The breakthrough might set up another showdown about cloning for therapeutic purposes

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From Nature magazine

It was hailed some 15 years ago as the great hope for a biomedical revolution: the use of cloning techniques to create perfectly matched tissues that would someday cure ailments ranging from diabetes to Parkinsons disease. Since then, the approach has been enveloped in ethical debate, tainted by fraud and, in recent years, overshadowed by a competing technology. Most groups gave up long ago on the finicky core method production of patient-specific embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from cloning. A quieter debate followed: do we still need therapeutic cloning?

A paper published this week by Shoukhrat Mitalipov, a reproductive biology specialist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Beaverton, and his colleagues is sure to rekindle that debate. Mitalipov and his team have finally created patient-specific ESCs through cloning, and they are keen to prove that the technology is worth pursuing.

Therapeutic cloning, or somatic-cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), begins with the same process used to create Dolly, the famous cloned sheep, in 1996. A donor cell from a body tissue such as skin is fused with an unfertilized egg from which the nucleus has been removed. The egg reprograms the DNA in the donor cell to an embryonic state and divides until it has reached the early, blastocyst stage. The cells are then harvested and cultured to create a stable cell line that is genetically matched to the donor and that can become almost any cell type in the human body.

Many scientists have tried to create human SCNT cell lines; none had succeeded until now. Most infamously, Woo Suk Hwang of Seoul National University in South Korea used hundreds of human eggs to report two successes, in 2004 and 2005. Both turned out to be fabricated. Other researchers made some headway. Mitalipov created SCNT lines in monkeys in 2007. And Dieter Egli, a regenerative medicine specialist at the New York Stem Cell Foundation, successfully produced human SCNT lines, but only when the eggs nucleus was left in the cell. As a result, the cells had abnormal numbers of chromosomes, limiting their use.

Monkeying around Mitalipov and his group began work on their new study last September, using eggs from young donors recruited through a university advertising campaign. In December, after some false starts, cells from four cloned embryos that Mitalipov had engineered began to grow. It looks like colonies, it looks like colonies, he kept thinking. Masahito Tachibana, a fertility specialist from Sendai, Japan, who is finishing a 5-year stint in Mitalipovs laboratory, nervously sectioned the 1-millimetre-wide clumps of cells and transferred them to new culture plates, where they continued to grow evidence of success. Mitalipov cancelled his holiday plans. I was happy to spend Christmas culturing cells, he says. My family understood.

The success came through minor technical tweaks. The researchers used inactivated Sendai virus (known to induce fusion of cells) to unite the egg and body cells, and an electric jolt to activate embryo development. When their first attempts produced six blastocysts but no stable cell lines, they added caffeine, which protects the egg from premature activation.

None of these techniques is new, but the researchers tested them in various combinations in more than 1,000 monkey eggs before moving on to human cells. They made the right improvements to the protocol, says Egli. Its big news. Its convincing. I believe it.

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Patient-Specific Human Embryonic Stem Cells Created by Cloning

Sir Ian Wilmut proposes an alternative method as a possible means of creating a mammoth--or a hybrid. Such research could lead to major biological discoveries and advances

Wikimedia Commons/Mammut

Editor's note: The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation UK, an online publication covering the latest research.

By Ian Wilmut, University of Edinburgh

It is unlikely that a mammoth could be cloned in the way we created Dolly the sheep, as has been proposed following the discovery of mammoth bones in northern Siberia. However, the idea prompts us to consider the feasibility of other avenues. Even if the Dolly method is not possible, there are other ways in which it would be biologically interesting to work with viable mammoth cells if they can be found.

In order for a Dolly-like clone to be born it is necessary to have females of a closely related species to provide unfertilised eggs, and, if cloned embryos are produced, to carry the pregnancies. Cloning depends on having two cells. One is an egg recovered from an animal around the time when usually she would be mated.

In reality there would be a need for not just one, but several hundred or even several thousand eggs to allow an opportunity to optimise the cloning techniques. The cloning procedure is very inefficient. After all, after several years of research with sheep eggs, Dolly was the only one to develop from 277 cloned embryos. In species in which research has continued, the typical success rate is still only around 5% at best.

