and liver. A detailed summary of some of the evidence for the existence of stem cells in various tissues and organs is presented later in the chapter.

It was not until recently that anyone seriously considered the possibility that stem cells in adult tissues could generate the specialized cell types of another type of tissue from which they normally resideeither a tissue derived from the same embryonic germ layer or from a different germ layer (see Table 1.1. Embryonic Germ Layers From Which Differentiated Tissues Develop). For example, studies have shown that blood stem cells (derived from mesoderm) may be able to generate both skeletal muscle (also derived from mesoderm) and neurons (derived from ectoderm). That realization has been triggered by a flurry of papers reporting that stem cells derived from one adult tissue can change their appearance and assume characteristics that resemble those of differentiated cells from other tissues.

The term plasticity, as used in this report, means that a stem cell from one adult tissue can generate the differentiated cell types of another tissue. At this time, there is no formally accepted name for this phenomenon in the scientific literature. It is variously referred to as "plasticity" [15, 52], "unorthodox differentiation" [10] or "transdifferentiation" [7, 54].

To be able to claim that adult stem cells demonstrate plasticity, it is first important to show that a cell population exists in the starting tissue that has the identifying features of stem cells. Then, it is necessary to show that the adult stem cells give rise to cell types that normally occur in a different tissue. Neither of these criteria is easily met. Simply proving the existence of an adult stem cell population in a differentiated tissue is a laborious process. It requires that the candidate stem cells are shown to be self-renewing, and that they can give rise to the differentiated cell types that are characteristic of that tissue.

To show that the adult stem cells can generate other cell types requires them to be tracked in their new environment, whether it is in vitro or in vivo. In general, this has been accomplished by obtaining the stem cells from a mouse that has been genetically engineered to express a molecular tag in all its cells. It is then necessary to show that the labeled adult stem cells have adopted key structural and biochemical characteristics of the new tissue they are claimed to have generated. Ultimatelyand most importantlyit is necessary to demonstrate that the cells can integrate into their new tissue environment, survive in the tissue, and function like the mature cells of the tissue.

In the experiments reported to date, adult stem cells may assume the characteristics of cells that have developed from the same primary germ layer or a different germ layer (see Figure 4.2. Preliminary Evidence of Plasticity Among Nonhuman Adult Stem Cells). For example, many plasticity experiments involve stem cells derived from bone marrow, which is a mesodermal derivative. The bone marrow stem cells may then differentiate into another mesodermally derived tissue such as skeletal muscle [28, 43], cardiac muscle [51, 71] or liver [4, 54, 97].

Figure 4.2. Preliminary Evidence of Plasticity Among Nonhuman Adult Stem Cells.

( 2001 Terese Winslow, Lydia Kibiuk, Caitlin Duckwall)

Alternatively, adult stem cells may differentiate into a tissue thatduring normal embryonic developmentwould arise from a different germ layer. For example, bone marrow-derived cells may differentiate into neural tissue, which is derived from embryonic ectoderm [15, 65]. Andreciprocallyneural stem cell lines cultured from adult brain tissue may differentiate to form hematopoietic cells [13], or even give rise to many different cell types in a chimeric embryo [17]. In both cases cited above, the cells would be deemed to show plasticity, but in the case of bone marrow stem cells generating brain cells, the finding is less predictable.

In order to study plasticity within and across germ layer lines, the researcher must be sure that he/she is using only one kind of adult stem cell. The vast majority of experiments on plasticity have been conducted with adult stem cells derived either from the bone marrow or the brain. The bone marrow-derived cells are sometimes sortedusing a panel of surface markersinto populations of hematopoietic stem cells or bone marrow stromal cells [46, 54, 71]. The HSCs may be highly purified or partially purified, depending on the conditions used. Another way to separate population of bone marrow cells is by fractionation to yield cells that adhere to a growth substrate (stromal cells) or do not adhere (hematopoietic cells) [28].

To study plasticity of stem cells derived from the brain, the researcher must overcome several problems. Stem cells from the central nervous system (CNS), unlike bone marrow cells, do not occur in a single, accessible location. Instead, they are scattered in three places, at least in rodent brainthe tissue around the lateral ventricles in the forebrain, a migratory pathway for the cells that leads from the ventricles to the olfactory bulbs, and the hippocampus. Many of the experiments with CNS stem cells involve the formation of neurospheres, round aggregates of cells that are sometimes clonally derived. But it is not possible to observe cells in the center of a neurosphere, so to study plasticity in vitro, the cells are usually dissociated and plated in monolayers. To study plasticity in vivo, the cells may be dissociated before injection into the circulatory system of the recipient animal [13], or injected as neurospheres [17].

The differentiated cell types that result from plasticity are usually reported to have the morphological characteristics of the differentiated cells and to display their characteristic surface markers. In reports that transplanted adult stem cells show plasticity in vivo, the stem cells typically are shown to have integrated into a mature host tissue and assumed at least some of its characteristics [15, 28, 51, 65, 71]. Many plasticity experiments involve injury to a particular tissue, which is intended to model a particular human disease or injury [13, 54, 71]. However, there is limited evidence to date that such adult stem cells can generate mature, fully functional cells or that the cells have restored lost function in vivo [54]. Most of the studies that show the plasticity of adult stem cells involve cells that are derived from the bone marrow [15, 28, 54, 65, 77] or brain [13, 17]. To date, adult stem cells are best characterized in these two tissues, which may account for the greater number of plasticity studies based on bone marrow and brain. Collectively, studies on plasticity suggest that stem cell populations in adult mammals are not fixed entities, and that after exposure to a new environment, they may be able to populate other tissues and possibly differentiate into other cell types.

It is not yet possible to say whether plasticity occurs normally in vivo. Some scientists think it may [14, 64], but as yet there is no evidence to prove it. Also, it is not yet clear to what extent plasticity can occur in experimental settings, and howor whetherthe phenomenon can be harnessed to generate tissues that may be useful for therapeutic transplantation. If the phenomenon of plasticity is to be used as a basis for generating tissue for transplantation, the techniques for doing it will need to be reproducible and reliable (see Chapter 10. Assessing Human Stem Cell Safety). In some cases, debate continues about observations that adult stem cells yield cells of tissue types different than those from which they were obtained [7, 68].

More than 30 years ago, Altman and Das showed that two regions of the postnatal rat brain, the hippocampus and the olfactory bulb, contain dividing cells that become neurons [5, 6]. Despite these reports, the prevailing view at the time was that nerve cells in the adult brain do not divide. In fact, the notion that stem cells in the adult brain can generate its three major cell typesastrocytes and oligodendrocytes, as well as neuronswas not accepted until far more recently. Within the past five years, a series of studies has shown that stem cells occur in the adult mammalian brain and that these cells can generate its three major cell lineages [35, 48, 63, 66, 90, 96, 104] (see Chapter 8. Rebuilding the Nervous System with Stem Cells).

Today, scientists believe that stem cells in the fetal and adult brain divide and give rise to more stem cells or to several types of precursor cells. Neuronal precursors (also called neuroblasts) divide and give rise to nerve cells (neurons), of which there are many types. Glial precursors give rise to astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. Astrocytes are a kind of glial cell, which lend both mechanical and metabolic support for neurons; they make up 70 to 80 percent of the cells of the adult brain. Oligodendrocytes make myelin, the fatty material that ensheathes nerve cell axons and speeds nerve transmission. Under normal, in vivo conditions, neuronal precursors do not give rise to glial cells, and glial precursors do not give rise to neurons. In contrast, a fetal or adult CNS (central nervous systemthe brain and spinal cord) stem cell may give rise to neurons, astrocytes, or oligodendrocytes, depending on the signals it receives and its three-dimensional environment within the brain tissue. There is now widespread consensus that the adult mammalian brain does contain stem cells. However, there is no consensus about how many populations of CNS stem cells exist, how they may be related, and how they function in vivo. Because there are no markers currently available to identify the cells in vivo, the only method for testing whether a given population of CNS cells contains stem cells is to isolate the cells and manipulate them in vitro, a process that may change their intrinsic properties [67].

Despite these barriers, three groups of CNS stem cells have been reported to date. All occur in the adult rodent brain and preliminary evidence indicates they also occur in the adult human brain. One group occupies the brain tissue next to the ventricles, regions known as the ventricular zone and the sub-ventricular zone (see discussion below). The ventricles are spaces in the brain filled with cerebrospinal fluid. During fetal development, the tissue adjacent to the ventricles is a prominent region of actively dividing cells. By adulthood, however, this tissue is much smaller, although it still appears to contain stem cells [70].

A second group of adult CNS stem cells, described in mice but not in humans, occurs in a streak of tissue that connects the lateral ventricle and the olfactory bulb, which receives odor signals from the nose. In rodents, olfactory bulb neurons are constantly being replenished via this pathway [59, 61]. A third possible location for stem cells in adult mouse and human brain occurs in the hippocampus, a part of the brain thought to play a role in the formation of certain kinds of memory [27, 34].

Central Nervous System Stem Cells in the Subventricular Zone. CNS stem cells found in the forebrain that surrounds the lateral ventricles are heterogeneous and can be distinguished morphologically. Ependymal cells, which are ciliated, line the ventricles. Adjacent to the ependymal cell layer, in a region sometimes designated as the subependymal or subventricular zone, is a mixed cell population that consists of neuroblasts (immature neurons) that migrate to the olfactory bulb, precursor cells, and astrocytes. Some of the cells divide rapidly, while others divide slowly. The astrocyte-like cells can be identified because they contain glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), whereas the ependymal cells stain positive for nestin, which is regarded as a marker of neural stem cells. Which of these cells best qualifies as a CNS stem cell is a matter of debate [76].

A recent report indicates that the astrocytes that occur in the subventricular zone of the rodent brain act as neural stem cells. The cells with astrocyte markers appear to generate neurons in vivo, as identified by their expression of specific neuronal markers. The in vitro assay to demonstrate that these astrocytes are, in fact, stem cells involves their ability to form neurospheresgroupings of undifferentiated cells that can be dissociated and coaxed to differentiate into neurons or glial cells [25]. Traditionally, these astrocytes have been regarded as differentiated cells, not as stem cells and so their designation as stem cells is not universally accepted.

A series of similar in vitro studies based on the formation of neurospheres was used to identify the subependymal zone as a source of adult rodent CNS stem cells. In these experiments, single, candidate stem cells derived from the subependymal zone are induced to give rise to neurospheres in the presence of mitogenseither epidermal growth factor (EGF) or fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2). The neurospheres are dissociated and passaged. As long as a mitogen is present in the culture medium, the cells continue forming neurospheres without differentiating. Some populations of CNS cells are more responsive to EGF, others to FGF [100]. To induce differentiation into neurons or glia, cells are dissociated from the neurospheres and grown on an adherent surface in serum-free medium that contains specific growth factors. Collectively, the studies demonstrate that a population of cells derived from the adult rodent brain can self-renew and differentiate to yield the three major cell types of the CNS cells [41, 69, 74, 102].

Central Nervous System Stem Cells in the Ventricular Zone. Another group of potential CNS stem cells in the adult rodent brain may consist of the ependymal cells themselves [47]. Ependymal cells, which are ciliated, line the lateral ventricles. They have been described as non-dividing cells [24] that function as part of the blood-brain barrier [22]. The suggestion that ependymal cells from the ventricular zone of the adult rodent CNS may be stem cells is therefore unexpected. However, in a recent study, in which two molecular tagsthe fluorescent marker Dil, and an adenovirus vector carrying lacZ tagswere used to label the ependymal cells that line the entire CNS ventricular system of adult rats, it was shown that these cells could, indeed, act as stem cells. A few days after labeling, fluorescent or lacZ+ cells were observed in the rostral migratory stream (which leads from the lateral ventricle to the olfactory bulb), and then in the olfactory bulb itself. The labeled cells in the olfactory bulb also stained for the neuronal markers III tubulin and Map2, which indicated that ependymal cells from the ventricular zone of the adult rat brain had migrated along the rostral migratory stream to generate olfactory bulb neurons in vivo [47].

To show that Dil+ cells were neural stem cells and could generate astrocytes and oligodendrocytes as well as neurons, a neurosphere assay was performed in vitro. Dil-labeled cells were dissociated from the ventricular system and cultured in the presence of mitogen to generate neurospheres. Most of the neurospheres were Dil+; they could self-renew and generate neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes when induced to differentiate. Single, Dil+ ependymal cells isolated from the ventricular zone could also generate self-renewing neurospheres and differentiate into neurons and glia.

To show that ependymal cells can also divide in vivo, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was administered in the drinking water to rats for a 2- to 6-week period. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) is a DNA precursor that is only incorporated into dividing cells. Through a series of experiments, it was shown that ependymal cells divide slowly in vivo and give rise to a population of progenitor cells in the subventricular zone [47]. A different pattern of scattered BrdU-labeled cells was observed in the spinal cord, which suggested that ependymal cells along the central canal of the cord occasionally divide and give rise to nearby ependymal cells, but do not migrate away from the canal.

Collectively, the data suggest that CNS ependymal cells in adult rodents can function as stem cells. The cells can self-renew, and most proliferate via asymmetrical division. Many of the CNS ependymal cells are not actively dividing (quiescent), but they can be stimulated to do so in vitro (with mitogens) or in vivo (in response to injury). After injury, the ependymal cells in the spinal cord only give rise to astrocytes, not to neurons. How and whether ependymal cells from the ventricular zone are related to other candidate populations of CNS stem cells, such as those identified in the hippocampus [34], is not known.

Are ventricular and subventricular zone CNS stem cells the same population? These studies and other leave open the question of whether cells that directly line the ventriclesthose in the ventricular zoneor cells that are at least a layer removed from this zonein the subventricular zone are the same population of CNS stem cells. A new study, based on the finding that they express different genes, confirms earlier reports that the ventricular and subventricular zone cell populations are distinct. The new research utilizes a technique called representational difference analysis, together with cDNA microarray analysis, to monitor the patterns of gene expression in the complex tissue of the developing and postnatal mouse brain. The study revealed the expression of a panel of genes known to be important in CNS development, such as L3-PSP (which encodes a phosphoserine phosphatase important in cell signaling), cyclin D2 (a cell cycle gene), and ERCC-1 (which is important in DNA excision repair). All of these genes in the recent study were expressed in cultured neurospheres, as well as the ventricular zone, the subventricular zone, and a brain area outside those germinal zones. This analysis also revealed the expression of novel genes such as A16F10, which is similar to a gene in an embryonic cancer cell line. A16F10 was expressed in neurospheres and at high levels in the subventricular zone, but not significantly in the ventricular zone. Interestingly, several of the genes identified in cultured neurospheres were also expressed in hematopoietic cells, suggesting that neural stem cells and blood-forming cells may share aspects of their genetic programs or signaling systems [38]. This finding may help explain recent reports that CNS stem cells derived from mouse brain can give rise to hematopoietic cells after injection into irradiated mice [13].

