Stem Cell Tourism Is the Controversial Subject of a New Cannes Documentary – Vogue.com
By raymumme
A fascinating documentary that is making the rounds at film festivals like Tribeca and Cannes gives a rare view of a controversial treatment that more and more Americans are paying up to $50,000 to receive. Stem cell therapy is widely considered to be the next big hope in medicine, with researchers everywhere from Stanford to Johns Hopkins investigating the technologys potential to treat seemingly every ailment known to mankindAlzheimers, cancer, joint injuries, even basic signs of aging. The only hitch: With one tiny exception, it isnt legal in the United States.
We all know the stem cell revolution is occurring outside the U.S., says Brian Mehling, M.D., a Manhattan-based orthopedic surgeon who is certainly doing his part to foment the insurgency. A coproducer of the film, as well as its charismatic recurring subject, Mehling is bringing stem cell tourism into the spotlight and determined to lift the curtain on a medical field that remains mysterious to most. His Blue Horizon medical clinics, with locations in China and Slovakiaand three more set to open in Mexico, Israel, and Jamaicacater to American tourists looking to cutting-edge therapy for help when traditional medicine fails.
Stem cells are the undifferentiated cells that abound in newborns and have the ability to transform into blood, nerve, or muscle cells and aid the body in self-repair. Proselytizers like Mehling say they constitute the latest in holistic medicine, allowing the body to healwithout drugs, surgery, or side effects. At clinics such as Mehlings, doctors either inject the cells, which are generally obtained from umbilical cords during C-sections, into a patients spinal cord (much like an epidural), or administer them via IV drip. The process is alarmingly quick, and patients can typically check out of the facility by the end of the day. One of the few stem-cell therapies approved for use in the United States is one used to treat the blood disease known as beta thalassemia; in that instance, the treatment replaces damaged blood in the immune system and saves tens of thousands of lives each year. Few other stem cell applications, however, have been proven effective in the rigorous clinical trials the Food and Drug Administration requires before signing off on any treatment.
In fact, stem cell clinics remain completely unregulated, and there have been incidents of related troubles. In one recent report , Jim Gass, a resident of San Diego who traveled to stem cell clinics in Mexico, China, and Argentina to help recover from a stroke, later discovered a sizable tumor on his spinal columnand the cancerous cells belonged to somebody else. Troubling cases also emerged at a loosely regulated clinic in Sunrise, Florida where, earlier this spring, three women suffering macular degeneration reported further loss of vision after having stem cells, extracted from their belly fat via liposuction, injected into their eyes. Though, on the whole, reports of treatments at clinics gone awry remain relatively few.
In his film, Stem Cells: The Next Frontier , which is set to appear at Cannes Film Festival this month, Mehling offers a persuasive side of the story, with rapturous testimonials from patients, some of whom who have regained the ability to walk after their stem cell vacations. Added bonus: They come home with better skin, bigger sex drive, and (in the case of at least one balding patient) more hair.
However compelling, there is scant evidence that the injections actually make a difference, and most American doctors caution against buying into the hype. Stem cell researcher Jaime Imitola, M.D. and Ph.D, director of the progressive multiple sclerosis clinic research program at Ohio State University, says he is impressed by the evidence that stem cells can help with neurological disorders in animals. But the question is how can you translate it into clinical trials? We still dont know what were doing when we put stem cells in people.
David Scadden, a professor of medicine and stem cell and regenerative biology at Harvard, and the director of Harvards Stem Cell Institute, says that stem cell tourism is a waste of money for the time being. A world-renowned expert in stem cell science, he remains optimistic about its future applications. Researchers are currently looking into reprogramming, for instance, which effectively converts a mature cell into a stem cell. You rewind its history so it forgets its a blood cell or a skin cell and it rewinds back in time and it can become any cell type, he says. Youd be able to test drugs on these cells, and it could be used to reverse Type 1 diabetes.
For now, though, he does not recommend experimenting with stem cells before we understand them well enough to properlyand safelyharness their benefits. People call me about it all the timethey say, I have this knee thats bugging me, Im going to one of these clinics, he says. His response? For the most part they dont do harm. But nobody Ive spoken with has come back to me and said, You Harvard docs have to get on this . . . . Not yet.
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May 12th, 2017
Mussel gloop can be used to make wounds knit without any scars – New Scientist
By Sykes24Tracey
Soon to be a thing of the past?
Iolanda Astor
By Alice Klein
The humble mussel could soon help us prevent scarring. A sticky substance naturally secreted by the marine animal is one element of a glue that closes skin wounds seamlessly in rats. The glue could be used to prevent unsightly scars after accidental cuts or surgical operations.
If this can be replicated in humans, it might be the next big thing for scar therapy, says Allison Cowin at the University of South Australia, who wasnt involved in the study.
Scars form when the collagen scaffolding in skin is broken apart. Instead of re-forming in their original and neat basket-weave arrangement, the collagen fibres grow back in parallel bundles that create the characteristic lumpy appearance of scars.
One way to reduce scarring is to apply decorin, a skin protein involved in collagen organisation. But because decorin has a highly complex physical structure it is hard to synthesise and therefore not used in the clinic.
To get round this problem, Hyung Joon Cha at Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea and his colleagues have created a simplified version of decorin. They combined a small section of the decorin protein with a collagen-binding molecule and a sticky substance secreted by mussels.
The resulting glue was tested on rats with deep, 8-millimetre-wide wounds. The glue was spread over each wound and covered with clear plastic film. Rats in a control group had their wounds covered in plastic without any glue.
By day 11, 99 per cent of the wound was closed in the treated rats compared with 78 per cent in the control group. By day 28, treated rats had fully recovered and had virtually no visible scarring. In comparison, control rats had thick, purple scars (see images below).
