Welcome to the webpage for The Arizona Stem Cell Center.

We are the first and original facility offering autologous stem cell transplants derived from adipose tissue in Arizona.

Our unique and innovative process allows us to extract several million stem cells from a single fat biopsy. Our extraction technique involves minimal handling of the cells and same day transplantation. Using a patients own tissue as the source for cells minimizes rejection of the transplanted tissues, potentially maximizing the effectiveness of the transplant.

Here at Total Wellness/AZ Stem Cell Center, we have been using the technique of PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) for the past decade for musculoskeletal injuries, autoimmune conditions like Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis, degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis, Parkinsons Syndrome and ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and chronic viral conditions (including Epstein-Barr, Cytomegalovirus and Herpes viruses). This is an incredibly versatile therapy that has its roots in the eclectic European medical armamentarium of the 1930s.

Platelet rich plasma can be employed as a matrix graft, often referred to as an autologous tissue graft. This platelet-rich plasma (PRP) matrix is defined as a tissue graft incorporating autologous growth factors and/or autologous undifferentiated cells in a cellular matrix where design depends on the receptor site and tissue of regeneration. (Crane D, Everts PAM. Practical Pain Management. 2008; January/February: 12- 26) 2008). We enrich the autologous tissue graft with hyaluronic acid for stem cell transplants.

The hypothesized reason why PRP with hyaluronic acid is so useful in autologous tissue grafts with stem cells is that platelets, a normal blood cell that aids in clotting, contain multiple growth factors that stimulate tissue growth. In particular, PRP stimulates the growth of collagen; the main component of connective tissue such as tendons and cartilage. These growth factors include transforming growth factor-? (TGF-B), fibroblast growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, epidermal growth factor, connective tissue growth factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor.

These growth factors normally recruit undifferentiated stem cells to the site of injury and stimulate new tissue growth. Another constituent of platelets, stromal cell derived factor I alpha allows the newly recruited cells to adhere to the area. Hyaluronic acid is a nutritionally supportive polysaccharide substrate for stem cells that is found abundantly in embryonic tissue. When stem cells are harvested from the patients own tissues, PRP helps to activate the stem cells to actively become a desired tissue line and Hyaluronic Acid helps support.

In addition, when used with stem cells harvested from the patients own tissue, PRP messages the stem cells to multiply quickly. This inflammatory response is a major driver of appropriate healing response.

An important consideration is that PRP needs to be prepared in a way to ensure a maximal amount of platelets along with a high concentration of growth factors. Obviously, the more growth factors that can be delivered to the site of injury, the more likely tissue healing takes place. We have found that creating a matrix of Hyaluronic acid (a base connective tissue material) with the PRP and the addition of other growth factors can tremendously expedite the healing process. We are the only clinic in the world to integrate stem cell transplantation with PRP.

Neither Statements, nor products on this site, have been evaluated nor approved by the FDA. Total Wellness offers autologous stem cell treatments. These are not approved treatments, drugs, new drugs, or investigational drugs. We do not manufacture products. If you have concern with a treatment or product that we perform or produce, and think we may be violating any USA law, please contact us immediately, so that our legal team can investigate the matter or concern. All statements, opinions, and advice provided by this website, via wire, or by educational seminars, is provided for educational information only. We do not diagnose nor treat via this website or phone. We offer the above therapies via a doctor/patient established relationship which requires direct contact with the physician. Again, visitors should be aware that we are not claiming that any applications, or potential applications using these autologous treatments, are approved by the FDA, or are even effective. We do not claim that these treatments work for any listed nor unlisted condition, intended or implied.

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Stem Cells Therapy

knowledge center home stem cell research all about stem cells what are stem cells?

Stem cells are a class of undifferentiated cells that are able to differentiate into specialized cell types. Commonly, stem cells come from two main sources:

Both types are generally characterized by their potency, or potential to differentiate into different cell types (such as skin, muscle, bone, etc.).

