FDA issues warning to Sugar Land stem cell company

The Food and Drug Administration has informed the Sugar Land company involved in Gov. Rick Perry's adult stem-cell procedure that it is illegally marketing an unlicensed drug.

In a warning letter, the FDA gave Celltex Therapeutics Corp. 15 business days to submit a plan to address the agency's concerns, including correcting previously cited manufacturing problems. The letter said that failure to respond promptly could result in seizure or injunction by the FDA.

"Based on (our) information, your product violates the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Public Health Service Act," says the letter, sent on Sept. 24 and publicly posted Tuesday.

The letter comes about six months after the FDA made a 10-day inspection of the facilities where Celltex banks and grows stem cells taken from prospective patients. The agency subsequently filed a report, obtained by the Chronicle in June, detailing dozens of manufacturing deficiencies, from incorrectly labeled products to failed sterility tests.

The new warning letter reiterates those problems and asks for more information about them.

David Eller, Celltex's CEO, was unavailable Tuesday, but a public relations official said the company on Wednesday would make available a redacted copy of its letter to the FDA.

In a previous news release, Eller said Celltex "respectfully but firmly" disagreed with the FDA's position that its process causes the cells to be considered biological drugs and thus subject to the federal agency's regulations. Biological drugs involve living human cells, as opposed to chemically synthesized drugs.

"We are considering all options as we work with the agency toward a resolution," Eller said in the release.

Adult stem cells multiply to replenish dying cells. Long used to treat leukemia and other cancers, they have recently shown promise for tissue repair in other diseases, though most scientists in the field consider them not ready for mainstream use.

Treatment, at a price

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FDA issues warning to Sugar Land stem cell company

Blind Mice Get Experimental Stem Cell Treatment For Blindness

April Flowers for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Columbia University ophthalmologists and stem cell researchers have developed an experimental treatment for blindness using the patients skin cells, which has improved the vision of blind mice in testing.

The findings of this research, published online in the journal Molecular Medicine, suggest that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) could soon be used to improve vision in people with macular degeneration and other eye retina diseases. iPS cells are derived from adult human skin cells but have embryonic qualities.

With eye diseases, I think were getting close to a scenario where a patients own skin cells are used to replace retina cells destroyed by disease or degeneration, says Stephen Tsang, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology and pathology & cell biology. Its often said that iPS transplantation will be important in the practice of medicine in some distant future, but our paper suggests the future is almost here.

Scientists were very excited by the advent of human iPS cells when they were discovered in 2007, as they provide a way to avoid the ethical complications of embryonic stem cells. Another advantage is that the iPS cells are created from the patients own skin, eliminating the need for anti-rejection medications. Like the ethically challenged embryonic cells, iPS cells can develop into any type of cell. To-date, no iPS cells have been implanted into people, but many ophthalmologists say that the eye would prove to be ideal testing ground for iPS therapies.

The eye is a transparent and accessible part of the central nervous system, and thats a big advantage. We can put cells into the eye and monitor them every day with routine non-invasive clinical exams, Tsang said. And in the event of serious complications, removing the eye is not a life-threatening event.

Professor Tsang is running a new preclinical iPS study using human iPS cells derived from the skin cells of a 53-year-old donor. The cells were first transformed with a cocktail of growth factors into cells in the retina that lie underneath the eyes light-sensing cells.

Retina cells nourish the light-sensing cells and protect the fragile cells from excess light, heat and cellular debris. In macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, retina cells die, which allows the photoreceptor cells to degenerate causing the patient to lose their vision. It is estimated that 30 percent of people will have some form of macular degeneration by the time they are 75 years old, as it is the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly. Currently, it affects 7 million Americans and that is expected to double by 2020.

The Columbia research team injected the iPS-derived retina cells into the right eyes of 34 mice that had a genetic mutation that caused their retina cells to degenerate. In many of the mice, the iPS cells assimilated into the retina without disruption and functioned as normal retina cells well into the animals old age. Mice in the control group, who received injections of saline or inactive cells, showed no improvement in retina tests.

Our findings provide the first evidence of life-long neuronal recovery in a preclinical model of retinal degeneration, using stem cell transplant, with vision improvement persisting through the lifespan, Tsang says. And importantly, we saw no tumors in any of the mice, which should allay one of the biggest fears people have about stem cell transplants: that they will generate tumors.

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Blind Mice Get Experimental Stem Cell Treatment For Blindness

Neurons Made From Adult Cells In The Brain

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Stem Cell Research Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;Alzheimer's / Dementia;Parkinson's Disease Article Date: 06 Oct 2012 - 2:00 PDT

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The researchers write about their work in the 5 October online issue of Cell Stem Cell.

Much of the stem cell research that is going on into making new brain cells focuses on using stem and adult cells from other parts of the body and reprogramming them to form new brain cells and then implanting them into the brain.

For example, earlier this year, Stanford researchers in the US reported how they converted mouse skin cells directly into neural precursor cells, the cells that go on to form the three main types of cell in the brain and nervous system.