Central Nervous System Stem Cells in the Hippocampus. The hippocampus is one of the oldest parts of the cerebral cortex, in evolutionary terms, and is thought to play an important role in certain forms of memory. The region of the hippocampus in which stem cells apparently exist in mouse and human brains is the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus. In mice, when BrdU is used to label dividing cells in this region, about 50% of the labeled cells differentiate into cells that appear to be dentate gyrus granule neurons, and 15% become glial cells. The rest of the BrdU-labeled cells do not have a recognizable phenotype [90]. Interestingly, many, if not all the BrdU-labeled cells in the adult rodent hippocampus occur next to blood vessels [33].

In the human dentate gyrus, some BrdU-labeled cells express NeuN, neuron-specific enolase, or calbindin, all of which are neuronal markers. The labeled neuron-like cells resemble dentate gyrus granule cells, in terms of their morphology (as they did in mice). Other BrdU-labeled cells express glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) an astrocyte marker. The study involved autopsy material, obtained with family consent, from five cancer patients who had been injected with BrdU dissolved in saline prior to their death for diagnostic purposes. The patients ranged in age from 57 to 72 years. The greatest number of BrdU-labeled cells were identified in the oldest patient, suggesting that new neuron formation in the hippocampus can continue late in life [27].

Fetal Central Nervous System Stem Cells. Not surprisingly, fetal stem cells are numerous in fetal tissues, where they are assumed to play an important role in the expansion and differentiation of all tissues of the developing organism. Depending on the developmental stage of an animal, fetal stem cells and precursor cellswhich arise from stem cellsmay make up the bulk of a tissue. This is certainly true in the brain [48], although it has not been demonstrated experimentally in many tissues.

It may seem obvious that the fetal brain contains stem cells that can generate all the types of neurons in the brain as well as astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, but it was not until fairly recently that the concept was proven experimentally. There has been a long-standing question as to whether or not the same cell type gives rise to both neurons and glia. In studies of the developing rodent brain, it has now been shown that all the major cell types in the fetal brain arise from a common population of progenitor cells [20, 34, 48, 80, 108].

Neural stem cells in the mammalian fetal brain are concentrated in seven major areas: olfactory bulb, ependymal (ventricular) zone of the lateral ventricles (which lie in the forebrain), subventricular zone (next to the ependymal zone), hippocampus, spinal cord, cerebellum (part of the hindbrain), and the cerebral cortex. Their number and pattern of development vary in different species. These cells appear to represent different stem cell populations, rather than a single population of stem cells that is dispersed in multiple sites. The normal development of the brain depends not only on the proliferation and differentiation of these fetal stem cells, but also on a genetically programmed process of selective cell death called apoptosis [76].

Little is known about stem cells in the human fetal brain. In one study, however, investigators derived clonal cell lines from CNS stem cells isolated from the diencephalon and cortex of human fetuses, 10.5 weeks post-conception [103]. The study is unusual, not only because it involves human CNS stem cells obtained from fetal tissue, but also because the cells were used to generate clonal cell lines of CNS stem cells that generated neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, as determined on the basis of expressed markers. In a few experiments described as "preliminary," the human CNS stem cells were injected into the brains of immunosuppressed rats where they apparently differentiated into neuron-like cells or glial cells.

In a 1999 study, a serum-free growth medium that included EGF and FGF2 was devised to grow the human fetal CNS stem cells. Although most of the cells died, occasionally, single CNS stem cells survived, divided, and ultimately formed neurospheres after one to two weeks in culture. The neurospheres could be dissociated and individual cells replated. The cells resumed proliferation and formed new neurospheres, thus establishing an in vitro system that (like the system established for mouse CNS neurospheres) could be maintained up to 2 years. Depending on the culture conditions, the cells in the neurospheres could be maintained in an undifferentiated dividing state (in the presence of mitogen), or dissociated and induced to differentiate (after the removal of mitogen and the addition of specific growth factors to the culture medium). The differentiated cells consisted mostly of astrocytes (75%), some neurons (13%) and rare oligodendrocytes (1.2%). The neurons generated under these conditions expressed markers indicating they were GABAergic, [the major type of inhibitory neuron in the mammalian CNS responsive to the amino acid neurotransmitter, gammaaminobutyric acid (GABA)]. However, catecholamine-like cells that express tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, a critical enzyme in the dopamine-synthesis pathway) could be generated, if the culture conditions were altered to include different medium conditioned by a rat glioma line (BB49). Thus, the report indicates that human CNS stem cells obtained from early fetuses can be maintained in vitro for a long time without differentiating, induced to differentiate into the three major lineages of the CNS (and possibly two kinds of neurons, GABAergic and TH-positive), and engraft (in rats) in vivo [103].

Central Nervous System Neural Crest Stem Cells. Neural crest cells differ markedly from fetal or adult neural stem cells. During fetal development, neural crest cells migrate from the sides of the neural tube as it closes. The cells differentiate into a range of tissues, not all of which are part of the nervous system [56, 57, 91]. Neural crest cells form the sympathetic and parasympathetic components of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), including the network of nerves that innervate the heart and the gut, all the sensory ganglia (groups of neurons that occur in pairs along the dorsal surface of the spinal cord), and Schwann cells, which (like oligodendrocytes in the CNS) make myelin in the PNS. The non-neural tissues that arise from the neural crest are diverse. They populate certain hormone-secreting glandsincluding the adrenal medulla and Type I cells in the carotid bodypigment cells of the skin (melanocytes), cartilage and bone in the face and skull, and connective tissue in many parts of the body [76].

Thus, neural crest cells migrate far more extensively than other fetal neural stem cells during development, form mesenchymal tissues, most of which develop from embryonic mesoderm as well as the components of the CNS and PNS which arises from embryonic ectoderm. This close link, in neural crest development, between ectodermally derived tissues and mesodermally derived tissues accounts in part for the interest in neural crest cells as a kind of stem cell. In fact, neural crest cells meet several criteria of stem cells. They can self-renew (at least in the fetus) and can differentiate into multiple cells types, which include cells derived from two of the three embryonic germ layers [76].

Recent studies indicate that neural crest cells persist late into gestation and can be isolated from E14.5 rat sciatic nerve, a peripheral nerve in the hindlimb. The cells incorporate BrdU, indicating that they are dividing in vivo. When transplanted into chick embryos, the rat neural crest cells develop into neurons and glia, an indication of their stem cell-like properties [67]. However, the ability of rat E14.5 neural crest cells taken from sciatic nerve to generate nerve and glial cells in chick is more limited than neural crest cells derived from younger, E10.5 rat embryos. At the earlier stage of development, the neural tube has formed, but neural crest cells have not yet migrated to their final destinations. Neural crest cells from early developmental stages are more sensitive to bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) signaling, which may help explain their greater differentiation potential [106].

The notion that the bone marrow contains stem cells is not new. One population of bone marrow cells, the hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), is responsible for forming all of the types of blood cells in the body. HSCs were recognized as a stem cells more than 40 years ago [9, 99]. Bone marrow stromal cellsa mixed cell population that generates bone, cartilage, fat, fibrous connective tissue, and the reticular network that supports blood cell formationwere described shortly after the discovery of HSCs [30, 32, 73]. The mesenchymal stem cells of the bone marrow also give rise to these tissues, and may constitute the same population of cells as the bone marrow stromal cells [78]. Recently, a population of progenitor cells that differentiates into endothelial cells, a type of cell that lines the blood vessels, was isolated from circulating blood [8] and identified as originating in bone marrow [89]. Whether these endothelial progenitor cells, which resemble the angioblasts that give rise to blood vessels during embryonic development, represent a bona fide population of adult bone marrow stem cells remains uncertain. Thus, the bone marrow appears to contain three stem cell populationshematopoietic stem cells, stromal cells, and (possibly) endothelial progenitor cells (see Figure 4.3. Hematopoietic and Stromal Stem Cell Differentiation).

Figure 4.3. Hematopoietic and Stromal Stem Cell Differentiation.

( 2001 Terese Winslow, Lydia Kibiuk)

Two more apparent stem cell types have been reported in circulating blood, but have not been shown to originate from the bone marrow. One population, called pericytes, may be closely related to bone marrow stromal cells, although their origin remains elusive [12]. The second population of blood-born stem cells, which occur in four species of animals testedguinea pigs, mice, rabbits, and humansresemble stromal cells in that they can generate bone and fat [53].

Hematopoietic Stem Cells. Of all the cell types in the body, those that survive for the shortest period of time are blood cells and certain kinds of epithelial cells. For example, red blood cells (erythrocytes), which lack a nucleus, live for approximately 120 days in the bloodstream. The life of an animal literally depends on the ability of these and other blood cells to be replenished continuously. This replenishment process occurs largely in the bone marrow, where HSCs reside, divide, and differentiate into all the blood cell types. Both HSCs and differentiated blood cells cycle from the bone marrow to the blood and back again, under the influence of a barrage of secreted factors that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration (see Chapter 5. Hematopoietic Stem Cells).

HSCs can reconstitute the hematopoietic system of mice that have been subjected to lethal doses of radiation to destroy their own hematopoietic systems. This test, the rescue of lethally irradiated mice, has become a standard by which other candidate stem cells are measured because it shows, without question, that HSCs can regenerate an entire tissue systemin this case, the blood [9, 99]. HSCs were first proven to be blood-forming stem cells in a series of experiments in mice; similar blood-forming stem cells occur in humans. HSCs are defined by their ability to self-renew and to give rise to all the kinds of blood cells in the body. This means that a single HSC is capable of regenerating the entire hematopoietic system, although this has been demonstrated only a few times in mice [72].

Over the years, many combinations of surface markers have been used to identify, isolate, and purify HSCs derived from bone marrow and blood. Undifferentiated HSCs and hematopoietic progenitor cells express c-kit, CD34, and H-2K. These cells usually lack the lineage marker Lin, or express it at very low levels (Lin-/low). And for transplant purposes, cells that are CD34+ Thy1+ Lin- are most likely to contain stem cells and result in engraftment.

Two kinds of HSCs have been defined. Long-term HSCs proliferate for the lifetime of an animal. In young adult mice, an estimated 8 to 10 % of long-term HSCs enter the cell cycle and divide each day. Short-term HSCs proliferate for a limited time, possibly a few months. Long-term HSCs have high levels of telomerase activity. Telomerase is an enzyme that helps maintain the length of the ends of chromosomes, called telomeres, by adding on nucleotides. Active telomerase is a characteristic of undifferentiated, dividing cells and cancer cells. Differentiated, human somatic cells do not show telomerase activity. In adult humans, HSCs occur in the bone marrow, blood, liver, and spleen, but are extremely rare in any of these tissues. In mice, only 1 in 10,000 to 15,000 bone marrow cells is a long-term HSC [105].

Short-term HSCs differentiate into lymphoid and myeloid precursors, the two classes of precursors for the two major lineages of blood cells. Lymphoid precursors differentiate into T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells. The mechanisms and pathways that lead to their differentiation are still being investigated [1, 2]. Myeloid precursors differentiate into monocytes and macrophages, neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, megakaryocytes, and erythrocytes [3]. In vivo, bone marrow HSCs differentiate into mature, specialized blood cells that cycle constantly from the bone marrow to the blood, and back to the bone marrow [26]. A recent study showed that short-term HSCs are a heterogeneous population that differ significantly in terms of their ability to self-renew and repopulate the hematopoietic system [42].

Attempts to induce HSC to proliferate in vitroon many substrates, including those intended to mimic conditions in the stromahave frustrated scientists for many years. Although HSCs proliferate readily in vivo, they usually differentiate or die in vitro [26]. Thus, much of the research on HSCs has been focused on understanding the factors, cell-cell interactions, and cell-matrix interactions that control their proliferation and differentiation in vivo, with the hope that similar conditions could be replicated in vitro. Many of the soluble factors that regulate HSC differentiation in vivo are cytokines, which are made by different cell types and are then concentrated in the bone marrow by the extracellular matrix of stromal cellsthe sites of blood formation [45, 107]. Two of the most-studied cytokines are granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-3 (IL-3) [40, 81].

Also important to HSC proliferation and differentiation are interactions of the cells with adhesion molecules in the extracellular matrix of the bone marrow stroma [83, 101, 110].

Bone Marrow Stromal Cells. Bone marrow (BM) stromal cells have long been recognized for playing an important role in the differentiation of mature blood cells from HSCs (see Figure 4.3. Hematopoietic and Stromal Stem Cell Differentiation). But stromal cells also have other important functions [30, 31]. In addition to providing the physical environment in which HSCs differentiate, BM stromal cells generate cartilage, bone, and fat. Whether stromal cells are best classified as stem cells or progenitor cells for these tissues is still in question. There is also a question as to whether BM stromal cells and so-called mesenchymal stem cells are the same population [78].

BM stromal cells have many features that distinguish them from HSCs. The two cell types are easy to separate in vitro. When bone marrow is dissociated, and the mixture of cells it contains is plated at low density, the stromal cells adhere to the surface of the culture dish, and the HSCs do not. Given specific in vitro conditions, BM stromal cells form colonies from a single cell called the colony forming unit-F (CFU-F). These colonies may then differentiate as adipocytes or myelosupportive stroma, a clonal assay that indicates the stem cell-like nature of stromal cells. Unlike HSCs, which do not divide in vitro (or proliferate only to a limited extent), BM stromal cells can proliferate for up to 35 population doublings in vitro [16]. They grow rapidly under the influence of such mitogens as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) [12].

To date, it has not been possible to isolate a population of pure stromal cells from bone marrow. Panels of markers used to identify the cells include receptors for certain cytokines (interleukin-1, 3, 4, 6, and 7) receptors for proteins in the extracellular matrix, (ICAM-1 and 2, VCAM-1, the alpha-1, 2, and 3 integrins, and the beta-1, 2, 3 and 4 integrins), etc. [64]. Despite the use of these markers and another stromal cell marker called Stro-1, the origin and specific identity of stromal cells have remained elusive. Like HSCs, BM stromal cells arise from embryonic mesoderm during development, although no specific precursor or stem cell for stromal cells has been isolated and identified. One theory about their origin is that a common kind of progenitor cellperhaps a primordial endothelial cell that lines embryonic blood vesselsgives rise to both HSCs and to mesodermal precursors. The latter may then differentiate into myogenic precursors (the satellite cells that are thought to function as stem cells in skeletal muscle), and the BM stromal cells [10].

