Abby West first decided to become a bone-marrow donor when she was a young journalist covering a bone-marrow drive. Little did she know that nearly two decades later, shed be called upon to try to help save someones life.

The newspaper I had joined had a reporter who had passed away of sickle cell anemia, and I had become aware of the need for African-Americans to join the registry, West, a senior editor at Yahoo Celebrity, tells Yahoo Beauty about her decision to sign up with Be The Match. I was covering a bone-marrow drive for African-Americans, and it seemed like the right thing to do. West says she simply got her cheek swabbed which yields a sample of cells that doctors use to compare specific protein markers with those of patients who need a bone-marrow transplants and then went about her life.

But in June 2014 17 years later she received an email from Be the Match, a registry of the National Marrow Donation Program, saying that her bone marrow was a potential match for someone in need. She called the organization to learn more. You get a sense of urgency, need, and what is expected of you, she says. To make sure she was a healthy donor, West needed to fill out forms, and once it was determined she met all of the donor criteria, she moved on to a physical examination.

(Photo courtesy Abby West)

West says she underwent seven weeks of blood testing and prep work before she donated bone marrow. Part of the process was making a decision about whether she would do a surgical bone-marrow donation, in which a person is put under general or local anesthesia and liquid marrow is taken from the back of the pelvic bone, or a nonsurgical peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) harvest, in which blood is drawn from one arm into a machine, where it is spun and the stem cells are extracted. The remaining blood is then returned to the persons body via the other arm. West chose the latter option, and started receiving Neupogen shots, which increased her bodys production of stem cells. It puts your stem cells on overdrive, she explains.

West says the message from Be the Match was always clear: It was her body and she could change her mind at any point. However, she says, they request that if youre going to change your mind, you do so before you begin the shots. Heres why: At this point, the patient she would be donating to was starting chemotherapy in anticipation of receiving her stem cells. You get the sense that someones life is in the balance and theres no turning back only moving forward, she says. You need to understand the commitment to potentially saving someones life.

West says the shots werent painful, but she did experience some flu-like symptoms. You feel a little achy, she says. Your body is becoming laden with stem cells. Its uncomfortable, but not painful. A nurse came to Wests office to give her the shots, but donors can also go to clinics to get them, or do them on their own. They try to make it as seamless and painless as possible, she says, noting that the shots made her feel moretired than usual. I wasnt on my gym grind that week, she says.

The day of the donation, West reported to a blood donation center at 7 a.m., along with a friend to keep her company, and sat in a chair for about eight hours while her blood was drawn, spun, and returned to her body. When you have to go to the bathroom, you just stop, unhook, go the bathroom, and hook back up again, she says. It wasnt a hardship I cant complain about it. It was eight hours of sitting and talking. West says the process was mildly uncomfortable, but she knew that in about 48 hours, someone was going to have a life-saving operation. Afterwards, she felt tired and went to sleep for a little while. I did it on Friday and was back at work on Monday, but I would have been fine to go to work the next day, she says.

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Stem cells are regenerative, and there is no long-term harm to the donor, Muzzafar Qazilbash, MD professor of stem cell transplantation at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center explains to Yahoo Beauty.

Photo: Courtesy of Abby West

While there is a need for people of all races and ethnicities to donate bone marrow, there a special need for African-Americans to do so, Qazilbash says. African-Americans make up about 10 percent of the U.S. population, and only about 25 percent to 30 percent of people who could potentially benefit from a bone-marrow transplant have a perfectly matched sibling donor available, he says. The rest of the patients have to find matched, unrelated donors from the National Marrow Donor Program. However, the overwhelming majority of approximately 25 million volunteer donors registered with NMDP are people of Western and Northern European origins, and as a result it is very hard to find matching, unrelated matchingdonors for African-American patients, he says. Encouraging more people of African ancestry will increase the possibility of finding unrelated donors for African-American patients, which can be life saving.

Jack Jacoub, MD, medical oncologist and director of thoracic oncology at MemorialCare Cancer Institute at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif., tells Yahoo Beauty while some ethnicities have very little genetic variability, there is a lot of genetic variability in the African-American population making the probability of having two genetically similar people less likely. Then you bring up the issue of how few African-American donors there are, and there is difficulty finding an adequate donor, he says.

