Published 07 January 2015

Gamida Cell, a leader in cell therapy technologies and products for transplantation and adaptive immune therapy, announced that orphan drug designation has been granted by The US Department of Health and Human Services, The FDA Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) for the investigational medicinal product NiCord for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Hodgkin lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

The FDA orphan drug designation coincides with the positive opinion of the European Medicines Agency's (EMA's) Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) regarding NiCord as a treatment for AML. Gamida Cell intends to file for NiCord orphan drug status with the EMA for other indications as well.

"Receipt of orphan drug status for NiCord in the US and Europe advances Gamida Cell's commercialization plans a major step further, as both afford significant advantages. We very much appreciate the positive feedback and support of the FDA and EMA and look forward to continuing what has been a very positive dialogue with these important agencies," said Gamida Cell president and CEO Dr. Yael Margolin.

The FDA and EMA grant an orphan drug designation to promote the development of products that demonstrate promise for the treatment of rare diseases or conditions. Orphan drug designation provides for various regulatory and economic benefits, including seven years of market exclusivity in the U.S. and 10 years in the EU.

NiCord is derived from a single cord blood unit which has been expanded in culture and enriched with stem cells using Gamida Cell's proprietary NAM technology.

It is currently being tested in a Phase I/II study as an investigational therapeutic treatment for hematological malignancies such as leukemia and lymphoma. In this study, NiCord is being used as the sole stem cell source.

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Gamida Cell's NiCord gets FDA and EMA orphan drug status

Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injuries

SCI or Spinal cord injuries usually occur with a sudden & traumatic injury or blow to the spinal cord that dislocates or fractures the vertebrae. The damage of SCI begins at the point of impact when the displaced disc material,bone fragments, or ligaments either bruise or tear the spinal cord tissue. Most SCI injuries do not sever the spinal cord completely. The SCI is likely to cause minor compressions or fractures of the vertebrae, that crush and destroy the signal carriers called axons. Axons carry electric signals up and down our spinal cords and act as a messenger between our brains and the rest of our bodies. SCI generally cause damage to some,many, or in some cases all the axons.

Some SCI victims can accomplish a complete recovery. Others however,will be left with complete paralysis.SCI are classified in two categories, complete or incomplete. A complete SCI is indicated by the total lack of all sensory and motor functions below the area of injury. An incomplete SCI means that the patient has the ability to convey some messages to &/or from the brain but often in a limited capacity. Most People with incomplete SCI injuries can retain minor sensory and/or motor function below the point of injury. Those who survive SCI will most likely suffer for medical complications like bowel and bladder dysfunction and often have chronic pain. Partial SCI patients also have an increased susceptibility to heart & respiratory problems. Successful recovery usingstem cells to treatspinal cord Injuries depends largely on how well systematic failures and chronic conditions are handled day-to-day.

Cell Therapy for injured Spinal Cordsfocuses on regeneration of the connections between your brain and body that have been broken or severely hampered. Stem cellscan help regain motor functions and regain bowel and bladder dysfunction, regain loss of sensations, help minimize chronic pain,cramps and its associated depression. Conventional treatments for SCI today are focused mainly on providing rehabilitation and the prevention of secondary damage. Recent advancements in spinal cord cell treatments offer hope for thousands of victims around the world who are often left with little or no hope for recovery. Stemcell treatments for spinal cord injury can help support and promote the bodies natural regeneration cycle by stimulating the rapid repair of damaged cells and tissue. The regenerative treatmentgoes well beyond the traditional approach of symptomatic treatments and can help you improve and regain some of the previously lost or impaired physical functions. Cell death normally occurs when our cells are injured. These dead cells are surrounded by both damaged and healthy cells. Stem cells stimulate the healing of these injured cells via the secretion of cytokines and other cells such as NGF or nerve growth factors to trigger the body into self-healing mode.

Thai Medical offers a uniquespinal cordtreatment protocol usinga multi-pronged approach. First, adult stem cells are injected directly into the damaged areas of the spine via the accuracy and precision guidance of a CT-guided intra-spinal injection. The treatment is then supplemented even further with another injection using an LP or lumbar puncture and/or IV drip injections.

CT-guided intra-spinal stem cell treatments are considered the gold standard in the field of Stem Cell treatment for spinal cord injury and spinal injury stem cell research for Stem Cell Treatments in Thailand. The precision of CT guidance allows the neurosurgeon to precisely aim the stem cells inside the healthy spinal cord tissues directly adjacent to the injury and lesions. The CT-guided intra-spinal stem cell treatments avoids the requirements of open spine surgeries of yesteryear. CT-guided intra-spinal stem cell treatments also avoid the risks, pain and subsequent healing time associated with cell treatment for SCI (spinal cord injury.)

The objectives of the enrichedcell treatments for spinal cord injuries is to help repair the injured areas on the cellular level near the point of impacts and lesions. The resulting therapy will generally lead to improved quality of life and improved symptoms primarily in physical function,movements and abilities. The majority of patients who are accepted into the program have show dramatic improvements usually after the first or second treatments and continue to improve and regenerate 6 months to a year after treatment. The results are permanent barring new injuries.

