Dr. Feinerman performs exam just after 14 month old receives a stem cell treatment. Patient shows remarkable improvements with less eye rolling, and more concentration.
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Tay-Sachs Disease Stem Cell Treatment Progress Shown http://www.stemcellregenmed.com - Video
Testimony of a Patient treated successfully with stem cells for lung disease, its completely effective and proven that using stem cells therapy, those so-called untreatable has a new alternative to have their life back and health.
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Stem Cells for Lung Diseases,Treatment for Emphysema, Emphysema Theraphy, - Video
17-11-2011 09:48 (Part 1 of 9) Larry Goldstein, MD, spoke at the Scientific Writer's Seminar, a workshop presented on September 17, 2008 at CIRM headquarters in San Francisco. Goldstein presented an overview of the basic principles and concepts of stem cell biology and stem cell clinical trial development. He has a CIRM grant to use human embryonic stem cells to understand and to develop new therapies for Alzheimer's disease.
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Stem Cell Research Today: Larry Goldstein - CIRM Science Writer's Seminar - Video
Brought to you by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, this lecture by Dr. Douglas A. Melton is part of a series of lectures devoted to a discussion about the nature of embryonic stem cells and their potential use in the treatment of human disease
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Embryonic Stem Cells and Disease Part 1 of 6
Newswise UCLA stem cell researchers have found for the first time a surprising and unexpected plasticity in the embryonic endothelium, the place where blood stem cells are made in early development.
Scientists found that the lack of one transcription factor, a type of gene that controls cell fate by regulating other genes, allows the precursors that normally generate blood stem and progenitor cells in blood forming tissues to become something very unexpected - beating cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle cells.
The finding is important because it suggests that the endothelium can serve as a source of heart muscle cells. The finding may provide new understanding of how to make cardiac stem cells for use in regenerative medicine, said study senior author Dr. Hanna Mikkola, an associate professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology in Life Sciences and a researcher with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA.
It was absolutely unbelievable. These findings went beyond anything that we could have imagined, Mikkola said. The microenvironment in the embryonic vasculature that normally gives rise to blood cells can generate cardiac cells when only one factor, Scl, is removed, essentially converting a hematopoietic organ into a cardiogenic organ.
The two-year study is published Aug. 3, 2012 in the peer-reviewed journal Cell.
The findings were so surprising, in fact, that Mikkola and her team did not want to believe the results until all subsequent assays proved the finding to be true, said Amelie Montel-Hagen, study co-first author and a post-doctoral fellow.
To make sure we had not switched the samples between blood forming tissues and the heart we ran the experiments again and repeatedly got the same results, Montel-Hagen said. It turns out Scl acts as a conductor in the orchestra, telling the other genes in the endothelium who should be playing and who shouldnt be playing.
The team used microarray technology to determine which genes were playing in embryonic endothelium to generate blood stem and progenitor cells and found that in the absence of Scl, the genes required for making cardiomyocytes were activated instead, said study co-first author Ben Van Handel, a post-doctoral fellow.
The lone difference was that Scl was missing in the process that resulted in the fate switch between blood and heart.
Scl has a known role as a master regulator of blood development and when we removed it from the equation, no blood cells were made, Van Handel said. That the removal of Scl resulted in fully functional cardiomyocytes in blood forming tissues was unprecedented.
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Embryonic Blood Vessels that Make Blood Stem Cells can also Become Beating Heart Muscle Cells
DALLAS and GERMANTOWN, Md., Aug. 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioLife Cell Bank, Inc., the leader in cryogenic storage of adipose (fat) tissue and adult mesenchymal stem and regenerative cells, and Intrexon Corporation, a synthetic biology company that utilizes its proprietary products to provide control over cellular function, announced today the formation of a global exclusive research collaboration. Under the collaboration, BioLife, with its extensive physician network and stem cell experience coupled with Intrexon's innovative technology, will strive to produce new treatments for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).
"With the tremendous potential of this collaboration, we are more than excited for the SMA community," said John A. Carbona, Chief Executive Officer of BioLife. "Intrexon's impressive suite of technologies will give researchers access to unprecedented resources including new techniques and processes which could rapidly propel us toward the development of new treatments and products to help treat children with SMA."
Carbona continued, "I am happy to help realize the dream of our founders, Dr. David G. Genecov and John D. Harkey Jr., to make a positive and sustainable impact in health care. We're elated by our new collaboration with Intrexon and will undertake immediately the establishment of relationships with the world's leading scientists in SMA research such as: Dr. Arthur Burgess of Ohio State, Dr. Brian Kaspar of Nationwide Children's Hospital, Dr. Charlotte Sumner of Johns Hopkins, Dr. Chris Lorson at the University of Missouri, and Dr. Kathy Swaboda at the University of Utah. BioLife, through its ongoing relationships with Intrexon and these dedicated individuals, hopes for great strides toward lessening the impact of this terrible disease, if not curing it completely--which, of course, is our ultimate goal."
Thomas D. Reed, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Science Officer of Intrexon, said, "Intrexon's mission is to invent, acquire, and integrate the diverse technology platforms required to modulate cellular behavior through genome re-engineering. We are dedicated to building the molecular toolbox and scientific expertise needed to empower clinicians to treat previously intractable diseases. SMA is a devastating genetic disorder that requires a gene rescue paradigm. Intrexon looks forward to working with BioLife and their growing network of clinical specialists to define, explore, and develop several different cell therapy approaches for treating SMA."