In vivo, the differentiation of stromal cells into fat and bone is not straightforward. Bone marrow adipocytes and myelosupportive stromal cellsboth of which are derived from BM stromal cellsmay be regarded as interchangeable phenotypes [10, 11]. Adipocytes do not develop until postnatal life, as the bones enlarge and the marrow space increases to accommodate enhanced hematopoiesis. When the skeleton stops growing, and the mass of HSCs decreases in a normal, age-dependent fashion, BM stromal cells differentiate into adipocytes, which fill the extra space. New bone formation is obviously greater during skeletal growth, although bone "turns over" throughout life. Bone forming cells are osteoblasts, but their relationship to BM stromal cells is not clear. New trabecular bone, which is the inner region of bone next to the marrow, could logically develop from the action of BM stromal cells. But the outside surface of bone also turns over, as does bone next to the Haversian system (small canals that form concentric rings within bone). And neither of these surfaces is in contact with BM stromal cells [10, 11].

It is often difficultif not impossibleto distinguish adult, tissue-specific stem cells from progenitor cells. With that caveat in mind, the following summary identifies reports of stem cells in various adult tissues.

Endothelial Progenitor Cells. Endothelial cells line the inner surfaces of blood vessels throughout the body, and it has been difficult to identify specific endothelial stem cells in either the embryonic or the adult mammal. During embryonic development, just after gastrulation, a kind of cell called the hemangioblast, which is derived from mesoderm, is presumed to be the precursor of both the hematopoietic and endothelial cell lineages. The embryonic vasculature formed at this stage is transient and consists of blood islands in the yolk sac. But hemangioblasts, per se, have not been isolated from the embryo and their existence remains in question. The process of forming new blood vessels in the embryo is called vasculogenesis. In the adult, the process of forming blood vessels from pre-existing blood vessels is called angiogenesis [50].

Evidence that hemangioblasts do exist comes from studies of mouse embryonic stem cells that are directed to differentiate in vitro. These studies have shown that a precursor cell derived from mouse ES cells that express Flk-1 [the receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in mice] can give rise to both blood cells and blood vessel cells [88, 109]. Both VEGF and fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) play critical roles in endothelial cell differentiation in vivo [79].

Several recent reports indicate that the bone marrow contains cells that can give rise to new blood vessels in tissues that are ischemic (damaged due to the deprivation of blood and oxygen) [8, 29, 49, 94]. But it is unclear from these studies what cell type(s) in the bone marrow induced angiogenesis. In a study which sought to address that question, researchers found that adult human bone marrow contains cells that resemble embryonic hemangioblasts, and may therefore be called endothelial stem cells.

In more recent experiments, human bone marrow-derived cells were injected into the tail veins of rats with induced cardiac ischemia. The human cells migrated to the rat heart where they generated new blood vessels in the infarcted muscle (a process akin to vasculogenesis), and also induced angiogenesis. The candidate endothelial stem cells are CD34+(a marker for HSCs), and they express the transcription factor GATA-2 [51]. A similar study using transgenic mice that express the gene for enhanced green fluorescent protein (which allows the cells to be tracked), showed that bone-marrow-derived cells could repopulate an area of infarcted heart muscle in mice, and generate not only blood vessels, but also cardiomyocytes that integrated into the host tissue [71] (see Chapter 9. Can Stem Cells Repair a Damaged Heart?).

And, in a series of experiments in adult mammals, progenitor endothelial cells were isolated from peripheral blood (of mice and humans) by using antibodies against CD34 and Flk-1, the receptor for VEGF. The cells were mononuclear blood cells (meaning they have a nucleus) and are referred to as MBCD34+ cells and MBFlk1+ cells. When plated in tissue-culture dishes, the cells attached to the substrate, became spindle-shaped, and formed tube-like structures that resemble blood vessels. When transplanted into mice of the same species (autologous transplants) with induced ischemia in one limb, the MBCD34+ cells promoted the formation of new blood vessels [8]. Although the adult MBCD34+ and MBFlk1+ cells function in some ways like stem cells, they are usually regarded as progenitor cells.

Skeletal Muscle Stem Cells. Skeletal muscle, like the cardiac muscle of the heart and the smooth muscle in the walls of blood vessels, the digestive system, and the respiratory system, is derived from embryonic mesoderm. To date, at least three populations of skeletal muscle stem cells have been identified: satellite cells, cells in the wall of the dorsal aorta, and so-called "side population" cells.

Satellite cells in skeletal muscle were identified 40 years ago in frogs by electron microscopy [62], and thereafter in mammals [84]. Satellite cells occur on the surface of the basal lamina of a mature muscle cell, or myofiber. In adult mammals, satellite cells mediate muscle growth [85]. Although satellite cells are normally non-dividing, they can be triggered to proliferate as a result of injury, or weight-bearing exercise. Under either of these circumstances, muscle satellite cells give rise to myogenic precursor cells, which then differentiate into the myofibrils that typify skeletal muscle. A group of transcription factors called myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) play important roles in these differentiation events. The so-called primary MRFs, MyoD and Myf5, help regulate myoblast formation during embryogenesis. The secondary MRFs, myogenin and MRF4, regulate the terminal differentiation of myofibrils [86].

With regard to satellite cells, scientists have been addressing two questions. Are skeletal muscle satellite cells true adult stem cells or are they instead precursor cells? Are satellite cells the only cell type that can regenerate skeletal muscle. For example, a recent report indicates that muscle stem cells may also occur in the dorsal aorta of mouse embryos, and constitute a cell type that gives rise both to muscle satellite cells and endothelial cells. Whether the dorsal aorta cells meet the criteria of a self-renewing muscle stem cell is a matter of debate [21].

Another report indicates that a different kind of stem cell, called an SP cell, can also regenerate skeletal muscle may be present in muscle and bone marrow. SP stands for a side population of cells that can be separated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis. Intravenously injecting these muscle-derived stem cells restored the expression of dystrophin in mdx mice. Dystrophin is the protein that is defective in people with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy; mdx mice provide a model for the human disease. Dystrophin expression in the SP cell-treated mice was lower than would be needed for clinical benefit. Injection of bone marrow- or muscle-derived SP cells into the dystrophic muscle of the mice yielded equivocal results that the transplanted cells had integrated into the host tissue. The authors conclude that a similar population of SP stem cells can be derived from either adult mouse bone marrow or skeletal muscle, and suggest "there may be some direct relationship between bone marrow-derived stem cells and other tissue- or organ-specific cells" [43]. Thus, stem cell or progenitor cell types from various mesodermally-derived tissues may be able to generate skeletal muscle.

Epithelial Cell Precursors in the Skin and Digestive System. Epithelial cells, which constitute 60 percent of the differentiated cells in the body are responsible for covering the internal and external surfaces of the body, including the lining of vessels and other cavities. The epithelial cells in skin and the digestive tract are replaced constantly. Other epithelial cell populationsin the ducts of the liver or pancreas, for exampleturn over more slowly. The cell population that renews the epithelium of the small intestine occurs in the intestinal crypts, deep invaginations in the lining of the gut. The crypt cells are often regarded as stem cells; one of them can give rise to an organized cluster of cells called a structural-proliferative unit [93].

The skin of mammals contains at least three populations of epithelial cells: epidermal cells, hair follicle cells, and glandular epithelial cells, such as those that make up the sweat glands. The replacement patterns for epithelial cells in these three compartments differ, and in all the compartments, a stem cell population has been postulated. For example, stem cells in the bulge region of the hair follicle appear to give rise to multiple cell types. Their progeny can migrate down to the base of the follicle where they become matrix cells, which may then give rise to different cell types in the hair follicle, of which there are seven [39]. The bulge stem cells of the follicle may also give rise to the epidermis of the skin [95].

Another population of stem cells in skin occurs in the basal layer of the epidermis. These stem cells proliferate in the basal region, and then differentiate as they move toward the outer surface of the skin. The keratinocytes in the outermost layer lack nuclei and act as a protective barrier. A dividing skin stem cell can divide asymmetrically to produce two kinds of daughter cells. One is another self-renewing stem cell. The second kind of daughter cell is an intermediate precursor cell which is then committed to replicate a few times before differentiating into keratinocytes. Self-renewing stem cells can be distinguished from this intermediate precusor cell by their higher level of 1 integrin expression, which signals keratinocytes to proliferate via a mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase [112]. Other signaling pathways include that triggered by -catenin, which helps maintain the stem-cell state [111], and the pathway regulated by the oncoprotein c-Myc, which triggers stem cells to give rise to transit amplifying cells [36].

Stem Cells in the Pancreas and Liver. The status of stem cells in the adult pancreas and liver is unclear. During embryonic development, both tissues arise from endoderm. A recent study indicates that a single precursor cell derived from embryonic endoderm may generate both the ventral pancreas and the liver [23]. In adult mammals, however, both the pancreas and the liver contain multiple kinds of differentiated cells that may be repopulated or regenerated by multiple types of stem cells. In the pancreas, endocrine (hormone-producing) cells occur in the islets of Langerhans. They include the beta cells (which produce insulin), the alpha cells (which secrete glucagon), and cells that release the peptide hormones somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide. Stem cells in the adult pancreas are postulated to occur in the pancreatic ducts or in the islets themselves. Several recent reports indicate that stem cells that express nestinwhich is usually regarded as a marker of neural stem cellscan generate all of the cell types in the islets [60, 113] (see Chapter 7. Stem Cells and Diabetes).

The identity of stem cells that can repopulate the liver of adult mammals is also in question. Recent studies in rodents indicate that HSCs (derived from mesoderm) may be able to home to liver after it is damaged, and demonstrate plasticity in becoming into hepatocytes (usually derived from endoderm) [54, 77, 97]. But the question remains as to whether cells from the bone marrow normally generate hepatocytes in vivo. It is not known whether this kind of plasticity occurs without severe damage to the liver or whether HSCs from the bone marrow generate oval cells of the liver [18]. Although hepatic oval cells exist in the liver, it is not clear whether they actually generate new hepatocytes [87, 98]. Oval cells may arise from the portal tracts in liver and may give rise to either hepatocytes [19, 55] and to the epithelium of the bile ducts [37, 92]. Indeed, hepatocytes themselves, may be responsible for the well-know regenerative capacity of liver.

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Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on 4. The Adult Stem Cell | stemcells.nih.gov | January 14th, 2020

German racing driver, Formula 1 Michael Schumacher was hospitalized in one of medical institutions of Paris for the holding of special procedures, namely therapy using stem cells. According to the wife of a holder of numerous records, her husband decided not to disseminate information about their own health, but the woman said that the former athlete is in good hands.

In early autumn last year Michael Schumacher was taken to Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou, located in Paris, it was said that seven-time world champion was conscious. The athlete was placed in the division of cardiovascular surgery, and to fight for the health of Schumacher took 69-year-old Professor and renowned cardiac surgeon Phillip Menashe, the first at the time transplantiversary patients muscle stem cells from human myocardial infarction.

According to preliminary reports, Schumacher is in the hospital plan to treat the nervous system, but doctors doubt the effectiveness of stem cell therapy to regenerate its functioning. While these experiments have not brought positive results over the last thirty years, writes the Express.

Natasha Kumar is a general assignment reporter at the Times Hub. She has covered sports, entertainment and many other beats in her journalism career, and has lived in Manhattan for more than 8 years. Natasha has appeared periodically on national television shows and has been published in (among others) Hindustan Times.? Times of India

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Michael Schumacher will be treated in Paris with stem cells - The Times Hub

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Michael Schumacher will be treated in Paris with stem cells – The Times Hub | January 14th, 2020

A synopsis of the global canine stem cell therapy market with reference to the global healthcare pharmaceutical industry

Despite the economic and political uncertainty in the recent past, the global healthcare industry has been receiving positive nudges from reformative and technological disruptions in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotech, in-vitro diagnostics, and medical imaging. Key markets across the world are facing a massive rise in demand for critical care services that are pushing global healthcare spending levels to unimaginable limits.

A rapidly multiplying geriatric population; increasing prevalence of chronic ailments such as cancer and cardiac disease; growing awareness among patients; and heavy investments in clinical innovation are just some of the factors that are impacting the performance of the global healthcare industry. Proactive measures such as healthcare cost containment, primary care delivery, innovation in medical procedures (3-D printing, blockchain, and robotic surgery to name a few), safe and effective drug delivery, and well-defined healthcare regulatory compliance models are targeted at placing the sector on a high growth trajectory across key regional markets.

Parent Indicators Healthcare Current expenditure on health, % of gross domestic product Current expenditure on health, per capita, US$ purchasing power parities (current prices, current PPPs) Annual growth rate of current expenditure on health, per capita, in real terms Out-of-pocket expenditure, % of current expenditure on health Out-of-pocket expenditure, per capita, US$ purchasing power parity (current prices, current PPPs) Physicians, Density per 1000 population (head counts) Nurses, Density per 1000 population (head counts) Total hospital beds, per 1000 population Curative (acute) care beds, per 1000 population Medical technology, Magnetic Resonance Imaging units, total, per million population Medical technology, Computed Tomography scanners, total, per million population

Research Methodology

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XploreMR utilizes a triangulation methodology that is primarily based on experimental techniques such as patient-level data, to obtain precise market estimations and insights on Molecule and Drug Classes, API Formulations and preferred modes of administration. Bottom-up approach is always used to obtain insightful data for the specific country/regions. The country specific data is again analysed to derive data at a global level. This methodology ensures high quality and accuracy of information.

Secondary research is used at the initial phase to identify the age specific disease epidemiology, diagnosis rate and treatment pattern, as per disease indications. Each piece of information is eventually analysed during the entire research project which builds a strong base for the primary research information.

Primary research participants include demand-side users such as key opinion leaders, physicians, surgeons, nursing managers, clinical specialists who provide valuable insights on trends and clinical application of the drugs, key treatment patterns, adoption rate, and compliance rate.

Quantitative and qualitative assessment of basic factors driving demand, economic factors/cycles and growth rates and strategies utilized by key players in the market is analysed in detail while forecasting, in order to project Year-on-Year growth rates. These Y-o-Y growth projections are checked and aligned as per industry/product lifecycle and further utilized to develop market numbers at a holistic level.

On the other hand, we also analyse various companies annual reports, investor presentations, SEC filings, 10k reports and press release operating in this market segment to fetch substantial information about the market size, trends, opportunity, drivers, restraints and to analyse key players and their market shares. Key companies are segmented at Tier level based on their revenues, product portfolio and presence.

