Child prodigy earns medical degree at age 21 – Detroit Free Press
By Dr. Matthew Watson
 The West Australian | Child prodigy earns medical degree at age 21 Detroit Free Press Sho Yano, who was reading at age 2, writing at 3 and composing music at 5, will graduate this week from the Pritzker School of Medicine, where he also received a Ph.D. in molecular genetics and cell biology, the Chicago Tribune reports. Child prodigy who licked college by 12 adds MD to his PhDMyFox Philadelphia |
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June 10th, 2012
Business-friendly Changes Proposed for Revenue Sharing by Stem Cell Agency
By Dr. Matthew Watson
The $3 billion California stem cell
agency, which hopes to generate income for the state through the sale
of stem cell therapies, is moving to make its profit-sharing rules
more friendly to business.
CIRM governing board.
has yet been commercialized. Its intellectual property regulations,
which determine payback criteria, were developed shortly after CIRM
was created in 2004. Ed Penhoet, one of the founders of
Chiron and now a venture capitalist, chaired the panel that worked
out the rules. He has since left the CIRM board.
rules in the case of a "blockbuster" therapy as "uneven"
and "lumpy." The memo said they "could be a
disincentive for the engagement of industry." Other rules were described as creating
"administrative challenges and uncertainty." The proposed changes, the memo said,
would address those issues and ensure a "comparable economic
return to California."
can take part in the discussion are located in San Francisco, La
Jolla, Los Angeles and Irvine. Specific addresses can be found on themeeting agenda.
full governing board and then into the state's administrative law
process before taking full effect.
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June 10th, 2012
Business Success Rate at Stem Cell Agency: Zero in Latest Round After 14 Fail
By Dr. Matthew Watson
California biotech companies chalked up
a zero in the latest funding round by the state's $3 billion stem
cell agency, although 14 tried to run a gauntlet that industry has
complained about for years.
translational research round went to 21 academic and nonprofit insitutions. No business received an award. One firm, Eclipse
Therapeutics of San Diego, appealed to the agency's governing board but was not successful despite having a higher scientific score
than at least two winners.
commercial enterprises – less than 4 percent of $1.4 billion handed
out so far – has been a matter of concern for some time for both
industry and some members of the CIRM governing board. Most
recently, industry executives complained at an April hearing of the
Institute of Medicine panel looking into CIRM's operations.
Even a 2010 review commissioned by CIRM said the agency needed to do
better by business.
simple matter of fairness or "good science," as CIRM
describes its funding goal. Without efforts by industry to turn
research into cures, CIRM will not be able to fulfill promises to
voters in 2004 when they approved creation of the stem cell agency.
CIRM last month approved a set of five-year goals that push more
aggressively for development of commercial products, but the goals
lacked such things as a financing round devoted solely to business
applicants.
applicants went through a three-step process, which is conducted
primarily behind closed doors. First came what CIRM calls
pre-applications. Those were reviewed by CIRM staff with the help of
outside advisors if necessary. Applicants who cleared that hurdle were allowed to apply for the full, peer-reviewed round. During that
process, the CIRM Grants Working Group reviews applications,
makes decisions and sends them to the full CIRM board for
ratification and possible changes. The board almost never has
rejected a grant approved by reviewers. But the board has ultimate
authority and sometimes funds applications that reviewers have
rejected. The applicants' names are withheld from the board and the
public during the process, although some of the board discussion and
the final vote is conducted in public. CIRM does not release the
names of rejected applicants unless they appeal.
pre-applications out of 167 were approved by staff, according to
CIRM. Thirty-eight came from nonprofits and academics out of the 153
such institutions that applied. Four out of 14 business
pre-applications advanced to full applications but none made the
final cut. All of the winning applications were linked to
institutions that have representatives on the CIRM governing board.
Those representatives are not allowed to vote on or take part in
discussion involving applications to their institutions.
grant review group is a scientific score. In last month's round,
scores of approved grants ranged from 88 to 53. However, eight grants
that were ranked above 53 were rejected by the board. One of those
higher-ranking applications came from San Diego's Eclipse
Therapeutics, which scored 58. The low-ranking grants were approved
for what CIRM describes as "programmatic" reasons.
California Stem Cell Report asked CIRM for figures on the
numbers of applications in the translational round, including those
for business. CIRM said the figures had not been compiled and would
not be available until after the awards were made on May 24. The
numbers were finally supplied yesterday.
their breakdown, is basic information that should be part of board's
decision-making process. The statistics should be routinely available
well in advance of the board's meeting. Indeed, the agency in its
earlier days used to routinely publish the figures. It may be now
that generating them is more time-consuming than necessary. The
recent performance evaluation of the agency said CIRM needs to make
major improvements in how it handles critical information needed for
its top management and board.
track record with business, the agency's directors should diligently
track industry's success rate on applications. If proposals ranked as
low as 53 are approved while higher ranking applications from
business are bypassed, it warrants more than cursory examination.
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June 10th, 2012
‘Ugly’ Stem Cell Headlines and a Stem Cell Essay Contest
By Dr. Matthew Watson
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June 10th, 2012
Two California Stem Cell Agency Directors Plump for Proposition 29
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Two directors of the $3 billion
California stem cell agency have popped up in the battle over the
anti-tobacco initiative on tomorrow's ballot in the Golden State.
Kristiina Vuori, who were the subjects of a column by Michael
Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times dealing with Proposition
29, the "Son of CIRM" measure that would raise
$800 million for research by increasing the price of cigarettes by $1
a pack. In addition to serving on the CIRM board, Lansing heads her
own anti-cancer foundation and is chair of the board of the UC
regents. Vuori is head of the Sanford-Burnham Institute in La
Jolla.
measure that created the stem cell agency. The organization established by Proposition 29 would also be governed by a board that is run by
representatives of organizations almost certain to receive the bulk
of the funding, as is the case with CIRM.