Under the collaboration, Intrexon, acting through its Human Therapeutics Division, will be applying its technologies to the discovery of autologous, genetically-modified stem cell therapeutics. BioLife will be supplying the collaboration with stem cells and clinical expertise. BioLife also will be responsible for conducting preclinical and clinical development of candidate SMA therapeutic products that may be advanced out of the collaboration, as well as for aspects of manufacturing and regulatory approval.
About Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal-recessive genetic disorder characterized by progressive weakness of the lower motor neurons. SMA is caused by a genetic defect in the SMN1 gene which codes SMN, a protein necessary for survival of motor neurons. SMA kills more infants than any other genetic disease in today's world.
About BioLife
As part of their core business, BioLife Cell Bank, Inc. offers individuals a way to safely store their adipose (fat) tissue and/or their adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells--giving patients and physicians easy, multi-use access to cells and tissue for future cosmetic, reconstructive, and regenerative therapies. Tissue is extracted via liposuction and sent to BioLife in a collection kit (validated to E.T.L. standards). Tissue is processed using proprietary technology and Cytori Therapeutics' (CYTX) products. Tissue is cryogenically preserved, and may be stored indefinitely. BioLife is registered with the FDA as a processing bank and complies with FDA regulations and guidance including current Good Tissue Practice (cGTP). BioLife is based in Dallas, Texas, at Forest Park Medical Center. For more information: http://www.biolifecellbank.com.
About Intrexon Corporation
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BioLife Cell Bank and Intrexon Establish Worldwide Exclusive Collaboration for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)
MIAMI (WTVJ/NBC) - It is widely known that stem cells can be used in life-saving treatments for deadly diseases.
Now they are being used in the fight against wrinkles.
Donna Pritchit recently had a "stem cell" makeover.
The 64-year-old headed into the operating room wanting to turn back the hands of time without it being totally obvious.
"I don't want someone to stop and go by and say Oh, she had a facelift.' I want to have someone say Donna went on vacation she must be having a great life,'" she said before the $5,000 procedure began.
Dr. Sharon McQuillan at the Ageless Institute in Aventura, FL marked the areas where she would take fat out of Pritchit's belly - and place it back into her face.
The retired teacher also hoped it would be her last step in getting rid of embarrassing acne scars.
The outpatient procedure began with traditional liposuction, and then McQuillan and her team processed that fat and concentrated the stem cells so they could be injected into Pritchit's wrinkles and in places where she has lost fullness.
"Stem cells in general are the cells in your body that regenerate tissue and heal tissue, and they make the skin look beautiful and younger," McQuillan explained.
While there are not many long-term studies on the procedure, McQuillan said the results are permanent.
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Stem cell 'makeovers' provide a way to get rid of wrinkles
Imagine a man with a recent severe heart attack who has the muscle repaired with stem cells or a child with a severe bladder defect repaired with stem cells grown on a biodegradable scaffold. Sounds like science fiction but these are actual clinical studies in progress today. Stem cell therapies promise to be one of those scientific breakthroughs that will have an enormous impact on health care in the future. Stem cells will bring us closer to the goal of personalized medicine, just as genomics is doing. The course of a disease will change once we have the technology to develop and then insert stem cells into the human body to actually create a tissue. For example, a person with a heart attack will not go on to live the rest of his or her life with damaged heart muscle and resultant heart failure. Instead, stem cells will repopulate the heart muscle and make it whole again. Similarly, a person with Parkinsons disease will recover full faculties thanks to the ability of stem cells to regenerate the damaged area of the brain. The person with type I diabetes will be free of the disease because of the formation of new pancreatic islet cells. The athlete will play again because new cartilage will be created for the worn knee. This is the promise of regenerative medicine. I have written the above as though each will definitely happen, a promise that will be kept. They probably will, but it may be a long time before the science of stem cells is sufficiently developed that these types of incredible results will be commonplace. Adult stem cells are being used today for treatment of a few diseases and there are studies ongoing and planned for many additional possibilities. Lets consider a few of them. Each of our tissues has a population of cells that can divide as needed to keep the organ or tissue functional as cells die or are injured. We see this with our skin as it constantly lays down new cells which make their way to the surface as the dead cells on the surface are rubbed off in the shower. We also see it when we cut ourselves and yet in a few days the wound is completely healed that was stem cells at work. It appears that essentially every organ has its own pool of such cells. There are cells in the bone marrow that can become stem cells for many different tissues. These cells circulate in the blood and can be called to assist a tissue or organ to rebuild itself after injury or damage. So for example, if a surgeon takes one half of a fathers liver for transplantation into his son, we know that the fathers liver will grow back to normal size within about 6 to 8 weeks. Some of the stem cells will have been those already in the liver but some will have come from the blood stream to assist. Of course, the liver is the exception to the rule that if a portion of an organ is removed by trauma or surgery, it will not grow back. Cut off your finger and stem cells will help it to heal but not to grow back to its original state. Adult stem cells are the ones used for treating leukemia, myeloma and other cancers and for correcting certain childhood immune deficiencies. Most often is the use of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, meaning the use of stem cells obtained from a closely matched individual. An identical twin is ideal but few have such a potential donor. Only 25% of siblings will likely match completely. This leaves the use of the National Marrow Donor Registry to find as close a match as possible from unrelated individuals. The Registry has markedly improved the chances for a