Jeon EY, Choi B-H, Jung D, Hwang BH, Cha HJ.
Closer inspection under the microscope confirmed that collagen fibres in the treated wounds had returned to their original basket-weave arrangement. The new skin had also developed hair follicles, blood vessels, oil glands and other structures that arent regenerated in scars.
The glue is able to promote normal collagen growth because negative charges on the decorin fragments hold the fibres apart, says Cha. In doing so, the fibres are more easily able to weave in and out between each other instead of sticking together randomly.
Cowin says the results are impressive but there is still a way to go before the results can be translated to humans. Rats have loose skin, whereas we have tight skin, and they tend to heal better and have less scarring than we do, she says. As a result, the glue may not be as effective in people as in rats.
Cha says that the glue will now be tested in pigs, whose skin better resembles our own.
New scar treatments are greatly needed because the existing ones dont work very well, says Cowin. Silicone gels, steroids, pressure bandages, cryotherapy and laser treatments are often used to reduce the appearance of scars, but they cannot erase them completely.
Cowin is developing a scar treatment that uses monoclonal antibodies to block a type of protein that impairs wound healing. Other groups are applying embryonic stem cells to wounds, based on the observation that skin abrasions inembryos and early fetuses dont scar.These approaches are still being tested in animals.
Journal reference: Biomaterials, DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2017.04.041
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May 12th, 2017
Engineering human stem cells to model the kidney’s filtration barrier on a chip – Science Daily
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Science Daily | Engineering human stem cells to model the kidney's filtration barrier on a chip Science Daily ... of kidney diseases and drug toxicities, and the stem cell-derived kidney podocytes we developed could even offer a new injectable cell therapy approach for regenerative medicine in patients with life-threatening glomerulopathies in the future ... |
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May 12th, 2017
Motor Neurons Why Are They Important and How Are They Made? – Brain Blogger (blog)
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Motor neurons are the nerve cells in the body responsible for controlling movement. A number of diseases are caused by damage to motor neurons, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). In order to treat these diseases, scientists are developing methods to generate new, healthy motor neurons from stem cells. A recent study has elucidated the cellular mechanisms that control the motor neuron differentiation, paving the way for new treatments for motor neuron diseases.
Each time we voluntarily move an arm or leg, or when our lungs involuntarily expand and contract, signals from the brain are sent along a chain to the spinal cord, where motor neuron cell bodies reside. These motor neurons terminate in muscle cells, where they transmit the nerve impulses in order to produce muscle contractions. In ALS, there is a progressive destruction of motor neurons due to either a genetic defect or an unknown environmental trigger. Motor neuron damage in ALS leads to progressive muscle weakness that affects all parts of the body, impairing the ability to speak, swallow, and eventually breathe. SMA is caused by gene mutations and is characterized by similarly progressive damage to motor neurons that causes muscle weakness. If respiratory muscles are affected, SMA can be fatal.
Scientists aim to develop gene therapies for these diseases that can repair the damaged motor neurons and improve the functioning and lifespan of patients. To do this, they must first understand the signals that induce motor neuron development from stem cells. Stem cells are the precursors for every type of cell in the body. They are triggered to differentiate into various cell types via cellular signaling molecules called transcription factors, which act on DNA to turn on specific genes. Which genes are turned on will determine the phenotypic fate of each cell. Typically, each cell goes through several stages of development before reaching its final fate.
A group of researchers from several universities recently teamed up to elucidate these programming pathways. They had previously discovered that a group of transcription factors called the NIL factors Ngn2, Isl1, and Lhx3 can induce motor neuron development from embryonic stem cells without passing through any of the intermediate stages. Moreover, the NIL factors achieved the transition to the motor neuron fate with a 90% success rate, and the process took only two days. This so-called direct programming pathway was an exciting finding with respect to clinical applications, because it can be achieved both in vitro and in living organisms at the site of cell damage.
In the current study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, Esteban Mazzoni and colleagues further investigated the process by which transcription factors bind to and activate parts of DNA during the first 48 hours after NIL expression. First, the researchers used single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to study the timing of gene expression after induction by NIL programming factors. RNA-seq is a technique that reveals the presence and quantity of RNA in a sample at a specific point in time. Thus, as transcription factors turn genes on, these genes are transcribed into RNA that can be measured and quantified.
The researchers also studied chromatin remodeling during motor neuron programming. Chromatin is a tightly-packed form of DNA which regulates the expression of genes through changes in its structure. Promoters are regions of the DNA where transcription factors bind in order to initiate gene transcription. Chromatin must undergo structural changes, called remodeling, in order for the DNA to be accessible to transcription factors. Typically, as cells move through the differentiation process, chromatin changes that occur at promoter regions will restrict the differentiation potential of the cell.
To study this chromatin remodeling process, a ChIP-seq time series was performed. ChIP-seq combines chromatin immunoprecipitation with DNA sequencing to identify the binding sites of proteins that associate with DNA. Antibodies against the bound proteins are used to extract protein-DNA complexes, and the DNA binding sites can be sequenced. In addition, the researchers used an assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) to study chromatin accessibility. Proteins called transposons incorporate into exposed, or accessible, portions of chromatin. Therefore, identifying the locations of transposons in the DNA can indicate what parts of the DNA are being actively transcribed, or turned on.
This series of experiments revealed information about how genes are turned on and off over the 48-hour process of motor neuron formation. Initially, the transcription factors Ngn2 and Isl1/Lhx3 induce different sets of genes in parallel. Whereas Ngn2 controls genes associated with generic neuronal differentiation, Isl1 and Lhx3 activate genes specific for spinal cord and motor neurons. As programming progresses, Ngn2 induces the expression of two other transcription factors, Ebf and Onecut. These transcription factors modify the chromatin state to enable Isl1/Lhx3 binding to previously inaccessible sites on the DNA that contain the terminal motor neuron genes necessary to complete the programming process.
