A team of researchers in Japan has combined simple agarose with advanced machine learning techniques to study the differentiation of stem cells.

Asian Scientist Newsroom | April 20, 2017 | In the Lab

AsianScientist (Apr. 20, 2017) - Stem cell differentiation can now be seen thanks to a combination of machine learning and microfabrication techniques developed by scientists at the RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center in Japan. The results, published in PLOS ONE, followed the differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) which are easily obtained from adult bone marrow.

MSCs have proven to be important for regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy because they can potentially repair many different types of organ damage. Depending on the way the cells are grown, the results can be quite different, making controlling differentiation is an important goal.

Observing MSC differentiation under different conditions is an essential step in understanding how to control the process. However, this has proved challenging on two fronts. First, the physical space in which the cells are grown has a dramatic impact on the results, causing significant variation in the types of cells into which they differentiate. Studying this effect requires consistent and long lasting spatial confinement. Second, classifying the cell types which have developed through manual observation is time consuming.

Previous studies have confined cell growth with fibronectin on a glass slide. The cells can only adhere and differentiate where the fibronectin is present and are thus chemically confined. However, this procedure requires high technical skill to maintain the confinement for an extended period of time. To overcome this, the first author of the study, Dr. Nobuyuki Tanaka, decided to look for a new way to confine them. Using a simple agarose gel physical confinement system, he found that he could maintain them for up to 15 days.

It was wonderful to be able to do this, because agarose gel is a commonly used material in biology laboratories and can be easily formed into a micro-cast in a PDMS silicone mold, Tanaka said.

The advantage of this system is that once the PDMS molds are obtained the user only needs agarose gel and a vacuum desiccator to create highly reproducible micro-casts.

Tanaka's paper also describes an automated cell type classification system, using machine learning, which reduces the time and labor needed to analyze cells.

Combined together, these tools give us a powerful way to understand how stem cells differentiate in given conditions, he added.

The article can be found at: Tanaka et al. (2017) Simple Agarose Micro-confinement Array and Machine-learning-based Classification for Analyzing the Patterned Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Source: RIKEN; Photo: Shutterstock. Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

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SINGAPORE - It was a bone marrow match that defied the odds of one in 20,000 - not once, but twice.

Just months after his first match fell through when the patient withdrew from treatment, Mr Phil Tan, 27, was again identified as a suitable bone marrow donor for another patient.

His donation saved the life of eight-year-old Ryssa, who was diagnosed with a rare blood disease called Myelodysplastic Syndrome about three years ago. Both met for the first time on Wednesday (April 19). Ryssa received the transplant just before her seventh birthday.

Mr Tan was one of 22 Singaporeans who were honoured by Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam for saving the life of a patient through the donation of their bone marrow.

"We celebrate those who have come forward without expecting a benefit, other than making a huge difference in someone else's life. It is the real spirit of giving," said Mr Shanmugam, who is a patron of the Bone Marrow Donor Programme (BMDP).

Bone marrow or blood stem cell transplant is the best treatment option for patients diagnosed with blood diseases such as leukaemia and lymphoma.

At any one time, there are at least 50 patients waiting to find a matching donor.

Siblings of the patient are the first options for a donation, as they have a one in four chance of DNA compatibility for a transplant.

When that fails, the next option would be a match with a volunteer donor registered in the BMDP.

To date, more than 75,000 volunteers have joined the BMDP register, which records the genetic type of each person.

Since 2015, more than 50 Singaporeans have donated their bone marrow to patients in Singapore and overseas, including in the United States, Britain, Canada and France.

The BMDP, which was set up in 1993, aims to increase the size of the local donor register by another 50,000 by next year.

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WDTN	Ryan Custer may join stem cell study WDTN CINCINNATI, Ohio (WDTN) The Wright State basketball player who injured his spinal cord during an accident at a party this month is getting some much needed good news. According to a post on Facebook, Ryan Custer might be participating in a medical ...

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A female specimen of a zebrafish (Danio rerio) breed with fantails

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world with approximately 30% of global mortality attributed to it.Cardiovascular disease conditions lead to damage of cardiac muscle cells resulting in defective heart function.

Stem cell therapy, though a relatively young science, is one of the upcoming treatment options for such diseases in the near future. In principle, stem cells from embryos can be made to differentiate into many functional cell types including heart cells, which can be effectively used to replace damaged cells in heart patients. To achieve this, scientists are constantly trying to understand the developmental process by which the heart is formed from various progenitors in a growing embryo. Once we understand this pathway at an organismal level, efforts can be made to use these stem cells for regenerative medicine.

A team of scientists led by Bruno Reversade from Singapore and Ian Scott from the University of Toronto have come together to study heart development in the Zebrafish model.

Zebrafish, scientifically called Danio rerio, is one of the powerful models for studying various organ functions. Although there are major structural differences between zebrafish and humans, there are strong similarities at the genetic and morphological levels. One of the biggest advantages of using zebrafish is that unlike mice, rats or monkeys, zebrafish embryos are transparent and hence provide a tractable system for visualizing these important developmental processes in situ.

During embryonic development, early heart development requires the activation of one of the important signaling pathways called Nodal or TGF pathway. Depending on the activation levels of Nodal, different cells become different stem cell types. Hence, there has to be a mechanism for fine-tuning of this signaling to produce these activity thresholds. Scientists from these two groups have recently identified the candidates involved in this fine-tuning.

Researchers recently identified a mutation, which leads to zebrafish with no heart at all. This suggests that this mutation somehow alters an early developmental process in heart formation. Interestingly, this gene encodes for a protein called Apelin receptor. So how does the Apelin receptor affect heart development? Scientists revealed that mutation in this receptor caused lower levels of Nodal signaling in mutant embryos as compared to the normal ones, thus failing to induce the formation of cardiac stem cells. When Nodal activity is artificially elevated in embryos that lack the Apelin receptor, they were able to develop hearts further confirming the role of Apelin receptor in this pathway.

A detailed understanding of this molecular cross-talk could help in the derivation of specific cell types from human embryonic stem cells for regenerative medicine, says Bruno Reversade, a human geneticist at the A*STAR Institute of Medical Biology, who co-led the investigation.

Further, this collaborative study showed that the Apelin receptor does not work in cells that produce or receive Nodal signals, suggesting that the Apelin receptor modulates Nodal signaling levels by acting in cells that lie between the cells that release Nodal signals and the cardiac progenitors.

In brief, this receptor functions as a distant regulator for fine-tuning the expression of the Nodal pathway during early stages of heart development ensuring proper cardiac development. One important area of future study is to determine whether modulating the levels of this receptor can prove useful for patients with various heart disorders.

Original article can be found here: https://elifesciences.org/content/5/e13758

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Scientists identify mechanisms of early heart development in Zebrafish - Biotechin.Asia

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Biomedical engineering Associate Professor Brenda Ogle (right) and Ph.Dstudent Molly Kupfer, with a mouse heart (Credit: Patrick OLeary, University of Minnesota)

One of the problems with heart attacks (as if there weren't enough already) is that when the heart heals afterwards, it grows scar tissue over the part of the heart that was damaged. That scar tissue never does become beating heart tissue, so it leaves the heart compromised for the rest of the patient's life. There may be hope, however, as scientists from the University of Minnesota have created a new patch that allows the heart to heal more completely.

First of all, yes, this has been done before. We have already seen experimental "heart patches" from places like the University of Tel Aviv, Brown University and MIT, which allow the heart to heal with a minimum of scar tissue growth.