Elephant eggs

In this case the suggestion is to use eggs from elephants. Because there is a danger of elephants becoming extinct it is clearly not appropriate to try to obtain 500 eggs from elephants. But there is an alternative.

There is a considerable similarity in the mechanisms that regulate function of the ovaries in different mammals. It has been shown that maturation of elephant eggs is stimulated if ovarian tissue from elephants is transplanted into mice.

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Produce Woolly Mammoth Stem Cells, Says Creator of Dolly the Sheep

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4-Mar-2014

Contact: Jen Middleton jen.middleton@ed.ac.uk 44-131-650-6514 University of Edinburgh

Horses suffering from neurological conditions similar to those that affect humans could be helped by a breakthrough from stem cell scientists.

Researchers who are the first to create working nerve cells from horse stem cells say the advance may pave the way for cell therapies that target conditions similar to motor neurone disease.

The research could also benefit horses affected by grass sickness, a neurological condition that affects around 600 horses a year in the UK.

Little is known about the disease, which causes nerve damage throughout the body. It is untreatable and animals with the most severe form usually die or have to be put down.

The advance by the University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute will provide a powerful tool for those studying horse diseases. It will also help scientists to test new drugs and treatments.

The researchers took skin cells from a young horse and turned them into stem cells using a technique that was originally developed for human cells. The reprogrammed cells are pluripotent, which means they can be induced to become any type of cell in the body.

The team used them to create nerve cells in the laboratory and tested whether they were functional by showing that they could transmit nerve signals in a test tube.

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Horses set to gain health benefits from stem cell advance

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Researchers in London, UK, are investigating the effectiveness of stem cell therapies for facial reconstruction.

A joint team, from London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and University College London's Institute of Child Health, has published the findings of their research in the journal Nanomedicine.

This follows the recent news that another UK-based team, of The London Chest Hospital, has begun the largest ever trial of adult stem cells in heart attack patients.

Great Ormond Street has a proven track record in facial reconstruction, particularly with regard to treating children with a missing or malformed ear - a condition called microtia. This kind of reconstructive surgery involves taking cartilage from the patient's ribs to craft a "scaffold" for an ear, which is then implanted beneath the skin.

Despite successes with this method, the researchers thought the treatment may be improved by bringing stem cells into the process.

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Reconstructing faces using human stem cells from fat

Scientists have managed to use body fat and turned it into cartilage It is now hoped technique could help patients born with microtia At the moment, doctors take cartilage from other parts of the body

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 06:43 EST, 2 March 2014 | UPDATED: 06:46 EST, 2 March 2014

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British scientists are aiming to grow ears and noses in a laboratory to transplant then into humans.

Scientists from Great Ormond Street Hospital and University College London have managed to use abdominal body fat and turn it into cartilage.

It is now hoped that the technique could help patients who have been born with microtia, which means the ear fails to develop properly, or who have been in an accident.

Scientists from Great Ormond Street Hospital are aiming to grow ears and noses in a laboratory to transplant then into humans

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Ears and noses to be grown in lab from stem cells for human transplants thanks to revolutionary technique

Research Dr. Amy Firth introduces students Jason Ward of San Jacinto Valley Academy and Kaitlan Navarro of Eastlake High School to the finer points of preparing and separating brain slices for scientific research.

LA JOLLA Minely Araujo, a senior at San Pasqual High School, arranged slices from a mouse brain onto glass slides Saturday that researchers at the renowned Salk Institute for Biological Sciences would study for their work examining brain cancer.

She looked at chimpanzee skin cells that had been transformed back into stem cells. And she marveled at a mouse its skin florescent green from the protein of jelly fish as it scampered inside a cage.

Its so interesting. I like to know what caused things, said Minely, who hopes to study forensic pathology at University of Southern California next year.

Its amazing that we get to see the work that is going on here. Its real research.

More than 200 students got the rare opportunity to tour Salks famed La Jolla research facilities for the 24th annual High School Science Day, co-sponsored by the March of Dimes.

The program is designed to nudge students into a science education or career while giving them the chance to meet with researchers and scientists who are striving to solve real problems.