Adult or somatic stem cells exist throughout the body after embryonic development and are found inside of different types of tissue. These stem cells have been found in tissues such as the brain, bone marrow, blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, skin, and the liver. They remain in a quiescent or non-dividing state for years until activated by disease or tissue injury.

Adult stem cells can divide or self-renew indefinitely, enabling them to generate a range of cell types from the originating organ or even regenerate the entire original organ. It is generally thought that adult stem cells are limited in their ability to differentiate based on their tissue of origin, but there is some evidence to suggest that they can differentiate to become other cell types.

Embryonic stem cells are derived from a four- or five-day-old human embryo that is in the blastocyst phase of development. The embryos are usually extras that have been created in IVF (in vitro fertilization) clinics where several eggs are fertilized in a test tube, but only one is implanted into a woman.

Sexual reproduction begins when a male's sperm fertilizes a female's ovum (egg) to form a single cell called a zygote. The single zygote cell then begins a series of divisions, forming 2, 4, 8, 16 cells, etc. After four to six days - before implantation in the uterus - this mass of cells is called a blastocyst. The blastocyst consists of an inner cell mass (embryoblast) and an outer cell mass (trophoblast). The outer cell mass becomes part of the placenta, and the inner cell mass is the group of cells that will differentiate to become all the structures of an adult organism. This latter mass is the source of embryonic stem cells - totipotent cells (cells with total potential to develop into any cell in the body).

In a normal pregnancy, the blastocyst stage continues until implantation of the embryo in the uterus, at which point the embryo is referred to as a fetus. This usually occurs by the end of the 10th week of gestation after all major organs of the body have been created.

However, when extracting embryonic stem cells, the blastocyst stage signals when to isolate stem cells by placing the "inner cell mass" of the blastocyst into a culture dish containing a nutrient-rich broth. Lacking the necessary stimulation to differentiate, they begin to divide and replicate while maintaining their ability to become any cell type in the human body. Eventually, these undifferentiated cells can be stimulated to create specialized cells.

Stem cells are either extracted from adult tissue or from a dividing zygote in a culture dish. Once extracted, scientists place the cells in a controlled culture that prohibits them from further specializing or differentiating but usually allows them to divide and replicate. The process of growing large numbers of embryonic stem cells has been easier than growing large numbers of adult stem cells, but progress is being made for both cell types.

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What are Stem Cells? - Medical News Today

Zutphen, The Netherlands (ots/PRNewswire) -

Cryo-Save Group promotes the awareness of cord blood storage and stem cell therapies at several professional conferences held throughout eastern and southern Europe.

It is with great pleasure that Cryo-Save supports the awareness, research and advancement of cord blood storage and therapies by taking part in and sponsoring four major conferences in Cyprus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Hungary during the months of September and October.

Stem cells are becoming ever more important in the medical field as a way to treat a broad variety of malignant and non-malignant diseases such as leukemia's and other childhood cancers. Patients suffering from sickle cell anemia have been considered cured after being treated with stem cells.[1] Over 4,000 clinical trials using cord blood stem cells are taking place to treat diseases such as cerebral palsy, diabetes and autism with many more potential clinical trials continuing to develop.

"Cryo-Save's efforts to inform the medical community about advances in regenerative medicine means that patients suffering from diseases treatable with stem cells can also become better informed," says Dr. Cherie Daly, Medical Affairs Manager Cryo-Save. "Having a series of events and programs as part of Cord Blood Awareness Months makes an even stronger impact on the meaningfulness of this research and its application." Cryo-Save Group will continue its commitment to promoting the storage of cord blood and stem cells even after Cord Blood Awareness Months by offering several customer related promotions.

A half-day conference in Limassol, Cyprus will be held September 15 giving the medical community the opportunity to talk with scientists specialized in stem cells about the latest applications and cord blood and tissue regulatory requirements. Cryo-Save's Medical Affairs Manager Dr. Cherie Daly, member of ITERA (International Tissue Engineering Research Association), member of the Advisory Panel for the Parents' Guide to Cord Blood Foundation and Dr. Sally Sennitt, Cryo-Save Lab Director, will be there to present on these topics.