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One of the things that makes this latest patch unique is the fact that it's 3D-bioprinted out of structural proteins native to the heart. It takes the form of a scaffolding-like matrix, which is subsequently seeded with cardiac cells derived from stem cells. The result is a patch of material, similar in structure and material to heart tissue, containing actual functioning heart cells as opposed to inert scar tissue.

In lab tests, one of the patches was placed on the heart of a mouse that had suffered a simulated heart attack. Within just four weeks, the scientists noted a "significant increase in functional capacity." The patch was ultimately absorbed by the body, so no additional surgeries were required to remove it after its job was done.

"We were quite surprised by how well it worked given the complexity of the heart," says associate professor Brenda Ogle, who is leading the research. "We were encouraged to see that the cells had aligned in the scaffold and showed a continuous wave of electrical signal that moved across the patch."

A larger patch is now in the works, which will be tested on a pig heart.

Other institutions involved in the study include the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Alabama-Birmingham. A paper on the research was recently published in the journal Circulation Research.

Source: University of Minnesota

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Heart-healing patch has got the beat - New Atlas

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April 18, 2017 by Gian Galassi

A research team at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health has treated its first patient in an innovative clinical trial using stem cells for the treatment of heart failure that develops after a heart attack.

The trial is taking place at University Hospital, one of three sites nationwide currently enrolling participants. The investigational CardiAMP therapy is designed to deliver a high dose of a patient's own bone-marrow cells directly to the point of cardiac injury to potentially stimulate the body's natural healing response.

The patient experience with the trial begins with a cell-potency screening test. Patients who qualify for therapy are scheduled for a bone-marrow aspiration. The bone marrow is then processed on-site and subsequently delivered directly to the damaged regions in a patient's heart in a minimally invasive procedure.

"Patients living with heart failure experience a variety of negative symptoms that can greatly impact their day-to-day life," said UW Health cardiologist Dr. Amish Raval, associate professor of medicine and one of the principal investigators for the trial. "By being at the forefront of research for this debilitating condition, we look forward to studying the potential of this cell therapy to impact a patient's exercise capacity and quality of life."

The primary outcome to be measured is the change in distance during a six-minute walk 12 months after the initial baseline measurement.

Heart failure commonly occurs after a heart attack, when the heart muscle is weakened and cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's needs for blood and oxygen. About 790,000 people in the U.S. have heart attacks each year. The number of adults living with heart failure increased from about 5.7 million (2009-2012) to about 6.5 million (2011-2014), and the number of adults diagnosed with heart failure is expected to dramatically rise by 46 percent by the year 2030, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

The CardiAMP Heart Failure Trial is a phase III study of up to 260 patients at up to 40 centers nationwide. Phase III trials are conducted to measure effectiveness of the intervention, monitor side effects and gather information for future use of the procedure. Study subjects must be diagnosed with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II or III heart failure as a result of a previous heart attack.

Information about eligibility or enrollment in the trial is available at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, or through a cardiologist.

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First participant treated in trial of stem-cell therapy for heart failure - Medical Xpress

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Like drag car racers revving their engines at the starting line, stem cells respond more quickly to injury when they've been previously primed with one dose of a single protein, according to a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Mice given the priming protein recover muscle function more quickly after damage, their skin heals more rapidly and even the shaved area around the injury regrows hair more quickly, the study found. Harnessing the power of this protein may one day help people recover more quickly from surgery or restore youthful vigor to aging stem cells.

"We're trying to better understand wound healing in response to trauma and aging," said Thomas Rando, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and neurological sciences. "We've shown that muscle and bone marrow stem cells enter a stage of alertness in response to distant injury that allows them to spring into action more quickly. Now we've pinpointed the protein responsible for priming them to do what they do better and faster."

Rando, who also directs Stanford's Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging, is the senior author of the study, which will be published April 18 in Cell Reports. Former postdoctoral scholar Joseph Rodgers, PhD, is the lead author. Rodgers is now an assistant professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at the University of Southern California.

Potential therapy

"Our research shows that by priming the body before an injury you can speed the process of tissue repair and recovery, similar to how a vaccine prepares the body to a fight infection," Rodgers said. "We believe this could be a therapeutic approach to improve recovery in situations where injuries can be anticipated, such as surgery, combat or sports."

Normally, adult, tissue-specific stem cells are held in a kind of cellular deep freeze called quiescence to avoid unnecessary cell division in the absence of injury. In a 2014 paper published in Nature, Rodgers and Rando showed in laboratory mice that an injury to the muscle of one leg caused a change in the muscle stem cells of the other leg. These cells entered what the researchers called an "alert" phase of the cell cycle that is distinct from either fully resting or fully active stem cells.

The fact that muscle stem cells distant from the injury were alerted indicated that the damaged muscle must release a soluble factor that can travel throughout the body to wake up quiescent stem cells. Rodgers and his colleagues found that a protein called hepatocyte growth factor, which exists in a latent form in the spaces between muscle cells and tissue, can activate a critical signaling pathway in the cells by binding to their surfaces. This pathway stimulates the production of proteins important in alerting the stem cells. But it wasn't known how HGF itself became activated.

In the new study, Rodgers and his colleagues identified the activating factor by injecting uninjured animals with blood serum isolated from animals with an induced muscle injury. (Mice were anesthetized prior to a local injection of muscle-damaging toxin; they were given pain relief and antibiotics during the recovery period.) After 2.5 days, the researchers found that muscle stem cells from the recipient animals were in an alert state and completed their first cell division much more quickly than occurred in animals that had received blood serum from uninjured mice.

"Clearly, blood from the injured animal contains a factor that alerts the stem cells," said Rando. "We wanted to know, what is it in the blood that is doing this?"

Increased levels of a protein

The researchers found that the serum from the injured animals had the same levels of HGF as the control serum. However, it did have increased levels of a protein called HGFA that activates HGF by snipping it into two pieces. Treating the serum with an antibody that blocked the activity of HGFA eliminated the recovery benefit of pretreatment, the researchers found.

In a related experiment, exposing the animals to a single intravenous dose of HGFA alone two days prior to injury helped the mice recover more quickly. They scampered around on their wheels sooner and their skin healed more quickly than mice that received a control injection. They also regrew their hair around the shaved surgical site more completely than did the control animals.

"Just like in the muscles, we saw the responses in the skin were dramatically improved when the stem cells were alerted," Rando said.

In addition to pinpointing possible ways to prepare people for surgeries or other situations in which they might sustain wounds, the researchers are intrigued by the role HGF and HGFA might play in aging. It's known that the pathway activated by these proteins is less active in older people and animals.

"Stem cell activity diminishes with advancing age, and older people heal more slowly and less effectively than younger people. Might it be possible to restore youthful healing by activating this pathway?" said Rando. "We'd love to find out."

The work is an example of Stanford Medicine's focus on precision health, the goal of which is to anticipate and prevent disease in the healthy and precisely diagnose and treat disease in the ill.

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Third in an occasional series on how Harvard researchers are tackling the problematic issues of aging.

If only, wrote an ancient Japanese poet, when one heard that Old Age was coming one could bolt the door.

Science is working on it.

Aging is as much about the physical processes of repair and regeneration and their slow-motion failure as it is the passage of time. And scientists studying stem cell and regenerative biology are making progress understanding those processes, developing treatments for the many diseases whose risks increase as we get older, while at times seeming to draw close to a broader anti-aging breakthrough.

If stem cells offer potential solutions, theyre also part of the problem. Stem cells, which can differentiate into many cell types, are important parts of the bodys repair system, but lose regenerative potency as we age. In addition, their self-renewing ability allows the mutations that affect every cell to accumulate across cellular generations, and some of those mutations lead to disease.

