With so many groundbreaking medical advances being revealed to the world every single day, you would imagine there would be some advancement on the plethora of many female-prevalent diseases (think female cancers, Alzheimer's, depression, heart conditions etc.) that women are fighting every single day.

For Anna Villarreal and her team, there frankly wasn't enough being done. In turn, she developed a method that diagnoses these diseases earlier than traditional methods, using a pretty untraditional method in itself: through your menstrual blood.

Getting from point A to point B wasn't so easy though. Villarreal was battling a disease herself and through that experience. I wondered if there was a way to test menstrual blood for female specific diseases," she says. "Perhaps my situation could have been prevented or at least better managed. This led me to begin researching menstrual blood as a diagnostic source. For reasons the scientific and medical community do not fully understand, certain diseases impact women differently than men. The research shows that clinical trials have a disproportionate focus on male research subjects despite clear evidence that many diseases impact more women than men."

There's also no denying that gap in women's healthcare in clinical research involving female subjects - which is exactly what inspired Villarreal to launch her company, LifeStory Health. She says that, with my personal experience everything was brought full circle."

There is a challenge and a need in the medical community for more sex-specific research. I believe the omission of females as research subjects is putting women's health at risk and we need to fuel a conversation that will improve women's healthcare.,"

-Anna Villarreal

Her brand new biotech company is committed to changing the women's healthcare market through technology, innovation and vocalization and through extensive research and testing. She is working to develop the first ever, non-invasive, menstrual blood diagnostic and has partnered with a top Boston-area University on research and has won awards from The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Northeastern University's RISE.

How does it work exactly? Proteins are discovered in menstrual blood that can quickly and easily detect, manage and track diseases in women, resulting in diseases that can be earlier detected, treated and even prevented in the first place. The menstrual blood is easy to collect and since it's a relatively unexplored diagnostic it's honestly a really revolutionary concept, too.

So far, the reactions of this innovative research has been nothing but excitement. The reactions have been incredibly positive." she shares with SWAAY. Currently, menstrual blood is discarded as bio waste, but it could carry the potential for new breakthroughs in diagnosis. When I educate women on the lack of female subjects used in research and clinical trials, they are surprised and very excited at the prospect that LifeStory Health may provide a solution and the key to early detection."

To give a doctor's input, and a little bit more of an explanation as to why this really works, Dr. Pat Salber, MD, and Founder of The Doctor Weighs In comments: researchers have been studying stem cells derived from menstrual blood for more than a decade. Stem cells are cells that have the capability of differentiating into different types of tissues. There are two major types of stem cells, embryonic and adult. Adult stem cells have a more limited differentiation potential, but avoid the ethical issues that have surrounded research with embryonic stem cells. Stem cells from menstrual blood are adult stem cells."

These stem cells are so important when it comes to new findings. Stem cells serve as the backbone of research in the field of regenerative medicine the focus which is to grow tissues, such as skin, to repair burn and other types of serious skin wounds.

A certain type of stem cell, known as mesenchymal stem cells (MenSCs) derived from menstrual blood has been found to both grow well in the lab and have the capability to differentiate in various cell types, including skin. In addition to being used to grow tissues, their properties can be studied that will elucidate many different aspects of cell function," Dr. Salber explains.

To show the outpour of support for her efforts and this major girl power research, Villarreal remarks, women are volunteering their samples happily report the arrival of their periods by giving samples to our lab announcing de-identified sample number XXX arrived today!" It's a far cry from the stereotype of when it's that time of the month."

How are these collections being done? Although it might sound odd to collect menstrual blood, plastic cups have been developed to use in the collection process. This is similar to menstrual products, called menstrual cups, that have been on the market for many years," Dr. Salber says.

Equally shocking and innovative, this might be something that becomes more common practice in the future. And according to Dr. Salber, women may be able to not only use the menstrual blood for early detection, but be able to store the stem cells from it to help treat future diseases. Companies are working to commercialize the use of menstrual blood stem cells. One company, for example, is offering a patented service to store menstrual blood stem cells for use in tissue generation if the need arises."

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How I Went From Managing Complexity to Becoming a U.S. Ambassador and CEO - SWAAY

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on How I Went From Managing Complexity to Becoming a U.S. Ambassador and CEO – SWAAY | January 25th, 2020

The first symposium of the South West Brain Tumour Centre was held on Thursday at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. During a fascinating and very well attended event, topics covered included the mechanism of tumour development, new drug targets, new biomarkers and brain tumour imaging. The South West Brain Tumour centre is of course one of the UK Centres of Excellence funded by Brain Tumour Research.

A really big cancer wide story this week is here Immune discovery 'may treat all cancer' applicable to some solid tumours but not yet brain it really shows the direction of travel toward immunotherapy I have recommended this book before but if interested please do read The Breakthrough by Charles Graeber it is available on Amazon and you can read reviews here - http://www.charlesgraeber.com.Researchers uncover novel drug target for glioblastoma by revealing a cellular pathway that appears to contribute to glioma stem cell spread and proliferation. This pathway shows that glioma stem cells ability to access key nutrients in their surrounding microenvironment is integral for their maintenance and spread. Finding a way to interrupt this feedback loop will be important for treating glioblastoma.

An intelligent molecule could significantly extend the lives of patients with glioblastoma, research finds. The molecule, called ZR2002, which can be administered orally and is capable of penetrating the blood-brain barrier, could delay the multiplication of glioblastoma stem cells resistant to standard treatment. According to scientists in the Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) the ZR2002 molecule is designed to kill two birds with one stone: on top of attacking the tumour, it destroys its defence system.

Researchers find clues to drug resistance in medulloblastoma subtype.US scientists have identified specific types of cells that cause targeted treatment to fail in a subtype of medulloblastoma. They found while the majority of cells responded to treatment, diverse populations within the tumour continue to grow leadingto treatment resistance. They concluded that the diversity of cells within tumours allow them to become rapidly resistant to precisely targeted treatments," and that due to this tumour cell diversity, molecularly precise therapies should be used in combinations to be effective."

Nanoparticles deliver 'suicide gene' therapy to paediatric brain tumours growing in mice So-called "suicide genes" have been studied and used in cancer treatments for more than 25 years. Researchers report here that a type of biodegradable, lab-engineered nanoparticle they fashioned can successfully deliver a ''suicide gene'' to paediatric brain tumour cells implanted in the brains of mice.

According to a study that uncovers an unexpected connection between gliomas and neurodegenerative diseases a protein typically associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers might help scientists explore how gliomas become so aggressive. The new study, in mouse models and human brain tumour tissues, was published in Science Translational Medicine and found a significant expression of the protein TAU in glioma cells, especially in those patients with better prognoses. Patients with glioma are given a better prognosis when their tumour expresses a mutation in a gene called isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1). In this international collaborative study led by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-UFIEC in Madrid, Spain, those IDHI mutations stimulated the expression of TAU. Then, the presence of TAU acted as a brake for the formation of new blood vessels, which are necessary for the aggressive behaviour of the tumours.

'Innovative research award' helps Colorado scientists block brain cancer escape routes Cancers used to be defined by where they grow in the body - lung cancer, skin cancer, brain cancer, etc. But work in recent decades has shown that cancers sharing specific genetic changes may have more in common than cancers that happen to grow in an area of the body. For example, lung cancers, skin cancers, and brain cancers may all be caused by mutation in a gene called BRAF. Drugs targeting BRAF have changed the treatment landscape for melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer, and are also in use against lung cancers and brain cancers with BRAF mutations. It is really worth clicking through to read more on this and the ultimate goal of identifying new potential targets for combination therapy and new agents that could be added to BRAF inhibiting drugs in brain cancer to keep the cancer from developing resistance.

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Weekly pick of brain tumour research news from around the world - Brain Tumour Research

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Weekly pick of brain tumour research news from around the world – Brain Tumour Research | January 25th, 2020

With so many groundbreaking medical advances being revealed to the world every single day, you would imagine there would be some advancement on the plethora of many female-prevalent diseases (think female cancers, Alzheimer's, depression, heart conditions etc.) that women are fighting every single day.

For Anna Villarreal and her team, there frankly wasn't enough being done. In turn, she developed a method that diagnoses these diseases earlier than traditional methods, using a pretty untraditional method in itself: through your menstrual blood.

Getting from point A to point B wasn't so easy though. Villarreal was battling a disease herself and through that experience. I wondered if there was a way to test menstrual blood for female specific diseases," she says. "Perhaps my situation could have been prevented or at least better managed. This led me to begin researching menstrual blood as a diagnostic source. For reasons the scientific and medical community do not fully understand, certain diseases impact women differently than men. The research shows that clinical trials have a disproportionate focus on male research subjects despite clear evidence that many diseases impact more women than men."

There's also no denying that gap in women's healthcare in clinical research involving female subjects - which is exactly what inspired Villarreal to launch her company, LifeStory Health. She says that, with my personal experience everything was brought full circle."

There is a challenge and a need in the medical community for more sex-specific research. I believe the omission of females as research subjects is putting women's health at risk and we need to fuel a conversation that will improve women's healthcare.,"

-Anna Villarreal

Her brand new biotech company is committed to changing the women's healthcare market through technology, innovation and vocalization and through extensive research and testing. She is working to develop the first ever, non-invasive, menstrual blood diagnostic and has partnered with a top Boston-area University on research and has won awards from The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Northeastern University's RISE.

How does it work exactly? Proteins are discovered in menstrual blood that can quickly and easily detect, manage and track diseases in women, resulting in diseases that can be earlier detected, treated and even prevented in the first place. The menstrual blood is easy to collect and since it's a relatively unexplored diagnostic it's honestly a really revolutionary concept, too.

So far, the reactions of this innovative research has been nothing but excitement. The reactions have been incredibly positive." she shares with SWAAY. Currently, menstrual blood is discarded as bio waste, but it could carry the potential for new breakthroughs in diagnosis. When I educate women on the lack of female subjects used in research and clinical trials, they are surprised and very excited at the prospect that LifeStory Health may provide a solution and the key to early detection."