close match and thus for successful transplantation outcomes. Many parents are now having umbilical cord blood saved and frozen to have available in the unlikely event that their child requires a transplant many years later. Although these cells are identical they usually are not sufficient in numbers to lead to engraftment and often the white blood cells (neutrophils) recover only very slowly leaving a prolonged period of infection risk. Perhaps a technique will be found to get the umbilical stem cells to multiply in the laboratory so that a larger number would be available. Adult stem cells are being used in studies of myocardial infarction and heart failure. Current guidelines of immediate angioplasty and stent insertion as appropriate help protect the heart from permanent damage after an infarct. Still, about 400,000 new cases of heart failure are developing in the USA each year. Long term survival is limited once overt failure develops. Could the damaged heart muscle be fixed? The concept is to use stem cells to repopulate the muscle fibers and to have those cells divide over and over and differentiate into new muscle fibers or perhaps also the small vessels that carry blood to the muscle cells. So far there are some exciting animal studies and even some trials in patients that are encouraging enough to warrant further evaluations. For example, one study uses adult mesenchymal stem cells derived from the bone marrow and infused intravenously within 7 days after a heart attack. 42 centers are collaborating in this double blind, randomized trail in conjunction with Osiris Therapeutics. 220 patients will receive either the stem cells or a placebo and then be monitored with various imaging and functional studies. So, stay tuned. Another common albeit less lethal problem is loss of bladder control leading to incontinence. There are studies in progress to determine if stem cells placed into the bladders sphincter muscle will help it regain control. The adult stem cells are obtained from a leg muscle biopsy. Stem cells are isolated and allowed to grow in tissue culture. These are then injected into the weakened bladder sphincter muscle. Once again, these are studies just beginning but with intriguing early results. Here is another bladder repair concept. When the bladder muscle is weak or largely missing in children it may be possible to literally rebuild the bladder by tissue engineering. A biopsy of the bladder yields cells that can be grown in the laboratory to large numbers. They can then be placed on a biodegradable scaffold and grown further. In time they seem to create a new bladder muscle wall complete with blood vessels. This layer of cells can be implanted in the bladder of children with a defect. Once more I need to note that it is still early days in these studies but they do raise exciting possibilities. The message here is that adult stem cells are being used today for life threatening and life impairing diseases with excellent success and are being studied in other diseases with exciting prospects for the future.
Stephen C Schimpff, MD is an internist, professor of medicine and public policy, former CEO of the University of Maryland Medical Center and is chair of the advisory committee for Sanovas, Inc. and senior advisor to Sage Growth Partners. He is the author of The Future of Medicine Megatrends in Healthcare and The Future of Health Care Delivery- Why It Must Change and How It Will Affect You from which this post is partially adapted. Updates are available at http://medicalmegatrends.blogspot.com
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Medical Megatrends – Stem Cells – Part II of III
NEWARK, Calif., Aug. 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StemCells, Inc. (STEM), a leading stem cell company developing and commercializing novel cell-based therapeutics and tools for use in stem cell-based research and drug discovery, today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2012 and provided a business update.
"We continue to be encouraged by our progress in developing cell-based therapeutics for a broad array of disorders affecting the central nervous system," said Martin McGlynn, President and CEO of StemCells, Inc. "We have already reported top line results from our Phase I PMD trial and I am pleased to report that the manuscript with the complete PMD trial data is under peer review for publication by a top tier journal.
Our other clinical development efforts also continue to advance. We recently reported interim safety data from our chronic spinal cord injury trial, showing that our cells and the procedure have been well tolerated. We have also initiated a Phase I/II trial in dry AMD and look forward to enrolling our first patients in this study soon. Lastly, we recently reported preclinical data showing that our cells restored memory in two animal models relevant to Alzheimer's disease without having to reduce beta-amyloid or tau burden that are the pathological hallmarks of the disease. Results of this kind underscore the potential of our HuCNS-SC cells to potentially address a number of devastating CNS disorders.
Financially, we aim to do more with less and continue to carefully manage our burn rate. Last week's decision by CIRM to award us a $20 million disease team award is exciting and welcome. This award will not only provide additional resources, but is also a vote of confidence in our technology, our program and our people. Moving forward, we will continue to generate clinical data from our HuCNS-SC program in a thoughtful, cost effective manner, which is, we believe, the best pathway to grow shareholder value."
Second Quarter and Recent Business Highlights
Second Quarter Financial Results
Revenue from product sales increased 14% to $211,000 in the second quarter of 2012 compared to the same period of 2011 as our SC Proven media and reagents business continued to see increased unit volume. Total revenue in the second quarter of 2012 was $249,000, compared to $234,000 in the same period of 2011.
Our operating expenses decreased 24% to $5,535,000 in the second quarter of 2012 compared to the same quarter of 2011. Research and development expenses were 26% lower, and selling, general and administrative expenses were 16% lower, compared to the second quarter of 2011. The significant reduction in operating expenses was primarily attributable to continuing tight cost controls and a number of measures taken last year to reduce infrastructure and overhead costs, including a reduction in workforce implemented in May 2011.
Other income in the second quarter of 2012 was $6,184,000, compared to $3,055,000 in the second quarter of 2011. This increase was primarily due to a decrease in the estimated fair value of warrant liability. Our outstanding warrants are classified as a liability, with subsequent changes in the estimated fair value recorded as income or loss.