Please note that these are the partial steps that are being followed while developing the market size. Besides this, forecasting will be done based on our internal proprietary model which also uses different macro-economic factors such as per capita healthcare expenditure, disposable income, industry based demand driving factors impacting the market and its forecast trends apart from disease related factors.

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Standard Report Structure Executive Summary Market Definition Macro-economic analysis Parent Market Analysis Market Overview Forecast Factors Segmental Analysis and Forecast Regional Analysis Competition Analysis

Target Audience Production Companies Suppliers Channel Partners Marketing Authorities Subject Matter Experts Research Institutions Financial Institutions Market Consultants Government Authorities

Market Taxonomy

The global canine stem cell therapy market has been segmented into:

Product Type: Allogeneic Stem Cells Autologous Stem cells

Application: Arthritis Dysplasia Tendonitis Lameness Others

End User: Veterinary Hospitals Veterinary Clinics Veterinary Research Institutes

Region: North America Latin America Europe Asia Pacific Japan Middle East & Africa

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Canine Stem Cell Therapy Market Will Make a Huge Impact in Near Future - Expert Recorder

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Canine Stem Cell Therapy Market Will Make a Huge Impact in Near Future – Expert Recorder | January 12th, 2020

As humans continue to pump more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, concerns about global warming and climate change continue to grow. But what if that CO2 could be turned into a source of energy? One startup in Kyoto has developed cutting-edge nano-materials that could trap atmospheric CO2 and harness it as a power source. Its one way that Japans ancient capital is harnessing its large scientific and biomedical potential to address environmental and social problems.

Panning for invisible gold

Porous coordination polymers can be a form of carbon-capture technology, says discoverer Susumu Kitagawa, second from left, with (left to right) Atomis CTO Masakazu Higuchi, CEO Daisuke Asari, R&D officer Kenji Sumida, and COO Dai Kataoka.

Atomis is a new materials company that was spun off from Kyoto University. Founded in 2015 following government-supported research, its business is based on studies led by Susumu Kitagawa, a professor in the universitys Institute for Advanced Study. Its core technology is the production of materials comprising extremely small void spaces that can trap gases, including CO2. A breakthrough discovery in 1997 by Kitagawa, who has been considered a contender for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, these porous coordination polymers (PCPs, aka metal-organic frameworks) have enormous potential as tools to precisely control gases.

Humans have used the principle behind PCPs for thousands of years. They work the same way that a hunk of charcoal traps ambient odor molecules in its large surface area, but PCPs are many times more powerful. To the naked eye, PCPs look like powders, pellets or granules of various colors, shapes and sizes. But if you were to zoom in, you would see that PCPs are sponge-like materials with pores the size of a nanometer, or one billionth of a meter. They can be designed as scaffoldlike 3D structures from metals and organic ligands, and can be used for storage, separation and conversion of molecules.

These materials are unique in that we can design the shapes and chemical properties of the pores to suit specific applications, and some of the materials have flexible structures, which can potentially provide them with even more advanced features, says Daisuke Asari, president and CEO of Atomis. The company is basically the only business in Japan working with these materials in an industrial context. Collaborating with Kitagawa is a big advantage over foreign rivals, adds Kenji Sumida, executive officer for R&D.

One challenge related to these nanomaterials is that its difficult and costly to produce more than a few kilograms per day. Massively scaling production so that PCPs can be used to fight climate change is one reason that Atomis was founded, says Atomis founder and CTO Masakazu Higuchi, one of Kitagawas collaborators. The firm is developing solid-state techniques and making capital investments to increase PCP production capacity. Meanwhile, Atomis has developed products that harness the groundbreaking potential of PCPs, including Cubitan, a compact and lightweight gas cylinder for industrial and consumer use packed with smart features, such as the ability to notify users when the amount of reserve gas becomes low.

When viewed without special equipment, PCPs look like powders, pellets or granules of various colors, shapes and sizes, but they are sponge-like materials with countless pores the size of a nanometer.

Kitagawa has his sights on the bigger picture. He believes PCPs can be used as a form of carbon-capture technology, allowing the synthesis of methanol, an energy source. Thats why he calls CO2 invisible gold.

In ancient China, Taoist mystics were said to live in the mountains and survive simply on mist, which consists of water, oxygen and CO2, says Kitagawa. They were taking something valueless and using it for energy. Similarly, PCPs can control gases that humans cannot use and turn them into something beneficial, for instance absorbing CO2 in the air and turning into methanol and other hydrocarbon materials.

Building a regenerative medicine Silicon Valley

Atomis is one of many science startups in Kyoto that have benefitted from collaborative research between industry and government. Its part of a growing startup industry in Japan, where total funding for new companies reached a record high of 388 billion yen in 2018, up from 64.5 billion yen in 2012, according to Japan Venture Research. One driver for this expansion is science and technology discoveries.

While it may be known for its traditional culture, Kyoto has a strong pedigree in scientific research. It is home to 38 universities and about 150,000 students, which form a large pool of institutional knowledge, experience and talent. Many recent Nobel laureates either graduated from or taught at Kyoto University, including professors Tasuku Honjo and Shinya Yamanaka, who won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2018 and 2012, respectively. Working on discoveries by Yamanaka, Megakaryon has become a world leader in creating artificial blood platelets made from synthetic stem cells.Theres also a large group of high-tech companies that have carved out niches for themselves internationally.

Kyoto is a unique city in that it has an independent spirit that is similar to the U.S. West Coast, says Eiichi Yamaguchi, a professor at Kyoto University who has founded four companies.

Kyoto companies like Murata Manufacturing, Horiba, Shimadzu, and Kyocera have a global market and theyre competing with China, says Eiichi Yamaguchi, a professor at Kyoto University who has founded four companies. Thats the difference with companies in Tokyo, which are more domestically oriented.

Yamaguchi has authored several books on innovation, and says there is a growing awareness of the importance of collaborative research and entrepreneurship in Kyoto. He cites a recently formed cooperative group of seven university chairpersons and presidents from leading materials and biosciences companies that meets to discuss issues such as fostering new technologies, for instance building high-speed hydrogen fueling systems.

Kyoto is a unique city in that it has an independent spirit that is similar to the U.S. West Coast, says Yamaguchi. Kyoto is only a fraction of the size of Tokyo, but if you take a stand here, people will pay attention.

Another group that is promoting local high-tech business is Innovation Hub Kyoto. Its an open innovation facility based in the Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine aimed at commercializing research from the university. Steps away from Kyotos historic Kamo River, its geared to researchers, investors, startups, and established companies working in the field of medical innovation including device development and drug discovery. This is where Japanese researchers are trying to build a Silicon Valley of regenerative medicine.

Tenants at Innovation Hub Kyoto can use this wet lab for research.

Part of the Kyoto University Medical Science and Business Liaison Organization, the hub was established about 15 years ago and opened a new building in 2017 with the support of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The structure has a variety of labs, including ones meeting biosafety level P2 and for animal experiments.

Its tough for startups in Japan to access to animal laboratories like the one we have, says hub leader Yutaka Teranishi, a professor in the Graduate School of Medicine who estimates that some 50% of university researchers want to work with industry, up from 10% a few years ago. Were focused on university startups because its very difficult for them to develop drugs from just an alliance between companies and universities.

About 28 companies are tenants at Innovation Hub Kyoto. They include major brands such as Shimadzu and Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim as well as younger businesses. One is AFI, founded in 2013 and focused on fluid, electric filtering and sorting (FES) technology that can be used for applications ranging from food safety inspections to rapid diagnosis of disease to regenerative medicine.

Tomoko Bylund heads the Japan office of CELLINK, a Swedish bioprinting and bioink company that is a tenant at Innovation Hub Kyoto.

Another tenant is CELLINK, a Swedish bioprinting and bioink company headed in the Japan by Tomoko Bylund. Using its products, researchers can print body parts with human cells for drug and cosmetics testing. In 2019, the first 3D print of a human cornea in the U.S. was accomplished with the companys BIO X Bioprinter.

iHeart Japan is also a tenant. It was established in 2013 as a regenerative medicine business and is aiming to address a major shortage in the Japanese medical system: only about 40 out of 200,000 people on national waiting lists can receive donor hearts every year. The company is developing innovative medical products such as multi-layered cardiac cell sheets derived from synthetic stem cells. The Hub basis its success in fostering companies on its diversity and the business environment in Kyoto.

We have people from different backgrounds here who are exchanging cultures and experimental results, and this diversity is powering innovation here, says Teranishi. There are many traditional industries in Kyoto, and though people say its a conservative city, these companies have survived because theyre open to new technologies and have taken the time to choose which ones can help them. Thats how this city and its businesses have lasted for more than 1,000 years.

Diversity is powering innovation here, says Yutaka Teranishi, center, head of Innovation Hub Kyoto, with Kyoto University professor Hirokazu Yamamoto, left, and Graduate School of Medicine lecturer Taro Yamaguchi, right.

To learn more about Atomis, click here.

To learn more about Innovation Hub Kyoto, click here.

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How Kyoto Is Rebuilding Itself As A Nanotech And Regenerative Medicine Powerhouse - Forbes

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on How Kyoto Is Rebuilding Itself As A Nanotech And Regenerative Medicine Powerhouse – Forbes | January 10th, 2020

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) January 09, 2020

DOXYVA is a validated circulatory and nerve stimulant. The system was used by Prof. Puruhito for CO transdermal delivery, which has been shown to produce higher oxygen unloading by hemoglobin, thereby increasing oxygen-rich blood flow in the local microcirculatory system. This improved dermal microcirculation leads, in turn, to enhanced wound healing.

The American Diabetes Association standards of care for DFUs refer to microvascular complications and their treatment via improvements in microcirculation; therefore, Prof. Puruhitos team set out to test CO transdermal delivery via DOXYVA in their patients. They have been gathering data since 2015, which led to the following results.

During the course of a 5-day treatment, O saturation increased in patients treated with transdermal CO in comparison to controls (15 patients/group) over the whole measurement range (up to 120 minutes post application). Moreover, a consistent heart rate decrease was found in patients undergoing transdermal CO treatment. Furthermore, the perfusion index (PI) showed an upwards tendency in the treatment group, whereas it remained stable for untreated controls. See figure 1.

Figure 1: Changes observed after a 5-day transdermal CO treatment with DOXYVA. H1-H5: pre-treatment, 10, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after; blue trace: control, orange trace: treatment. (A) Changes in O saturation (B) Decrease in heart rate due to treatment (C) Masimo measurements of PI.

In light of these results, Prof. Puruhitos team performed extra measurements of transcutaneous carbon dioxide (TcPCO), O saturation, and PI in the 15 patients treated with DOXYVA for transdermal CO delivery. This data show that the oxygen saturation reached almost 100% in some patients, whereas the TcPCO remained relatively stable throughout the treatment time (120 minutes). For more detailed information, see figure 2.

Figure 2: Transcutaneous CO pressure (TcPCO), O saturation, and PI assessment in the 15 patients subjected to transdermal CO. (A) SENTEC TcPCO measurements for all patients at various time points after DOXYVA application (pre-treatment, 5, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after) (B) O saturation (C) PI.

Finally, Prof. Puruhitos team demonstrated the positive effects of transdermal CO delivery via DOXYVA on the healing of DFUs (fig. 3), proving the clinical potential of this intervention to improve the quality of life of people suffering from this common complication of diabetes.

In conclusion, the use of a DOXYVA device for transdermal CO delivery improves the outcomes of DFUs by enhancing dermal microcirculation and increasing perfusion rates and tissue oxygenation, therefore assisting in the healing process of the ulcers typical of diabetes neuropathy.

About DOXYVADOXYVA (deoxyhemoglobin vasodilator) is a novel, clinically validated blood flow and nerve stimulant for people suffering from neuropathy. In various clinical trials, DOXYVA has validated leading independent research results and demonstrated above-average results in improving a host of physiological functions.

Subjects suffering from high blood sugar have reported neuropathy pain relief minutes after DOXYVA was administered and long-term blood sugar level improvements after just a few weeks.

Rapid and gentle skin delivery (over-the-skin) with the DOXYVA lightweight, handheld device has prompted improvements in blood microcirculation or PI by 33%* on average in all participants. Lasting results have been measured at 5-60 minutes and up to 4 hours after a single 5-minute DOXYVA delivery on the skin surface without reduction in PI levels.

About Prof. PuruhitoIto Puruhito, MD is professor in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital as well as a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine at Universitas Airlangga (Indonesia). From 2001 to 2016, he was the rector of the aforementioned university. Prof. Puruhito finished his medicine studies at Universitas Airlangga in 1967, and in 1972 he received a doctorate degree, graduating cum laude from Frederich-Alexander University (Erlangen-Nrnberg, Germany). In his native country, he developed the Department of Thoracic-Cardiovascular Surgery at his former university, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya. In 1978, he co-founded the Indonesian Association of Thoracic, Cardiac and Vascular Surgery. Prof. Puruhito has authored numerous indexed research articles in Scopus, ISI-Thompson or PUBMED, and scientific presentations and written several books in Indonesian, English, and German. He acted as reviewer for peer-reviewed journals such as Medical Tribune, Annals of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Asian Annals of Surgery, Medicinus, and many more Indonesian medical-surgical journals. Currently, apart from lecturing, Prof. Puruhito actively researches stem cells, cardiovascular medicine, and surgery at the Institute of Tropical Disease as well as some work in microcirculation. Further, he acts as coordinator of research affairs at the Department of TCV-Surgery at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital Surabaya. Since 2014, he has been the chairman of the Council of Research in the Ministry of Research Technology and Higher Education of the Republic of Indonesia.

About Circularity Healthcare, LLCCircularity Healthcare, LLC, located in Los Angeles, CA, is a private biotech and medtech products and services company that designs, makes, markets, sells, distributes, and licenses its patented and patent-pending technologies, such as its flagship non-invasive deoxyhemoglobin vasodilator product line, DOXYVA. One of the main mechanisms underlying DOXYVAs science received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2019. Circularity enters into exclusive agreements with manufacturers to launch products in large and small clinics and hospitals to help enhance their profits and credit profiles with a wide variety of advanced products and services. In addition, Circularity Healthcare assists in the financing of equipment, working capital, and patient financing at industry-leading terms and speed.

For more information, please visit http://www.circularityhealthcare.com or http://doxyva.com; doctors (Rx only) visit http://wound.doxyva.com and send your general inquiries via the Contact Us page. For specific inquiries, contact Circularity Customer Care at info(at)doxyva(dot)com, info(at)circularityhealthcare(dot)com, or by phone (toll free) at 1-855-5DOXYVA or 1-626-240-0956.