We do think that stem cells are a key player in at least some of the manifestations of age, said Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology David Scadden, co-director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. The hypothesis is that stem cell function deteriorates with age, driving events we know occur with aging, like our limited ability to fully repair or regenerate healthy tissue following injury.

When it comes to aging, certain tissue types seem to lead the charge, according to Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Lee Rubin, who directs the Harvard Stem Cell Institutes Therapeutic Screening Center. Particular tissues nerve cells appear to be one somehow signal to others that its time to age. This raises the prospect, Rubin said, that aging might be reversed by treating these key tissue categories, rather than designing individual treatments for the myriad tissue types that make up the body.

The process of aging involves all tissues in your body and, while different things go wrong in each tissue, they go wrong at basically the same rate, Rubin said. We can think of it as a process that is somehow coordinated, or there are fundamental processes in each tissue that play out.

In addition to key tissues, certain chemical pathways like insulin signaling seem to be able to control aging, said Rubin, whose work has received backing from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, as well as private foundations. The insulin signaling pathway is a chemical chain reaction in which the hormone insulin helps the body metabolize glucose. Reducing it has been shown to greatly extend life span in flies and worms, Rubin said. Also, signaling doesnt have to be reduced in all tissues.

If you just reduce it in neurons, the whole fly or worm lives longer, Rubin said. Certain key tissues in those organisms, if you selectively manipulate those tissues, have a positive effect on a number of processes in other tissues.

Because it circulates throughout the body, blood is an obvious place to look for controlling or signaling molecules that prompt or coordinate aging. A key carrier of oxygen and nutrients, blood is also rich with other compounds, some of which appear to play a role in decline linked to age.

Scadden described recent work done separately by Ben Ebert, a professor of medicine working at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Womens Hospital, and Steve McCarroll, the Dorothy and Milton Flier Associate Professor of Biomedical Science and Genetics, that identified age-related changes in the blood that can increase the risk of diseases we dont typically think of as blood diseases.

Another tantalizing study, published in 2013, used the blood of a young mouse to rejuvenate the organs of an older one. In these parabiotic experiments, conducted by Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Richard Lee and Forst Family Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Amy Wagers, the circulatory systems of the two mice were joined, allowing the blood of the young to flow through the older ones body. The older mouse showed improvements in muscle tone and heart function. Later, similar experiments done by Rubin also showed improvements in neuronal health and brain functioning.

The young mouses fate depended on the age of the older mouse, Rubin said. If the latter was middle-aged, the young mouse appeared to be fine. If the older mouse was very old, however, the young mouse did worse.

Rubin said the experiments suggest that blood contains both positive and negative factors that influence aging. It may be, he said, that both are always present, but that positive factors outweigh negative in the young and that negative factors increase as we age.

Researchers have identified but not yet confirmed candidate blood factors for the rejuvenating effects. What seems not in doubt is the overall effect of the young blood on the old mouse. Interest is intense enough that a California company, Alkahest, has begun experiments giving Alzheimers patients plasma from young blood in hopes of improving cognition and brain function.

Even if that approach works, Rubin said, there would be practical hurdles to the widespread administration of young peoples blood plasma to older patients. But with an active compound identified, a drug could be made available to restore at least some cognitive function in Alzheimers patients.

In addition to the overall process of aging, researchers at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, as well as across the University and its affiliated institutions, are investigating an array of diseases whose incidence increases sometimes dramatically with age.

The list includes several of the countrys top causes of death heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer as well as rarer conditions such as the lethal neurodegenerative disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Two decades ago, when stem cell research hit mainstream consciousness, many thought its greatest promise would be in stem cells ability to grow replacement parts: organs and tissues for damage caused by trauma or disease.

The stem cell revolution is still developing, Scadden said, but so far has taken a different form than many expected. The dream of harnessing stem cells to grow replacement hearts, livers, and kidneys remains, but potentially powerful uses have emerged in modeling disease for drug discovery and in targeting treatment for personalized medicine.

We thought stem cells would provide mostly replacement parts. I think thats clearly changed very dramatically. Now we think of them as contributing to our ability to make disease models for drug discovery.

David Scadden

Researchers have taken from the sick easily accessible cells, such as skin or blood, and reprogrammed them into the affected tissue type nerve cells in the case of ALS, which most commonly strikes between 55 and 75, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

These tissues are used as models to study the disease and test interventions. Work on ALS in the lab of Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Kevin Eggan has identified a drug approved for epilepsy that might be effective against ALS. This application is now entering clinical trials, in collaboration with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

In the end, stem cells might have their greatest impact as a drug-discovery tool, Scadden said.

Much of stem cell medicine is ultimately going to be medicine, he said. Even here, we thought stem cells would provide mostly replacement parts. I think thats clearly changed very dramatically. Now we think of them as contributing to our ability to make disease models for drug discovery.

Also evolving is knowledge of stem cell biology. Our previous understanding was that once embryonic stem cells differentiated into stem cells for muscle, blood, skin, and other tissue, those stem cells remained flexible enough to further develop into an array of different cells within the tissue, whenever needed.

Recent work on blood stem cells, however, indicates that this plasticity within a particular tissue type may be more limited than previously thought, Scadden said. Instead of armies of similarly plastic stem cells, it appears there is diversity within populations, with different stem cells having different capabilities.

If thats the case, Scadden said, problems might arise in part from the loss of some of these stem cell subpopulations, a scenario that could explain individual variation in aging. Getting old may be something like the endgame in chess, he said, when players are down to just a few pieces that dictate their ability to defend and attack.

If were graced and happen to have a queen and couple of bishops, were doing OK, said Scadden, whose work is largely funded through the NIH. But if we are left with pawns, we may lose resilience as we age.

Scaddens lab is using fluorescent tags to mark stem cells in different laboratory animals and then following them to see which ones do what work. It might be possible to boost populations of particularly potent players the queens to fight disease.

Were just at the beginning of this, Scadden said. I think that our sense of stem cells as this highly adaptable cell type may or may not be true. What we observe when we look at a population may not be the case with individuals.

The replacement parts scenario for stem cells hasnt gone away. One example is in the work of Harvard Stem Cell Institute co-director and Xander University Professor Douglas Melton, who has made significant progress growing replacement insulin-producing beta cells for treatment of diabetes.

Another is in Lees research. With support from the NIH, Lee is working to make heart muscle cells that can be used to repair damaged hearts.

Trials in this area have already begun, though with cells not genetically matched to the patient. In France, researchers are placing partially differentiated embryonic stem cells on the outside of the heart as a temporary aid to healing. Another trial, planned by researchers in Seattle, would inject fully differentiated heart muscle cells into a patient after a heart attack as a kind of very localized heart transplant.

Lees approach will take longer to develop. He wants to exploit the potential of stem cell biology to grow cells that are genetically matched to the patient. Researchers would reprogram cells taken from the patient into heart cells and, as in the Seattle experiment, inject them into damaged parts of the heart. The advantage of Lees approach is that because the cells would be genetically identical to the patient, he or she could avoid antirejection drugs for life.

What were thinking about is longer-term but more ambitious, Lee said. Avoiding immune suppression could change the way we think about things, because it opens the door to many decades of potential benefit.

Change has been a constant in Lees career, and he says theres no reason to think that will slow. Patient populations are older and more complex, disease profiles are changing, and the tools physicians have at their disposal are more powerful and more targeted.

Many of our patients today wouldnt be alive if not for the benefit of research advances, he said. Cardiology has completely changed in the last 25 years. If you think its not going to change even more in the next 25 years, youre probably wrong.

