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A high-level meeting has paved the way for global trials to begin on hundreds of patients.

British scientists have found a way to use stem cells to repair damaged tissue which could help millions living with heart failure, the UKs leading cause of death.

Scarring due to disease or heart attacks affects more than two million people in Britain.

This would be the biggest breakthrough since the first transplants three decades ago

Professor Steve Westaby

Initial trials involving more than 100 patients are being planned for the autumn at two London hospitals.

World renowned cardiac surgeon Professor Steve Westaby, who helped pioneer the revolutionary technique, said it had been thought that repairing heart damage was impossible.

But results from a long-term trial that began in Greece five years ago have shown that this is not the case.

Preliminary data from this trial showed the engineered stem cells, known as Heartcel, can reverse scarring by up to 79 per cent.

The data, presented at the European Society of Cell and Gene Therapy in Florence, showed an average of 40 per cent reduction in heart damage in those on the treatment.

Last month researchers finalised talks with European and US regulators to discuss the timetable for global trials next year involving 500 people.

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6 early signs of a heart attack

Professor Westaby, from the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, said: I am very excited at the prospect of a trial which will hopefully lead to the availability of this stem cell treatment to thousands of patients annually in the UK.

Other scientists have tried in vain to repair damaged heart muscle using stem cells over the past few decades.

This is the first time scarring has been shown to be reversible. It could herald an end to transplants and lead to a treatment for heart failure within three to five years.

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Professor Westaby said: This would be the biggest breakthrough since the first transplants three decades ago.

Professor Westaby has been working on the technique for more than a decade and is carrying out the study with Professor Kim Fox, head of the National Heart and Lung Institute, at Imperial College London.

The implanted stem cells were created by medical outfit Celixir, co-founded by Nobel laureate Professor Martin Evans, the first scientist to culture mice embryonic stem cells in a laboratory.

Professor Westaby was inspired to work on the breakthrough in 1999 after a four-month-old baby girls heart healed itself after he carried out a major life-saving operation.

Kirsty Collier, from Swindon, was dying of a serious and rare heart defect. In a last ditch effort Professor Westaby cut away a third of her badly damaged heart.

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Surprisingly it began to beat. Fourteen years later a scan has shown that the heart had healed itself.

Now Kirsty, 18, has a normal one. Professor Westaby said: She was essentially dead and was only resurrected by what I regarded at the time as a completely bizarre operation.

The fact there was no sign of heart damage told me there were foetal stem cells in babies hearts that could remove scarring of heart muscle. That never happens in adults.

Its all down to the clues we got from Kirstys operation.

Read more here:
Heart failure BREAKTHROUGH: Stem cells trial offers hope to millions - Express.co.uk

By Jacob Dykes

In Durham, a pioneering technology has been developed which is providing a solution to fundamental issues in tissue engineering and stem cell biology. The development of new innovative technology enables the advancement of the research and discovery process and scientific thinking as a whole. For example, its hard to conceive of a biomedical sphere untouched by the blessing of PCR or DNA sequencing. Technological advancements not only offer solutions to existing obstacles, they open up new avenues of research into previously inconceivable areas.

With the current levels of excitement in the research of stem cell biology, you could be forgiven for envisaging a utopian medical scenario where a process akin to science-fiction allows us to generate complex tissues in a Petri-dish, ready for transplantation into the damaged organism. The scientific community has speculated that the nature of stem cells, in their ability to self-renew and produce cell types of any lineage will eventually provide medical solutions to some of our most vilified tissue diseases.

Transitioning speculation to reality requires time, basic research and technology development. A novel product known as Alvetex has been developed by Reinnervate, a Durham University spin-out company, which enables a new routine approach to study stem cells and their ability to form tissues in the laboratory. The product unlocks the potential of stem cell differentiation by mimicking the natural three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment cells encounter in the body, enabling the formation of 3D tissue-like structures.

Cell behaviour, in general, is guided by the complex 3D microenvironment in which they reside. Dispersal of cell-cell interactions and architectural contacts across the surface of the cell are essential for regulating gene expression, the genetic mechanism by which cells change their character and behaviour. Recreation of this microenvironment in the laboratory is essential to studying physiologically relevant behaviour, and the differentiation process by which cells form new cell types. Alvetex is a micro-engineered 3D polystyrene scaffold into which cells can be impregnated for cultivation. Cells grow within a 200-micron thick membrane of the 3D material bathed in culture medium. The microenvironment enables cells to form 3D contacts with neighbouring cells, recreating the more natural interactions found in real tissues. Overall, this affects the structure and function of the cells, enabling them to behave more like their native counterparts, which in turn improves predictive accuracy when working with advanced cell culture models.

We can take progenitor cells from the skin of donors and produce human skin We can take cell lines from the intestine and reproduce the absorptive lining of the intestine. We can take neural progenitors and recapitulate 3D neural networks.

Stefan Przyborski is a Professor of Cell Technology at Durham University and the founder of Reinnervate. He gave us an insight into his technologys applications;

We can take progenitor cells from the skin of donors and produce a full-thickness stratified human skin model (see image). We can take cell lines from the intestine and reproduce the absorptive lining of the intestine. We can take neural progenitors and recapitulate 3D neural networks to simulate aspects of nervous system function. Each of these models can be used to advance basic research, and extend our understanding of tissue development, and simulate aspects of disease.

Such technology is underpinned by well established fundamental principles such as how cellular structure is related to function, which hails way back to Da Vinci himself. It is well known that if you get the structure and the anatomy correct than the physiology will start to follow.

Alvetex technology has already been used in research that has led the publication of over 60 research papers in the field of tissue engineering and cancer biology. One particular group used the technology to successfully test drugs to prevent glioblastoma dispersal, an innovative application in brain oncology. Another has developed a 3D skin model to better study the development of metastatic melanoma, a persistently incurable invasive tumour of the skin. US scientists have used Alvetex on the International Space Station to study the formation of bone tissue in microgravity conditions.

The technology promises to be a cost-effective and ethical solution to current obstacles in cell culturing methods, producing better quality data relevant to man and reducing the need for animal models. Alvetex technology has offered a generational contribution to the process of tissue engineering research, yet the founder has higher ambitions;

What I would like to see in the next few decades is the increased complexity of the tissues that stem cells can be used to generate. If you consider the structure of an organ, the complexity, arrangement and structural organisation of those cell populations, it is far from where we are today. Advances in technology at the interface between disciplines leads to new innovative ideas to solve problems and open up new opportunities.