These experiments showed that the activities of Ngn2 and Isl1/Lhx3 act in tandem to induce direct motor neuron programming from stem cells. The researchers hope to apply these findings clinically. By triggering this programming pathway in the body, cells in the spinal cord can be induced to differentiate into motor neurons, replacing the neurons that are damaged in diseases such as ALS.
References
Czarzasta J., Habich A., Siwek T., Czaplinski A., Maksymowicz W., Wojtikiewicz J. (2017) Stem cells for ALS: an overview of possible therapeutic approaches. Int J Dev Neurosci. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2017.01.003
Farrar M., Park S., Vucic S., Carey K., Turner B., Gillingwater T., Swoboda K., Kiernan M. (2016) Emerging therapies and challenges in Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Ann Neurol. DOI: 10.1002/ana.24864
Mazzoni, E.O., Mahony, S., Closser, M., Morrison, C.A., Nedelec, S., Williams, D.J., An, D., Gifford, D.K., and Wichterle, H. (2013). Synergistic binding of tran- scription factors to cell-specific enhancers programs motor neuron identity. Nat. Neurosci. 16:12191227. DOI:10.1038/nn.3467
Velasco S., Ibrahim M., Kakumanu A., Garipler G., Aydin B., Al-Sayegh M., Hirsekorn A., Abdul-Rahman F., Satija R., Ohler U., Mahony S., Mazzoni, E. (2016) A Multi-step Transcriptional and Chromatin State Cascade Underlies Motor Neuron Programming from Embryonic Stem Cells. Cell Stem Cell. DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2016.11.006
Image via ColiN00B / Pixabay.
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May 12th, 2017
National Multiple Sclerosis Society Commits to $17 Million for 43 Research Projects – Multiple Sclerosis News Today
By LizaAVILA
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May 12th, 2017
New MRI Data from Asterias’ Ongoing SCiStar Clinical Study Indicates AST-OPC1 Cells Prevent Formation of … – PR Newswire (press release)
By Dr. Matthew Watson
"These new follow-up results based on MRI scans are very encouraging, and strongly suggest that AST-OPC1 cells have engrafted in these patients post-implantation and have the potential to prevent lesion cavity formation, possibly reducing long-term spinal cord tissue deterioration after spinal cord injury," said Dr. Edward Wirth, Chief Medical Officer of Asterias. "Moreover, these new results add to the overall body of data supporting AST-OPC1's safety, and are consistent with safety data from our previous Phase 1 study in thoracic spinal cord injury and our extensive preclinical studies in more than 3,000 animals."
Under the study protocol, patients are monitored by MRI scans at regular intervals over 12 months in order to assess status of the injection site and surrounding tissues.
The Company will discuss the MRI data in more detail on its first quarter 2017 conference call and webcast on May 11, 2017 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern / 1:30 p.m Pacific. For both "listen-only" participants and those participants who wish to take part in the question-and-answer session, the call can be accessed by dialing 800-533-7619 (U.S./Canada) or 785-830-1923 (international) five minutes prior to the start of the call and providing the Conference ID 7610291. To access the live webcast, go to http://asteriasbiotherapeutics.com/inv_events_presentations.php.
About the SCiStar Trial
The SCiStar trial is an open-label, single-arm trial testing three sequential escalating doses of AST-OPC1 administered at up to 20 million AST-OPC1 cells in as many as 35 patients with sub-acute, C-5 to C-7, motor complete (AIS-A or AIS-B) cervical SCI. These individuals have essentially lost all movement below their injury site and experience severe paralysis of the upper and lower limbs. AIS-A patients have lost all motor and sensory function below their injury site, while AIS-B patients have lost all motor function but may retain some minimal sensory function below their injury site. AST-OPC1 is being administered 14 to 30 days post-injury. Patients will be followed by neurological exams and imaging procedures to assess the safety and activity of the product.
The study is being conducted at six centers in the U.S. and the company plans to increase this to up to 12 sites to accommodate the expanded patient enrollment. Clinical sites involved in the study include the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Shepherd Medical Center in Atlanta, University of Southern California (USC) jointly with Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Los Angeles, Indiana University, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose jointly with Stanford University.
Asterias has received a Strategic Partnerships Award grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which provides $14.3 million of non-dilutive funding for the Phase 1/2a clinical trial and other product development activities for AST-OPC1.
Additional information on the Phase 1/2a trial, including trial sites, can be found at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, using Identifier NCT02302157, and at the SCiStar Study Website (www.SCiStar-study.com).
About AST-OPC1
AST-OPC1, an oligodendrocyte progenitor population derived from human embryonic stem cells, has been shown in animals and in vitro to have three potentially reparative functions that address the complex pathologies observed at the injury site of a spinal cord injury. These activities of AST-OPC1 include production of neurotrophic factors, stimulation of vascularization, and induction of remyelination of denuded axons, all of which are critical for survival, regrowth and conduction of nerve impulses through axons at the injury site. In preclinical animal testing, AST-OPC1 administration led to remyelination of axons, improved hindlimb and forelimb locomotor function, dramatic reductions in injury-related cavitation and significant preservation of myelinated axons traversing the injury site.
In a previous Phase 1 clinical trial, five patients with neurologically complete, thoracic spinal cord injury were administered two million AST-OPC1 cells at the spinal cord injury site 7-14 days post-injury. They also received low levels of immunosuppression for the next 60 days. Delivery of AST-OPC1 was successful in all five subjects with no serious adverse events associated with AST-OPC1. No evidence of rejection of AST-OPC1 was observed in detailed immune response monitoring of all patients. In four of the five patients, serial MRI scans indicated that reduced spinal cord cavitation may have occurred. Based on the results of this study, Asterias received clearance from FDA to progress testing of AST-OPC1 to patients with cervical spine injuries, which represents the first targeted population for registration trials.