But corresponding author of this latest study, Benedikt Berninger, now at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, says they are looking at ways of making new neurons out of cells that are already in the brain.

"The ultimate goal we have in mind is that this may one day enable us to induce such conversion within the brain itself and thus provide a novel strategy for repairing the injured or diseased brain," says Berninger in a press release.

A major challenge of finding cells already in the brain that can be coaxed into forming new neurons, is whether they will respond to reprogramming.

The cells that Berninger and colleagues are focusing on are called pericytes. These cells are found close to blood vessels in the brain and help maintain the blood-brain barrier that stops bacteria and other unwanted material crossing from the bloodstream into the brain.

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Neurons Made From Adult Cells In The Brain

Understanding aging: Stem cell dysfunction links cancer and aging

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) Aging is a complex biological process whereby the functional capacity of the body diminishes with time, ultimately leading to the death of the individual. However, aging is also associated with the onset of many diseases, including cancer, which is often called a "disease of aging." While aging has major effects on the individual, it also represents a significant burden on society as a major healthcare cost. Therefore, it is of chief importance to understand the normal process of aging to help improve not only the lifespan of individuals, but also their healthspan; in other words, to enable people to live longer, healthier lives.

Despite significant worldwide research, the causes of aging remain poorly understood. In particular, why the body undergoes a functional decline over the course of time is not entirely clear. Now, a new study from researchers at the CRG has uncovered a significant clue in understanding how aging may occur, and how this may promote the development of diseases such as cancer.

In this study, the researchers studied the skin of young and old mice, as the skin is one of the most obvious tissues to undergo aging. Indeed many of the visible features of aging are the result of skin aging, including loss of hair growth, wrinkling and thinning of the skin and a reduced wound-healing ability.

In the skin, as in the rest of the body, the tissue is constantly in a state of turnover, replenishing itself by replacing dead and damaged cells with new healthy ones. To achieve this, each tissue relies on populations of specialized cells known as stem cells. "These cells are unique in their ability, as they are able to grow and differentiate into all the other different cells types in the tissue, as well as tolerating stress and damage better than non-stem cells. This process of rejuvenation and renewal is something that was thought to occur all throughout life" says Jason Doles, the first author on the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the CRG.

In this work, the researchers have studied skin stem cells during the aging process to see if changes in stem cell function might contribute to aging. Their major finding is that during the aging process, skin stem cells actually lose their ability to function properly. "We have discovered that major changes occur in these stem cells during aging, whereby stem cells exhibit impaired growth in older animals as compared to their more youthful counterparts. We also found that the aged stem cells are not able to tolerate stress as well as young stem cells, strongly supporting the idea that changes in stem cell function might actually drive the aging process" says Bill Keyes, group leader of the Mechanisms of Cancer and Aging lab at the CRG and lead author of the study.

The report goes further, uncovering novel processes driving skin stem cell aging, and linking the aging process with diseases such as cancer. In fact, a recent study from the same group, demonstrated that these same stem cells become deregulated during the development of squamous cell carcinoma, a deadly type of skin cancer. The current study performed high-throughput profiling of the aging stem cells and identified a likely cause of the loss of function during aging. They demonstrated that during normal aging, the entire skin changes and produces many different proteins that mediate inflammation, and that it is the abnormal production of these inflammatory-mediators that contributes to the decline of stem cell function. Given that the link between inflammation and the development of cancer has been long known, the current study uncovers important findings on how the two might be linked.

Altogether, these findings help to explain what is likely a major cause of the aging process and how this develops, opening the door for future studies that may help to alleviate aspects of the aging process. But in addition, with the identification of inflammation as a cause of stem cell dysfunction, the study also uncovers likely causes in the development of cancer.

The research has been funded by the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG).

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Understanding aging: Stem cell dysfunction links cancer and aging

RBCC Looks to China for Stem Cell Research

NOKOMIS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

In a continuing effort to expand its research into possible cures for neurological diseases gaining in prevalence, Rainbow Coral Corp.s (RBCC) biotech subsidiary, Rainbow Biosciences, is looking to China for possible partners for stem cell research.

Last month, RBCC announced that it was in talks to acquire a license to use a NASA-developed bioreactor to multiply adult stem cells for research. As RBCC closes in on an agreement with the cutting-edge devices license holders, Amarantus BioSciences (AMBS), China has emerged as a logical location to set up shop conducting medical research using the powerful tool.

With a massive, growing population of senior citizens and a scientific community that is receptive to advanced stem cell research, China could be an ideal choice for RBCCs work. Seniors are at the highest risk for devastating neurological disorders such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers, and the countrys number of senior citizens will hit 437 million by 2051.

Right now, all signs point to China as the obvious choice for both our company and our shareholders, said RBCC CEO Patrick Brown. The cheaper labor costs there, as well as a receptive market, make China a logical location to search for potential research partners that can utilize the bioassembler technology in a meaningful way.

There is certainly no space-age technology like the bioassembler available in China today, he added.

RBCC plans to pursue a license to use the bioreactor for stem cell expansion in China and other markets around the world potentially in excess of $100 billion.