Donor stem cellscan be used to treat life-threatening conditions such as leukemia and lymphoma, as well as sickle-cell anemia, Jacoub says. They can also help people with bone-marrow failure syndromes such as aplastic anemia a condition in which a persons body stops producing blood cells as well as help treat children born with severe immune system deficiencies, Qazilbash says.

West never received information about the person she donated bone marrow to, other than the fact that the patient was a man. She doesnt know how he fared after the donation, but learned that he struggled with graft-versus-host disease, a complication that can occur after a stem-cell or bone-marrow transplant. Its fairly common for people to have it and move forward, but Ive never found out how he ultimately ended up, she says.

West was so moved by her experience that she eventually joined the board of Be the Match, and now urges others tobecome bone-marrow donors. You always think about what you would want someone to do for you or your family member, she says, noting that shes still on the registry and would donate again if there was a need.

Of course, blood and needles are involved, which can scare some people off, but West says its worth it in the end. In order to do something heroic, you have to overcome some discomfort and some trepidations, she said.

To find out more about becoming a bone-marrow donor, please visit BeTheMatch.org.

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Exactly What It's Like to Donate Bone Marrow and Why More African-American Donors Are Needed, Stat - Yahoo Health

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on Exactly What It’s Like to Donate Bone Marrow and Why More African-American Donors Are Needed, Stat – Yahoo Health | March 1st, 2017

Johns Hopkins Medicine doctors have treated the first person in a key phase of a clinical trial where a high dose of the patient's own bone marrow cells was used to treat heart failure after a heart attack.

The dose was directed precisely at the point of dysfunction in the heart in the hope that it will stimulate the body's natural healing process.

The Hopkins patient was the first to receive what is called the CardiAMP therapy as part of the third phase of a trial taking place at 40 medical centers across the country. Once phase three trials show a treatment works well, doctors can apply for approval with the Food and Drug Administration.

BioCardia, Inc., headquartered in San Carlos, CA., developed the therapy and The Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund provided research money. The fund was created by the Maryland General Assembly in 2006 to promote state-funded stem cell research and cures through grants and loans to public and private entities.

"Funding the clinical trial of this cell therapy, which could be the first cardiac cell therapy approved in the United States, is an important step towards treatments," Dan Gincel, executive director of the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund, said in a statement. "Through our clinical program, we are advancing cures and improving health care in the State of Maryland."

Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. About 610,000 people die from heart disease every year and it accounts for one in every four deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The first patient was treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital by a team led by Peter Johnston, faculty member in the Department of Medicine and Division of Cardiology, and principal investigator of the trial at Johns Hopkins.

amcdaniels@baltsun.com

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Patient's own bone marrow used to treat heart failure - Baltimore Sun (blog)

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on Patient’s own bone marrow used to treat heart failure – Baltimore Sun (blog) | March 1st, 2017

Researchers at the Universit libre de Bruxelles, ULB define for the first time the changes in the stem cell dynamics that contribute to wound healing.

One of the key questions in biology is to identify how tissues are repaired after trauma and understand how stem cells migrate, proliferate, and differentiate to repair tissue damage.

In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers lead by Pr. Cdric Blanpain, MD/PhD, WELBIO investigator, and Professor at the Universit libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, defined the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate wound healing in the skin.

The skin is the first barrier protecting the animals against the external environment. When the skin barrier is disrupted, a cascade of cellular and molecular events is activated to repair the damage and restore skin integrity. Defects in these events can lead to improper repair causing acute and chronic wound disorders. In the skin, distinct stem cells populations contribute to wound healing. However, it remains unclear how these different stem cells populations balance proliferation, differentiation and migration during the healing process.