To give a doctor's input, and a little bit more of an explanation as to why this really works, Dr. Pat Salber, MD, and Founder of The Doctor Weighs In comments: researchers have been studying stem cells derived from menstrual blood for more than a decade. Stem cells are cells that have the capability of differentiating into different types of tissues. There are two major types of stem cells, embryonic and adult. Adult stem cells have a more limited differentiation potential, but avoid the ethical issues that have surrounded research with embryonic stem cells. Stem cells from menstrual blood are adult stem cells."

These stem cells are so important when it comes to new findings. Stem cells serve as the backbone of research in the field of regenerative medicine the focus which is to grow tissues, such as skin, to repair burn and other types of serious skin wounds.

A certain type of stem cell, known as mesenchymal stem cells (MenSCs) derived from menstrual blood has been found to both grow well in the lab and have the capability to differentiate in various cell types, including skin. In addition to being used to grow tissues, their properties can be studied that will elucidate many different aspects of cell function," Dr. Salber explains.

To show the outpour of support for her efforts and this major girl power research, Villarreal remarks, women are volunteering their samples happily report the arrival of their periods by giving samples to our lab announcing de-identified sample number XXX arrived today!" It's a far cry from the stereotype of when it's that time of the month."

How are these collections being done? Although it might sound odd to collect menstrual blood, plastic cups have been developed to use in the collection process. This is similar to menstrual products, called menstrual cups, that have been on the market for many years," Dr. Salber says.

Equally shocking and innovative, this might be something that becomes more common practice in the future. And according to Dr. Salber, women may be able to not only use the menstrual blood for early detection, but be able to store the stem cells from it to help treat future diseases. Companies are working to commercialize the use of menstrual blood stem cells. One company, for example, is offering a patented service to store menstrual blood stem cells for use in tissue generation if the need arises."

Original post:
What I Learned About Marriage as a Survivor of Abuse - SWAAY

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on What I Learned About Marriage as a Survivor of Abuse – SWAAY | January 25th, 2020

It is not uncommon to hear people say that stress causes one's hair to gray. Many famous American Presidents such as George W. Bush and Barrack Obama grayed drastically by the end of their taxing presidencies. Yet, the real exact behind the process has eluded scientists... Until now.

Researchers from Harvard University have finally uncovered the precise mechanism that causes graying using mice. Stress triggers nerves that are closely involved in the fight-or-flight response. This, in turn, causes irreversible damage to pigment-regenerating stem cells that are found in the hair follicles.

"We wanted to understand if this connection is true, and if so, how stress leads to changes in diverse tissues. Hair pigmentation is such an accessible and tractable system to start with and besides, we were genuinely curious to see if stress indeed leads to hair graying," said Chieh Hsu, senior author of the study, in a statement.

Stress affects the entire body. Therefore, the researchers had to first ascertain which system of the body was responsible for linking hair colour to stress. The first hypothesises that was formulated was that stress leads to an immune attack against pigment-producing cells. However, the scientists found that in spite of lacking immune cells, some mice continued to exhibit graying of hair. This prompted the researchers to assess the hormone cortisolwhich also did not prove to be the real culprit.

Citing the increase in the levels of cortisol as a response to stress, the team assumed that hormone played a role in the graying processonly to learn that it did not. "But surprisingly, when we removed the adrenal gland from the mice so that they couldn't produce cortisol-like hormones, their hair still turned gray under stress," Hsu said.

Following the striking down of immune response and cortisol levels from a list of possible causes, the researchers began systematically eliminating the various possibilities. Finally, they set their sights on the sympathetic nerve system, which is attributed to controlling the body's fight-or-flight response.

Sympathetic nerves branch into every hair follicle on the skin. What the authors discovered was that stress promotes the release of the chemical norepinephrine by these nerves. The released chemical is absorbed by the pigment-regenerating stem cells that are situated nearby.

Specific stem cells within the hair follicle act as a reservoir of pigment-generating cells. During the regeneration of hair, some of the stem cells are converted into pigment-producing cells that give hair its color.

The team found that the norepinephrine produced by the sympathetic nerves causes uncontrolled activation of the stem cells. All the stem cells now turn into pigment-producing cells, which in turn lead to the premature depletion of the reservoir.

"Acute stress, particularly the fight-or-flight response, has been traditionally viewed to be beneficial for an animal's survival. But in this case, acute stress causes permanent depletion of stem cells," said Bing Zhang, lead author of the study. Therefore, the study highlights the damaging side effects of a generally beneficial evolutionary response that is often considered vital for survival.

In order to make the connection between stress and graying, the researchers began with a complete-body response and gradually focussed on individual organ systems, cell-to-cell interactions, and finally, down to molecular dynamics. A range of research tools was employed for this process, including techniques to manipulate cell receptors, nerves and organs.

For the intrinsic study that focussed on various macro and micromechanisms of the body, the researchers collaborated with scientists across various disciplines. One such collaborator was Isaac Chiu, assistant professor of immunology at Harvard Medical School.

Pointing out that the current study learned beyond the various known capacities of neurons, Chiu said, "With this study, we now know that neurons can control stem cells and their function, and can explain how they interact at the cellular and molecular level to link stress with hair graying."

The researchers say that these findings may further the understanding of broad-ranging effects of stress on various types of tissues and organs. This knowledge will provide a new foundation to study and develop ways to block or modify the effects of stress.

"Understanding how our tissues change under stress is the first critical step towards eventual treatment that can halt or revert the detrimental impact of stress. We still have a lot to learn in this area," concluded Hsu.

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Scientists zero in on exact reason behind the link between stress and graying of hair - International Business Times, Singapore Edition

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Scientists zero in on exact reason behind the link between stress and graying of hair – International Business Times, Singapore Edition | January 25th, 2020

When Marie Antoinette was captured during the French Revolution, her hair reportedly turned white overnight. In more recent history, John McCain experienced severe injuries as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War and lost color in his hair.

For a long time, anecdotes have connected stressful experiences with the phenomenon of hair graying. Now, for the first time, Harvard University scientists have discovered exactly how the process plays out: stress activates nerves that are part of the fight-or-flight response, which in turn cause permanent damage to pigment-regenerating stem cells in hair follicles.

The study, published in Nature, advances scientists knowledge of how stress can impact the body.

Everyone has an anecdote to share about how stress affects their body, particularly in their skin and hair the only tissues we can see from the outside, said senior author Ya-Chieh Hsu, the Alvin and Esta Star Associate Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard. We wanted to understand if this connection is true, and if so, how stress leads to changes in diverse tissues. Hair pigmentation is such an accessible and tractable system to start with and besides, we were genuinely curious to see if stress indeed leads to hair graying.

Narrowing down the culprit

Because stress affects the whole body, researchers first had to narrow down which body system was responsible for connecting stress to hair color. The team first hypothesized that stress causes an immune attack on pigment-producing cells. However, when mice lacking immune cells still showed hair graying, researchers turned to the hormone cortisol. But once more, it was a dead end.

Stress always elevates levels of the hormone cortisol in the body, so we thought that cortisol might play a role, Hsu said. But surprisingly, when we removed the adrenal gland from the mice so that they couldnt produce cortisol-like hormones, their hair still turned gray under stress.

After systematically eliminating different possibilities, researchers honed in on the sympathetic nerve system, which is responsible for the bodys fight-or-flight response.

Sympathetic nerves branch out into each hair follicle on the skin. The researchers found that stress causes these nerves to release the chemical norepinephrine, which gets taken up by nearby pigment-regenerating stem cells.

Permanent damage

In the hair follicle, certain stem cells act as a reservoir of pigment-producing cells. When hair regenerates, some of the stem cells convert into pigment-producing cells that color the hair.

Researchers found that the norepinephrine from sympathetic nerves causes the stem cells to activate excessively. The stem cells all convert into pigment-producing cells, prematurely depleting the reservoir.

When we started to study this, I expected that stress was bad for the body but the detrimental impact of stress that we discovered was beyond what I imagined, Hsu said. After just a few days, all of the pigment-regenerating stem cells were lost. Once theyre gone, you cant regenerate pigment anymore. The damage is permanent.

The finding underscores the negative side effects of an otherwise protective evolutionary response, the researchers said.

Acute stress, particularly the fight-or-flight response, has been traditionally viewed to be beneficial for an animals survival. But in this case, acute stress causes permanent depletion of stem cells, said postdoctoral fellow Bing Zhang, the lead author of the study.

Answering a fundamental question

To connect stress with hair graying, the researchers started with a whole-body response and progressively zoomed into individual organ systems, cell-to-cell interaction and, eventually, all the way down to molecular dynamics. The process required a variety of research tools along the way, including methods to manipulate organs, nerves, and cell receptors.

To go from the highest level to the smallest detail, we collaborated with many scientists across a wide range of disciplines, using a combination of different approaches to solve a very fundamental biological question, Zhang said.

The collaborators included Isaac Chiu, assistant professor of immunology at Harvard Medical School who studies the interplay between nervous and immune systems.

We know that peripheral neurons powerfully regulate organ function, blood vessels, and immunity, but less is known about how they regulate stem cells, Chiu said.

With this study, we now know that neurons can control stem cells and their function, and can explain how they interact at the cellular and molecular level to link stress with hair graying.

The findings can help illuminate the broader effects of stress on various organs and tissues. This understanding will pave the way for new studies that seek to modify or block the damaging effects of stress.

By understanding precisely how stress affects stem cells that regenerate pigment, weve laid the groundwork for understanding how stress affects other tissues and organs in the body, Hsu said. Understanding how our tissues change under stress is the first critical step towards eventual treatment that can halt or revert the detrimental impact of stress. We still have a lot to learn in this area.

The study was supported by the Smith Family Foundation Odyssey Award, the Pew Charitable Trusts, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard/MIT Basic Neuroscience Grants Program, Harvard FAS and HMS Deans Award, American Cancer Society, NIH, the Charles A. King Trust Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, and an HSCI junior faculty grant.

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Researchers uncover link between the nervous system - Tdnews

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Researchers uncover link between the nervous system – Tdnews | January 25th, 2020

The folk wisdom that tension and anxietycan turn your hair gray appears to be scientifically valid, according to a new study in mice.

