5 Ways To Stay Healthy If You Sit All Day At Work

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.

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

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on These robots made of living frog cells are meant to revolutionize treatment methods – International Business Times, Singapore Edition | January 22nd, 2020

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

From Your Site Articles

Related Articles Around the Web

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

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Scientists Combine AI With Biology to Create Xenobots, the World’s First ‘Living Robots’ – EcoWatch | January 22nd, 2020

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/

If you are an entrepreneur or know one that would be a good fit for our series, please fill out the questionnaire and our editorial team will reach out as soon as possible.

Make sure to check out the podcast.

Watch the video of the entire interview here:

Read more here:

Not a Premium Member of GuruFocus? Sign up for afree 7-day trial here.

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

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on 1000 Entrepreneurs: Ken Aldrich on 30 Years of Venture Capital and 50 Successful Businesses – GuruFocus.com | January 22nd, 2020

In 2019, the market size of Stem Cell Therapy Market is million US$ and it will reach million US$ in 2025, growing at a CAGR of from 2019; while in China, the market size is valued at xx million US$ and will increase to xx million US$ in 2025, with a CAGR of xx% during forecast period.

In this report, 2019 has been considered as the base year and 2019 to 2025 as the forecast period to estimate the market size for Stem Cell Therapy .

This report studies the global market size of Stem Cell Therapy , especially focuses on the key regions like United States, European Union, China, and other regions (Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia).

Request Sample Report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=1787&source=atm

This study presents the Stem Cell Therapy Market production, revenue, market share and growth rate for each key company, and also covers the breakdown data (production, consumption, revenue and market share) by regions, type and applications. Stem Cell Therapy history breakdown data from 2014 to 2019, and forecast to 2025.

For top companies in United States, European Union and China, this report investigates and analyzes the production, value, price, market share and growth rate for the top manufacturers, key data from 2014 to 2019.

In global Stem Cell Therapy market, the following companies are covered:

Key Trends

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

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

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Market Potential

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

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

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

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Regional Outlook

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

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

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Competitive Analysis

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

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

Request For Discount On This Report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=D&rep_id=1787&source=atm

The content of the study subjects, includes a total of 15 chapters:

Chapter 1, to describe Stem Cell Therapy product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market driving force and market risks.

Chapter 2, to profile the top manufacturers of Stem Cell Therapy , with price, sales, revenue and global market share of Stem Cell Therapy in 2017 and 2019.

Chapter 3, the Stem Cell Therapy competitive situation, sales, revenue and global market share of top manufacturers are analyzed emphatically by landscape contrast.

Chapter 4, the Stem Cell Therapy breakdown data are shown at the regional level, to show the sales, revenue and growth by regions, from 2014 to 2019.

Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to break the sales data at the country level, with sales, revenue and market share for key countries in the world, from 2014 to 2019.

Customize This Report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=CR&rep_id=1787&source=atm

Chapter 10 and 11, to segment the sales by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2014 to 2019.

Chapter 12, Stem Cell Therapy market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2019 to 2024.

Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Stem Cell Therapy sales channel, distributors, customers, research findings and conclusion, appendix and data source.

More:
Product Innovations and Technological Advancements to Boost the Growth of the Stem Cell Therapy Market in the Upcoming Years 2017 2025 Dagoretti...

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Product Innovations and Technological Advancements to Boost the Growth of the Stem Cell Therapy Market in the Upcoming Years 2017 2025 Dagoretti… | January 20th, 2020

The birds and the bees as we know them are changing. A new process called in vitro gametogenesis (IVG) is currently being developed, and if successful, it will completely transform the way humans think about reproduction.

In 20 to 40 years, people will still have sex. But when they want to make babies, theyll go to a lab, predicts Stanford University Professor Henry T. Greely. Its also the premise of his book The End of Sex and the Future of Human Reproduction.

The process of IVG creates sperm and egg cells in a lab from just about any adult cell. IVG uses skin or blood cells to reverse engineer a special type of cells calledinduced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs).

IVG could eliminate the need for egg and sperm donors. With IVG, post-menopausal women could generate viable eggs. Same-sex couples could make a biological family. Virtually anyone with skin would have the ability to produce eggs or sperm.

Although 40 years might seem a lifetime away, theres a lot to figure out before we can safely, ethically, and responsibly add in vitro gametogenesis to our list of fertility treatment options.

Read full, original post: IVG: Making Babies From Skin Cells

Originally posted here:
Video: In 40 years, babies could be made in the lab from skin cells - Genetic Literacy Project

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Video: In 40 years, babies could be made in the lab from skin cells – Genetic Literacy Project | January 20th, 2020

No more feeling self-conscious about your scarring.

But there are other ingredients that aren't as harsh on the skin.

Salicylic acid is a fabulous way to combat acne in all skin types and can be found in a wash or in a lotion. If you tend to get small acne bumps known as comedonal acne, try OTC Differin lotion which is a retinoid. In general, those are strong enough to cause the skin to purge out those small bumps (which means it will be a little worse before getting better), and then prevent them from recurring, adds Dr. Mariwalla.

Contrary to what some people may think, having acne still means you need to moisturize. However, there are some precautions to consider. According to Dr. Mariwalla,Be sure not to use a heavy cream. Try a moisturizing gel or even a serum. A hyaluronic acid serum is ideal for acne=prone skin because it wont typically make you break out.

RELATED:20 Best Home Remedies For Acne Scars

Anti BacAcne Clearing Lotion is clinically proven to target pores to help clear existing acne, minimize excess oil production, and eliminate blackheads. Using an ultra-fine delivery system, benzoyl peroxide is delivered via a microscopic particle to affected areas, without over-drying.

(Sephora, $42)

Vichy Normaderm Beautifying Anti-Acne Treatment is an acne treatment moisturizer for adults with acne-prone skin. Thisnew formula with Air Licium and Phe resorcinoltechnology acts on the appearance of pores and shine. With salicylic acid to treat, blemishes disappear, leaving your skin looking radiant and beautiful.

(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)

Created by Beverly Hills plastic surgeons Dr. John Layke and Dr. Payman Danielpour, Beverly Hills MDAdvanced Scar Therapy contains advanced botanical ingredients that soothe and nourish damaged skinto dramatically diminish the appearance of stubborn scars. It contains an infusion of oxygen and antioxidants, for healthy-looking complexion and fewer visible imperfections.

(Beverly Hills MD, $80)

The Elina Organics Omega Serumcontains wild cod collagen, an antioxidant powerhouse that acts as a filler for scars. The serum promotes collagen regeneration and helps to firm, calm, and rejuvenate. Layer it with your nightly moisturizerfollowing exfoliation, and it helps your skin maintain its elasticity, increases hyaluronic acid production, and enhances skin hydration.

(ElinaOrganics, $52)

A powerful plant-based stem cell formulation decreases the appearance of fine lines, and softens and rejuvenates the skin. Stem cells help to support the longevity of aging skin by encouraging the regeneration of new skin cells, which stimulates the production of collagen in the skin.

(Knockout Beauty, $160)

Mela-Even Cream contains the lipid forms of the antioxidant vitamin C and E, which help to reclaim the appearance of healthy-looking, luminous skin. Not only does it help reduce scars, but it also helps to improve the appearance of uneven skin tone and fine lines, and assists in maintaining a healthy skin appearancewhile supporting its natural sun defence against the harmful effects of UV rays.

(Environ Skincare, $86)

This is a powerful skin lightening treatment gel featuring hydroquinone that rapidly reduces post-acne skin discoloration and helps combat breakouts. Willow bark and tea tree leaf extract help treat blemishes and reduce irritation as AHAs exfoliate to restore clarity and tone. This works best with normal, oily and combination skin types.

(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)

This treatment fights the main causes of acne by regulating skin cell turnover and reducing inflammation deep in the skin to clear and prevent pimples, blackheads and clogged pores. Differin contains the first OTC Rx-strength acne-fighting retinoid. Its gentler on your skin, while still effective, giving you the clearskin you want.