Loss from operations in the second quarter of 2012 was $5,350,000, a 25% decrease compared to the same period in 2011. Net income for the quarter was $834,000, or $0.03 per share, compared with a net loss of $4,035,000, or $(0.29) per share, for the second quarter of 2011.
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Stemcells, Inc. Reports Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results and Provides Business Update
COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (OSIR), announced today the expansion of its intellectual property protection around Prochymal (remestemcel-L). The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently granted Osiris two patents that cover multiple mechanisms of action related to cardiac tissue repair. Additionally, Osiris has enhanced its mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) patent estate with the issuance of patents across Europe and Australia covering stem cells expressing all therapeutically useful levels of cell surface receptors for TNF-alpha, a receptor essential to the cell's ability to counteract inflammation. These patents further support Osiris' considerable intellectual property position, which includes 48 issued U.S. patents around the production, composition, testing and use of the mesenchymal stem cell from both allogeneic and autologous sources.
"These recent additions to Osiris patent estate, combined with the existing broad coverage of our pioneering MSC platform technology, reinforce our industry leading IP portfolio and bolster our dominant position regarding the manufacture and use of mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of a broad range of diseases, said Chris Alder, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel of Osiris. We have invested significant time and resources building our intellectual property estate, and with the commercialization of Prochymal, we are preparing to take the necessary action to enforce our considerable rights.
Prochymal is now approved in Canada and New Zealand, and is currently available in seven other countries including the United States under an Expanded Access Program. With Prochymal (remestemcel-L) entering commerce, Osiris has initiated the process of identifying entities that may be infringing upon its intellectual property rights and will take appropriate action as necessary.
About Prochymal (remestemcel-L)
Prochymal is the worlds first approved drug with a stem cell as its active ingredient. Developed by Osiris Therapeutics, Prochymal is an intravenous formulation of MSCs, which are derived from the bone marrow of healthy adult donors between the ages of 18 and 30 years. The MSCs are selected from the bone marrow and grown in culture so that up to 10,000 doses of Prochymal can be produced from a single donor. Prochymal is truly an off-the-shelf stem cell product that is stored frozen at the point-of-care and infused through a simple intravenous line without the need to type or immunosuppress the recipient. Prochymal is approved in Canada and New Zealand for the management of acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in children and is available for adults and children in eight countries including the United States, under an Expanded Access Program. Prochymal is currently in a Phase 3 trial for refractory Crohns disease and is also being evaluated in clinical trials for the treatment of myocardial infarction (heart attack) and type 1 diabetes.
About Osiris Therapeutics
Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. is the leading stem cell company, having developed the worlds first approved stem cell drug, Prochymal. The company is focused on developing and marketing products to treat medical conditions in inflammatory, cardiovascular, orthopedic and wound healing markets. In Biosurgery, Osiris currently markets Grafix for burns and chronic wounds, and Ovation for orthopedic applications. Osiris is a fully integrated company with capabilities in research, development, manufacturing and distribution of stem cell products. Osiris has developed an extensive intellectual property portfolio to protect the company's technology, including 48 U.S. and 144 foreign patents.
Osiris, Prochymal, Grafix and Ovation are registered trademarks of Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. More information can be found on the company's website, http://www.Osiris.com. (OSIRG)
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Osiris Bolsters its Stem Cell Intellectual Property Estate
Public release date: 28-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Diane Schrick diane.schrick@gladstone.ucsf.edu 415-734-2538 Gladstone Institutes
SAN FRANCISCO, CAJune 28, 2012Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes and an international team of researchers have generated a human model of Huntington's diseasedirectly from the skin cells of patients with the disease.
For years, scientists have studied Huntington's disease primarily in post-mortem brain tissue or laboratory animals modified to mimic the disease. Today, in Cell Stem Cell, the international team shows how they developed a human model of Huntington's disease, which causes a diverse range of neurological impairments. The new model should help scientists better understand the development of Huntington'sand provide better ways to identify and screen potential therapeutics for this devastating disease.
This new model comes at a time of concentrated federal efforts to accelerate solutions for diseasesincluding a number of debilitating conditions that touch only small percentages of the population. Last year, the National Institutes of Health consolidated its efforts to attack rare diseases under the new National Center for Translational Sciences.
Huntington's is such a rare disease, although it is the most common inherited neurodegenerative disorder. It afflicts approximately 30,000 people in the United Stateswith another 75,000 people carrying the gene that will eventually lead to it. Caused by a mutation in the gene for a protein called huntingtin, the disease damages brain cells so that people with Huntington's progressively lose their ability to walk, talk, think and reason.
"An advantage of this human model is that we now have the ability to identify changes in brain cells over timeduring the degeneration process and at specific stages of brain-cell development," said Gladstone Senior Investigator Steve Finkbeiner, MD, PhD. "We hope this model will help us more readily uncover relevant factors that contribute to Huntington's disease and especially to find successful therapeutic approaches."
In this research, Dr. Finkbeiner and others took advantage of advanced "reprogramming" techniques pioneered by Gladstone Senior Investigator Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD. They reprogrammed skin cells from Huntington's disease patients into stem cells known as induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cellswhich can become virtually any cell type in the body. The researchers then instructed the iPS cells to develop into neurons, a key type of brain cell. Importantly, each cell line contained a complete set of the genes from each Huntington's disease patient. Because each patient has a different pattern of disease onset and duration, this model may replicate Huntington's more faithfully than animal models do. The model is likely to prove more useful in understanding the disease's progression.