References:

1.Rogers, L. C., Muller-Delp, J. M. & Mudde, T. A. Transdermal delivery of carbon dioxide boosts microcirculation in subjects with and without diabetes, Information summary for healthcare professionals. Circularity Healthcare, LLC2.Puruhito, I. et al. DOXYVA Medical Device, a Potentially Cost-Efficient and Safe Adjuvant Therapy for Diabetic Ulcers: A Pilot Study. J Vasc Surg (2019).3.Puruhito, I., Soebroto, H., Sembiring, Y. & Nur Rahmi, C. Observation of O2 Saturation after transdermal CO2 delivery using Doxyva apparatus.4.Jayarasti, K. & Puruhito, I. Preliminary study of measurement of TcPCO2 using SENTEC device.5.Nur Rahmi, C. Pengaruh Pemberian Transdermal CO2 terhadap Output Perawatan Luka Kaki Diabetik Wagner I dan II. (2018).6.D`OXYVA Relief from neuropathic pain. D`OXYVA https://doxyva.com/complete-fast-advanced-painless-relief-from-neuropathic-pain/.

Forward-Looking InformationThis press release may contain forward-looking information. This includes, or may be based upon, estimates, forecasts and statements as to managements expectations with respect to, among other things, the quality of the products of Circularity Healthcare, LLC, its resources, progress in development, demand, and market outlook for non-invasive transdermal delivery medical devices. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is given and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those initially projected. These factors include the inherent risks involved in the launch of a new medical device, innovation and market acceptance uncertainties, fluctuating components and other advanced material prices, new federal or state governmental regulations, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future and other factors. The forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and Circularity Healthcare, LLC assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. Circularity Healthcare, LLC makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of this press release and shall have no liability for any representations (expressed or implied) for any statement made herein, or for any omission from this press release.

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D'OXYVA improves dermal microcirculation and promotes wound healing in the diabetic foot - PR Web

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on D’OXYVA improves dermal microcirculation and promotes wound healing in the diabetic foot – PR Web | January 10th, 2020

Funding to Support Ongoing Advancement of siFi2, Lead Candidate from Companys First-of-its-Kind Platform for Precisely Controlling Core Cell Migration Mechanisms

New York, NY, January 7, 2020 MicroCures, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics that harness the bodys innate regenerative mechanisms to accelerate tissue repair, today announced that it has been awarded a Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The two-year, $1.5 million award will support ongoing development of the companys lead product candidate, siFi2. siFi2, a small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutic that can be applied topically, is designed to enhance recovery after trauma. This Phase 2 grant continues the companys successful Phase 1 SBIR contract which demonstrated significantly improved repair of burn wounds following treatment with siFi2 in animal models.

MicroCures technology is based on foundational scientific research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine regarding the fundamental role that cell movement plays as a driver of the bodys innate capacity to repair tissue, nerves, and organs. The company has shown that complex and dynamic networks of microtubules within cells crucially control cell migration, and that this cell movement can be reliably modulated to achieve a range of therapeutic benefits. Based on these findings, the company has established a first-of-its-kind proprietary platform to create siRNA-based therapeutics capable of precisely controlling the speed and direction of cell movement by selectively silencing microtubule regulatory proteins (MRPs).

The company has developed a broad pipeline of therapeutic programs with an initial focus in the area of tissue, nerve and organ repair. Unlike regenerative medicine approaches that rely upon engineered materials or systemic growth factor/stem cell therapeutics, MicroCures technology directs and enhances the bodys inherent healing processes through local, temporary modulation of cell motility. The companys lead drug candidate, siFi2, is a topical siRNA-based treatment designed to silence the activity of Fidgetin-Like 2 (FL2), a fundamental MRP, within an area of wounded tissue. In doing so, the therapy temporarily triggers accelerated movement of cells essential for repair into an injury area. Importantly, based on its topical administration, siFi2 can be applied early in the treatment process as a supplement to current standard of care.

We are grateful for NIHs continued support of our work through this multi-year Phase 2 SBIR grant. This non-dilutive financial support allows us to continue building a robust portfolio of preclinical data in animal models that demonstrate the therapeutic potential of siFi2 to significantly improve and accelerate healing of burn wounds, said David Sharp, Ph.D., co-founder and chief science officer of MicroCures. This funding will help advance our research as we work towards first-in-human clinical trial in 2020.

The initial Phase 1 SBIR grant from NIH funded preclinical research by MicroCures which demonstrated that treatment with siFi2 accelerated re-epithelization, improved collagen deposit and maturation, and improved quality of healing in a porcine full thickness burn model. Specific findings showed that following eight weeks of treatment, 39% of siFi2-treated wounds were closed as compared to only 11% for control subjects and 0% for placebo. Additionally, siFi2-treated subjects demonstrated a significantly improved rate of healing as measured by epithelial surface measurements as compared to placebo (p = 0.0106) and control (p = 0.0012).

About MicroCures

MicroCures develops biopharmaceuticals that harness innate cellular mechanisms within the body to accelerate and improve recovery after traumatic injury. MicroCures has developed a first-of-its-kind therapeutic platform that precisely controls the rate and direction of cell migration, offering the potential to deliver powerful therapeutic benefits for a variety of large and underserved medical applications.

MicroCures has developed a broad pipeline of novel therapeutic programs with an initial focus in the area of tissue, nerve and organ repair. The companys lead therapeutic candidate, siFi2, targets excisional wound healing, a multi-billion dollar market inadequately served by current treatments. Additional applications for the companys cell migration accelerator technology include dermal burn repair, corneal burn repair, cavernous nerve regeneration, spinal cord regeneration, and cardiac tissue repair. Cell migration decelerator applications include combatting cancer metastases and fibrosis. The company protects its unique platform and proprietary therapeutic programs with a robust intellectual property portfolio including eight issued or allowed patents, as well as eight pending patent applications.

For more information please visit: http://www.microcures.com

Disclaimer: The SBIR Grant (2R44AR070696-02A1) is supported by the NIHs National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of MicroCures and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

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MicroCures Awarded $1.5M SBIR Grant To Support Development of Novel Therapeutic Platform for Accelerated Tissue Repair - BioSpace

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PANDAS emerged in the late 1980s in the wake of a resurgence of rheumatic fever in Pennsylvania, Utah and Missouri. Rheumatic fever is an immune response to group A streptococcus, the bacterial strain that causes strep throat and scarlet fever. It arises when those infections are not treated properly, usually in children. In the worst cases, it can lead to heart failure or permanent heart damage. Some people need to take antibiotics for a decade or more.

Up to 30 percent of children with rheumatic fever develop distinctive motor and behavioral traits called Sydenham chorea or, less commonly these days, Saint Vitus dance, after the patron saint of neurological conditions. Children with this condition exhibit jerky, involuntary movements of their hands, feet and face. By some accounts, they also become irritable and prone to emotional outbursts, have trouble concentrating and temporarily lose their ability to read and write. A frequent complaint heard from the mother is that the character of her child is completely changed, wrote Canadian physician William Osler, who first characterized Sydenham chorea in 1894.

During the rheumatic fever outbreak, Swedo sent questionnaires to 37 parents, asking them about their childrens behaviors. She says she hoped to find a brain-based explanation for OCD, which had, until then, largely been credited to harsh parenting techniques. The findings confirmed her suspicions: Children with Sydenham chorea had significantly more obsessive thoughts or behaviors than children with rheumatic fever alone. Based on follow-up interviews, Swedo determined that three children diagnosed with Sydenham chorea met the diagnostic criteria for OCD.

Swedo then inverted her approach. Rather than seeking out children with rheumatic fever, she began studying children with OCD and Tourette syndrome, and swabbing their throats for evidence of a strep infection. She often found it which is not surprising because it is a common infection, and many children also carry the bacteria without getting sick. What was surprising, Swedo says, was what happened when she started treating those children.

She recalls one child who refused to swallow his spit, preferring, instead, to stockpile it. He had three cups under his bed, she says. When she treated him with penicillin, she says, he responded beautifully; his obsessive-compulsive symptoms disappeared. He then had another strep infection, and the OCD-like behavior came roaring back. In another child, she tried plasmapheresis, a technique to separate the childs blood cells from the plasma and strip out the germ-fighting antibodies circulating in his system. She says that led to an 80 percent decrease in the boys OCD traits, according to his parents.

Based on those observations and more over the next decade, Swedo came to believe that an immune response to infection can trigger an improperly diagnosed class of psychiatric conditions. She would go on to investigate and rule out other connections between infection and conditions of brain development, including the spurious association between Lyme infection and autism. In 2006, she proposed a trial to test chelation therapy, which some parents of autistic children pursue based on the bogus belief that mercury and other heavy metals in vaccines cause the condition. Critics called the trial unethical and a waste of funding, and it was ultimately abandoned due to safety concerns.

Theres going to be diagnostic confusion whether a child has a late presentation of autism or if they have PANDAS. Susan Swedo

It was PANDAS that would become Swedos legacy. In 1998, Swedo proposed five criteria to diagnose PANDAS: the presence of OCD or a tic disorder, sudden onset prior to puberty, a waxing and waning pattern of trait severity, an association between strep infections and behavioral traits, and neurological abnormalities such as jerking movements or problems with coordination. Despite the clear, testable criteria she laid out, the definition of PANDAS proved elastic in the hands of practitioners. By 2008, one study had found that only 39 percent of children diagnosed with PANDAS actually fit Swedos original definition. So many children were diagnosed, in fact, that Stanford Universitys multidisciplinary PANDAS clinic the first of its kind when it opened in 2012 sees children from within only a seven-county area and only if they agree to participate in research.

Given the surge of interest, the NIH launched a $3 million multicenter study the largest and most rigorous analysis of the condition. The researchers followed 71 children who met PANDAS diagnostic criteria over two years and compared them with children who had traits of Tourette syndrome or OCD but not PANDAS. Two landmark studies, published in 2008 and 2011, found that in 91 percent of all PANDAS cases, there was no association between the timing of strep infections or presence of strep antibodies and flare-ups of OCD or tics. Even though children with PANDAS were more likely to receive antibiotics than the other children were, the researchers could detect no difference in the number of flare-ups the children experienced.

The NIH makes no mention of these studies on its information pages about PANDAS, which Swedo helped draft. To be fair, the results left just enough room for doubts to creep in. Many strep infections go unnoticed and can trigger immune reactions that standard tests do not detect. The researchers consulted Swedo before the trial, but she says they approached it with an agenda to disprove PANDAS. For example, she says, most of the PANDAS children in the study had Tourette syndrome over a long period of time and showed no signs of abrupt-onset OCD, PANDAS hallmark behavioral trait. However, Kaplan, an investigator on those trials, says all of the participants fit Swedos published definition.

Swedo and her colleagues later proposed a new, broader condition that would better fit the state of the evidence: pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, or PANS. This umbrella diagnosis is not restricted to children with strep or any other type of infection. It might even be caused, for instance, by environmental factors or metabolic disorders. Nor is it limited to young children: PANS can strike anyone up to the age of 18. The main requirement for PANS is the acute onset of OCD or restricted food intake, though the working guidelines make it clear that mild, non-impairing obsessions or compulsions do not rule out the syndrome.

One 2015 study in mice revealed how strep infections could cause brain inflammation, but no studies have followed a large group of children to try to link infections and PANDAS since the NIH-funded studies. Asked why no one has attempted a new study, Swedo says the field has moved on, adding, You cant fight a felonious report with additional data.

Link:
How a controversial condition called PANDAS is gaining ground on autism - Spectrum

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on How a controversial condition called PANDAS is gaining ground on autism – Spectrum | January 8th, 2020

Funding to Support Ongoing Advancement of siFi2, Lead Candidate from Companys First-of-its-Kind Platform for Precisely Controlling Core Cell Migration Mechanisms

NEW YORK, Jan. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MicroCures, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics that harness the bodys innate regenerative mechanisms to accelerate tissue repair, today announced that it has been awarded a Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The two-year, $1.5 million award will support ongoing development of the companys lead product candidate, siFi2. siFi2, a small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutic that can be applied topically, is designed to enhance recovery after trauma. This Phase 2 grant continues the companys successful Phase 1 SBIR contract which demonstrated significantly improved repair of burn wounds following treatment with siFi2 in animal models.

MicroCures technology is based on foundational scientific research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine regarding the fundamental role that cell movement plays as a driver of the bodys innate capacity to repair tissue, nerves, and organs. The company has shown that complex and dynamic networks of microtubules within cells crucially control cell migration, and that this cell movement can be reliably modulated to achieve a range of therapeutic benefits. Based on these findings, the company has established a first-of-its-kind proprietary platform to create siRNA-based therapeutics capable of precisely controlling the speed and direction of cell movement by selectively silencing microtubule regulatory proteins (MRPs).

The company has developed a broad pipeline of therapeutic programs with an initial focus in the area of tissue, nerve and organ repair. Unlike regenerative medicine approaches that rely upon engineered materials or systemic growth factor/stem cell therapeutics, MicroCures technology directs and enhances the bodys inherent healing processes through local, temporary modulation of cell motility. The companys lead drug candidate, siFi2, is a topical siRNA-based treatment designed to silence the activity of Fidgetin-Like 2 (FL2), a fundamental MRP, within an area of wounded tissue. In doing so, the therapy temporarily triggers accelerated movement of cells essential for repair into an injury area. Importantly, based on its topical administration, siFi2 can be applied early in the treatment process as a supplement to current standard of care.

We are grateful for NIHs continued support of our work through this multi-year Phase 2 SBIR grant. This non-dilutive financial support allows us to continue building a robust portfolio of preclinical data in animal models that demonstrate the therapeutic potential of siFi2 to significantly improve and accelerate healing of burn wounds, said David Sharp, Ph.D., co-founder and chief science officer of MicroCures. This funding will help advance our research as we work towards first-in-human clinical trial in 2020.

The initial Phase 1 SBIR grant from NIH funded preclinical research by MicroCures which demonstrated that treatment with siFi2 accelerated re-epithelization, improved collagen deposit and maturation, and improved quality of healing in a porcine full thickness burn model. Specific findings showed that following eight weeks of treatment, 39% of siFi2-treated wounds were closed as compared to only 11% for control subjects and 0% for placebo. Additionally, siFi2-treated subjects demonstrated a significantly improved rate of healing as measured by epithelial surface measurements as compared to placebo (p = 0.0106) and control (p = 0.0012).

About MicroCures

MicroCures develops biopharmaceuticals that harness innate cellular mechanisms within the body to accelerate and improve recovery after traumatic injury. MicroCures has developed a first-of-its-kind therapeutic platform that precisely controls the rate and direction of cell migration, offering the potential to deliver powerful therapeutic benefits for a variety of large and underserved medical applications.

