ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX) today reported financial results for the first quarter ended June 30, 2014 and highlighted recent corporate accomplishments.

We are pleased with our success to date in building toward our goal of developing both near-term commercial applications of our technologies and maintaining our focus on the power of pluripotent stem cells to create innovative human therapeutics, said Dr. Michael D. West, BioTimes Chief Executive Officer. Near-term product development underway includes our subsidiary OncoCyte Corporations three cancer diagnostic products undergoing clinical studies, mobile health product development in our subsidiary LifeMap Solutions, Inc., our Renevia pivotal clinical trial in Europe, steps to prepare for the marketing of our recently FDA-cleared wound healing product Premvia, and growing research product sales by our ESI BIO division.

BioTimes longer-term major therapeutic product opportunities are based on the broad range of cell-based regenerative therapies planned for development from its pluripotent stem cell technology platform. This platform is protected by over 600 patents and patent applications worldwide within the BioTime family of companies. Our subsidiary Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. has submitted an amended IND to the FDA for a Phase 1/2a clinical trial of AST-OPC1 for the treatment of cervical spinal cord injury and is currently awaiting clearance from the FDA for that trial. Asterias is also currently undertaking process development of AST-VAC2, a cancer immunotherapy targeting the important antigen called telomerase, for a potential clinical trial in lung cancer. This progress, along with the appointment of Pedro Lichtinger as Asterias CEO and the award of a $14 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, should fuel the development of these first-in-class therapeutic products. Recently, Asterias shares began to trade publicly under the symbol ASTYV, the first of our subsidiaries to have its shares trade publicly. Lastly, we expect that BioTimes subsidiary Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd. will soon file its IND to begin a clinical trial of OpRegen for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration. Additional important cell-based product development is underway in our disease-focused subsidiaries OrthoCyte Corporation and ReCyte Therapeutics.

As we saw in the first quarter of this year, our expenses have risen compared to recent quarters, but our progress during the second quarter in streamlining our workforce through shared core resources among our subsidiaries should reduce our cash burn rate in the third quarter. We would like to thank those who share our goal of better health in the coming era of regenerative medicine. Their continued support and the diligent efforts of our collaborators at leading academic medical institutions is critical in advancing our products from the lab bench to the clinic, where they are desperately needed.

Second Quarter and Recent Highlighted Corporate Accomplishments

Financial Results

Revenue

For the six months ended June 30, 2014, on a consolidated basis, total revenue was $2.2 million, up $0.3 million or 19% from $1.8 million for the same period one year ago. The increase in revenue is primarily attributable to a $0.4 million increase in grant income primarily from a grant awarded to BioTimes subsidiary Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd. (Cell Cure Neurosciences) from Israels Office of the Chief Scientist, offset in part by the decline in license fees of $0.1M primarily due to full recognition of the unamortized balance of the Summit license fees received in advance during the fourth quarter of 2013 as a result of the termination of our license agreements with Summit in 2013.

Expenses

Operating expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2014 were $26.0 million, compared to expenses of $18.0 million for the same period of 2013. The increase in operating expenses is primarily attributable to an increase in staffing, and the expansion of research and development efforts, including additional expenses in the Renevia clinical safety trial program, the development of OpRegen by BioTimes subsidiary Cell Cure Neurosciences for the treatment of dry age related macular degeneration, and the increased staffing and operations of Asterias in connection with the Geron stem cell asset acquisition and by LifeMap Solutions. In addition, during the first six months in 2014, operating expenses included $1.5 million of amortization expense of intangible assets recorded in connection with the Geron stem cell asset acquisition in October 2013.

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BioTime Announces Second Quarter 2014 Results and Recent Developments

In a boon to stem cell research and regenerative medicine, scientists at Boston Children's Hospital, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Boston University have created a computer algorithm called CellNet as a "roadmap" for cell and tissue engineering, to ensure that cells engineered in the lab have the same favorable properties as cells in our own bodies. CellNet and its application to stem cell engineering are described in two back-to-back papers in the August 14 issue of the journal Cell.

Scientists around the world are engaged in culturing pluripotent stem cells (capable of forming all the body's tissues) and transforming them into specialized cell types for use in research and regenerative medicine. Available as an Internet resource for any scientist to use, CellNet provides a much needed "quality assurance" measure for this work.

The two papers also clarify uncertainty around which methods are best for stem cell engineering, and should advance the use of cells derived from patient tissues to model disease, test potential drugs and use as treatments. For example, using CellNet, one of the studies unexpectedly found that skin cells can be converted into intestinal cells that were able to reverse colitis in a mouse model.

"To date, there has been no systematic means of assessing the fidelity of cellular engineering -- to determine how closely cells made in a petri dish approximate natural tissues in the body," says George Q. Daley, MD, PhD, Director of the Stem Cell Transplantation Program at Boston Children's and senior investigator on both studies. "CellNet was developed to assess the quality of engineered cells and to identify ways to improve their performance."

Gene Signatures

CellNet applies network biology to discover the complex network of genes that are turned on or off in an engineered cell, known as the cell's Gene Regulatory Network or GRN. It then compares that network to the cell's real-life counterpart in the body, as determined from public genome databases. Through this comparison, researchers can rigorously and reliably assess:

"CellNet will also be a powerful tool to advance synthetic biology -- to engineer cells for specific medical applications," says James Collins, PhD, Core Faculty member at the Wyss Institute and the William F. Warren Distinguished Professor at Boston University, co-senior investigator on one of the studies.