When Lee envisions the full potential of stem cell science, he sees treatments and replacement organs with the power to transform how we develop and grow old.

It may not be there for you and me, but for our children or their children, ultimately, regenerative biology and stem cell biology have that kind of potential, he said. We imagine a world where it doesnt matter what mutations or other things youre born with, because we can give you a good life.

Lees not guessing at future longevity. Hes not even sure extending life span beyond the current record, 122, is possible. Instead, he cites surveys that suggest that most Americans target 90 as their expectation for a long, healthy life.

Thats about a decade more than we get now in America, Lee said. We have work to do.

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Researchers study secrets of aging via stem cells - Harvard Gazette

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MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Cellular Dynamics International (CDI), a FUJIFILM company and a leading developer and manufacturer of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived products, today announced it has signed a distribution agreement with STEMCELL Technologies, a world leader in iPS cell culture media.

This joint agreement with STEMCELL Technologies will make iPSC technology widely available to researchers worldwide, helping advance biological research leading to cellular therapies and drug discovery, said Dr. Bruce Novich, Division President-CNBD for FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation and Executive Vice President and General Manager for CDI. We believe that STEMCELL Technologies, a leading developer, manufacturer and seller of stem cell related products, is an ideal partner for CDI, because their global sales and distribution infrastructure delivers to an established and an emerging customer base, which translates into faster access to and deeper penetration of CDIs leading edge technologies and products.

Under the terms of the agreement, STEMCELL Technologies will distribute CDIs iCell catalog of products in North America, Europe, and Singapore, with other countries under consideration. CDIs iCell products are differentiated human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cells, which include cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes, and others, totaling up to 12 cell types.

STEMCELL Technologies is delighted for the opportunity to bring CDIs innovative products to the global research community. STEMCELL and CDI will work together on progressive solutions for the life science tools market. We look forward to a long and productive partnership with the shared goal of improving human health, said Dr. Allen Eaves, President and CEO of STEMCELL Technologies.

About Cellular Dynamics International:

Cellular Dynamics International (CDI), a FUJIFILM company, is a leading developer and supplier of human cells used in drug discovery, toxicity testing, and regenerative medicine applications. Leveraging technology that can be used to create induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and differentiated tissue-specific cells from any individual, CDI is committed to advancing life science research and transforming the therapeutic development process in order to fundamentally improve human health. The companys inventoried iCell products and donor-specific MyCell Products are available in the quantity, quality, purity, and reproducibility required for drug and cell therapy development. For more information please visit http://www.cellulardynamics.com.

About Fujifilm

FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Tokyo, Japan brings continuous innovation and leading-edge products to a broad spectrum of industries, including: healthcare, with medical systems, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics; graphic systems; highly functional materials, such as flat panel display materials; optical devices, such as broadcast and cinema lenses; digital imaging; and document products. These are based on a vast portfolio of chemical, mechanical, optical, electronic, software and production technologies. In the year ended March 31, 2016, the company had global revenues of $22.1 billion, at an exchange rate of 112.54 yen to the dollar. Fujifilm is committed to environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit: http://www.fujifilmholdings.com.

About STEMCELL Technologies:

As Scientists Helping Scientists, STEMCELL Technologies is committed to providing high-quality cell culture media, cell isolation products, accessory tools and educational services for life science research. Driven by science and a passion for quality, STEMCELL provides over 2500 products to more than 90 countries worldwide. To learn more, visit http://www.stemcell.com.

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.

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April 17, 2017 by Hannah L. Robbins SMN protein (red) is necessary for the survival of spinal cord neurons (motor neurons) responsible for breathing and all movement. Harvard researchers have found a compound that stabilized this protein in mouse and human motor neurons. This may lead to the development of new treatments for motor neuron diseases including Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Lou Gehrigs disease. Credit: Natalia Rodriguez-Muela

Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers have identified a compound that helps protect the cells destroyed by spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the most frequent fatal genetic disease in children under 2 years of age.

SMA is a neurodegenerative disease targeting motor neurons, the long nerve cells that relay messages from the brain to the muscles and that are, consequently, responsible for bodily movements, including walking, swallowing, and even breathing. Patients with milder forms of SMA experience muscle wasting that may confine them to a wheelchair, while the more severe forms cause paralysis and death before the second birthday.

About one in 50 people are genetic carriers of the disease.

Because of a dysfunctional gene, many motor neurons in SMA patients are unable to produce adequate amounts of a protein called survival of motor neuron (SMN). The deficiency causes cellular stress and eventually cell death. Rather than fixing the gene, which has been the strategy of many labs looking to develop SMA therapies, the Harvard team has identified a compound that helps stabilize the SMN protein both in human neurons in a dish and in mouse models.

The findings were published in the journal Cell Reports.

"This discovery opens up new lines of drug interrogation," said Lee Rubin, HSCI principal faculty member and the senior author on the study. Rubin's lab, which operates out of in Harvard's Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) to make human models of neurological diseases.

In 2015, Rubin made a variety of neuronal types from the iPS cells of SMA patients in order to determine why motor neurons in particular were targeted, and found they experienced a fatal stress response similar to motor neurons affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the late-onset neurodegenerative disease more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Additionally, some SMA-affected motor neurons were dying before others, though all of the neurons had the same genetic mutations and were experiencing the same stressful environment.

"Clearly, some motor neurons were surviving, so the next question was whether this is random or if there is a molecular explanation," Rubin said.

Early on in their most recent study, the researchers found that within a single petri dish of motor neurons derived from an SMA patient, some produced up to four times as much SMN protein as their neighbors. Over time, those motor neurons with higher levels of SMN were more likely to survive after exposure to toxic environments and stressors.

When the team analyzed motor neurons derived from ALS patients, they found similar results: Motor neurons with higher levels of SMN were likelier to survive than those with lower levels.

"The surprise was when we looked in a control culture and also saw differences between the individual neurons," Rubin said.

"It is clear that the SMN protein is necessary for all motor neuron survival, not just motor neurons targeted by ALS or SMA," said Natalia Rodrguez-Muela, a postdoctoral fellow in Rubin's lab and co-first author on the paper. The results suggest that if the team could increase the amount of SMN protein in any single motor neuron, they would be able to rescue the cell.

During a cell's life span, proteins are constantly being made and degraded, made and degraded again. To interrupt the process of breaking down the SMN protein, the researchers looked at a family of proteins called Cullins, which act as a part of the cell machinery that regulates protein degradation.

In 2011, the Rubin lab had determined that an enzyme called GSK3b helps control SMN stability. Nearly all proteins degraded by GSK3b are flagged for degradation by a pathway that involves a specific member of the Cullin family. Rubin said the researchers hypothesized that if they could block that Cullin-mediated process, the SMN proteins would not be flagged for degradation and would remain stable longer.

The researchers, led by co-first author Nadia Litterman, then dosed human and murine motor neurons with a compound known to block the specific Cullin and found that exposure to the compound made SMN proteins more stable and more abundant. As a consequence, the compound promoted survival of all motor neurons, both in human cells in the dish and in mouse models.

Additionally, mice with SMA, even the more severe forms of the disease, had some of their symptoms improve after exposure to the compound.

"This process points to an unexplored therapeutic direction that could benefit patients of not one, but two separate diseases," Rubin said.

Explore further: Hope against disease targeting children

More information: Natalia Rodriguez-Muela et al. Single-Cell Analysis of SMN Reveals Its Broader Role in Neuromuscular Disease, Cell Reports (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.01.035

Journal reference: Cell Reports

Provided by: Harvard University

This story is published courtesy of the Harvard Gazette, Harvard University's official newspaper. For additional university news, visit Harvard.edu.

Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers studying spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) have found what they term "surprising similarities" between this childhood disorder that attacks motor neurons and amyotrophic lateral ...

Using a new stem-cell based drug screening technology with the potential to reinvent and greatly reduce the cost of the way new pharmaceuticals are developed, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers have found a compound ...

Although only 10 percent of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases are hereditary, a significant number of them are caused by mutations that affect proteins that bind RNA, a type of genetic material. University of California ...

A puzzling question has lurked behind SMA (spinal muscular atrophy), the leading genetic cause of death in infants.

New research from the Advanced Gene and Cell Therapy Lab at Royal Holloway, University of London has used pioneering stem cell techniques to better understand why certain cells are more at risk of degenerating in spinal muscular ...

Cedars-Sinai scientists are seeking to build an improved stem-cell model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to accelerate progress toward a cure for the devastating neurological disorder. Their findings demonstrate that ...

A new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai provides important insights into how the body regulates its production of heat, a process known as thermogenesis that is currently intensely studied as a target ...

Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers have identified a compound that helps protect the cells destroyed by spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the most frequent fatal genetic disease in children under 2 years of age.

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Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), identified a common mechanism in two forms of neurodegeneration that affect young adults or the elderly. The discovery advances ...

Patients with colon and rectal cancer have somatic insertions of mitochondrial DNA into the nuclear genomes of the cancer cells, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers report in the journal Genome Medicine.

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Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL A team of biomedical engineering researchers, led by the University of Minnesota, has created a revolutionary 3D-bioprinted patch that can help heal scarred heart tissue after a heart attack. The discovery is a major step forward in treating patients with tissue damage after a heart attack.

The research study was published Apr. 14 inCirculation Research, a journal published by the American Heart Association. Researchers have filed a patent on the discovery.

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S. killing more than 360,000 people a year. During a heart attack, a person loses blood flow to the heart muscle and that causes cells to die. Our bodies cant replace those heart muscle cells so the body forms scar tissue in that area of the heart, which puts the person at risk for compromised heart function and future heart failure.

In this study, researchers from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Alabama-Birmingham used laser-based 3D-bioprinting techniques to incorporate stem cells derived from adult human heart cells on a matrix that began to grow and beat synchronously in a dish in the lab.

Watch a video of the cells beating on the patch.

Video credit:College of Science and Engineering, UMN

When the cell patch was placed on a mouse following a simulated heart attack, the researchers saw significant increase in functional capacity after just four weeks. Since the patch was made from cells and structural proteins native to the heart, it became part of the heart and absorbed into the body, requiring no further surgeries.

Related Article:3D-Printed Guide Helps Regrow Complex Nerves After Injury

This is a significant step forward in treating the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S., said Brenda Ogle, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Minnesota. We feel that we could scale this up to repair hearts of larger animals and possibly even humans within the next several years.

A team of biomedical engineering researchers has created a revolutionary 3D-bioprinted patch that can help heal scarred heart tissue after a heart attack. Two of the researchers involved are biomedical engineering associate professor Brenda Ogle (right) and PhD student Molly Kupfer (left).Photo credit: Patrick OLeary, University of MinnesotaOgle said that this research is different from previous research in that the patch is modeled after a digital, three-dimensional scan of the structural proteins of native heart tissue. The digital model is made into a physical structure by 3D printing with proteins native to the heart and further integrating cardiac cell types derived from stem cells. Only with 3D printing of this type can we achieve one micron resolution needed to mimic structures of native heart tissue.

We were quite surprised by how well it worked given the complexity of the heart, Ogle said. We were encouraged to see that the cells had aligned in the scaffold and showed a continuous wave of electrical signal that moved across the patch.

Ogle said they are already beginning the next step to develop a larger patch that they would test on a pig heart, which is similar in size to a human heart.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, University of Minnesota Lillehei Heart Institute, and University of Minnesota Institute for Engineering in Medicine.

In addition to Ogle, other biomedical engineering researchers who were part of the team include Molly E. Kupfer, Jangwook P. Jung, Libang Yang, Patrick Zhang, and Brian T. Freeman from the University of Minnesota; Paul J. Campagnola, Yong Da Sie, Quyen Tran, and Visar Ajeti from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Jianyi Zhang, Ling Gao, and Vladimir G. Fast from the University of Alabama,

To read the full research paper entitled Myocardial Tissue Engineering With Cells Derived from Human Induced-Pluripotent Stem Cells and a Native-Like, High-Resolution, 3-Dimensionally Printed Scaffold, visit theCirculation Researchwebsite.

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BROOMFIELD, Colo., April 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- "Interventional orthopedics in pain medicine practice" was recently published by Elsevier as a chapter in Techniques in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management. The chapter, authored by Regenexx founder Christopher J. Centeno, MD examines less invasive ways to treat orthopedic pain and injuries through autologous biologics, such as stem cells and platelet rich plasma (PRP), and the shift from surgical orthopedics to interventional orthopedics.

Interventional orthopedics utilizing advanced technologies, such as ultrasound and X-ray guidance, precise percutaneous injections of autologous biologics, and bone marrow concentrate, (BMC) expand nonsurgical options in the field of orthopedics. Citing the dramatic reduction in cardiac surgery rates since the adoption of the specialty interventional cardiology, the authors reveal, "We are poised on the brink of the same change in orthopedic care." The authors also state, "The field of autologous biologics has the potential to alter the playing field of orthopedic care by allowing percutaneous injections to replace the need for more invasive orthopedic surgeries."

The chapter covers three important tenets in the developing field that will allow Interventional Orthopedics to alter traditional orthopedic care in the future. First is the rapid expansion of injectates (material being injected), such as stem cells and PRP, that can help heal damaged tissue and that can effectively treat musculoskeletal tissues. Second is the precise image-guided placement of those injectates into those damaged tissues. And third is the development of new tools that will advance this regenerative-medicine technology. The chapter also highlights research that supports the use of bone marrow stem cells and the importance of education standards and organization, training, and retraining of physicians to meet these standards.

The full chapter "Interventional orthopedics in pain medicine practice" can be found online at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1084208X16300052.

Christopher J. Centeno, MD, is the CEO of Regenexx and an international expert and specialist in regenerative medicine and the clinical use of mesenchymal stem cells in orthopedics. Dr. Centeno maintains an active research-based practice and has multiple publications listed in the US National Library of Medicine.He has also served as editor-in-chief of a medical research journal dedicated to traumatic injury and is one of the few physicians in the world with extensive experience in the culture expansion of and clinical use of adult stem cells to treat orthopedic injuries.

MEDIA CONTACT Mark Testa 155014@email4pr.com (303) 885-9630

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The prognosis was dire when Cheryl Grantham learned she had multiple myeloma, a rare form of cancer, in March 1999.

"I thought I'd be dead by Christmas," she said.

The best treatment to extend her life was a round of specialty high-dose chemotherapy, a course more potent than the normal chemotherapy prescribed to combat more common cancers.

Multiple myeloma is cancer of the plasma cells and the high-dose chemotherapy treatments fight it by destroying the cancerous cells in the bone marrow, where plasma originates. The treatments are intense enough that it can kill a patient. But it's one of the most effective ways to treat the cancer.

So doctors a few decades ago created a workaround using stem cells, extracting them from the patient's blood before administering the high-dose chemotherapy and then transplanting them back in to repair the damaged bone marrow after the chemo has been given.