MicroCures has developed a broad pipeline of novel therapeutic programs with an initial focus in the area of tissue, nerve and organ repair. The companys lead therapeutic candidate, siFi2, targets excisional wound healing, a multi-billion dollar market inadequately served by current treatments. Additional applications for the companys cell migration accelerator technology include dermal burn repair, corneal burn repair, cavernous nerve regeneration, spinal cord regeneration, and cardiac tissue repair. Cell migration decelerator applications include combatting cancer metastases and fibrosis. The company protects its unique platform and proprietary therapeutic programs with a robust intellectual property portfolio including eight issued or allowed patents, as well as eight pending patent applications.

Story continues

For more information please visit: http://www.microcures.com

Disclaimer: The SBIR Grant (2R44AR070696-02A1) is supported by the NIHs National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of MicroCures and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

Contact:

Vida Strategic Partners (On behalf of MicroCures)

Stephanie Diaz (investors)415-675-7401sdiaz@vidasp.com

Tim Brons (media)415-675-7402tbrons@vidasp.com

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MicroCures Awarded $1.5M SBIR Grant To Support Development of Novel Therapeutic Platform for Accelerated Tissue Repair - Yahoo Finance

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on MicroCures Awarded $1.5M SBIR Grant To Support Development of Novel Therapeutic Platform for Accelerated Tissue Repair – Yahoo Finance | January 7th, 2020

DURHAM Hemophilia. Cystic fibrosis. Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Huntingtons disease. These are just a few of the thousands of disorders caused by mutations in the bodys DNA. Treating the root causes of these debilitating diseases has become possible only recently, thanks to the development of genome editing tools such as CRISPR, which can change DNA sequences in cells and tissues to correct fundamental errors at the source but significant hurdles must be overcome before genome-editing treatments are ready for use in humans.

Enter the National Institutes of Health Common FundsSomatic Cell Genome Editing (SCGE)program, established in 2018 to help researchers develop and assess accurate, safe and effective genome editing therapies for use in the cells and tissues of the body (aka somatic cells) that are affected by each of these diseases.

Todaywith three ongoing grants totaling more than $6 million in research fundingDuke University is tied with Yale University, UC Berkeley and UC Davis for the most projects supported by the NIH SCGE Program.

In the 2019 SCGE awards cycle, Charles Gersbach, the Rooney Family Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and collaborators across Duke and North Carolina State University received two grants: the first will allow them to study how CRISPR genome editing affects engineered human muscle tissues, while the second project will develop new CRISPR tools to turn genes on and off rather than permanently alter the targeted DNA sequence. This work builds on a 2018 SCGE grant, led by Aravind Asokan, professor and director of gene therapy in the Department of Surgery, which focuses on using adeno-associated viruses to deliver gene editing tools to neuromuscular tissue.

Duke engineers improve CRISPR genome editing with biomedical tails

There is an amazing team of engineers, scientists and clinicians at Duke and the broader Research Triangle coalescing around the challenges of studying and manipulating the human genome to treat diseasefrom delivery to modeling to building new tools, said Gersbach, who with his colleagues recently launched the Duke Center for Advanced Genomic Technologies (CAGT), a collaboration of the Pratt School of Engineering, Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, and School of Medicine. Were very excited to be at the center of those efforts and greatly appreciate the support of the NIH SCGE Program to realize this vision.

For their first grant, Gersbach will collaborate with fellow Duke biomedical engineering faculty Nenad Bursac and George Truskey to monitor how genome editing affects engineered human muscle tissue. Through their new project, the team will use human pluripotent stem cells to make human muscle tissues in the lab, specifically skeletal and cardiac muscle, which are often affected by genetic diseases. These systems will then serve as a more accurate model for monitoring the health of human tissues, on-target and off-target genome modifications, tissue regeneration, and possible immune responses during CRISPR-mediated genome editing.

Duke researchers: Single CRISPR treatment provides long-term benefits in mice

Currently, most genetic testing occurs using animal models, but those dont always accurately replicate the human response to therapy, says Truskey, the Goodson Professor of Biomedical Engineering.

Bursac adds, We have a long history of engineering human cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues with the right cell types and physiology to model the response to gene editing systems like CRISPR. With these platforms, we hope to help predict how muscle will respond in a human trial.

Gersbach will work with Tim Reddy, a Duke associate professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics, and Rodolphe Barrangou, the Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor in Probiotics Research at North Carolina State University, on the second grant. According to Gersbach, this has the potential to extend the impact of genome editing technologies to a greater diversity of diseases, as many common diseases, such as neurodegenerative and autoimmune conditions, result from too much or too little of certain genes rather than a single genetic mutation. This work builds on previous collaborations between Gersbach, Barrangou and Reddy developing bothnew CRISPR systems for gene regulationandto regulate the epigenome rather than permanently delete DNA sequences.

Aravind Asokan leads Dukes initial SCGE grant, which explores the the evolution of next generation of adeno-associated viruses (AAVs), which have emerged as a safe and effective system to deliver gene therapies to targeted cells, especially those involved in neuromuscular diseases like spinal muscular atrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and other myopathies. However, delivery of genome editing tools to the stem cells of neuromuscular tissue is particularly challenging. This collaboration between Asokan and Gersbach builds on their previous work in usingAAV and CRISPR to treat animal models of DMD.

We aim to correct mutations not just in the mature muscle cells, but also in the muscle stem cells that regenerate skeletal muscle tissue, explainsAsokan. This approach is critical to ensuring long-term stability of genome editing in muscle and ultimately we hope to establish a paradigm where our cross-cutting viral evolution approach can enable efficient editing in multiple organ systems.

Click through to learn more about theDuke Center for Advanced Genomic Technologies.

(C) Duke University

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Duke researchers land $6M in federal grants to advance gene editing - WRAL Tech Wire

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Duke researchers land $6M in federal grants to advance gene editing – WRAL Tech Wire | January 5th, 2020

This weeks Cardio Round-up features a look back at what you may have missed during the holidays, as well as some of the big 2019 cardiology stories.

The past year saw some big stories like the Apple Heart study, presented at ACC.19, which essentially validated the ability of a wearable device (an Apple iWatch) equipped with a tachogram-tracking algorithm was able to detect pulse irregularities associated with atrial fibrillation. Icosapent ethyl also featured prominently, gaining an FDA approval for the reduction of cardiovascular disease risk as an add-on to statin therapy in high-risk patients with hypertriglyceridemia. Dapagliflozin (highlighted in the DAPA-HF study) also was shown to be an effective treatment for heart failure in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

2019 In Cardiology: Apple Heart Study Lands; Icosapent Ethyl Gets FDA Nod for New Indication; Dapagliflozin For Nondiabetics; and More

A new observational study published inEuropacesuggests it is possible to monitor and predict individual progression ofatrial fibrillation (AFib) using pacemakers or defibrillators.We aimed to study the progression of AER in individual patients with implantable devices and AFib episodes, the paper authors wrote. The study results indicated that the slope of AAR changes during the progression of AFib showed patient-specific patterns correlating with the time-to-completion of AER (R2 = 0.85). This technology opens up enormous possibilities in personalized medicine for AFib patients because it allows us to determine the progression rate of the arrhythmia in each individual and to optimize the timing of medical intervention with current treatment options, one of the researchers said in a press release.

Personalized Medicine for AFib: How Electric Activity in the Heart Can Predict Individual Progression of Atrial Fibrillation

A research team, publishing the study in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, worked on converting adipogenic mesenchymal stem cells, which reside within fat cells, into cardiac progenitor cells. The ensuing cardiac progenitor cells can be programmed to aid heartbeats as a sinoatrial node (SAN), which is part of the electrical cardiac conduction system.We are reprogramming the cardiac progenitor cell and guiding it to become a conducting cell of the heart to conduct electrical current, said study co-author Bradley McConnell, associate professor of pharmacology, in a press release. Results of this study show that the SHT5 combination of transcription factors can reprogram CPCs into Pacemaker-like cells.

The Next Generation of Biologic Pacemakers? New Discovery in Stem Cells from Fat Creates Another Alternative Treatment

Diabetes mellitus is an independent predictor for heart failure, according to the findings of a study published inMayo Clinic Proceedings. In this study, using the Rochester Epidemiology Project, researchers assessed the long-term impact ofdiabeteson the development of heart failure by including 116 study subjects with diabetes, who were matched 1:2 based on age, hypertension, sex, coronary artery disease and diastolic with 232 participants without diabetes. The results showed that that diabetes is an independent risk factor for the development of heart failure. Over the duration of 10 years, 21% of participants with diabetes developed heart failure, independent of other causes. The researchers observed that by comparison, only 12% of patients without diabetes developed heart failure. The key takeaway is that diabetes mellitus alone is an independent risk factor for the development of heart failure, wrote one of the authors.

Diabetes is an Independent Predictor for Heart Failure

A new study suggests that regularly getting a good nights sleep isnt just a helpful overall health recommendation but is also an essential way to keep risk for heart disease and stroke down. The paper, published in theEuropean Journal of Cardiology, included more than 300,000 participants initially free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) from UK Biobank. According to the results, there were 7,280 documented cases of incident CVD (4,667 coronary heart disease and 2,650 stroke) cases. Participants with a sleep score of 5 had a 35% reduced risk for CVD, a 34% reduced risk for coronary heart disease, and a 34% reduced risk for stroke when compared to participants with a score of 0-1.As with other findings from observational studies, our results indicate an association, not a causal relation, one of the authors said in a press release. However, these findings may motivate other investigations and, at least, suggest that it is essential to consider overall sleep behaviors when considering a persons risk of heart disease or stroke.

Getting Quality Sleep, and the Right Amount, Can Offset Genetic Susceptibility for Heart Disease and Stroke Risk

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Cardio Round-up: Look Back at 2019, The Importance of Sleep, and More - DocWire News

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Cardio Round-up: Look Back at 2019, The Importance of Sleep, and More – DocWire News | January 4th, 2020

Hemophilia. Cystic fibrosis. Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Huntingtons disease. These are just a few of the thousands of disorders caused by mutations in the bodys DNA. Treating the root causes of these debilitating diseases has become possible only recently, thanks to the development of genome editing tools such as CRISPR, which can change DNA sequences in cells and tissues to correct fundamental errors at the sourcebut significant hurdles must be overcome before genome-editing treatments are ready for use in humans.

Enter the National Institutes of Health Common Funds Somatic Cell Genome Editing (SCGE) program, established in 2018 to help researchers develop and assess accurate, safe and effective genome editing therapies for use in the cells and tissues of the body (aka somatic cells) that are affected by each of these diseases.

Todaywith three ongoing grants totaling more than $6 million in research fundingDuke University is tied with Yale University, UC Berkeley and UC Davis for the most projects supported by the NIH SCGE Program.

In the 2019 SCGE awards cycle, Charles Gersbach, the Rooney Family Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and collaborators across Duke and North Carolina State University received two grants: the first will allow them to study how CRISPR genome editing affects engineered human muscle tissues, while the second project will develop new CRISPR tools to turn genes on and off rather than permanently alter the targeted DNA sequence. This work builds on a 2018 SCGE grant, led by Aravind Asokan, professor and director of gene therapy in the Department of Surgery, which focuses on using adeno-associated viruses to deliver gene editing tools to neuromuscular tissue.

There is an amazing team of engineers, scientists and clinicians at Duke and the broader Research Triangle coalescing around the challenges of studying and manipulating the human genome to treat diseasefrom delivery to modeling to building new tools, said Gersbach, who with his colleagues recently launched the Duke Center for Advanced Genomic Technologies (CAGT), a collaboration of the Pratt School of Engineering, Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, and School of Medicine. Were very excited to be at the center of those efforts and greatly appreciate the support of the NIH SCGE Program to realize this vision.

For their first grant, Gersbach will collaborate with fellow Duke biomedical engineering faculty Nenad Bursac and George Truskey to monitor how genome editing affects engineered human muscle tissue. Through their new project, the team will use human pluripotent stem cells to make human muscle tissues in the lab, specifically skeletal and cardiac muscle, which are often affected by genetic diseases. These systems will then serve as a more accurate model for monitoring the health of human tissues, on-target and off-target genome modifications, tissue regeneration, and possible immune responses during CRISPR-mediated genome editing.

Currently, most genetic testing occurs using animal models, but those dont always accurately replicate the human response to therapy, says Truskey, the Goodson Professor of Biomedical Engineering.

Bursac adds, We have a long history of engineering human cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues with the right cell types and physiology to model the response to gene editing systems like CRISPR. With these platforms, we hope to help predict how muscle will respond in a human trial.

Gersbach will work with Tim Reddy, a Duke associate professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics, and Rodolphe Barrangou, the Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor in Probiotics Research at North Carolina State University, on the second grant. According to Gersbach, this has the potential to extend the impact of genome editing technologies to a greater diversity of diseases, as many common diseases, such as neurodegenerative and autoimmune conditions, result from too much or too little of certain genes rather than a single genetic mutation. This work builds on previous collaborations between Gersbach, Barrangou and Reddy developing both new CRISPR systems for gene regulation and to regulate the epigenome rather than permanently delete DNA sequences.

Aravind Asokan leads Dukes initial SCGE grant, which explores the the evolution of next generation of adeno-associated viruses (AAVs), which have emerged as a safe and effective system to deliver gene therapies to targeted cells, especially those involved in neuromuscular diseases like spinal muscular atrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and other myopathies. However, delivery of genome editing tools to the stem cells of neuromuscular tissue is particularly challenging. This collaboration between Asokan and Gersbach builds on their previous work in using AAV and CRISPR to treat animal models of DMD.

We aim to correct mutations not just in the mature muscle cells, but also in the muscle stem cells that regenerate skeletal muscle tissue, explainsAsokan. This approach is critical to ensuring long-term stability of genome editing in muscle and ultimately we hope to establish a paradigm where our cross-cutting viral evolution approach can enable efficient editing in multiple organ systems.

Click through to learn more about the Duke Center for Advanced Genomic Technologies.

Read more:
Duke Researchers Garner Over $6 Million in NIH Funding to Fight Genetic Diseases - Duke Today

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Duke Researchers Garner Over $6 Million in NIH Funding to Fight Genetic Diseases – Duke Today | January 4th, 2020

Cardiac rhythm management refers to a process of monitoring functioning of the heart through devices. Cardiac rhythm management devices are used to provide therapeutic solutions to patients suffering from cardiac disorders such as cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, and cardiac arrests. Cardiac disorders lead to irregular heartbeat. Technological advancements and rise in the number of deaths due to increasing incidences of heart diseases and increasing aging population are some of the major factors driving the cardiac rhythm management market. Heart disease is one of the primary causes of death in the U. S. Excess of alcohol consumption; smoking, high cholesterol levels, and obesity are some of the major causes of heart diseases.