(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)

Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Dark Spot Corrector instantly brightens skin, with a high-potency fast absorbing formula that delivers the highest concentration of Vitamin C. With highly concentrated Accelerated Retinol SA, this advanced corrector works to renew the look of skin, brightening tone and helping fade stubborn dark spots and discoloration.

(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)

RELATED:How To Get Clear Skin Fast: 15 Tips For A Smooth, Acne-Free Complexion

Formulated with state-of-the-art UV filters, this high protection moisturizing sunscreen helps prevent UV induced collagen breakdown and UV-induced dark spots. It protectsskin from UVA and UVB rays, is easily absorbed into the skin, and comes in a lightweight formula.

(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)

Nia 24 Rapid D Tone Correcting Serum visibly diminishes the appearance of dark spots and discoloration to significantly improve brightness, clarity and tone. Vitamin C normalizes pigment production while increasing collagen and providing antioxidant protection. Willowbark extract exfoliates dull, dead skin cells while betaine smoothes the skin.

(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)

These powerful, easy-to-use pre-soaked pads are formulated with glycolic, lactic, citric, hyaluronic and salicylic acids, plus Pro-Vitamin B5 and Niacinamide that reduce pore size, fine lines, and wrinkles, and improve skin tone, texture and luminosity. Purslane Extract acts as a strong soother, itch reliever and antioxidant, and also promotes collagen production and cell turnover.

(Knockout Beauty, $79)

This pro-level retinol night treatment is formulated with 4.5 percent retinol in the patent-pending SB-100 delivery system, arguably one of the highest concentration in any over-the-counter retinol product. Retinol is the gold standard in treating acne scars by stimulating cell regeneration for brighter, more even skin. Clinical results show that 90 percent of subjects noticed an improvement in skin texture.

(Sephora, $105)

A medicated formula that exfoliates and reduces excess oil that can lead to breakouts. It unclogs pores and controls excess shine. Ingredients salicylic acid and acetyl glucosamine help clear dead skin cells that can contribute to clogged pores.Lamincaria Sacharina extract helps reduce shine and addresses future breakouts.

(Sephora, $17)

A unique and highly effective oil-free, non-comedogenic, lightweight moisturizer for combination to oily skin. Using clay that is mined in Umbria, Italy, it helps regulate sebum production, absorb impurities from blocked pores, calm flare-ups, and neutralize excess acidity on the skin which purifies and brightens the skin. This lightweight lotion gently hydrates, tones, and balances the complexion.

(Sephora, $38)

This is a redness-reducing lotion to help correct and prevent future blemishes. Ithelps to correct and prevent future blemishes, while reducing the appearance of dullness and rough texture. Formulated with acne-clearing salicylic acid and pine bark extract, this lotion calms and soothes redness and evens skin tone for a clearer complexion.

(Sephora, $48)

A gentle, oil-free exfoliating lotion for dry or combination skin. Developed by Clinique's dermatologists, the smoothing formula whisks away flakes and refines pores to reveal a clearer complexion. The cool, refreshing formula removes dead cells from the surface of the skin helping moisturizer and makeup to apply evenly.

(Sephora, $17)

This lightweight, oil-free moisturizer helps reduce shine and refine the appearance of pores for smoother skin texture without causing blemishes. Retinol supports natural cell turnover to help keep pores clear while hyaluronic acid and honey extract hydrate. Allantoin and arnica soothe, smooth, and condition skin.

(Sephora, $42)

This moisturizing treatment helps surround skin in an age-defending protective bubble. Silver tip white tea and revitalizing trehalose serve up an extra helping of hydration. It leaves skin soft and prepared for treatments to follow.

(Sephora, $27)

Fast-acting benzoyl peroxide attacks acne-causing bacteria to treat blackheads, blemishes and clogged pores at the source, and helps to control excess oil that can become trapped in pores and cause new breakouts. Botanical brighteners battle redness from existing and past blemishes, helping to fade the appearance of acne marks and reducing irritation from active breakouts. Antioxidants defend against the effects of free radical damage.

(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)

RELATED:21 Best Creams That Help Clear Up Scars

AlyWalanskyisa NY-basedlifestyles writer who focuses on health, wellness, and relationships. Her work appears in dozens of digital and print publications regularly.Visit her on Twitteroremail her.

YourTango may earn an affiliate commission if you buy something through links featured in this article.

Read the original post:
20 Best Lotions That Help Clear Up Acne Scars (And Moisturize Skin) - YourTango

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on 20 Best Lotions That Help Clear Up Acne Scars (And Moisturize Skin) – YourTango | January 18th, 2020

An international collaboration called BioRescue has taken a step forward in bringing back the Northern White Rhino with the creation of three embryos, which it hopes to bring to term in a surrogate in the coming months.

The BioRescue team, including researchers based at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Germany, extracted egg cells from the ovaries of the last two remaining northern white rhino females. They then artificially fertilized the eggs using sperm taken from now-deceased male rhinos and stored the embryos in liquid nitrogen. The team managed to create two embryos in September 2019 and has recently created a third.

Before the BioRescue team came, no one had ever created an embryo from a northern white rhino except for the rhino itself, Steven Seet, Head Public Relations & International Affairs at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, told me. This species is functionally extinct. Nevertheless, we have achieved the production of a third embryo now. This is incredible.

As the last two females are unable to become pregnant, the plan now is to implant the embryos into surrogate female southern white rhinos, a distinct subspecies, in the coming months. Every additional embryo increases the probability of getting a pregnancy The more, the better! Seet said.

There are many technical challenges remaining before the team can save the Northern White Rhino from extinction. First of all, it will need a lot more than three embryos to rebuild a healthy population. To meet this challenge, the team is developing technology to transform stem cells from northern white rhino skin tissue into egg and sperm cells. Our Japanese cooperation partner succeeded in doing so in a mouse model, Seet said. We are adapting this to the rhinos.

A second challenge may lie in implanting a northern white rhino embryo into a surrogate southern white rhino mother, which might have compatibility issues.

It might be that there are epigenetic components involved as the biological system of the southern rhinos might differ from the northern, Seet told me. A possible assessment of this could be conducted when we have the first calves on the ground. This is further research then.

Also involved in the BioRescue project was the German big pharma Merck KGaA, which donated a specialized incubator where the egg cells could be fertilized with monitoring by HD cameras.

Merck has donated access to its innovative fertility technologies to Project BioRescue to give this challenge the best possible chance of success and protect the Northern White Rhino from extinction, Jan Kirsten, Mercks Head of Global Business Franchise for Fertility, told me. While there is a long way to go on this journey, we hope these steps will pave the way for this technique to potentially be used in other species.

According to Kirsten and Seet, the biotechnology industry will likely play a strong role in the conservation of endangered species in the coming years. However, argued Seet, reproductive medicine and stem cell technology should remain a last resort to save a species.

It would be better to react much earlier to avoid using the BioRescue technology, he said. Humans must learn from this best practice project and evaluate biodiversity and conserve it.

Images from Shutterstock

View post:
International Collaboration on Brink of Resurrecting Northern White... - Labiotech.eu

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on International Collaboration on Brink of Resurrecting Northern White… – Labiotech.eu | January 17th, 2020

WASHINGTON - Scientists in the United States created the first living robots using stem cells, which can move toward a target and heal themselves after being cut. A study published on Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences described the living, programmable organism, a completely new biological machine designed from ground up. Scientists at the University of Vermont ran an evolutionary algorithm on a supercomputer to screen out a design to be composed of single frog skin and heart cells.

Then, scientists at Tufts University transferred the in silico design into life with stem cells harvested from embryos of African frogs. They used tiny forceps and electrode to assemble the single cells into a close approximation of the computer designs.

They found that the skin cells formed a more passive architecture, while the once-random contractions of heart muscle cells were put to work creating ordered forward motion, allowing the robots to move on their own.