They toured more than a dozen Salk labs that focused on everything from genetic, stem cell, infectious disease and neurobiology research. Students dissected mouse brains, studied fluorescent markers in worms and isolated single cells using a special micromanipulator.

Through lab tours, interactions with working scientists and participation in lab experiments, these students can picture themselves in the roles of future scientists observing, innovating and discovering, said William Brody, president of the Salk Institute.

Five scientists trained at Salk have won Nobel Prizes, and the labs are home to nine Howard Hughes Medical Investigators and 14 members of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Budding scientists get rare look inside Salk labs

Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) February 28, 2014

Chernoff Cosmetic Surgeons is excited to bring Phytoceutical science to Indianapolis, offering patients an innovative new treatment in the form of the Apple Stem Cell Facial.

A phytoceutical is a plant-derived compound with skin and health benefits. The benefits of phytoceuticals and apple stem cells have been witnessed in Europe and some Asian Countries, but have not gained much exposure in the U.S. until now. Dr. Gregory Chernoff of Chernoff Cosmetic Surgeons is excited to bring this effective and innovative treatment to Indianapolis.

Apple Stem Cells contain similar Epigenetic Factors as human stem cells. Together, these growth factors and the complex of science-based plant nutrients provide optimal improvement in skin health, says Dr. Chernoff.

The innovative facial uses special Malus apple stem cells combined with a phytoceutical complex, both of which are rich in growth factors. This powerful combination is used to enhance collagen production and stimulate fibroblast regeneration. Additional key ingredients in this facial that make it unique are polysaccharides that improve connective tissue and stimulate micro blood circulation, and pectin extract which acts as a fibroblast nutrient to improve skin.

This benefits of this new treatment can be maximized using enhanced delivery with micro needling. Micro needling is a form of non-ablative collagen induction therapy. This technique delivers active apple stem cells, growth factors, vitamins & nutrients deep into the dermis, providing intensive fibroblast and cell regeneration. Hyaluronic acid and tri-lipids seal in the active growth factors.

Apple stem cells are not something new to Dr. Chernoffs patients. His professional line of skincare offers an Apple Stem Cell Serum that his patients have been using for years. The Apple Stem Cell Facial is the first of several phytoceutical facials offered at Chernoff Cosmetic Surgeons using advanced growth factors to help improve skin tone, texture, and quality. The treatment is excellent for all skin types including dry, sensitive, acne prone, or compromised skin. Dr. Chernoff recommends his patients use his professional line of GREGORY M.D., Apple Stem Cell Serum for optimal results.

Greg Chernoff, M.D., is a Triple Board Certified Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. His practice is dedicated exclusively to aesthetic plastic surgery, hair replacement surgery, cosmetic laser therapy, and all forms medical aesthetics. Dr. Chernoffs laser research has been instrumental in developing and refining accepted laser techniques now utilized by physicians worldwide, and he is at the forefront of research in the areas of fibroblast, stem cell, and regenerative medicine. Dr. Chernoff provides excellent results and outstanding patient care. For more information, contact Chernoff Cosmetic Surgeons at 317-573-8899 http://www.drchernoff.com.

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Chernoff Cosmetic Surgery Pleased to Offer Innovative Phytoceutical Apple Stem Cell Facial

Scientists have transformed human skin cells into fully functioning liver cells with "extremely promising" therapeutic potential.

Transplanted into laboratory mice with liver failure, the cells matured and multiplied over a period of nine months.

In future they could form the basis of personalised treatments for patients who might otherwise need a liver transplant.

Earlier attempts to produce liver cells from artificially created stem cells have proved disappointing.

Generally, once implanted into existing liver tissue the cells have not tended to survive.

The new research involved a two-stage process of transforming skin cells in the laboratory before transplanting them.

First, the cells were genetically reprogrammed back to an intermediate "endoderm" stage of development using a cocktail of genes and chemical compounds.

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"The liver likes a balanced diet, just like the rest of your body," explains Dr. Nancy Reau, vice president of the American Liver Foundation's Board of Directors. She notes that an extreme elimination diet is generally not good for your system, and any benefit it may give you disappears once you go back to eating regularly. For the liver (as well as the rest of your body), look to high-fibre vegetables and lean proteins.