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Stem Cell Treatment for Spinal Cord Injuries SCI Therapy

Tampa, FL (PRWEB) January 06, 2015

One million Americans experience acute myocardial infarctions, commonly known as a heart attack, each year and of those, approximately 300,000 to 500,000 individuals develop heart failure. A heart attack occurs when blood stops flowing properly to a part of the heart and the heart muscle is injured and can die because it is not receiving enough oxygen.

Cryo-Cell International has agreed to provide the Center with cord blood collections that have previously been donated to Cryo-Cell International by parents and designated for research use to advance regenerative medicine. These cord blood collections will allow the Centers scientists to continue to investigate the mechanisms whereby stem cells can be beneficial in limiting damage from heart attacks. A team at the Center, led by researcher and cardiology specialist, Robert J. Henning, M.D., has demonstrated in research animals that stem cells obtained from human umbilical cord blood can release a large number of biologically active growth factors and anti-inflammatory chemicals that can limit the substantial heart inflammation, cell injury and cell destruction that occurs with acute heart attacks, significantly reducing the effects of heart attacks, even when administered up to 24 hours after the heart attack.

We are making good progress in our studies thanks to the cord blood stem cells contributed by Cryo-Cell International, reports Henning.

Cryo-Cell International and others have demonstrated that human umbilical cord blood stem cells can be preserved for more than 20 years without loss of cell viability or potency. Consequently, parents who have the foresight to use cord blood banking services upon their babys birth can potentially use these cord blood stem cells years later to provide a regenerative treatment for a family member if an acute heart attack occurs. The Centers scientists hope to bring umbilical cord blood stem cell therapy to the treatment of patients who have experienced heart attacks within the next five years.

Heart disease is still the number one leading cause of death in the United States. We feel very fortunate that we can provide a valuable and consistent source of cord blood banked stem cells to the Center for Cardiovascular Research, said David Portnoy, Chairman and Co-CEO of Cryo-Cell International.

About Cryo-Cell International

Founded in 1989, Cryo-Cell International, Inc. is the world's first and most highly accredited private cord blood bank. More than 500,000 parents from 87 countries trust Cryo-Cell International to preserve their family members' stem cells. Cryo-Cell International's mission is to provide clients with state-of-the-art stem cell cryopreservation services and support the advancement of regenerative medicine. Cryo-Cell International operates in a facility that is FDA registered, cGMP-/cGTP-compliant and is licensed in all states requiring licensure. In addition to earning AABB accreditation for cord blood banking, Cryo-Cell International is also the first U.S. (for private use only) cord blood bank to receive FACT accreditation for voluntarily adhering to the most stringent cord blood quality standards set by any internationally recognized, independent accrediting organization. Cryo-Cell International is ISO 9001:2008 certified by BSI, an internationally recognized, quality assessment organization. Cryo-Cell International is a publicly traded company, OTCQB: CCEL. For more information, please visit http://www.Cryo-Cell.com.

About the University of South Florida Center for Cardiovascular Research

The University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicines Cardiovascular Services Research Unit has been in existence for almost 20 years and evaluates pharmacotherapeutic agents and the latest treatment and devices for cardiovascular disease.

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Cord Blood Banking Leader, Cryo-Cell International, Continues to Support the Advancement of Regenerative Medicine

Body clock protects cells from metabolism-generated oxygen radical damage during division

Irvine, Calif., Jan. 6, 2015 -- UC Irvine scientists studying the role of circadian rhythms in skin stem cells found that this clock plays a key role in coordinating daily metabolic cycles and cell division.

Their research, which appears Jan. 6 in Cell Reports, shows for the first time how the body's intrinsic day-night cycles protect and nurture stem cell differentiation. Furthermore, this work offers novel insights into a mechanism whereby an out of synch circadian clock can contribute to accelerated skin aging and cancers.

Bogi Andersen, professor of biological chemistry and medicine, and Enrico Gratton, professor of biomedical engineering, focused their efforts on the epidermis, the outermost protective layer of the skin that is maintained and healed by long-lived stem cells.

While the role of the circadian clock in processes such as sleep, feeding behavior and metabolism linked to feeding and fasting are well known, much less is known about whether the circadian clock also regulates stem cell function.

The researchers used novel two-photon excitation and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy in Laboratory of Fluorescence Dynamics in UCI's Department of Biomedical Engineering to make sensitive and quantitative measurements of the metabolic state of single cells within the native microenvironment of living tissue.

They discovered that the circadian clock regulates one form of intermediary metabolism in these stem cells, referred to as oxidative phosphorylation. This type of metabolism creates oxygen radicals that can damage DNA and other components of the cell. In fact, one theory of aging posits that aging is caused by the accumulative damage from metabolism-generated oxygen radicals in stem cells.

The Andersen-Gratton study also revealed that the circadian clock within stem cells shifts the timing of cell division such that the stages of the cell division cycle that are most sensitive to DNA damage are avoided during times of maximum oxidative phosphorylation.

Other studies in animals have linked aging to disruption of circadian rhythms, and Andersen said that accelerated aging could be caused by asynchrony in the metabolism and cell proliferation cycles in stem cells.