Those millimeter-wide reconfigurable organisms were shown to be able to move and explore their watery environment for days or weeks, according to the study.

They could move around in circles, collectively pushing pellets into a central location. Its a step toward using computer-designed organisms for intelligent drug delivery, said Joshua Bongard, a computer scientists at the University of Vermont.

We can imagine many useful applications of these living robots that other machines cant do, said Michael Levin at Tufts University, like searching out nasty compounds or radioactive contamination, gathering microplastic in the oceans, traveling in arteries to scrape out plaque.

In another test, the scientists cut the living robots and watched what happened. We sliced the robot almost in half and it stitches itself back up and keeps going, said Bongard.

Read more:
US scientists build first robot made of living cells - The Nation

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on US scientists build first robot made of living cells – The Nation | January 17th, 2020

Right now, your bodys stem cells are working hard replacing your skin every two weeks, creating new red and white blood cells and completing thousands of other tasks essential to life. They are your own personalized fountain of youth.

Scientists generally agree that a stem cell should be able to do both of the following:

One theory of ageing suggests that between the ages of 30 and 50, our stem cells reach a turning point and start to decline in number and function. This results in the typical features associated with ageing.

There does not seem to be a single discoverer of stem cells. Accounts date back to the 1800s and even further, but the first successful medical procedure was a bone marrow transfusion in 1939. Advances in immunology led to donor matching, initially via siblings and close relatives. Unrelated donor matching flourished in the 1970s, alongside donor registries.

In the 1980s, scientists identified embryonic stem cells in mice, leading to the 1997 cloning of Dolly the Sheep. This created immense interest for human and medical applications and a backlash in the US as federal R&D funding was essentially halted in 2001.

In 2012, a Nobel Prize was awarded for the earlier discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). Essentially, they return potency and self-renewal properties to mature non-stem cells, essentially making them act like stem cells again.

In the decade between 2010 and 2019, the first wave of stem cell start-ups emerged, alongside R&D programmes at many large pharmaceutical companies, leading to innovation and the first human clinical trials for iPS and other related therapies.

According to Q3 2019 data from the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, there are 959 regenerative medicine companies worldwide sponsoring 1,052 active clinical trials; 525 of these companies are in North America, 233 in Europe and Israel, and 166 in Asia. In aggregate, $7.4 billion has been invested in regenerative medicine companies in 2019; $5.6 billion of which has been dedicated to gene and gene-modified cell therapy, $3.3 billion in cell therapy, and $114 million in tissue engineering.

Overview of the cancer stem cells market

Perhaps most excitingly, curative therapies are hitting the market and the results are astonishing: 60% of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia patients taking Novartis Kymirah showed a complete response (no traces of cancer) and were declared in full remission. Meanwhile, 75% of patients with Transfusion-Dependent -Thalassaemia treated with bluebird bios Zynteglo achieved independence from transfusions. Perhaps most astonishingly, 93% of spinal muscular atrophy patients treated with Novartis Zolgensma were alive without permanent ventilation 24 months after treatment. We should expect more medical breakthroughs in the coming years.

New science, new start-ups: several companies in the sector have gone public or been acquired. These exits led to the recycling of talent and capital into new companies. Because the science and commercial systems have also advanced, the companies in the next wave are pursuing bigger challenges, driving innovation, with even greater resources.

Patients are eager: the current market for stem cell therapies is growing at 36% per year, though it will rapidly expand when a breakthrough occurs toward the treatment of a non-communicable disease (such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease) or a lifestyle factor (for example, growing hair in the correct places, expanding cognitive abilities or increasing healthy lifespan).

New R&D models: funding is flowing into the sector from large companies, VC funds, and institutions such as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and New York State Stem Cell Science programme (NYSTEM). Some of the leading university R&D platforms include the Center for the Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine in Toronto, the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, the Oxford Stem Cell Institute, and most notably, the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI).

Founded in 2004, HSCI has established a phenomenal track record. It provided the first $200,000 in funding to Derrick Rossis lab, which inspired the largest biotech IPO to date. HSCI scientists were also co-founders or principals in the three most prominent gene-editing companies (CRISPR Tx, Intellia and Editas), the combined $1.55-billion True North/iPierian acquisitions and the recent $950-million acquisition of Semma Tx, Frequency Tx, Fate Tx, Epizyme Inc., and Magenta Tx.

For the casual investor, Evercore ISI is building a Regenerative Medicine Index, which may be the simplest way to build a portfolio. For institutions and those with deeper pockets, regenerative medicine funds are forming, including the Boston-centric Hexagon Regenerative Medicine Fund, which aims to create companies out of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

Caveat emptor. Though patients needs are immediate, those seeking treatments should think very carefully about the risks. There are many dubious clinics touting expensive stem cell treatments and some patients have experienced horrifying complications. Dr. Paul Knoepfler of UC-Davis has written a practical and scientifically accurate guide, a strongly recommended read if you or a family member are considering treatment or a clinical trial.

The leading causes of death in 1900 were mostly infectious/communicable diseases. While the prevalence of most causes has diminished, the largest increases include heart disease (+40%) and cancer (+300%). Granted, this is partly due to doubling life expectancy and a lack of death from other causes. However, given time and resources, scientists and physicians may cure these challenging diseases.

Total disease burden by disease or injury

Today, six of the seven leading causes of death are non-communicable diseases (heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, cancer, Alzheimers disease and diabetes). Based on the early promise mentioned above, regenerative medicine may be our best hope to solve the great non-communicable diseases of our time, and perhaps the single most transformative medical innovation in a century.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Go here to read the rest:
Why stem cells could be the medical innovation of the century - World Economic Forum

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Why stem cells could be the medical innovation of the century – World Economic Forum | January 17th, 2020

Scientists have created the worlds first living robots out of frog stem cells, according to new research. These tiny new lifeforms can be programmed to move around or carry and deliver miniature payloads that could one day be medicines inside a patients body, the Guardian reports.

The scientists knit skin and heart cells scraped from the embryos of African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) into 3D shapes designed by artificial intelligence to accomplish certain tasks.

These are entirely new lifeforms. They have never before existed on Earth, study co-author Michael Levin told the Guardian. They are living, programmable organisms.

The living robots, called xenobots after the clawed frogs Latin name, measure 0.04 inches and have enough energy inside them to keep moving for seven to 10 days before calling it quits.

The squishy robots dont have the strength and durability of plastic or metal machines, but biology affords them some unique advantages. They can heal themselves if wounded, and when their biological engines run out of fuel the xenobots simply fall apart and decay. This last part is crucial when it comes to potential medical or environmental applications in which leaving behind shards of plastic or metal presents obvious problems.

The researchers said we cant know for sure what applications await the soft-bodied bots, but imagined uses including cleaning up microplastics in the ocean, digesting toxic materials at polluted sites or scooping plaque from inside human arteries. Apart from scooting around in petri dishes, the researchers also say tinkering with these living machines could help scientists better understand the software of life.

The first generation of xenobots are tiny, but the scientists say the plan is to scale up perhaps even to living robots with blood vessels and nervous systems that can live on dry land.

If the voice of Jeff Goldblums character from Jurassic Park is beginning to echo in the back of your mind, youre not alone: When youre creating life, you dont have a good sense of what direction its going to take, Nita Farahany, who studies the ethics of new technologies and was not involved in the study, told Smithsonian. Any time we try to harness life [we should] recognize its potential to go really poorly.

For their part, the creators of the xenobots acknowledged the potential ethical implications, but say its up to society and policymakers to decide what those might be.

I think theyd acquire moral significance only if they included neural tissue that enabled some kind of mental life, such as the ability to experience pain, ethicist Thomas Douglas told the Guardian. But some are more liberal about moral status. They think that all living creatures have interests that should be given some moral consideration. For these people, difficult questions could arise about whether these xenobots should be classified as living creatures or machines.