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Liver Transplant Research: Skin Cells Transformed Into Liver Cells Could Save Lives, Scientists Say

Washington, Feb 24 : In a path-breaking research, scientists have discovered a way to transform skin cells into mature, fully functioning liver cells that flourish on their own.

The technique could serve as an alternative for liver-failure patients who do not require full-organ replacement or who do not have access to a transplant owing to limited donor organ availability.

Researchers at Gladstone Institutes and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) revealed a new cellular reprogramming method that transforms human skin cells into liver cells that are virtually indistinguishable from the cells that make up liver tissue.

"Earlier studies tried to reprogramme skin cells back into a stem cell-like state in order to then grow liver cells. However, generating these pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, and then transforming them into liver cells was not always resulting in complete transformation," explained Sheng Ding, senior investigator at Gladstone Institutes.

"So we thought that, rather than taking these skin cells all the way back to a stem cell-like state, perhaps we could take them to an intermediate phase," he added.

Instead of taking the skin cells back to the beginning, the scientists took them only part way, creating endoderm-like cells.

Endoderm cells are cells that eventually mature into many of the body's major organs - including the liver.

This step allowed them to generate a large reservoir of cells that could more readily be coaxed into becoming liver cells.

Next, the researchers discovered a set of genes and compounds that can transform these cells into functioning liver cells.

After just a few weeks, the team began to notice a transformation.

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Skin-tillating! Healthy liver cells created in lab

Our cells don't live in a vacuum. They are surrounded by a complex, nurturing matrix that is essential for many biological functions, including growth and healing.

In all multicellular organisms, including people, cells make their own extracellular matrix. But in the lab, scientists attempting to grow tissue must provide a scaffold for cells to latch onto as they grow and proliferate. This engineered tissue has potential to repair or replace virtually any part of our bodies.

Typically, researchers construct scaffolds from synthetic materials or natural animal or human substances. All have their strengths and weaknesses, but no scaffolds grown in a Petri dish have been able to mimic the highly organized structure of the matrix made by living things, at least until now.

Feng Zhao of Michigan Technological University has persuaded fibroblasts, cells that makes the extracellular matrix, to make just such a well-organized scaffold. Its fibers are a mere 80 nanometers across, similar to fibers in a natural matrix. And, since her scaffold is made by cells, it is composed of the same intricate mix of all-natural proteins and sugars found in the body. Plus, its nanofibers are as highly aligned as freshly combed hair.

The trick was to orient the cells on a nano-grate that guided their growth -- and the creation of the scaffold.

"The cells did the work," Zhao said. "The material they made is quite uniform, and of course it is completely biological."

Stem cells placed on her scaffold thrived, and it had the added advantage of provoking a very low immune response.

"We think this has great potential," she said. "I think we could use this to engineer softer tissues, like skin, blood vessels and muscle."

The work is described in the paper "Highly Aligned Nanofibrous Scaffold Derived from Decellularized Human Fibroblasts," coauthored by Zhao, postdoctoral researcher Qi Xing and undergraduate Caleb Vogt of Michigan Technological University and Kam W. Leong of Duke University and published Jan. 29 in Advanced Functional Materials. Zhao designed the project. Xing and Vogt did the work, and Leong developed the template for cell growth.

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New biological scaffold offers promising foundation for engineered tissues

In a medical first, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have transformed human skin cells into mature, fully functioning liver cells.

Additionally, these cells can thrive on their own after being transplanted into laboratory animals a positive step for future treatment for liver failure.

So far, scientists have been able turn skin cells into cells closely resembling heart cells and pancreas cells, but there hasnt been a method to generate cells that are fully mature. And previous studies on liver-cell reprogramming had difficulties getting the stem-cell-derived liver cells to survive and flourish once transplanted inside the body.

But in this latest study, published in the journal Nature, researchers figured out a way to overcome these obstacles.

Earlier studies tried to reprogram skin cells back into a pluripotent, stem cell-like state in order to then grow liver cells, senior author Sheng Ding, a professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at UCSF, said in a press release. However, generating these so-called induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, and then transforming them into liver cells wasnt always resulting in complete transformation. So we thought that, rather than taking these skin cells all the way back to a pluripotent, stem cell-like state, perhaps we could take them to an intermediate phase.