Researchers found that the cascade of fight-or-flight hormones precipitated by stressful events eliminated many of the stem cells responsible for hair color in mice.

This group of stem cells, which have the ability to turn into many types of cells, are found in the base of each hair follicle and give hair its color by becoming pigment producing cells called melanocytes which produce brown, black, red and yellow colors in hair and skin.

The researchers found that stress causes these stem cells to convert into melanocytes en masse, only to drift away from the follicle and break down. This depletes the follicles supply and can mean the next time it makes a hair there arent enough stem cells to give it a color, producing an unpigmented gray or white hair.

After a series of experiments, the researchers narrowed down the culprit behind the destruction of the follicles pigment factories to the fight-or-flight hormone noradrenaline, or norepinephrine which is released by whats called the sympathetic nervous system.

Normally, the sympathetic nervous system is an emergency system for fight or flight, and it is supposed to be very beneficial or, at the very least, its effects are supposed to be transient and reversible, biologist Ya-Chieh Hsu, who led the study, told the New York Times.

This is the first scientific study explicitly linking stress and graying, according to Hsu.

The experiments in mice found that acute stress could wipe out all the melanocyte stem cells in just five days. Early tests suggest the same might be true in humans: When the researchers exposed human melanocyte stem cells to noradrenaline they too differentiated in large numbers.

Hsu told the Guardian the same response may drive age-related greying. There are definitely shared responses between how the melanocyte stem cells respond to stress and how they respond to aging, she said. You essentially lose the stem cell pool in aging as well.

Developing the research into an effective treatment to end graying hair will likely take years, but revealing the mechanism at work could advance our understanding of how stem cells are lost elsewhere in the body one of the hallmarks of the physical decline that accompanies aging.

This is certainly one implication that Im particularly excited about, biologist Christopher Deppmann, who was not involved in the research, told the Guardian. I believe that we have only scratched the surface of whether and how stress and fight-or-flight mechanisms deplete other stem cell populations. Whether or not this is the cause of premature aging remains to be determined, but I wouldnt bet against it.

Like any good study, it opens up at least as many questions as it answers, he added. But it may represent an important stepping stone toward rationalizing and developing pharmaceutical fountains of youth.

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If you're worried about your hair turning gray, don't stress out! - The Hill

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on If you’re worried about your hair turning gray, don’t stress out! – The Hill | January 24th, 2020

China started off 2019 by completing the first soft landing on the far side Earths moon. It was a monumental achievement, and the months since the mission arrived at the Moon have been filled with interesting discoveries, including the discovery of a strange gel-like substance around a lunar crater.

Now, as China celebrates the one year anniversary of the Change 4 lander and Yutu-2 rover arriving at the Moon, the countrys space group has released a wealth of data, including some never-before-seen images of the far side of Earths tiny neighbor.

The images some of which benefit from post-processing at the hands of talented scientists and enthusiasts show the Moons least-studied face in stunning detail.

Image Source: CNSA / TECHNIQUES SPATIALES

The Change 4 mission included a lunar lander and a rover that explored the Moons surface. Because of the nature of day and night on the Moon, the instruments are put into a sleep mode when the far side falls into shadow, waking back up when the sun shines again.

China, which has historically lagged behind countries like the United States and Russia when it comes to space exploration, is rapidly catching up. Landing on the far side of the Moon is no easy task, and the countrys space agency pulled it off with flying colors. Going forward, China is poised to be a major player in space exploration and has even discussed the possibility of setting up semi-permanent bases on the lunar surface.

You can browse through a massive collection of these new images via a handy Google Drive link, or sift through the raw images via CNSAs web portal.

Image Source: CNSA / Techniques Spatiales

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China just released the most stunning images from the far side of the Moon - BGR

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on China just released the most stunning images from the far side of the Moon – BGR | January 24th, 2020

(Photo: Stocksy)

You either swear by facial oils or are skeptical of all the fanfare and its myriad of purported benefits. In recent years, facial oils have become a booming skincare category, taking up prominent shelf space. There are all kinds of facial oils you can choose from with ingredients like rosehip, marula and jojoba. They are also said to boast a bevy of skincare benefits like brightening, calming inflammation and minimizing the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Despite their popularity, theres also some confusion around face oils. Will they clog pores? Do they replace your moisturizer? Do you even actually need one? To help make sense of it all, we enlisted the help of two experts to break it all down, plus, the best facial oils for every skin concern.

Read this next:The 20 Best Lip Balms to Save You From Dry Winter Hell

The purpose of a facial oil is to provide moisture to the skins surface and serve as a protective layer against environmental aggressors, says Dr. Monica Li, a Vancouver-based dermatologist and clinical instructor in the department of dermatology and skin science at the University of British Columbia. Facial oils both act like an emollient (filling in the gaps between skin cells to strengthen the outer layer)and an occlusive agent (sealing water in at the skin surface), explains Li.

Our skin produces natural oilsknown as sebumwhich help retain water within the skin surface. A facial oil is basically added protection, helping supplement the oils the skin already produces and maintain a robust skin barrier function, says Li.

A face oil can be a game-changer for your skin, says Jennifer Brodeur, a Montreal-based facialist to celebs like Oprah and Michelle Obama, and founder of JB Skin Guru. The right face oil will help with skin homeostasis [its ability to maintain a stable internal environment], as it provides nutrition and hydration to the skin.

Facial oils can be beneficial for everyoneeven oily skin types. A caveat: theres no one-size-fits-all formula. As not all face oils are created equally, its important to know what face oils are right for you, says Brodeur.

Since not all oils are the same, different ones will have different skincare benefits. Beyond its hydrating and nourishing properties, a facial oil can also have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant benefits, depending on the ingredients and composition, says Li. Brodeur adds: My favourites are those that contain lots of good fatty acids and vitamins. For example, sunflower seed oil, peoni root extract and rosehip seed oil. However, you also need to be mindful of your skin type.

Read this next:I Hate That I Feel Like I *Have* to Wear Makeup

For sensitive skin, Brodeur recommends steering clear of essential oils, especially citrus oils. Essential oils can be very potent, which means they can cause irritation or trigger allergies for sensitive skin. Citrus oils in particular like orange, grapefruit and bergamot can cause photosensitivity, resulting in skin irritation or discolouration. Brodeur also suggests avoiding oils with dye or fragrances.

If you have oily skin, Dr. Li recommends using an oil with a light texture like jojoba or grapeseed that will absorb more easily into the skin and wont clog pores.

For dry skin, look for a facial oil with either oat or argan oil, both of which are known for their soothing and nourishing properties. Mixing two to three drops of the facial oil with a moisturizer will have a compounded hydrating effect, says Li.

Once you choose an oil, apply it on a test spot like on the wrist or behind the ears for at least a week. Keep in mind that these natural oil ingredients may be a source of contact allergens depending on the individual, she adds. Facial oils are still a relatively new category of skincare and more research and clinical studies are l needed, so its best to consult with a board-certified dermatologist if you have any questions or concerns.

Read this next:I Have Dry Acne-Prone Skin and This Is How I Deal in Winter

The answer will vary depending on who you ask (yes, its that controversial). For the most part, experts agree that you should use a facial oil after your moisturizer as the final step in your skincare routine. Oil sits on water, so it creates a protective layer to prevent water loss, explains Brodeur. However, if your skin is on the drier side, you can apply oil first or even layer with an oil, moisturizer and then oil again. You can even mix a few drops of facial oil into your moisturizer or foundation for a dewy glow.

As a rule of thumb, serums are usually used to target specific skin concerns [such as hyperpigmentation and fine lines and wrinkles], whereas oils are primarily used to nourish and hydrate the skin, says Brodeur, meaning you can use both a serum and a facial oil.

Always apply facial oil on clean skin after youve cleansed. Brodeur recommends using two to three drops and taking the time to massage it into your skin using upward strokes.

Inner Glow Face Oil, $120, amandinesolbotanicals.com

Formulated with a blend of botanicals and essential oils like lavender and calendula sourced from the founders family farm in Ontario, this multi-tasker lends a helping hand for a healthy, glowy complexion.

Lextrait, $225, jbskincare.com

Made with a concentrated blend of sunflower seed oil, peony root extract and licorice root, this gentle oil soothes and hydrates skin.

Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil, $50, shoppersdrugmart.ca

Rosehip seed oil does all the heavy lifting in this formula with vitamins, antioxidants and essential fatty acids, which help with brightening, collagen production and fighting free radicals.

Stem Cellular Vinifera Replenishing Oil, $90, sephora.com

Jojoba, macadamia and olive squalene oils help boost the skins moisture while fruit stem cells, vitamin C and grapeseed oil to help improve skin tone and radiance.

BIO Organic Lavandin Smooth & Glow Facial Oil, $23, walmart.ca

Tapping into lavandin essential oil (a hybrid created from true lavender and spike lavender) and argan oil, this formula promises smooth, supple skin with a non-greasy finish.

Squalane + Tea Tree Balancing Oil, $65, sephora.com

Ultra-hydrating and lightweight squalene meets skin-purifying tea tree oil for a nourishing and quick-absorbing face oil.

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The Best Facial Oils and How to Use Them - FLARE

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on The Best Facial Oils and How to Use Them – FLARE | January 24th, 2020

New Delhi: On Saturday, January 18th, 2020, the Advancells Group & the International Fertility Center together ended their first workshop Sub-Specialty Training in Application of Regenerative Medicine (S.T.A.R. 2020). The three-day workshop had specialized doctors, medical practitioners, learned scientists of Advancells, the leaders in cell manufacturing & processes and IFC, one of Indias most prestigious Fertility institute who were joined by candidates with MBBS/BAMS/BHMS/BPharma & Masters degree in Life Sciences.

The key-note speaker of the workshop was Dr. Rita Bakshi, founder and chairperson of International Fertility Centre, the oldest fertility clinic and one of the most renowned IVF clinics in India, one of the organizers of the event. Participants also had a privilege to listen to Dr. Sachin Kadam, CTO, Advancells and gain hands-on experience in the preparation of PRP; Liposuction method; and Bone Marrow aspiration. All these techniques were talked about at length and demonstrated in the form of manual & kit-based models to help the candidates gain exposure.