"The iPS cells will provide insights into Huntington's disease, helping us to develop new therapies and test drug candidates," said Dr. Finkbeiner, who is also a professor of neurology and physiology at the University of California, San Francisco, with which Gladstone is affiliated. "We hope that drugs developed with this new human model will have greater success in clinical trials. The track record of animal models for predicting therapies that will work in people has been poor, making drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases very costlyand therefore less attractive to drug companies. We hope to change that."
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Gladstone scientists use stem cell technology to tackle Huntington's disease
SAN DIEGO CA--(Marketwire -06/29/12)- Medistem Inc. (MEDS) announced today notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a patent covering the use of fat stem cells, and cells associated with fat stem cells for treatment of diseases related to a dysfunctional immune system. Such diseases include multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The allowed patent, entitled "Stem Cell Mediated Treg Activation/Expansion for Therapeutic Immune Modulation" has the earliest priority date of December 2006.
"We have previously published that giving multiple sclerosis patients cells extracted from their own fat tissue, which contains stem cells, appears to confer clinical benefit in a pilot study," said Thomas Ichim, CEO of Medistem. "The current patent that has been allowed, in the broadest interpretation of the claims, gives us exclusive rights to the use of specific types of fat stem cell therapy for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis."
Subsequent to the filing of the patent application, Medistem together with collaborators at the Lawson Health Sciences Research Institute, Canada, reported data that fat tissue contains high numbers of T regulatory cells, a type of immune cell that is capable of controlling autoimmunity.
This finding was independently confirmed by Dr. Diane Mathis' laboratory at Harvard University, who published a paper in the prestigious journal, Nature Medicine, in which detailed experimental evidence was provided supporting the initial finding that adipose tissue contains high numbers of T regulatory cells. A video describing the paper can be accessed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEJfGu29Rg8.
The current patent discloses the use of T regulatory cells from fat, combinations with stem cells, and use of fat-derived mononuclear cells. Given that there are currently several groups utilizing this technology in the USA in treating patients, Medistem believes revenue can be generated through enforcement of patent rights.
"Our corporate philosophy has been to remain highly focused on our ongoing clinical stage programs using Medistem's universal donor stem cell, the Endometrial Regenerative Cell (ERC), in the treatment of critical limb ischemia and congestive heart failure," said Dr. Vladimir Bogin, Chairman and President of Medistem. "However, due to the ease of implementation of our fat stem cell technology, combined with the major burden that autoimmune diseases have on our health care system, we are highly incentivized to explore partnering, co-development and licensing opportunities."
Autoimmune conditions occur as a result of the body's immune system "turning on itself" and attacking its own organs or cells. Current treatments for autoimmune conditions are based on "globally" suppressing the immune system by administration of immunosuppressive drugs. This is associated with an increased predisposition to infections and significant side effects. The utilization of stem cells and T regulatory cells offers the potential to selectively suppress pathological immunity while preserving the ability of the body to fight bacteria and viruses. According to the NIH there are approximately 23 million victims of autoimmune conditions.
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Link to peer-reviewed publication: http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/pdf/1479-5876-7-29.pdf
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Medistem Receives Notice of Patent Allowance Covering Fat Stem Cell Therapy of Autoimmune Diseases
The laboratory grew and stored human stem cells, which are capable of becoming any cell in the body, and made them available to scientists nationwide for use in experiments to study diseases such as diabetes and spinal cord injuries. When it is dismantled, several thousand vials of stem cellswill be sent back to the research centers where they originated, and the equipment will be given to other UMass labs.
Susan Windham-Bannister, president of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, a quasi-public agency that oversees the $1 billion life sciences initiative, defended the decision to initially fund the stem cell bank. She said there are many examples of technology that in hindsight are unnecessary, but at the time it was conceived, when the investment was made, it was absolutely state of the art. The center, she said, was one of them.
Originally, the bank was seen as a repository for embryonic stem cell lines that were being created but were not eligible for federal funding under Bush-era restrictions. The field has evolved significantly since then, with President Obamas loosening of restrictions on federal funding and the development of new technologies for making stem cells.
Still, stem cell banks are seen as useful by some. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, for example, is preparing to invest $10 million in its own stem cell banking initiative, and another $20 million to underwrite the creation of stem cells from patients with specific diseases.
Massachusetts Senate minority leader Bruce Tarr, Republican of Gloucester, said he was concerned that lawmakers had not been told the bank would close.
Given the fact that this is a resource that was created by an act of the Legislature, I would hope anyone seeking to change its status would consult with the Legislature, he said. The notion has always been we have been working hard to make Massachusetts a leader in stem cell research, and I dont know how ceasing the operations of the stem cell bank advances that goal.
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UMass stem cell lab to close
At its founding eight years ago, the Harvard Stem Cell Institute had fewer than ten principal faculty members, according to Benjamin D. Humphreys, co-director of the HSCI Kidney Program. Today, that number has ballooned to more than 80.
In the past decade, Harvard has increasingly poured resources into groundbreaking research in one of the largest collections of stem cell research labs in the country.