"Our studies were conducted in mice, but the greater implication of the work relates to the fact that circadian disruption is very common in modern society, and one consequence of such disruption could be abnormal function of stem cells and accelerated aging," he said.

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Circadian rhythms regulate skin stem cell metabolism and expansion, UCI study finds

SAN FRANCISCO -

Mike Hinshaw and Katie Jackson have been a couple since college, but they've known each other much longer.

"We've been together forever. I've actually known Mike since I was five years old," Jackson said.

A marriage and three kids later, they've been through good times and bad. The worst came nine years ago when Hinshaw found out he had Huntington's disease.

"My father had it. He died from it," Hinshaw explained.

Huntington's causes uncontrollable movements and mental decline. There's no cure.

"Unfortunately, it ends in death. It's a fatal disease," said Dr. Vicki Wheelock, neurologist, health sciences clinical professor of neurology and director of HDSA Center of Excellence at UC Davis.

Now, researchers are gearing up for a new trial in humans. Patients will have special bone marrow stem cells injected directly into their brains.

"We've engineered them to make a growth factor that's like a fertilizer for the neurons," said Dr. Jan Nolta, professor and director of the Institute for Regenerative Cures at UC Davis.

That growth factor, BDNF, restored healthy brain cells and reduced behavior deficits in mice. Researchers hope the stem cells will also be the answer to slowing the disease in humans.

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Health Beat: Stem cells: A weapon for Huntington's?

12 hours ago

A powerful "genome editing" technology known as CRISPR has been used by researchers since 2012 to trim, disrupt, replace or add to sequences of an organism's DNA. Now, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine have shown that the system also precisely and efficiently alters human stem cells.

In a recent online report on the work in Molecular Therapy, the Johns Hopkins team says the findings could streamline and speed efforts to modify and tailor human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for use as treatments or in the development of model systems to study diseases and test drugs.

"Stem cell technology is quickly advancing, and we think that the days when we can use iPSCs for human therapy aren't that far away," says Zhaohui Ye, Ph.D., an instructor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "This is one of the first studies to detail the use of CRISPR in human iPSCs, showcasing its potential in these cells."

CRISPR originated from a microbial immune system that contains DNA segments known as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats. The engineered editing system makes use of an enzyme that nicks together DNA with a piece of small RNA that guides the tool to where researchers want to introduce cuts or other changes in the genome.

Previous research has shown that CRISPR can generate genomic changes or mutations through these interventions far more efficiently than other gene editing techniques, such as TALEN, short for transcription activator-like effector nuclease.

Despite CRISPR's advantages, a recent study suggested that it might also produce a large number of "off-target" effects in human cancer cell lines, specifically modification of genes that researchers didn't mean to change.

To see if this unwanted effect occurred in other human cell types, Ye; Linzhao Cheng, Ph.D., a professor of medicine and oncology in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; and their colleagues pitted CRISPR against TALEN in human iPSCs, adult cells reprogrammed to act like embryonic stem cells. Human iPSCs have already shown enormous promise for treating and studying disease.

The researchers compared the ability of both genome editing systems to either cut out pieces of known genes in iPSCs or cut out a piece of these genes and replace it with another. As model genes, the researchers used JAK2, a gene that when mutated causes a bone marrow disorder known as polycythemia vera; SERPINA1, a gene that when mutated causes alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency, an inherited disorder that may cause lung and liver disease; and AAVS1, a gene that's been recently discovered to be a "safe harbor" in the human genome for inserting foreign genes.

Their comparison found that when simply cutting out portions of genes, the CRISPR system was significantly more efficient than TALEN in all three gene systems, inducing up to 100 times more cuts. However, when using these genome editing tools for replacing portions of the genes, such as the disease-causing mutations in JAK2 and SERPINA1 genes, CRISPR and TALEN showed about the same efficiency in patient-derived iPSCs, the researchers report.

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'CRISPR' science: Newer genome editing tool shows promise in engineering human stem cells

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Newswise In a groundbreaking study that provides scientists with a critical new understanding of stem cell development and its role in disease, UCLA researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research led by Dr. Kathrin Plath, professor of biological chemistry, have established a first-of-its-kind methodology that defines the unique stages by which specialized cells are reprogrammed into stem cells that resemble those found in the embryo.

The study was published online ahead of print in the journal Cell.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (known as iPSCs) are similar to human embryonic stem cells in that both cell types have the unique ability to self-renew and have the flexibility to become any cell in the human body. iPSC cells, however, are generated by reprogramming skin or blood cells and do not require an embryo.

Reprogramming is a long process (about one to two weeks) and largely inefficient, with typically less than one percent of the primary skin or blood cells successfully completing the journey to becoming an iPSC. The exact stages a cell goes through during the reprogramming process are also not well understood. This knowledge is important, as iPSCs hold great promise in the field of regenerative medicine, as they can provide a single source of patient-specific cells to replace those lost to injury or disease. They can also be used to create novel disease models from which new drugs and therapies can be developed.

This research has broad impact, because by deepening our understanding of cell reprogramming we have the potential to improve disease modeling and the generation of better sources of patient-specific specialized cells suitable for replacement therapy, said Plath. This can ultimately benefit patients with new and better treatments for a wide range of diseases.