Dr. Punit Prabha, Head of Clinical Research and Dr. Shradha Singh Gautam, Head of Lab Operations at Advancells successfully set the base of stem cell biology for the participants who were experts in gynecology field, stem cell research and pain specialist. With the help of detailed analysis of Application of PRP for Skin rejuvenation; Preparation of Micro-fragmented Adipose Tissue and Nano Fat & SVF (Stromal Vascular Fraction) from Adipose Tissue; and Cell Culturing and Expansion in a Laboratory, applicants understood the application of stem cells in aesthetics, cosmetology, and anti-aging.

Vipul Jain, Founder & CEO of Advancells Group said, Educating young scientists about stem cells is important for us. With this workshop we wanted to discuss and share the challenges and lessons we have learned in our journey of curing our customers. We wanted to establish more concrete knowledge base in the presence of subject matter experts and help our attendees in more possible ways. We are hopeful to have successfully achieved what we claimed with this workshop.

Given the resounding success of the Sub-Specialty Training in Application of Regenerative Medicine (S.T.A.R. 2020), its hoped that the future events shall offer even greater wisdom to the participants by helping them improve and the lead the community into the age of greater awareness.

Advancells Group Advancells is leading the field of stem cell therapies in India and abroad, with representative offices in Bangladesh and Australia. The company provides arrangements for stem cell banking and protocols for partner doctors and hospitals which they can use for treating the patients using regenerative medicine. With a GMP compliant research and processing center that works on different cell lines from various sources such as Bone Marrow, Adipose Tissue, Dental Pulp, Blood, Cord Tissue etc. Advancells also intends to file a patent for this processing technology soon.

For more information, visit https://www.advancells.com/

International Fertility Centre IFC is Indias leading fertility center under the leadership and guidance of Dr. Rita Bakshi. She along with her solid team of experienced doctors have create a network of 10+ IVF clinics located in India and Nepal. Their services include In-vitro Fertilization (IVF), Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), Intracytoplasmic Injection (ICSI), Egg Donation, Surrogacy, Blastocyst, Assisted Hatching, Hysteroscopy, Laparoscopy and much more.

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Advancells Group & IFC Concluded their 3-Day Workshop on Regenerative Medicine - India Education Diary

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Advancells Group & IFC Concluded their 3-Day Workshop on Regenerative Medicine – India Education Diary | January 24th, 2020

There is some truth to the longstanding anecdote that your locks can lose color when youre stressed.

A team of researchers has found that in mice, stressful events trigger damage the stem cells that are responsible for producing pigment in hair. These stem cells, found near the base of each hair follicle, differentiate to form more specialized cells called melanocytes, which generate the brown, black, red and yellow hues in hair and skin. Stress makes the stem cells differentiate faster, exhausting their number and resulting in strands that are more likely to be transparent gray.

The study, published Wednesday in Nature, also found that the sympathetic nervous system, which prepares the body to respond to threats, plays an important role in the graying process.

Normally, the sympathetic nervous system is an emergency system for fight or flight, and it is supposed to be very beneficial or, at the very least, its effects are supposed to be transient and reversible, said Ya-Chieh Hsu, a stem cell biologist at Harvard University who led the study.

The sympathetic nervous system helps mobilize many biological responses, including increasing the flow of blood to muscles and sharpening mental focus. But the researchers found that in some cases the same system of nerves permanently depleted the stem cell population in hair follicles.

The findings provide the first scientific link between stress and hair graying, Dr. Hsu said.

Stress affects the whole body, so the researchers had to do some sleuthing to figure out which physiological system was conveying its effects to hair follicles.

At first, the team hypothesized that stress might cause an immune attack on melanocyte stem cells. They exposed mice to acute stress by injecting the animals with an analogue of capsaicin, the chemical in chili peppers that causes irritation. But even mice that lacked immune cells ended up with gray hair.

Next, the scientists looked at the effects of the stress hormone cortisol. Mice that had their adrenal glands removed so they couldnt produce cortisol still had hair that turned gray under stress.

The system responsible for the appearance of silvery strands turns out to be the sympathetic nerves that branch out into each hair follicle in the skin.

The researchers found that the sympathetic nerve cells released a neurotransmitter called noradrenaline that was taken up by nearby melanocyte stem cells. Then a series of events unfolded in quick succession: The melanocyte stem cells proliferated and turned into specialized pigment-producing cells, which abandoned their niche near the base of the follicle and left the hair without a source of pigmentation.

In Dr. Hsus study, acute stress depleted the entire melanocyte stem cell population in mice in just five days. The researchers also found that, in petri dishes, noradrenaline prompted human melanocyte stem cells to proliferate, suggesting that the same acceleration of hair graying occurs in people, too.

I was amazed by how dramatic this change is, said Mayumi Ito, a biologist at the New York University School of Medicine who was not involved in the study. In her own research on aging mice, the graying process was gradual: The depletion of melanocyte stem cells led first to a few salt and pepper strands and then to gray or white fur, much as humans begin to see more white hair as they get older.

Dr. Itos team also found that the graying process in mice could be halted with drugs known as CDK inhibitors, which stop the proliferation of stem cells, or by blocking the release of noradrenaline.

The findings underscore the consequences of triggering a survival mechanism when the situation isnt life-threatening.

Stress is a normal part of life, but there are situations where stress is helpful and situations where it is detrimental, said Subroto Chatterjee, a biologist at Johns Hopkins University who studies the effects of stress on the cells in blood vessels.

Other studies have shown that stress is just one factor affecting how quickly hair goes gray, Dr. Chatterjee said. Genes and diet play a big role as well.

In a 2018 study, Dr. Chatterjee and his colleagues found that mice placed on the equivalent of a Western diet high in fat and cholesterol not only developed inflamed arteries, they also started going gray and experiencing hair loss. (The team also found a way to halt the process.)

But the new study is an important step toward understanding the role of stress on various tissues.

If we can know more about how our tissues and stem cells change under stress, we can eventually create treatments that can halt or reverse its detrimental impact, Dr. Hsu said.

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Stress Really Does Make Hair Go Gray Faster - The New York Times

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Stress Really Does Make Hair Go Gray Faster – The New York Times | January 23rd, 2020

Luke Jefferson Day, Editor of GQ Style and Fashion Director of GQ

"Sensai's SPF 6 Bronzing Gel is my winter grooming tip. I got it from my mega make-up artist friend Gina Kane, who works with Robbie Williams. It has such a light finish but gives you a little glow during the cold months."

"My winter grooming essential has been the same for the past decade or so. Bioeffect's EGF Serum is the best cold weather skin saver bar none. It contains "epidermal growth factor", sourced from apple stem cells, an ingredient that encourages skins cells to duplicate, instantly reducing dryness and producing that dewy glow we all crave (but can never quite achieve) in the winter months. Following a slick of the serum, a spot or two of Weleda's Skin Food is ultra rich and excellently moisturising."

"My go-to product during the winter months is the exfoliating energy scrub by Tom Ford. As energy is what most of us are lacking during a long dark winter, this product helps to bring you back to life and back to the reality that summer is coming (eventually)."

"In winter I use Eve Lom Intense Hydration Serum daily to maintain skin dexterity and to avoid drying, which my skin is susceptible to, especially with the mix of harsh cold outside and synthetic heat inside. I then use Eve Lom Rescue Mask once a week to try to prevent breakouts, as it utilises ground almond to gently exfoliate, camphor to reduce redness and its clay-like formulation is an excellent de-puffer. Winter sorted."

"One product I cant do without in the winter months is hair cream. My favourite is Bumble And Bumbles BB Grooming Creme. My hairs naturally pretty curly and I look absolutely bonkers when I blow dry it or make any attempt at styling. This, I just in pop once Im out of the shower with a bit of curl cream too if Im feeling dead posh and I can spend a whole day not worrying that I might look like something a bird might nest in whenever I meet a light breeze."

"During the cooler months my skin doesnt necessarily go hard and flaky, but it does get affected by the drop in temperature and definitely feels a little more dry. After having tried quite a lot of creams, I actually bought this absolute miracle worker from Awake Organics, which got rid of not only my bags (anti-ageing vitamin C to thank here), but also provided more than enough hydration to my skin. Ive used it since November (every night) and theres no looking back. Oh and its 100 per cent natural and totally affordable, which is the direction Im moving in when it comes to stocking my bathroom cabinet."

"When it comes to winter grooming I try and keep my routine as organic and natural as possible. One of my main go-to's is Dr Jackson's Everyday Oil. I add a couple of drops three or four times a week to my facial moisturiser when my skin is feeling extra dry. It's lightweight, so it doesn't have that greasy, clogging feeling to it and is infused with baobab oil that promotes elasticity in the skin."

Meet our grooming heroes of the week

The biggest grooming trends at the 2020 menswear shows

How to look as well groomed as Luke Evans

All products featured on the website are independently selected by our Editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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The GQ team reveals its winter grooming secrets - British GQ

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on The GQ team reveals its winter grooming secrets – British GQ | January 23rd, 2020

By Sandy McCarty

Facelifts once had just a single focus: lifting and tightening the skin to reduce wrinkles. This resulted in a tighter but not necessarily more youthful appearance. Today, however, theres a more natural new solution: the lift-and-fill facelift. Using this technique, Dr. John Burns can lift the skin and deeper layer with less bruising, swelling, and scarring while filling areas that need volume replacement. If youre looking to refresh your appearance, you can find everything you need to know about this procedure and whether its right for you here.

What Is a Lift-and-Fill Facelift?

The lift-and-fill procedure has become increasingly popular in recent years. This procedure involves combining a facelift with the addition of volume in strategic locations, using facial fillers or a fat transfer. This approach offers outstanding outcomes, including a rejuvenated and more youthful face, eyes and neck, as well as longer-lasting results.