Putting CellNet to the Test

The researchers -- including co-first authors Patrick Cahan, PhD and Samantha Morris, PhD, of Boston Children's, and Hu Li, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic, first used CellNet to assess the quality of eight kinds of cells created in 56 published studies.

In a second study, they applied CellNet's teachings to a recurring question in stem cell biology: Is it feasible to directly convert one specialized cell type to another, bypassing the laborious process of first creating an iPS cell? This study looked at two kinds of directly converted cells: liver cells made from skin cells, and macrophages made from B cells.

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Tissue development 'roadmap' created to guide stem cell medicine

Immunologist Nick Huntington. Photo: Getty Images/Paul Jeffers

The bodys natural killer cells, as their Hollywood-style name suggests, are key to the immune system. They are programmed to hunt out and destroy foreign and diseased cells. But they dont always identify their targets. When this happens, diseases such as cancer can set in.

But a team of researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research have worked out what the group of highly specialised killer cells need to function at their best. Its a protein called MCL-1.

Immunologist Nick Huntington said the protein was effectively a switch which could turn the killer cells on or off.

The discovery, outlined on Thursday in the journal Nature Communications, opens the way for new drug treatments to tame the spread of a range of diseases, including cancer.

It could also assist patients who undergo donor stem cell or bone marrow transplants - because by manipulating the killer cells switch, foreign bodies such as stem cells could go unchallenged by the bodys immune system.

"Its the only protein which does this in the cell, Dr Huntington said. It needs to be turned on for the cell to survive and when its turned off the cell will die.

While aware of the existence of the MCL-1 protein and its importance at a fundamental level, scientists were previously unaware of its role in natural killer cell function. With colleagues Priyanka Sathe and Rebecca Delconte, Dr Huntington established its role.

That knowledge will prove useful for the development of new drugs to treat cancers.

Potential benefits include reduced side effects from treatment, as the killer cells only target foreign, diseased or cancerous cells, unlike chemotherapy which targets healthy cells as well.

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Scientists discover killer cells' ''on switch''

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Newswise Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) give rise to all other blood cell types, but their development and how their fate is determined has long remained a mystery. In a paper published online this week in Nature, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine elaborate upon a crucial signaling pathway and the role of key proteins, which may help clear the way to generate HSCs from human pluripotent precursors, similar to advances with other kinds of tissue stem cells.

Principal investigator David Traver, PhD, professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and colleagues focused on the Notch signaling pathway, a system found in all animals and known to be critical to the generation of HSCs in vertebrates. Notch signaling between emitting and receiving cells is key to establishing HSC fate during development, said Traver. What has not been known is where, when and how Notch signal transduction is mediated.

Traver and colleagues discovered that the Notch signal is transduced into HSC precursor cells from signal emitting cells in the somite embryologic tissues that eventually contribute to development of major body structures, such as skeleton, muscle and connective tissues much earlier in the process than previously anticipated.

More specifically, they found that JAM proteins, best known for helping maintain tight junctions between endothelial cells to prevent vascular leakage, were key mediators of Notch signaling. When the researchers caused loss of function in JAM proteins in a zebrafish model, Notch signaling and HSCs were also lost. When they enforced Notch signaling through other means, HSC development was rescued.

To date, it has not been possible to generate HSCs de novo from human pluripotent precursors, like induced pluripotent stem cells, said Traver. This has been due in part to a lack of understanding of the complete set of factors that the embryo uses to make HSCs in vivo. It has also likely been due to not knowing in what order each required factor is needed.

Our studies demonstrate that Notch signaling is required much earlier than previously thought. In fact, it may be one of the earliest determinants of HSC fate. This finding strongly suggests that in vitro approaches to instruct HSC fate from induced pluripotent stem cells must focus on the Notch pathway at early time-points in the process. Our findings have also shown that JAM proteins serve as a sort of co-receptor for Notch signaling in that they are required to maintain close contact between signal-emitting and signal-receiving cells to permit strong activation of Notch in the precursors of HSCs.

The findings may have far-reaching implications for eventual development of hematopoietic stem cell-based therapies for diseases like leukemia and congenital blood disorders. Currently, it is not possible to create HSCs from differentiation of embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells pluripotent cells artificially derived from non-pluripotent cells, such as skin cells that are being used in other therapeutic research efforts.

Co-authors include Isao Kobayashi, Jingjing Kobayashi-Sun, Albert D. Kim and Claire Pouget, UC San Diego Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine; Naonobu Fujita, UC San Diego Section of Cell and Developmental Biology; and Toshio Suda, Keio University, Japan.

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New Blood: Tracing the Beginnings of Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Aug 13, 2014 Growing stem cells in conditions free of animal material makes them safe for use in humans. Credit: Eraxion/iStock/Thinkstock

Human stem cells produced through genetic reprogramming are beset by safety concerns because current techniques alter the DNA of the stem cells and use material from animals to grow them. Now, A*STAR researchers have developed an efficient approach that produces safe, patient-specific human stem cells.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells have the potential to treat a number of diseases without the ethical issues associated with embryonic stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells can be produced from adult cells by introducing genes that reprogram them. Typically, the stem cells are grown on a layer of mouse cells in solutions (known as media) that contain animal proteinsand therefore, potentially may also carry disease. For such stem cells to be safe for use in humans, they need to be grown in 'xeno-free' conditions, which are devoid of material from other animals.