The development of stem cell research is an incremental process. We have to remain cautious given the potential of stem cell therapy to cause tumour formation, highlighting the need for more stringent models and controls. However, the clinical transplantation of cultured stem cells in bone and cornea repair demonstrates their enormous potential. Laboratory experiments have also demonstrated the potential of stem cells to produce kidney, pancreatic, liver, cardiac and muscle cells. It is hoped that continued research using more physiologically relevant technologies will increase the complexity of these tissues in the lab, and the diversity of their application.

Innovative technological advances play an important role in the process of biomedical science. Scientists at Durham are instrumental in the development of such new technologies that enable the process of new discoveries.

Photograph: Prof Stefan Przyborski, Durham University

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Durham scientists pioneer innovative stem cell research - Palatinate

Medical tourism is alive and well in places all over the world. Thailand, Mexico and Colombia are just some of the destinations where people travel in order to get affordable health care. While finances are the main concern of medical tourists, another reason to make the trip is for services that arent provided in a travelers local city or country. Stem Cells are still a controversial topic in many countries and while research is being conducted, people who might benefit from the treatments may not be able to locate a qualified provider. Why travel so far just for stem cell treatment? Well.

They May Be Able To Cure Cancer

Cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases out there without a cure. With so many people falling ill to this disease, the need for a cure is more important than ever. Stem cell studies are being conducted and researchers have found that stem cell therapy can be used to add healthy cells into the system to suppress the disease while stimulating the growth of new and healthy marrow. Hodgkins Lymphoma, breast cancer and ovarian cancer may benefit the most from these treatments.

They Could Be Capable of Treating Blood Disease

According to NSI Stem Cell, stem cell therapy may be able to provide the body with regenerative and healthy blood cells to combat blood disease. With healthy blood cells in the system, diseases like Sickle Cell Anemia, Fanconi Anemia and Thalassemia could be effectively treated.

They Have The Ability To Treat Injuries and Wounds

By increasing blood vessels and improving blood supply, stem cells could treat both chronic and acute wounds, especially in older patients who dont heal as quickly. Specifically, stem cell therapy could help treat surface wounds, limb gangrene and the replacement of jawbone.

Research Is Being Done On a Huge Variety of Treatment Potential

Stem cells are constantly undergoing research to uncover their potential when it comes to medical treatments. Some of the treatments being explored include:

-Auto-immune Disease: These cells may be able to repair and regenerate damaged tissue for people suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Buergers Disease, and Systemic Lupus.

-Neurodegeneration: They could help with diseases such as MS and Parkinsons.

-Brain & Spinal Cord Injuries: The cells could reduce inflammation and help to form healthy, new tissue.

-Heart Conditions: Stem cells are being utilized to create new blood vessels, reverse tissue loss and regenerate heart muscle tissue.

-Tooth & Hair Replacement: They can help grow thinning hair and replace missing teeth.

-Vision Loss: Retinal cells are being injected into the eyes to improve vision.

-Pancreatic Cells: Healthy Beta Cells in the pancreas are being produced by stem cells. These therapies would help diabetic patients and allow them to decrease their dependence on insulin.

-Orthopedics: Stem cells can be utilized to treat arthritis and ligament/tendon injuries.

-HIV/Aids: Researchers are looking into using stem cells to produce an immune system that is resistant to disease.

The Cost of Treatment Will Vary But Can Be Affordable

While it may seem that the cost of stem cell therapy would be extremely high, the truth is that it varies. It all depends on the treatment necessary but the range could be from $1,000 to $100,000. In the future, insurance companies may even cover costs for some treatments.

Stem Cells Come From Multiple Sources

Stem cells come from a whole variety of places including bone marrow, adipose tissue, blood and umbilical cords. In the case of extraction from adipose tissue, they can be harvested and then put back in a patient after only a couple of days. All of the procedures to acquire the stem cells can be done with willing participants and donors.

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Why People Are Traveling For Stem Cell Treatment | The Huffington ... - Huffington Post

NEW DELHI: Private banking of umbilical cord blood is a big business running parallel to childbirth in big hospitals, but is it worth the cost? While companies offering the facility for a few thousand rupees claim it can be used to treat conditions ranging from cerebral palsy to diabetes, health experts and doctors disagree. They say stem cell transplantation for treatment is limited to hereditary or genetic conditions, specifically blood disorders.

In both cases, umbilical cord blood cannot be used to save the donor since it will have the same genetic abnormalities. Its usage for treating the donor's siblings, or other family members, is also rare, as the HLA (a protein) has to match and weight-to-cord-blood ratio with the recipient has to be just right.

The limitations notwithstanding, expecting mothers are flooded with offers to preserve the cord blood. Patients complain that most private hospitals and boutiques for childbirth allow marketing agents from stem cell banking facilities to freely solicit them. "I was inundated with calls from stem cell companies trying to convince me to go for umbilical cord preservation. On each visit to the hospital, representatives from these companies hound you," said Nutan Verma, who is expecting twins.

Geeta Sharma said she went through multiple presentations from executives of stem cell banking companies while waiting in hospital to deliver her baby. "They offered free genetic testing, lifelong storage and other benefits. I chose one of them offering to preserve umbilical cord for 21 years at Rs 50,000. The company representative told me that the contract can be renewed on expiry," she said.

Geeta Jotwani, deputy director general of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), told TOI that private companies offering to preserve umbilical cord blood must be strictly regulated. "Soliciting of patients by selling fake hopes is wrong. There is no evidence of stem cell use from umbilical cord presently, except in blood disorders. Only those having family members with these disorders should store it," she said.

Jotwani said ICMR was working on guidelines for stem cell banking which would be made public soon. "Many private banks are storing cord tissue, dental pulp, menstrual blood and adipose tissue as well for which there is no scientific evidence of any use in treatment as yet," she added.

Dr S P Yadav, paediatric hematologist at Medanta Medicity, Gurgaon, said private stem cell banking companies claimed that umbilical cord blood could be used to treat spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy and even diabetes, though there is no such proven research. "Currently, only five medical conditions can be treated through cord blood stem cell transplant blood cancer, bone marrow failure, thalassaemia and sickle cell anaemia, immune system deficiency since birth and inborn errors of metabolism," he said. "The chances of cord blood being used in the family or by the donor are 0.01%. Still, if somebody wants to preserve it, they should be allowed to. The problem is when poor or middle class families are lured into doing so with false claims about preserved blood being a panacea for all diseases," said Yadav.

On average, private banking of stem cells derived from cord blood costs Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000. Banks claim to freeze the cells in liquid nitrogen so that it can be used up to 20 years from the date of preservation.

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Umbilical cord blood: Cord blood: Big business, small benefits ... - Times of India

Dr. Jeffrey Spees, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Vermonts College of Medicine, will present Rescue and Repair of Cardiac Tissue After Injury: Turning Star Trek into Sesame Street, on Wednesday, March 1, at the Town and Country Resort, 876 Mountain Road, Stowe. Doors open at 1 p.m. and the lecture begins promptly at 1:30 p.m. This is the eighth Osher Lifelong Learning Institute lecture of the winter series.