Drs. Vincent Pasque and Jason Tchieu, postdoctoral fellows in the lab of Dr. Plath and co-first authors of the study, developed a roadmap of the reprogramming process using detailed time-course analyses. They induced the reprogramming of skin cells into iPSC, then observed and analyzed on a daily basis or every other day the process of transformation at the single-cell level. The data were collected and recorded over a period of up to two weeks.

Plaths team found that the changes that happen in cells during reprogramming occur in a sequential stage-by-stage manner, and that importantly, the stages were the same across all the different reprogramming systems and different cell types analyzed.

The exact stage of reprogramming of any cell can now be determined, said Pasque. This study signals a big change in thinking, because it provides simple and efficient tools for scientists to study stem cell creation in a stage-by-stage manner. Most studies to date ignore the stages of reprogramming, but we can now seek to better understand the entire process on both a macro and micro level.

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Scientists Develop Pioneering Method to Define Stages of Stem Cell Reprogramming

In a groundbreaking study that provides scientists with a critical new understanding of stem cell development and its role in disease, UCLA researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research led by Dr. Kathrin Plath, professor of biological chemistry, have established a first-of-its-kind methodology that defines the unique stages by which specialized cells are reprogrammed into stem cells that resemble those found in the embryo.

The study was published online ahead of print in the journal Cell.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (known as iPSCs) are similar to human embryonic stem cells in that both cell types have the unique ability to self-renew and have the flexibility to become any cell in the human body. iPSC cells, however, are generated by reprogramming skin or blood cells and do not require an embryo.

Reprogramming is a long process (about one to two weeks) and largely inefficient, with typically less than one percent of the primary skin or blood cells successfully completing the journey to becoming an iPSC. The exact stages a cell goes through during the reprogramming process are also not well understood. This knowledge is important, as iPSCs hold great promise in the field of regenerative medicine, as they can provide a single source of patient-specific cells to replace those lost to injury or disease. They can also be used to create novel disease models from which new drugs and therapies can be developed.

"This research has broad impact, because by deepening our understanding of cell reprogramming we have the potential to improve disease modeling and the generation of better sources of patient-specific specialized cells suitable for replacement therapy," said Plath. "This can ultimately benefit patients with new and better treatments for a wide range of diseases.

Drs. Vincent Pasque and Jason Tchieu, postdoctoral fellows in the lab of Dr. Plath and co-first authors of the study, developed a roadmap of the reprogramming process using detailed time-course analyses. They induced the reprogramming of skin cells into iPSC, then observed and analyzed on a daily basis or every other day the process of transformation at the single-cell level. The data were collected and recorded over a period of up to two weeks.

Plath's team found that the changes that happen in cells during reprogramming occur in a sequential stage-by-stage manner, and that importantly, the stages were the same across all the different reprogramming systems and different cell types analyzed.

"The exact stage of reprogramming of any cell can now be determined," said Pasque. "This study signals a big change in thinking, because it provides simple and efficient tools for scientists to study stem cell creation in a stage-by-stage manner. Most studies to date ignore the stages of reprogramming, but we can now seek to better understand the entire process on both a macro and micro level."

Plath's team further discovered that the stages of reprogramming to iPSC are different from what was expected. They found that it is not simply the reversed sequence of stages of embryo development. Some steps are reversed in the expected order; others do not actually happen in the exact reverse order and resist a change until late during reprogramming to iPSCs.

"This reflects how cells do not like to change from one specialized cell type to another and resist a change in cell identity," said Pasque. "Resistance to reprogramming also helps to explain why reprogramming takes place only in a very small proportion of the starting cells."

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Pioneering method developed to define stages of stem cell reprogramming

Seal Beach, Laguna Hills, and Lake Forest, California (PRWEB) January 05, 2015

The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center announces a series of free public seminars on the use of adult stem cells for various degenerative and inflammatory conditions. They will be provided by Dr. Thomas A. Gionis, Surgeon-in-Chief.

The seminars will be held on Sunday, January 11, 2015, at 2:30pm and 4:30pm at Marie Callenders Grill, 12489 Seal Beach Blvd., Seal Beach, CA 90740; Tuesday, January 13, 2015, at 2:00pm and 4:00pm at Pollys Pies, 23701 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, CA 92653; Friday, January 16, 2015, at 1:30pm and 3:30pm at Marie Callenders Grill, 12489 Seal Beach Blvd., Seal Beach, CA 90740; Saturday, January 17, 2015, at 2:30pm and 4:30pm at Dennys Restaurant, 23515 El Toro Road, Lake Forest, CA 92630. Please RSVP at (949) 679-3889.

The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center, along with sister affiliates, the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center and the Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group, abide by investigational protocols using adult adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) which can be deployed to improve patients quality of life for a number of chronic, degenerative and inflammatory conditions and diseases. ADSCs are taken from the patients own adipose (fat) tissue (found within a cellular mixture called stromal vascular fraction (SVF)). ADSCs are exceptionally abundant in adipose tissue. The adipose tissue is obtained from the patient during a 15 minute mini-liposuction performed under local anesthesia in the doctors office. SVF is a protein-rich solution containing mononuclear cell lines (predominantly adult autologous mesenchymal stem cells), macrophage cells, endothelial cells, red blood cells, and important Growth Factors that facilitate the stem cell process and promote their activity.