Andrew Wan and Hong Fang Lu at the A*STAR Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore and colleagues set out to develop a new xeno-free system. The researchers carried out the genetic reprogramming of cells on an artificially produced protein substrate rather than mouse cells. They also used media that contained no animal components. The result was more efficient reprogramming than seen with conventional approaches.

"A xeno-free system will eliminate the risk of disease transmission from other species, which is important for regulatory approval," explains Wan. "Yet there have been few studies on cell reprogramming under totally xeno-free conditions."

The researchers went one step further by addressing the problem of cells acquiring alterations to their DNA during reprogramming.

"Incorporation of transgenes into the genome of the cell poses another safety issue, risking unwanted genetic alterations," explains Lu. "In our work, the transgenes were introduced to initiate the reprogramming, but after this they were removed from the cell, leading to transgene-free stem cells."

The researchers demonstrated that after genetic reprogramming and the removal of the added genes, the stem cells could still develop into different cells types. They were even able to induce them to form dopaminergic neurons, the type that degenerates in Parkinson's disease. The conditions in which the stem cells were grown mean that they are suitable for clinical use and can be derived from a patient's own cells, ensuring complete compatibility.

"Regulatory approval for clinical application of stem cells largely depends on the conditions in which the stem cells are derived," says Wan. "We present a workable protocol for the reprogramming of fibroblasts to stem cells that minimizes any potential safety risks."

Explore further: Discovery may make it easier to develop life-saving stem cells

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Animal-free reprogramming of adult cells improves safety

TO SOME people, the term stem cell may seem kind of taboo. I personally would not want something from animals injected into my system. But Im okay with non-invasive treatments, so I was interested to try out a plant-based stem cell facial.

After cleansing and toning, cotton pads moistened with a clear solution were laid on my eyelids to protect them from a three-minute steaming session. This was followed by a special tool called a scrubber that kind of looks like a computer mouse, but helps to remove dead skin cells and unblock pores without using the rather painful pricking tool.

Next, a rejuvenating gel was applied, followed by the plant-derived stem cell formula. A unique cooling machine was used to massage it into the skin for 10 minutes. Using this machine for cold electrophoresis helps the skin absorb serums and vitamins, without having to use injections. This was great for someone like me, who is wary of invasive treatments. The cooling machine feels like having an ice-cold metal ball massaged on the face; very invigorating, indeed.

Just when I thought my skin already got a lot of pampering, the stem cell was followed by a face mask full of natural vitamins. While it penetrated into my skin, I was given an arm and foot massage, which was nice for further relaxation.

With my combination skin, I looked pretty greasy right afterwards. When I woke up the next day, I didnt see a visible difference in my skin, but it was very smooth and supple to the touch. You may not see instant results with a treatment like this, but its a good treatment to maintain radiance, softness and hydration from beneath the surface of the skin.

This type of facial is not recommended for those with oily or acne-prone skin because the added oiliness may exacerbate problems, but it is ideal for those with dry or mature skin, as it is deeply nourishing and moisturizing. After the first treatment or over time, depending on the condition of your skin, stem cell diminishes fine lines, prevents wrinkles, and promotes cell renewal (a process that slows with age) to give that glowing look that signifies healthy, youthful skin.

I tried out the stem cell facial at Lohas skin and slimming center on Paseo Saturnino, Banilad. Its a more upscale experience here with your own room, as opposed to being in one large room with dividers, in case privacy is an issue for you. All of their machines and products are brought in from Korea and their staff, like my therapist Jennylyn, are highly knowledgeable and know just how much pressure to apply during the treatment. The service, facilities and products used add up to a luxurious treatment session that makes one feel very pampered.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on August 15, 2014.

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Trying out a stem cell facial

A cure for a range of blood disorders and immune diseases is in sight, according to scientists who have unravelled the mystery of stem cell generation.

The Australian study, led by researchers at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) at Monash University and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, is published today in Nature. It identifies for the first time mechanisms in the body that trigger hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) production.

Found in the bone marrow and in umbilical cord blood, HSCs are critically important because they can replenish the body's supply of blood cells. Leukemia patients have been successfully treated using HSC transplants, but medical experts believe blood stem cells have the potential to be used more widely.

Lead researcher Professor Peter Currie, from ARMI explained that understanding how HSCs self-renew to replenish blood cells is a "Holy Grail" of stem cell biology.

"HSCs are one of the best therapeutic tools at our disposal because they can make any blood cell in the body. Potentially we could use these cells in many more ways than current transplantation strategies to treat serious blood disorders and diseases, but only if we can figure out how they are generated in the first place. Our study brings this possibility a step closer," he said.

A key stumbling block to using HSCs more widely has been an inability to produce them in the laboratory setting. The reason for this, suggested from previous research, is that a molecular 'switch' may also be necessary for HSC formation, though the mechanism responsible has remained a mystery, until now.

In this latest study, ARMI researchers observed cells in the developing zebra fish -- a tropical freshwater fish known for its regenerative abilities and optically clear embryos -- to gather new information on the signalling process responsible for HSC generation.