Stem cells are given back to the patient like a blood transfusion, saidBrock Whittenberger, Grantham's doctor at Billings Clinic.

Billings Clinic has been using this stem cell approach with its myeloma cancer treatments for years, and Whittenberger has been the one performing procedure.

"What it's allowed us to do is successfully treat the cancer," he said. "There's a fairly rapid recovery."

Billings Clinic was recently accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy for its stem cell treatment.With the FACT accreditation, those treatments will be more accessible.

The accreditation also will make it easier for insurance companies to approve the procedure and will allow Billings Clinic to conduct trials on the stem cell treatment.

Billings Clinic is currently the only FACT-accredited center in Montana.

Grantham, who was an infusion nurse at the time of her diganosis, elected to have the treatment and has outlived her initial prognosis by almost two decades.

"I've been fine," she said. "I've been alive for 18 years."

Unexpectedly, the treatments helped her become a better nurse.

"It made me more empathetic," she said.

The stem cell treatment eradicates certain forms of lymphoma but it won't cure Grantham's cancer. At some point themultiple myeloma will return.

Until then, she visits with her doctor every three months for blood work and works to keep her focus on the now.

"With a diagnosis like that you have short-term goals," she said.

Her youngest son was in high school in 1999, and she was still working full time as a nurse. As much as she wanted to crawl under her covers and not face the reality of her cancer diagnosis, she had no choice but to move forward.

"It made me be normal," she said.

And it helped her focus on what was important in the moment. The Christmas before she began her treatments, she took her three sons to the Cayman Islands for the holidays.

"Because everything was going to change," she said."You just do it."

And it's an attitude she still carries. Her youngest son, long graduated from high school, is now married. These days, she's hopeful he'll give her a grandchild.

"That's my goal now," she said, smiling.

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On March 13th, Sarina Vito, an 18-year-old from Elwood, was preparing to spend a weekend away with her mother ather very first orientation as an incoming fall freshman at High Point University in North Carolina.

Instead, the John Glenn High School seniors entire world was flipped upside down bya devastating phone call: Sarina was diagnosed with acute myeloid (AML) leukemiaa cancer characterized by the production of a large number of abnormal white blood cells inthe bone marrow.

Sarina was immediately admitted into the Cohen Childrens Medical Center, where shewill require a lifesaving bone marrow/stem cell transplant after her third round of chemotherapy. She will also have to undergo fertility treatments in order to be able to have children of her own.

To help Sarina find her donor match as well as raise awareness and much-needed funds for not just her and her familys battle with this disease, but also for childhood cancer foundations, her family, friends and the Elwood community are holding a bone marrow drive and fundraiser at John Glenn High School on Tuesday, April 25, from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Scroll down for official flier.)

This Bone Marrow Registry Drive & Sarinas Strands of Strength Ponytail Drive will include bone-marrow test swabbing provided by Be The Match Foundation, a bake sale, a raffle with prizes, vendor tables, music by Tony Bruno, and hair extensions by Cactus Salons. Among its proud supporters: Be The Match Foundation, Mondays at Racine, Hair We Share and Cactus Salon.

The Sarina Strong Fund also has a GoFundMe Page collecting donations.

Although Sarina will be missing many things that she worked very hard for, this event will help her and her family in many other ways. As the organizers of this benefit understand, no family should have to suffer the devastating emotional, mental and financial strains a disease such as AML leukemia causes them, especially not alone.

Consider this post an open invitation for local businesses and members of the Long Island community to contribute and lend support by donating baskets, gift certificates, services, raffle prizes, food and/or refreshments, become a sponsor with monetary donations, or simply help spread the wordthats why a special hashtag #SarinaStrong has been created to help raise awareness across social media; spread it far and wide!

Sarina and her family thank you in advance: Together, we can do this!

Featured Photo: The Elwood Community is hosting the #SarinaStrong Bone Marrow Registry Drive & Fundraiser for Sarina Vito, 18, who is battling AML leukemia, at John Glenn High School in Elwood, on April 25, 2017. (Photo: #SarinaStrong GoFundMe page)

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Bone Marrow Drive & Fundraiser To Support Sarina Vito, 18, Battling Leukemia - Long Island Press

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Last year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services enacted a significant policy change improving access to blood and marrow transplants for Medicare patients diagnosed with life-threatening blood cancers. The change came in the form of a Medicare rule on how outpatient blood and marrow transplants are reimbursed by the federal health care program beginning on Jan. 1, 2017.

While this move a step in the right direction, this rule does not address the vast majority of transplants (97 percent) that are performed in the inpatient setting. Sadly, Medicare continues to provide inadequate reimbursement to hospitals performing inpatient transplants and this limitation threatens to limit access to seniors needing this lifesaving therapy.

It is estimated that a new patient is diagnosed with a blood cancer every three minutes. More than 170,000 Americans will receive a blood cancer diagnosis like leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma this year alone; approximately 1.2 million Americans currently live with these diseases.

Blood and marrow transplants using a donor (allogeneic transplants) remain the only curative treatment for many blood cancers. The process of transplantation typically involves treating the patient with chemotherapy and then restoring healthy cells in the recipient by an infusion of blood or bone marrow stem cells, obtained from a matched related or unrelated donor or from umbilical cord blood. These donor cells also help to eliminate any cancer cells that survive chemotherapy.

The fatal blood diseases that require transplants occur most commonly in older individuals, who are also most likely to be covered by Medicare. Historically, the risks of transplant were too great to allow us to safely transplant many seniors. However, rapid clinical advances have resulted in dramatically improved outcomes in older adults. In fact, patients over the age of 65 are now the most rapidly growing population in U.S. transplant centers.

Despite the overwhelming clinical evidence demonstrating the curative potential of transplants in older patients, transplant access for seniors is threatened by Medicares chronic underfunding for both the transplant itself and the costs required to obtain matched bone marrow or cord blood. Medicare, for the most part, adequately reimburses transplants of solid organs such as hearts and lungs, appropriately covering the costs of acquiring those organs.

Surprisingly, Medicare treats the cost of acquiring bone marrow differently. Currently, Medicare pays for the cost of acquiring bone marrow and the transplant procedure and hospitalization in a single payment. Unfortunately, the amount currently reimbursed falls well short of the costs of providing the complex care required for blood and marrow transplant recipients, who are vulnerable to complications including infections in the post-transplant period. Unlike solid organ transplants, the cost of obtaining unrelated donor blood, bone marrow or cord blood is not directly and completely reimbursed.

This inadequate reimbursement threatens the ability of transplant centers to continue to take on the complex care of seniors with blood cancers. Unless reimbursement policies change, some seniors may face limited access to their only curative treatment option.

Thanks to national investment in research and continued innovation, seniors diagnosed with cancer today have more treatment options than they had in the past. Poor federal reimbursement policies must be updated to provide patients with access to the treatments that offer them the best possible outcomes, including transplantation.

While last years policy change was a marked improvement in reimbursement for those three percent of transplants occurring in the outpatient setting, it is important that similar payment reforms now address themajority of blood and marrowtransplants that are performed as inpatient procedures.

I urge Medicare to revise its payment policies for blood and marrow transplants to strengthen reimbursement in the inpatient hospital setting to ensure American seniors the full range of life-saving treatment options for cancer that they deserve.

Krishna Komanduri is president of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation and the Kalish Family Chair in Stem Cell Transplantation, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Morning Consult welcomes op-ed submissions on policy, politics and business strategy in our coverage areas. Updated submission guidelines can be foundhere.

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A research team at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health has treated its first patient in an innovative clinical trial using stem cells for the treatment of heart failure that develops after a heart attack.