ADSCs are the body's natural healing cells - they are recruited by chemical signals emitted by damaged tissues to repair and regenerate the bodys injured cells. The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center only uses Adult Autologous Stem Cells from a persons own fat No embryonic stem cells are used. Current areas of study include: Emphysema, COPD, Asthma, Heart Failure, Parkinsons Disease, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohns Disease, and degenerative orthopedic joint conditions. For more information, or if someone thinks they may be a candidate for one of the adult stem cell protocols offered by the Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center, they may contact Dr. Gionis directly at (949) 679-3889, or see a complete list of the Centers study areas at: http://www.IrvineStemCellsUSA.com.

About the Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center: The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center, along with sister affiliates, the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center and the Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group, is an affiliate of the Cell Surgical Network (CSN); we are located in Irvine and Westlake, California. We provide care for people suffering from diseases that may be alleviated by access to adult stem cell based regenerative treatment. We utilize a fat transfer surgical technology to isolate and implant the patients own stem cells from a small quantity of fat harvested by a mini-liposuction on the same day. The investigational protocols utilized by the Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center have been reviewed and approved by an IRB (Institutional Review Board) which is registered with the U.S. Department of Health, Office of Human Research Protection; and the study is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). For more information, visit our websites: http://www.IrvineStemCellsUSA.com, http://www.MiamiStemCellsUSA.com or http://www.NYStemCellsUSA.com.

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The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center Announces Adult Stem Cell Public Seminars in Orange County, California

Some people say that osteoarthritis, cartilage degradation, and chronic joint pains degenerative diseases associated with agingare conditions with no cure, but Dr. Charlie Poblete and Dr. Jae Pak say otherwise.

It is a new era of medicine, opens Dr. Jae Pak, one of Koreas premier orthopedic stem cell surgeons and a visiting expert consultant of the Stem Care Orthopedics Department under Aivee Institute (AI). He was recently in the country to shed light on stem cell therapy and how it offers more accessible treament options for patients suffering from degenerative orthopedic conditions.

Dr. Pak was joined by Dr. Charlie Poblete, one of the countrys leading orthopedic surgeon who has a special interest on regenerative medicine and stem cells. Incidentally, Dr. Poblete is the head of the Stem Care Orthopedic Department of AI. Stem cells are not really part of alternative medicine. Its part of a modern medicine because we are talking about the biochemistry that goes on in the body with stem cell treatment, Dr. Charlie relates while adding, the good thing about medicine nowadays is its starting to look at the molecular aspect of the body, the molecular and cellular side of medicine.

Over the years, stem cell therapy has been touted as one procedure that can heal multitude of bone, cartilage, and joint ailments. Stem cells are the bodys natural healing cells. They are recruited by chemical signals emitted by damaged tissues to repair and regenerate the damaged cells. Stem cells derived from an individuals tissues may well be the next major development in medicine. In the right environment, these stem cells can change into bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, collagen, neural tissue, blood vessels, and even some organs. Stem cells may also effect healing by secreting special chemical messengers that repair damaged tissue.

There are many clinical conditions that benefits from stem cell therapy: heart attack patients have shown quicker healing period, improved condition for patients with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinsons disease, ALS, and stroke. Stem cells may also be effective in the treatment of macular degeneration, Crohns disease, and numerous pulmonary conditions. Also, stem cells are now used for patients with kidney failure and in the treatment of critical limb ischemia.

Stem Cell therapy is a simple procedure. Fat is aspirated from the tummy or the thighs, and then we separate the stem cells from them. It is then activated and injected into joints to restore and regenerate, explains Dr. Jae.

Stem Care by The Aivee Group is the countrys pioneer in advanced Autologous Stem Cell Therapy with an esteemed orthopedic team of doctors and surgeons regarded with international qualifications. The institute, with its CEO and medical director Dr. Z. Teo, together with his wife dermatologist Dr. Aivee Teo, now features a stronger multifaceted protocol in treating orthopedic ailments with a faster rate of positive patient response. They are also adept in complimentary therapies to further intensify the restorative powers of stem cells through the effective use of Growth Factors, Shockwave, Radio Frequency, and Electro Magnetic Therapies. 4033245, 4031982, 09209665613, 09175210222. http://www.stemcareinstitute.com

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Restore and Regenerate

TUCSON Dr. Zain Khalpey stands next to a ghostly white lung pumping rhythmically on the table next to him. Thats pretty damn good, actually, Khalpey says as he gazes at the data recorded by the lungs ventilator.

The ventilator indicates that the pig lung is inflating and deflating like a normal lung. Experiments such as this bring research a step closer to the operating room.

Khalpey, an associate professor of surgery at the University of Arizona, focuses his research on making more organs available to patients who need a transplant. Every day, 18 people on organ transplant lists die, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In Arizona patients have to wait two to three years for a lung transplant, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. This waiting period is emotionally and financially draining for patients.

Khalpey is trying to shrink the wait time. He is taking damaged organs and refurbishing them so they end up in a needy patients body. Other organs too damaged to be refurbished are stripped of their cells and used to grow new organs with the patients stem cells.