As your face ages, several changes take place. Years of facial movements lead to wrinkles, the skin loses elasticity, and the face loses volume due to fat atrophy and bone resorption. The combination of all these factors results in looser skin, deflation, lax tissue, with more wrinkles and lines. When it comes to facial rejuvenation, the best treatment for you depends on the amount of volume loss you have experienced. In some cases, a facelift and/or necklift alone is enough to significantly improve the contour of the face. However, when a patient has loose skin and volume loss, we can achieve much better results by combining the facelift with volume enhancement.

A few of the procedures used in conjunction with a facelift or necklift are:

Is a Lift-and-Fill Facelift Right for You?

Good candidates for facelift surgery include individuals who are in good physical health, do not smoke or use nicotine, and desire correction of facial aging due to gravity or volume loss. The combination of a facelift and/or necklift with facial fillers or fat transfer can provide the stunning results you want. Contact Dr. John Burns today to schedule your consultation to learn more about short-scar facelift and the facial rejuvenation options that are right for you.

Dr. John L. Burns, Jr., MD is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and is President of The Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute; one of the largest plastic surgery group practices in the United States. Dr. Burns specializes in cosmetic surgery of the face, breast, and body.

Original post:
The New Facial Aging Solution: Lift and Fill Facelift - The Dallas Morning News

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on The New Facial Aging Solution: Lift and Fill Facelift – The Dallas Morning News | January 23rd, 2020

What if 0.2% of your skin cells determined its future? That was the question posed, and answered, by Dior as it strove for a breakthrough that would ultimately top anything the French beauty house and its scientific partners had achieved in 30 years of research and innovation.

For the first time, Dior used artificial intelligence to go beyond visible signs. It was thus able to measure what, up until now, was considered immeasurable the key to our perception of age: the faces visible health and vitality.

The result is what Dior calls a major discovery about stem cells, one so incredible that it has driven the creation of a new range focused on the restoration of cellular energy to reactivate the skins vital functions and youthful beauty.

The range is called Capture Totale C.E.L.L. Energy [the C.E.L.L. acronym stands for Cutting-Edge Long-Lasting Energy], a launch we reported earlier this month in a global exclusive. This special eZine edition of The Moodie Davitt Spotlight Series tells the story of how the new launch embodies all the values of Dior skincare, while taking the science behind it to a new level.

Its a remarkable story, which we are honoured to tell.

Note: The Moodie Davitt Report Spotlight Series offers bespoke, curated e-publications for major brand launches and campaigns; airport, store or restaurant openings; and other notable corporate or commercial developments, events and anniversaries. Please contact Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com if youre interested in taking advantage of this unrivalled communications and promotional platform.

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Dior's greatest discovery the amazing story of Capture Totale CELL Energy - The Moodie Davitt Report - The Moodie Davitt Report

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Dior’s greatest discovery the amazing story of Capture Totale CELL Energy – The Moodie Davitt Report – The Moodie Davitt Report | January 23rd, 2020

Point blank: Aging is a part of life. With each passing second, minute, and day, we age a little bit more. While you may not notice the signs of aging right away, there will come a day when you look in the mirror only to notice 11s and crows feet staring back at you. Of course, if you implement a quality anti-aging skincare routine before then, it may be years before you notice such things.

Intrigued? We thought you might be. Thats why we tapped some of the industrys top dermatologists to share their top 10 anti-aging skincare ingredients. By committing these ingredients to memory and adding them into your routine, youll be able to pause the clock of visible aging while making way for your bounciest, most beautiful skin yet. You can thank us later.

While there are many anti-aging ingredients on the market, dermatologists share that the following 10 are the most effective for fast-acting results.

Alpha- and beta-defensins are natural immune proteins that have been shown in in vitro studies to activate stem cells in the hair follicle, which typically helps with wound healing of the skin, says Yunyoung Claire Chang, M.D., a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist. These defensins have been shown to be effective in a new skincare product, called DefenAge. One multi-center, blinded controlled trial published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology in 2018 evaluated 44 patients using this new skincare product, demonstrating that this product improves brown spots and skin evenness, improves the appearance of wrinkles, and reduces visible pores. She adds that the product has retinol-like effects without the inflammation associated with retinol.

Bakuchiol is well-known for being a gentle (yet effective) retinol alternative. These findings were confirmed in a 2014 study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, where researchers found that bakuchiol was able to stimulate collagen production in vivo, and found that 12-week application improved texture, tone, photo-damage, and more. While it has many of the same benefits of retinol, Dr. Chang says the most notable quality is that bakuchiol has less of the drying and irritating side effects of retinol, while still being just as effective.

Youve likely seen ceramides called out on many of the labels on the skincare products already in your routine. Thats because ceramides are intensely hydrating and effective for anti-aging.

Ceramides are a natural lipid that helps protect our skin barrier and seal in moisture. As we mature, the ceramide levels in our skin decrease, leading to drier, more sensitive skin, Dr. Chang explains. Dry skin also worsens the appearance of fine lines and uneven skin texture. Replacing ceramides using topical skincare is important to keep it hydrated, protected, and smooth.

Ginseng might be considered a Korean superfood, but were here to let you in on a little secret: It works wonders topically for your complexion, as well. Panax ginseng and ginsenosides are promising in preventing skin aging, Dr. Chang explains. Ginseng extract has been found in studies to protect against UVB-induced skin aging, reduce wrinkles, and increase moisture in the skin. However, its worth noting that most ginseng skincare studies have been small and need to be corroborated with larger clinical trials.

Take it from someone with sensitive skin who loves a gentle exfoliation: Glycolic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) gorgeous skin dreams are made of. Dr. Chang supports this notion, explaining that glycolic acid exfoliates the top layers of the skin to improve texture and tone. Glycolic acid also has additional anti-aging benefits, including fighting UV-induced inflammation, lightening brown spots, and stimulating collagen, she adds. With glycolic acid, the higher the concentration of the product, the stronger its effects (and side effects). As such, its best to leave the higher concentrations of glycolic acid for professional use during in-office facials and treatments.

In some cases, glycolic acid (despite being fairly gentle) can be too irritating for super-sensitive skin. In these cases, you can reach for lactic acid, another AHA thats effective at resurfacing the skin.

Courtesy of First Aid Beauty

Green tea might be a super popular beverage, but its also a stellar choice for reversing the clock on your complexion. According to Dr. Chang, green tea is an abundant source of polyphenols that can help protect the skin against UV-induced skin aging and skin cancer. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-wrinkle properties, she adds.

Courtesy of Innisfree

Niacinamide, also known as vitamin B3, is a water-soluble vitamin that has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties, Dr. Chang explains, noting that it helps calm red, inflamed, or irritated skin. Whats more, the hydrating ingredient helps protect the lipid barrier and keep the moisture barrier intact which helps heal dry skin and prevent seasonal flaking. It has also been shown to increase collagen production as well as inhibit melanosome transfer from melanocytes to keratinocytes, allowing lightening of dark spots, Dr. Chang adds. In other words, its a multi-tasker that deserves a spot in your anti-aging routine.

Courtesy of The Ordinary

Retinoids are a derivative of vitamin A and are one of the longest-studied anti-aging ingredients. Retinoids have a long track record and clinical studies since the 1980s to back its evidence for preventing and treating skin aging, Dr. Chang explains. Retinoids increase skin cell turnover, diminish brown spots, and stimulate collagen to prevent fine lines and wrinkles.

While retinoids are undoubtedly effective, its worth noting that some versions can cause dryness and irritation, especially for those with dry or sensitive skin. Therefore, its best to start with a low percentage retinol (like 0.025 percent) before working yourself up to a stronger dose, prescription retinoid or Retin-A (like 0.5 to 2 percent).

Even when starting off with low percentages, Dr. Chang points out that retinoids tend to be drying and irritating, especially with initial use. It is important to start slow, using a small pea-size amount over the face, she says. I recommend starting two or three times per week at nighttime, and increasing the frequency of use slowly as tolerated.

Additionally, Dr. Chang says that retinoids and glycolic acid, especially when used together, may cause excessive dryness and irritation. For that reason, its best to choose between the two instead of trying to use them simultaneously.

Courtesy of Neutrogena

Sun protection is the most critical part of your anti-aging skincare routine, Dr. Chang emphasizes. Sun exposure not only causes skin burning and skin cancer but is the main culprit for accelerated skin aging. Whats more, she adds that UV exposure forms free radicals, increases brown spots, and breaks down collagen to form fine lines, wrinkles, and skin laxity. This process, termed photo-aging, is absolutely preventable with the appropriate use of sun protection and broad-spectrum sunscreen, she explains, noting that she recommends mineral sunscreens with SPF 30 or greater, including zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Mineral sunscreens sit on the surface of the skin and act as a barrier to both UVA and UVB rays rather than being absorbed into the skin, she explains. Because it isnt absorbed into the skin, there is a lower risk of allergic reactions and it is safe in pregnant females.

And remember: Regardless of the sun protection you opt for, reapplication every few hours is key.

Vitamin C renowned for its powerful antioxidant properties and the ability to affect so many aspects of aging. For starters, adding vitamin C into your skincare routine can lead to a brighter complexion. Whats more, Dr. Chang points out that the potent ingredient can act as a free radical scavenger to neutralize oxidative damage to the skin and stimulate collagen for fine line prevention.

The biggest thing to remember when adding vitamin C to your anti-aging routine is that the ingredient is very unstable. As a result, its important to look for stabilized formulations found in opaque, air-tight bottles.

Dr. Chang also notes that some formulations of antioxidant serums containing vitamin C may irritate or cause acne for some people, so it is important to find which products work best for your skin. This may take some trial and error (or, better yet, the advice of a derm), but it will be well worth it in the long run.

Great! So now that you know which skincare ingredients to keep on your radar, heres what else you need to know about how to use them.

The anti-aging skin type debate:

After reading about these anti-aging ingredients, you might be wondering which will be best for your skin type. While some are better tolerated by some specific skin types (as mentioned above), its important to remember that skincare is subjective based on your skin type and the products already in your routine.

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At the end of the day, she says its not so much the skin type as what you are trying to address. For example, retinoids help to rejuvenate at the cellular layer, she begins. Glycolic acids helps to increase cell turnover and exfoliation.