More:
World's first living robots created using frog stem cells - The Hill

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on World’s first living robots created using frog stem cells – The Hill | January 16th, 2020

What happens when you take cells from frog embryos and grow them into new organisms that were "evolved" by algorithms? You get something that researchers are calling the world's first "living machine."

Though the original stem cells came from frogs the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis these so-called xenobots don't resemble any known amphibians. The tiny blobs measure only 0.04 inches (1 millimeter) wide and are made of living tissue that biologists assembled into bodies designed by computer models, according to a new study.

These mobile organisms can move independently and collectively, can self-heal wounds and survive for weeks at a time, and could potentially be used to transport medicines inside a patient's body, scientists recently reported.

Related: The 6 Strangest Robots Ever Created

"They're neither a traditional robot nor a known species of animal," study co-author Joshua Bongard, a computer scientist and robotics expert at the University of Vermont, said in a statement. "It's a new class of artifact: a living, programmable organism."

Algorithms shaped the evolution of the xenobots. They grew from skin and heart stem cells into tissue clumps of several hundred cells that moved in pulses generated by heart muscle tissue, said lead study author Sam Kriegman, a doctoral candidate studying evolutionary robotics in the University of Vermont's Department of Computer Science, in Burlington.

"There's no external control from a remote control or bioelectricity. This is an autonomous agent it's almost like a wind-up toy," Kriegman told Live Science.

Biologists fed a computer constraints for the autonomous xenobots, such as the maximum muscle power of their tissues, and how they might move through a watery environment. Then, the algorithm produced generations of the tiny organisms. The best-performing bots would "reproduce" inside the algorithm. And just as evolution works in the natural world, the least successful forms would be deleted by the computer program.

"Eventually, it was able to give us designs that actually were transferable to real cells. That was a breakthrough," Kriegman said.

The study authors then brought these designs to life, piecing stem cells together to form self-powered 3D shapes designed by the evolution algorithm. Skin cells held the xenobots together, and the beating of heart tissue in specific parts of their "bodies" propelled the 'bots through water in a petri dish for days, and even weeks at a stretch, without needing additional nutrients, according to the study. The 'bots were even able to repair significant damage, said Kriegman.

"We cut the living robot almost in half, and its cells automatically zippered its body back up," he said.

"We can imagine many useful applications of these living robots that other machines can't do," said study co-author Michael Levin, director of theCenter for Regenerative and Developmental Biologyat Tufts University in Massachusetts. These might include targeting toxic spills or radioactive contamination, collecting marine microplastics or even excavating plaque from human arteries, Levin said in a statement.

Creations that blur the line between robots and living organisms are popular subjects in science fiction; think of the killer machines in the "Terminator" movies or the replicants from the world of "Blade Runner." The prospect of so-called living robots and using technology to create living organisms understandably raises concerns for some, said Levin.

"That fear is not unreasonable," Levin said. "When we start to mess around with complex systems that we don't understand, we're going to get unintended consequences."

Nevertheless, building on simple organic forms like the xenobots could also lead to beneficial discoveries, he added.

"If humanity is going to survive into the future, we need to better understand how complex properties, somehow, emerge from simple rules," Levin said.

The findings were published online Jan. 13 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Originally published on Live Science.

Read more:
World's First 'Living Machine' Created Using Frog Cells and Artificial Intelligence - Livescience.com

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on World’s First ‘Living Machine’ Created Using Frog Cells and Artificial Intelligence – Livescience.com | January 16th, 2020

MEDIA CONTACT

Available for logged-in reporters only

Research Results

SCIENCE

Newswise A book is made of wood. But it is not a tree. The dead cells have been repurposed to serve another need.

Now a team of scientists has repurposed living cells--scraped from frog embryos--and assembled them into entirely new life-forms. These millimeter-wide "xenobots" can move toward a target, perhaps pick up a payload (like a medicine that needs to be carried to a specific place inside a patient)--and heal themselves after being cut.

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

The new creatures were designed on a supercomputer at UVM--and then assembled and tested by biologists at Tufts University. "We can imagine many useful applications of these living robots that other machines can't do," says co-leader Michael Levin who directs theCenter for Regenerative and Developmental Biologyat Tufts, "like 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 theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

BESPOKE LIVING SYSTEMS

People have been manipulating organisms for human benefit since at least the dawn of agriculture, genetic editing is becoming widespread, and a few artificial organisms have been manually assembled in the past few years--copying the body forms of known animals.

But this research, for the first time ever, "designs completely biological machines from the ground up," the team writes in their new study.

With months of processing time on the Deep Green supercomputer cluster at UVM'sVermont Advanced Computing Core, the team--including lead author and doctoral student Sam Kriegman--used an evolutionary algorithm to create thousands of candidate designs for the new life-forms. Attempting to achieve a task assigned by the scientists--like locomotion in one direction--the computer would, over and over, reassemble a few hundred simulated cells into myriad forms and body shapes. As the programs ran--driven by basic rules about the biophysics of what single frog skin and cardiac cells can do--the more successful simulated organisms were kept and refined, while failed designs were tossed out. After a hundred independent runs of the algorithm, the most promising designs were selected for testing.

Then the team at Tufts, led by Levin and with key work by microsurgeon Douglas Blackiston--transferred the in silico designs into life. First they gathered stem cells, harvested from the embryos of African frogs, the speciesXenopus laevis. (Hence the name "xenobots.") These were separated into single cells and left to incubate. Then, using tiny forceps and an even tinier electrode, the cells were cut and joined under a microscope into a close approximation of the designs specified by the computer.

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

These reconfigurable organisms were shown to be able move in a coherent fashion--and explore their watery environment for days or weeks, powered by embryonic energy stores. Turned over, however, they failed, like beetles flipped on their backs.

Later tests showed that groups of xenobots would move around in circles, pushing pellets into a central location--spontaneously and collectively. Others were built with a hole through the center to reduce drag. In simulated versions of these, the scientists were able to repurpose this hole as a pouch to successfully carry an object. "It's a step toward using computer-designed organisms for intelligent drug delivery," says Bongard, a professor in UVM'sDepartment of Computer ScienceandComplex Systems Center.

LIVING TECHNOLOGIES

Many technologies are made of steel, concrete or plastic. That can make them strong or flexible. But they also can create ecological and human health problems, like the growing scourge of plastic pollution in the oceans and the toxicity of many synthetic materials and electronics. "The downside of living tissue is that it's weak and it degrades," say Bongard. "That's why we use steel. But organisms have 4.5 billion years of practice at regenerating themselves and going on for decades." And when they stop working--death--they usually fall apart harmlessly. "These xenobots are fully biodegradable," say Bongard, "when they're done with their job after seven days, they're just dead skin cells."

Your laptop is a powerful technology. But try cutting it in half. Doesn't work so well. In the new experiments, the scientists cut the xenobots and watched what happened. "We sliced the robot almost in half and it stitches itself back up and keeps going," says Bongard. "And this is something you can't do with typical machines."

CRACKING THE CODE

Both Levin and Bongard say the potential of what they've been learning about how cells communicate and connect extends deep into both computational science and our understanding of life. "The big question in biology is to understand the algorithms that determine form and function," says Levin. "The genome encodes proteins, but transformative applications await our discovery of how that hardware enables cells to cooperate toward making functional anatomies under very different conditions."

To make an organism develop and function, there is a lot of information sharing and cooperation--organic computation--going on in and between cells all the time, not just within neurons. These emergent and geometric properties are shaped by bioelectric, biochemical, and biomechanical processes, "that run on DNA-specified hardware," Levin says, "and these processes are reconfigurable, enabling novel living forms."

The scientists see the work presented in their newPNASstudy--"A scalable pipeline for designing reconfigurable organisms,"--as one step in applying insights about this bioelectric code to both biology and computer science. "What actually determines the anatomy towards which cells cooperate?" Levin asks. "You look at the cells we've been building our xenobots with, and, genomically, they're frogs. It's 100% frog DNA--but these are not frogs. Then you ask, well, what else are these cells capable of building?"