In the future, donor organs may not even be needed. Khalpey is working on hybrid organs that are 3-D printed and then seeded with the patients stem cells.

From London

to Tucson

Khalpeys passion for transplant surgery started on a rainy day in 1990s London. A 16-year-old boy lay on the operating table about to undergo a heart-and-lung transplant. Cystic fibrosis caused his lungs to become a breeding ground for infection that whittled away his ability to breathe.

A team of surgeons replaced the boys lungs as well as his heart because he was more likely to survive with donor organs. The medical team rushed the boys viable heart to a second operating room, where it gave new life to another patient.

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Research looks to build organ stockpiles

Fat cells shield against skin infections

(IANS) / 3 January 2015

For the study, the researchers exposed mice to Staphylococcus aureus, a common bacterium and major cause of skin and soft tissue infections in humans.

New York: Researchers have discovered that fat cells below the skin help protect you from bacteria.

These skin fat cells known as adipocytes produce antimicrobial peptides that help fend off invading bacteria and other pathogens, the findings showed, pointing to a previously unknown role for the dermal fat cells.

It was thought that once the skin barrier was broken, it was entirely the responsibility of circulating (white) blood cells like neutrophils and macrophages to protect us from getting sepsis, said principal investigator Richard Gallo, professor at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

But it takes time to recruit these cells (to the wound site). We now show that the fat stem cells are responsible for protecting us, Gallo added.

It was not known that adipocytes could produce antimicrobials, let alone that they make almost as much as a neutrophil, Gallo said.

For the study, the researchers exposed mice to Staphylococcus aureus, a common bacterium and major cause of skin and soft tissue infections in humans.

They detected a major increase in both the number and size of fat cells at the site of infection within hours.

Originally posted here:
Fat cells shield against skin infections

Turning 10 years old may not quite mark adolescence for a human child, but for a major government research effort such as California's stem cell program, it's well past middle age.

So it's a little strange to hear C. Randal Mills, the new president and chief executive of the program known formally as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, say it's time to instill in CIRM "a clear sense of mission."

But that's what Mills is planning for the coming year, as he launches CIRM 2.0, a comprehensive reboot of the program.

Mills, a former biotech company chief executive, took over as CIRM's president last May. His first task, he told me, was to "take a step back and look broadly at how we do our business." He reached the conclusion that "there was a lot of room for improvement."

That's a striking admission for a program that already has allocated roughly two-thirds of its original $3-billion endowment.

Biomedical researchers are sure to find a lot to like about CIRM 2.0, especially Mills' commitment to streamline the program's grant and loan approval process for projects aimed at clinical trials of potential therapies. Reviews of applications take about 22 months on average; Mills hopes to cut that to about three months. The process can be made more efficient without sacrificing science: "We need to do it quickly and also focus on quality," he says in a videotaped presentation on the CIRM website. The CIRM board last month approved a six-month, $50-million round of funding under the new system, all to be aimed at testing new therapies.

Yet the focus on drug development shows that CIRM remains a prisoner of the politics that brought it into existence. The Proposition 71 campaign in 2004 employed inflated promises of cures for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes and other therapy-resistant conditions to goad California voters into approving the $3-billion bond issue ($6 billion with interest) for stem cell research.

CIRM says it has funded clinical trials of 10 therapies and has backed an additional 87 projects "in the later stages of moving toward clinical trials." In scientific terms that's progress, but it may fall short of the public expectations of "cures" stoked by the initiative's promoters 10 years ago.

And that poses a political problem. At its current rate of grant and loan approvals of about $190 million a year, CIRM has enough funding to last until 2020. What happens after that is an open question, but any campaign to seek new public funding may depend on CIRM's having a successful therapy to show off to voters.

Mills says winning approval for more public funding isn't the goal of CIRM 2.0. "It's not our job at CIRM to extend the life of CIRM," he told me. Instead, he couches the need for urgency in terms of serving patients. As chief executive of Maryland-based Osiris Therapeutics, where he worked before joining CIRM, he says, he had "a firsthand view into the significance of stem cell treatment, and of how important urgency is in this game." Osiris received approval from the Food and Drug Administration and Canadian regulators for a stem cell drug to treat children with severe complications from bone marrow and other blood transplants.

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Ten years in, California's stem cell program is getting a reboot

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Newswise Researchers Recreate Stem Cells From Deceased Patients to Study Present-Day Illnesses Cedars-Sinai research scientists have developed a novel method to re-create brain and intestinal stem cells from patients who died decades ago, using DNA from stored blood samples to study the potential causes of debilitating illnesses such as inflammatory bowel disease. The lab research, published in the journal STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, could yield new therapies for people who suffer from aggressive motor-neuron and gut-related conditions that proved fatal to the deceased patients who long-ago volunteered their blood samples. CONTACT: Cara Martinez, 310-423-7798; Email cara.martinez@cshs.org

Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute Physician-Researcher Awarded National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Grant to Develop Prevention Strategies for Deadly Heart Condition One of medicines most prominent experts in sudden cardiac arrest has received a new $2.36 million grant to study how to better predict the deadly heart condition that kills an estimated 300,000 Americans each year. Over recent years, Sumeet S. Chugh, MD, and his team of researchers in the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have identified several risk factors for sudden cardiac arrest, including levels of sex hormones in the blood, genetics and electrical and structural abnormalities of the heart. CONTACT: Sally Stewart, 310-248-6566; Email sally.stewart@cshs.org

Study Shows More Patients With Lou Gehrigs Disease Have Genetic Origin Than Previously Thought Genetics may play a larger role in causing Lou Gehrigs disease than previously believed, potentially accounting for more than one-third of all cases, according to one of the most comprehensive genetic studies to date of patients who suffer from the condition also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. The study, conducted by investigators at Cedars-Sinai and Washington University in St. Louis, also showed that patients with defects in two or more ALS-associated genes experience disease onset about 10 years earlier than patients with single-gene mutations. CONTACT: Sandy Van, 808-526-1708; Email sandy@prpacific.com

Computer System More Effective Than Doctors at Producing Comprehensive Patient Reports A computer system was more effective than doctors at collecting information about patient symptoms, producing reports that were more complete, organized and useful than narratives generated by physicians during office visits, according to a Cedars-Sinai study. Investigators said the research, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, highlights the potential of computers to enhance the quality of medical care and improve outcomes by harnessing accurate and thorough patient information. CONTACT: Duke Helfand, 310-248-6608; Email: duke.helfand@cshs.org

Double Lung Transplant Patient Pays Tribute to Donors Family in the Rose Parade Hours before receiving a lung transplant he thought would never happen, Michael Adams told his surgical team at Cedars-Sinai that hed be happy to live just one more year. Adams, 51, had suffered from cystic fibrosis since he was a baby. Hed been in and out of hospitals for as long as he could remember. By Thanksgiving of 2002, the former wheelchair company worker had end-stage disease. His lungs barely worked. Even eight liters of oxygen left him gasping for air. Then Adams received the call that saved his life: Two healthy lungs had suddenly become available. They belonged to a 15-year-old boy who had been shot and killed on the steps of his church 78 miles away in San Bernardino. Adams was transferred immediately to Cedars-Sinai, where he underwent a double lung transplant. He and his transplant surgeons are available for interviews CONTACT: Laura Coverson, 310-423-5215 Email: laura.coverson@cshs.org

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Cedars-Sinai Medical Tip Sheet for Jan., 2015

Stem cells are very early blood cells. They are normally found in the bone marrow. Doctors use growth factor injections to make some of them move into the bloodstream. This makes it easier to collect them. You have growth factors as an injection just under the skin, usually in your tummy (abdomen), or into an arm or a leg. You have these once a day, for up to 10 days at a time and can learn to give them yourself at home.

Growth factor injections can cause itching around the injection site. You may have some aching in your bones after you have had a few injections. This is because there are a lot of blood cells being made inside the bones. The aching is usually easy to control with a mild painkiller, such as paracetamol. The pain will go away after a day or so.

After your course of injections, you will have regular blood tests to see how many stem cells are in your blood. When there are enough, you will have them collected. Collecting stem cells takes 3 or 4 hours. You sit in a chair or lie down on a couch and have a fine tube put into a vein in each of your arms. The nurse attaches these to a machine called a stem cell separator. Your blood passes out of one drip, through the machine and back into your body through the other drip. The machine filters the stem cells out of your blood but gives you the rest of the cells and the plasma back. The donor stem cells are frozen and stored. Most donors need to have another collection the following day, to make sure there are enough cells.

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Bone marrow and stem cell transplants for chronic myeloid ...

By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 31, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Using stem cells derived from a patient's own bone marrow, researchers have repaired a fistula -- a potentially fatal tissue abnormality -- in the man's lower airway.

"This is another interesting new therapeutic approach for stem cells," said lead researcher Dr. Francesco Petrella, deputy director of thoracic surgery at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, Italy.

The patient, a 42-year-old firefighter, developed the fistula after surgeons removed a lung as part of treatment for mesothelioma cancer. A fistula is abnormal tissue connecting an organ, blood vessel or intestine to another structure. In this case, the fistula developed between the lower airway and the tissue that surrounds the lungs.

"Our clinical experience supports the idea that stem cells could be effectively used to close some tissue defects developing after very complex surgical procedures, thus restoring a functioning airway," Petrella said.

A fistula that develops after chest surgery is serious and even deadly, Petrella said. Current treatments involve removing ribs and taking medications for months or years, he explained.

"Less invasive approaches like endoscopic glue injections have only poor results, so our proposed techniques could improve quality of life in these patients," Petrella said.

Sixty days after stem cell therapy, the firefighter's fistula was healed, the researchers said. The hole seen before stem cell therapy was no longer visible, having been replaced by new tissue created by the stem cell implant, they explained.

Some people are born with a fistula. Other causes of fistulas include complications from surgery, injury, infection and diseases, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.

Petrella believes that this same stem cell technique could be used to treat fistulas that develop elsewhere in the body.

Read more here:
Stem Cell Therapy Fixes Post-Surgical Airway Abnormality

January 2, 2015

Credit: Thinkstock

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Fat cells located beneath a persons skin could help protect them from bacterial infections, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal Science.