Vuori said the Times and Hiltzik had fallen for "a smokescreen"
put up by tobacco companies which are spending something in the
neighborhood of $40 million to defeat the initiative. Lansing and
Vuori said the measure is needed to stop smoking by young people as
well as providing cash for research for tobacco-related diseases.
Young people are more sensitive to price increases of cigarettes than
adults, according to research.
in which Hiltzik opposed the measure because it would divert money
from more immediate state needs, including health and welfare
programs for children, education and the poor. (See here for thecolumn and here, here and here for related items.)
said,
"The...problem with Proposition 29
is its pigeonholing of the money for cancer research rather than for
immediate needs here in California that are absolutely dire. It’s
all well and good to say that cancer research benefits everyone, but
the real question is whether it should be the absolute top priority
for a state that can’t afford to keep its children fed or offer
them medical care in the here and now.
"Lansing and Vuori say the fact
that Prop. 29 'fails to provide funding for schools, roads or
affordable housing' is irrelevant, because it was 'was never intended
to solve these problems.'"In the context of the state’s
needs, this is a rather callous approach to take. Let’s spell out
why, so Lansing and Vuori won’t be so inclined to dismiss these
necessities of life so casually."
government cuts that have meant the loss of health coverage for
400,000 California children, eliminated welfare benefits for 578,000
poor California families and would mean an end to state college
student aid for 72,000 young people from less affluent families.
"That’s just the beginning of
what might be cut because the state needs money—and won’t be able
to lay its hands on the hundreds of millions of dollars that Lansing,
Vuori, and their research colleagues are angling for. They don’t
want voters to be reminded that there are competing demands for the
tobacco money, and they do so by failing to mention that they exist,
and also by presenting the spending on cancer research as the voters’
only choice.
"It’s the only choice because
the promoters of Proposition 29 designed it that way. Advocates of
programs like this love to pass them in via voter initiatives because
they leave no room to measure them against alternative needs."
carried a piece yesterday on Proposition 29 that drew 481 comments.
The article said,
"Organizers argued that the tax would have
less chance of passing if voters thought it would go into the state
coffers, and said that their only goal here was cutting down on
smoking."
of San Francisco and a keen observer of California politics,
predicted voter approval of the measure along with an increase in
cigarette smuggling from adjacent states and the sale of discount
smokes at the 58 Indian casino sites in the state.
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June 10th, 2012
Bone Marrow Transplant Milestone
By raymumme
7 June 2012
Bone Marrow Transplant Milestone
Today is a big day for the Waikato Hospital Haematology Department and equally big for consultant haematologist Dr Humphrey Pullon who established the transplant service there 20 years ago.
The first autologous bone marrow transplant was carried out at Waikato Hospital on 25 June 1992 and was today celebrated with a patient afternoon tea, which about 120 transplant recipients attended.
By the end of the month we will have performed 317 transplants in 301 patients over the past 20 years, said Dr Pullon.
The first patient went down to Wellington to have her stem cells collected and they were then driven back up to be stored here She is still alive, but was unable to attend today.
We did the stem cell collection of the second patient, who is sadly no longer alive, and our third patient was cured of Lymphoma as a result of his transplant.
The third patient was Lloyd Given of Tauranga who attended todays afternoon tea.
I would like to extend my thanks to Waikato Hospital, Humphrey and the oncologist at the time, Grant Trotter, he said.
The autologous bone marrow transplant process is a long and involved one.The cancer patient is treated and goes into remission or gets to a point where the cancer is well controlled.
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Bone Marrow Transplant Milestone
Gladstone Scientists Reprogram Skin Cells into Brain Cells
By Dr. Matthew Watson
By Anne Holden on June 7, 2012
Scientists at the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institutes have for the first time transformed skin cells with a single genetic factor into cells that develop on their own into an interconnected, functional network of brain cells.
The research offers new hope in the fight against many neurological conditions because scientists expect that such a transformation or reprogramming of cells may lead to better models for testing drugs for devastating neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimers disease.
Yadong Huang, MD, PhD
This research comes at a time of renewed focus on Alzheimers disease, which currently afflicts 5.4 million people in the United States alone a figure expected to nearly triple by 2050. Yet thereare no approved medications to prevent or reverse the progression of this debilitating disease.
In findings appearing online today in Cell Stem Cell, researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone Investigator Yadong Huang, MD, PhD, describe how they transferred a single gene called Sox2 into both mouse and human skin cells. Within days the skin cells transformed into early-stage brain stem cells, also called induced neural stem cells (iNSCs). These iNSCs began to self-renew, soon maturing into neurons capable of transmitting electrical signals. Within a month, the neurons had developed into neural networks.
Many drug candidates especially those developed for neurodegenerative diseases fail in clinical trials because current models dont accurately predict the drugs effects on the human brain, said Huang, who is also an associate professor of neurology at UCSF. Human neurons derived from reengineered skin cells could help assess the efficacy and safety of these drugs, thereby reducing risks and resources associated with human trials.
Huangs findings build on the work of other Gladstone scientists, starting with Gladstone Investigator, Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD. In 2007, Yamanaka used four genetic factors to turn adult human skin cells into cells that act like embryonic stem cells called induced pluripotent stem cells.