In this new study published in Nature Communications, Mariaceleste Aragona, Sophie Dekoninck and colleagues define the clonal dynamics and the molecular mechanisms that lead to tissue repair in the skin epidermis. They used state of the art genetic mouse models to study different stem cells populations. Specifically, they use a technique called lineage tracing to mark stem cells and follow the fate of their progeny over time. Interestingly, they found that stem cells coming from different epidermal compartments present very similar response during wound repair, despite the fact that they are recruited from different regions of the epidermis. It was particularly exciting to observe that the repair of the skin epidermis involves the activation of very different stem cells that react the same way to the emergency situation of the wound and have the power to completely restore the damaged tissue, comments Mariaceleste Aragona, the first author of the study. The authors defined the gene signature of the different regions surrounding the wound to uncover the gene expression signature of the cells that actively divide and those that migrate to repair the wound. The molecular characterization of the migrating leading edge suggests that these cells are protecting the stem cells from the infection and mechanical stress allowing a harmonious healing process, comments Sophie Dekoninck, the co-first author of the study.

Altogether, this study provides important insights into the changes in the mechanisms that lead to tissue repair, and demonstrates that the capacity of the stem cells to regenerate a tissue does not depend on their cellular origin but rather on their proliferation capacity.

This new study uncovers for the first time the dynamic of stem cells during wound healing and identifies new molecular players associated with skin regeneration. The deregulation of several of these genes in patients with chronic ulcers, suggest that defects in the formation and/or function of these two different structures may induce defect of wound-healing leading to chronic ulcer formation. Further functional studies will be needed to define the role of these genes and to identify new therapeutic targets to treat chronic wound disorders that cost each year billions of dollars, explains Cdric Blanpain, the senior and corresponding author of this new study.

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Materials provided by Libre de Bruxelles, Universit. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Wound healing: The stem cell dynamic - Science Daily

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Wound healing: The stem cell dynamic – Science Daily | March 1st, 2017

The skin cells of four adults with schizophrenia provide an unprecedented window into how the disease began before they were born.

Scientists call the findings the first proof of concept for the hypothesis that a common genomic pathway lies at the root of schizophreniaand say the work is a step toward the design of treatments that could be administered to pregnant mothers at high risk for bearing a child with schizophrenia, potentially preventing the disease before it begins.

We show for the first time that there is, indeed, a common, dysregulated gene pathway at work here.

In the last 10 years, genetic investigations into schizophrenia have been plagued by an ever-increasing number of mutations found in patients with the disease, says Michal K. Stachowiak, professor of pathology and anatomical sciences at the University at Buffalo. We show for the first time that there is, indeed, a common, dysregulated gene pathway at work here.

The authors gained insight into the early brain pathology of schizophrenia by using skin cells from four adults with schizophrenia and four adults without the disease. The cells were reprogrammed back into induced pluripotent stem cells and then into neuronal progenitor cells.

By studying induced pluripotent stem cells developed from different patients, we recreated the process that takes place during early brain development in utero, thus obtaining an unprecedented view of how this disease develops, said Stachowiak. This work gives us an unprecedented insight into those processes.

Stachowiak says the research, published in Schizophrenia Research, is a proof of concept for a hypothesis he and colleagues published in 2013 that proposed that a single genomic pathway, called the Integrative Nuclear FGFR 1 Signaling (INFS), is a central intersection point for multiple pathways involving more than 100 genes believed to be involved in schizophrenia.

This research shows that there is a common dysregulated gene program that may be impacting more than 1,000 genes and that the great majority of those genes are targeted by the dysregulated nuclear FGFR1, Stachowiak says.

When even one of the many schizophrenia-linked genes undergoes mutation, by affecting the INFS it throws off the development of the brain as a whole, similar to the way that an entire orchestra can be affected by a musician playing just one wrong note, he says.

The next step in the research is to use these induced pluripotent stem cells to further study how the genome becomes dysregulated, allowing the disease to develop.

We will utilize this strategy to grow cerebral organoidsmini-brains in a senseto determine how this genomic dysregulation affects early brain development and to test potential preventive or corrective treatments.

Other researchers from University at Buffalo and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai are coauthors of the work, which was funded by NYSTEM, the Patrick P. Lee Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.

Source: University at Buffalo

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Skin cells suggest schizophrenia may start in the womb - Futurity - Futurity: Research News

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Skin cells suggest schizophrenia may start in the womb – Futurity – Futurity: Research News | March 1st, 2017

The skin cells of four adults with schizophrenia provide a unique insight into how the disease began before they were born.