In the study, Dr. Richard Gallo, a professor and chief of dermatology at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and his colleagues report that they had discovered a previously unknown function of these dermal fat cells, also known as adipocytes: they produce antimicrobial peptides that help combat bacteria and other types of pathogens.

It was thought that once the skin barrier was broken, it was entirely the responsibility of circulating (white) blood cells like neutrophils and macrophages to protect us from getting sepsis, explained Gallo. But it takes time to recruit these cells (to the wound site).

We now show that the fat stem cells are responsible for protecting us. That was totally unexpected, he added. It was not known that adipocytes could produce antimicrobials, let alone that they make almost as much as a neutrophil.

A persons body launches a complex, multi-tiered defense against microbial infection, the authors said. Several different types of cells are involved, and the process ends with the arrival of specialized cells known as neutrophils and monocytes that target and destroy pathogens.

Before any of that can happen, a more immediate response is required one that can counter the ability of pathogens to rapidly increase their numbers, however. That task is typically performed by epithelial cells, mast cells and leukocytes residing in the area of infection.

Previous research conducted in Gallos lab detected Staphylococcus aureus, a common type of bacteria and a major source of skin infection on humans, in the fat layer of the skin. Antibiotic-resistant forms of this bacterial have become a significant health issue throughout the world, so the study authors looked to see what role adipocytes played in preventing skin infections.

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Fat cells may actually not be so bad

Why are some types of cancer so much more common than others? Sometimes its due to faulty genes inherited from ones parents and sometimes to behaviors like smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. But in most cases, it comes down to something else stem cells.

This is the intriguing argument made by a pair of researchers from Johns Hopkins University. In a study published Friday in the journal Science, they found a very high correlation between the differences in risk for 31 kinds of cancer and the frequency with which different types of stem cells made copies of themselves.

Just how strong was this link? On a scale that goes from 0 (absolutely no correlation) to 1 (exact correlation), biostatistician Cristian Tomasetti and cancer geneticist Bert Vogelstein calculated that it was at least a 0.8. When it comes to cancer, thats high.

No other environmental or inherited factors are known to be correlated in this way across tumor types, Tomasetti and Vogelstein wrote.

Researchers have long recognized that when cells copy themselves, they sometimes make small errors in the billions of chemical letters that make up their DNA. Many of these mistakes are inconsequential, but others can cause cells to grow out of control. That is the beginning of cancer.

The odds of making a copying mistake are believed to be the same for all cells. But some kinds of cells copy themselves much more often than others. Tomasetti and Vogelstein hypothesized that the more frequently a type of cell made copies of itself, the greater the odds that it would develop cancer.

The pair focused on stem cells because of their outsided influence in the body. Stem cells can grow into many kinds of specialized cells, so if they contain damaged DNA, those mistakes can spread quickly.

The researchers combed through the scientific literature and found studies that described the frequency of stem cell division for 31 different tissue types. Then they used data from the National Cancer Institutes Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database to assess the lifetime cancer risk for each of those tissue types. When they plotted the total number of stem cell divisions against the lifetime cancer risk for each tissue, the result was 31 points clustered pretty tightly along a line.

To put this notion in concrete terms, consider the skin. The outermost layer of the skin is the epidermis, and the innermost layer of the epidermis contains a few types of cells. Basal epidermal cells are the ones that copy themselves frequently, with new cells pushing older ones to the skins surface. Melanocytes are charged with making melanin, the pigment that protects the skin from the suns damaging ultraviolet rays.

When sunlight hits bare skin, both basal epidermal cells and melanocytes get the same exposure to UV. But basal cell carcinoma is far more common than melanoma about 2.8 million Americans are diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma each year, compared with roughly 76,000 new cases of melanoma, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. A major reason for this discrepancy, Tomasetti and Vogelstein wrote, is that epidermal stem cells divide once every 48 days, while melanocytes divide only once every 147 days.

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Scientists explain how stem cells and 'bad luck' cause cancer

When it comes to skin infections, a healthy and robust immune response may depend greatly upon what lies beneath. In a new paper published in the January 2, 2015 issue ofScience, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report the surprising discovery that fat cells below the skin help protect us from bacteria.

Richard Gallo, MD, PhD, professor and chief of dermatology at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and colleagues have uncovered a previously unknown role for dermal fat cells, known as adipocytes: They produce antimicrobial peptides that help fend off invading bacteria and other pathogens.

"It was thought that once the skin barrier was broken, it was entirely the responsibility of circulating (white) blood cells like neutrophils and macrophages to protect us from getting sepsis," said Gallo, the study's principal investigator.

"But it takes time to recruit these cells (to the wound site). We now show that the fat stem cells are responsible for protecting us. That was totally unexpected. It was not known that adipocytes could produce antimicrobials, let alone that they make almost as much as a neutrophil."

The human body's defense against microbial infection is complex, multi-tiered and involves numerous cell types, culminating in the arrival of neutrophils and monocytes - specialized cells that literally devour targeted pathogens.

Skin graphic image via Shutterstock.

Read more at EurekAlert.

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The good role fat cells play in protecting us from disease

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