Spees earned his Ph.D. in physiological and molecular ecology at the University of California, Davis. At UVM he teaches courses in developmental neurobiology, human structure and function and stem cells and regenerative medicine.

Spees has directed the Stem Cell Core in UVMs Department of Medicine and was one of the founding members of the New England Stem Cell Consortium. Spees and his colleagues have developed and applied for a patent for a therapy using a protein complex that is highly protective and keeps cells alive. He will discuss this research and its role in repairing cardiac tissue to improve cardiac function after a heart attack.

Vermont musicologist Joel Najman will present the final lecture of the winter series, Rock n Roll: From Elvis to Lady Gaga, on Wednesday, March 8.

The lecture is $5 and refreshments will be served after the talk. To check on weather cancellations, listen to WDEV 550 AM or WLVB 93.9 FM or call Town and Country Resort at 253-7595. To sponsor a lecture, a series or refreshments, call Dick Johannesen, 253-8475. Information: learn.uvm.edu/osher.

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Cardiac injury, recovery is topic of Osher lecture - Stowe Today

February 24, 2017

An international team of researchers, funded by Morris Animal Foundation, has shown that adipose (fat) stem cells might be the preferred stem cell type for use in canine therapeutic applications, including orthopedic diseases and injury.

Researchers at the University of Guelph, University of Western Ontario and Aarhus University, Denmark, ran a battery of tests comparing the physiology characteristics of stem cells derived from adipose tissue versus bone marrow. They found that stem cells from both sources had similar functional properties, including tissue generation and immunomodulating capabilities (ability to adjust immune response), but adipose stem cells grow at a faster rate than bone marrow stem cells. Harvesting adipose stem cells also is less invasive than harvesting bone marrow. The study recently was published in PLoS ONE, an online scientific journal.

In the last decade, the use of stem cell therapy in animals and humans has dramatically increased. In dogs, stem cell therapy is used in the treatment of a variety of orthopedic diseases and injuries. Stem cells are harvested from either fat tissue or bone marrow, purified and grown in culture, then placed back in the patient.

Given the ease of harvesting, adipose tissue has become the site of most stem cell collections in canine patients. But questions persisted regarding the differences between these two sources of stem cells, and which is better suited to therapeutic applications.

"Faster proliferation along with the potential for a less invasive method of their procurement makes them (adipose stem cells) the preferred source for canine mesenchymal stem cells," concluded the research team.

Explore further: Stem cell therapy trial at Sanford first of its kind in US for shoulder injuries

More information: Keith A. Russell et al, Characterization and Immunomodulatory Effects of Canine Adipose Tissue- and Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells, PLOS ONE (2016). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167442

Journal reference: PLoS ONE

Provided by: Morris Animal Foundation

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Study shows adipose stem cells may be the cell of choice for therapeutic applications - Medical Xpress

(c) 2017, Bloomberg View.

Two years ago, Doreen Flynn of Lewiston, Maine, won her case against the U.S. government, successfully arguing that bone-marrow donors should be able to receive compensation.

Flynn, a mother of three girls who are afflicted with a rare, hereditary blood disease called Fanconis anemia, has a strong interest in bone-marrow transplantation. At the time of the court ruling, her oldest daughter, Jordan, 14, had already received a transplant, and one of the younger twins, Jorja, was expected to need one in a few years.

Locating a marrow donor is often a needle-in-a-haystack affair. The odds that two random individuals will have the same tissue type are less than 1 in 10,000, and the chances are much lower for blacks. Among the precious few potential donors who are matched, nearly half dont follow through with the actual donation. Too often, patients dont survive the time it takes to hunt for another donor.

Allowing compensation for donations could enlarge the pool of potential donors and increase the likelihood that compatible donors will follow through. So the ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit was promising news for the 12,000 people with cancer and blood diseases currently looking for a marrow donor. (James F. Childress, an ethicist at the University of Virginia, and I submitted an amicus brief in the case.)

Soon after the verdict, Shaka Mitchell, a lawyer in Nashville, Tennessee, and co-founder of the nonprofit MoreMarrowDonors.org, began collecting funds to underwrite $3,000 donor benefits, which were to be given as scholarships, housing allowances or gifts to charity.

Mitchell also invited a team of economists to evaluate the effects of the ruling on peoples willingness to join a registry and to donate when they are found to be a match. The researchers were to specifically assess whether cash payments would be any more or less persuasive than noncash rewards or charitable donations.

Now comes the bad news. On Oct. 2, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposed a new rule that would overturn the Ninth Circuits decision. The government proposes designating a specific form of bone marrow -- circulating bone-marrow stem cells derived from blood -- as a kind of donation that, under the 1984 National Organ Transplant Act, cannot be compensated. If this rule goes into effect (the public comment period ends today), anyone who pays another person for donating these cells would be subject to as much as five years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

The problem with this rule is that donating bone marrow is not like donating an essential organ. Indeed, the Ninth Circuit based its decision on the fact that modern bone-marrow procurement, a process known as apheresis, is more akin to drawing blood. In the early 1980s, when the transplant act was written, the process was more demanding, involving anesthesia and the use of large, hollow needles to extract marrow from a donors hip. But today, more than two-thirds of marrow donations are done via apheresis. Blood is taken from a donors arm, the bone-marrow stem cells are filtered out, and the blood is then returned to the donor through a needle in the other arm.

The Ninth Circuit panel held that these filtered stem cells are merely components of blood -- no different from blood-derived plasma, platelets and clotting factors, for which donor compensation is allowed.

The strongest opposition to compensation comes from the National Marrow Donor Program, the Minneapolis-based nonprofit that maintains the nations largest donor registry. Michael Boo, the programs chief strategy officer, says of reimbursement, Is that what we want people to be motivated by?

The problem with this logic is that altruism has proven insufficient to motivate enough people to give marrow and, as a result, people die.

HHS is presumably under pressure from the National Marrow Donor Program. The department does not otherwise explain its proposed rule except to claim that compensation runs afoul of the transplant acts intent to ban commodification of human stem cells and to curb opportunities for coercion and exploitation, encourage altruistic donation and decrease the likelihood of disease transmission.

But how could such concerns plausibly apply to marrow stem cells and not to blood plasma? The process of collecting plasma is safe: No serious infection has been transmitted in plasma-derived products in nearly two decades, according to the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association. Strenuous screening and testing in a robust regulatory environment, coupled with voluntary industry standards and sophisticated manufacturing processes, have created what has been called the safest blood product available today.