Using high-resolution microscopy researchers made a film of how these stem cells form inside the embryo, which captured the process of their formation in dramatic detail.

Professor Currie said when playing back these films they noticed that HSCs require a "buddy" cell type to help them form. These "buddies," known as endotome cells, have stem cell inducing properties,

"Endotome cells act like a comfy sofa for pre HSCs to snuggle into, helping them progress to become fully fledged stem cells. Not only did we identify some of the cells and signals required for HSC formation, we also pinpointed the genes required for endotome formation in the first place," Professor Currie said.

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Cell discovery brings blood disorder cure closer

Australian scientists studying zebrafish have stumbled upon what they say is one of the most significant discoveries in stem cell research.

In research published on Thursday in the journal Nature, the Monash University scientists revealed that they uncovered how one of the most important stem cells in blood and bone marrow, the haematopoietic stem cell (HSC), is formed.

Professor Peter Currie, from Monash University's Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, said the discovery brought researchers closer to growing HSCs in a lab.

"HSCs are the basis of bone marrow transplantations as a therapy, so when a leukaemia patient receives bone marrow, it's really these HSCs that do the heavy lifting," Professor Currie said.

"So when clinicians do bone marrow transplants, they need to find a matching donor recipients and we know that's a hit-or-miss procedure.

"So for many years people have been trying to make HSCs in the dish, and they've had very little success in doing this."

Professor Currie, who led the study, said the discovery brought scientists much closer to achieving that aim.

"It's the discovery of a completely new cell type that basically is required to give instructions to the HSC to make it become what it needs to become," he said.

"It means we now understand how HSC form in the body better, we can use that information to try to grow these cells in the dish and we hope that will lead to better treatment for people with leukaemia and blood disorders."

Professor Currie said he specialises in muscle stem cell biology and accidentally came across the discovery while studying muscle stem cells in zebrafish.

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Stem cell discovery: Australian scientists make significant find while studying zebrafish

The UC San Diego Health System put out a call Monday for eight spinal cord injury patients to take part in a five-year test of the safety of a new treatment involving neural stem cells.

The researchers are looking for people who suffered an injury to the middle or lower levels of the spine's thoracic vertebrae between one and two years ago. According to UCSD, the injury must be between the seventh and 12th thoracic vertebrae.

"The goal of this study is to evaluate the safety of transplanting neural stem cells into the spine for what one day could be a treatment for spinal cord injuries," said Dr. Joseph Ciacci, the study's principal investigator and a neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health System. "The study's immediate goal, however, is to determine whether injecting these neural stem cells into the spine of patients with spinal cord injury is safe."

The doctors also want to know how long the transplanted stem cells will last, and whether drugs designed to prevent rejection by the immune system are effective, according to UCSD Health.

The researchers will also look for possible changes in motor and sensory function, bowel and bladder function, and pain levels.

The stem cells were tested in laboratory rats by Ciacci and Dr. Martin Marsala, of the UC San Diego School of Medicine. They detected signs of improved motor function with minimal side effects. The cells have also been tested for safety in human patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease.

UCSD cautioned prospective test subjects that since human tests are just beginning, unforeseen risks, complications or unpredictable outcomes are possible.

The clinical trial at UC San Diego Health System is funded by Neuralstem Inc. and was launched and supported by the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center. The center was recently created to "advance leading-edge stem cell medicine and science, protect and counsel patients, and accelerate innovative stem cell research into patient diagnostics and therapy," according to UCSD.

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UCSD Looking For Spinal Cord Injury Patients To Test Stem Cell Treatment

HOT SPRINGS | A new proposal to not only save but also enhance the Veterans Affairs hospital in Hot Springs surfaced Monday, and would add not only a medical college but also a medical research component involving the use of stem cells to the facility.

The idea, put forward by an Iowa-based, non-profit corporation, would also be built around treating patients with regenerative therapy, which helps skin grow back.

Bob Krause, president of Veterans National Recover Center, was joined by surgeon Don Swift in Hot Springs to presented the proposal at a press conference Monday morning. Their multi-pronged plan has been submitted for consideration to the VA Black Hills Health Care Systems Environmental Impact Statement.

Our proposal has three main areas, Krause told the small audience that attended the press conference. First, the creation of Battle Mountain College, for the training of doctors in the discipline of osteopathic medicine. Krause noted that by having the additional training, a major first hurdle in the BHHCS proposal to close the Hot Springsan inability to draw doctors to the area would be addressed.

We would also build the Battle Mountain Research Institute, for further research into the regenerative therapies, along with the Battle Mountain Clinic to treat those veterans and others who require this cutting-edge treatment, Krause said.

He added that the proposal stipulated that it is to be considered in its entirety and that if the VA medical center should close, everything is off the table. This proposal is not mutually exclusive of the one presented by Save the VA, he said of the Hot Springs-area group that is fighting to save the hospital from closure by the federal government.

Krause and Swift said that the technology, which was created in Switzerland by the military and is awaiting FDA approval in the United States, utilizes regenerative or restorative cells created from fetal stem cells to jump-start a patients ability to regenerate skin tissue. After the patients own skin begins to grow, the regenerative cells die, Krause said.

He said that submitting the new proposal through the EIS process was important, since the research would need to be conducted on federal property because South Dakota law does not allow stem cell research at this time.