Dings regeneration method involved using a specific cocktail of reprogramming genes and chemical compounds. This mixture helped to transform the skin cells into cells resembling those in the endoderm an embryonic cell layer that eventually forms many of the bodys major organs. According to the researchers, this state allowed the cells to be more easily coaxed into becoming liver cells.

Then, using another set of genes and compounds, Ding and his team transformed the endoderm-like cells into nearly indistinguishable liver cells. To see how well these cells performed on their own, the researchers implanted them into the livers of mice that had been genetically altered to experience liver failure. Nine months post-transplantation, the team saw an overall rise in human liver protein levels an indication that the liver cells were growing and thriving.

This study has major implications for those suffering from liver failure, as a costly liver transplant is often the only form of treatment.

Many questions remain, but the fact that these cells can fully mature and grow for months post-transplantation is extremely promising, said Dr. Holger Willenbring, associate director of the UCSF Liver Center and the papers other senior author. In the future, our technique could serve as an alternative for liver-failure patients who dont require full-organ replacement, or who dont have access to a transplant due to limited donor organ availability.

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Scientists transform human skin cells into mature liver cells

Gladstone Institutes

Joint Gladstone-UCSF study highlights novel reprogramming method; offers new hope for treating liver failure

SAN FRANCISCO, CAFebruary 23, 2014 The power of regenerative medicine now allows scientists to transform skin cells into cells that closely resemble heart cells, pancreas cells and even neurons. However, a method to generate cells that are fully maturea crucial prerequisite for life-saving therapieshas proven far more difficult. But now, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), have made an important breakthrough: they have discovered a way to transform skin cells into mature, fully functioning liver cells that flourish on their own, even after being transplanted into laboratory animals modified to mimic liver failure.

In previous studies on liver-cell reprogramming, scientists had difficulty getting stem cell-derived liver cells to survive once being transplanted into existing liver tissue. But the Gladstone-UCSF team figured out a way to solve this problem. Writing in the latest issue of the journal Nature, researchers in the laboratories of Gladstone Senior Investigator Sheng Ding, PhD, and UCSF Associate Professor Holger Willenbring, MD, PhD, reveal a new cellular reprogramming method that transforms human skin cells into liver cells that are virtually indistinguishable from the cells that make up native liver tissue.

These results offer new hope for the millions of people suffering from, or at risk of developing, liver failurean increasingly common condition that results in progressive and irreversible loss of liver function. At present, the only option is a costly liver transplant. So, scientists have long looked to stem cell technology as a potential alternative. But thus far they have come up largely empty-handed.

Earlier studies tried to reprogram skin cells back into a pluripotent, stem cell-like state in order to then grow liver cells, explained Dr. Ding, one of the papers senior authors, who is also a professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at UCSF, with which Gladstone is affiliated. However, generating these so-called induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, and then transforming them into liver cells wasnt always resulting in complete transformation. So we thought that, rather than taking these skin cells all the way back to a pluripotent, stem cell-like state, perhaps we could take them to an intermediate phase.

This research, which was performed jointly at the Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Research at Gladstone and the Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF, involved using a cocktail of reprogramming genes and chemical compounds to transform human skin cells into cells that resembled the endoderm. Endoderm cells are cells that eventually mature into many of the bodys major organsincluding the liver.

Instead of taking the skin cells back to the beginning, we took them only part way, creating endoderm-like cells, added Gladstone and CIRM Postdoctoral Scholar Saiyong Zhu, PhD, one of the papers lead authors. This step allowed us to generate a large reservoir of cells that could more readily be coaxed into becoming liver cells.

Next, the researchers discovered a set of genes and compounds that can transform these cells into functioning liver cells. And after just a few weeks, the team began to notice a transformation.

The cells began to take on the shape of liver cells, and even started to perform regular liver-cell functions, said UCSF Postdoctoral Scholar Milad Rezvani, MD, the papers other lead author. They werent fully mature cells yetbut they were on their way.