Scientists call the findings the first proof of concept for the hypothesis that a common genomic pathway lies at the root of schizophrenia. They add the work is a step toward the design of treatments that could be administered to pregnant mothers at high risk for bearing a child with schizophrenia, potentially preventing the disease before it begins.

Michal K. Stachowiak, professor of pathology and anatomical sciences at the University at Buffalo, says:

In the last 10 years, genetic investigations into schizophrenia have been plagued by an ever-increasing number of mutations found in patients with the disease. We show for the first time that there is, indeed, a common, dysregulated gene pathway at work here.

The authors used skin cells from four adults with schizophrenia and four adults without the disease. The cells were reprogrammed back into induced pluripotent stem cells and then into neuronal progenitor cells.

By studying induced pluripotent stem cells developed from different patients, we recreated the process that takes place during early brain development in utero, thus obtaining an unprecedented view of how this disease develops, said Stachowiak. This work gives us an unprecedented insight into those processes.

Stachowiak says the research is a proof of concept for a hypothesis he and colleagues published in 2013 that proposed that a single genomic pathway, called the Integrative Nuclear FGFR 1 Signaling (INFS), is a central intersection point for multiple pathways involving more than 100 genes believed to be involved in schizophrenia.

This research shows that there is a common dysregulated gene program that may be impacting more than 1,000 genes and that the great majority of those genes are targeted by the dysregulated nuclear FGFR1, Stachowiak says.

When even one of the many schizophrenia-linked genes undergoes mutation, by affecting the INFS it throws off the development of the brain as a whole, similar to the way that an entire orchestra can be affected by a musician playing just one wrong note, he says.

The next step in the research is to use these induced pluripotent stem cells to further study how the genome becomes dysregulated, allowing the disease to develop.

We will utilize this strategy to grow cerebral organoidsmini-brains in a senseto determine how this genomic dysregulation affects early brain development and to test potential preventive or corrective treatments.

The work was funded by NYSTEM, the Patrick P. Lee Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.

Image: Views of a Foetus in the Womb (c. 1510 1512) by Leonardo da Vinci

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Schizophrenia May Begin In The Womb, Skin Cells Suggest - ReliaWire

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Schizophrenia May Begin In The Womb, Skin Cells Suggest – ReliaWire | March 1st, 2017

Karaikal, Feb 28 (PTI) Recent advancements in stem cells research have given hope for successfully treating diabetic heart disease (DHD), renowned New Zealand-based researcher in cardiovascular diseases Dr Rajesh Katare said today.

DHD affected the muscular tissues of the heart leading to complications and it had been demonstrated that resident stem cells of myocardium can be stimulated to repair and replace e degenerated cardiac myocytes resulting in a novel therapeutic effect and ultimately cardiac regeneration, he said.

Katare, Director of Cardiovascular Research Division in the University of Otago, New Zealand, was delivering the keynote address at the continuing medical education programme on Role of Micro-RNAs and stem cells in cardiac regeneration in diabetic heart disease at the Karaikal campus of premier health institute JIPMER.

Presenting clinical evidences, Katare said stem cell therapy certainly presented a new hope for successfully treating DHD.

Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education (JIPMER) Director Dr Subash Chandra Parija pointed out that it was the first such programme on the role of stem cells in cardiac regeneration in the whole of the country.

He said as diabetes was highly prevalent in the country, providing treatment for DHD had become a big challenge.

Patients suffering from the condition have to undergo lifelong treatment and medications. In this backdrop, advancements in stem cell therapy assume significance, he said.

This is published unedited from the PTI feed.

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Stem cell therapy can help in treating diabetic heart disease - India.com

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Stem cell therapy can help in treating diabetic heart disease – India.com | February 28th, 2017

With MLB spring training underway, there's plenty to talk about. USA TODAY Sports

Garrett Richards is aiming to pitch through a ligament tear via stem cell therapy and other recovery methods.(Photo: Rick Scuteri, USA TODAY Sports)

TEMPE, Ariz. Garrett Richards first thought when he found out about his torn elbow ligament last May was to schedule Tommy John surgery as soon as possible.

It made sense, considering the ligament-replacement procedure has become the standard fix for such injuries. Plus, the Los Angeles Angels ace was familiar with the operating room, having undergone surgery for a ruptured patellar tendon he sustained on Aug. 20, 2014, toward the end of a breakout season.