"As we've shown, these frog cells can be coaxed to make interesting living forms that are completely different from what their default anatomy would be," says Levin. He and the other scientists in the UVM and Tufts team--with support from DARPA's Lifelong Learning Machines program and the National Science Foundation-- believe that building the xenobots is a small step toward cracking what he calls the "morphogenetic code," providing a deeper view of the overall way organisms are organized--and how they compute and store information based on their histories and environment.

FUTURE SHOCKS

Many people worry about the implications of rapid technological change and complex biological manipulations. "That fear is not unreasonable," Levin says. "When we start to mess around with complex systems that we don't understand, we're going to get unintended consequences." A lot of complex systems, like an ant colony, begin with a simple unit--an ant--from which it would be impossible to predict the shape of their colony or how they can build bridges over water with their interlinked bodies.

"If humanity is going to survive into the future, we need to better understand how complex properties, somehow, emerge from simple rules," says Levin. Much of science is focused on "controlling the low-level rules. We also need to understand the high-level rules," he says. "If you wanted an anthill with two chimneys instead of one, how do you modify the ants? We'd have no idea."

"I think it's an absolute necessity for society going forward to get a better handle on systems where the outcome is very complex," Levin says. "A first step towards doing that is to explore: how do living systems decide what an overall behavior should be and how do we manipulate the pieces to get the behaviors we want?"

In other words, "this study is a direct contribution to getting a handle on what people are afraid of, which is unintended consequences," Levin says--whether in the rapid arrival of self-driving cars, changing gene drives to wipe out whole lineages of viruses, or the many other complex and autonomous systems that will increasingly shape the human experience.

"There's all of this innate creativity in life," says UVM's Josh Bongard. "We want to understand that more deeply--and how we can direct and push it toward new forms."

###

SEE ORIGINAL STUDY

Link:
Team Builds the First Living Robots - Newswise

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Team Builds the First Living Robots – Newswise | January 16th, 2020

Summary

Scientists at the Sloan Kettering Institute have discovered that the ability of cancers to metastasize to other organs is dependent upon their ability to coopt natural wound-healing pathways. The findings provide a new way of looking at metastasis and its possible treatment.

Metastasis the spreading of cancer to other regions in the body is responsible for 90% of cancer deaths. Yet not much is known about what makes cancer cells capable of metastasizing. Now a major study from investigators at the Sloan Kettering Institute concludes that metastasis-initiating cells employ a devilish trick to spread: They co-opt the bodys natural wound-healing abilities.

The new findings, published January 13 in the inaugural issue of the journal Nature Cancer, provide a novel framework for thinking about metastasis and how to treat it.

We now understand metastasis as the regeneration of the wrong tissue the tumor in the wrong place distant vital organs, says Joan Massagu, Director of the Sloan Kettering Institute and the corresponding author on the paper. This is not just a metaphor. It is literally true in molecular and physiological terms.

There were previously clues that cancers might make use of wound-healing pathways to support their growth. Back in the 1980s, researcher Harold Dvorak dubbed tumors wounds that do not heal. But the new findings present the first detailed picture of how this process works on the level of cells and molecules and there are plenty of surprises.

This is not just a metaphor. It is literally true in molecular and physiological terms.

Though metastasis is deadly, its not something that cancer cells can do easily. To spread, cancer cells must successfully detach from their neighbors, break through tissue layers separating them from the circulation, swim or crawl to a new location in the body through blood or lymph fluid, exit these vessels, then take root and start growing in the new location.

At each step in this process, the majority of loose cancer cells die off. Fewer than 1% of all cancer cells shed from a tumor will ultimately form measurable metastases. But those that do will have proven themselves to be unusually hearty.

Once cancer cells learn how to survive the stress of living in a foreign environment, theyre very difficult to get rid of, says Karuna Ganesh, a physician-scientist in the Molecular Pharmacology Program at SKI and the papers first author. They are a completely different entity from the tumor that they started off in. But not, it seems, because they have different mutations.

Dr. Ganesh and her colleagues wanted to understand what enables some cells to survive this stressful journey. They homed in on a molecule called L1CAM, which previous studies from the Massagu lab had shown is necessary for numerous types of cancer cells to successfully metastasize to organs. Normal healthy tissues do not typically make L1CAM, but advanced cancers often do. Exactly what triggers the expression of L1CAM has so far been a mystery.

From looking at human tumor tissues under a microscope, it was clear to the researchers that dividing cells with L1CAM were more common in areas where an epithelial layer was disrupted that is, wounded. This led the scientists to wonder whether L1CAM is required for normal wound repair, such as occurs in the intestine following colitis. Using a mouse model of colitis, they found that indeed this was the case.

Next, they wanted to know exactly what it is about the wounding process that causes cells to switch on L1CAM. To find out, they turned to a recently developed technology called tissue organoids. These three-dimensional structures are grown from human cells and in many ways resemble human organs. Working with MSK colorectal cancer surgeon Julio Garcia-Aguilar, Dr. Ganesh was able to obtain fresh samples of metastatic colorectal tumors, which she then grew in jelly until they formed three-dimensional tumor organoids.

Using these tumor organoids, she and her colleagues were able to show that simply separating cells from their neighbors was enough to trigger L1CAM production. Whats more, the organoids enabled the researchers to work out in detail the molecular signals that switch on L1CAM.

Why would metastasis-initiating cells share a marker of wound healing? Fundamentally, wounds are a breach in the integrity of the epithelial layer of our skin: Cells that are normally linked tightly to each other to form a protective barrier are suddenly separated from their neighbors. Similarly, in metastasis, cells detach from their neighbors and adopt a migratory behavior to reach new locations. The researchers suspect that the wound repair program equips both types of cells to survive this anchorless state. In the first case, it allows cells to move into the breach and make new tissues, which is a good thing; in the second, it enables metastatic cells to detach and colonize new destinations, which is very bad.

Metastasis is wound healing gone wrong, Dr. Ganesh says.

What Is Metastatic Cancer? Answers to Six Common Questions

Learn about MSKs approach to treating cancer that has spread from the original tumor to other parts of the body.

Since previous researchers had linked cancer growth to wound healing, the SKI scientists asked whether cells that produce L1CAM are necessary to initiate the growth of a primary tumor. Using a mouse model, they found somewhat surprisingly that they were not; tumors formed fine without it. However, these L1CAM-making cells were necessary for tumors to metastasize. This led the researchers to conclude that the stem cells that form primary tumors are different from the ones that form metastases.

Scientists are increasingly interested in cancer stem cells the subset of cells within a tumor than can regrow a tumor. A crucial lesson from these findings is that cancer models that rely on the growth of primary tumors are not adequate for understanding metastasis or for testing medicines that might treat it. Thats because the stem cells that generate primary tumors are fundamentally different from those that generate metastases.

The SKI scientists think that this newly identified connection between metastasis-initiating cells and wound healing will open up promising avenues of research. They are currently looking for drugs that might block L1CAM and thereby rob cancer cells of their ability to metastasize. They plan to continue collaborating with MSK colleagues to bring these insights to the patients in the clinic.

There is such astrong translational environment at MSK, Dr. Ganesh adds. Everybody is eager to collaborate on work that might improve outcomes for patients with metastatic cancer.

View post:
What Does Cancer Metastasis Have to Do with Wound Healing? More than You Might Think - On Cancer - Memorial Sloan Kettering

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on What Does Cancer Metastasis Have to Do with Wound Healing? More than You Might Think – On Cancer – Memorial Sloan Kettering | January 16th, 2020

Poblano peppers (Capsicum annuum) are a type of chili pepper native to Mexico that can add zing to your meals.

Theyre green and resemble other varieties of peppers, but they tend to be larger than jalapeos and smaller than bell peppers.