Also known as iPS cells, these cells can become virtually any cell type in the human body just like embryonic stem cells. Then last year, Gladstone Senior Investigator Sheng Ding, PhD, announced that he had used a combination of small molecules and genetic factors to transform skin cells directly into neural stem cells. Today, Huang takes a new tack by using one genetic factor Sox2 to directly reprogram one cell type into another without reverting to the pluripotent state.
Avoiding the pluripotent state as Drs. Ding and Huang have done is one approach to avoiding the potential danger that rogue iPS cells might develop into a tumor if used to replace or repair damaged organs or tissue.
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June 8th, 2012
Scientists reprogram skin cells into brain cells
By JoanneRUSSELL25
SAN FRANCISCO Scientists at the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institutes have for the first time transformed skin cells with a single genetic factor into cells that develop on their own into an interconnected, functional network of brain cells.
The research offers new hope in the fight against many neurological conditions because scientists expect that such a transformation orreprogramming of cells may lead to better models for testing drugs for devastating neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimers disease.
This research comes at a time of renewed focus on Alzheimers disease, which currently afflicts 5.4 million people in the United States alone a figure expected to nearly triple by 2050. Yet there are no approved medications to prevent or reverse the progression of this debilitating disease.
In findings appearing online today inCell Stem Cell, researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone investigator Yadong Huang, M.D., Ph.D., describe how they transferred a single gene called Sox2 into both mouse and human skin cells. Within days the skin cells transformed into early-stage brain stem cells, also called induced neural stem cells (iNSCs). These iNSCs began to self-renew, soon maturing into neurons capable of transmitting electrical signals. Within a month, the neurons had developed into neural networks.
Many drug candidates especially those developed for neurodegenerative diseases fail in clinical trials because current models dont accurately predict the drugs effects on the human brain, said Huang, who also is an associate professor of neurology at UCSF. Human neurons derived from reengineered skin cells could help assess the efficacy and safety of these drugs, thereby reducing risks and resources associated with human trials.
Huangs findings build on the work of other Gladstone scientists, starting with Gladstone investigator Shinya Yamanaka, M.D., Ph.D. In 2007, Yamanaka used four genetic factors to turn adult human skin cells into cells that act like embryonic stem cells called induced pluripotent stem cells.
Also known as iPS cells, these cells can become virtually any cell type in the human body just like embryonic stem cells. Then last year, Gladstone senior investigatorSheng Ding, PhD, announced that he had used a combination of small molecules and genetic factors to transform skin cellsdirectlyinto neural stem cells. Today, Huang takes a new tack by using one genetic factor Sox2 to directly reprogram one cell type into another without reverting to the pluripotent state.
Avoiding the pluripotent state as Drs. Ding and Huang have done is one approach to avoiding the potential danger that rogue iPS cells might develop into a tumor if used to replace or repair damaged organs or tissue.
We wanted to see whether these newly generated neurons could result in tumor growth after transplanting them into mouse brains, said Karen Ring, UCSF Biomedical Sciences graduate student and the papers lead author. Instead we saw the reprogrammed cells integrate into the mouses brain and not a single tumor developed.
This research has also revealed the precise role of Sox2 as a master regulator that controls the identity of neural stem cells. In the future, Huang and his team hope to identify similar regulators that guide the development of specific neural progenitors and subtypes of neurons in the brain.
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Scientists reprogram skin cells into brain cells
Scientists Reprogram Skin Cells To Brain Cells
By JoanneRUSSELL25
June 8, 2012
Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com
For the first time, scientists at Gladstone Institute have changed skin cells, imbued with a single genetic factor, into cells that can become a group of interconnecting, functional brain cells. The findings show that there may be options in combating neurological conditions. This transformation of cells would pave the way for better methods in testing drugs for neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimers disease.
The research follows increased interest in Alzheimers disease. Currently, the disorder affects 4.5 million people in the U.S. and, by 2050, the number will have tripled. There are no medications to prevent or reverse Alzheimers Disease at this time.
The findings are published online at Cell Stem Cell and describe how the team of researchers transfer a single cell, known as Sox2, into mouse and human skin cells. Shortly, the skin cells became early-stage brain stem cells called induced neural stem cells (INSCs). The INSCs were able to self-renew and transmit electrical signals. The neurons were able to become neural networks within a month.
Many drug candidates especially those developed for neurodegenerative diseases fail in clinical trials because current models dont accurately predict the drugs effects on the human brain, commented Gladstone Investigation Dr. Yadong Huang, who is also an associate professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), in a prepared statement. Human neuronsderived from reengineered skin cellscould help assess the efficacy and safety of these drugs, thereby reducing risks and resources associated with human trials.
Huangs study was based off work done by Gladstone Investigator Dr. Shinya Yamanaka. Yanaka had four genetic factors become adult human skin cells then into embryonic stem cells, otherwise known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells). The cells can become almost any type of cell in the body. As well, last year, Gladstone Senior Investigator Dr. Sheng Ding found a combination of small molecules and genetic factors that could change skin cells into neural stem cells. These days, Huang uses one genetic factor, Sox2, to directly reprogram cell types without having to resort back to a pluripotent state.
We wanted to see whether these newly generated neurons could result in tumor growth after transplanting them into mouse brains, explained Karen Ring, UCSF Biomedical Sciences graduate student and the papers lead author, in the statement. Instead we saw the reprogrammed cells integrate into the mouses brainand not a single tumor developed.
The findings of the project have shown that Sox2 acts as a master regulator that maintains the identity of neural stem cells. In the future, Huang and his fellow researchers hope that they can identify similar regulators that can help the development of particular neural progenitors and subtypes of neurons in the brain.