When to add anti-aging ingredients into your skincare routine:

As much as wed like to tell you exact dates down to the day as to when to incorporate these ingredients into your routine, thats simply not realistic given that skin aging is subjective and varies from person to person. However, considering all of these ingredients are preventative, Dr. Chang says that its best to start incorporating them before or shortly after you start to notice signs of skin aging. I recommend starting anti-aging skincare in your 20s or early 30s, she adds. Some of these ingredients can be started even earlier (i.e. retinoids in teenagers with acne).

How to add anti-aging ingredients into your skincare routine:

Now, we know what youre thinking: How hard could it be? Well, if you try to add all 10 of these ingredients into your routine at once, youll seeand it wont be pretty. Since these ingredients are active, its important to ease them into your routine to avoid any sort of adverse effects.

I always recommend starting anti-aging ingredients one by one, to avoid any skin reactions or excessive irritation, Dr. Chang says. Start with a test spot before applying new products over your whole face. If one anti-aging product is tolerated, you can slowly add another one into the regimen. Additionally, she notes that not every person needs to use all of these ingredients, as many of the benefits overlap and using too many products can sometimes do more harm than good. I recommend consulting your board-certified dermatologist to develop a skincare plan tailored to your skin needs, she says.

Head-to-toe anti-aging treatments:

If you, like us, are a big believer in the beauty of cosmetic anti-aging treatments, like lasers and injectables, you might be wondering if you should supplement your anti-aging skincare routine with these in-office offerings. Considering most topicals can only penetrate the top-most layers of skin (unless, of course, its an epigenetic formulation), opting for treatments geared towards underlying causes of expression can lead to more noticeable results. For example, board-certified dermatologistJennifer MacGregor, M.D., says that Botox can smooth crepey texture in addition to lines (on the chest, for example) and can also smooth neck bands (hi, tech neck)something a cream alone may not be able to do.

As we mature, we lose fat and collagen in our face, leading to loose, sagging or hollowed skin, says Chang. Filler injections can help replace this volume and collagen in areas where topical anti-aging products would have little to no efficacy. Additionally, she points out that brown spots and photo-aging are often due to deeper pigment deposits which topicals cannot reach. Laser treatments can more effectively lighten or eliminate brown spots and signs of photo-aging, she explains. Resurfacing laser treatments, like Fraxel dual, and skin tightening treatments, like Ultherapy, can go deeper than any topical can to stimulate collagen, making these treatments essential in the anti-aging process [from head to toe].

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The only anti-aging skin care guide you'll ever need - Yahoo Lifestyle

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on The only anti-aging skin care guide you’ll ever need – Yahoo Lifestyle | January 23rd, 2020

If you havent had the chance to visit Illumia Therapeutics, thelatest hotspot on OrchardRoad for transformative, nextlevel facial and body treatments, then you are missing out on an opportunity that is hard to find anywhere else. Thenewly opened fullservice medispa allows you to address your beauty and wellness needs all in one place, with skilled experts and staff focused on providing a restful escape from your hectic schedule.

Founded by aesthetic doctors and backed by plastic surgeons, Illumia Therapeutics offers clients the star treatment whenever they visit. Thename Illumia was chosen to signify that clients are at the centre of what we do. It all starts with u, the client, says CEOElizabethLeong. All the treatments at IllumiaTherapeutics are non-invasive, safe and clinically proven, andusually done one step at a time. We believe in subtle tweaking, so our clients look fresher and more youthful in phases rather than doing too much at onego,addsLeong.

We find out more about five treatments offered at the medispa.

(Related: What is Face Fitness? Look Out For This Major Beauty Trend in 2020)

Every treatment combines at least two or more highly effective technologies, including stem cell therapy, to provide unparalleled results. Leong explains, This proprietary combination approach is Illumias Hybrid2 Protocol. Different technologies target different skin layerssaving time and doubling results. We believe in visible changes with minimum effort at accessible prices that allow clients to get back to their normal routinesimmediately.

(Related: Biohack Your Way To Beauty And Health Using Your DNA And Stem Cells At These Wellness Retreats Around The World)

One of its signature treatments is the LDMFaceRegen, which is under the llumiaSkinBrite series of skin therapies. It is afavourite of brand ambassador and beauty connoisseur KimLim to maintain her velvety smooth, naturally clear and glowing skin. Thetreatment, which uses German technology based on dual-frequency ultrasound waves, increases elasticity for wrinkle reduction, enhancesrejuvenation, resolves acne issues andsoftens acnescars.

The Illumia FaceLift series, on the other hand, adopts the Korean-styled face design technique that defines the uniqueness of the facial contours. Take the Illumia HyfuUltra treatment, for instance. It is a speedy face-lifting method using ultrasound waves to tighten the skin, minimise wrinkles and eyebags, and fill out sunken cheeks with lastingresults.

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Illumia Therapeutics, Singapore's Latest Full-Service Medispa, Lets You Address Your Beauty And Wellness Needs In One Place - Singapore Tatler

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Illumia Therapeutics, Singapore’s Latest Full-Service Medispa, Lets You Address Your Beauty And Wellness Needs In One Place – Singapore Tatler | January 23rd, 2020

Published on January 23, 2020

New Delhi:On Saturday, January 18th, 2020, the Advancells Group & the International Fertility Center together ended their first workshop Sub-Specialty Training in Application of Regenerative Medicine (S.T.A.R. 2020). The three-day workshop had specialized doctors, medical practitioners, learned scientists of Advancells, the leaders in cell manufacturing & processes and IFC, one of Indias most prestigious Fertility institute who were joined by candidates with MBBS/BAMS/BHMS/BPharma & Masters degree in Life Sciences.

The key-note speaker of the workshop was Dr. Rita Bakshi, founder and chairperson of International Fertility Centre, the oldest fertility clinic and one of the most renowned IVF clinics in India, one of the organizers of the event. Participants also had a privilege to listen to Dr. Sachin Kadam, CTO, Advancellsand gain hands-on experience in the preparation of PRP; Liposuction method; and Bone Marrow aspiration. All these techniques were talked about at length and demonstrated in the form of manual & kit-based models to help the candidates gain exposure.

Dr. Punit Prabha, Head of Clinical Research and Dr. Shradha Singh Gautam, Head of Lab Operations at Advancells successfully set the base of stem cell biology for the participants who were experts in gynecology field, stem cell research and pain specialist. With the help of detailed analysis of Application of PRP for Skin rejuvenation; Preparation of Micro-fragmented Adipose Tissue and Nano Fat & SVF (Stromal Vascular Fraction) from Adipose Tissue; and Cell Culturing and Expansion in a Laboratory, applicants understood the application of stem cells in aesthetics, cosmetology, and anti-aging.

Vipul Jain, Founder & CEO of Advancells Groupsaid, Educating young scientists about stem cells is important for us. With this workshop we wanted to discuss and share the challenges and lessons we have learned in our journey of curing our customers. We wanted to establish more concrete knowledge base in the presence of subject matter experts and help our attendees in more possible ways. We are hopeful to have successfully achieved what we claimed with this workshop.

Given the resounding success of the Sub-Specialty Training in Application of Regenerative Medicine (S.T.A.R. 2020), its hoped that the future events shall offer even greater wisdom to the participants by helping them improve and the lead the community into the age of greater awareness.

View original post here:
Advancells Group & IFC Concluded their 3-Day Workshop on Regenerative Medicine - APN News

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Advancells Group & IFC Concluded their 3-Day Workshop on Regenerative Medicine – APN News | January 23rd, 2020

The day of the robot frog is here. Sort of. Researchers in the United States have taken stem cells from the tissue of African clawed frogs and put them together to build tiny living robots. These are the worlds first living machines, robots made from biological tissue that have advantages your run-of-the-mill plastic and metal robots dont have.

These lifeforms have never before existed on earth, Michael Levin, director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, which conducted the research alongside scientists from the University of Vermont, said. They are living, programmable organisms.

Researchers are calling these new creatures xenobots, derivedfrom Xenopus laevis, the scientific name for the African clawed frog. The botsare less than a millimeter wide, which is small enough to travel through thehuman body. And they dont look anything like the robots weve all seen before.Xenobots are basically tiny dollops of moving pink flesh.

According to CNN,the researchers took stem cells from frog embryos, left them to incubate, thenused a supercomputer to cut and shape the cells into body forms. For example,you can have a xenobot with a hole in the middle that could possibly be used todeliver medication inside the human body.

Once they were created, the robots operated on their own. Theskin cells bonded to form structure, and the heart cells would actually pulse,allowing the bots to propel themselves.

What else might the xenobots be used for? Scientists say theycould potentially be used to remove plaque from artery walls, locate anddestroy radioactive waste, and even clean up microplastic pollution in theoceans.

And although metal and plastic robots are strong and durable, there are good reasons to create bots from biological tissue. For one thing, the xenobots are self-healing. And once their task is complete, says The Guardian, they fall apart, just as natural organisms decay when they die. That makes them more environmentally friendly than traditional robots, as well.

Creating these xenobots does raise some ethical issues,particularly because future versions of them might actually have nervoussystems and cognitive abilities. And then what will they be, living creaturesor just machines?

Whats important to me, Sam Kriegman, a PhD student on the University of Vermont team, said, is that this is public, so we can have a discussion as a society and policymakers can decide what is the best course of action.

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The Xenobots Have Arrived: Scientists Have Created Living Robots - Parentology

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Ever since the 1966 film 'Fantastic Voyage', an American science-fiction about a submarine crew who are shrunk to microscopic size and venture into the body of an injured scientist to repair damage to his brain, it remained a possible conception for robotic engineers too.

Now, a team of scientists from the University of Vermont has succeeded by repurposing living cells of frog embryos into entirely new millimeter-long life-forms, called "xenobots", which can move toward a target, carry a payload, say, a medicine and reache a specific body part of a patient.

"These are novel living machines," says Joshua Bongard, a computer scientist and robotics expert at the University of Vermont, part of the research team. "They're neither a traditional robot nor a known species of animal. It's a new class of artifact: a living, programmable organism."