Fresh poblanos have a mild, slightly sweet flavor, although if they are left to ripen until theyre red, they taste much hotter.

Dried poblano peppers that are fully ripe and deep red are known as ancho chiles, a popular ingredient in mole sauces and other Mexican dishes.

This article provides a complete overview of poblano peppers, including their possible benefits and uses.

Poblanos are low in calories and rich in fiber and several micronutrients.

In fact, 1 cup (118 grams) of chopped raw poblano peppers provides (1):

Poblanos are particularly rich in vitamins A and C. These two nutrients act as antioxidants in your body and help fight underlying damage from free radicals, which may lead to disease (2).

Dried poblano peppers, or ancho chiles, have higher amounts of vitamins A and B2 and other nutrients, compared with fresh poblanos (3).

Poblano peppers are rich in fiber, vitamins A and C, and several other nutrients.

Due to their high amounts of nutrients and beneficial plant compounds, poblano peppers may provide health benefits.

However, there is no substantial research on the health effects of eating poblanos in particular.

Poblanos and other peppers in the Capsicum annuum family are rich in antioxidants, such as vitamin C, capsaicin, and carotenoids, some of which turn into vitamin A in your body (4).

Antioxidants help fight oxidative stress caused by excess free radicals.

Free radicals are reactive molecules that lead to underlying cell damage, which in turn may increase your risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia, and other chronic conditions (5).

Therefore, eating antioxidant-rich poblanos may help prevent illness related to oxidative stress (6, 7).

Capsaicin, a compound in poblanos and other peppers that imparts a spicy taste, may exert anticancer effects.

Specifically, capsaicin may influence genes involved in the spread of cancer and promote cancer cell death, though its role in this process is not fully understood (8).

Test-tube studies suggest that capsaicin may exert anticancer activity against human lung and colorectal cancer cells (9, 10).

However, a review of 10 observational studies in humans found that low capsaicin intake was associated with protection against stomach cancer, while medium-high intake may increase the risk of this disease (11).

More research is needed to fully understand whether eating poblano peppers and other foods with capsaicin has anticancer effects.

Capsaicin may also fight inflammation and help alleviate pain.

Some studies suggest that it binds to nerve cell receptors and, in turn, decreases inflammation and pain (12, 13).

There is limited research on the effects of dietary capsaicin, especially from poblano peppers, on pain. Still, studies in humans and rats suggest that capsaicin supplements may fight inflammation (14, 15).

One study in 376 adults with inflammatory bowel diseases and other gastrointestinal issues found that capsaicin supplements prevented stomach damage (14).

Still, be sure to consult your healthcare provider before taking capsaicin supplements to treat a medical condition.

Poblano peppers are loaded with vitamin C, a water-soluble nutrient thats vital to immune function. Not getting enough vitamin C can lead to an increased risk of developing an infection (16).

Whats more, the capsaicin in poblano peppers has been linked to optimal immune function.

Several animal studies have shown that capsaicin may influence genes involved in the immune response and help protect against autoimmune conditions (17, 18).

While theres no substantial research on the health effects of eating poblanos specifically, studies on the compounds in these peppers suggest that they may have anticancer effects, help fight inflammation, and even boost immunity.

Poblano peppers can be used in a variety of ways.

They can be enjoyed raw in salsas and other dips, as well as added to chilis, taco meat, or sauces.

To prepare a poblano pepper for these dishes, halve the pepper lengthwise, remove the stem and seeds, and then dice it into pieces.

You can also roast poblano peppers whole and then remove the skin, stem, and seeds.

One of the most popular ways to enjoy poblanos is stuffed with ground meat, beans, rice, spices, corn, and tomatoes.

To make stuffed poblanos, halve the peppers, remove the seeds, and roast them in the oven at 350F (177C) for 1015 minutes.

Stuff each pepper half with filling and sprinkle cheese on top, then put them back in the oven for a few more minutes.

You can enjoy poblano peppers in salsas and tacos, or make stuffed poblanos by filling them with meat, beans, tomatoes, corn, and cheese and baking them in the oven.

Poblano peppers are a mild variety of chili peppers that are highly nutritious and equally delicious.

Theyre rich in vitamins A and C, carotenoids, capsaicin, and other compounds that may act as antioxidants, have anticancer activity, and fight inflammation.

Poblano peppers can be added to soups, tacos, or salsas, or stuffed with meat, beans, rice, and cheese.

Read more here:
What Are Poblano Peppers? Nutrition, Benefits, and Uses - Healthline

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on What Are Poblano Peppers? Nutrition, Benefits, and Uses – Healthline | January 16th, 2020

Days after shaking hands with German regulators over the launch and coverage of its beta-thalassemia gene therapy, bluebird bio has wooed a Celgene exec to lead its European operations.

Nicola Heffron, a biopharma vet with stints across Eli Lilly, GSK and Shire, jumps from a brief tenure overseeing marketing for Celgenes myeloid portfolio in Summit, NJ. She will now be based in Zug, Switzerland.

Shes replacing Andrew Obenshain as he joins CEO Nick Leschly and the leadership team in Boston, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the news. Obenshains new title is chief of wings.

On Monday bluebird announced that Germany will be the first country to commercially offer Zynteglo, their procedure encoding A-T87Q-globin gene in CD34+ cells extracted from patients. Under their value-based payment scheme, the $1.8 million price is divided into five installments. After an initial payment is made at the time of infusion, the payers wait and see and only pay if the patients continue to be transfusion-free.

Multiple statutory health insurances have signed onto the plan, bluebird said, and University Hospital of Heidelberg will host the first qualified treatment center.

The biotech has been busy sorting out manufacturing specs and talking to individual countries since the EU issued an historic OK last June. Its sanctioned for a specific group of beta-thalassemia patients those who are 12 years and older, transfusion dependent, do not have a 0/0 genotype and for whom hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is appropriate but a donor is not available.

For patients with TDT, lifelong chronic blood transfusions are required in order to survive, bluebird chief commercial officer Alison Finger emphasized in a statement. Their one-time infusion promises to do away with the transfusions for good.

A rolling BLA submission to the FDA has begun, bluebird added.

Here is the original post:
Celgene exec jumps to head bluebird bio ops in Europe, where its $1.8M gene therapy Zynteglo is now available - Endpoints News

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Celgene exec jumps to head bluebird bio ops in Europe, where its $1.8M gene therapy Zynteglo is now available – Endpoints News | January 16th, 2020

What happens when you cross stem cells from a frog heart and frog skin? Not muchthat is, until you program those cells to move. In that case, you've created a xenobot, a new type of organism that's part robot, part living thing.

And we've never seen anything like it before.

Researchers from Tufts University, the University of Vermont, and Harvard University have created the first xenobots from frog embryos after designing them with computer algorithms and physically shaping them with surgical precision. The skin-heart embryos are just one millimeter in size, but can accomplish some remarkable things for what they are, like physically squirming toward targets.

"These are novel living machines," Joshua Bongard, a computer scientist and robotics expert at the University of Vermont who co-led the new research, said in a press statement. "They're neither a traditional robot nor a known species of animal. It's a new class of artifact: a living, programmable organism."

By studying these curious organisms, researchers hope to learn more about the mysterious world of cellular communication. Plus, these kinds of robo-organisms could possibly be the key to drug delivery in the body or greener environmental cleanup techniques.

"Most technologies are made from steel, concrete, chemicals, and plastics, which degrade over time and can produce harmful ecological and health side effects," the authors note in a research paper published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "It would thus be useful to build technologies using self-renewing and biocompatible materials, of which the ideal candidates are living systems themselves."

Xenobots borrow their name from Xenopus laevis, the scientific name for the African clawed frog from which the researchers harvested the stem cells. To create the little organisms, which scoot around a petri dish a bit like water bearsthose tiny microorganisms that are pretty much impossible to killthe researchers scraped living stem cells from frog embryos. These were separated into single cells and left to incubate.