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Cardiac rhythm management is conducted through two major devices: implantable cardiac rhythm devices and pacemakers. Implantable cardiac rhythm devices treat patients with an improper heartbeat. Based on the device, the cardiac rhythm management market can be segmented into defibrillators, pacemakers, cardiac resynchronization therapy devices, implantable defibrillators, and external defibrillators. Pacemakers are used to treat patients with a slow heartbeat. Based on the end user, the cardiac rhythm management market can be segmented into hospitals, home/ambulatory, and others.

North America has the largest market for cardiac rhythm management due to improved healthcare infrastructure, government initiatives, rise in incidences of cardiac disorders, growing number of deaths due to cardiovascular diseases,and increasing healthcare expenditure in the region. The North America market for cardiac rhythm management is followed by Europe. Asia is expected to witness high growth rate in the cardiac rhythm management market in the next few years due to increasing incidences of cardiovascular diseases, growing disposable income, rise in awareness regarding heart disorders and relevant treatments, and improving healthcare infrastructure in the region.

Increasing the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, technological advancements, rise in life expectancy, increasing awareness regarding cardiac disorders, and government initiatives are some of the major factors that are expected to drive the market for cardiac rhythm management. In addition, factors such as a rise in disposable income, increasing aging population, and high cost associated with heart disease treatment are expected to drive the market for cardiac rhythm management. However, economic downturn, reimbursement issues, the importance of biologics and stem cells, and inappropriate use of the devices are some of the factors restraining the growth of the global cardiac rhythm management market.

Growing population and economies in the developing countries such as India and China are expected to drive the growth of the cardiac rhythm management market in Asia. In addition,factors such as innovations along with technological advancements such as miniaturization, introduction of MRI pacemakers, biocompatible materials and durable batteries, and continuous rise in aging population and increasing cardiovascular diseases such as arrhythmias, stroke, and high blood pressure are expected to create new opportunities for the global cardiac rhythm management market. An increasing number of mergers and acquisitions, rise in the number of collaborations and partnerships, and new product launches are some of the latest trends in the global cardiac rhythm management market. Some of the major companies operating in the global cardiac rhythm management market are

Other companies with significant presence in the global cardiac rhythm management market include

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Key geographies evaluated in this report are:

Key features of this report

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Cardiac Rhythm Management Market Development, Key Opportunity and Analysis of Leading Players to 2015 To 2021 - Info Street Wire

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Cardiac Rhythm Management Market Development, Key Opportunity and Analysis of Leading Players to 2015 To 2021 – Info Street Wire | December 30th, 2019

Stem Cell Assay Market: Snapshot

Stem cell assay refers to the procedure of measuring the potency of antineoplastic drugs, on the basis of their capability of retarding the growth of human tumor cells. The assay consists of qualitative or quantitative analysis or testing of affected tissues and tumors, wherein their toxicity, impurity, and other aspects are studied.

Download Brochure of This Market Report at https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=40

With the growing number of successful stem cell therapy treatment cases, the global market for stem cell assays will gain substantial momentum. A number of research and development projects are lending a hand to the growth of the market. For instance, the University of Washingtons Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM) has attempted to manipulate stem cells to heal eye, kidney, and heart injuries. A number of diseases such as Alzheimers, spinal cord injury, Parkinsons, diabetes, stroke, retinal disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and neurological diseases can be successfully treated via stem cell therapy. Therefore, stem cell assays will exhibit growing demand.

Another key development in the stem cell assay market is the development of innovative stem cell therapies. In April 2017, for instance, the first participant in an innovative clinical trial at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health was successfully treated with stem cell therapy. CardiAMP, the investigational therapy, has been designed to direct a large dose of the patients own bone-marrow cells to the point of cardiac injury, stimulating the natural healing response of the body.

Newer areas of application in medicine are being explored constantly. Consequently, stem cell assays are likely to play a key role in the formulation of treatments of a number of diseases.

Global Stem Cell Assay Market: Overview

The increasing investment in research and development of novel therapeutics owing to the rising incidence of chronic diseases has led to immense growth in the global stem cell assay market. In the next couple of years, the market is expected to spawn into a multi-billion dollar industry as healthcare sector and governments around the world increase their research spending.

The report analyzes the prevalent opportunities for the markets growth and those that companies should capitalize in the near future to strengthen their position in the market. It presents insights into the growth drivers and lists down the major restraints. Additionally, the report gauges the effect of Porters five forces on the overall stem cell assay market.

Global Stem Cell Assay Market: Key Market Segments

For the purpose of the study, the report segments the global stem cell assay market based on various parameters. For instance, in terms of assay type, the market can be segmented into isolation and purification, viability, cell identification, differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and function. By kit, the market can be bifurcated into human embryonic stem cell kits and adult stem cell kits. Based on instruments, flow cytometer, cell imaging systems, automated cell counter, and micro electrode arrays could be the key market segments.

In terms of application, the market can be segmented into drug discovery and development, clinical research, and regenerative medicine and therapy. The growth witnessed across the aforementioned application segments will be influenced by the increasing incidence of chronic ailments which will translate into the rising demand for regenerative medicines. Finally, based on end users, research institutes and industry research constitute the key market segments.

The report includes a detailed assessment of the various factors influencing the markets expansion across its key segments. The ones holding the most lucrative prospects are analyzed, and the factors restraining its trajectory across key segments are also discussed at length.

Global Stem Cell Assay Market: Regional Analysis

Regionally, the market is expected to witness heightened demand in the developed countries across Europe and North America. The increasing incidence of chronic ailments and the subsequently expanding patient population are the chief drivers of the stem cell assay market in North America. Besides this, the market is also expected to witness lucrative opportunities in Asia Pacific and Rest of the World.

Global Stem Cell Assay Market: Vendor Landscape

A major inclusion in the report is the detailed assessment of the markets vendor landscape. For the purpose of the study the report therefore profiles some of the leading players having influence on the overall market dynamics. It also conducts SWOT analysis to study the strengths and weaknesses of the companies profiled and identify threats and opportunities that these enterprises are forecast to witness over the course of the reports forecast period.

Some of the most prominent enterprises operating in the global stem cell assay market are Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc (U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (U.S.), GE Healthcare (U.K.), Hemogenix Inc. (U.S.), Promega Corporation (U.S.), Bio-Techne Corporation (U.S.), Merck KGaA (Germany), STEMCELL Technologies Inc. (CA), Cell Biolabs, Inc. (U.S.), and Cellular Dynamics International, Inc. (U.S.).

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TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.

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Stem Cell Assay Market Expected to Witness a Sustainable Growth over 2025 - Filmi Baba

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Stem Cell Assay Market Expected to Witness a Sustainable Growth over 2025 – Filmi Baba | December 30th, 2019

Sci-fi is obviously bizarre. You see phenomena like parallel universes, holograms, suspended animation, human-animal hybrids, zombification ... wait. Things that could once only exist on a movie screen have now been invented in a lab or spawned on a petri dish. If there is one thing this past year taught us, its that actual science can be weirder than science fiction.

Whether they give you Avengers: Endgame realness or Doctor Who dj vu, or make you wonder what kind of Star Trek type of future were hurtling toward, the most incredible scientific discoveries weve unearthed in 2019 should blow your mind just a little.

While we cant yet just freeze human animation for a journey to Mars, doctors have made an incredible breakthrough. Acute trauma can escalate to cardiac arrest in minutes, but Dr. Samuel Tisherman and his team have figured out how to stop death in its tracks by inducing a near-death state. The process of emergency preservation and resuscitation (EPR) is a way of buying surgery time for patients suffering from potentially fatal injuries. Being that close to the brink and actually waking up is nothing short of unreal.

Sure, the holograms in Star Wars look real enough, but actual holograms go beyond special effects and into hardcore physics. The newest holograms on the scene upgrade even that technology because now, anyone who doesnt believe what they see can actually feel them. To achieve this, atiny polystyrene bead is trapped in a pocket of low air pressure, which levitates the bead.Its direction can be changed so fast that your brain will perceive those movements as visible and tangible shapes.

SYFY WIRE was there when Doubletree Hotels launched their famous cookie dough to the ISS along with an oven created especially for microgravity by Nanoracks and Zero-G Kitchen. Whats on the menu for astronauts is pretty limited, and proving that this experiment works could mean that we start seeing space burgers and pizza and just about anything that wouldnt result in a floating mess. If this works, it could mean anyone headed for the Moon or Mars wont solely exist on vacuum-packed dinners.

When a physicist who was an advisor on Avengers: Endgame says that infinite versions of you possiblyexist, there is going to be no way to unsee or unhear that. Sean Carroll believes that the universe can be in endless superpositions just like electrons used in quantum physics experiments. The only catch is that you have to believe those superpositions are real. While all these universes only exist in theory, that theory has yet to be disproved.

Just when we thought a disembodied brain like Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was impossible, scientists managed to grow organoid brains from stem cells. The eerie part is that these brains developed the same kind of spontaneous brain waves observed in premature babies. Nobody is out to create a Krang, but rather use these organoids to study autism and schizophrenia, which is already happening, and eventually Parkinsons, Alzheimers, and other diseases that attack the brain.

Regeneration might not just be for Gallifreyan time lords. Humans have been found to have regenerative ability in their cartilage, so even though we cant grow back entire limbs like an axolotl (yet), this could mean a breakthrough for restoring joint tissues and treating osteoarthritis.

Humanoid animals are no shock in sci-fi just think of the terrifying(and seductive) hybrid inSplice (above). But when Japan gave the go-ahead for experiments that will merge human and animal genes this summer, was it going too far? Human DNA will be spliced into animal embryos that will then be implanted into surrogate animal parents. Before you completely freak out, at least the reasoning behind this was that human DNA in animal organs will make it possible for more people to undergo successful organ transplants.

So maybe dinosaur de-extinction isnt happening, but cells extracted from a 28,000-year-old frozen mammoth specimen known as Yuka still did something unbelievable. The cells couldnt divide (which would have meant full zombification) but were actually able to get through some pre-division phases before they finally gave up. It was surprising the cells couldnt go further on a mummy so intact, so rule out an Ice Age version of Jurassic Park, at least for now.

Is it any surprise that the company whose search engine tookover cyberspace has now birthed the fastest computer processor ever? Googles 54-qubit Sycamore quantum processor can make ridiculously complex computations that would take the next fastest supercomputer on the planet 10,000 years to figure out. Obviously, nobodys got time for that. This artificial brain could also mean everything from lighter car batteries to lower carbon emissions, which were totally here for.

Next to everything hes blasted off into space with SpaceX (if it didn't explode first), the futuretech mogul has been advancing a system that could reverse neurological diseases and even make it possible to hook your brain up to AI someday. He also released a swarm of satellites to beam down space internet, and put out a car inspired by James Bonds Lotus Esprit submarine. Want lasers for windshield wipers? Hes working on that,too.

The thing about Musk is that hes a fearless innovator when it comes to tech that we only thought we could imagine or couldnt even imagine. You also know this is a man whos serious about building the future when he himself believes hell end up living on Mars.

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Suspended animation, you say? The biggest and freakiest scientific breakthroughs of 2019 - SYFY WIRE

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Suspended animation, you say? The biggest and freakiest scientific breakthroughs of 2019 – SYFY WIRE | December 29th, 2019

The report covers the forecast and analysis of the gene therapy market on a global and regional level. The study provides historical data from 2015 to 2018 along with a forecast from 2019 to 2027 based on revenue (USD Million). The study includes drivers and restraints of the gene therapy market along with the impact they have on the demand over the forecast period. Additionally, the report includes the study of opportunities available in the gene therapy market on a global level.

In order to give the users of this report a comprehensive view of the gene therapy market, we have included a competitive landscape and an analysis of Porters Five Forces model for the market. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, wherein all the segments are bench marked based on their market size, growth rate, and general attractiveness.

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The report provides company market share analysis to give a broader overview of the key players in the market. In addition, the report also covers key strategic developments of the market including acquisitions & mergers, new service launches, agreements, partnerships, collaborations & joint ventures, research & development, and regional expansion of major participants involved in the market on a global and regional basis.

The study provides a decisive view of the gene therapy market by segmenting the market based on the type, vector type, therapy area, and regions. All the segments have been analyzed based on present and future trends and the market is estimated from 2019 to 2027. The regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.

Gene therapy is utilized for treating neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and spinal muscular atrophy. Gene therapy is one of the key treatment kinds that will propel the market growth over the forecast period. Moreover, gene therapy also finds lucrative applications in precision medicine. In addition to this, a rise in the occurrence of cancer is prompting the demand to treat the disease through gene therapy.

Based on the type, the market can be segregated into Germ Line Gene Therapy and Somatic Gene Therapy. In terms of vector type, the gene therapy industry can be divided into Viral Vectors, Non-Viral Vectors, and Human Artificial Chromosome. On the basis of therapy area, the market for gene therapy can be classified into Cancer, Neurological Diseases, Infectious Diseases, Genetic Disorders, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Others.

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The key players included in this market are Advanced Cell & Gene Therapy, Audentes Therapeutics, Benitec Biopharma, Biogen, Blubird Bio, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, CHIESI Farmaceutici SPA, Eurofins Scientific, Geneta Science, Genzyme Corporation, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Human Stem Cells institute, Novartis AG, Orchard Therapeutics, Pfizer Inc., Sangamo therapeutics, Spark therapeutics, and Voyager Therapeutics.

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Gene Therapy Market 2019-2027 / Trends, Growth, Opportunities And Top Key - Market Research Sheets

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Gene Therapy Market 2019-2027 / Trends, Growth, Opportunities And Top Key – Market Research Sheets | December 27th, 2019

University of Houston's C.T. Bauer College of Business has received its second largest donation to benefit its entrepreneurship program.

The Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, which was recently ranked the top undergraduate entrepreneurship program in the country, received the $13 million gift from its namesake foundation The Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Family Foundation and the state of Texas is expected to match an additional $2 million, bringing the total impact to $15 million.

"Our family is deeply committed to the ideals of entrepreneurship," says Cyvia Wolff in a news release. "Our business personified everything that it means to be an entrepreneur. The skills, the thinking, the mindset are fundamental to success for business leaders today and in the future. On behalf of my late husband, we are truly honored to ensure the entrepreneurial legacy not only endures but remains accessible for students. We are truly honored to be part of this program and university."