Bongard says they tried to slice the robot almost in half and found it stitching itself back up and moving ahead. This is "somtheing you can't do with typical machines. These xenobots are fully biodegradable. When they're done with their job after seven days, they're just dead skin cells," explained Bongard.

Initially designed on a supercomputer and then assembled and tested by biologists at Tufts University, these robots can have many useful applications as first batch of living robots that other machines cannot become, said Michael Levin, team member and director of Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology at Tufts.

Some of the applications include searching out nasty compounds or radioactive contamination, gathering microplastic in the oceans, traveling in arteries to scrape out plaque. The results of the new research were published January 13 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The team used an evolutionary algorithm to create thousands of candidate designs for the new life-forms, which can carry out a task like locomotion in one direction. First they gathered stem cells, harvested from the embryos of African frogs, the species Xenopus laevis, which led to its name "xenobots."

Assembled into body forms never seen in nature, the cells formed a more passive architecture, while the once-random contractions of heart muscle cells were put to work creating ordered forward motion and aided by spontaneous self-organizing patterns -- allowing the robots to move on their own.

Later, tests showed that groups of xenobots would move around in circles, pushing pellets into a central location -- spontaneously and collectively. "It's a step toward using computer-designed organisms for intelligent drug delivery," says Bongard.

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These robots made of living frog cells are meant to revolutionize treatment methods - International Business Times, Singapore Edition

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Formosa's plastics plant is seen dominating the landscape in Point Comfort, Texas. Julie Dermansky / DeSmogBlog

Diane Wilson is seen with volunteers before their meeting across the street from Formosa's Point Comfort manufacturing plant. Julie Dermansky / DeSmogBlog

Within 10 minutes she collected an estimated 300 of the little plastic pellets. Wilson says she will save them as evidence, along with any additional material the group collects, to present to the official and yet-to-be-selected monitor.

Wilson received the waiver forms from Formosa a day after the deadline. The group planned to set out by foot on Jan. 18, which would allow them to cover more ground on their next monitoring trip. They hope to check all of the facility's 14 outtakes where nurdles could be still be escaping. Any nurdles discharged on or after Jan. 15 in the area immediately surrounding the plant would be in violation of the court settlement.

Ronnie Hamrick picks up a mixture of new and legacy nurdles near Formosa's Point Comfort plant. Julie Dermansky / DeSmogBlog

Ronnie Hamrick holds a few of the countless nurdles that litter the banks of Cox Creek near Formosa's Point Comfort facility. Julie Dermansky / DeSmogBlog

Lawsuit Against Formosas Planned Louisiana Plant

On that same afternoon, Wilson learned that conservation and community groups in Louisiana had sued the Trump administration, challenging federal environmental permits for Formosa's planned $9.4 billion plastics complex in St. James Parish.

The news made Wilson smile. "I hope they win. The best way to stop the company from polluting is not to let them build another plant," she told me.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court against the Army Corps of Engineers, accusing the Corps of failing to disclose environmental damage and public health risks and failing to adequately consider environmental damage from the proposed plastics plant. Wilson had met some of the Louisiana-based activists last year when a group of them had traveled to Point Comfort and protested with her outside Formosa's plastics plant that had begun operations in 1983. Among them was Sharon Lavigne, founder of the community group Rise St. James, who lives just over a mile and a half from the proposed plastics complex in Louisiana.

Back then, Wilson offered them encouragement in their fight. A few months after winning her own case last June, she gave them boxes of nurdles she had used in her case against Formosa. The Center for Biological Diversity, one of the environmental groups in the Louisiana lawsuit, transported the nurdles to St. James. The hope was that these plastic pellets would help environmental advocates there convince Louisiana regulators to deny Formosa's request for air permits required for building its proposed St. James plastics complex that would also produce nurdles. On Jan. 6, Formosa received those permits, but it still has a few more steps before receiving full approval for the plant.

Anne Rolfes, founder of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, holding up a bag of nurdles discharged from Formosa's Point Comfort, Texas plant, at a protest against the company's proposed St. James plant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Dec. 10, 2019. Julie Dermansky / DeSmogBlog

Construction underway to expand Formosa's Point Comfort plant. Julie Dermansky / DeSmogBlog

Silhouette of Formosa's Point Comfort Plant looming over the rural landscape. Julie Dermansky / DeSmogBlog

From the Gulf Coast toEurope

Just a day after Wilson found apparently new nurdles in Point Comfort, the Plastic Soup Foundation, an advocacy group based in Amsterdam, took legal steps to stop plastic pellet pollution in Europe. On behalf of the group, environmental lawyers submitted an enforcement request to a Dutch environmental protection agency, which is responsible for regulating the cleanup of nurdles polluting waterways in the Netherlands.

The foundation is the first organization in Europe to take legal steps to stop plastic pellet pollution. It cites in its enforcement request to regulators Wilson's victory in obtaining a "zero discharge" promise from Formosa and is seeking a similar result against Ducor Petrochemicals, the Rotterdam plastic producer. Its goal is to prod regulators into forcing Ducor to remove tens of millions of plastic pellets from the banks immediately surrounding its petrochemical plant.

Detail of a warning sign near the Point Comfort Formosa plant. The waterways near the plant are polluted by numerous industrial facilities in the area. Julie Dermansky / DeSmogBlog

Nurdles on Cox Creek's bank on Jan. 15. Wilson hopes her and her colleagues' work of the past four years will help prevent the building of more plastics plants, including the proposed Formosa plant in St. James Parish. Julie Dermansky / DeSmogBlog

A sign noting the entrance to the Formosa Wetlands Walkway at Port Lavaca Beach. The San Antonio Estuary Waterkeeper describes the messaging as an example of greenwashing. Julie Dermansky / DeSmogBlog

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Scientists Combine AI With Biology to Create Xenobots, the World's First 'Living Robots' - EcoWatch

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Over the last three decades, Ken Aldrich has successfully invested in over 50 businesses and has personally co-founded almost a dozen himself. He considers himself a jack of all trades, having been involved in everything from biomedicine to real estate. Some of his most successful investments include helping start one of the first wind parks in Palm Springs and Green Dot Corp. (NYSE:GDOT), which has become the worlds largest prepaid debit card company. In May, Aldrich published his book, "Dream Toolbox," which aims to guide readers toward establishing an entrepreneurial mind and gaining control over their financial world.

Before the business

Prior to entrenching himself as an entrepreneur, Aldrich started his career as a wage earner practicing law. He spent a great deal of time and effort to earn his law degree and land a spot in a well-established firm. With a clear career path ahead of him, Aldrich got to work earning his keep and establishing his position in the firm. However, one definitive moment stands out as the time when he became dissatisfied with his work.

This moment would revolve around sandwiches of all things. Working alongside one of the senior partners at the firm, Aldrich was helping to create a registration statement for a public company. At the end of the session that fateful day, the underwriters and the people from the company headed out to get dinner:

At the end of the day the company and the firm that was doing the underwriting turned to us, the lawyers, and said Well that was really good. Can we have a new draft of the work in the morning at nine and we will start again? Off they went to have dinner at Chasens and we ordered sandwiches, Aldrich said.

To provide context for those who do not know the Los Angeles restaurant history, Chasens was a well-known restaurant that was often frequented by famous celebrities until its closing in 1995. Based upon the prestige of the restaurant's chili, it is easy to conceive a distaste for sandwiches after a long day at work.

While in his 20s Aldrich did not have an issue eating sandwiches, yet he was thinking toward his future. My partner, that I was working for, was in his 30s or 40s. I do not want to be the guy eating sandwiches in his 30s or 40s, and I do not care how much they pay me for it, Aldrich said. It was in this moment that he decided that he would much prefer to be the guy going out for a nice dinner after work.

With clear motivation, Aldrich set out to find himself a new career path. He landed himself a contractual position at an investment banking firm. This provided him with some needed experience and training, alongside a foot in the door with a name behind him. This new venture would come with an inherent risk, one that Aldrich would feel almost immediately.

Working at the law firm, he had earned himself a paycheck and a solidified position. Upon leaving, that paycheck disappeared. To compound the pressure, Aldrich was working on a contract for the investment banking firm, meaning that if he were to no longer be productive in their eyes, he would be cut from their team. In essence, the already large pay cut he had taken could go away in an instant. He went on to say:

Wide World of Sports had a sports program on Saturday and their opening montage was a skier, it might have been a tobogganer, coming down a ski run and losing control and flying head over heels into a snowbank. The tagline was Wide World of Sports, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. I realized that with conventional jobs you are either working for a paycheck or in the case of a lawyer you are measuring your life out in coffee spoons as Eliot once said in a poem. There is never the chance of a real thrill of victory. The expectation is do not screw up and I wanted something more than that.

Finding success

With a drive to succeed and find that thrill of victory, Aldrich set out on his journey to become a successful entrepreneur. By nature of the business, he would find himself in the world of seed stage venture capital, investing and co-founding businesses from the ground up. Through both luck and skill, he was able to grow many of these businesses to success, yet there is seemingly no connection between them. However, Aldrich considers himself a jack of all trades and finds that his curiosity has led him to such diverse portfolio.

While he has found himself invested in many different fields, there is one key factor that ties them all together. If there is technology involved, I want to make sure that if it is successful, often it is not completely developed when we start, but that if it is successful it will make a fundamental change in some business, or industry, or science, Aldrich said. Having this significant change in the way things are done makes either the business or the product stand out in a way that the market cannot deny. For Aldrich, this is key for these types of ventures to be a success.

It is very hard to be successful starting a new business if you are just doing it a little bit better because, you know, everybody is looking for perfect, but perfect is the enemy of the good. If there is an existing process that is serving the market adequately it is usually just a fools errand to try to make something else that is just a little bit better, he continued.

As with many lessons, Aldrich had to learn to make fundamental changes first hand. One of the first businesses he found himself involved in was working to develop a new device for LASIK procedures. This device would allow for the surgeon to be more accurate when applying the procedure. Initially, the company found success in that the device did improve the accuracy of the procedure. However, it was not a big enough difference and nobody cared according to Aldrich.