Swift noted that an important part to the regenerative therapy process was access to mineral water to help hydrate the tissue and fight infection. Such water can be found in Hot Springs.

In response to a question, Krause said that he understands that there is a question involving fetal stem cell research. But what is the greater good? he asked. Do we overlook a veteran who has experienced having all of his skin burned away by an [explosion], instead of developing that single cell that could help? Are you going to walk away from that cell?

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New idea for VA would bring an educational focus

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Newswise LOS ANGELES (Aug. 12, 2014) Regenerative medicine experts at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have opened a new clinic to evaluate heart and vascular disease patients for participation in stem cell medical studies.

Led by Eduardo Marbn, MD, PhD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, and Timothy Henry, MD, director of the Heart Institutes Cardiology Division, the doctors and researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute Regenerative Medicine Clinic use a scientific approach to assess the possible benefits of stem cells to repair damaged or diseased cardiovascular tissues. The clinic is believed to be the first at a major U.S. academic medical center dedicated to matching patients with appropriate stem cell clinical trials, whether those research interventions are available at the medical center or at other institutions.

The Heart Institute Regenerative Medicine Clinic offers consultative services for patients with heart and vascular disease who may qualify for investigative stem cell therapy. The goal is to provide research options to patients who remain symptomatic on their current management regimen, or for patients with stable heart disease who are concerned about disease progression.

Over the past decade, medical experts have predicted that in the future, stem cell therapies would transform heart disease treatment and save lives, said Shlomo Melmed, MD, dean of the Cedars-Sinai faculty and the Helene A. and Philip E. Hixon Distinguished Chair in Investigative Medicine. At Cedars-Sinai, we have a track record of successfully directing cardiac stem cell studies as well as transferring innovations from the laboratory to the patient bedside.

In 2009, Marbn and his team completed the worlds first procedure in which a patients own heart tissue was used to grow specialized heart stem cells. The specialized cells were then injected back into the patients heart in an effort to repair and re-grow healthy muscle in a heart that had been injured by a heart attack. Results, published in The Lancet in 2012, showed that one year after receiving the stem cell treatment, heart attack patients demonstrated a significant reduction in the size of the scar left on the heart muscle after a heart attack.

Henry has served as principal investigator of multiple large, multicenter trials in acute coronary syndromes, myocardial infarction and angiogenesis, including several ongoing cardiovascular stem cell trials. He also is principal investigator for one of seven NIH Clinical Cardiovascular Stem Cell Centers.

Our goal is to help make stem cells a regular treatment option for heart disease, Henry said. Right now, many patients with advanced heart disease have limited treatment options. Stem cells offer not only hope but a real chance of a game-changing treatment.

As part of each patients assessment in the Heart Regenerative Medicine Clinic, physicians will evaluate patients interested in participating in stem cell clinical trials at Cedars-Sinai and, for patients willing to travel at other medical institutions across the nation. For patients willing to travel to participate in research, Cedars-Sinai physicians will work closely with investigators at other centers to expedite referrals and seamlessly transfer all relevant medical records.

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Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute Opens First-of-its-Kind Research Stem Cell Clinic for Cardiac Patients

SAN DIEGO The UC San Diego Health System put out a call Monday for eight spinal cord injury patients to take part in a five-year test of the safety of a new treatment involving neural stem cells.

The researchers are looking for people who suffered an injury to the middle or lower levels of the spines thoracic vertebrae between one and two years ago. According to UCSD, the injury must be between the seventh and 12th thoracic vertebrae.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the safety of transplanting neural stem cells into the spine for what one day could be a treatment for spinal cord injuries, said Dr. Joseph Ciacci, the studys principal investigator and a neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health System. The studys immediate goal, however, is to determine whetherinjecting these neural stem cells into the spine of patients with spinal cord injury is safe.

The doctors also want to know how long the transplanted stem cells will last, and whether drugs designed to prevent rejection by the immune system are effective, according to UCSD Health.

The researchers will also look for possible changes in motor and sensory function, bowel and bladder function, and pain levels.

The stem cells were tested in laboratory rats by Ciacci and Dr. Martin Marsala, of the UC San Diego School of Medicine. They detected signs of improved motor function with minimal side effects. The cells have also been tested for safety in human patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrigs Disease.

UCSD cautioned prospective test subjects that since human tests are just beginning, unforeseen risks, complications or unpredictable outcomes are possible.

The clinical trial at UC San Diego Health System is funded by Neuralstem Inc. and was launched and supported by the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center. The center was recently created to advance leading-edge stem cell medicine and science, protect and counsel patients, and accelerate innovative stem cell research into patient diagnostics and therapy, according to UCSD.

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Spinal injury patients needed for stem cell treatment study

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The UC San Diego Health System put out a call Monday for eight spinal cord injury patients to take part in a five-year test of the safety of a new treatment involving neural stem cells.

The researchers are looking for people who suffered an injury to the middle or lower levels of the spine's thoracic vertebrae between one and two years ago. According to UCSD, the injury must be between the seventh and 12th thoracic vertebrae.

"The goal of this study is to evaluate the safety of transplanting neural stem cells into the spine for what one day could be a treatment for spinal cord injuries," said Dr. Joseph Ciacci, the study's principal investigator and a neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health System. "The study's immediate goal, however, is to determine whether injecting these neural stem cells into the spine of patients with spinal cord injury is safe."