If we can pinpoint which genes control the development of each neuron type, we can generate them in the petri dish from a single sample of human skin cells, noted Huang. We could then test drugs that affect different neuron typessuch as those involved in Parkinsons diseasehelping us to put drug development for neurodegenerative diseases on the fast track.
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TiGenix: National Reimbursement in the Netherlands Obtained for Breakthrough Cartilage Therapy ChondroCelect(R)
By Sykes24Tracey
LEUVEN, BELGIUM--(Marketwire -06/08/12)- TiGenix (EURONEXT:TIG)
TiGenix obtains national reimbursement in the Netherlands for breakthrough cartilage therapy ChondroCelect
TiGenix (EURONEXT:TIG) announced today that its innovative cartilage repair therapy ChondroCelect has obtained national reimbursement in the Netherlands. The Dutch National Health Authority (NZa) has formally announced that ChondroCelect is to receive national reimbursement retroactively per January 1, 2012. Previously ChondroCelect was made available in the Netherlands under a risk-sharing scheme.
"We are delighted with the decision of the NZa to reimburse ChondroCelect, and look forward to working with Dutch orthopedic centers of excellence and health insurers to routinely make this breakthrough therapy available to the right patients in the Netherlands," said Eduardo Bravo, CEO of TiGenix. "Dutch clinicians and scientists have been instrumental in ChondroCelect's development and four Cartilage Expert Centers in the Netherlands have already gained extensive experience with the procedure. After having obtained national reimbursement in Belgium last year, this constitutes another major step in improving patient access to this innovative therapy. We remain optimistic that we can obtain national reimbursement in other European countries later this year."
About TiGenix
TiGenix NV (EURONEXT:TIG) is a leading European cell therapy company with a marketed product for cartilage repair, ChondroCelect, and a strong pipeline with clinical stage allogeneic adult stem cell programs for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. TiGenix is based out of Leuven (Belgium) and has operations in Madrid (Spain), and Sittard-Geleen (the Netherlands). For more information please visit http://www.tigenix.com.
About ChondroCelect
ChondroCelect is the first and currently only cell therapy that has been granted market authorisation by the European Union in accordance with the Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product regulation EC1394/2007. For more information, including the European Public Assessment Report (EPAR), prescribing information, and the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) please visit the European Medicines Agency (EMA) website at http://www.ema.europa.eu.
Forward-looking information
This document may contain forward-looking statements and estimates with respect to the anticipated future performance of TiGenix and the market in which it operates. Certain of these statements, forecasts and estimates can be recognised by the use of words such as, without limitation, "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "plans", "seeks", "estimates", "may", "will" and "continue" and similar expressions. They include all matters that are not historical facts. Such statements, forecasts and estimates are based on various assumptions and assessments of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which were deemed reasonable when made but may or may not prove to be correct. Actual events are difficult to predict and may depend upon factors that are beyond TiGenix' control. Therefore, actual results, the financial condition, performance or achievements of TiGenix, or industry results, may turn out to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements, forecasts and estimates. Given these uncertainties, no representations are made as to the accuracy or fairness of such forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates. Furthermore, forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates only speak as of the date of the publication of this document. TiGenix disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statement, forecast or estimates to reflect any change in TiGenix' expectations with regard thereto, or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement, forecast or estimate is based, except to the extent required by Belgian law.
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TiGenix: National Reimbursement in the Netherlands Obtained for Breakthrough Cartilage Therapy ChondroCelect(R)
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June 8th, 2012
Biostem U.S., Corporation Engages Acropolis Agency to Assist in Implementing Its International Marketing Plan
By raymumme
CLEARWATER, FL--(Marketwire -06/08/12)- Biostem U.S., Corporation, (HAIR) (HAIR) (Biostem, the Company), a fully reporting public company in the stem cell regenerative medicine sciences sector, today reported that it has engaged Acropolis Inc. http://www.acropolisinc.com, a full-service advertising agency located in Orlando, Florida, to lend their expertise in brand building, marketing, and advertising development and placement.
Biostem Chief Executive Officer Dwight Brunoehler stated, "After several months of interviewing prospective agencies, we have come to the conclusion that Acropolis is the one to assist us in executing our plans. Their notable work in multiple media areas is impressive, to say the least. Their client list including The University of Florida, Arby's Restaurants, and the City of Orlando, speaks for itself."
Acropolis Principal, Scott Major, said, "This is a great fit for Acropolis. Our entire team loves the Biostem business approach in the incredible field of regenerative medicine. The hair re-growth field in which we will be marketing the Biostem technology is enormous. We are pleased to be a part of Biostem's expansion."
About Biostem U.S. CorporationBiostem U.S., Corporation is a fully reporting Nevada corporation with offices in Clearwater, Florida. Biostem is a technology licensing company with proprietary technology centered on providing hair re-growth using human stem cells. The company also intends to train and license selected physicians to provide Regenerative Cellular Therapy treatments to assist the body's natural approach to healing tendons, ligaments, joints and muscle injuries by using the patient's own stem cells. Biostem U.S., Corporation is seeking to expand its operations worldwide through licensing of its proprietary technology and acquisition of existing stem cell related facilities. The company's goal is to operate in the international biotech market, focusing on the rapidly growing regenerative medicine field, using ethically sourced adult stem cells to improve the quality and longevity of life for all mankind.
For further information, contact Fox Communications Group at 310-974-6821, or view the Biostem website at http://www.biostemus.com.