About Asterias Biotherapeutics
Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. is a biotechnology company pioneering the field of regenerative medicine. The company's proprietary cell therapy programs are based on its pluripotent stem cell and immunotherapy platform technologies. Asterias is presently focused on advancing three clinical-stage programs which have the potential to address areas of very high unmet medical need in the fields of neurology and oncology. AST-OPC1 (oligodendrocyte progenitor cells) is currently in a Phase 1/2a dose escalation clinical trial in spinal cord injury. AST-VAC1 (antigen-presenting autologous dendritic cells) is undergoing continuing development by Asterias based on promising efficacy and safety data from a Phase 2 study in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), with current efforts focused on streamlining and modernizing the manufacturing process. AST-VAC2 (antigen-presenting allogeneic dendritic cells) represents a second generation, allogeneic cancer immunotherapy. The company's research partner, Cancer Research UK, plans to begin a Phase 1/2a clinical trial of AST-VAC2 in non-small cell lung cancer in 2017. Additional information about Asterias can be found at http://www.asteriasbiotherapeutics.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements pertaining to future financial and/or operating and/or clinical research results, future growth in research, technology, clinical development, and potential opportunities for Asterias, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the businesses of Asterias, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in Asterias' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Asterias disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-mri-data-from-asterias-ongoing-scistar-clinical-study-indicates-ast-opc1-cells-prevent-formation-of-damaging-lesion-cavities-in-patients-suffering-severe-spinal-cord-injury-300455768.html
SOURCE Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc.
http://www.asteriasbiotherapeutics.com
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May 12th, 2017
The simple truth of saving lives – Independent Online
By JoanneRUSSELL25
South African patients suffering from Leukaemia and other blood disorders who need a life-saving stem cell transplant, rely on the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SAMBR) to find a donor who is a genetic match.
But, the untrue and frightening belief that donating blood stem cells, or bone marrow, involves drilling through bones is a common misconception and is one of the challenges faced in growing the SAMBR.
These misconceptions, often stopping people from registering to become donors and giving someone the hope of life.
The Sunflower Fund educates, raises funds and recruits potential blood stem cell donors to this registry and pays for the tissue typing test cost for each person who joins.
The fund also prioritises educating people on the truths of becoming a donor and works hard to debunk any myths that exist. Sometimes it is just the words themselves that act as barriers. The challenges faced in growing the SABMR lies in the sentence itself, Alana James, CEO of the Sunflower Fund said. Its called The South African Bone Marrow registry, so when people see the word bone marrow they go Oh no I cant do that, it will hurt!.
Blood stem cell donor and long-time supporter of the Sunflower Fund Carey Symons shares her own story at events and conferences, spreading the message that the process of potentially saving a life is not as scary as we might think, encouraging others to do the same.
The stats of a perfect match are 1 in 100 000 so you can only imagine my joy in being that 1 in 100 000 and that I was able to contribute to giving someone a second chance, Symons said, who was called ten years after joining the registry to donate her stem cells to a patient suffering from leukaemia.
The Durban mother travelled to Constantiaberg hospital in Cape Town, to begin a series of painless Neupogen injections which stimulate the production and release of blood stem cells.
After three days of injections, she was ready to begin the donation process: Two needles, similar to the ones used when donating blood, were inserted; one in each arm. Blood was drawn from one arm, circulated through a cell-separator machine where her stem cells were collected and the remaining blood was returned through the other arm.
After 4-6 hours, the life-saving stem cells were harvested and for Symons, the process was over.
She said she often thought about the person she donated her stem cells to and sometimes wonders who they were. I realised that the day I signed as a donor, I was only hoping to make a difference. I will never know whose life I made a difference to, and part of that mystery excites me. Its a blessing to give without knowing and without being thanked.
There are just under 74 000 donors on the registry, but at least 400 000 are need. We definitely still have a mountain to climb and are committedly doing so. Registering as a donor on the SABMR is a simple process and can be very rewarding, James explained. You could be someones perfect match.
Find out more about becoming a blood stem cell a donor by contacting The Sunflower Fund on toll-free number: 0800 12 10 82 or visit http://www.sunflowerfund.org.za.
About The Sunflower Fund:
The Sunflower Fund, a South African Non-Profit Company (NPC), is dedicated to creating awareness, educating the public and handling the registration process for people to join the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR).
The Sunflower Fund pays for the test cost of people joining the SABMR. This is fundamental to saving the lives of thousands of South Africans each year. The chance of finding a matching donor is 1 in 100,000 and as ethnic origin plays a significant role in the search for a donor, South Africas rainbow nation is at a distinct disadvantage, requiring a large pool of prospective donors.
Should you wish to become a donor, support one of the fundraising projects or make a financial contribution, please contact The Sunflower Fund on toll-free number:
0800 12 10 82. Visit http://www.sunflowerfund.org.za to learn more or look out for the DONATE button to make a cash donation via the website.