The money will be used to create three endowments for the program. The Dave Cook Leadership Endowment, named for the center's director, Dave Cook, will be created and funded with $7 million of the donation to support leadership within the organization. For $4 million, the center will create the Wolff Legacy Endowment, which aims to increase students involved in the center, as well as the companies coming out of the program. The last $2 million will be used to create the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Endowed Chair(s)/Professorship(s) in Entrepreneurship. This initiative will support research and community outreach.

"We are passionate about entrepreneurship and how it can forever change students' lives," says Bauer Dean Paul A. Pavlou in the release. "We seek to further promote entrepreneurship as a university-wide, even citywide effort, by collaborating within and across the university in a multitude of areas, such as technology, health care, arts and sports."

The program was created in the mid '90s and was later renamed after Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff in 2007, and has seen great success over the past decade. In that time, Wolff students have created 1,270 businesses, with identified funding of just over $268 million. According to the release, the program has been ranked in the top two spots of the Princeton Review's top undergraduate entrepreneurship programs for nine of the past 12 years.

"Entrepreneurship is crucial for the future of our country, as well as our city and state," says UH President Renu Khator in the release. "We are proud to be at the forefront of work around entrepreneurial training and research. The uniqueness of our program has and continues to make it the model program. This extraordinary gift ensures our leadership in this space will continue and will support the creation of businesses, change communities and impact our students' lives."

At UH, 2,500 students take at least one entrepreneurship course a year, and more than 700 students complete certificate programs.

"What we are doing is transformative in the lives of students, mentors and stakeholders in a way that elevates everyone towards excellence," Cook, who was named the director of the program in 2017, says in the release. "The impact of this gift allows us to remain the leader and to move forward with confidence, purpose and permanence."

Link:
3 innovative research projects coming out of the University of Houston - InnovationMap

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on 3 innovative research projects coming out of the University of Houston – InnovationMap | December 27th, 2019

Stem Cell Assay Market: Snapshot

Stem cell assay refers to the procedure of measuring the potency of antineoplastic drugs, on the basis of their capability of retarding the growth of human tumor cells. The assay consists of qualitative or quantitative analysis or testing of affected tissues and tumors, wherein their toxicity, impurity, and other aspects are studied.

Download Brochure of This Market Report at https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=40

With the growing number of successful stem cell therapy treatment cases, the global market for stem cell assays will gain substantial momentum. A number of research and development projects are lending a hand to the growth of the market. For instance, the University of Washingtons Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM) has attempted to manipulate stem cells to heal eye, kidney, and heart injuries. A number of diseases such as Alzheimers, spinal cord injury, Parkinsons, diabetes, stroke, retinal disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and neurological diseases can be successfully treated via stem cell therapy. Therefore, stem cell assays will exhibit growing demand.

Another key development in the stem cell assay market is the development of innovative stem cell therapies. In April 2017, for instance, the first participant in an innovative clinical trial at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health was successfully treated with stem cell therapy. CardiAMP, the investigational therapy, has been designed to direct a large dose of the patients own bone-marrow cells to the point of cardiac injury, stimulating the natural healing response of the body.

Newer areas of application in medicine are being explored constantly. Consequently, stem cell assays are likely to play a key role in the formulation of treatments of a number of diseases.

Global Stem Cell Assay Market: Overview

The increasing investment in research and development of novel therapeutics owing to the rising incidence of chronic diseases has led to immense growth in the global stem cell assay market. In the next couple of years, the market is expected to spawn into a multi-billion dollar industry as healthcare sector and governments around the world increase their research spending.

The report analyzes the prevalent opportunities for the markets growth and those that companies should capitalize in the near future to strengthen their position in the market. It presents insights into the growth drivers and lists down the major restraints. Additionally, the report gauges the effect of Porters five forces on the overall stem cell assay market.

Global Stem Cell Assay Market: Key Market Segments

For the purpose of the study, the report segments the global stem cell assay market based on various parameters. For instance, in terms of assay type, the market can be segmented into isolation and purification, viability, cell identification, differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and function. By kit, the market can be bifurcated into human embryonic stem cell kits and adult stem cell kits. Based on instruments, flow cytometer, cell imaging systems, automated cell counter, and micro electrode arrays could be the key market segments.

In terms of application, the market can be segmented into drug discovery and development, clinical research, and regenerative medicine and therapy. The growth witnessed across the aforementioned application segments will be influenced by the increasing incidence of chronic ailments which will translate into the rising demand for regenerative medicines. Finally, based on end users, research institutes and industry research constitute the key market segments.

The report includes a detailed assessment of the various factors influencing the markets expansion across its key segments. The ones holding the most lucrative prospects are analyzed, and the factors restraining its trajectory across key segments are also discussed at length.

Global Stem Cell Assay Market: Regional Analysis

Regionally, the market is expected to witness heightened demand in the developed countries across Europe and North America. The increasing incidence of chronic ailments and the subsequently expanding patient population are the chief drivers of the stem cell assay market in North America. Besides this, the market is also expected to witness lucrative opportunities in Asia Pacific and Rest of the World.

Global Stem Cell Assay Market: Vendor Landscape

A major inclusion in the report is the detailed assessment of the markets vendor landscape. For the purpose of the study the report therefore profiles some of the leading players having influence on the overall market dynamics. It also conducts SWOT analysis to study the strengths and weaknesses of the companies profiled and identify threats and opportunities that these enterprises are forecast to witness over the course of the reports forecast period.

Some of the most prominent enterprises operating in the global stem cell assay market are Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc (U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (U.S.), GE Healthcare (U.K.), Hemogenix Inc. (U.S.), Promega Corporation (U.S.), Bio-Techne Corporation (U.S.), Merck KGaA (Germany), STEMCELL Technologies Inc. (CA), Cell Biolabs, Inc. (U.S.), and Cellular Dynamics International, Inc. (U.S.).

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About TMR Research:

TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.

Contact:

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I am an active day trader spending the majority of my time analyzing earnings reports and watching commodities and derivatives. I have a Masters Degree in Economics from Westminster University with previous roles counting Investment Banking.

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Stem Cell Assay Market Predicted to Accelerate the Growth by 2017-2025 - News Cast Report

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Stem Cell Assay Market Predicted to Accelerate the Growth by 2017-2025 – News Cast Report | December 27th, 2019

A research team from the University of Houston has found a way to use the stem cells found in fat and guide it to become a pacemaker-like cell, according to a new study.

We are reprogramming the cardiac progenitor cell and guiding it to become a conducting cell of the heart to conduct electrical current, said study co-author Bradley McConnell, associate professor of pharmacology, in a press release

The team, publishing the study in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, worked on converting adipogenic mesenchymal stem cells, which reside within fat cells, into cardia progenitor cells. The ensuing cardiac progenitor cells can be programmed to aid heartbeats as a sinoatrial node (SAN), which is part of the electrical cardiac conduction system.

The researchers used what they called a standard screening strategy to test for reprogramming factors for converting human cardiac progenitor cells into pacemaker-like cells. According to their study results, the authors observed expressions of many pacemaker-specific genes, including CX30.2, KCNN4, HCN4, HCN3, HCN1, and SCN3b. The authors wrote that SHOX2, HCN2, and TBX5 (SHT5) combinations of transcription factors were much better candidate(s) in driving cardiac progenitor cells into pacemaker-like cells than other combinations and single transcription factors.

Results of this study show that the SHT5 combination of transcription factors can reprogram CPCs into Pacemaker-like cells, they wrote in their conclusion. SHT5 may be used as a potential stem cell therapy for sick sinus syndrome (SSS) and for other cardiac conduction diseases.

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The Next Generation of Biologic Pacemakers? New Discovery in Stem Cells from Fat Creates Another Alternative Treatment - DocWire News

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on The Next Generation of Biologic Pacemakers? New Discovery in Stem Cells from Fat Creates Another Alternative Treatment – DocWire News | December 25th, 2019

Dec 23, 2019 05:03 AM EST

Origami's new role in the field of science and technology has definitely taken a turn for the better in the recent decade. Better known as origami engineering, the practice is used to reduce structures or maximize space and function.

Origami engineering has made great strides in the medical field in particular. The same principles used in origami, when applied to medical devices, allows implants to be folded to minuscule sizes and then unfolded to its actual size. The reverse is also applicable, where like toothpaste tubes, can be fully de-compressed.

Folding techniques could transform flat objects with wrinkles to increase resilience, shock-absorbance, strength, or rigidity. Origami provides a unique insight into how single pieces could sustainably be packaged without cutting, welding, or riveting, allowing for cheaper manufacturing costs and easier assembly.

The utility of origami engineering has captured the attention of people such as Rebecca Taylor, assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Mechanical Engineering. Taylor specializes in microfabrication and biomechanics, a study that has helped her fabricate microscale sensors to reliably assess cardiomyocytes derived from stem cells. A natural inclination to similar practice, Dr. Taylor has developed an origami-based DNA synthetic cardiac contractile protein, which allowed her to observe merging mechanics in multiprotein, acto-myosinc contractile systems.

As a professor, Taylor expands on the utilization of DNA origami in medicine. This technique (also referred to by Dr. Taylor as "bottom-up manufacturing"), allows improvement in nanomanufacturing and nanomechanics of multiprotein systems, paving the way for heart stents that could unfold in a very precise location.

The problem, however, is on how to deploy these structures in a 100% fault-free way. To illustrate this, a common problem that impedes the creation of pop-up tents that could self-assemble at the press of the button is when the folds of the tent get stuck during the folding process on occasion.

Understandably, this raises some concern among those who are keen to use self-folding nanomachines in medicine.

So this is where origami comes in.

According to University of Chicago scientists, the limits of self-folding structures could be intrinsic in that so-called "sticking points" seem to be unavoidable.

Previously thought possible to engineer around, the researchers observed the capacity of foldable structures by creating mathematical models. During the experiment, the team had designed structures capable of self-folding, such as paper origami and nanobots, and creating creases in them beforehand. The result was that when more pre-creases were added to the folds, the more branches in the next folding process could form and the more likely the self-folding mechanism is to get stuck.

Origami engineering is a relatively new innovation. Its application is vast and can be of use to not only technology but to medicine as well. The development of the field itself, then, needs to pick up at a faster pace in order to cater to the intelligent design of foldable structures and materials. But while there are creases in the field that needs to be smoothed out, the greater promise of origami engineering has brought about several research papers in its wake.

RELATED ARTICLE: Swallowed a Battery? Ingestible Origami Robot Made from Pig Gut Can Remove It,Stop Stomach Bleeding

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Stem Cell Therapy Market: Snapshot

Of late, there has been an increasing awareness regarding the therapeutic potential of stem cells for management of diseases which is boosting the growth of the stem cell therapy market. The development of advanced genome based cell analysis techniques, identification of new stem cell lines, increasing investments in research and development as well as infrastructure development for the processing and banking of stem cell are encouraging the growth of the global stem cell therapy market.

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One of the key factors boosting the growth of this market is the limitations of traditional organ transplantation such as the risk of infection, rejection, and immunosuppression risk. Another drawback of conventional organ transplantation is that doctors have to depend on organ donors completely. All these issues can be eliminated, by the application of stem cell therapy. Another factor which is helping the growth in this market is the growing pipeline and development of drugs for emerging applications. Increased research studies aiming to widen the scope of stem cell will also fuel the growth of the market. Scientists are constantly engaged in trying to find out novel methods for creating human stem cells in response to the growing demand for stem cell production to be used for disease management.

It is estimated that the dermatology application will contribute significantly the growth of the global stem cell therapy market. This is because stem cell therapy can help decrease the after effects of general treatments for burns such as infections, scars, and adhesion. The increasing number of patients suffering from diabetes and growing cases of trauma surgery will fuel the adoption of stem cell therapy in the dermatology segment.

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Overview

Also called regenerative medicine, stem cell therapy encourages the reparative response of damaged, diseased, or dysfunctional tissue via the use of stem cells and their derivatives. Replacing the practice of organ transplantations, stem cell therapies have eliminated the dependence on availability of donors. Bone marrow transplant is perhaps the most commonly employed stem cell therapy.

Osteoarthritis, cerebral palsy, heart failure, multiple sclerosis and even hearing loss could be treated using stem cell therapies. Doctors have successfully performed stem cell transplants that significantly aid patients fight cancers such as leukemia and other blood-related diseases.

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Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Key Trends

The key factors influencing the growth of the global stem cell therapy market are increasing funds in the development of new stem lines, the advent of advanced genomic procedures used in stem cell analysis, and greater emphasis on human embryonic stem cells. As the traditional organ transplantations are associated with limitations such as infection, rejection, and immunosuppression along with high reliance on organ donors, the demand for stem cell therapy is likely to soar. The growing deployment of stem cells in the treatment of wounds and damaged skin, scarring, and grafts is another prominent catalyst of the market.

On the contrary, inadequate infrastructural facilities coupled with ethical issues related to embryonic stem cells might impede the growth of the market. However, the ongoing research for the manipulation of stem cells from cord blood cells, bone marrow, and skin for the treatment of ailments including cardiovascular and diabetes will open up new doors for the advancement of the market.

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Market Potential

A number of new studies, research projects, and development of novel therapies have come forth in the global market for stem cell therapy. Several of these treatments are in the pipeline, while many others have received approvals by regulatory bodies.

In March 2017, Belgian biotech company TiGenix announced that its cardiac stem cell therapy, AlloCSC-01 has successfully reached its phase I/II with positive results. Subsequently, it has been approved by the U.S. FDA. If this therapy is well- received by the market, nearly 1.9 million AMI patients could be treated through this stem cell therapy.

Another significant development is the granting of a patent to Israel-based Kadimastem Ltd. for its novel stem-cell based technology to be used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other similar conditions of the nervous system. The companys technology used for producing supporting cells in the central nervous system, taken from human stem cells such as myelin-producing cells is also covered in the patent.

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Regional Outlook

The global market for stem cell therapy can be segmented into Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. North America emerged as the leading regional market, triggered by the rising incidence of chronic health conditions and government support. Europe also displays significant growth potential, as the benefits of this therapy are increasingly acknowledged.

Asia Pacific is slated for maximum growth, thanks to the massive patient pool, bulk of investments in stem cell therapy projects, and the increasing recognition of growth opportunities in countries such as China, Japan, and India by the leading market players.

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Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Competitive Analysis

Several firms are adopting strategies such as mergers and acquisitions, collaborations, and partnerships, apart from product development with a view to attain a strong foothold in the global market for stem cell therapy.

Some of the major companies operating in the global market for stem cell therapy are RTI Surgical, Inc., MEDIPOST Co., Ltd., Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., NuVasive, Inc., Pharmicell Co., Ltd., Anterogen Co., Ltd., JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., and Holostem Terapie Avanzate S.r.l.

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