According to HSCI co-director Douglas A. Melton, a professor in the stem cell and regenerative biology department, there are more than 800 Harvard affiliates in stem cell science scattered throughout roughly 80 laboratories. The largest concentration of stem cell researchers are located in Harvards Sherman Fairchild Building, which reopened in August of 2011 after it underwent a two-year demolition and reconstruction project to accommodate the stem cell and regenerative biology department.
In the past decade, Harvard has focused on centralizing this research with the creation of HSCI and the stem cell and regenerative biology department.
HSCI consists of scientists and practitioners interested in stem cell research from all over the Harvard community, including the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the medical school, and 11 teaching hospitals and research institutions including the Childrens Hospital Boston and the Massachusetts General Hospital.
So far, HSCI has given out more than $100 million to its researchers, according to Humphreys.
"[Harvard has] definitely made a tangible commitment to stem cell research," Humphreys said. "The results are that we are leaders in certain areascertainly I can speak of the kidneynot even just in the U.S., but worldwide in terms of stem cell research in the kidney."
With important potential applications such as the generation of cells and tissues that could be used for cell-based therapies, stem cells are at the forefront of scientific research. Stem cells, which can differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat some of the most serious diseases.
"What were doing at the HSCI Kidney Group is working collaboratively to identify new therapeutic strategies that will help slow disease progression," said Humphreys.
Still, Humphreys added that much more research is necessary before scientists can use stem cells to their fullest potential.
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Harvard Stem Cell Institute Sees Growth
Connie K. Ho for RedOrbit.com
A new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has discovered two adult stem cell-like subpopulations in adult human skin.
The findings allow for further research to be done in the area of personalized medicine and patient-specific cellular therapies.
The study, using technology from Fibrocell Science, allowed the researchers to identify and confirm two types of cells in human skin cell cultures; the possible source of stem cell-like subpopulations from skin biopsies would be faster to perform, painless, and less invasive than current extractions from adipose tissues and bone marrow.
The research, featured in the inaugural issue of BioResearch Open Access, discusses two subtypes of cells. BioResearch Open Access is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed journal. It features scientific topics like biochemistry, bioengineering, gene therapy, genetics, microbiology, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, stem cells, systems biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, and virology.
Being able to identify two sub-populations of rare, viable and functional cells that behave like stem cells from within the skin is an important finding because both cell types have the potential to be investigated for diverse clinical applications, commented Dr. James A. Bryne, lead author of the report.
Brynes research, first at Stanford University then at UCLA, focused on reprogramming beginnings of cells from animals and then humans. A graduate of Cambridge University, Bryne studied the intra- and inter-species of epigenetic reprogramming. His work also highlighted how primate embryonic stem cells could be derived from somatic cell nuclear transfers.
The study published in BioResearch Open Access confirmed previous research that identified a rare population of cells in adult human skin that had a marker called stage-specific embryonic antigen 3 (SSEA3). Bryne and his colleagues found that there was an increase in the amount of SSEA3 expressing cells after injury to the human skin. It showed that the SSEA3 biomarker could be used to help identify and isolate cells with tissue-regenerative traits.
Finding these rare adult stem cell-like subpopulations in human skin is an exciting discovery and provides the first step towards purifying and expanding these cells to clinically relevant numbers for application to a variety of potential personalized cellular therapies for osteoarthritis, bone loss, injury and/or damage to human skin as well as many other diseases, remarked Bryne, an Assistant Professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA.
Bryne and his team used Fibrocell technology to collect cells from skin samples, cultured the cells in the lab, and purified them by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). The FACS tagged suspended cells with fluorescent markers for undifferentiated stem cells. The researchers were able to separate the rare cell subpopulations from other kinds of cells.
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Study Identifies Cell Subtypes For Potential Personalized Cellular Therapies
Stem cells have assumed near-mythical status in the popular imagination as a possible cure for every disease under the sun. But while public attention has focused on their potential in regenerative medicine, stem cells have quietly gained a foothold in drug development a move that may hail a huge but unheralded shake-up of the biological sciences.
I think there are tremendous parallels to the early days of recombinant DNA in this field, says James Thomson, director of regenerative biology at the Morgridge Institute for Research in Madison, Wisconsin, and one of the founders of Cellular Dynamics International, also in Madison. I dont think people appreciated what a broad-ranging tool recombinant DNA was in the middle '70s." At the same time, he says, they underestimated the difficulty of using it in treatments.
Now stem cells are in a similar situation, he says, and although therapeutic use is likely to come to fruition eventually, people underappreciate how broadly enabling a research tool it is, he says.
Laboratory-grown stem cells hold much promise for regenerative medicine, but are being increasingly used in drug testing.
MASSIMO BREGA, THE LIGHTHOUSE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Drug companies began dipping a tentative toe into the stem-cell waters about two years ago (see 'Testing time for stem cells'). Now, the pharmaceutical industry is increasingly adopting stem cells for testing the toxicity of drugs and identifying potential new therapies, say those in the field.
Cellular Dynamics sells human heart cells called cardiomyocytes, which are derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Thomson says that essentially all the major pharma companies have bought some. The company also produces brain cells and cells that line blood vessels, and is about to release a line of human liver cells.
Yet Cellular Dynamics is just one of the companies in the field. Three years ago, stem-cell biologist Stephen Minger left his job in UK academia to head GE Healthcares push into stem cells (see 'Top scientist's industry move heralds stem-cell shift'). The medical-technology company, headquartered in Chalfont St. Giles, UK, has been selling human heart cells made from embryonic stem (ES) cells for well over a year, and is due to start selling liver cells soon.