Outlawing compensation for stem blood cells but not mature blood cells might even violate the constitutional guarantee of equal protection of the law, according to Jeff Rowes, a lawyer at the Institute for Justice, which represented Flynn.

HHS should withdraw its proposal. Ideally, Congress should thwart future regulatory mischief by amending the National Organ Transplant Act to stipulate that marrow stem cells are not organs.

Each year, 2,000 to 3,000 Americans in need of marrow transplants die waiting for a match. Altruism is a virtue, but clearly it is not a dependable motive for marrow donation.

---

Satel, a psychiatrist and a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, is a co-author of Brainwashed: The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience. To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mary Duenwald at mduenwald@bloomberg.net.

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Keywords: SATEL-OP-ED-MARROWDONORS

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The US is wrong to ban pay for bone-marrow donors - Standard-Examiner

February 24, 2017

Orlando- In a significant advance in improving the safety of donor stem cell transplants, a major clinical trial led by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) has shown that a novel agent can protect against the most common viral infection that patients face after transplantation.

The results represent a breakthrough in a decade-long effort to identify an effective drug for the prevention of CMV infection in transplant patients that doesn't produce side effects that negate the benefit of the drug itself, the study authors said.

The findings, from an international phase 3 clinical trial of the drug letermovir for preventing cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in transplant patients, will be presented at the 2017 Bone Marrow Transplant Tandem Meetings of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT) and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) in Orlando, Florida, February 22, 2017.

The study, which involved 565 adult patients at 67 research centers in 20 countries, compared letermovir to placebo in preventing an active CMV infection following transplant with donor stem cells. The patients, who were undergoing transplant as treatment for blood-related cancers or other disorders, all carried a CMV infection from earlier in life that had been wrestled into dormancy by their immune system. Twenty-four weeks after completing up to 14 weeks of treatment, 61 percent of the patients receiving a placebo had developed a CMV infection serious enough to require treatment or had discontinued the trial. By contrast, only 38 percent of those treated with letermovir developed that level of CMV infection or did not complete the trial.

Unlike other drugs able to forestall active CMV infection in stem cell transplant patients, letermovir did so without producing unacceptable toxicities. Most of the side effects associated with letermovir were tolerable, including mild cases of nausea or vomiting, and some swelling, investigators found. Letermovir also conferred a survival benefit: at the 24-week mark, 15 percent of the placebo patients had died, compared to 10 percent of those receiving letermovir.

"For the first time, we seem to have a drug that is a true safe and effective preventive for CMV infection in stem cell transplant patients," said the study's lead author, Francisco Marty, MD, an infectious disease specialist at Dana-Farber and BWH. "Letermovir will allow many patients to avoid infection, usually with no or mild side effects, and seems to provide a survival benefit in the first six months post-transplant."

Transplantation of donor hematopoietic stem cells - which give rise to all types of blood cells, including white blood cells of the immune system - is used to treat blood-related cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, as well as several types of non-cancerous blood disorders. Patients typically receive chemotherapy to wipe out or reduce the bone marrow, where blood cells are formed, followed by an infusion of donor stem cells to rebuild their blood supply and reconstitute their immune system.

While refinements in transplant techniques have sharply improved the safety of the procedure, the reactivation of CMV infection following a transplant has been a longstanding problem.

Infection with CMV, a type of herpes virus, is one of the most common viral infections in the world. In the United States, it's estimated that over 50 percent of people are infected before adulthood. In other parts of the world, infection rates can be significantly higher. The effects of CMV infection can range from no symptoms to a flu-like fever or mononucleosis ("mono") syndrome. Once the immune system has brought the infection under control, the virus persists unobtrusively in the body.

The jolt of a stem cell transplant - the rapid erasure or diminishment of the immune system produced by pre-transplant chemotherapy, as well as measures to prevent graft-versus-host disease - can give CMV a chance to reawaken and run amok before the newly reconstituted immune system takes hold. In the early years of bone marrow transplant therapy, 60 to 70 percent of transplant recipients developed CMV infection, Marty recounts. Of those, 20 to 30 percent contracted CMV pneumonia, and of those, 80 percent died of the disease.

In previous clinical trials, several drugs aimed at preventing CMV infection in stem cell transplant patients either were not effective or produced intolerable side effects. In the absence of safe preventive drugs, physicians worked out a "surveillance" approach in which they provide treatment only when patients develop CMV infection, and only for a short period of time. This strategy has largely been a success: patients now have just a 2 or 3 percent chance of getting CMV disease affecting the lungs or other organs. Still, the often harsh side effects of current drugs were reason to continue the search for a useful preventive agent.

Letermovir works by a different mechanism from previously tested agents, which block an enzyme known as DNA polymerase, which viruses use to duplicate their DNA. (Human cells use the same process to replicate their own DNA.) By contrast, letermovir blocks a process by which CMV is "packaged" inside infected cells - a wrapping that allows it to go on and infect other cells. The fact that this process does not occur in human cells may explain in part why letermovir usually gives rise to only mild side effects, researchers say.

In the trial, patients received letermovir or a placebo beginning an average of nine days after transplant. "The goal was to suppress the virus before it has a chance to become active," Marty remarked. "The results of this trial offer encouragement that letermovir can offer a new strategy for donor stem cell transplant patients in preventing the emergence of CMV infection following transplant."

Explore further: Novel drug prevents common viral disease in stem-cell transplant patients, study finds

A new drug can often prevent a common, sometimes severe viral disease in patients receiving a transplant of donated blood-making stem cells, a clinical trial led by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham ...

A single blood test and basic information about a patient's medical status can indicate which patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) are likely to benefit from a stem cell transplant, and the intensity of pre-transplant ...

Patients with hepatitis C virus infection who received an antiviral drug around the time they underwent liver transplantation saw a high rate of sustained virologic response, according to a Northwestern Medicine phase II ...

Recent studies on a small number of patients with leukemia treated with bone marrow transplantation have suggested that the presence of the common cytomegalovirus (CMV) in patients or their donors may protect against relapse ...

(HealthDay)Umbilical cord blood may work as well as current alternatives for adults and children with leukemiaor even better in some cases, according to a study published in the Sept. 8 issue of the New England Journal ...

Letermovir keeps the ubiquitous Cytomegalovirus in check for weakened immune systems of infected transplant patients.

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New antiviral drug cuts cytomegalovirus infection and improves survival in patients - Medical Xpress

As a devoted gran, Sipy Howard looks forward to watching her grandkids grow up.

In two years' time, the 65-year-old hopes to proudly look on as her youngest granddaughter, Sienna, goes off to school .

But devastatingly, she doesn't know if she'll be able to do so - because she urgently needs a bone marrow transplant to survive.