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May 12th, 2017
This Gun Sprays Stem Cells, Helps Burn Victims Grow Skin in Days – Men’s Health
By Sykes24Tracey
Men's Health | This Gun Sprays Stem Cells, Helps Burn Victims Grow Skin in Days Men's Health A revolutionary new technique is enabling burn victims to heal quicker, less painfully, and with more normal skin. And it's all thanks to a gun. The SkinGun sprays stem cells onto wounds and allows patients to grow a new, healthy layer of skin in as ... |
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May 12th, 2017
Scientists unveil the UK’s largest resource of human stem cells from healthy donors – Science Daily
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Scientists unveil the UK's largest resource of human stem cells from healthy donors Science Daily The Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Initiative (HipSci) project used standardised methods to generate iPSCs on a large scale to study the differences between healthy people. Reference sets of stem cells were generated from skin biopsies donated by ... |
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May 12th, 2017
Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Therapy – Health Guidance
By LizaAVILA
Stem cell therapy is a type of cell therapy wherein cells are introduced into the damaged tissue so as to treat the disorder or the injury. There are a number of medical researchers who believes that the stem cell therapy has the potential to change the treatment of human diseases and reduce the suffering people face when they have a disease. They believe that there are a lot of potential to replace the damaged and diseased tissues in the body without getting the risk of rejections.
The stem cells have the ability to self-renew and also give rise to further generation of cells that can multiply. There are a number of stem cell therapies that do exist but most of them are still in the experimental stages. The treatments are very costly with an exception of bone marrow transplant. However, researchers believe that one day they will be able to develop technologies from embryonic stem cells and also adult stem cells to cure type I diabetes, cancer, Parkinsons disease, cardiac failure, neurological disorders and many more such ailments.
The stem cell therapy however carries its own pros and cons and like any other therapy it cannot be said that the stem cell therapy is an advantageous package. Here are some of the pros and cons of the therapy.
Pros of the stem cell therapy include:
It offers a lot of medical benefits in the therapeutic sectors of regenerative medicine and cloning.
It shows great potential in the treatment of a number of conditions like Parkinsons disease, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimers disease, schizophrenia, cancer, diabetes and many others.
It helps the researchers know more about the growth of human cells and their development.
In future, the stem cell research can allow the scientists to test a number of potential medicines and drugs without carrying out any test on animals and humans. The drug can be tested on a population of cells directly.
The stem cell therapy also allows researchers to study the developmental stages that cannot be known directly through the human embryo and can be used in the treatment of a number of birth defects, infertility problems and also pregnancy loss. A higher understanding will allow the treatment of the abnormal development in the human body.
The stem cell therapy puts into use the cells of the patients own body and hence the risk of rejection can be reduced because the cells belong to the same human body.
The cons of the stem cell therapy include the following:
The use of the stem cells for research involves the destruction of the blastocytes that are formed from the laboratory fertilization of the human egg.
The long term side effects of the therapy are still unknown.
The disadvantage of adult stem cells is that the cells of a particular origin would generate cells only of that type, like brain cells would generate only brain cells and so on.
If the cells used in the therapy are embryonic then the disadvantage is that the cells will not be from the same human body and there are chances of rejection.
The stem cell therapy is still under the process of research and there are a number of things that needs to be established before it used as a treatment line.
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May 12th, 2017
Researchers work to create kidney filtration barrier on a chip … – Harvard Gazette
By daniellenierenberg
Harvard Gazette | Researchers work to create kidney filtration barrier on a chip ... Harvard Gazette Researchers say their glomerulus-on-a-chip lined by human stem cell-derived kidney cells could help model patient-specific kidney diseases and guide ... |
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May 12th, 2017
Why Neuralstem Inc. (NASDAQ:CUR) can’t be predicted? – FinancialsTrend
By Sykes24Tracey
FinancialsTrend | Why Neuralstem Inc. (NASDAQ:CUR) can't be predicted? FinancialsTrend NEURALSTEM's patent-protected technology enables, for the first time, the ability to produce neural stem cells of the human brain and spinal cord in commercial quantities, and the ability to control the differentiation of these cells into mature ... Which Analysts Are Watching Neuralstem, Inc. (CUR)? - Fiscal ... Neuralstem, Inc. (CUR) Under Analyst Spotlight |
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Why Neuralstem Inc. (NASDAQ:CUR) can't be predicted? - FinancialsTrend
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May 10th, 2017
Will Stem Cell Research Change Treatment of Heart Disease? – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic (blog)
By LizaAVILA
Q: Ive been reading a lot about stem cells recently. Willstem cell research change the treatment of heart disease?
A: Theres some exciting early data where scientists have been able to use stem cells for regeneration of cardiac tissue, in particular certain parts of the heart or maybe even an entire heart in mice or rats.
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However, its not been done yet in humans reliably and that would be the next step. If the research bears out, we may see this as an option for heart patients in perhaps five to 10 years.
The area where stem cells might first be used is in patients who have had damage to their heart because of a heart attack. These patients have scarring on the heart and that area of the heart is not beating anymore. If we can regenerate cardiac tissue to replace this scarred tissue, the hope is to get the heart fully working again.
Growing whole new hearts will likely be later down the line and will depend on the success of the research.
Preventive cardiologistHaitham Ahmed, MD, MPH
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May 10th, 2017
This Synthetic Bone Implant Could Replace Painful Marrow Transplants – Gizmodo
By raymumme
Lab-engineered bone (the outer layer) with functional bone marrow (the inner layer). Image: Varghese Lab at UC San Diego
Thanks to advances in medicine, bone marrow transplants are no longer the last resorts they once were. Every year, thousands of marrow transplants are performed, a common treatment for ailments from bone marrow disease to leukemia. But because they first require a patient undergo radiation to kill off any existing bone marrow stem cells, marrow transplants remain incredibly hard on a patient.
Now, engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a synthetic bone implant with functional marrow able to produce its own blood cells. So far, researchers revealed in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesthis week, they have successfully tested the engineered bone tissues in mice. But one day, those biomimetic bone tissues could provide new bone marrow for human patients in need of transplants, too.
The implant does away with the need for radiation by giving donor cells their own space in the body to grow. Inside the implant, there is no threat of those cells being overtaken by the bodys native stem cells.