Richards knew how to handle the seemingly interminable months of rehab, and he wanted to get the clock started on his return.

But a conversation with Angels head physical therapist Bernard Li convinced Richards to consider other alternatives, and in mid-May he tried a relatively novel treatment in which stem cells taken from bone marrow in his pelvis were injected into the damaged area.

Richards did not pitch again the rest of the year except for a stint in the instructional league, but he has been back on the mound throwing bullpen sessions since the first day of the Angels camp and reported no problems.

This weekend, Richards anticipates pitching in a game for the first time since May 1, when his aching elbow forced him from a start after just four innings.

Its nice to know Ill be able to start the season this year and kind of pick up where I left off, Richards said.

A couple of lockers away, fellow starter Andrew Heaney had a different tale to tell.

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The promising left-hander also went down with a torn ulnar collateral ligament early in the season, after making only one start. Their ailments were the two biggest blows to an Angels rotation that was decimated by injuries, dooming the club to a 74-88 record and a fourth-place finish in the AL West.

Heaney also tried stem cell therapy, two weeks before Richards, both under the supervision of team doctor Steve Yoon. Heaneys ligament didnt heal, though, and after experiencing discomfort throwing following his rehab, he had Tommy John surgery July 1. He has been ruled out for the 2017 season.

They tell you its 50-50. It either works or it doesnt, Heaney said of the stem cell procedure. Obviously, me and Garrett are pretty much the proof of that rule.

Even with less-favorable odds than reconstructive surgery, which has an 80% success rate for returning to action and 67% for pitching 10 games or more, stem cell therapy is gaining acceptance as an option for pitchers with partial UCL tears. The recovery time is shorter 3-5 months instead of 12-18 and the treatment less invasive.

There are limitations. Biological approaches based on stem cells or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) wont repair a complete tear of the ligament. The location of the injury and its extent factor into the chances of success. And players whose ligament doesnt recover, then have to undergo surgery, extend their window of time for returning to action.

Even then, the idea of healing without going under the knife is becoming increasingly appealing. New York Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka treated the small tear in his elbow ligament with PRP and rehabilitation in 2014, sitting out 10 weeks but coming back to pitch in late September.

Hes 26-11 with a 3.26 ERA over the last two seasons, raising the profile of PRP a procedure in which the players own blood is used to promote healing of the injury as a non-surgical alternative.

Now Richards looms as the test case for stem cell treatment to fix partial UCL tears, which make up about 60-70% of these injuries. If the hard-throwing right-hander can return to his old form he was a Cy Young Award candidate before his knee injury in August 2014 other pitchers in his situation are bound to at least consider the route he took.

I hope this opens another path for guys, Richards said. Obviously, if you can prevent being cut on and having surgery, thats the No. 1 priority. I hope guys dont just jump right into Tommy John, that they at least explore this option.

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Ageless veteran Bartolo Colon was the first pitcher widely known to have undergone stem cell therapy as he sought to recover from elbow and shoulder ailments in 2010. At the time, the ethics of the procedure were questioned, especially because the doctor who performed it, South Florida-based Joseph Purita, acknowledged using human growth hormone in previous treatments, though not in Colons.

Since then, the use of stem cells has become more mainstream. They are the focus of Yoons practice.

As more and more people start to use it, youre getting a better sense for what it can and cant do, Yoon said. Baseball definitely has opened up to it quite a bit, and as we see some of the successes like with Garrett, were getting a better understanding that theres a lot of potential here with these types of treatment.

Yoon calls stem cell therapy a super PRP because it combines the curative properties of that treatment with more healing agents, and said it can be used on tendon tears, muscle tears and strains and even to address degenerative joint disease.

However, much remains unknown about the benefits of stem cells. Lyle Cain, an orthopedist who has performed both Tommy John surgeries and stem cell treatments at the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Ala., said most of the research has been anecdotal, not scientific.

We still dont have a good understanding even four or five years into it exactly what the stem cells do, what their method is, Cain said. The theory is theres probably a chemical reaction where it releases chemicals in the cell that help the healing process. The stem cells arent necessarily put in there with the thought theyre going to become ligament, but theres probably a cellular chemical mechanism that helps the healing response.