Minger and his team at GE Healthcare assessed the heart cells in a blind trial against a set of unnamed drug compounds to see if the cells would reveal which compounds were toxic. When the compounds were unmasked, Minger says, they found that the cells had been affected by the known toxic compounds. But, crucially, in a number of cases, the cells identified a problem that had only been discovered after the drugs had reached the market and after they had been approved by agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
These are compounds which went all the way through animal testing, then went through phase I, II, III and then were licensed in many cases by the FDA, says Minger.
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Stem cells take root in drug development
09-11-2011 21:56 Fred D's Stem Cell Therapy for Crohn's Disease - World Stem Cells, LLC
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Fred D's Crohn's Disease Stem Cell Therapy - Video
A new study at Johns Hopkins University has shown that stem cells from patients' own cardiac tissue can be used to heal scarred tissue after a heart attack. This is certainly exciting news considering heart failure is still the No. 1 cause of death in men and women.
The study included 25 heart attack victims, 17 of whom got the stem cell treatment. Those patients saw a 50% reduction in cardiac scar tissue after one year, while the eight control patients saw no improvement.
The procedure involves removing a tiny portion of heart tissue through a needle, cultivating the stem cells from that tissue, and reinserting them in a second minimally invasive procedure, according to Bloomberg.
"If we can regenerate the whole heart, then the patient would be completely normal," said Eduardo Marban, director of Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute who was the study's lead author. "We haven't fulfilled that yet, but we've gotten rid of half of the injury, and that's a good start."
Business section: Investing ideas
Interested in investing in the promise that stem cell therapy holds? For a look at the investing landscape, we compiled a list of the 10 largest companies involved in stem cell therapy.
Do you think this industry will see growth from stem cell research? (Click here to access free, interactive tools to analyze these ideas.)
1. BioTime (NYSE: BTX ) : Focuses on regenerative medicine and blood plasma volume expanders. Market cap at $291.95M. The company develops and markets research products in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine. It develops therapeutic products derived from stem cells for the treatment of retinal and neural degenerative diseases; cardiovascular and blood diseases; therapeutic applications of stem cells to treat orthopedic diseases, injuries, and cancer; and retinal cell product for use in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.
2. Cleveland BioLabs (Nasdaq: CBLI ) : Market cap at $111.50M. Its products include Protectan CBLB502, a radioprotectant molecule with multiple medical and defense applications for reducing injury from acute stresses, such as radiation and chemotherapy by mobilizing various natural cell protecting mechanisms, including inhibition of apoptosis, reduction of oxidative damage, and induction of factors that induce protection and regeneration of stem cells in bone marrow and the intestines, and Protectan CBLB612, a modified lipopeptide mycoplasma that acts as a stimulator and mobilizer of hematopoietic stem cells to peripheral blood, providing hematopoietic recovery during chemotherapy and during donor preparation for bone marrow transplantation.
3. Gentium: Focuses on the development and manufacture of its primary product candidate, defibrotide, an investigational drug based on a mixture of single-stranded and double-stranded DNA extracted from pig intestines. Market cap at $128.29M. The company develops defibrotide for the treatment and prevention of hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD), a condition that occurs when veins in the liver are blocked as a result of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation, that are administered prior to stem cell transplantation.
4. Geron (Nasdaq: GERN ) : Develops biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer and chronic degenerative diseases, including spinal cord injury, heart failure, and diabetes. Market cap at $265.57M. The company has licensing agreement with the University Campus Suffolk to develop human embryonic stem cell-derived chondrocytes for the treatment of cartilage damage and joint disease.
5. Harvard Bioscience: Develops, manufactures, and markets apparatus and scientific instruments used in life science research in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, universities, and government laboratories in the United States and internationally. Market cap at $118.28M. Develops devices used by clinicians and researchers in the field of regenerative medicine, including bioreactors for growing tissue and organs outside the body, and injectors for stem cell therapy.
6. Lydall (NYSE: LDL ) : Designs and manufactures specialty engineered products for thermal/acoustical, filtration/separation, and bio/medical applications in the United States. Market cap at $163.44M. In addition, it offers Cell-Freeze, a medical device used for cryogenic storage of peripheral blood stem cells.
8. Osiris Therapeutics (Nasdaq: OSIR ) : Focuses on the development and marketing of therapeutic products to treat various medical conditions in the inflammatory, autoimmune, orthopedic, and cardiovascular areas. Market cap at $157.26M. A stem cell company, focuses on the development and marketing of therapeutic products to treat various medical conditions in the inflammatory, autoimmune, orthopedic, and cardiovascular areas.
7. Verastem: Market cap at $229.00M. Focuses on discovering and developing proprietary small molecule drugs targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs) in breast and other cancers.
Interactive Chart: Press Play to compare changes in analyst ratings over the last two years for the stocks mentioned above. Analyst ratings sourced from Zacks Investment Research.
Kapitall's Alexander Crawford does not own any of the shares mentioned above.