The trial is taking place at University Hospital, one of three sites nationwide currently enrolling participants. The investigational CardiAMP therapy is designed to deliver a high dose of a patients own bone-marrow cells directly to the point of cardiac injury to potentially stimulate the bodys natural healing response.

The patient experience with the trial begins with a cell-potency screening test. Patients who qualify for therapy are scheduled for a bone-marrow aspiration. The bone marrow is then processed on-site and subsequently delivered directly to the damaged regions in a patients heart in a minimally invasive procedure.

Patients living with heart failure experience a variety of negative symptoms that can greatly impact their day-to-day life, said UW Health cardiologist Dr. Amish Raval, associate professor of medicine and one of the principal investigators for the trial. By being at the forefront of research for this debilitating condition, we look forward to studying the potential of this cell therapy to impact a patients exercise capacity and quality of life.

The primary outcome to be measured is the change in distance during a six-minute walk 12 months after the initial baseline measurement.

Heart failure commonly occurs after a heart attack, when the heart muscle is weakened and cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's needs for blood and oxygen. About 790,000 people in the U.S. have heart attacks each year. The number of adults living with heart failure increased from about 5.7 million (2009-2012) to about 6.5 million (2011-2014), and the number of adults diagnosed with heart failure is expected to dramatically rise by 46 percent by the year 2030, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

The CardiAMP Heart Failure Trial is a phase III study of up to 260 patients at up to 40 centers nationwide. Phase III trials are conducted to measure effectiveness of the intervention, monitor side effects and gather information for future use of the procedure. Study subjects must be diagnosed with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II or III heart failure as a result of a previous heart attack.

Information about eligibility or enrollment in the trial is available at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, or through a cardiologist.

The trial is funded by Biocardia, Inc., which developed the potential therapy.

Date Published: 04/17/2017

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CHEYENNE Had it not been for a single bone marrow transplant, the Day of Giving would never have started.

Its a bone marrow transplant that saved founder Greta Morrows life, and what inspired her to launch a community charity event that encourages, among other things, the importance of donating blood, tissue, bone marrow and organs.

Greta is a prime example of somebody who is a survivor because of someone being on the bone marrow donation registry, said Caroline Veit, a longtime Day of Giving volunteer and a past president for the event. Its life saving. When somebody is at the end of their treatment options for blood cancer, a bone marrow transplant can be the key for their survival.

One of the most compelling reasons to sign up as a bone marrow donor at the Day of Giving now in its 12th year is not only is it capable of saving a life, but the process of actually donating is fairly straightforward, no different than giving blood something the Day of Giving also offers onsite.

Jamie Spradlin, a 22-year-old teacher at Hobbs Elementary School in Cheyenne, learned that fact firsthand late last year, when she was called on to donate bone marrow.

It was at a Relay for Life event about four years ago, they had a booth and they were explaining, Would you like to save a life; do you want to know how? And I was with a group and all of us signed up, Spradlin said. It had to have been October or November of last year when they called me and said Hey, youre actually a match for someone.

Many people who register as potential bone marrow donors never get such a call. Thats because unlike blood, which falls into one of four types plus a positive or negative Rh factor, a bone marrow can be much harder to find. Only about 30 percent of patients looking for a bone marrow match can even find one in their own family the rest have to hope a stranger in the national donor registry happens to match them, according to the nonprofit Institute for Justice.

Only about 2 percent of Americans belong to the national bone marrow registry, and at least 3,000 people die each year because they cannot find a matching donor. The odds are worse for minorities, since bone marrow type is based partly on ethnic background while Caucasians can find an unrelated donor 75 percent of the time, the percentage drops to the 40s for Hispanic and Asian patients, and 25 percent for African Americans.

What happens if you do turn out to be a match for someone?

First they asked if I was still interested in donating, and I said yes, so then they had to wait on the person I was donating to to make sure it would all work out, Spradlin said.

In December 2016, she had to take a physical to ensure she was healthy enough to donate. Be The Match, the national bone marrow registry, paid all the expenses of her testing as well as travel.

They let me choose where I went for the physical, and my sister lives in Florida, so I went to do it there, Spradlin said. A few days after that they called and said everything was great, so then I went back down to Florida for the actual donation.

The donation process takes nearly a week of preparation. Twice a day, for five days, Spradlin said she went to a clinic to receive shots that caused her bones to produce more marrow stem cells.

The first day wasnt bad, but as I continued to get them every day thats when I started noticing my back and knees getting sore, she said. You know when you go to the gym and the next day your muscles are sore? Its just like that, but with your bones.

But that was the only real discomfort, she said, and given the stakes, it wasnt a tough call to keep going. For the donation itself, Spradlin underwent a process known as apheresis, where blood is removed from the body, the marrow stem cells are separated out, and blood is then returned.

Its kind of like donating blood. They had a needle in each of my arms, she said. One needle takes out the blood, a machine separates the stem cells from the blood and then the other needle puts the blood back in your arm.

Two months after the donation, Spradlin got an email from Be The Match informing her the recipient of her bone marrow was doing well Spradlins bone marrow had taken root, and the recipients body was regaining its ability to produce healthy blood cells.

Due to confidentiality concerns, Spradlin still doesnt know whose life she saved. It wont be until a year has passed that Be The Match offers to introduce donors to recipients.

All they told me was that she was a female, 41 years old and had some type of blood cancer, Spradlin said. But even knowing just that much, she added, I would absolutely do it again. It was an easy process to save someones life, and I think its crazy not many people sign up to become donors because its not a hard process.

I mean, I got to see my sister twice in Florida and they paid for everything, she added. Frankly, I felt lucky I got to be this persons donor.

How to help

This years community-wide Day of Giving will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, May 12, at the Kiwanis Community House in Lions Park. A youth event will take place there the day before, May 11, from 3:30-6:30 p.m.

There are seven ways to help on the Day of Giving:

Day of Giving sorts and delivers all donations to local agencies.

For more information, visitCheyenneDayofGiving.org.

James Chilton is the Wyoming Tribune Eagles local government reporter. He can be reached atjchilton@wyomingnews.comor 307-633-3182. Follow him on Twitter at @JournoJChilton.

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When you think of tough athletes, football and hockey players quickly come to mind.

But a bowler?

Someone who learned that with determination and the love of family, friends, teammates and one anonymous bone marrow donor living 1,500 miles away striking down a rare and deadly blood disease is indeed possible?

Cameron Hurwitz stands 4-foot-11 and weighs 84 pounds with Skittles in his pockets.

But the Brighton (Rochester, N.Y.) High School freshman is a big man on the lanes, leading the Barons this season with a 216.5 average, making the coveted six-man state tournament composite team, where he led Section V to a third-place finish, and being named All-Greater Rochester for the second time in three seasons.

He has rolled three 300-games (two sanctioned) and just recently recorded a personal-best 799 series in competition.

There was a time when opponents sized up Hurwitz and took him for an easy mark. No more.

Hes pretty well-known now, Brighton coach Jason Wasserman said. What they cant believe is thathes only in ninth grade and doing as well as he is. He reads lane conditions as good as anyone out there. Hes able to make adjustments on the fly, he knows what equipment to use at what time and then hes just so consistent with his shots.

Thats what happens when you bowl nearly every day from the time youre eye level to a ball rack. When you have parents, Caryn and Scott Hurwitz, who nurture your gifts with unconditional love. When a big brother, Reese, a senior on the Brighton team with a fine 210 average of his own and is headed to Purdue to bowl, is always there to cheer the strikes and help you handle the splits and open frames of life.