Rainbow BioSciences is dedicated to developing new medical and research technology innovations to compete alongside companies such as Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN),Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTIC), Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) andAffymax, Inc.(NASDAQ:AFFY).

For more information on Rainbow BioSciences, please visitwww.rainbowbiosciences.com/investors.

Follow us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/RBCCinfo.

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RBCC Looks to China for Stem Cell Research

World Renowned Scientists and Advocates to Celebrate and Shine Light on Stem Cell Breakthroughs

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 1, 2012) - Oct. 3 marks International Stem Cell Awareness Day, a global celebration where leading scientists, researchers and supporters will acknowledge the scientific advances of stem cell research and its ability to potentially treat a variety of diseases and injuries in the 21st century. This dedicated community is committed to unlocking the potential of stem cells and has made significant strides since the discovery of a method to grow human stem cells less than 15 years ago.

"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. "We're literally on the brink of developing new treatments for some of the world's most devastating diseases and injuries. The act of simply raising awareness about this research is one of the best things people can do to help accelerate the process. This event is a great opportunity for everyone to help spread the word and build momentum through a timely mass effort."

Scientists at UC Irvine and other research facilities around the globe continue to work diligently to develop therapies to treat life threatening and debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, macular degeneration, cancer, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, brain disorders and paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries. These efforts continue to give hope to millions who suffer from these devastating conditions by offering revolutionary treatments and potential cures.

There are several research programs taking place at the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at UC Irvine that continue to break down barriers and open doors to new treatments for major diseases and injuries:

Spinal Cord and Traumatic Brain Injuries: Neurobiologist Hans Keirstead, Ph.D., as well as husband and wife scientists Aileen Anderson, Ph.D., and Brian Cummings, Ph.D., are conducting stem cell studies to develop treatments for the more than 1.3 million Americans who suffer from spinal cord injuries. Their advancements have led to the world's first clinical trial of human neural stem cell-based therapy for chronic spinal cord injuries (Anderson/Cummings) and the first FDA approved clinical trials using embryonic stem cells (Keirstead). Their research is significant because no drug or other forms of treatment have been able to restore function for those suffering from paralysis. In addition, Cummings and Anderson are applying their stem research to traumatic brain injury, a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, especially in children and young adults.

Alzheimer's Disease: An estimated 35 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease, five million of whom live in the U.S. Frank LaFerla, Ph.D., director of UC Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, and Matthew Blurton-Jones, Ph.D., of the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, UC Irvine, have shown for the first time that neural stem cells can rescue memory in mice with advanced Alzheimer's disease, raising hope for a potential treatment in humans. Their work is expected to move to clinical trials in less than five years.

Huntington's Disease: Huntington's disease is a degenerative and ultimately fatal brain disorder that takes away a person's ability to walk, talk and reason. It affects about 30,000 people in the U.S. with another 200,000 or more likely to inherit the disorder. Leslie Thompson, Ph.D., and her team of researchers are currently investigating new stem cell lines and techniques to support the area of the brain that is susceptible to the disease with the hope of developing a cure for future generations.

Macular Degeneration, Retinitis Pigmentosa and Inherited Blindness: Henry Klassen, M.D., Ph.D. has focused his stem cell research on regenerating damaged retinal tissue to restore sight to people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa (an inherited form of degenerative eye disease) and macular degeneration which usually affects older people and leads to loss of vision. Macular degeneration affects millions of Americans. His work hopes to find cures and treatments for corneal and retinal eye disease.

New Website Helps Spread the Word Online To commemorate International Stem Cell Awareness Day and encourage support of stem cell research, an interactive website has been created. Advocates are asked to visit http://www.StemCellsOfferHope.com and share online a wide range of key facts, downloadable images and links to other valuable resources within their social networks.

International Stem Cell Awareness Day Events at UC Irvine The Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at UC Irvine will celebrate International Stem Cell Awareness Day by hosting three special events. An open house will take place on Oct. 1 for high school students. A UC Irvine student, faculty and staff open house will take place on Oct. 2. Finally, an all-day science symposium on Oct. 3 will feature a "Meet the Scientist" interactive forum. The forum and symposium are open to all UC Irvine scientists, clinicians, graduate students, post-docs and members of the community. To RSVP for any these events or for more information, include the name of the event in the subject line and email stemcell@research.uci.edu.

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World Renowned Scientists and Advocates to Celebrate and Shine Light on Stem Cell Breakthroughs

Houston Stem Cell Summit Announces Extraordinary Lineup of Keynote Speakers

HOUSTON, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The Houston Stem Cell Summit will host an extraordinary lineup of keynote speakers who represent the most accomplished stem cell scientists, clinicians and entrepreneurs in the United States. Joining these distinguished speakers will be Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, consistent champion of adult stem cell therapies.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120831/NY66463LOGO )

The Houston Stem Cell Summit will be held October 26 27 in its namesake city and will highlight the latest therapeutic research regarding the use of adult stem and progenitor cell therapies. The Summit will also provide a forum for entrepreneurs to discuss their latest efforts to commercialize stem cell therapies, and to debate and discuss FDA and other legal and regulatory issues impacting stem cell research and commercialization.