They differentiated the stem cells into two different kinds: heart and skin cells. The heart cells are capable of expanding and contracting, which ultimately aids the xenobot in locomotion, and the skin cells provide structure. Next, using tiny forceps and an even smaller electrode, the scientists cut the cells and joined them together under a microscope in designs that were specified by a computer algorithm.

Interestingly, the two different kinds of cells did merge together well and created xenobots that could explore their watery environment for days or weeks. When flipped like a turtle on its shell, though, they could no longer move.

Other tests showed whole groups of xenobots are capable of moving in circles and pushing small items to a central location all on their own, without intervention. Some were built with holes in the center to reduce drag and the researchers even tried using the hole as a pouch to let the xenobots carry objects. Bongard said it's a step in the right direction for computer-designed organisms that can intelligently deliver drugs in the body.

Sam Kriegman, UVM

While these xenobots are capable of some spontaneous movement, they can't accomplish any coordinated efforts without the help of computers. Really, xenobots couldn't fundamentally exist without designs created through evolutionary algorithms.

Just as natural selection dictates which members of a species live and which die offbased on certain favorable or unfavorable attributes and ultimately influencing the species' characteristicsevolutionary algorithms can help find beneficial structures for the xenobots.

A team of computer scientists created a virtual world for the xenobots and then ran evolutionary algorithms to see which potential designs for the xenobots could help them move or accomplish some other goal. The algorithm looked for xenobots that performed well at those particular tasks while in a given configuration, and then bred those microorganisms with other xenobots that were considered "fit" enough to survive this simulated natural selection.

In the video above, for example, you can see a simulated version of the xenobot, which is capable of forward movement. The final organism takes on a similar shape to this design and is capable of (slowly) getting around. The red and green squares at the bottom of the structure are active cells, in this case the heart stem cells, while the blueish squares represent the passive skin stem cells.

All of this design work was completed over the course of a few months on the Deep Green supercomputer cluster at the University of Vermont. After a few hundred runs of the evolutionary algorithm, the researchers filtered out the most promising designs. Then, biologists at Tufts University assembled the real xenobots in vitro.

Anything dealing with stem cells is bound to meet at least some flack because detractors take issue with the entire premise of using stem cells, which are harvested from developing embryos.

That's compounded with other practical ethics questions, especially relating to safety and testing. For instance, should the organisms have protections similar to animals or humans when we experiment on them? Could we, ourselves, eventually require protection from the artificially produced creatures?

"When youre creating life, you dont have a good sense of what direction its going to take," Nita Farahany, who studies the ethical ramifications of new technologies at Duke University and was not involved in the study, told Smithsonian Magazine. "Any time we try to harness life [we should] recognize its potential to go really poorly."

Michael Levin, a biophysicist and co-author of the study from Tufts University, said that fear of the unknown in this case is not reasonable:

At its heart, the study is a "direct contribution to getting a handle on what people are afraid of, which is unintended consequences," Levin said.

Source: The University of Vermont

Read more here:
These Are the First Living Robots: Machines Made from Frog Stem Cells - Popular Mechanics

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on These Are the First Living Robots: Machines Made from Frog Stem Cells – Popular Mechanics | January 14th, 2020

Adult bone repair relies on the activation of bone stem cells, which still remain poorly characterized. Bone stem cells have been found both in the bone marrow and in the outer layer of tissue, called periosteum, that envelopes the bone. Of the two, periosteal stem cells are the least understood.

Having a better understanding of how adult bones heal could reveal new ways of repair fractures faster and help find novel treatments for osteoporosis. Dr. Dongsu Park and his colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine investigate adult bone healing and recently uncovered a new mechanism that has potential therapeutic applications.

Previous studies have shown that bone marrow and periosteal stem cells, although they share many characteristics, also have unique functions and specific regulatory mechanisms, said Park, who is assistant professor of molecular and human genetics and of pathology and immunology at Baylor.

It is known that these two types of bone stem cells comprise a heterogeneous population that can contribute to bone thickness, shaping and fracture repair, but scientists had not been able to distinguish between different subtypes of bone stem cells and study how their different functions are regulated.

In the current study, Park and his colleagues developed a method to identify different subpopulations of periosteal stem cells, define their contribution to bone fracture repair in live mouse models and identify specific factors that regulate their migration and proliferation under physiological conditions.

The researchers discovered specific markers for periosteal stem cells in mice. The markers identified a distinct subset of stem cells that showed to be a part of life-long adult bone regeneration.

We also found that periosteal stem cells respond to mechanical injury by engaging in bone healing, Park said. They are important for healing bone fractures in the adult mice and, interestingly, they contribute more to bone regeneration than bone marrow stem cells do.

In addition, the researchers found that periosteal stem cells also respond to inflammatory molecules called chemokines, which are usually produced during bone injury. In particular, they responded to chemokine CCL5.

Periosteal stem cells have receptors molecules on their cell surface called CCR5 that bind to CCL5, which sends a signal to the cells to migrate toward the injured bone and repair it. Deleting the CCL5 or the CCR5 gene in mouse models resulted in marked defects or delayed healing. When the researchers supplied CCL5 to CCL5-deficient mice, bone healing was accelerated.

The findings suggested potential therapeutic applications. For instance, in individuals with diabetes or osteoporosis in which bone healing is slow and may lead to other complications resulting from limited mobility, accelerating bone healing may reduce hospital stay and improve prognosis.

Our findings contribute to a better understanding of how adult bones heal. We think this is one of the first studies to show that bone stem cells are heterogeneous, and that different subtypes have unique properties regulated by specific mechanisms, Park said. We have identified markers that enable us to tell bone stem cell subtypes apart and study what each subtype contributes to bone health. Understanding how bone stem cell functions are regulated offers the possibility to develop novel therapeutic strategies to treat adult bone injuries.

Find all the details of this study in the journal journal Cell Stem Cell.

Other contributors to this work include Laura C. Ortinau, Hamilton Wang, Kevin Lei, Lorenzo Deveza, Youngjae Jeong, Yannis Hara, Ingo Grafe, Scott Rosenfeld, Dongjun Lee, Brendan Lee and David T. Scadden. The authors are affiliated with one of the following institutions: Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Childrens Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine and Harvard University.

This study was supported by the Bone Disease Program of Texas Award and The CarolineWiess Law Fund Award, the NIAMS of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers 1K01AR061434 and 1R01AR072018 and U54 AR068069 and the NIDDK of the NIH.

By Ana Mara Rodrguez, Ph.D.

Go here to see the original:
There is a new player in adult bone healing - Baylor College of Medicine News

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on There is a new player in adult bone healing – Baylor College of Medicine News | January 14th, 2020

Regenerative medicine has emerged as new paradigm in human health. It has the potential to resolve unmet medical needs. Rapid growth in the interdisciplinary field of regenerative medicine is altering the health care domain by converting fundamental science into a variety of regenerative technologies. Stem cell is an undifferentiated mass of cell that has the ability to divide indefinite times. It can be further differentiated into specialized cells such as blood cells, skin cells, neurons, heart cells, chondrocytes, and osteocytes under specific conditions. Unspecialized nature, self-renewal capability, and dedifferentiation are the unique features of stem cells. Thus, these cells are useful in different applications in pharmaceutical research and medical fields.

Report Overview @

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/stem-cell-assay-market.html

Stem cell research has grown significantly since 1978, when stem cells were discovered in human cord blood. Incidence of cancer is increasing across the globe due to the rise in aging population and changing lifestyle habits. This, in turn, is boosting the demand for anticancer drugs and therapies. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14.1 million new cancer cases were diagnosed around the globe in 2012 and around 19.3 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed each year by 2025. Rise in incidences of chronic diseases is boosting the demand for research, making stem cells a highly preferred system for drug discovery due to its self-renewal capability and unspecialized nature.