Sipy, a "warm and adoring" gran, was diagnosed with leukaemia on December 15 last year - which also happened to be her birthday.

Although she has been undergoing intense chemotherapy, she is in need of a bone marrow and stem cell transplant to save her life.

Now, her daughters, Emma, 34, Jolene, 32, and Sammy, 26, have launched a desperate online campaign to find a donor for her.

The heart-wrenching campaign, dubbed #SavingSipy , aims to encourage potential donors to sign up to the bone marrow register.

It stresses how simple it is to register as a donor online.

Sipy, married to husband Eli, told Mirror Online she is "moved" by the support she has received from her loved ones - as well as strangers.

"We really need as many people as possible to sign up to the register," said the mum of three, from Kenton, northwest London.

She added: "I want to see my grandchildren growing up and my youngest granddaughter going to school."

Sipy was devastated to be diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer, on her 65th birthday.

Her daughters were also shocked by the diagnosis.

Emma said: "You can never prepare yourself for hearing that a loved one has cancer.

"You are suddenly filled with fear and a desperation you have never quite experienced.

"I felt like I had been hit by a car when my dad broke the news to me on my mum's birthday.

"Keeping yourself emotionally together each day becomes your only goal."

She added that her mum is currently "struggling through" her second, gruelling round of chemotherapy.

"It's the knowing that she needs us more than ever that keeps us going, keeps us fighting," she said.

"We won't give up on her and our goal of finding a match for her."

Sipy, described as "bubbly, always laughing and generally a bit nuts", is a gran to two-year-old Sienna and four-year-old Sofia.

A member of the Jewish community, she has an "open house policy" and "cares for everyone she meets", according to her family.

Her daughters are hoping that the community - specifically the Sephardi community - could help to save her life.

Sammy said: "One of the hardest things about the situation is knowing there may be someone in the world who is a match for my mum, but because they have not registered to be on the bone marrow register, they can't save her.

"This is why we are desperately trying to reach out to everyone we can and get our message across.

"We urgently need people to register now and unfortunately we don't have much time."

Jolene added: "Awareness is key."

The campaign is being supported by the charity DKMS, which aims to help blood cancer patients find matching donors.

For details of how to register as a donor online, you can visit the #SavingSipy Facebook page here or DKMS's website here .

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Adoring gran who will die without bone marrow transplant desperate to see granddaughter go to school - Mirror.co.uk

Cells within our bodies divide and change over time, with thousands of chemical reactions occurring within each cell daily. This makes it difficult for scientists to understand whats happening inside. New nanostraws offer a non-disruptive way to find out.

A problem with the current method of cell sampling, called lysing, is that it ruptures the cell. Once the cell is destroyed, it cant be sampled from again. This new sampling system relies on tiny tubes 600 times smaller than a strand of hair that allow researchers to sample a single cell at a time. The nanostraws penetrate a cells outer membrane, without damaging it, and draw out proteins and genetic material from the cells salty interior.

Its like a blood draw for the cell, says Nicholas Melosh, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford University and senior author of a paper describing the work in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The nanostraw sampling technique, according to Melosh, will significantly impact our understanding of cell development and could lead to much safer and effective medical therapies because the technique allows for long term, non-destructive monitoring.

What we hope to do, using this technology, is to watch as these cells change over time and be able to infer how different environmental conditions and chemical cocktails influence their developmentto help optimize the therapy process, Melosh says.

If researchers can fully understand how a cell works, then they can develop treatments that will address those processes directly. For example, in the case of stem cells, researchers are uncovering ways of growing entire, patient-specific organs. The trick is, scientists dont really know how stem cells develop.

For stem cells, we know that they can turn into many other cell types, but we do not know the evolutionhow do they go from stem cells to, say, cardiac cells? There is always a mystery. This sampling technique will give us a clearer idea of how its done, says Yuhong Cao, a graduate student and first author on the paper.

The sampling technique could also inform cancer treatments and answer questions about why some cancer cells are resistant to chemotherapy while others are not.

With chemotherapy, there are always cells that are resistant, says Cao. If we can follow the intercellular mechanism of the surviving cells, we can know, genetically, its response to the drug.

The sampling platform on which the nanostraws are grown is tinyabout the size of a gumball. Its called the Nanostraw Extraction (NEX) sampling system, and it was designed to mimic biology itself.

In our bodies, cells are connected by a system of gates through which they send each other nutrients and molecules, like rooms in a house connected by doorways. These intercellular gates, called gap junctions, are what inspired Melosh six years ago, when he was trying to determine a non-destructive way of delivering substances, like DNA or medicines, inside cells. The new NEX sampling system is the reverse, observing whats happening within rather than delivering something new.

Its a super exciting time for nanotechnology, Melosh says. Were really getting to a scale where what we can make controllably is the same size as biological systems.

Building the NEX sampling system took years to perfect. Not only did Melosh and his team need to ensure cell sampling with this method was possible, they needed to see that the samples were actually a reliable measure of the cell content, and that samples, when taken over time, remained consistent.

When the team compared their cell samples from the NEX with cell samples taken by breaking the cells open, they found that 90 percent of the samples were congruous. Meloshs team also found that when they sampled from a group of cells day after day, certain molecules that should be present at constant levels remained the same, indicating that their sampling accurately reflected the cells interior.

With help from collaborators Sergiu P. Pasca, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and Joseph Wu, professor of radiology, Melosh and coworkers tested the NEX sampling method not only with generic cell lines, but also with human heart tissue and brain cells grown from stem cells. In each case, the nanostraw sampling reflected the same cellular contents as lysing the cells.

The goal of developing this technology, according to Melosh, was to make an impact in medical biology by providing a platform that any lab could build. Only a few labs across the globe, so far, are employing nanostraws in cellular research, but Melosh expects that number to grow dramatically.

We want as many people to use this technology as possible, he says.

Funding for the work came from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, Stanford Bio-X, the Progenitor Cell Biology Consortium, the National Institute of Mental Health, an MQ Fellow award, the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation, and the Child Health Research Institute.

Source: Jackie Flynn forStanford University

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Nanostraw doesn't destroy cells as it samples their guts - Futurity: Research News

Miami Herald

Life after a heart attack: She's golfing. He's running. How they did it. Miami Herald The study in which Wilson enrolled injected millions of donor, bone-marrow stem cells into her heart. Stem cells extracted from bone marrow grow rapidly and help regulate the body to heal itself, Hare explained. After a heart attack, an area of the ...

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Life after a heart attack: She's golfing. He's running. How they did it. - Miami Herald

Scientific research builds its own momentum as one discovery triggers another, building an ongoing wave of unexpected possibilities. In the world of glaucoma, such a surge began when advances in stem cell research opened doors experts had never imagined.