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June 8th, 2012
OMICS Group :: Journal of Stem Cell Research
By Sykes24Tracey
07-06-2012 07:52 Stem cells differ from other types of cells as they are unspecialized cells that are capable of differentiating into almost any type of specialised cells. Stem cells have the ability to replace the diseased and damaged tissue in the body, without the risk of rejection and any side effects. Therapy performed using stem cells is termed as "Regenerative medicine" and has many potential benefits in treating a wide variety of diseases and injuries. The journal is the major open access forum for translational research in stem cell therapies.
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June 8th, 2012
Stem cell therapy offers new treatment options for pets — and humans
By LizaAVILA
Select a Publication: N E W S P A P E R S ---------------------------------------------- ---Alberta--- Airdrie - Airdrie Echo Banff - Banff Crag and Canyon Beaumont - Beaumont News Calgary - The Calgary Sun Camrose - Camrose Canadian Canmore - Canmore Leader Central Alberta - County Market Cochrane - Cochrane Times Cold Lake - Cold Lake Sun Crowsnest Pass - Crowsnest Pass Promoter Devon - Dispatch News Drayton - Drayton Valley Western Review Edmonton - Edmonton Examiner Edmonton - The Edmonton Sun Edson - Edson Leader Fairview - Fairview Post Fort McMurray - Fort McMurray Today Fort Saskatchewan - Fort Saskatchewan Record Grande Prairie - Daily Herald Tribune Hanna - Hanna Herald High River - High River Times Hinton - Hinton Parklander Lacombe - Lacombe Globe Leduc - Leduc Representative Lloydminster - Meridian Booster Mayerthorpe - Mayerthorpe Freelancer Nanton - Nanton News Peace Country - Peace Country Sun Peace River - Peace River Record Gazette Pincher Creek - Pincher Creek Echo Sherwood Park - Sherwood Park News Spruce Grove - Spruce Grove Examiner Stony Plain - Stony Plain Reporter Strathmore - Strathmore Standard Vermilion - Vermilion Standard Vulcan - Vulcan Advocate Wetaskiwin - Wetaskiwin Times Whitecourt - Whitecourt Star ---Manitoba--- Altona - Alton Red River Valley Echo Beausejour - Beausejour Review Carman - Carman Valley Leader Gimli - Interlake Spectator Lac Du Bonnet - Lac Du Bonnet Leader Morden - Morden Times Portage la Prairie - Portage Daily Graphic Selkirk - Selkirk Journal Stonewall - Stonewall Argus and Teulon Times Winkler - Winkler Times Winnipeg - The Winnipeg Sun ---Ontario--- Amherstburg - Amherstburg Echo Bancroft - Bancroft this Week Barrie - Barrie Examiner Barry's Bay - Barry's Bay this Week Belleville - Intelligencer Bradford - Bradford Times Brantford - Expositor Brockville - The Recorder & Times Chatham - Chatham Daily News Chatham - Chatham This Week Chatham - Today's Farmer Clinton - Clinton News-Record Cobourg - Northumberland Today Cochrane - Cochrane Times Post Collingwood - Enterprise Bulletin Cornwall - Standard Freeholder Delhi - Delhi News-Record Dresden - Leader Spirit Dunnville - Dunnville Chronicle Elliot Lake - Standard Espanola - Mid-North Monitor Fort Erie - Times Gananoque - Gananoque Reporter Goderich - Goderich Signal-Star Grand Bend - Lakeshore Advance Haliburton - Haliburton Echo Hanover - The Post Ingersoll - Ingersoll Times Innisfil - Innisfil Examiner Kapuskasing - Kapuskasing Northern Times Kenora - Kenora Daily Miner and News Kenora - Lake of the Woods Enterprise Kincardine - Kincardine News Kingston - Frontenac This Week Kingston - Kingston This Week Kingston - Kingston Whig Standard Kirkland Lake - Northern News Leamington - Leamington Post Lindsay - The Lindsay Post London - The London Free Press London - The Londoner Lucknow - Lucknow Sentinel Midland - Free Press Minden - Minden Times Mitchell - Mitchell Advocate Napanee - Napanee Guide Niagara-on-the-Lake - Niagara Advance Niagara Falls - Review Niagara Falls - Niagara Shopping News Niagara Falls - W. Niagara Community Newspapers North Bay - North Bay Nugget Northumberland - Northumberland Today Norwich - Norwich Gazette Orillia - Packet and Times Ottawa - The Ottawa Sun Owen Sound - Sun Times Oxford - Oxford Review Paris - Paris Star Online Pelham - Pelham News Pembroke - Daily Observer Peterborough - Peterborough Examiner Petrolia - Petrolia Topic Picton - County Weekly News Port Colborne - Inport News Port Hope - Northumberland Today Port Elgin - Shoreline Beacon Sarnia - Observer Sarnia - Sarnia This Week Sault Ste Marie - Sault Star Sault Ste Marie - Sault This Week Seaforth - Seaforth Huron Expositor Simcoe - Simcoe Reformer St. Catharines - St. Catharines Shopping News St. Catharines - Standard St. Thomas - St. Thomas Times-Journal Stirling - Community Press Stratford - The Beacon Herald Strathroy - Strathroy Age Dispatch Sudbury - Sudbury Star Thorold - Thorold News Tillsonburg - Tillsonburg News Timmins - Daily Press Timmins - Timmins Times Toronto - The Toronto Sun Trenton - Trentonian Wallaceburg - Wallaceburg Courier Press Welland - Tribune Welland - Welland News West Lorne - The Chronicle Wiarton - Wiarton Echo Woodstock - Sentinel Review ---Saskatchewan--- Meadow Lake - Meadow Lake Progress Melfort - Melfort Journal Nipawin - Nipawin Journal MAGAZINES & SPECIALTY PUBLICATIONS --------- Biz Magazine Business London Cottage Home and Property Showcase Food and Wine Show Hamilton Halton Weddings Hamilton Magazine InterVin International Wine Awards Kingston Life London Citylife Muskoka Magazine Muskoka Trails Niagara Food and Wine Expo Niagara Magazine Ontario Farmer Ontario Golf Sault Good Life Simcoe Life The Home Show Vines Magazine What's Up Muskoka
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June 8th, 2012
New hope for Alzheimer's sufferers as breakthrough allows scientists to grow new brain cells from normal skin
By Dr. Matthew Watson
By Rob Waugh
PUBLISHED: 11:00 EST, 7 June 2012 | UPDATED: 11:01 EST, 7 June 2012
A single genetic tweak is all that is needed to turn ordinary skin cells into functioning brain cells, scientists have shown
A single genetic tweak is all that is needed to turn ordinary skin cells into functioning brain cells, scientists have shown.