In mice, the researchers implanted the synthetic bone tissues with functional marrow under the skin. After six months, those donor cells were still alive and had begun supplying the mice with new blood cells.
The implants were designed to replicate the long bones in the body, with an outer bone compartment containing calcium phosphate minerals to build bone cells, and an inner area for donor stem cells that produce blood cells.
When implanted, they grew into bone tissues with working blood vessel network and functional bone marrow that supplied the body new blood cells. After 24 weeks, researchers found a mix of host and donor blood cells was still circulating in the bloodstream of the mice.
A treatment based on this technology would only work for patients with non-malignant bone marrow diseases, like aplastic anemia, a condition where the body cant make enough platelets and blood cells. Thats because while the technique can replenish types of cells that are lacking, it cant doing anything to fight off cells that have mutated and are spreading. Cancer patients would still need need to undergo radiation therapy to have their cancerous cells wiped out.
Much more research is needed, of course, before these implants are ready to make their way into human patients. But whats exciting here is that the synthetic bone tissues were not only functional, they allowed donor marrow to grow and survive for many weeks in the presence of host cells, and for the products of that marrow to make their way into the bodys circulatory system. Pretty neat.
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This Synthetic Bone Implant Could Replace Painful Marrow Transplants - Gizmodo
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May 10th, 2017
Be The Match Subsidiary Emerges as a Biotech Venture Player – Twin Cities Business Magazine
By NEVAGiles23
Be The Match BioTherapies LLC, a recently created subsidiary of the Minneapolis-based National Bone Marrow Program/Be The Match, this month emerged as a biotechnology venture investor with its participation in a $50 million financing round for a Massachusetts stem cell company. And, its leaders say, it likely wont be the last time the 17-month-old nonprofit spinoff will take part in venture funding to support the commercialization of biotech related to NBMP/Be The Matchs mission of advancing cell therapies for leukemia patients and others needing bone marrow/stem cell transplants. NMDP/Be The Match moved its 995 employees into a newly constructed headquarters building in the North Loop in December 2015. It runs a network of more than 486 organizations that support marrow transplant worldwide, including 178 transplant centers in the United States and more than 45 international donor centers and cooperative registries. Wholly-owned subsidiary Be The Match BioTherapies was among the Series B investors for Magenta Therapeutics of Cambridge, Massachusetts, a biotech company developing therapies to improve and expand the use of curative stem cell transplantation for more patients. Other participants in the oversubscribed round included new lead investor GV (formerly Google Ventures) and existing investors such as Atlas Venture, Third Rock Ventures, Partners Innovation Fund and Access Industries. A major feature of the Magenta deal was also Be The Match BioTherapies new involvement as a strategic partner for the company, under which the two sides will explore opportunities to work together across all of Magentas research efforts, from discovery through clinical development. Magentas lead drug candidate is MGTA-456, which it claims is capable of expanding the number of cord blood stem cells available for transplantation, thus achieving superior clinical outcomes compared to standard transplant procedures. John Wagner M.D., executive medical director of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program at the University of Minnesota is leading the research. The strategic agreement allows Magenta to leverage Be The Match BioTherapies capabilities, including its cell therapy delivery platform, industry relationships, clinical trial design and management and patient outcomes data generated from the parent organization. According to NMDPs 2015 annual report, Be The Match BioTherapies was established on Dec. 4, 2015, and authorized to do business as a nonprofit limited liability company. The report said it was anticipated the subsidiary would conduct certain business in the field of cellular therapy consistent with the nonprofit mission of its parent corporation, National Marrow Donor Program, but outside the scope of NMDPs customary core business. Led by NMDP Chief Financial Officer Amy Ronneberg, Be The Match BioTherapies says it is making the parent organizations capabilities available to commercial entities developing new allogeneic and autologous cellular therapies. For example, it says it is collaborating with an unnamed biotech company to design a donor identification and cell harvest strategy for white blood cells from donors with specific human leukocyte antigen types. When asked if the subsidiarys venture investment into Magenta Therapies was a sign that it is staking out ground as a stem cell industry investment player, company spokeswoman Melissa Neill told TCB its indeed a scenario that could play out again. We are continually looking for ways to advance science and research in new cellular therapies, she said in an email. In the future, this might mean investments in or additional partnerships with companies whose goals align with our goal of developing and delivering cellular therapies to positively impact patients lives.
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Be The Match Subsidiary Emerges as a Biotech Venture Player - Twin Cities Business Magazine
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May 10th, 2017
Stems Cells Could Help Treat Slipped Discs – Technology Networks
By Sykes24Tracey
Technology Networks | Stems Cells Could Help Treat Slipped Discs Technology Networks The study on the sick German shepherds was organized as follows: With the permission of the dog owners, neurologist Frank Steffen and his team removed stem cells from the marrow of the pelvic bone of the affected animals. After the cleaning and ... |
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May 10th, 2017
Stem cell bank to come up at KGMU – BSI bureau (press release)
By LizaAVILA
A project of the university's transfusion medicine department, the stem cell bank would roll out stem cell therapy to patients of thalassemia and sickle cell anaemia.
A public sector stem cell bank is set to come up at UP's King George's Medical University. A project of the university's transfusion medicine department, the stem cell bank would roll out stem cell therapy to patients of thalassemia and sickle cell anaemia. The proposal is awaiting clearance from state department of medical education.
Stem cells are found in human bone marrow and can be derived from the umbilical cord which contains blood vessels that connect baby in the womb to the mother to ingest nutrition required for development.