With this new perspective, they began to consider innovative ways to use specialized cells in the eye, like retinal pigment epithelial cells and ganglion cells. Today researchers continue to follow that path, knowing that each small step they take may lead to future glaucoma treatments.

What Are Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) Cells?

Most people know at least a little about the retina. The retina is a thin tissue that's about an inch in diameter, yet it contains all the photoreceptor cells responsible for beginning vision and their circuits that produce signals that become vision.

If you could look beneath the retina, you'd find a sheet of black cells called the retinal pigment epithelium, (RPE). The easiest way to describe the RPE is to say it supports the retina, but that doesn't begin describe its value. These cells help by renewing the light-absorbing pigments contained in the rod and cone photoreceptors on a daily basis. They also enhance vision by absorbing scattered light. They ensure survival of photoreceptor cells by delivering nutrients, while also serving as a barrier that blocks damaging substances from getting into the retina. The RPE also stops free radicals before they can damage the retina.

The retinal pigment epithelial cells are shaped like a six-sided hexagon, so they fit together as tight as a puzzle. Tiny projections extend from RPE cells, reach out to cover photoreceptor cells and carry nutrients into the cells. When RPE cells are damaged, photoreceptor cells die, ultimately leading to blindness.

What do RPE Cells Have to do Glaucoma?

Glaucoma doesn't typically damage RPE cells, but thanks to advances in stem cell research, it looks like RPE cells may play a crucial role in finding a cure to the degenerative disease. Experts have been studying stem cells for the last seven decades, but their time and effort is beginning to pay off.

Researchers discovered that mature stem cells from various places in the body can be removed and injected with a combination of genes that reprogram the adult cells back into their fresh embryonic state. These cells are called induced pluripotent stem cells. This has been put into practice in the lab, where adult stem cells taken from bone marrow were reprogrammed to grow into various eye cells.

When certain induced pluripotent stem cells are grown together with RPE cells, they can be reprogrammed to turn into photoreceptor cells and other retinal cells. It may even be possible to develop a group of protective nerve cells in the retina -- retinal ganglion cells -- that are damaged by glaucoma. While these amazing discoveries have yet to take shape as a viable treatment option for glaucoma, they certainly make it possible to believe that research using RPE cells may one day lead to a novel stem cell-based treatment that could stop or even reverse the progression of glaucoma.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Glaucoma Research Foundation. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Research on retinal pigment epithelial cells promises new future treatment for glaucoma patients - Science Daily

Aurangabad: After earning distinction in the field of cadaver organ donations at the state level, the city is now also emerging as a hub for tissue transplant after a city-based private hospital successfully performed Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) on two patients.

"We performed the BMT on two people 25-year-old male and 55-year-old female a few weeks ago. With this, we have become the first and only centre in Marathwada to provide such treatment," Kamalnayan Bajaj Hospital CEO Shamim Khan said.

He described the treatment as complete care from diagnosis to cure at one point to any patient suffering from either genetic or acquired disorder of blood. There exist two forms of BMT namely Autologous BMT and Allogeneic BMT and the Kamalnayan Bajaj Hospital has performed the former procedure on two patients.

"Autologous BMT is where patient's own stem cells are used while for Allogenic BMT, the stem cells are from a matched donor. Both procedures can offer cure to deadly diseases like blood cancers, lymphoma, myeloma and genetic diseases such as thalassemia and sickle cell anemia, among others," said Venkatesh Ekbote, consultant Hematologist at the hospital.

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City hospital successfully performs bone marrow transplant - Times of India

Kolkata, Feb 23 (PTI) India does not require any specific policy for blood stem cell donations as the existing blood donation system was enough to protect the donors and recipients, a senior doctor said today.

I dont think we need any more (policy) for blood stem cell donation than the one which exists in the current blood banking system to protect the donor and the patient. I dont think more legislation is needed because that will complicate things more, Dr Mammen Chandy, director Tata Memorial Centre, Kolkata said today.

Stating that bone marrow transplantation is the last choice for treating a patient suffering from fatal blood disorders like blood cancer and thalassemia, Dr Chandy rubbished claims of any malpractice in the country relating to bone marrow donation.

Transplantation is the last choice because its not that simple And I dont think there is any malpractice in India currently in relation to bone marrow donation. This may not be true with organ transplantation but certainly there is no unethical practice regarding bone marrow transplantation in any of the sectors, he stated.

On whether there is a need for a law on this matter, the doctor said that the existing rules and regulations were adequate at the moment.

Because here there is nothing involved in it because you are donating something like blood. I think the existing rules and regulations are adequate at the moment, Dr Chandy said.

Cost of bone marrow transplantation is obviously a matter of concern, he said.

On whether there is a need for a policy to keep a control on the expenses involved in transplantation, he said, Cost is obviously a major problem. I dont think that there is anything other than the intrinsic costs of the drugs, the facilities that are required which make this such an expensive procedure

This is published unedited from the PTI feed.

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Blood donation system enough to protect blood stem cell donors - India.com

Call me a creature of habit, or just plain boring, but Ive been wearing my hair long, blonde, straight, and side-parted for more than 15 years. The only thing thats really changed is how much of it I have left. Whether the result of bleach, blowouts, stress, hormones, genetics, or all of the above, Ive been shedding like a cheap angora sweater since the age of 30. And, to make matters worse, the hair I do have is fine, fragile, and flyaway.

It wasnt always so. Flipping through old photo albums, I found evidence not only of my natural color (a long-forgotten brown) but also of the graphic, blunt bob I sported in my early 20s. I had oodles of hair back then and would smooth it to my head with pomade and push it behind my earsmuch like Guido Palau did on some of the models in Pradas spring runway show, I noted smugly.

Efforts in the ensuing years to save my ever-sparser strands have been all but futile. You name it, Ive tried it: platelet-rich plasma (PRP), treatments in which your own blood is spun down to platelets and injected into your scalp; mesotherapy (painful vitamin shots, also in the scalp); oral supplements; acupuncture; massage; herbal remedies; and high-tech hair products. Ive even resorted to wearing a silly-looking helmet that bathed my head in low-level laser light and was said to stimulate failing follicles. At this point, I would soak my mane in mares milk under the glow of a waxing supermoon if I thought it would help.

Since hair regeneration is one of the cosmetics-research worlds holiest grails (read: potential multibillion-dollar industry), Ive always hoped that a bona fide breakthrough was around the corner, and prayed it would arrive well ahead of my dotage. As it turns out, it might actually be a five-hour flight from New Yorkand around $10,000away.