The research could help to treat Alzheimers, Parkinsons and other brain diseases.
Working in the laboratory, US scientists transferred a single gene called Sox2 into both mouse and human skin cells.
Within days the cells transformed themselves into early-stage brain stem cells.
These induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) then began to self-renew and mature, eventually becoming neurons capable of transmitting electrical signals.
In less than a month the cells had developed neural networks. Transplanted into mouse brains, they functioned without any adverse side effects, such as tumour growth.
Lead researcher Dr Yadong Huang, from the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, California, said: Many drug candidates, especially those developed for neurodegenerative diseases, fail in clinical trials because current models dont accurately predict the drugs effects on the human brain.
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New hope for Alzheimer's sufferers as breakthrough allows scientists to grow new brain cells from normal skin
Skin Stem Cells
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June 7th, 2012
How Nuclear Fallout Casts Doubt on Renewal of Some Adult Brain Cells
By LizaAVILA
News | Mind & Brain
A unique form of carbon dating, made possible by the Cold War, suggests that new neurons rarely survive in the human olfactory bulb after birth
By Ferris Jabr | June 7, 2012
BOMBSHELL FINDINGS: A new study relying on radioactive carbon from Cold War nuclear tests argues that the adult human brain rarely weaves new neurons into the olfactory bulb, but not everyone is convinced. Image: Adapted from Wikimedia Commons images
In this groundbreaking adventure into the worlds of psychopaths, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton argues that there is a fine line between a brilliant...
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The human body is a tireless gardener, growing new cells throughout life in many organsin the skin, blood, bones and intestines. Until the 1980s most scientists thought that brain cells were the exception: the neurons you are born with are the neurons you have for life. In the past three decades, however, researchers have discovered hints that the human brain produces new neurons after birth in two places: the hippocampusa region important for memoryand the walls of fluid-filled cavities called ventricles, from which stem cells migrate to the olfactory bulb, a knob of brain tissue behind the eyes that processes smell. Studies have clearly demonstrated that such migration happens in mice long after birth and that human infants generate new neurons. But the evidence that similar neurogenesis persists in the adult human brain is mixed and highly contested.
A new study relying on a unique form of carbon dating suggests that neurons born during adulthood rarely if ever weave themselves into the olfactory bulb's circuitry. In other words, peopleunlike other mammalsdo not replenish their olfactory bulb neurons, which might be explained by how little most of us rely on our sense of smell. Although the new research casts doubt on the renewal of olfactory bulb neurons in the adult human brain, many neuroscientists are far from ready to end the debate.
In preparation for the new study, Olaf Bergmann and Jonas Frisn of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and their colleagues acquired 14 frozen olfactory bulbs from autopsies performed between 2005 and 2011 at the institute's Department of Forensic Medicine. To determine whether the neurons were younger than the people they came fromwhich would mean the cells were generated after birththe researchers needed to isolate the cells' DNA. First, they dissolved the brain tissue into a kind of soup, which they spun at high speeds so that the dense cell bodies and nuclei containing DNA sank to the bottom of the flasks. Using Y-shaped proteins called antibodies, which were hitched to fluorescent markers, the researchers tagged nuclei from both neurons and from glia, non-neuronal brain cells. After a laser-equipped cell-sorting machine identified and separated the nuclei, the researchers isolated and purified the DNA within.
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How Nuclear Fallout Casts Doubt on Renewal of Some Adult Brain Cells
Skin Stem Cells
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June 7th, 2012
Skin cells reprogrammed into brain cells
By Sykes24Tracey
ScienceDaily (June 7, 2012) Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have for the first time transformed skin cells -- with a single genetic factor -- into cells that develop on their own into an interconnected, functional network of brain cells. The research offers new hope in the fight against many neurological conditions because scientists expect that such a transformation -- or reprogramming -- of cells may lead to better models for testing drugs for devastating neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.
This research comes at a time of renewed focus on Alzheimer's disease, which currently afflicts 5.4 million people in the United States alone -- a figure expected to nearly triple by 2050. Yet there are no approved medications to prevent or reverse the progression of this debilitating disease.
In findings appearing online June 7 in Cell Stem Cell, researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone Investigator Yadong Huang, MD, PhD, describe how they transferred a single gene called Sox2 into both mouse and human skin cells. Within days the skin cells transformed into early-stage brain stem cells, also called induced neural stem cells (iNSCs). These iNSCs began to self-renew, soon maturing into neurons capable of transmitting electrical signals. Within a month, the neurons had developed into neural networks.