Opening Keynote Address October 26, 2012 Arnold I. Caplan, PhD, Professor of Biology and Professor of General Medical Sciences (Oncology) Case Western Reserve University

Dr. Caplan has helped shape the direction and focus of adult stem cell research and commercialization. Virtually every adult stem cell company and literally tens of thousands of research papers are based on Dr. Caplan's original and ground breaking research. Professor Caplan is considered to be the "father" of the mesenchymal stem cell and first described this progenitor cell in his landmark paper; "Mesenchymal stem cells", Journal of Orthopaedic Research 1991;9(5):641-650. Since that foundational study, Dr. Caplan has published over 360 manuscripts and articles in peer reviewed journals. Dr. Caplan has been Chief Scientific Officer at OrthoCyte Corporation since 2010. In addition, Dr. Caplan co-founded Cell Targeting Inc. and has served as President of Skeletech, Inc. as its founder. He is the recipient of several honors and awards from the orthopedic research community. Dr. Caplan holds a Ph. D. from Johns Hopkins University Medical School and a B.S. in chemistry from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Summit Keynote Address October 26, 2012 Texas Governor Rick Perry

Governor Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. Governor Perry has long championed the role of medical technologies in building the future of not only Texas, but also the United States. In many ways, his strong advocacy on behalf of research and advanced medical technologies is one of his strongest and as yet underappreciated legacies. In addition to his service to the state of Texas, Governor Perry has also served as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2008 and again in 2011. Despite a rigorous schedule, particularly in the teeth of this election season, Governor Perry has graciously made time to speak and encourage the researchers, patients, companies and physicians who form the fabric and future of the stem cell therapy community.

Texas Medical Center Keynote Address, October 27, 2012 James T. Willerson, MD

Over the course of his career, Dr. James T. Willerson has served as a medical, scientific and administrative leader for each of the major institutions that are the foundation of the Texas Medical Center. Dr. Willerson is currently President and Medical Director, Director of Cardiology Research, and Co-Director of the Cullen Cardiovascular Research Laboratories at Texas Heart Institute (THI). Dr. Willerson was appointed President-Elect of THI in 2004 and became President and Medical Director in 2008. He is also an adjunct professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is the former chief of Cardiology at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and the former chief of Medical Services at Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Dr. Willerson has served as a visiting professor and invited lecturer at more than 170 institutions.

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Houston Stem Cell Summit Announces Extraordinary Lineup of Keynote Speakers

Stem cells improve visual function in blind mice

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) An experimental treatment for blindness, developed from a patient's skin cells, improved the vision of blind mice in a study conducted by Columbia ophthalmologists and stem cell researchers.

The findings suggest that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells -- which are derived from adult human skin cells but have embryonic properties -- could soon be used to restore vision in people with macular degeneration and other diseases that affect the eye's retina.

"With eye diseases, I think we're getting close to a scenario where a patient's own skin cells are used to replace retina cells destroyed by disease or degeneration," says the study's principal investigator, Stephen Tsang, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology and pathology & cell biology. "It's often said that iPS transplantation will be important in the practice of medicine in some distant future, but our paper suggests the future is almost here."

The advent of human iPS cells in 2007 was greeted with excitement from scientists who hailed the development as a way to avoid the ethical complications of embryonic stem cells and create patient-specific stem cells. Like embryonic stem cells, iPS cells can develop into any type of cell. Thousands of different iPS cell lines from patients and healthy donors have been created in the last few years, but they are almost always used in research or drug screening.

No iPS cells have been transplanted into people, but many ophthalmologists say the eye is the ideal testing ground for iPS therapies.

"The eye is a transparent and accessible part of the central nervous system, and that's a big advantage. We can put cells into the eye and monitor them every day with routine non-invasive clinical exams," Tsang says. "And in the event of serious complications, removing the eye is not a life-threatening event."

In Tsang's new preclinical iPS study, human iPS cells -- derived from the skin cells of a 53-year-old donor -- were first transformed with a cocktail of growth factors into cells in the retina that lie underneath the eye's light-sensing cells.

The primary job of the retina cells is to nourish the light-sensing cells and protect the fragile cells from excess light, heat, and cellular debris. If the retina cells die -- which happens in macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa -- the photoreceptor cells degenerate and the patient loses vision. Macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss in the elderly, and it is estimated that 30 percent of people will have some form of macular degeneration by age 75. Macular degeneration currently affects 7 million Americans and its incidence is expected to double by 2020.

In their study, the researchers injected the iPS-derived retina cells into the right eyes of 34 mice that had a genetic mutation that caused their retina cells to degenerate.

In many animals, the human cells assimilated into mouse retina without disruption and functioned as normal retina cells well into the animals' old age. Control mice that got injections of saline or inactive cells showed no improvement in retina tests.