And as Heaney discovered, theyre not always effective. His tear was located farther down the arm, which reduced his chances of success with stem cell therapy. Richards was a better candidate because his injury, though deemed high grade, was located within the ligament, like a slit on a rubber band.

But because Heaney was looking at likely missing most or all of 2017 even if he had surgery right away, he decided to try stem cells. The timing of the injury plays a major role in whether pitchers contemplate alternatives to surgery, with the more conservative approach often recommended if it happens early in the season.

Heaney said he doesnt regret taking that route, and would have been upset if he had undergone the ligament-replacement operation right away, only to find out he could have returned to action quicker through another means.

Im glad it worked for him, he said of Richards. It would have been really awful if it hadnt worked for either of us. Then wed both look like idiots.

Their peers are paying attention. In a major league pitching community where about a quarter of its members have undergone Tommy John surgery, interest in the effectiveness of alternative cures is high.

The Los Angeles Dodgers Brandon McCarthy was not a candidate because his ligament tore clear off the bone, but said he had heard positive reports about stem cell treatment, not so much about PRP.

The Pittsburgh Pirates Daniel Hudson, a veteran of two Tommy Johns, is encouraged as well.

Its supposed to help repair the tissue. Before, ligaments just wont repair themselves, Hudson said. It might keep a lot of guys from going under the knife.

Thats Cains hope. He regularly treats UCL tears on high school, college and minor-league players with stem cells or PRP, but realizes theres heightened pressure on major leaguers to return to the field.

If more of them can do it without visiting an operating room, it would represent a major advancement for both the players and the industry.

I think overall the biologic treatment of these injuries will certainly progress and it will be somewhat the wave of the future, Cain said. There will be certain ligaments that are damaged enough that we dont have an answer; they have to reconstruct. But I think overall, if you look 15 years down the road, I suspect well be doing a lot more non-surgical treatment than surgical treatment.

Contributing: Gabe Lacques in Bradenton, Fla.

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All eyes on Garrett Richards, in hopes stem cells stave off Tommy John surgery - USA TODAY

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on All eyes on Garrett Richards, in hopes stem cells stave off Tommy John surgery – USA TODAY | February 28th, 2017

February 27, 2017 Human mesenchymal stem cells were labeled for two epigenetic marks (green and red), and the images were analyzed to forecast the cell developmental fate. Credit: Joseph J. Kim

Scientists at Rutgers and other universities have created a new way to identify the state and fate of stem cells earlier than previously possible.

Understanding a stem cell's fatethe type of cell it will eventually becomeand how far along it is in the process of development can help scientists better manipulate cells for stem cell therapy.

The beauty of the method is its simplicity and versatility, said Prabhas V. Moghe, distinguished professor of biomedical engineering and chemical and biochemical engineering at Rutgers and senior author of a study published recently in the journal Scientific Reports. "It will usher in the next wave of studies and findings," he added.

Existing approaches to assess the states of stem cells look at the overall population of cells but aren't specific enough to identify individual cells' fates. But when implanting stem cells (during a bone marrow transplant following cancer treatment, for example), knowing that each cell will become the desired cell type is essential. Furthermore, many protein markers used to distinguish cell types don't show up until after the cell has transitioned, which can be too late for some applications.

To identify earlier signals of a stem cell's fate, an interdisciplinary team from multiple universities collaborated to use super-resolution microscopy to analyze epigenetic modifications. Epigenetic modifications change how DNA is wrapped up within the nucleus, allowing different genes to be expressed. Some modifications signal that a stem cell is transitioning into a particular type of cell, such as a blood, bone or fat cell. Using the new method, the team of scientists was able to determine a cell's fate days before other techniques.

"Having the ability to visualize a stem cell's future will take some of the questions out of using stem cells to help regenerate tissue and treat diseases," says Rosemarie Hunziker, program director for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. "It's a relatively simple way to get a jump on determining the right cells to use."

The approach, called EDICTS (Epi-mark Descriptor Imaging of Cell Transitional States), involves labeling epigenetic modifications and then imaging the cells with super resolution to see the precise location of the marks.