The third International Conference on Regenerative Medicine: Stem Cells, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnologies will take place September 21 in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Arnoud van Tulder, Cryo-Save Group CEO, will present on the "Importance of Family Stem Cell Banking: Over 10 Years of Leading Experience." Medical professionals will also present on subjects like applications of cord blood, stem cell therapies and pharmacogenomics.

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1. University of Illinois at Chicago (2012, June 18). Chicago woman cured of sickle cell disease. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 12, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120618194714.htm

With the idea of broadening perspectives and expanding knowledge in the areas of regenerative medicine, genetics and clinical applications, Cryo-Save Serbia will be sponsoring the fifth International Symposium on Regenerative and Personalised Medicine on October 4 in Belgrade. Leading speakers such as Prof. Dr. Daniel Surbek from the University of Bern, Switzerland and Maja Stojiljkovic Petrovic, PhD of IMGGE, University of Belgrade will present their research and other works pertaining to stem cell application in tissue engineering at the symposium.

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Professional Conferences Held as Part of Cryo-Save's Cord Blood Awareness Months

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 26, 2012) - Stem cell researchers are literally on the brink of developing new treatments for some of the world's most devastating diseases.Each of us is standing at the intersection of real, tangible progress and limitless possibility. We have the opportunity to help transform medicine by supporting stem cell research online.

On October 3, scientists, researchers and supporters will celebrate International Stem Cell Awareness Day. A new interactive website, http://www.StemCellsOfferHope.com, has been launched to share easily digestible factoids and colorful stem cell imagery within social networks.It also features banners and graphics for bloggers to post information and links to share with their community of followers, family and friends on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.Bloggers are encouraged to help drive visitors to this website through the use of entries and social media posts.

"This is a critical and historic time for stem cell research," said Peter Donovan, Ph.D., director, Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, UC Irvine. "The act of simply raising awareness about this research is one of the best things people can do to help accelerate the process."

Researchers have been working diligently to unlock the potential of stem cells and have made significant strides since the discovery of a method to grow and duplicate human stem cells less than 15 years ago. Their efforts to develop cures for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, macular degeneration, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, as well as traumatic brain injuries and paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries are moving forward at a rapid pace.

For more information visit http://www.stemcellsofferhope.com.

About the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, UC Irvine: The Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, UC Irvine is one of the largest most technologically advanced stem cell research facilities in the world. The center was established in 2010 in part through a $10 million gift from Bill Gross, founder and co-chief investment officer of international investment firm PIMCO, and his wife Sue. For more than 40 years, its team of scientists and multiple research and graduate assistants have worked to unlock the potential of stem cells for treating and curing an estimated 70 major diseases and disorders. The research center has devised new methods for growing stems cells that are 100 percent more effective than previous techniques. Other advances have led to the world's first clinical trial of a human neural stem cell-based therapy for chronic spinal cord injury and the first FDA-approved clinical trial using human embryonic stem cells. The embryonic stem cells are produced from embryos donated for research purposes during fertility treatments. These cells would otherwise be destroyed. For more information, visit stemcell.uci.edu.

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Educate, Inform & Inspire Global Awareness by Sharing 'Stem Cells Offer Hope'

The nuclei of brain stem cells in some Parkinson's patients become misshapen with age. The discovery opens up new ways to target the disease.

Nubby nucleus: Brain cells from a deceased Parkinsons patient have deformed nuclei (bottom) compared with normal brain cells from an individual of a similar age. Merce Marti and Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte

Stem cells in the brains of some Parkinson's patients are increasingly damaged as they age, an effect that eventually diminishes their ability to replicate and differentiate into mature cell types. Researchers studied neural stem cells created from patients' own skin cells to identify the defects. The findings offer a new focus for therapeutics that target the cellular change.