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Scientists Transform Skin Cells Into Functioning Liver Cells

6 hours ago

Professor Sami Franssila is participating in a research project that could, if successful, revolutionise the treatment of coronary thrombosis and brain damage.

You cannot walk into the clean rooms of Micronova with your snowy boots.

'We fabricate nano-scale objects so any undesired particles, including dust, must be smaller than the objects being made,' Sami Franssila, Professor of Microtechnology explains and points at the researchers working in their protective clothing on the other side of the window.

'The floor is vibration isolated and the air conditioning keeps the temperature and humidity between precise limits.'

Accelerating stem cell differentiation

Precision is also required in the large strategic research opening by Tekes which Franssila and his research group are participating in with the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Central Hospital. The project has an ambitious goal: getting damaged organs to heal themselves. Achieving this goal requires drugs that are targeted at an organ, such as the heart or the brain, using nanotechnology. The drugs then locally enhance the differentiation of stem cells so that the necessary new heart or nerve cells are created.

'The idea is to heal cell damages locally,' Sami Franssila explains.

'One of the greatest challenges is determining the essential chemicals which affect the differentiation of cells. The work requires micro and nanotechnology as we, in collaboration with the University of Helsinki Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, have to develop an analysis method that is so sensitive that it can be used to examine extremely small amounts of substance consisting of as few as one thousand molecules. In addition to sensitivity, the method also has to be accurate to counterbalance the natural biological fluctuation of the samples taken from the cells,' Franssila continues.

Ten years of cooperation

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Nanotechnology to help in healing hearts

7 hours ago Blood stem cell cultures: Blood stem cells from colonies (cell clusters) in vitro consisting of different blood cells. Nine blood stem cell colonies are illustrated in the image, which have developed into differentiated cell types, particularly into white blood cells (leukocytes).Credit: Department of Clinical Research of the University of Bern, Tumor-Immunology research group

Researchers in Bern, Germany, have discovered that, during a viral infection, immune cells control the blood stem cells in the bone marrow and therefore also the body's own defences. The findings could allow for new forms of therapy, such as for bone marrow diseases like leukaemia.

During a viral infection, the body needs various defence mechanisms amongst other things, a large number of white blood cells (leukocytes) must be produced in the bone marrow within a short period of time. In the bone marrow, stem cells are responsible for this task: the blood stem cells. In addition to white blood cells, blood stem cells also produce red blood cells and platelets.

The blood stem cells are located in specialized niches in the bone marrow and are surrounded by specialized niche cells. During an infection, the blood stem cells must complete two tasks: they must first recognise that more blood cells have to be produced and, secondly, they must recognise what kind of.

Now, for the first time, researchers at the Department of Medical Oncology at the University of Bern and Bern University Hospital headed by Prof. Adrian Ochsenbein have investigated how the blood stem cells in the bone marrow are regulated by the immune system's so-called T killer cells during a viral infection. As this regulation mechanism mediated by the immune system also plays an important role in other diseases such as leukaemia, these findings could lead to novel therapeutic approaches. The study is being published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Stem Cell today.

T Killer cells trigger defences

One function of T killer cells is to "patrol" in the blood and remove pathogen-infected cells. However, they also interact with the blood stem cells in the bone marrow. The oncologists in Bern were able to show that messenger substances secreted by the T killer cells modulate the niche cells. In turn, the niche cells control the production and also the differentiation of the blood stem cells.

This mechanism is important in order to fight pathogens such as viruses or bacteria. However, various forms of the bone marrow disease leukaemia are caused by a malignant transformation of exactly these blood stem cells. This leads to the formation of so-called leukaemia stem cells. In both cases, the mechanisms are similar: the "good" mechanism regulates healthy blood stem cells during an infection, whilst the "bad" one leads to the multiplication of leukaemia stem cells. This in turn leads to a progression of the leukaemia.

This similarity has already been investigated in a previous project by the same group of researchers. "We hope that this will enable us to better understand and fight infectious diseases as well as bone marrow diseases such as leukaemia," says Carsten Riether from the Department of Clinical Research at the University of Bern and the Department of Medical Oncology at Bern University Hospital and the University of Bern.