"Many drug candidates -- especially those developed for neurodegenerative diseases -- fail in clinical trials because current models don't accurately predict the drug's effects on the human brain," said Dr. Huang, who is also an associate professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), with which Gladstone is affiliated. "Human neurons -- derived from reengineered skin cells -- could help assess the efficacy and safety of these drugs, thereby reducing risks and resources associated with human trials."
Dr. Huang's findings build on the work of other Gladstone scientists, starting with Gladstone Investigator, Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD. In 2007, Dr. Yamanaka used four genetic factors to turn adult human skin cells into cells that act like embryonic stem cells -- called induced pluripotent stem cells.
Also known as iPS cells, these cells can become virtually any cell type in the human body -- just like embryonic stem cells. Then last year, Gladstone Senior Investigator Sheng Ding, PhD, announced that he had used a combination of small molecules and genetic factors to transform skin cells directly into neural stem cells. Today, Dr. Huang takes a new tack by using one genetic factor -- Sox2 -- to directly reprogram one cell type into another without reverting to the pluripotent state.
Avoiding the pluripotent state as Drs. Ding and Huang have done is one approach to avoiding the potential danger that "rogue" iPS cells might develop into a tumor if used to replace or repair damaged organs or tissue.
"We wanted to see whether these newly generated neurons could result in tumor growth after transplanting them into mouse brains," said Karen Ring, UCSF Biomedical Sciences graduate student and the paper's lead author. "Instead we saw the reprogrammed cells integrate into the mouse's brain -- and not a single tumor developed."
This research, which was performed at the Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, has also revealed the precise role of Sox2 as a master regulator that controls the identity of neural stem cells. In the future, Dr. Huang and his team hope to identify similar regulators that guide the development of specific neural progenitors and subtypes of neurons in the brain.
"If we can pinpoint which genes control the development of each neuron type, we can generate them in the petri dish from a single sample of human skin cells," said Dr. Huang. "We could then test drugs that affect different neuron types -- such as those involved in Parkinson's disease -- helping us to put drug development for neurodegenerative diseases on the fast track."
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Skin cells reprogrammed into brain cells
Skin Cells Turned Into Brain Cells
By daniellenierenberg
A team of scientists has discovered what could be a novel source for researching and potentially treating Alzheimer's disease and other conditions involving the destruction of brain cells.
Researchers at the University of California San Francisco-affiliated Gladstone Institutes converted skin cells from mice and humans into brain stem cells with the use of a protein called Sox2. Using only this protein to transform the skin cells into neuron stem cells is unusual. Normally, the conversion process is much more complex.
Neuron stem cells are cells that can be changed into the nerve cells and the cells that support them in the brain. The neuronal stem cells formed in this study are unique because they were prepared in a way the prevented them from becoming tumors, which is what often happens as stem cells differentiate, explained David Teplow, professor of neurology and director of the Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research at UCLA. Teplow was not involved in the study, but is familiar with this type of research.
These immature brain stem cells then developed into different types of functional brain cells, which were eventually able to be integrated into mouse brains.
Jonathan Selig/Getty Images
The idea that these cells can become fully functioning brain tissue is significant, the authors explained, because by becoming part of the brain, the cells can replace the cells killed off by the disease process.
These cells also offer a potential way to learn about the mechanisms behind neurodegenerative disorders as well as lead to research into new drugs, explained Dr. Yadong Huang, a study co-author and associate investigator at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease.
"The next step is, we are trying to get these skin cells from patients with this disease so we can reprogram and convert the diseased cells into these neuron stem cells and develop those into neurons in culture," he said.
After that, researchers can study how these diseases develop based on what's observed in culture dishes.
"It's really hard to get neurons from human brains for research, and now, we can generate them," Huang said. "Secondly, we can do some drug screening. If we have patient-specific neurons in culture, we can test some or develop some drugs to see how they work on these neurons."
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Skin Cells Turned Into Brain Cells
Cellular Dynamics Launches MyCell™ Services
By daniellenierenberg
MADISON, Wis., June 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Cellular Dynamics International, Inc. (CDI), the world's largest commercial producer of human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines and tissue cells, today announced the launch of its MyCell Services. These services include novel iPS cell line reprogramming, genetic engineering and differentiation of iPS cells into commercially available iCell terminal tissue cells (for example, heart or nerve cells).
"CDI's mission is to be the top developer and manufacturer of standardized human cells in high quantity, quality and purity and to make these cells widely available to the research community. Our MyCell Services provide researchers with unprecedented access to the full diversity of human cellular biology," said Bob Palay, CDI Chief Executive Officer. "The launch of MyCell Services furthers CDI founder and stem cell pioneer Jamie Thomson's vision to enable scientists worldwide to easily access the power of iPSC technology, thus driving breakthroughs in human health."
Over the past 2 years, CDI has launched iCell Cardiomyocytes, iCell Neurons and iCell Endothelial Cells for human biology and drug discovery research. MyCell Services leverage CDI's prior investment in building an industrial manufacturing platform that can handle the parallel production of multiple iPSC lines and tissue cells, manufacturing billions of cells daily.
Chris Parker, CDI Chief Commercial Officer, commented, "Not all studies requiring human cells can be accomplished by using cells from a limited set of normal, healthy donors. Researchers may need iPS cells or tissue cells derived from specific ethnic or disease populations, and MyCell Services enable them to take advantage of our deep stem cell expertise and robust industrial manufacturing pipeline to do so. Previously, scientists had to create and differentiate iPS cells themselves. Such activities consume significant laboratory time and resources, both of which could be better applied to conducting experiments that help us better understand human biology. CDI's MyCell Services enable scientists to re-direct those resources back to their experiments."