"We're able to demarcate and catch changes in these cells that are actually not distinguished by established techniques such as mass spectrometry," Moghe said. He described the method as "fingerprinting the guts of the cell," and the results are quantifiable descriptors of each cell's organization (for example, how particular modifications are distributed throughout the nuclei).

The team demonstrated the method's capabilities by measuring two types of epigenetic modifications in the nuclei of human stem cells cultured in a dish. They added chemicals that coaxed some of the cells to become fat cells and others to become bone, while another set served as control. Within three days, the localization of the modifications varied in cells destined for different fates, two to four days before traditional methods could identify such differences between the cells. The technique had the specificity to look at regional changes within individual cells, while existing techniques can only measure total levels of modifications among the entire population of cells.

"The levels are not significantly different, but how they're organized is different and that seems to correlate with the fact that these cells are actually exhibiting different fates," Moghe said. "It allows us to take out a single cell from a population of dissimilar cells," which can help researchers select particular cells for different stem cell applications.

The method is as easy as labeling, staining and imaging cells - techniques already familiar to many researchers, he said. As the microscopes capable of super resolution imaging become more widely available, scientists can use it to sort and screen different types of cells, understand how a particular drug may disrupt epigenetic signaling, or ensure that stem cells to be implanted won't transform into the wrong cell type.

Explore further: Super-resolution imaging can map critical cell changes several days sooner than current method

More information: Joseph J. Kim et al, Optical High Content Nanoscopy of Epigenetic Marks Decodes Phenotypic Divergence in Stem Cells, Scientific Reports (2017). DOI: 10.1038/srep39406

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Super resolution imaging helps determine a stem cell's future - Phys.Org

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on Super resolution imaging helps determine a stem cell’s future – Phys.Org | February 28th, 2017

Kolkata: Joy knew no bounds for 42-year-old Nilesh Sinha, when he hugged his saviour, 27-year-old Sajat Jain. Mr Sinhacalls it the warmest and most meaningful hug of his life.

Two years ago, Mr Sinha was suffering fromAplastic Anemia, a rare disease in which the bone marrow and the hematopoietic stem cells that reside there are damaged. Only a stem cell transplant could have saved himfrom his deteriorating condition and Mr Jains were a perfect match.

The peripheral blood stem cell or PBSC transplant took place at Kolkatas Tata Memorial Centre in 2015. Last week, the two came face-to-face for the first time at an event organised by Datri, Indias largestadult unrelated blood stem cell donors registry, which aided the transplant between the two.

Mr Sinha said he was ecstatic to find the opportunity to say thanks to the man he owes his life to. Sajat is my childrens new superhero, he said.Mr Jain toocould not believe that his simple act saved someones life.

Mr Sinha told NDTV that he is sure that once people get to know about Mr Jain, they will also come forward to register themselves as stem cell donors and after them, the next generation will also get motivated.

Mr Jain, who runs a healthcare start-up, said that he became a donor while researching for his company and could save Mr Sinhas life just in time, after a donor backed out. He wants more young people to register so that someone in need can be benefited.

I was actually pretty excited. I know I was able to save someones life and not too many people can say that in their lifetime. When I actually saw his face, I remembered his previous condition and was delighted to see how fit he had become, Mr Jain told NDTV.

Kolkata has seen 300 successful stem cell transplants so far. Director of Tata Memorial Centre, Kolkata, Dr Mammen Chandy told NDTV that there is a need for more donors in India. When a donor asks me what is the risk of a donation, I would say, what is the risk of crossing the street outside my hospital and not being hit by a bus? he said.

In 2009, Datri came to the aid of people suffering from life threatening blood disorders like leukaemia, lymphoma, severe aplastic anemia, sickle cell disease, thalassemia among others. It started with 3,000 people pledging to donate stem cells and today there are 93,000 registered donors with them. With this small number of registered donors, however, the possibility of finding a match for an Indian anywhere in the world is very bleak.

Blood stem cells from a donor can give someone a second chance at life and a patient has 25 per cent chance of finding a match within the family. There are three sources of blood-forming cells used in transplants: bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cell or PBSC and umbilical cord blood collected after a baby is born.

The peripheral blood stem cell donation is a painless, non-surgical, outpatient procedure that involves only a needle in the arm vein, similar to platelet donation. However, if a marrow is requested, then it is a surgical procedure.