Cameron, 14, a hard-throwing right-hander, throws a ball that takes a sharp, last-second right-to-left hook into the pocket that makes pins explode like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

He has had many mentors but in large part he is a self-taught prodigy.

As a big PBA fan who would like to compete on tour someday, he has long watched bowling on television and the internet. He reads bowling magazines, studies the history of the gameand can recite the career statistics of PBA stars. His favorite player is a kindred spirit, 5-foot-5 Norm Duke, a family friend whose autograph he wears proudly on his green Storm bowling shirt.

For good measure, Cameron drills his own balls, customizes his own bowling shoes (blue and fluorescent green on this day), and has ideas for other bowling products that his dad, who owns a motorcycle parts manufacturing business, helps bring to life. Some have already caught the attention of people in the industry.

I think it came from watching the pros on television all the time and picking it up, Cameron said when asked where his style and passion for all things bowling comes from. I love all the physics behind bowling and just the fact you have to use your mind to be able to perform. Anybody of any size can be great at bowling as long as you know the right way to do it and as long as you know what each piece of equipment does for a particular oil pattern.

Bowling alone during off-hours, wearing a mask to prevent against infection, Cameron Hurwitz never gave up on dream of normal life and returning to Brighton High School team.(Photo: CARYN HURWITZ)

Understanding bowling science helped Cameron enjoy his best season so far, but it was medical science that got him back on the lanes.

A little more than two years ago while in the seventh grade, Cameron was getting ready to leave for the Section V tournament when his mother spotted black-and-blue marks on his arms and legs. A phone call to their family doctor led to blood work, which led to instructions to take her son to the emergency room immediately.

He had extremely low platelets, which clot your blood, and they told us to pack a bag, youll be there for many days, Caryn Hurwitz said.

It was six days to be exact, during which Cameron was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia, a rare and serious blood disorder in which the body stops making enoughnew white and red cells and platelets.

His bone marrow had just shut down and with so few platelets he was at great risk, and with no immunity he couldnt be around people, Caryn Hurwitz said.

While undergoing treatments at Golisano Childrens Hospital, Cameron was unable to attend school and was quarantined at home for over five months. When given the OK by doctors, his lone escape was making trips to area bowling centers where generous owners allowed him to practice during off-hours to the public.

Encouraged by upticks in his white cell counts, Camerons caregivers couldnt say no when he begged to compete in the prestigious United States Bowling Congress Junior Gold national championships in the Chicago area in July 2015. While wearing an antiviral mask and in between receiving seven-hour blood transfusions at a Chicago hospital, Cameron made the televised final, placing second in the U12 division.

The boy behind the mask became a media celebrity and inspiration in the bowling community. He made the cover of Bowlers Journal and PBA stars became his fans. Hall of Famer Pete Weber posted a good luck video message on Facebook to Cameron.

Hed bowl without hardly any oxygen (in his bloodstream), Caryn Hurwitz said. I dont think people really understood how hard it was for him, but as long as he could go, even with the low blood counts, he kept bowling. When I think about, Im amazed.

Unfortunately for Cameron, the treatments he received didnt produce the desired results and as his eighth-grade school year began, he was placed on the national Be the Matchbone marrow registry.

Waiting times for a match can vary, but in Camerons case one was found in just a few months. And on Dec. 29, 2015 he underwent a transplant at Boston Childrens Hospital, a painstaking procedure where a patients body is re-started with new stem cells that need time to grow and take hold.

Six weeks in the hospital were followed by six more months of isolation, school tutoring, the entire Hurwitz family living in the germ-free lane, and the family bonding like an alleys glued wooden strips.

Throughout his recovery, Cameron kept bowling after hours, determined to be ready for his freshman season. Bowling had become his medicine.

For the full story, visit the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

DKMS, the international non-profit leading the fight against blood cancer, teamed with the film industry and launched #CastingforaHero, a campaign designed to raise awareness about diversity in bone marrow donation and to urge more people to swab their cheeks and register as potential lifesaving bone marrow/blood stem cell donors. The campaign was first launched by actor/producer Vin Diesel, has been supported on social media by Fast franchise players Tyrese Gibson, Cris Bridges (Ludacris), Don Omar and the brother of late actor Paul Walker, Cody Walker, and will be joined by other cast members to support the campaign this month. It has also garnered support by a number of celebrities including Guardians of the Galaxy actress, Zoe Saldana and Larenz Tate. Tate appeared on the television show POWER, alongside Charlie Murphy, who passed away earlier this month from complications related to blood cancer.

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Diesel launched the campaign on his Instagram (@vindiesel) posting, Today, premiere day (April 8), I am proud to launch#CastingforaHero- a campaign to save lives by increasing the multicultural community's presence in the worldwide bone marrow registries.

The campaign was conceived by DKMS through a partnership with Samantha Vincent, (Executive Producer, the Fate of the Furious) and Frank E. Flowers (Director, Haven) after they lost a family member to leukemia and became aware of the overwhelming odds faced by minorities and those of mixed race backgrounds of finding an unrelated match due to being underrepresented on the registry. Of all donors registered only 6% are African American, 9% are Hispanic/Latino, 6% are Asians, and 4% are Mixed Race.

In partnership with the community, one of the nations premier cross cultural creative advertising agencies, the #castingforahero concept was developed and executed through social and experiential channels leveraging key influencers with the goal of raising awareness and activating younger donors. The campaign was launched with the support of Universal Pictures, Saturday, April 8 during the Fate of the Furious #F8 premiere at Radio City Music Hall in NYC, with #castingforahero photo booths present at the F8premiere after party which gave VIP guests an opportunity to register.

In the companion video, written and directed by Flowers and produced by Andrew Molina, Anne McCarthy (Casting Director, Furious 7) and her associates audition real-life unknown actors for a hero role where they are asked to cold-read scripts about the lack of diversity on the bone marrow registry. The actors become emotional upon learning the scripts are in fact about themselves and their own chances to beat a disease like leukemia if there are not enough potential donors registered who share the same ancestry. The video calls for more trueheroes potential bone marrow/blood stem cell donors to join the effort to fight blood cancer and help find more matches for people of all ethnic backgrounds.

The newly launched website, castingforahero.com, allows people to create their own casting photo with custom skins representing unique identities and share on their social media platforms, while directing them to register with DKMS as a potential lifesaving donor.

Each year thousands of people lose the fight against blood cancer because they are unable to find their hero: a lifesaving bone marrow match, said Katharina Harf, co-founder of DKMS US. #CastingforaHero will help bring attention to the need for more diversity among potential bone marrow donors. By registering to become a DKMS donor, you can change the odds and become a life-saving hero yourself.

For more information about #CastingforaHero, visit http://www.castingforahero.com. To learn more about DKMS or register as a potential lifesaving donor, please visit http://www.dkms.org/register or @dkms.us.

About DKMS

DKMS is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating blood cancers like Leukemia and other blood-related illnesses inspiring both men and women around the world to register as bone marrow and blood stem cell donors. DKMS is providing patients with a second chance at life, working closely with families from diagnosis to transplant and beyond. The donor journey begins with a swab of the cheek that takes less than 60 seconds and can be the action that leads to a lifesaving transplant. DKMS, originally founded in Germany in 1991 by Dr. Peter Harf, has organizations in Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. The U.S. office was started in 2004. Globally, DKMS has registered more than 7.2 million people. To join the fight against blood cancer or for more information, please go to dkms.org or @DKMS.us.

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DKMS Creates Celebrity Driven #Castingforahero Campaign - Yahoo Finance

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