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Stem cells improve visual function in blind mice

Multiple similarities discovered between cancer cells and induced pluripotent stem cells

ScienceDaily (Sep. 28, 2012) UC Davis investigators have found new evidence that a promising type of stem cell now being considered for a variety of disease therapies is very similar to the type of cells that give rise to cancer. The findings suggest that although the cells -- known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) -- show substantial promise as a source of replacement cells and tissues to treat injuries, disease and chronic conditions, scientists and physicians must move cautiously with any clinical use because iPSCs could also cause malignant cancer.

The article, "Induced pluripotency and oncogenic transformation are related processes," is now online in the journal, Stem Cells and Development.

"This is the first study that describes the specific molecular pathways that iPSCs and cancer cells share from a direct comparison" said Paul Knoepfler, associate professor of cell biology and human anatomy, and principal investigator of the study. "It means that much more study is required before iPSCs can be used clinically. However, our study adds to a growing knowledge base that not only will help make stem cell therapies safer, but also provide us with new understandings about the cancer-causing process and more effective ways to fight the disease."

Since 2007, cell biologists have been able to induce specialized, differentiated cells (such as those obtained from the skin or muscle of a human adult) to become iPSCs. Like embryonic stem cells, iPSCs are a type of stem cell that is able to become any cell type. This "pluripotent" capability means that iPSCs have the potential of being used in treatments for a variety of human diseases, a fundamentally new type of clinical care known as regenerative medicine.

iPSCs are considered particularly important because their production avoids the controversy that surrounds embryonic stem cells. In addition, iPSCs can be taken from a patient's own skin and induced to produce other needed tissues, thereby evading the possibility of immunologic rejection that arises when transplanting cells from a donor to a recipient. In contrast to therapies based on ES cells, iPSCs would eliminate the need for patients to take immunosuppressive drugs.

Earlier research indicated that both ES cells and iPSCs pose some health risks. Increasing evidence suggests that pluripotency may be related to rapid cellular growth, a characteristic of cancer. iPSCs, as well as embryonic stem cells, are well known by scientists to have the propensity to cause teratomas, an unusual type of benign tumor that consists of many different cell types. The new UC Davis study demonstrates for the first time that iPSCs -- as well as ES cells -- share significant similarities to malignant cancer cells.

The investigators compared iPSCs to a form of malignant cancer known as oncogenic foci that are also produced in laboratories; these cell types are used by medical researchers to create models of cancer, particularly sarcoma. Specifically, the scientists contrasted the different cells' transcriptomes, composed of the RNA molecules or "transcripts." Unlike DNA analysis, which reflects a cell's entire genetic code whether or not the genes are active, transcriptomes reflect only the genes that are actively expressed at a given time and therefore provide a picture of actual cellular activity.

From this transcriptome analysis, the investigators found that the iPSCs and malignant sarcoma cancer cells are unexpectedly similar in several respects. Genes that were not expressed in iPSCs were also not expressed in the cancer-generating cells, including many that have properties that guide a cell to normally differentiate in certain directions. Both cell types also exhibited evidence of similar metabolic activities, another indication that they are related cell types.

"We were surprised how similar iPSCS were to cancer-generating cells," said Knoepfler. "Our findings indicate that the search for therapeutic applications of iPSCs must proceed with considerable caution if we are to do our best to promote patient safety."

Knoepfler noted, for example, that future experimental therapies using iPSCs for human transplants would most often not involve implanting iPSCs directly into a patient. Instead, iPSCs would be used to create differentiated cells -- or tissues -- in the laboratory, which could then be transplanted into a patient. This approach avoids implanting the actual undifferentiated iPSCS, and reduces the risk of tumor development as a side effect. However, Knoepfler noted that even trace amounts of residual iPSCs could cause cancer in patients, a possibility supported by his team's latest research.

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Multiple similarities discovered between cancer cells and induced pluripotent stem cells

Researchers find multiple similarities between cancer cells and induced pluripotent stem cells

Public release date: 28-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Charles Casey charles.casey@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu 916-734-9048 University of California - Davis Health System

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) UC Davis investigators have found new evidence that a promising type of stem cell now being considered for a variety of disease therapies is very similar to the type of cells that give rise to cancer. The findings suggest that although the cells -- known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) -- show substantial promise as a source of replacement cells and tissues to treat injuries, disease and chronic conditions, scientists and physicians must move cautiously with any clinical use because iPSCs could also cause malignant cancer.

The article, "Induced pluripotency and oncogenic transformation are related processes," is now online in the journal, Stem Cells and Development.

"This is the first study that describes the specific molecular pathways that iPSCs and cancer cells share from a direct comparison" said Paul Knoepfler, associate professor of cell biology and human anatomy, and principal investigator of the study. "It means that much more study is required before iPSCs can be used clinically. However, our study adds to a growing knowledge base that not only will help make stem cell therapies safer, but also provide us with new understandings about the cancer-causing process and more effective ways to fight the disease."