The doctors also want to know how long the transplanted stem cells will last, and whether drugs designed to prevent rejection by the immune system are effective, according to UCSD Health.

The researchers will also look for possible changes in motor and sensory function, bowel and bladder function, and pain levels.

The stem cells were tested in laboratory rats by Ciacci and Dr. Martin Marsala, of the UC San Diego School of Medicine. They detected signs of improved motor function with minimal side effects. The cells have also been tested for safety in human patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease.

UCSD cautioned prospective test subjects that since human tests are just beginning, unforeseen risks, complications or unpredictable outcomes are possible.

The clinical trial at UC San Diego Health System is funded by Neuralstem Inc. and was launched and supported by the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center. The center was recently created to "advance leading-edge stem cell medicine and science, protect and counsel patients, and accelerate innovative stem cell research into patient diagnostics and therapy," according to UCSD.

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UCSD test calls for spinal cord injury patients

Infusing stem cells into the brain may help boost recovery after a stroke, according to a pilot study by Imperial College London.

Scientists believe the cells encourage new blood vessels to grow in damaged areas of the brain.

They found most patients were able to walk and look after themselves independently by the end of the trial, despite having suffered severe strokes.

Larger studies are needed to evaluate whether this could be used more widely.

In this early trial - designed primarily to look at the safety of this approach - researchers harvested stem cells from the bone marrow of five people who had recently had a stroke.

'Independent living'

They isolated particular types of stem cells - known as CD34+. These have the ability to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels.

They were infused directly into damaged sections of the brain, via the major artery that supplies this area.

Scientists monitored the patients for six months, charting their ability to carry out everyday activities independently.

Four of the five patients had suffered particularly severe strokes - resulting in the loss of speech and marked paralysis down one side of the body.

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'Stem Cells Show Promise In Stroke Recovery'

17 hours ago The red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) is native to the southeastern United States. This species is a popular model organism for studies of the nervous system, and has been used to study fundamental mechanisms involved in the production of new neurons in the adult brain. Credit: Jeanne Benton

Researchers have strived for years to determine how neurons are produced and integrated into the brain throughout adult life. In an intriguing twist, scientists reporting in the August 11 issue of the Cell Press journal Developmental Cell provide evidence that adult-born neurons are derived from a special type of circulating blood cell produced by the immune system. The findingswhich were made in crayfishsuggest that the immune system may contribute to the development of the unknown role of certain brain diseases in the development of brain and other tissues.

In many adult organisms, including humans, neurons in some parts of the brain are continually replenished. While this process is critical for ongoing health, dysfunctions in the production of new neurons may also contribute to several neurological diseases, including clinical depression and some neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Barbara Beltz of Wellesley College and her colleagues studied crayfish to understand how new neurons are made in adult organisms. When they marked the cells of one crayfish and used this animal as a blood donor for transfusions into another crayfish, the researchers found that the donor blood cells could generate neurons in the recipient.

"These blood cellscalled hemocyteshave functions similar to certain white blood cells in mammals and are produced by the immune system in a blood-forming organ that is functionally analogous to bone marrow," explains Dr. Beltz. "When these cells are released into the circulation, they are attracted to a specialized region in the brain where stem cells divide, and their descendants develop into functional neurons."

The current work demonstrates that the immune system can produce cells with stem cell properties that can give rise to different types of cells, including both hemocytes and nerve cells. "Our findings in crayfish indicate that the immune system is intimately tied to mechanisms of adult neurogenesis, suggesting a much closer relationship between the immune system and nervous system than has been previously appreciated," says co-author Dr. Irene Sderhll, of Uppsala University in Sweden. The flexibility of these immune cells in producing neurons in adult animals raises the intriguing possibility of the presence of similar types of flexibility in other animals. If further studies demonstrated a similar relationship between the immune system and brain in mammals, the findings would stimulate a new area of research into immune therapies to target neurological diseases.

Explore further: New discovery on early immune system development

More information: Developmental Cell, Benton et al.: "Cells from the immune system generate adult-born neurons in crayfish." http://www.cell.com/developmental-cel 1534-5807(14)00405-5

Journal reference: Developmental Cell

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Researchers at Lund University have shed light on how and when the immune system is formed, raising hope of better understanding various diseases in children, such as leukaemia.

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Blood cells are new, unexpected source of neurons in crayfish

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Newswise Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have launched a clinical trial to investigate the safety of neural stem cell transplantation in patients with chronic spinal cord injuries. This Phase I clinical trial is recruiting eight patients for the 5-year study.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the safety of transplanting neural stem cells into the spine for what one day could be a treatment for spinal cord injuries, said Joseph Ciacci, MD, principal investigator and neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health System. The studys immediate goal, however, is to determine whether injecting these neural stem cells into the spine of patients with spinal cord injury is safe.

Related goals of the clinical trial include evaluating the stem cell grafts survival and the effectiveness of immunosuppression drugs to prevent rejection. The researchers will also look for possible therapeutic benefits such as changes in motor and sensory function, bowel and bladder function, and pain levels.

Patients who are accepted for the study will have spinal cord injury to the T7-T12 level of the spines vertebrae and will have incurred their injury between one and two years ago.