The report, published today in Nature, takes advantage of the ability to model diseases in cell culture by turning patient's own cells first into so-called induced pluripotent stem cells and then into disease-relevant cell typesin this case, neural stem cells. The basis of these techniques was recognized with a Nobel Prize in medicine last week.

The authors studied cells taken from patients with a heritable form of Parkinson's that stems from mutations in a gene. After growing several generation of neural stem cells derived from patients with that mutation, they saw the cell nuclei start to develop abnormal shapes. Those abnormalities compromise the survival of the neural stem cells, says study coauthor Ignacio Sancho-Martinez of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California.

Today's study "brings to light a new avenue for trying to figure out the mechanism of Parkinson's," says Scott Noggle of the New York Stem Cell Foundation. It also provides a new set of therapeutic targets: "Drugs that target or modify the activity [of the gene] could be applicable to Parkinson's patients. This gives you a handle on what to start designing drug screens around."

The strange nuclei were also seen in patients who did not have a known genetic basis for Parkinson's disease. The authors suggest this indicates that dysfunctional neural stem cells could contribute to Parkinson's. While that conclusion is "highly speculative," says Ole Isacson, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School, the study demonstrates the "wealth of data and information that we now can gain from iPS cells."

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Stem Cells Reveal Defect in Parkinson's Cells

Newswise UCLA researchers have discovered a type of cell that is the missing link between bone marrow stem cells and all the cells of the human immune system, a finding that will lead to a greater understanding of how a healthy immune system is produced and how disease can lead to poor immune function.

The studies were done using human bone marrow, which contains all the stem cells that produce blood during postnatal life.

We felt it was especially important to do these studies using human bone marrow as most research into the development of the immune system has used mouse bone marrow, said study senior author Dr. Gay Crooks, co-director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and a co-director of the Cancer and Stem Cell Biology program at UCLAs Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. The few studies with human tissue have mostly used umbilical cord blood, which does not reflect the immune system of postnatal life.

The research team was intrigued to find this particular bone marrow cell because it opens up a lot of new possibilities in terms of understanding how human immunity is produced from stem cells throughout life, said Crooks, a professor of pathology and pediatrics.

Understanding the process of normal blood formation in human adults is a crucial step in shedding light on what goes wrong during the process that results in leukemias, or cancers of the blood.

The study appears Sept. 2 in the early online edition of Nature Immunology.

Before this study, researchers had a fairly good idea of how to find and study the blood stem cells of the bone marrow. The stem cells live forever, reproduce themselves and give rise to all the cells of the blood. In the process, the stem cells divide and produce intermediate stages of development called progenitors, which make various blood lineages like red blood cells or platelets. Crooks was most interested in the creation of the progenitors that form the entire immune system, which consists of many different cells called lymphocytes, each with a specialized function to fight infection.

Like the stem cells, the progenitor cells are also very rare, so before we can study them we needed to find the needle in the haystack. said Lisa Kohn, a member of the UCLA Medical Scientist Training Program and first author in the paper.

Previous work had found a fairly mature type of lymphocyte progenitor with a limited ability to differentiate, but the new work describes a more primitive type of progenitor primed to produce the entire immune system, Kohn said

Once the lymphoid primed progenitor had been identified, Crooks and her team studied how gene expression changed during the earliest stages of its production from stem cells.

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UCLA Researchers Discover "Missing Link" Between Stem Cells and the Immune System

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.

Continued here:
Stem cell 'makeovers' provide a way to get rid of wrinkles

Regulated information August 23, 2012

TiGenix Business Update & Financial Highlights for the First Half of 2012

Leuven (BELGIUM) - August 23, 2012 -TiGenix NV (NYSE Euronext: TIG), the European leader in cell therapy, gives an update of its business activities and provides the financial highlights for the half year ending June 30, 2012.