Since 2007, cell biologists have been able to induce specialized, differentiated cells (such as those obtained from the skin or muscle of a human adult) to become iPSCs. Like embryonic stem cells, iPSCs are a type of stem cell that is able to become any cell type. This "pluripotent" capability means that iPSCs have the potential of being used in treatments for a variety of human diseases, a fundamentally new type of clinical care known as regenerative medicine.

iPSCs are considered particularly important because their production avoids the controversy that surrounds embryonic stem cells. In addition, iPSCs can be taken from a patient's own skin and induced to produce other needed tissues, thereby evading the possibility of immunologic rejection that arises when transplanting cells from a donor to a recipient. In contrast to therapies based on ES cells, iPSCs would eliminate the need for patients to take immunosuppressive drugs.

Earlier research indicated that both ES cells and iPSCs pose some health risks. Increasing evidence suggests that pluripotency may be related to rapid cellular growth, a characteristic of cancer. iPSCs, as well as embryonic stem cells, are well known by scientists to have the propensity to cause teratomas, an unusual type of benign tumor that consists of many different cell types. The new UC Davis study demonstrates for the first time that iPSCs -- as well as ES cells -- share significant similarities to malignant cancer cells.

The investigators compared iPSCs to a form of malignant cancer known as oncogenic foci that are also produced in laboratories; these cell types are used by medical researchers to create models of cancer, particularly sarcoma. Specifically, the scientists contrasted the different cells' transcriptomes, comprised of the RNA molecules or "transcripts." Unlike DNA analysis, which reflects a cell's entire genetic code whether or not the genes are active, transcriptomes reflect only the genes that are actively expressed at a given time and therefore provide a picture of actual cellular activity.

From this transcriptome analysis, the investigators found that the iPSCs and malignant sarcoma cancer cells are unexpectedly similar in several respects. Genes that were not expressed in iPSCs were also not expressed in the cancer-generating cells, including many that have properties that guide a cell to normally differentiate in certain directions. Both cell types also exhibited evidence of similar metabolic activities, another indication that they are related cell types.

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Researchers find multiple similarities between cancer cells and induced pluripotent stem cells

International Stem Cell Corp Granted Key Patent for Liver Disease Program

CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 25, 2012) - International Stem Cell Corporation ( OTCQB : ISCO ) (www.internationalstemcell.com) ("ISCO" or "the Company") a California-based biotechnology company, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted the Company a patent for a method of creating pure populations of definitive endoderm, precursor cells to liver and pancreas cells, from human pluripotent stem cells.This patent is a key element of ISCO's metabolic liver disease program and allows the Company to produce the necessary quantities of precursor cells in a more efficient and cost effective manner.

The patent, 8,268,621, adds to the Company's growing portfolio of proprietary technologies relating to the development of potential treatments for incurable diseases using human parthenogenetic Stem Cells (hpSC).Human parthenogenetic stem cells are unique pluripotent stem cells that offer the possibility to reduce the cost of health care while avoiding the ethical issues that surround the use of fertilized human embryos.Aside from the Company's current liver disease program, this new patented method can be used as a route to create pancreatic and endocrine cells that could be used in future studies of diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

ISCO currently has the largest collection of hpSC including cell lines which immune match the donor, as is the case with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), and cell lines which immune-match millions of individuals and potentially reduce tissue rejection issues.The Company is focusing its therapeutic development efforts on three clinical applications where cell and tissue therapy is already proven but where there currently is an insufficient supply of safe and efficacious cells: Parkinson's disease, inherited/metabolic liver diseases and corneal blindness.

About International Stem Cell Corporation

International Stem Cell Corporation is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products.ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs) hence avoiding ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos.ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial background with minimal immune rejection after transplantation. hpSCs offer the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology (www.lifelinecelltech.com), and stem cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care (www.lifelineskincare.com). More information is available at http://www.internationalstemcell.com.

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Statements pertaining to anticipated developments, the potential use of technologies to develop therapeutic products and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects" or "estimates") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products and the management of collaborations, regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, application of capital resources among competing uses, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the company's business, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements.

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International Stem Cell Corp Granted Key Patent for Liver Disease Program

The great stem cell dilemma

By Jeffrey M. O'Brien, contributor

Stem cells stored in liquid nitrogen at Advanced Cell Technology in Marlborough, Mass.

FORTUNE -- Imagine yourself the proud but rueful owner of an ancient Jaguar. Every day you dread the uncertainty that comes with trying to get from here to there -- there, more often than not, being the shop. No sooner does one ailment find repair than another appears. At best, it's a slow, uncomfortable ride. Lonely too. There's really no one around who fully understands your plight.

That is how Patricia Riley describes life in a 95-year-old body. Riley, who reached that milestone birthday last St. Patrick's Day, lives alone in the same 1,100-square-foot house in Plainfield, Conn., that she's called home for 64 years, having survived her husband (heart disease), a daughter (breast cancer), and every friend she ever had. "All the people I knew have all gone, Jeffrey," she says in a quivering voice laced with melancholy. "They've all died. I go to church and I never see people my age." Her remaining family includes two daughters, five grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren, including my two young sons. In a nod to her French-Canadian heritage, we call her Mme.