Research on the therapeutic use of stem cells is underway in US, Europe, China, South East Asia besides India. In UP, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) and KGMU are both trying to explore the potential of stem cells to treat various health problems. SGPGI has, so far, restricted itself to use of allogenic (stem cells derived from bone marrow of a person), while KGMU has used stem cells derived from the umbilical cord.
KGMU has sustained access to umbilical cord because of a very developed obstetrics and gynaecology department. The proposal is worth Rs 9 crore including infrastructure cost. Stem cell bank promises to become financially self-sustaining within 2-3 years of inception.
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May 10th, 2017
Sensational 8-year-old violinist living with painful disease – 13newsnow.com
By LizaAVILA
Sensational 8-Year-Old Violinist Living With Painful Disease
WINSTON-SALEM, NC Its hard to walk through life without hitting a sour note or two. In Winston-Salem, there's a young boy with talent beyond his years and a disease that nearly crippled him. His father gave up his career to take care of his son and to get him healthy.
We only listen to classical music at home, said Lucas Sant, a father of three living in Winston-Salem. He sits with his youngest, Helen, 2, on his lap. His second oldest daughter, Maria-Anita, 7, sits on his right and his only son, Caesar, 8, sits to his left.
Hes telling WFMY News 2s reporter, Hope Ford, about his sons remarkable talent.
When he was just a baby, we bought Baby Einstein, and you know, they have the animals and the music. So, we bought him a little toy piano, Lucas began. And one day, when he was seven months old, we heard this music coming from the room. It sounded like the toy piano, but it was the music from the Baby Einstein.
Lucas turned to his wife, Aline, with a knowing smile and said, We have our work to do with this boy.
Videos uploaded to YouTube, show a baby Caesar, waving his arms along to classical music such as Beethoven, almost as if he were conducting a symphony.
A baby Caesar and his father listening to classical music. (Photo: Sant family)
Violin lessons started the age of two.*
He started playing Vivaldi. He would pick up things very quick, said Lucas. Everybody was very impressed.
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All the Sant children are homeschooled and it would be no surprise to learn Caesar is just as brilliant with a pencil as he is with an instrument. The young boy is ahead in math and other subjects and earned a black belt in karate at 5-years-old.
Lucas sat in his seat, as baby Helen decided she wanted to leave the room to see what her mom was up to. As she ran into the next room, Lucas continued his story.
Immediately, he started to get sick. Before five, he had the first stroke.
Caesar has sickle cell anemia.
You never know anything until you experience, Lucas said in a soft voice.
Sickle cell anemia is a blood disease. Normal red blood cells are round and flexible to carry oxygen throughout the body. Caesars blood cells are sickle-shaped or bent and get stuck, slowing the flood of blood and oxygen.
Lucas explained, Its different. Its my son and I never seen this thing.
Caesar, who up until this point sat quietly next to his father with his violin in his lap said, I feel bad. I dont feel good when Im sick.
The curly haired violinist has three strokes before the age of six. The first two left his arms weak, but he rebounded, performing the National Anthem at the Grasshoppers Game in 2013.
The third one was a different stroke, said his dad.
Caesar lost feeling in his arms and legs after his third stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed for nearly six months.
At first, even his eyes was not moving. But, when he did wake up, all of a sudden your son not walk, not run, not stand up, Lucas said as if he was still trying to make sense of it all.
Doctors told the Sant family, It is very unlikely your son is going to die but do not expect much from him.
Lucas paused for a moment and continued, But the good thing there, you really meet God. What am I supposed to do God? Please tell me.
The only thing that seemed right at the time, was for Lucas to give up his career. The father of three was a neuroscientist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
Forget about my life. I said, Im going give my life to this boy.
Young Caesar in the hospital. (Photo: Sant family)
The Sant family built a small play gym in the basement of their home. Here, Lucas would help Caesar with physical therapy, as they could not afford to hire someone full time to help him regain strength and movement in his arms and legs.
Some days and good and some are bad. Three years after his last stroke, Caesar still winces in pain as he goes through his exercises. But, he finds moments to laugh with his siblings, who cheer him on. And as an 8-year-old, he is a little hard to get under control. For Lucas, the physical therapy takes a toll on his as well.
First, Im not a physical therapist. I have a lot of patience but its very hard for you see your son one way, said Lucas. Sometime, we have to take breaks because it is difficult and it sometimes weighs on my own health.
But, once again, Caesar regained his strength, returning to the Grasshoppers stadium in 2017 to perform the National Anthem once again.
Every month, Caesar and his family travel to Charlotte for blood transfusions to lower the risk of Caesar having another stroke. He'll have to do this for the unforeseeable future and there are risks.*
Frequent blood transfusions can lead to iron overload which is sometimes fatal. Caesar's family is trying for a bone marrow transplant which has a higher percentage of curing his sickle cell disease.
They have a donor- his baby sister, Helen.
As if she knew her name had been mentioned, the young girl, called the boss of the family, walked back into the room, sharing bites of her rice with her siblings and father.
Lucas and his wife wanted another child, but they also wanted to ensure the next child would not have the sickle cell anemia trait. they also wanted to ensure they would have a 100 percent genetic match for Caesar's procedure.
Maria-Anita was also born with sickle cell anemia, but unlike her brother, has yet to experience any complications.
So, Aline got pregnant via in vitro fertilization. Doctors only planted cells that were a genetic match and only healthy cells were selected. Thus, Helen was conceived and at birth, her umbilical cord was collected.
Helen, was born sickle-cell free.
They took the stem cells from the umbilical cord and now they have perfect cells, to do the transplant on him, said Lucas.
The Sant family is trying to raise money for a bone marrow/stem cell transplant. The process is long and costly. According to Johns Hopkins, one hospital that specializes in bone marrow/stem cell transplants, they say the cost can run as high as $500,000.
However, sickle cell anemia can be cured with the procedure.