All participants will receive the stem cell injection. The scientists will use a line of human stem cells approved by the U.S. FDA for human trials in patients with chronic traumatic spinal injuries. These cells were previously tested for safety in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Since stem cell transplantation for spinal cord injury is just beginning clinical tests, unforeseen risks, complications or unpredictable outcomes are possible. Careful clinical testing is essential to ensure that this type of therapy is developed responsibly with appropriate management of the risks that all medical therapies may present.

Pre-clinical studies of these cells by Ciacci and Martin Marsala, MD, at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, showed that these grafted neural stem cells improved motor function in spinal cord injured rats with minimal side effects indicating that human clinical trials are now warranted.

This clinical trial at UC San Diego Health System is funded by Neuralstem, Inc. and was launched and supported by the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center. The Center was recently created to advance leading-edge stem cell medicine and science, protect and counsel patients, and accelerate innovative stem cell research into patient diagnostics and therapy.

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Clinical Trial Evaluates Safety of Stem Cell Transplantation in Spine

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Newswise Blood stem cells have the potential to turn into any type of blood cell, whether it be the oxygen-carrying red blood cells, or the immune systems many types of white blood cells that help fight infection. How exactly is the fate of these stem cells regulated? Preliminary findings from research conducted by scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Hebrew University are starting to reshape the conventional understanding of the way blood stem cell fate decisions are controlled, thanks to a new technique for epigenetic analysis they have developed. Understanding epigenetic mechanisms (environmental influences other than genetics) of cell fate could lead to the deciphering of the molecular mechanisms of many diseases, including immunological disorders, anemia, leukemia, and many more. It also lends strong support to findings that environmental factors and lifestyle play a more prominent role in shaping our destiny than previously realized.

The process of differentiation in which a stem cell becomes a specialized mature cell is controlled by a cascade of events in which specific genes are turned on and off in a highly regulated and accurate order. The instructions for this process are contained within the DNA itself in short regulatory sequences. These regulatory regions are normally in a closed state, masked by special proteins called histones to ensure against unwarranted activation. Therefore, to access and activate the instructions, this DNA mask needs to be opened by epigenetic modifications of the histones so it can be read by the necessary machinery.

In a paper published in Science, Dr. Ido Amit and David Lara-Astiaso of the Weizmann Institutes Department of Immunology, along with Prof. Nir Friedman and Assaf Weiner of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, charted for the first time histone dynamics during blood development. Thanks to the new technique for epigenetic profiling they developed, in which just a handful of cells as few as 500 can be sampled and analyzed accurately, they have identified the exact DNA sequences, as well as the various regulatory proteins, that are involved in regulating the process of blood stem cell fate.

Their research has also yielded unexpected results: As many as 50% of these regulatory sequences are established and opened during intermediate stages of cell development. This means that epigenetics is active at stages in which it had been thought that cell destiny was already set. This changes our whole understanding of the process of blood stem cell fate decisions, says Lara-Astiaso, suggesting that the process is more dynamic and flexible than previously thought.

Although this research was conducted on mouse blood stem cells, the scientists believe that the mechanism may hold true for other types of cells. This research creates a lot of excitement in the field, as it sets the groundwork to study these regulatory elements in humans, says Weiner.

Discovering the exact regulatory DNA sequence controlling stem cell fate, as well as understanding its mechanism, holds promise for the future development of diagnostic tools, personalized medicine, potential therapeutic and nutritional interventions, and perhaps even regenerative medicine, in which committed cells could be reprogrammed to their full stem cell potential.

Dr. Ido Amits research is supported by the M.D. Moross Institute for Cancer Research; the J&R Center for Scientific Research; the Jeanne and Joseph Nissim Foundation for Life Sciences Research; the Abramson Family Center for Young Scientists; the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust; the Abisch Frenkel Foundation for the Promotion of Life Sciences; the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust; Sam Revusky, Canada; the Florence Blau, Morris Blau and Rose Peterson Fund; the estate of Ernst and Anni Deutsch; the estate of Irwin Mandel; and the estate of David Levinson. Dr. Amit is the incumbent of the Alan and Laraine Fischer Career Development Chair.

The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world's top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. Noted for its wide-ranging exploration of the natural and exact sciences, the Institute is home to scientists, students, technicians, and supporting staff. Institute research efforts include the search for new ways of fighting disease and hunger, examining leading questions in mathematics and computer science, probing the physics of matter and the universe, creating novel materials, and developing new strategies for protecting the environment.

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Beyond DNA: Epigenetics Plays Large Role in Blood Formation

(PRWEB UK) 11 August 2014

BioEden the specialist tooth stem cell bank calls for a more intelligent approach, transparency and public education regarding stem cell banking.

"The public needs to be made aware that the success of stem cell medicine is largely dependant on the right material being available at the right time," says Tony Veverka Group CEO of the rapidly expanding specialist bank.

"With 1 in 3 people predicted to use stem cell therapy within their lifetime people need to know what their choices are at a time when they are able to do something about it, for example obtaining stem cells from their childrens naturally shed baby teeth."

BioEden pioneered the banking of stem cells from childrens baby teeth in 2006 in Austin Texas, and now operates in 21 countries.

BioEden says its unique process has many advantages over other forms and sources of stem cells, and eliminates the costly and painful process of getting stem cells from bone marrow for example.