Mme attributes her longevity to good genes, but she clearly owes a debt to modern medicine. Over the years she's had a cholecystectomy, a hysterectomy, esophageal surgery, a stroke, and ulcerative colitis. Lately she relies on a cane and a walker, and her daily regimen includes pain pills for arthritis, two inhalers for asthma, high-blood-pressure meds, a statin, vitamins, digestion aids, and an anti-anxiety drug that she calls "my nerve pill." Her vision also comes courtesy of medical science. Three years ago Mme was diagnosed with a form of age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, a disease of the back of the retina that is the leading cause of vision loss in the developed world. The ophthalmologist gave her a choice: a needle into her eyeballs every six weeks, or blindness. Mme opted for the injections and now receives shots of an off-label cancer drug called Avastin, which has demonstrated efficacy in halting the progress of her type of AMD. Holding the ailment at bay is all she can hope for. "I'll have to go for as long as I live," she says. "It's just a treatment -- it's not a cure."

Treatments, not cures. This, in a nutshell, is the MO of our health care system, and it's precisely the reason that regenerative medicine -- and stem cell therapy in particular -- has been the subject of so much hope and hype over the past decade or so. Stem cell therapies promise to empower a body to fight ailments by enabling it to build new parts. Think about growing new neurons or heart tissue. Think about the difference between perpetually slathering that old Jag with Bondo and having it heal itself overnight in the garage.

MORE:Stem cell dollars: California leads the way

While stem cells have ignited plenty of religious outrage and political grandstanding, behind the headlines the underlying science has been advancing the way science often does -- by turns slowly and dramatically. To be clear, the earliest stem cell therapies are almost certainly years from distribution. But so much progress has been made at venerable research institutions that it now seems possible to honestly discuss the possibility of a new medical paradigm emerging within a generation. Working primarily with rodents in preclinical trials, MDs and Ph.D.s are making the paralyzed walk and the impotent virile. A stem cell therapy for two types of macular degeneration recently restored the vision of two women. Once they were blind. Now they see! Some experts assert that AMD could be eradicated within a decade. Other scientists are heralding a drug-free fix for HIV/AIDS. Various forms of cancer, Parkinson's, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and ALS have already been eradicated in mice. If such work translates to humans, it will represent the type of platform advancement that comes along in medicine only once in a lifetime or two. The effect on the economy would be substantial. Champions of stem cell research say it would be on the order of the Internet or even the transistor.

The obstacles along the road from lab rat to human patients are many, of course, but the biggest by far is money. With the dramatic events in the lab, you might think that a gold rush would be under way. That's far from true. Long time horizons, regulatory hurdles, huge R&D costs, public sentiment, and political headwinds have all scared financiers. Wall Street isn't interested in financing this particular dream. Most stem cell companies that have dared go public are trading down 90% or more from their IPOs. Sand Hill Road is AWOL. The National Venture Capital Association doesn't even have a category to track stem cell investments.

Big Pharma would seem to be the most obvious benefactor. The drug companies understand the complexities (and billion-dollar outlays) involved in bringing therapies to market. A few drug companies have kicked the tires on stem cells over the years, but waiting for them to undo the current model is akin to banking on Big Oil to rethink energy. They may do it, but it's unlikely to be by choice. Which leaves stem cell researchers begging for state and federal grants at a time scientific funding is under siege.

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The great stem cell dilemma

Cancer, induced pluripotent stem cell similarities

SACRAMENTO UC Davis investigators have found new evidence that a promising type of stem cell now being considered for a variety of disease therapies is very similar to the type of cells that give rise to cancer. The findings suggest that although the cells known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) show substantial promise as a source of replacement cells and tissues to treat injuries, disease and chronic conditions, scientists and physicians must move cautiously with any clinical use because iPSCs could also cause malignant cancer.

The article, "Induced pluripotency and oncogenic transformation are related processes," is now online in the journal Stem Cells and Development.

"This is the first study that describes the specific molecular pathways that iPSCs and cancer cells share from a direct comparison" said Paul Knoepfler, associate professor of cell biology and human anatomy, and principal investigator of the study. "It means that much more study is required before iPSCs can be used clinically. However, our study adds to a growing knowledge base that not only will help make stem cell therapies safer, but also provide us with new understandings about the cancer-causing process and more effective ways to fight the disease."

Since 2007, cell biologists have been able to induce specialized, differentiated cells (such as those obtained from the skin or muscle of a human adult) to become iPSCs. Like embryonic stem cells, iPSCs are a type of stem cell that is able to become any cell type. This "pluripotent" capability means that iPSCs have the potential of being used in treatments for a variety of human diseases, a fundamentally new type of clinical care known as regenerative medicine.

iPSCs are considered particularly important because their production avoids the controversy that surrounds embryonic stem (ES) cells. In addition, iPSCs can be taken from a patient's own skin and induced to produce other needed tissues, thereby evading the possibility of immunologic rejection that arises when transplanting cells from a donor to a recipient. In contrast to therapies based on ES cells, iPSCs would eliminate the need for patients to take immunosuppressive drugs.