It was the celebrity hairstylist Sally Hershberger who whispered the name Roberta F. Shapiro into my ear. You have to call her, she said. She is on to something, and it could be big. Shapiro, a well-respected Manhattan pain-management specialist, treats mostly chronic and acute musculoskeletal and myofascial conditions, like disc disease and degeneration, pinched nerves, meniscal tears, and postLyme disease pain syndromes. Her patient list reads like a whos who of the citys power (and pain-afflicted) elite, and her practice is so busy, she could barely find time to speak with me. According to Shapiro, a possible cure for hair loss was never on her agenda.

But thats exactly what she thinks she may have stumbled upon in the course of her work with stem cell therapy. About eight years ago, she started noticing a commonality among many of her patientsevidence of autoimmune disease with inflammatory components. Frustrated that she was merely palliating their discomfort and not addressing the underlying problems, Shapiro began to look beyond traditional treatments and drug protocols to the potential healing and regenerative benefits of stem cellsspecifically, umbilical cordderived mesenchymal stem cells, which, despite being different from the controversial embryonic stem cells, are used in the U.S. only for research purposes. After extensive vetting, she began bringing patients to the Stem Cell Institute, in Panama City, Panama, which she considers the most sophisticated, safe, and aboveboard facility of its kind. Its not a spa, or a feel-good, instant-fix kind of place, nor is it one of those bogus medical-tourism spots, she says. Lori Kanter Tritsch, a 55-year-old New York architect (and the longtime partner of Este Lauder Executive Chairman William Lauder) is a believer. She accompanied Shapiro to Panama for relief from what had become debilitating neck pain caused by disc bulges and stenosis from arthritis, and agreed to participate in this story only because she believes in the importance of a wider conversation about stem cells. If it works for hair rejuvenation, or other cosmetic purposes, great, but that was not at all my primary goal in having the treatment, Kanter Tritsch said.

While at the Stem Cell Institute, Kanter Tritsch had around 100 million stem cells administered intravenously (a five-minute process) and six intramuscular injections of umbilical cord stem cellderived growth factor (not to be confused with growth hormone, which has been linked to cancer). In the next three months, she experienced increased mobility in her neck, was able to walk better, and could sleep through the night. She also lost a substantial amount of weight (possibly due to the anti-inflammatory effect of the stem cells), and her skin looked great. Not to mention, her previously thinning hair nearly doubled in volume.

As Shapiro explains it, the process of hair loss is twofold. The first factor is decreased blood supply to hair follicles, or ischemia, which causes a slow decrease in their function. This can come from aging, genetics, or autoimmune disease. The second is inflammation. One of the reasons I think mesenchymal stem cells are working to regenerate hair is that stem cell infiltration causes angiogenesis, which is a fancy name for regrowing blood vessels, or in this case, revascularizing the hair follicles, Shapiro notes. Beyond that, she says, the cells have a very strong anti-inflammatory effect.

For clinical studies shes conducting in Panama, Shapiro will employ her proprietary technique of microfracturing, or injecting the stem cells directly into the scalp. She thinks this unique delivery method will set her procedure apart. But, she cautions, this is a growing science, and we are only at the very beginning. PRP is like bathwater compared with amniotic- or placenta-derived growth factor, or better yet, umbilical cordderived stem cells.

Realizing that not everyone has the money or inclination to fly to Panama for a treatment that might not live up to their expectations, Hershberger and Shapiro are in the process of developing Platinum Clinical, a line of hair products containing growth factor harvested from amniotic fluid and placenta. (Shapiro stresses that these are donated remnants of a live birth that would otherwise be discarded.) The products will be available later this year at Hershbergers salons.

With follicular salvation potentially within reach, I wondered if it might be time to revisit the blunt bob of my youth. I call Palau, and inquire about that sleek 1920s do he created for Prada. Fine hair can actually work better for a style like this, he says. In fact, designers often prefer models with fine hair, so the hairstyle doesnt overpower the clothing. Then he confides, Sometimes, if a girl has too much hair, we secretly braid it away. Say what? I know, its the exact opposite of what women want in the real world. But models are starting to realize that fine hair can be an asset. Look, at some point you have to embrace what you have and work with it. Wise words, perhaps, and proof that, like pretty much everything else, thick hair is wasted on the young.

From the Minimalist to the Bold, the 5 Best Hair Trends of New York Fashion Week

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Thanks to Stem Cell Therapy, Thinning Hair May Be a Thing of the Past - W Magazine

A girl of eight whose rare brain disorder is likely to lead to her death when she is in her teens is taking part in pioneering stem cell research in a bid to save others with same condition.

Lily Harrisss skin cells will first be turned into stem cells and then into brain cells by researchers at University College London as they seek treatments or a cure.

About 100 to 200 cases of BPAN beta-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration are known worldwide, although this is believed to be an underestimate.

Children often suffer delayed development, sleep problems, epilepsy and lack of speech and their symptoms can be mistaken for other conditions.

Lily, from Luton, was diagnosed when she was five. She has very limited communication skills and uses a wheelchair. She wakes four or five times a night and needs drugs to control seizures.

However, she loves swimming and her father Simon said she has recently began singing on car journeys.

Shes laughed and giggled her way through everything, and shes been through a lot, he said.

Shes a beautiful little girl who can be quite naughty sometimes. Were giving her the best time we can while shes here. We have a beautiful little girl and its just so cruel.

Young people with BPAN develop abnormal muscle tone, symptoms of Parkinsons disease and dementia.

Mr Harriss and his wife Samantha, who work for an airline, know that as Lilys condition progresses she may have difficulty swallowing and require pain management.

Mr Harriss said: Lily can point to things she wants, she uses a little sign language and she can say a few words, like mummy, daddy, hello and goodbye.

Medical research like this for children is just absolutely vital.

We know we wont get a cure for Lily but, as parents, we need to be bigger than that. Other children might benefit through Lily. We are so proud of her.

The UCL study is being funded by 230,000 from childrens charity Action Medical Research and the British Paediatric Neurology Association. Lead researcher Dr Apostolos Papandreou hopes his research will lead to trials of treatments.

He said: The parents Ive met understandably feel devastated at the prospect of their children having a progressive disorder. However, theyre really keen to explore new avenues and participate in research projects.

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Girl, eight, with rare brain disorder in pioneering UCL stem cell research - Evening Standard

The decade-old excitement surrounding the potential for autologous cell therapy to treat cardiovascular disease may have fizzled into futility for many clinicians. But according to a new European consensus document, its possible this technology will yet find a way into future practice .

One of the problems the field has faced is that people got super excited 10 years ago because it was overhyped, and essentially . . . it led to the expectation that every time we presented [something] at clinical meetings, the field would move forward. And of course that wasnt the case, chair of the European Society of Cardiology stem cell task force and lead author Anthony Mathur, MD (St Bartholomews Hospital West Smithfield, London, England), told TCTMD.