Business highlights

Financial highlights

"The significant progress in all our clinical programs and the commercial ramp up of ChondroCelect in the first half year of 2012 reinforce our position as the European leader in cell therapy," says Eduardo Bravo, CEO of TiGenix. "We continue to consistently deliver on the objectives we set more than a year ago, keeping all key programs on plan, meeting our aggressive targets, and keeping costs under control. In addition, we are in discussions with a number of companies in connection with the US rights to Cx601."

Business update

Commercial roll-out of ChondroCelect continues to gain momentum

ChondroCelect sales for the first half of 2012 amounted to EUR 2.1 million, comprising EUR 1.5 million from 2012 sales, up 115% compared to the same period of last year, and EUR 0.7 million of deferred sales from 2011 as a result of the retroactive reimbursement in the Netherland per January 1, 2011.

Discussions to obtain full national reimbursement keep advancing in Spain, France, and Germany. In addition to the recent important reimbursement success, the Company has obtained a positive decision in the Netherlands by one of the leading private healthcare insurance companies to make treatment with ChondroCelect compulsory for its insured, no longer reimbursing non-ATMP cartilage products. Similarly, two of the large private insurers in the UK expressed their intention to routinely reimburse ChondroCelect going forward.

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TiGenix : Business Update & Financial Highlights for the First Half of 2012

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

The University of California, Davis, scored a major coup in stem cell funding with a $53 million award Thursday for research into Huntington's disease, limb ischemia and osteoporosis.

The grants were approved Thursday afternoon by CIRM the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. They are a major milestone for the university, which had received $73 million in past funding from the state agency.

"We're here to bring this new era of medicine to patients," UC Davis stem cell program director Jan Nolta said.

For Melissa Biliardi of Santa Maria, the vote symbolizes hope. Her son, James Birdsall, 32, was diagnosed four years ago with Huntington's disease. The degenerative brain disorder could prove fatal over the next 10 to 15 years. There is currently no cure or treatment, but with the grant, UC Davis researchers hope to deliver an effective therapy in four years.

"This is the most hope we've ever had for a cure or treatment," Biliardi said.

Her son suffers from involuntary movement and fatigue, all symptoms of the disease, and relies on a wheelchair to get around. Birdsall is one of 30,000 Americans living with the genetic disorder, according to Nolta. Another 150,000 are at risk, but many aren't diagnosed until their early 30s.

Created by voters in 2004, CIRM is financed by state bonds. The agency started with a $3 billion fund in 2007. Since then, it has doled out a quarter of its money about $900 million to various universities and private companies doing stem cell work in the state.

"We're driving opportunity here," CIRM President Alan Trounson said.

Huntington's is caused by toxic proteins that kill nerves in the brain. Limb ischemia causes blood clots that eventually lead to amputation. Osteoporosis is characterized by a loss in bone mass.

Together, the diseases afflict millions of Americans each year. UC Davis researchers said they are on the cusp of a major breakthrough to treating all three.

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UC Davis gets $53 million in stem cell funds to study Huntington's, other diseases

NEW YORK & PETACH TIKVAH--(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 Nature Reviews Neurology, a Nature Publishing Group Journal, highlighted recently published preclinical research results indicating that stem cells, generated with Brainstorm’s NurOwn™ technology, provide hope for Huntington disease's patients.

In the preclinical studies conducted by leading scientists including Professors Melamed and Offen of Tel Aviv University and originally reported in Experimental Neurology, patients' bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells secreting neurotrophic factors (MSC-NTF) that were transplanted into an animal model of Huntington disease showed therapeutic benefits.

Addressing the role of these MSC-NTF cells in Huntington disease, Professor Daniel Offen explains, "the premise is that such cells can be transplanted safely into affected areas of the brain, and thereby serve as vehicles for delivering neurotrophic factors." Offen expressed his hope that this cell-based therapy may eventually progress to the clinic.

BrainStorm 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 have shown that Brainstorm’s NurOwn™ therapy is safe, does not show any significant treatment-related adverse events, and have also shown certain signs of beneficial clinical effects.