Going back to the drawing board, the company went about redesigning the product so that it could be an aid to curing amblyopia in children, yet the market there was too small. With the aid of an ocular physician, the company found its true purpose. The new design would allow a surgeon in the process of doing cataract surgery to take an accurate measurement of the eye.

Prior to this new design, the surgeon would attempt to measure the eye through the clouded portion as best as possible before removing the affected area. As the measurement had to be taken through the affected area, it was generally not overly accurate and that is how people ended up with those coke bottle glasses, Aldrich said.

With their newly pioneered technology, the surgeon had a new device that would attach to the microscope that they used during the procedure. This would allow for them to take an accurate measurement of the lens of the eye prior to the surgery. This technology resulted in vision on par with a LASIK procedure as a byproduct of conventional cataract surgery. It was very gratifying for me because I have, over my life, had enough eye problems to realize just how life changing that small procedure can be, Aldrich said. This business would eventually go on to sell for $350 million.

Managing risk

With the prospect of millions, if not billions, on the horizon, there is constant risk involved with starting these businesses. For Aldrich, the key to success comes in managing this risk, although it can never be entirely eliminated. Once he has established that the technology or the business will make a fundamental change in the industry it operates in, he looks toward the people involved. First and foremost, he questions if they have enthusiasm and skin in the game as he calls it. Now that does not necessarily mean that they have written big checks, but they have put some portion of their life on hold to pursue this, he said.

Finding a person who fits these qualities allows for Aldrich to be confident that if things get difficult with the company, nobody is going to give up. In many cases, things do go wrong when starting a business. Very rarely does a business make its way to success without encountering a road bump. At some point everyone has to take some genuine risk. I have never known a startup that did not involve that, Aldrich said.

Over the course of 30 years in business, Aldrich has experienced his fair share of risk and road bumps. One of the most egregious cases that he recalled involved a biotechnology company. The company in question was working to develop new stem cells similar in nature to embryonic stem cells. The winning factor was that the company had found a way to access these cells without needing a fertilized embryo. So we took all, or we thought we took all of them, some people still managed to find objections, but we took basically all the real objections away from those who were concerned, for religious or for other reasons, with whether or not using embryonic stem cells was in effect killing a human being in utero, Aldrich said.

While they had overcome a major roadblock to progress their research, they still had not reached calm seas. The company would go public and found itself in the midst of the economic downturn of 2008. Almost overnight, funding that had been promised had disappeared and the company was left stranded with no backing.

To further compound issues, the CEO of the company died of a heart attack shortly after. Aldrich found himself running the company and as an investor himself. He put forth a check for $500,000, one that would have been very painful to have lost in his own words. In a stroke of luck, he was able to find an investor for the company. However, the man was in Paris, was Russian and spoke no English. Not a man to be stopped, Aldrich flew to Paris, dug up a translator on the eve of a French holiday and made a deal with the new investor.

With the help of this new partner and his own investment, Aldrich would pull the company out of the hole it found itself in. The company would continue to make progress on its stem cell research. Eventually, the majority shareholder of the company would push Aldrich out of a leadership position and he decided it would be best to pull himself out of the company entirely. During his time there, Aldrich would grow the stock from 15 cents per share to over $2 per share.

The biggest perks

While Aldrich has undoubtedly seen rough times working with companies, he has found himself, more often than not, in the position of successfully creating a business. The thrill of just saying, I did that, claimed Aldrich, is one of the best parts of what he does. Continuously, he has had the ability to take the vision that someone brings him and help them turn it into a reality. For him that has been extremely gratifying, yet he has been able to take it one step further.

Many of the companies that he has been involved in have changed people's lives for the better. The first LASIK company aided many people in having better vision, which Aldrich considers life changing. The stem cell company has the potential to change the way stem cells are used, and he believes they ultimately will. Even present day he is working with a company that is working to make chemotherapy drastically more effective to the point that it can cure certain types of cancers.

Without a doubt Aldrich has found the thrill of victory and helped people in the process. Now it is still a whole lot of fun to make money from a deal and see it take off, he said. One of his most ludicrous investments was Green Dot Corp., in which he was an early investor. Since throwing his hat in the ring, the company has not only reached a billion-dollar market cap, it has created an entirely new industry of prepaid debit cards.

Even the wind park in Palm Springs that Aldrich helped start has seen him cashing monthly checks from land rights for the last 20 years. Having both built companies and earned money for decades, it is easy to understand how he has no desire to change anything, yet Aldrich believes that he has no regrets for a different reason.

I think in each case we did the most we could do with what we had available, Aldrich said. In his opinion, there will always be something that could have gone differently or a potential to have found greater success. The reality is I had gone everywhere I could think of and took the option that was available, he continued.

In the end, worrying becomes unproductive. It creates a situation in which you are cautious about your current ventures and begin to question every decision. Aldrich believes this type of fear, the fear of failure, is one that is extremely detrimental to an entrepreneur. Overcoming this fear has been key to his success.

No end in sight

In his most recent ventures, Aldrich has found himself seeking to inspire both youth and entrepreneurs alike. He has spent time working with at-risk teenagers to provide them with financial lessons as well as the skills to develop their dreams into reality. From these lessons, Aldrich developed a podcast series that would eventually become his first book, titled "Dream Toolbox," for anyone frustrated by unfulfilled dreams.

Although Aldrich has had a career outlasting many other entrepreneurs, he does not believe he will ever be able to stop. While he has made a promise to himself to not start any new companies, he will continue to fund and advise them as much as he can:

I can not see stopping because, frankly, it is so darn much fun. I have flunked retirement several times in the sense of really trying to turn it off. What I have discovered is just about the time I am getting all excited to go play a round of golf, or go play tennis or something like that, somebody will call me up with a new idea, or a new concept, and I will cancel the golf or cancel the tennis because nothing is more exciting than dealing with a new idea that has great promise.

Question and answer

GuruFocus: As an entrepreneur, and a serial entrepreneur at that, is there anything in the future coming up or already starting to reach the market that you are really excited about and would love to get your hands on?

Aldrich: My experience has been that the things that are already visible to me, out there in the market, somebody else has already started and is way ahead of me. So what I am looking for are the things that are not yet obvious and those can come in many ways. I recently became an investor in a company. It is not a startup anymore. I invested through some friends, but it is very exciting. They have, I believe, a way to, I will not say cure, but to take any of the existing chemotherapies that are used in cancer and make them way, way more effective, and the reality is, based upon the data we have, in many cases cure cancers that the physicians had given them up as incurable and a death sentence. That is enormously exciting to me and I think that we will see that.

I have also invested, although I am not a principle, in three or four other companies that have varying ways of approaching, particularly cancer, but other disease forms. That to me is an exciting area and I think we are just beginning to scratch the surface of what can be done medically. There are things going on with AI that will affect the medical world. I read in this mornings newspaper about a new AI technique that I think was developed by Google that has greatly improved the accuracy, or looks like it has greatly improved the accuracy of mammograms. That could be life-saving.

GuruFocus: Where do you look for inspiration?

Aldrich: One of the great books and it is overlooked, but I think everybody should read it right after they finish mine, actually before, is "Think and Grow Rich." Which has been around for almost a century, I guess. It is absolutely a brilliant set of ideas and structures for entrepreneurship. There are certainly more modern books. I happen to like Peter Thiels book, which I think he calls "Zero to One." It talks about entrepreneurship and finding a niche that you can fill and expand into making something big. Of course, if you just start looking and get specific, there are tons and tons of books on how to structure a business, how to handle the accounting, finance and so on. Again, I think it starts with changing the belief systems so that you believe you can do it and for that there probably is no better book that I have read than "Think and Grow Rich."

GuruFocus: What are you most grateful for at this point in your life?

Aldrich: Oh wow. I am most grateful that I have had the incredible good fortune to have the love of not one, but two wonderful women in my life. First my wife, who died a few years ago, and second, the woman who is now sharing my life. That has been remarkable. I have also had the good fortune through most of my life of having good health. I have had plenty of health issues that I have had to deal with, but they have all been like the puzzles I talked about. OK, I have a problem. I had a vision problem. I have had other things. How can we solve them? So far, they have all been soluble. I have been very fortunate. As you can see from this ugly photograph on your screen, I am not a young man anymore. I wake up in the morning thinking I am at least 20 or 30 years younger than I am until I look in the mirror. And that is a good thing because age ultimately matters as none of us live forever. In terms of our capacity to do things, it is how we view ourselves, so that is important.

Aldrichs advice for entrepreneurs

Have a vision both personally and in business:

Try to visualize what life would look like if you were to find the success that you have. Once you have this vision, there is something for you to strive for. In Aldrichs opinion, this is one of the most powerful tools an entrepreneur can utilize. Visualize yourself being successful while standing in front of the mirror. It may feel stupid at first, as it did for Aldrich, but you will eventually make that vision a reality by translating it into the present. Use your vision to tell yourself that you are successful now and, before you realize it, you will have reached many of your early milestones.

Put some skin in the game:

It can be simplified to one word: commit. You need to absolutely dedicate yourself to what you are doing if you want to succeed. This will require personal sacrifice. Your life will not continue to exist in the same way that it had previously and you have to be OK with that. Once you have committed your life to achieving your goals and truly put some skin in the game, you will find success. If you do not do this, you are going to give up when things get tough.

Determine if the worst outcome is survivable:

Another of Aldrichs most powerful tools is determining if the worst possible outcome is survivable. Look at the worst thing that could happen in the course of starting this business. Are you looking at bankruptcy? Or could it be something personal that ends life as you know it? Once you have determined what could happen, you need to decide if you have the ability to keep going on after that. If you can survive the worst outcome, than there is nothing that can stop you on your journey. All your problems become puzzles that have a solution. You simply need to find it.

For more information on Ken Aldrich and Dream Toolbox visit:

https://www.dreamtoolbox.com/

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1000 Entrepreneurs: Ken Aldrich on 30 Years of Venture Capital and 50 Successful Businesses - GuruFocus.com

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