Explore further: New discovery on early immune system development

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Immune cells regulate blood stem cells

Supporters of Californias multibillion-dollar stem cell program plan to ask for $5 billion more to bring the fruits of research to patients.

Robert Klein, a leader of the 2004 initiative campaign that established the program, said Thursday hes going to be talking with California voters about the proposal. If the public seems receptive, backers will work to get an initiative on the 2016 ballot to extend funding for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

Klein outlined the proposal Thursday at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, during a symposium on how to speed research to patient care.

Since cancer cells and stem cells share some underlying characteristics, CIRM has funded research into those similarities, including the work of Moores Cancer Center researchers David Cheresh and Catriona Jamieson.

Klein said supporters, including researchers, patients and patient advocates need to educate the public about the benefits of funding stem cell research, and the results to date. A former chairman of CIRM, Klein is no longer formally affiliated with the agency but continues to support its work.

No stem cell treatments funded by CIRM have been approved, but patients have benefited in other ways. CIRM-funded research into cancer stem cells led to a clinical trial of a drug that caused remission of a bone marrow cancer in Sandra Dillon, a patient of Jamiesons. Moreover, California has vaulted into prominence in regenerative medicine, and the field has also provided a new growth engine for the states large biotech industry.

Though CIRM has been praised for advancing quality research, it has been criticized for being slow to fund commercialization by life science companies.

In addition, CIRM has been criticized for a lack of transparency and conflicts of interest in how it awards grants. The agency revamped its policies last year to forbid members of its governing oversight committee from voting on proposals to fund research at their own institutions.

California voters set aside $3 billion in bond money for CIRM in 2004 under Proposition 71. The money is expected to run out around 2017, so Klein and other supporters have been preparing to go back to the public. The amount paid back will be $6 billion, including interest over the life of the bonds, Klein noted. So the $5 billion for CIRM would require a $10 billion bond measure.

Can it be done again? Klein asked. If we continue to have the extraordinary results the scientists and research institutes are presenting, as well as the biotech sector.

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$5B initiative proposed for stem cell research

AP/February 20, 2014

BOSTON (AP) The family of a teenager who almost lost a leg in the Boston Marathon bombings has started a fund to explore limb regeneration and the use of stem cells to regrow bones and skin.

Gillian Renys parents started the fund with an undisclosed sum and have formed a team for this years marathon to raise more. The goal is $3 million to fund research intended to help others at risk of amputation.

Reny, as well her parents Audrey Epstein Reny and Steven Reny, havent spoken publicly about their ordeal, but are coming forward now in interviews with The Boston Globe and WCVB-TV to talk about the Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Fund.

Both of Renys legs were injured in the April blast, and doctors were not sure they could save her mangled lower right leg.

I knew from seeing the destruction of my legs that something very serious had happened, Reny said.

Reny was standing near the finish line with her parents to watch her sister complete the race when twin bombs detonated, killing three people and injuring more than 260 others.

Reny, now a 19-year-old freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, is still rehabilitating but is able to walk on her own after undergoing several surgeries.

Initially, doctors did not know if Renys leg could be saved, said plastic surgeon Dr. Eric Halvorson.

But Halvorson found that a vital nerve was undamaged, and tests showed that major blood vessels were largely intact. Reny spent several weeks at Brigham & Womens Hospital and within two months recovered enough to attend her graduation from Buckingham Brown & Nichols School on crutches.

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Family of wounded teen marathon victim starts fund

GOING BEYOND SKIN DEEP IN IDENTIFYING GOOD FAT FROM BAD FAT

A*STAR scientists discover a faster way to tell fat cells apart to get down to the skinny of fat towards healthier outcomes

20 February 2014, Singapore - Scientists from A*STARs Singapore Bioimaging Consortium (SBIC) led in the discovery that two little-known fat cell markers have huge potential to assist researchers to further their understanding of fats. The discovery was recently published in prestigious science journal, Stem Cell Reports[1].

Adipose or fat cells are essential for proper body function. Yet, being too fat is detrimental to your health and raises risk of developing metabolic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. With worldwide obesity nearly doubling since 1980, there is an urgent need for research into the science of diseases caused by obesity[2].