Follow this link for the Research Highlights page in Nature Reviews Neurology (starts Feb. 28th ): http://www.nature.com/nrneurol/journal/vaop/ncurrent/index.html

To read the Original 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. follow this link: 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 (www.ramot.org) 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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Nature: BrainStorm's NurOwn™ Stem Cell Technology Offers Hope for Treating Huntington Disease

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The creation of California's stem cell agency in 2004 was greeted by scientists and patients as a turning point in a field mired in debates about the destruction of embryos and hampered by federal research restrictions.

The taxpayer-funded institute wielded the extraordinary power to dole out $3 billion in bond proceeds to fund embryonic stem cell work with an eye toward treatments for a host of crippling diseases. Midway through its mission, with several high-tech labs constructed, but little to show on the medicine front beyond basic research, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine faces an uncertain future.

Is it still relevant nearly eight years later? And will it still exist when the money dries up?

The answers could depend once again on voters and whether they're willing to extend the life of the agency.

Several camps that support stem cell research think taxpayers should not pay another cent given the state's budget woes.

"It would be so wrong to ask Californians to pony up more money," said Marcy Darnovsky of the Center for Genetics and Society, a pro-stem cell research group that opposed Proposition 71, the state ballot initiative that formed CIRM.

Last December, CIRM's former chairman, Robert Klein, who used his fortune and political connections to create Prop 71, floated the possibility of another referendum.

CIRM leaders have shelved the idea of going back to voters for now, but may consider it down the road. The institute recently submitted a transition plan to Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature that assumes it will no longer be taxpayer-supported after the bond money runs out. CIRM is exploring creating a nonprofit version of itself and tapping other players to carry on its work.

"The goal is to keep the momentum going," board Chairman Jonathan Thomas said in an interview.

So far, CIRM has spent some $1.3 billion on infrastructure and research. At the current pace, it will earmark the last grants in 2016 or 2017. Since most are multi-year awards, it is expected to stay in business until 2021.

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California's stem cell agency ponders its future

Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Huntingtons Disease Also Included In: Stem Cell Research Article Date: 19 Mar 2012 - 10:00 PDT

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However, according to a study published March 15 in the journal Cell Stem Cell, a special type of brain cell created from stem cells could help restore the muscle coordination deficits that are responsible for uncontrollable spasms, a characteristic of the disease. The researchers demonstrated that movement in mice with a Huntington's-like condition could be restored.

Su-Chun Zhang, a University of Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientist and the senior author of the study, said:

In the study Zhang, who is an expert in creating various types of brain cells from human embryonic or induce pluripotent stem cells, and his team focused on GABA neurons. The degradation of GABA cells causes the breakdown of a vital neural circuit and loss of motor function in individuals suffering from Huntington's disease.

According to Zhang, GABA neurons generate a vital neurotransmitter, a chemical that helps support the communication network in the brain that coordinates movement.

Zhang and his team at the UW-Madison Waisman Center, discovered how to generate large quantities of GABA neurons from human embryonic stem cells. The team's goal was to determine whether these cells would safely integrate into the brain of a mouse model of Huntington's disease.

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Huntington's Disease - Stem Cell Therapy Potential

15-04-2011 10:49 MIchael Yeaman, Ph.D. spoke at the "Spotlight on Devic's Disease (NMO)," an educational event presented at the CIRM Governing Board meeting on October 21, 2010. Yeaman is a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of California, Los Angeles. Victoria Jackson, founder of the Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation, introduced Yeaman. The CIRM-hosted event was presented at the University of California, Los Angeles

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Devic's Disease (NMO): Spotlight on Stem Cell Research - Michael Yeaman - Video

29-10-2010 14:40 CIRM has funded the ALS Disease Team led by scientists at UC San Diego, The Salk Institute, and Life Technologies Corporation who aim to bring a human embryonic stem cell based ALS therapy to clinical trials within four years. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a progressive motor neuron disorder. Most people with ALS die within 3 to 5 years from the onset of symptoms. For more information visit CIRM's ALS disease fact sheet (www.cirm.ca.gov/ALS_facts) and The ALS Association website (www.alsa.org)