Over the last decade, the application of cell-based assays has increased at a rapid pace among research institutes and pharmaceutical industries. This was primarily ascribed to the ethical issues associated with the use of animals for clinical trials. Furthermore, rise in approvals of clinical trials for stem cells based therapy, increase in funds from government organizations, and technological advancements are some of the factors driving the stem cell assay market.

Request Sample @

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=19364

But, human embryonic stem cells, which are derived from inner cell mass of blastocyst are currently high on the political issues ethical concerns in many countries hampering the growth of the market. Additionally, lack of required infrastructure in developing countries and high cost associated with products are some of the factors restraining the stem cell assay market. Evolution of new therapies and low regulatory frameworks in emerging regions are expected to provide opportunities for market growth during the forecast period.

The global stem cell assay market has been segmented based on product, assay type, application, end-user, and region. In terms of product, the market for stem cell assay has been divided into human embryonic stem cell kits and adult stem cell kits. The adult stem cell kits segment is further divided into induced pluripotent stem cells kits, hematopoietic stem cell kits, mesenchymal stem cell kits, umbilical cord stem cell kits, and others.

Request Brochure @

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=19364

The adult stem cell kits segment is expected to account for the prominent share of the global stem cell assay market during the forecast period, led by the rise in product innovation activities and increasing focus on drug screening by biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Based on assay, the global stem cell assay market has been segregated into viability or cytotoxicity assay, cell identification assay, proliferation assay, differentiation assay, apoptosis assay, isolation & purification assay, and functional assay. Among these, the viability or cytotoxicity assay segment is anticipated to constitute key share of the global stem cell assay market during the forecast period, as cytotoxicity is an unavoidable stage during research.

In terms of application, the global stem cell assay market has been segmented into drug discovery & development, regenerative medicine & therapy development, and clinical research. The regenerative medicine & therapy development segment is anticipated to expand at a rapid pace during the forecast period due to the rise in incidence of Parkinsons, Alzheimers, diabetes, and cancer diseases. This is anticipated to augment the focus on the development of new therapies and innovative drugs. Evolution of new therapies is estimated to provide new opportunities for the growth of the stem cell assay market during the forecast period.

Based in end-user, the global stem cell assay market has been segregated into government research institutes, private research institutes, and industry research. The industry research segment is projected to account for the major share of the global stem cell assay market during the forecast period. Growth in adoption of stem cell assays for drug screening process and testing is likely to drive the segment in the near future.

In terms of geography, the global stem cell assay market has been divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to dominate the global stem cell assay market during the forecast period. Governmental initiatives for stem cell based research in North America are anticipated to boost the stem cell assay market in the region. The stem cell assay market in Asia Pacific is estimated to expand at a rapid pace; it is projected to overtake Europe in the near future. Development in the clinical research field and rise in patient pool are projected to augment the adoption of stem cell assay in Asia Pacific.

Key players operating in the stem cell assay market are Thermo Fisher Scientific,Merck KGaA, Promega Corporation, STEMCELL Technologies Inc., Bio-Techne Corporation, GE Healthcare, Cellular Dynamics International Inc., Hemogenix, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., and Cell Biolabs Inc.

I am Sheila Shipman and I have over 16 years experience in the financial services industry giving me a vast understanding of how news affects the financial markets.

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

Read more here:
Stem Cell Assay Market Global Competitive Analytics and Insights 2024 - Voice of Reports

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Stem Cell Assay Market Global Competitive Analytics and Insights 2024 – Voice of Reports | January 13th, 2020

Experts from the Mayo clinic warned that spots on the skin may signal a blood cancer. In connection with what experts suggest as soon as possible to go to the doctor when the symptom of.

Leukemia is a cancer primarily occurs in the bone marrow as a result of mutations in blood stem cell. The consequence is the loss of the descendants of the mutated cells ability to differentiate to Mature blood cells. The danger of the disease is that the symptoms are not specific, often among the signs unexplained weight loss, fever and chills. The experts considered it important to warn you that spots on the skin can indicate cancer of the blood that allows an early identification is a deadly health hazard. Among the other important symptoms of blood cancer: swollen lymph nodes, enlarged liver or spleen, frequent nosebleeds, excessive sweating, especially at night, bone pain, constant fatigue, recurrent infections.

With regard to treatment, the experts from Mayo clinic said: chemotherapy is the main form of treatment. Biological therapy works by using methods that help the immune system to recognize cancer cells and attack them. Among the methods of struggle with a deadly disease and radiation therapy, which destroys leukemia cells and stop their growth. Among the solutions and stem cell transplantation is bone marrow transplantation. The essence of the procedure is that the blood stream is filled with healthy blood cells, which often helps to restore normal functioning of the hematopoietic system.

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

Read more from the original source:
Experts from the Mayo clinic: Spots on the skin can indicate cancer of the blood - The Times Hub

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Experts from the Mayo clinic: Spots on the skin can indicate cancer of the blood – The Times Hub | January 13th, 2020

This Cosmetic Skin Care market report endows with a far-reaching survey of key players in the market which is based on a range of objectives of an organization such as profiling, the product outline, the quantity of production, required raw material, and the financial health of the organization. One of the sections in the report covers the evaluation of probabilities of the new investment projects and overall research conclusions are offered. Thus, the transparent, truthful and extensive market information and data included in this global industry report will definitely help develop business and improve return on investment (ROI).

Global cosmetic skin care market is set to witness a substantial CAGR of 5.5% in the forecast period of 2019- 2026. The report contains data of the base year 2018 and historic year 2017. Increasing self-consciousness among population and rising demand for anti- aging skin care products are the factor for the market growth.

Global Cosmetic Skin Care Market By Product (Anti-Aging Cosmetic Products, Skin Whitening Cosmetic Products, Sensitive Skin Care Products, Anti-Acne Products, Dry Skin Care Products, Warts Removal Products, Infant Skin Care Products, Anti-Scars Solution Products, Mole Removal Products, Multi Utility Products), Application (Flakiness Reduction, Stem Cells Protection against UV, Rehydrate the skins surface, Minimize wrinkles, Increase the viscosity of Aqueous, Others), Gender (Men, Women), Distribution Channel (Online, Departmental Stores and Convenience Stores, Pharmacies, Supermarket, Others), Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2026 ;

Complete report on Global Cosmetic Skin Care Market Research Report 2019-2026 spread across 350 Pages, profiling Top companies and supports with tables and figures

Market Definition: Global Cosmetic Skin Care Market

Cosmetic skin care is a variety of products which are used to improve the skins appearance and alleviate skin conditions. It consists different products such as anti- aging cosmetic products, sensitive skin care products, anti- scar solution products, warts removal products, infant skin care products and other. They contain various ingredients which are beneficial for the skin such as phytochemicals, vitamins, essential oils, and other. Their main function is to make the skin healthy and repair the skin damages.

Key Questions Answered in Global Cosmetic Skin Care Market Report:-Our Report offers:-

Top Key Players:

Market Drivers:

Market Restraints:

Key Developments in the Market:

Customize report of Global Cosmetic Skin Care Market as per customers requirement also available.Market Segmentations:Global Cosmetic Skin Care Market is segmented on the basis of

Market Segmentations in Details:By Product

By Application

By Gender

By Distribution Channel

By GeographyNorth America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

South America

Middle East & Africa

Competitive Analysis: Global Cosmetic Skin Care Market

Global cosmetic skin care market is highly fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of cosmetic skin care market for Global, Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, South America and Middle East & Africa.

About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Researchset forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.

Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email:[emailprotected]

This post was originally published on Food and Beverage Herald

Go here to read the rest:
Cosmetic Skin Care Market Competitive Insights, Trends and Demand Growth 2019 to 2026 - Food & Beverage Herald

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Cosmetic Skin Care Market Competitive Insights, Trends and Demand Growth 2019 to 2026 – Food & Beverage Herald | January 13th, 2020