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Stem Cell Stocks: Mending Scarred Hearts
NEW YORK & PETACH TIKVAH, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB: BCLI.OB - News), a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies and therapeutics, announced today that the prestigious Experimental Neurology Journal, published an article indicating that preclinical studies using cells that underwent treatment with Brainstorm’s NurOwn™ technology show promise in an animal model of Huntington’s disease. The article was published by leading scientists including Professor Melamed and Professor Offen of the Tel Aviv University.
In these studies, bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells secreting neurotrophic factors (MSC-NTF), from patients with Huntington’s disease, were transplanted into the animal model of this disease and showed therapeutic improvement.
“The findings from this study demonstrate that stem cells derived from patients with a neurodegenerative disease, which are processed using BrainStorm’s NurOwn™ technology, may alleviate neurotoxic signs, in a similar way to cells derived from healthy donors. This is an important development for the company, as it confirms that autologous transplantation may be beneficial for such additional therapeutic indications,” said Dr. Adrian Harel, BrainStorm’s CEO.
"These findings provide support once again that BrainStorm’s MSC-NTF secreting cells have the potential to become a platform that in the future will provide treatment for various neuro-degenerative diseases," says Chaim Lebovits, President of BrainStorm. "This study follows previously published pre-clinical studies that demonstrated improvement in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and neural damage such as optic nerve transection and sciatic nerve injury. Therefore, BrainStorm will consider focusing on a new indication in the near future, in addition to the ongoing Clinical Trials in ALS.”
BrainStrom is currently conducting a Phase I/II Human Clinical Trial for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease at the Hadassah Medical center. Initial results from the clinical trial (which is designed mainly to test the safety of the treatment), that were announced last week, have shown that the Brainstorm’s NurOwn™ therapy is safe and does not show any significant treatment-related adverse events and have also shown certain signs of beneficial clinical effects.
To read the Article entitled ‘Mesenchymal stem cells induced to secrete neurotrophic factors attenuate quinolinic acid toxicity: A potential therapy for Huntington's disease’ by Sadan et al. please go to:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014488612000295
About BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, Inc.
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. is a biotech company developing adult stem cell therapeutic products, derived from autologous (self) bone marrow cells, for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The company, through its wholly owned subsidiary Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Ltd., holds rights to develop and commercialize the technology through an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with Ramot at Tel Aviv University Ltd., the technology transfer company of Tel-Aviv University. The technology is currently in a Phase I/II clinical trials for ALS in Israel.
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute "forward-looking statements" and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.'s actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, inter alia, regarding safety and efficacy in its human clinical trials and thereafter; the Company's ability to progress any product candidates in pre-clinical or clinical trials; the scope, rate and progress of its pre-clinical trials and other research and development activities; the scope, rate and progress of clinical trials we commence; clinical trial results; safety and efficacy of the product even if the data from pre-clinical or clinical trials is positive; uncertainties relating to clinical trials; risks relating to the commercialization, if any, of our proposed product candidates; dependence on the efforts of third parties; failure by us to secure and maintain relationships with collaborators; dependence on intellectual property; competition for clinical resources and patient enrollment from drug candidates in development by other companies with greater resources and visibility, and risks that we may lack the financial resources and access to capital to fund our operations. The potential risks and uncertainties include risks associated with BrainStorm's limited operating history, history of losses; minimal working capital, dependence on its license to Ramot's technology; ability to adequately protect its technology; dependence on key executives and on its scientific consultants; ability to obtain required regulatory approvals; and other factors detailed in BrainStorm's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q available at http://www.sec.gov. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements made by us.
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Experimental Neurology Journal: BrainStorm's NurOwn™ Stem Cell Technology Shows Promise for Treating Huntington's ...
LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire -02/02/12)- PHI Group, Inc. (OTCQB: PHIE.PK - News) (Pinksheets: PHIE.PK - News) announced today that Humex Medical Group, Inc. has signed an agreement with Tri Phuoc Co., Ltd, a Vietnamese company, to establish a stem cell center in Vietnam.
According to the agreement, Tri Phuoc will provide the required investment capital and Humex will supply the stem cell technologies to set up and operate a stem cell research and cosmetic surgery center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Humex will be entitled to 60% of the anticipated profits from the center's operations.
Provimex, Inc., previously a majority-owned subsidiary of PHI Group, which has merged with Humex Medical Group, will complete its financial audits in conjunction with Humex's and file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to become a fully reporting public company focused on stem cell research and therapies. PHI Group and its shareholders currently retain a minority interest in the combined company.
Eric Jeong, President of Humex, said, "We are pleased to partner with Tri Phuoc to establish the first stem cell research center of its kind in Vietnam to provide treatment for various diseases using advanced stem cell technologies."
About Humex Medical and Provimex
A wholly-owned subsidiary of Provimex, Inc., Humex Medical Group has been engaged in cosmetic surgeries, anti-aging and regenerative treatments. Provimex plans to go public by filing a registration statement with the SEC and will focus on stem cell research, stem cell therapeutics, stem cell-based cosmetics and adult stem cell banking services.
About PHI Group
PHI Group, Inc. focuses on energy and natural resources in Southeast Asia and holds majority interests in subsidiaries engaged in real estate development and M&A consulting services. In addition, it also holds minority interests in other companies such as Provimex. Website: http://www.phiglobal.com.
Safe Harbor: This news release and the featured interview contain forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected on the basis of such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are made based upon management's beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management pursuant to the "safe-harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
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Humex Medical Signs Agreement to Establish Stem Cell Center in Vietnam