CDI pioneered the technique to create iPS cells from small amounts of peripheral blood, although iPS cells can be created from other tissue types as well. Additionally, CDI's episomal reprogramming method is "footprint-free," meaning no foreign DNA is integrated into the genome of the reprogrammed cells, alleviating safety concerns over the possible use of iPS cells in therapeutic settings. These techniques have been optimized for manufacture of over 2 billion human iPS cells a day, and differentiated cells at commercial scale with high quality and purity to match the research needs.
Modeling Genetic Diversity
CDI has several projects already underway using MyCell Services to model genetic diversity of human biology. The Medical College of Wisconsin and CDI received a $6.3M research grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), announced July 2011, for which CDI's MyCell Services will reprogram an unprecedented 250 iPS cell lines from blood samples collected from Caucasian and African-American families in the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN) study. In addition, MyCell Services will differentiate these iPS cells into heart cells to investigate the genetic mechanisms underlying Left Ventricular Hypertrophy, an increase of the size and weight of the heart that is a major risk factor for heart disease and heart failure.
Researchers are also using CDI's MyCell Services to generate iPS cells and liver cells from individuals with drug induced liver injury (DILI), toward an eventual goal of identifying genetic factors linked to idiosyncratic liver toxicity. "The most problematic adverse drug event is sudden and severe liver toxicity that may occur in less than one in one thousand patients treated with a new drug, and thus may not become evident until the drug is marketed. This type of liver toxicity is not predicted well by usual preclinical testing, including screening in liver cultures derived from random human donors," said Paul B. Watkins, M.D., director of with The Hamner - University of North Carolina Institute for Drug Safety Sciences. "The ability to use iPS cell technology to prepare liver cultures from patients who have actually experienced drug-induced liver injury, and for whom we have extensive genetic information, represents a potential revolution in understanding and predicting this liability."
Screening Human Disease
While most diseases are multi-systemic, focus typically centers on only one organ system. For example, congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) is a group of rare genetic diseases with a focus on skeletal muscle, yet other systems, including heart, eye, brain, diaphragm and skin, can be involved. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying complex disease phenotypes requires access to multiple tissue types from a single patient. While some systems are readily accessible for taking a biopsy sample, for example skin, other organs are not.
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Cellular Dynamics Launches MyCell™ Services
Bio-Matrix Scientific Group's Regen BioPharma Subsidiary Executes Option Agreement to License Stem Cell Intellectual …
By JoanneRUSSELL25
SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire -06/07/12)- Bio-Matrix Scientific Group, Inc. (BMSN) (BMSN) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary Regen BioPharma, Inc. has executed an exclusive option agreement which grants Regen BioPharma an option to license Patent #6,821,513 which patents methods of stimulating blood production in patients with deficient stem cells. The patent, as well as data licensed with the patent, covers methods of stimulating the bone marrow to generate new blood cells. The patent and option agreement are disclosed in the Company's most recent 8K filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on June 6, 2012.
"The technology has broad applicability to help cancer patients recover faster following chemotherapy, as well as for recipients of bone marrow and cord blood transplants. Currently, new blood cell production is stimulated by expensive drugs such as Neupogen and Neulasta which replicate the body's growth factors but can cause side effects and rely upon the diminished recuperative powers of an immune compromised patient," stated J. Christopher Mizer, President of Regen BioPharma.
David Koos, Chairman & CEO of Bio-Matrix Scientific Group, added, "We are excited to get this therapy into the clinic. Based on peer-reviewed published animal data, it has the potential to restore immune function faster and more effectively than the existing standard of care."
The licensed technology covers the use of a naturally-occurring cell type for stimulation of bone marrow stem cells. By utilizing cells as opposed to drugs, Regen BioPharma believes it possesses a substantial advantage to existing approaches in terms of safety and economics of production. Currently the market for growth factors that stimulate blood making stem cells is more than $4.84 billion per year (www.wikinvest.com/stock/Amgen).
About Bio-Matrix Scientific Group Inc. and Regen BioPharma, Inc.:Bio-Matrix Scientific Group, Inc. (BMSN) (BMSN) is a biotechnology company focused on the development of regenerative medicine therapies and tools. The Company is focused on human therapies that address unmet medical needs. Specifically, Bio-Matrix Scientific Group Inc. is looking to increase the quality of life through therapies involving stem cell treatments. These treatments are focused in areas relating to cardiovascular, hematology, oncology and other indications.
Through Its wholly owned subsidiary, Regen BioPharma, it is the Company's goal to develop translational medicine platforms for the rapid commercialization of stem cell therapies. The Company is looking to use these translational medicine platforms to advance intellectual property licensed from entities, institutions and universities that show promise towards fulfilling the Company's goal of increased quality of life.
Disclaimer
This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties to which forward-looking statements are subject include, but are not limited to, the effect of government regulation, competition and other material risks.
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Bio-Matrix Scientific Group's Regen BioPharma Subsidiary Executes Option Agreement to License Stem Cell Intellectual ...
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June 7th, 2012
Neil Riordan PhD – Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury (Part 3 of 5) || Stem Cell Treatments – Video
By LizaAVILA
06-06-2012 13:09 Mesenchymal stem cell homing to tissue damage, umbilical cord stem cells historically used for anti-aging, mesenchymal stem cells role in immune system modulation, inflammation reduction and stimulating tissue regeneration, donor stem cell safety and testing, the role of HLA matching in donated umbilical cord-derived stem cells, umbilical cord blood safety data and historical use in blood transfusions, allogeneic stem cell persistence in human mothers. Treatment information at More information on Dr. Riordan at
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June 7th, 2012