The reason why I think people have run out of steam on this one is that theyve shared the 10-year journey with us. Anthony Mathur

Mathur contrasted the story of cell therapy to that of drug or device development, which is usually kept private until promising phase III data are available to support its routine use. What we've done is weve exposed the clinical and scientific community to a journey that in pharma we just wouldn't see as clinicians, he said. The reason why I think people have run out of steam on this one is that theyve shared the 10-year journey with us.

The document, which appeared online February 15, 2017, ahead of print in the European Heart Journal, was written as an update to a slightly more optimistic statement from the same task force published in 2006.

Of all of the recommendations that the original document made, very few have borne fruit. For example, the task force suggested the completion of a randomized trial for the use of autologous stem cells to treat acute MI patients presenting after more than 12 hours or who fail to respond to therapy. A trial such as this has not been undertaken and likely wont happen, given that primary angioplasty practice in Europe and the United States has revolutionized the treatment of acute MI and drastically lowered mortality, Mathur said. Any new method of treating acute MI will find it really tough to demonstrate an improvement unless its a complete game changer.

Since these patients may well develop heart failure, for which chronic cell therapy strategies are under development, research efforts should refocus there for now, the task force writes.

However, they stand by one 2006 recommendation for a randomized trial of autologous cells in acute MI patients presenting within 12 hours and treated with immediate revascularization. The ongoing phase III BAMI trial, undertaken by members of this task force including Mathur, will study just that but results are not expected for several years. Once these results are available, it will be time to either draw a line under it or ask for regulatory approval, but it's sort of pointless to keep rehashing the whole thing and going back asking the same question, Mathur said.

Careful But Hopeful

Looking back, Mathur said that the trajectory of cell therapy in cardiology has taught him to be self-critical and very careful about what we say, and to understand that it is okay to stop doing certain things that were once thought to be appropriate. Also, because those involved in translational research lack the tools that give us an evidence or an idea of the signal that we should expect in larger clinical trials, [a] lot of what weve come across is potentially unexpected. Unfortunately, it also means . . . weve probably disregarded areas of research based on the signals we haven't seen in smaller studies simply because, in a way, the tools we have arent sensitive enough to pick it up, he said.

If there is any biological signal found in a phase II study, Mathur stressed the importance of trying to complete a phase III study in order to unlock these unexpected kernels.

Far from being defeated, he said he is hopeful that cell therapy will pan out in some way for cardiac patients. Whether cell therapy worked or not, it's all about the amazing stories and how it changed people's lives seemingly for the better. So thats something thats difficult to drop, Mathur said. We have seen a signal for patients in heart failure in which there seems to be some sort of benefit. And some might say its purely psychological. Fine, but these people who were told there was nothing else that could be done got better.

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Less Acute MI, More HF: European Task Force Shifts Support for 'Overhyped' Cell Therapy Research - TCTMD

Tiny nanostraws may offer a glimpse into a cells contents without causing any damage to the cell.

The nanostraws were developed by researchers at Stanford University, who devised a method of sampling cell contents without disrupting its natural processes, which is a staple of current cell sampling methods.

The new method relies on tiny tubes 600 times smaller than a stand of hair that allow researchers to sample a single cell at a time. The nanostraws are able to penetrate a cells outer membrane without damaging it and draw out proteins and genetic material from the cells salty interior.

It's like a blood draw for the cell, Nicholas Melosh, an associate professor of materials science and engineering and senior author on a paper, said in a statement.

According to Melosh, this technique will significantly impact the understanding of cell development and could yield much safer and effective medical therapies because it allows for long term, non-destructive monitoring.

What we hope to do, using this technology, is to watch as these cells change over time and be able to infer how different environmental conditions and 'chemical cocktails' influence their developmentto help optimize the therapy process, he said.

If researchers gain a better grasp on how a cell works they can address those processes directly.

For stem cells, we know that they can turn into many other cell types but we do not know the evolutionhow do they go from stem cells to, say, cardiac cells? Yuhong Cao, a graduate student and first author on the paper, said in a statement. This sampling technique will give us a clearer idea of how it's done.

A benefit of the sampling method is it could inform cancer treatments and answer questions about why some cancer cells are resistant to chemotherapy while others are not.

With chemotherapy, there are always cells that are resistant, Cao said. If we can follow the intercellular mechanism of the surviving cells, we can know, genetically, its response to the drug.

The nanostraws are grown in a small sampling platform designed to mimic biology called the Nanostraw Extraction (NEX) sampling system.

Cells divide and change over time, with thousands of chemical reactions occurring within each cell every day, which makes it difficult to truly understand the inner workings of cells.

Currently, scientists use a method of cell sampling called lysing, which ruptures the cell. However, once a cell is destroyed it cannot be sampled from again.

Cells in our bodies are connected by a system of gates through which they send each other nutrients and molecules.

Melosh was inspired to develop the new system when he observed the intercellular gates after he was trying to determine a non-destructive way of delivering substances, including DNA or medicines, inside cells.

The new sampling system is the reverse of that process, as scientists are able to observe whats happening within a cell.

When the research team compared their cells samples from the NEX with cell samples taken by breaking the cells open, they found that 95 percent of the samples were congruous.

The team also found that when they sampled from a group of cells day after day, certain molecules that should be present at constant levels remained the same, which indicated that their sampling accurately reflected the cells interior.

The team not only sampled generic cell lines but also with human heart tissue and brain cells grown from stem cells and in each case the nanostraw sampling reflected the same cellular contents as lysing the cells.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

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Nanostraws Sample Cells Without Damage - R & D Magazine

Science Daily

Changing the environment within bone marrow alters blood cell ... Science Daily Researchers report they can alter blood cell development through the use of biomaterials designed to mimic characteristics of the bone marrow. and more »

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Changing the environment within bone marrow alters blood cell ... - Science Daily

The search is still on to find a matching stem cell/bone marrow donor for five month old Madalayna Ducharme. The initial search of the Canadian OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network as well as Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW) have not yet identified a matching donor for Madalayna.

Madalayna was recently diagnosd with malignant infantile osteopetrosis, a genetic disorder that prevents her bones from working properly and they become too dense. This disorder attacks vision, hearing and is life threatening.

On Friday, February 24th there is another opportunity to help Madalayna find her match. The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association will host a Get Swabbed! registration event at Holy Names High School 1400 Northwood Street from 10am to 1:30pm.

The general public is invited to join the students and staff at Holy Names High School to keep the groundswell surging in an effort to ultimately find that life saving match for Madalayna.

The age requirement to register as a Stem Cell donor is 17 to 35 years. The registrant must possess a Canadian Government issued health card.

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Still Searching For A StemCell/Bone Marrow Donor For Baby Madalayna - windsoriteDOTca News