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Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS): Progress and Promise in Stem Cell Research - Video

25-05-2011 10:37 (Part 2 of 7) Leeza Gibbons, member of the California Stem Cell Agency's Governing Board, gave the keynote presentation at "Synapses Firing: Connections Made", a patient advocacy event hosted by the California stem cell funding agency (CIRM). The 100+ people in attendance heard from patient advocates about living with neurodegenerative disease and from scientists about recent progress in stem cell research that may lead to new treatments. The event was held at UC-Irvine's Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center

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Leeza Gibbons: The California Stem Cell Agency's Investment in Neurodegenerative Diseases - Video

SUNRISE, Fla., Feb. 15, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bioheart (BHRT.OB), a leader in developing stem cell therapies to treat cardiovascular diseases, today announced that they have been chosen as a presenter in the BioFlorida Saturday Exchange conference later this month.

The Saturday Exchange is a reprise of the successful Biomed Exchange meeting, held for many years during the 1980-90's. Well over 100 life science professionals gathered in Miami on a Saturday morning each month to learn about various aspects of the community's growing life sciences cluster. The Exchange will take place at University of Miami's Life Science & Technology Park.

The Keynote Speaker is Bioheart's Chairman William P. Murphy Jr., MD. Dr. Murphy will share his career experiences and insights as a leading entrepreneur in the medical device industry, spanning the founding of Cordis Corporation to more recent ventures. In addition, Mike Tomas, Bioheart's president and CEO and Kristin Comella, Bioheart's CSO will present the use of stem cells in degenerative diseases

"The Saturday Exchange brings together many professionals to discuss the field of biotechnology," said Mike Tomas. "Bioheart is excited about the opportunity to represent the South Florida community and share our experiences in the field of regenerative medicine."

About Bioheart

Bioheart (BHRT.OB) is committed to developing stem cell therapies to treat congestive heart failure, lower limb ischemia, chronic heart ischemia, acute myocardial infarctions and other medical problems. The company focuses on the discovery and development of therapies that will improve patients' quality of life and reduce health care costs and hospitalizations. Bioheart's leading product, MyoCell, is a muscle-derived cell therapy designed to populate regions of scar tissue within a patient's heart to improve cardiac function.

For more information on Bioheart, visit http://www.bioheartinc.com.

Forward-Looking Statements: Except for historical matters contained herein, statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "may," "will," "to," "plan," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "would," "estimate," or "continue" or the negative other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent our management's beliefs and assumptions only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

The Company is subject to the risks and uncertainties described in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the section entitled "Risk Factors" in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

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Bioheart to Present at BioFlorida's Saturday Exchange

09-06-2011 12:23 (Part 3 or 5) Jan Nolta, Ph.D., spoke at the "Spotlight on Huntington's Disease," an educational event presented at the CIRM Governing Board meeting on March 11, 2010. Nolta is director of the Stem Cell Program and Institute for Regenerative Cures at the University of California, Davis. She was introduced by Claire Pomeroy, MD, MBA The CIRM-hosted event was presented in partnership with UC Davis at the California State Capitol Building. To view the other videos in this playlists, go to: http://www.youtube.com

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Huntington's Disease: Stem Cell Treatment Strategies at UC Davis - Video

12-06-2011 17:26 (Part 4 of 4) Tony Ferrandino spoke at the "Spotlight on Batten Disease," an educational event presented at the CIRM Governing Board Meeting on August 13, 2008. Ferrandino's son, Drew, was diagnosed with Batten disease in January 2007. Ferrandino spoke about his family's journey to identify Drew's condition and to seek out a treatment. Drew is enrolled in a stem cell trial being run by StemCells, Inc. To view the other videos in this playlist, go to: http://www.youtube.com

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Batten Disease: Spotlight on Stem Cell Research - A Father's Story - Video