The BioEden process is patent protected and offers the most natural form of stem cell banking that exists today.

"It is nonsense to say that a dental surgeon needs to extract a childs baby tooth in order to get the best result. The tooth falls out naturally and providing the stem cell bank offers quality transportation and processing, not even dental intervention is required," says Mr Veverka.

There are significant advantages in banking stem cells from teeth over cord blood for example, including the potential for a much wider therapeutic application, its non-invasive, not limited to the number of cells such as with cord blood during the birthing process, and is the least expensive form of private banking there is.

Banking your child's cells is the only way of ensuring a perfect stem cell match, eliminating the emotional distress caused when no match can be found.

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BioEden calls for transparancy and education on stem cell availability

Beverly Hills, California (PRWEB) August 11, 2014

Nationally recognized Beverly Hills orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Raj, is now offering stem cell procedures to help patients avoid the need for surgery. This may include joint replacement along with tendon or ligament surgery. For more information on stem cell therapy and scheduling at the Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute, call (310) 247-0466.

As the benefit of stem cells for repair and regeneration of human tissue has evolved, the opportunity to avoid surgery has too. This includes those with cartilage degeneration, tendonitis and ligament injury. Dr. Raj has been a pioneer in bringing stem cell therapies to the forefront, and is now offering the procedures to all patients.

According to Celebrity Fitness Expert Dr. Raj, a nationally recognized Double Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon at the Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute, stem cell injections are being used to heal conditions that used to require surgery. Dr. Raj has been featured on The Doctors, SPIKE TV, NBC, CBS, Martha Stewart Living Radio, Beverly Hills Times and has been named Best of LA by KCAL 9 as well we making Americas Top Orthopedics List in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011.

Dr. Raj explains that stem cells have started a medical revolution and have altered the way doctors approach treatment. Stem cells help to regenerate the damaged cartilage within a joint and allow patients to take a more conservative route, adds Dr. Raj. Surgery should be a last case scenario after all other options have been exhausted.

For those individuals suffering from joint arthritis of the hip, knee, shoulder or ankle, surgery is an elective decision with nonsurgical options that traditionally did not alter the course of arthritis. They have merely acted as a "band aid" for pain relief, but not effective at long term relief due to healing arthritis.

Stem cell therapy offers the opportunity for relief and increased activity, while staying out of the operating room. The procedures are outpatient and safe, with minimal risks involved.

For more information on the stem cell procedures provided with the top orthopedic doctor in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, call (310) 247-0466.

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Nationally Recognized Beverly Hills Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Raj, Now Offering Stem Cell Procedures to Help Patients ...

4 hours ago Cells grown on hydrogels of the same stiffness all display fat cell markers and deform the underlying matrix material the same way. Credit: Adam Engler, UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering

Bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego have proven that when it comes to guiding stem cells into a specific cell type, the stiffness of the extracellular matrix used to culture them really does matter. When placed in a dish of a very stiff material, or hydrogel, most stem cells become bone-like cells. By comparison, soft materials tend to steer stem cells into soft tissues such as neurons and fat cells. The research team, led by bioengineering professor Adam Engler, also found that a protein binding the stem cell to the hydrogel is not a factor in the differentiation of the stem cell as previously suggested. The protein layer is merely an adhesive, the team reported Aug. 10 in the advance online edition of the journal Nature Materials.

Their findings affirm Engler's prior work on the relationship between matrix stiffness and stem cell differentiations.

"What's remarkable is that you can see that the cells have made the first decisions to become bone cells, with just this one cue. That's why this is important for tissue engineering," said Engler, a professor at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.

Engler's team, which includes bioengineering graduate student researchers Ludovic Vincent and Jessica Wen, found that the stem cell differentiation is a response to the mechanical deformation of the hydrogel from the force exerted by the cell. In a series of experiments, the team found that this happens whether the protein tethering the cell to the matrix is tight, loose or nonexistent. To illustrate the concept, Vincent described the pores in the matrix as holes in a sponge covered with ropes of protein fibers. Imagine that a rope is draped over a number of these holes, tethered loosely with only a few anchors or tightly with many anchors. Across multiple samples using a stiff matrix, while varying the degree of tethering, the researchers found no difference in the rate at which stem cells showed signs of turning into bone-like cells. The team also found that the size of the pores in the matrix also had no effect on the differentiation of the stem cells as long as the stiffness of the hydrogel remained the same.

"We made the stiffness the same and changed how the protein is presented to the cells (by varying the size of the pores and tethering) and ask whether or not the cells change their behavior," Vincent said. "Do they respond only to the stiffness? Neither the tethering nor the pore size changed the cells."

"We're only giving them one cue out of dozens that are important in stem cell differentiation," said Engler. "That doesn't mean the other cues are irrelevant; they may still push the cells into a specific cell type. We have just ruled out porosity and tethering, and further emphasized stiffness in this process."

Explore further: Researchers find stem cells remember prior substrates

More information: Interplay of matrix stiffness and protein tethering in stem cell differentiation, Nature Materials, DOI: 10.1038/nmat4051

(Phys.org) A team of researchers working at the University of Colorado has found that human stem cells appear to remember the physical nature of the structure they were grown on, after being moved to a ...

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Matrix stiffness is an essential tool in stem cell differentiation, bioengineers report