Offering her big brother another big of food, Helen, Caesars sisterly hero, smiled and ran off.
Lucas continued to explain the familys financial situation.
Its difficult, with me not having a job. But, we have had people help us along the way. But, we are still trying so hard to raise money for the surgery.
A GoFundMe account was started in 2013. To date, $38,000 has been raised. The family also started a website to give updates and sell merchandise to help raise funds as well.
Caesar still walks with a limp and must be careful when sitting down. Lucas looked at his son and said Were so happy because he got back. He got back, but the job is not done. Faith, hope, these things so real. Cause if dont have what you can do? You give up right there.
Caesar piped in again, Sometimes I tell my father, papa, I dont know when Im going to be back, but God is always with me.
Lucas isnt giving up. His hope, to have son healthy by 2018.
And Caesars hope?
I want to be a musician and a conductor.
*This story has been updated to correct information. Lessons for Caesar started at the age of 2 and 300ml of his blood is replaced every month during his blood transfusions.
5 Facts About Sickle Cell Disease (CDC)
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May 10th, 2017
New Burn Healing Method uses Skin-Gun Stem-Cell Therapy …
By JoanneRUSSELL25
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Get burned over the weekend? RenovaCare has got your back. The New York-based biotech company has expertise in stem cells and organ regeneration, and has brought these skills to bear on wound care. One of the companys most promising methods uses a literal skin gun to spray skin stem cells on a burn or chronic wound to promote rapid healing. The healing is so rapid that you can walk into the hospital with a burn on a Friday night and return on Monday largelyhealed.
The skin gun process uses a patients stem cells, which are collected from healthy skin. The stem cells are isolated from the skin sample and suspended in a water solution that makes them easy to spray. Thecomputer-controlled skin gun works like the air brushes that are used by painters, but with much more precision.
The treatment is stupidly simple just spray the stem cells on the burned skin and wait for them to regrow. It is also extremely fast, taking only 1.5 hours to isolate the cells and and spray the skin. Once the skin cells are applied, it takes only a few days for the treatment to be effective. When state trooper Matthew Uram was burned in an unfortunate bonfire accident, he chose this experimental treatment and was entirely healed from his second-degree burns in four days.
This skin gun approach offers a significant improvement over the current methods of in-lab skin growth and surgical grafting that takes weeks and sometimes even months to be effective. Those who undergo these conventional skin graft techniques often suffer from infections and other setbacks, rendering the treatment far from optimal. A technology like the skin gun that could promote complete healing in a matter of days would represent a clear advance.
RenovaCares skin gun is still in the developmental stage and has not been approved by the FDA for sale in the United States, so you wont be able to find it on the shelves of burn units quite yet. The company is making progress towards that goal, however, and has recently announceda successful round of testing that shows its gun is capable of dispersing the skin cell liquid in a very uniform and dense manner.
Recent experiments conducted at Stem Cell Systems GmbH (Berlin, Germany) show that the gun can spray more than 20,000 evenly distributed droplets in a test area as compared to a conventional needle and syringe which produced only 91. The gun is not only capable of even dispersal, but it also is gentle on the skin stem cells, which retain 97.3 percent viability after SkinGun spraying. RenovaCare is continuing its research and development as it moves towards FDA approval and eventual commercial rollout. The company recently a filed a 510(k) submission with the FDA, which is a notice of intent to market a device and often is the first step before clinical trials.
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May 10th, 2017
Protein enables scientists to convert skin to blood vessels – Lab News
By raymumme
A molecular switch has been identified that converts skin cells into cells found in blood vessels, raising hopes of aiding heart disease sufferers.
This technique boosts levels of an enzyme that keeps cells young and could also potentially help cells avoid ageing as they are grown in the lab. Although this technique has been used before, this is the first time it has been understood by scientists.
Some techniques to convert mature skin cells into pluripotent stem cells use a cocktail of chemicals to ensure they turn into designated cell types. Other methods modify cells, skippingthe stem cell state completely. Recently, researchers have been exploring rewinding skin cells so they lose some of their mature cell identity.
Dr Jalees Rehman, who led the study at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said: They dont revert all the way back to a pluripotent stem cell, but instead turn into intermediate progenitor cells. Even though they only differentiate into a few different cell types, progenitor cells can be grown in large quantities, making them suitable for regenerative therapies.
Rehmans research group discovered that progenitor cells could be converted into blood vessel endothelial cells or erythrocytes depending on the level of a gene transcription factor called SOX17. When SOX17 levels were increased, progenitor cells were five times as likely to become endothelial cells. When this process was reversed, fewer endothelial cells but more erythrocytes were produced.
Dr Rehman said: It makes a lot of sense that SOX17 is involved because it is abundant in developing embryos when blood vessels are forming. When human progenitor cells were embedded into a gel implanted into mice, the cells formed functional human blood vessels. Mice that were suffering from heart damage formed functional human blood vessels in their hearts even interlinking with existing murine vessels to improve heart function.
During the course of the research, the scientists observed increased levels of telomerase the anti-ageing enzyme responsible for telomeres on the ends of chromosome in progenitor cells. The increase in telomerase we see in the progenitor cells could be an added benefit of using this partial de-differentiation technique for the production of new blood vessels for patients with cardiac disease, especially for older patients, said Dr Rehman. The process of converting and expanding these cells in the lab could make them age even further and impair their long-term function. But if the cells have elevated levels of telomerase, the cells are at lower risk of premature ageing.
Increased levels of telomerase are also observed in cancer cells, enabling cell division to occur at avery high rate. However, the scientists didnt observe any tumour formation during their research and their next steps will involve further research over a longer time period in larger animals. The study was published in Circulation.
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May 10th, 2017