Fat stem cells are young cells that mature into fully functioning fat cells. The research team looked at two different fat stem cells types: subcutaneous fat found beneath the skin and visceral fat surrounding internal organs. The researchers are able for the first time to tell apart subcutaneous from visceral fat stem cells using specific cell markers.

The researchers looked at 240 different markers present on the surface of fat stem cells and discovered two markers called CD10 and CD200. An imaging technique called High-Content Screening (HCS) was used to spot these markers individually by latching them with florescence tags. What the scientists found was subcutaneous fat contained more CD10 signals while visceral fat exhibited more CD200. By using the different composition of CD10 and CD200 on fat stem cell surface, scientists can use these marking signatures to differentiate subcutaneous from visceral fat.

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:: 20, Feb 2014 :: GOING BEYOND SKIN DEEP IN IDENTIFYING GOOD FAT FROM BAD FAT

By Liisa Vexler

A new age in biology and biotechnology may be upon us as scientists in London, England have successfully created embryonic-type stem cells without the use of actual embryos. By re-engineering mature cells, scientists may be close to overcoming one of the largest ethical debates in stem cell research, the use of human embryos. Though the initial research was conducted with cells from mice, scientists believe the technique could be successful in humans.

Researchers at the University College London were able to generate pluripotent cells from fully developed, or mature cells. Chris Mason, Chair of Regenerative Medicine Bioprocessing at the institution described the process as the most simple, lowest-cost and quickest method to-date. These pluripotent cells have unlimited therapeutic potential as they are able to develop into different cell types.

Mason explained to Reuters, If it works in man, this could be the game changer that ultimately makes a wide range of cell therapies available using the patients own cells as starting material.

Researchers from other institutions including Brigham and Womens Hospital, Harvard Medical School and the RIKENCenter for Developmental Biology in Japan took part in this study.

Scientists performed the experiment by allowing mature cells to multiply and then, using a number of methods, stressing them almost to the point of death. According to the researchers, the cells were able to survive and recover by returning to a state similar to that of an embryonic stem cell.

Stem Cells Defined

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the ability to differentiate into specialized types of cells that the body needs. There are two types of stem cells, embryonic stem cells found in embryos, and adult or IPS stem cells, which are harvested from the blood or skin and genetically reprogrammed into stem cells.

According to scientists, the stem cells ability to regenerate tissue makes them valuable in the fight against degenerative diseases including Parkinsons and cardiovascular disease.

Source: http://www.euronews.com/2014/01/29/stem-cells-produced-without-embryo-in-major-scientific-breakthrough/

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Biologists Create Embryonic-Type Stem Cells Without Embryos

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Severe skin reactions during radiation therapy could be prevented by applying a thin transparent silicone dressing to the skin from the first day of treatment, a clinical trial shows.

Although many skincare products have been tested in clinical trials over the years, until now none have been able to completely prevent severe skin reactions, says senior lecturer Dr Patries Herst of University of Otago Wellingtons Department of Radiation Therapy.

Dr Herst and her team of radiation therapists, oncology nurses and medical physicists have completed five randomised controlled clinical trials in public hospitals in Dunedin, Wellington, Palmerston North and Auckland Radiation Oncology over the past five years, all focusing on side effects caused by radiation therapy.

Their most recent trial was a close collaboration with Dunedin Hospital, and demonstrated it is possible to prevent skin reactions from developing in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.

Skin reactions are common in these patients, ranging from mild redness to ulceration with symptoms of pain, burning and itchiness, Dr Herst says.

"This can impact negatively on day-to-day life for patients who already have to cope with being diagnosed with and treated for cancer."

She is delighted with the results, and identification of a product that really works.

"This is fantastic news for cancer patients and it has put New Zealand firmly on the world map as a leader in clinical research into radiation-induced acute side effects."

The dressings work by adhering closely to the small folds in the skin without the use of adhesives, so do not stick to open wounds. By protecting the radiation-damaged skin from friction against items of clothing or other parts of the body, they allow the stem cells of the skin to heal from the radiation damage in an undisturbed environment. The dressings are also free of chemicals that could react with the skin.

Dr Herst is currently setting up a trial that will test the dressings in head and neck cancer patients.

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Skin reactions during radiation therapy preventable - research