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Stem Cells Saved His Life. Two Years Later, He Met The Donor - NDTV

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Shreveport, La. - Jasmine Sewell was diagnosed with bone caner in February of 2014. She and her fiance, Marcus Price, had planned their wedding for September of 2017 but moved up the date after Jasmine was given a prognosis in 2016 of less than a year to live.

Jasmine and Marcus were married February 11, 2017 and many of their guests gave a present to Jasmine by registering as bone marrow donors.

Jasmine has stopped responding to treatments and now needs a bone marrow or stem cell transplant to survive.

Be the Match signs people up to be bone marrow and stem cell donors but there is a shortage of minority donors. The match between the donor and recipient is largely based on genetics an ancestry so the likelihood of a non minority donor being able to help Jasmine is very slim.

The sign up is easy, just a cheek swab, and the donation of stem cells is a process similar to giving blood. Infant recipients can need actual bone marrow which is taken from the bone with a needle but the patient is sedated and most people only feel a bit sore after the procedure.

Jasmine is asking anyone not registered to sign up, and act as if it were their loved ones that needed the transplant.

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Vital need for minority bone barrow donors - Story - KTAL

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Former football player raising money for stem cell treatment ... Lexington Herald Leader A Danville native who hopes to be able to walk again is raising money for life-changing treatments. and more »

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Former football player raising money for stem cell treatment ... - Lexington Herald Leader

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

SanBio, Inc., a scientific leader in regenerative medicine for neurological disorders, today announced that a recent publication of its novel stem cell treatment, SB623, for patients following a stroke, has received a prestigious award from the American Heart Association. The scientific article, Clinical Outcomes of Transplanted Modified Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Stroke: A Phase 1/2a Study, was the third prize winner of the 2016 Stroke Progress and Innovation Award.

The Progress and Innovation Awards are offered by Stroke, a leading scientific journal addressing the diagnosis and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases, jointly with the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Previous award winners have established important standards of care in neurology, including Activase (alteplase) and induced hypothermia treatment.

Dr. Damien Bates, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research at SanBio, said, This prize from the American Heart Association recognizes the innovation of our stem cell treatment, SB623, and its potential to treat patients suffering from chronic physical impairments following ischemic stroke. The results of this study are encouraging to all those suffering from the long-term effects of stroke as well as the medical community working to advance treatment options.

The clinical trial was a Phase 1/2a, open-label, single-arm, dose escalation study of 18 patients with chronic motor deficits present for at least six months following an ischemic stroke. Patients received precisely targeted injections of SB623 cells directly into the neural tissue surrounding the damaged area of the brain.

Dr. Gary Steinberg, Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Co-Director of the Stanford Stroke Center, served as Principal Investigator for the clinical trial.

Results for subjects who completed the single arm Phase 1/2a study demonstrated statistically significant improvement in motor function, evaluated using the European Stroke Scale, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, the Fugl-Meyer total score and the Fugl-Meyer motor function total score. The data also showed that the treatment was generally safe and well-tolerated by the trial participants.

As lead author of the scientific article, Dr. Steinberg accepted the award at the recent International Stroke Conference in Houston.

About SanBio, Inc. (SanBio)

SanBio is a regenerative medicine company headquartered in Tokyo and Mountain View, California, with cell-based products in various stages of research, development and clinical trials. Its proprietary cell-based product, SB623, is currently in a Phase 2b clinical trial for treatment of chronic motor impairments resulting from stroke, with its joint development partner, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd., in the United States and Canada. SanBio is also implementing a global Phase 2 clinical trial using SB623 in the United States and Japan for the treatment of motor impairment resulting from traumatic brain injury. More information about SanBio is available at http://www.sanbio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170226005250/en/

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Study of SanBio's Stem Cell Treatment for Stroke Receives Innovation Award from American Heart Association - Yahoo Finance

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GETTY

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.

GETTY

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.

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

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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

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Durham scientists pioneer innovative stem cell research – Palatinate | February 25th, 2017

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

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Why People Are Traveling For Stem Cell Treatment | The Huffington … – Huffington Post | February 25th, 2017

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

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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

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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

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

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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."

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