Earlier research indicated that both ES cells and iPSCs pose some health risks. Increasing evidence suggests that pluripotency may be related to rapid cellular growth, a characteristic of cancer. iPSCs, as well as embryonic stem cells, are well known by scientists to have the propensity to cause teratomas, an unusual type of benign tumor that consists of many different cell types. The new UC Davis study demonstrates for the first time that iPSCs as well as ES cells share significant similarities to malignant cancer cells.

The investigators compared iPSCs to a form of malignant cancer known as oncogenic foci that are also produced in laboratories; these cell types are used by medical researchers to create models of cancer, particularly sarcoma. Specifically, the scientists contrasted the different cells' transcriptomes, comprised of the RNA molecules or "transcripts." Unlike DNA analysis, which reflects a cell's entire genetic code whether or not the genes are active, transcriptomes reflect only the genes that are actively expressed at a given time and therefore provide a picture of actual cellular activity.

From this transcriptome analysis, the investigators found that the iPSCs and malignant sarcoma cancer cells are unexpectedly similar in several respects. Genes that were not expressed in iPSCs were also not expressed in the cancer-generating cells, including many that have properties that guide a cell to normally differentiate in certain directions. Both cell types also exhibited evidence of similar metabolic activities, another indication that they are related cell types.

"We were surprised how similar iPSCS were to cancer-generating cells," said Knoepfler. "Our findings indicate that the search for therapeutic applications of iPSCs must proceed with considerable caution if we are to do our best to promote patient safety."

Knoepfler noted, for example, that future experimental therapies using iPSCs for human transplants would most often not involve implanting iPSCs directly into a patient. Instead, iPSCs would be used to create differentiated cells or tissues in the laboratory, which could then be transplanted into a patient. This approach avoids implanting the actual undifferentiated iPSCS, and reduces the risk of tumor development as a side effect. However, Knoepfler noted that even trace amounts of residual iPSCs could cause cancer in patients, a possibility supported by his team's latest research.

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Cancer, induced pluripotent stem cell similarities

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

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'

RBCC: Stem Cell Market Poised for Billion-Dollar Growth

NOKOMIS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

As Rainbow BioSciences, the biotech subsidiary of Rainbow Coral Corp. (RBCC), works to acquire licensing for commercial use of NASA-developed stem cell expansion technology, the company received good news from a Wall Street analysts forecast on Wednesday.

Writing for Seeking Alpha, George Kesarios predicted major growth for the global stem cell market in coming years. Its estimated that the market will be worth about $64 billion by 2015, up from $21.5 billion in 2010.

Kesarios attributed the growth largely to a potential revolution in drug companies research and development made possible by an abundance of induced pluripotent stem cells.

With these stem cells, scientists can actually create working facsimiles of living human tissue, introduce diseases and observe how they unfold under a microscope, said RBCC CEO Patrick Brown. Spending a decade on research only to discover in trials that a drug doesnt work could become a thing of the past. Stem cells hold the key to the future of profitable, effective drug development.

Thats why RBCC has engaged Regenetech in discussions regarding the potential acquisition of a license to perform cell expansion using that companys Rotary Cell Culture SystemTM.

The Rotary Cell Culture SystemTM is a rotating-wall bioreactor designed to facilitate the growth of human cells in simulated weightlessness. Cell cultures, including stem cells, grown inside the bioreactor look and function much closer to human cells grown within the body than the flat cell cultures grown in Petri dishes.

The potential for stem cells expansion using this unique culturing system originally devised for the space program is incredible, Brown said. Every cell researcher in the world is going to want access to this technology.

RBCC plans to offer new technology to compete in the stem-cell research industry alongside Amgen, Inc. (AMGN), Celgene Corporation (CELG), Genzyme Corp. (NASDAQ:GENZ) and Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD).

For more information on Rainbow BioSciences, please visit http://www.rainbowbiosciences.com/investors.html.

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RBCC: Stem Cell Market Poised for Billion-Dollar Growth

BIO Announces Therapeutic Workshops for 11th Annual BIO Investor Forum

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) announces Therapeutic Workshops on Cancer stem cell therapy, kinase drugs, and ultra rare diseases planned for the upcoming BIO Investor Forum. Hosted by BIO, the 11th annual event will take place at the Palace Hotel on October 9-10 in San Francisco, Calif.

This years Therapeutic Workshops will address some of the most exciting therapeutic advances for the biotech industry. We have worked very closely with this years esteemed Advisory Committee to identify topics that will engage investors and industry alike, said Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president, Emerging Companies & Business Developmentat BIO.

Therapeutic Workshops will feature senior-level industry executives, scientific officers and leading clinical experts that represent innovative investment opportunities in the biotech industry.

Therapeutic Workshops include:

The BIO Investor Forum features public and venture-stage company presentations, expert-led, business roundtables, one-on-one investor meetings and networking opportunities.

To learn more about the BIO Investor Forum, including registration and program information, please visit here. Advance media registration is available here. Registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the media and qualified investors.

BIO is pleased to recognize the leadership provided by the BIO Investor Forum Conference sponsors including Supporting Bank Stifel, Nicolaus & Company. BIO Double Helix and Helix Sponsors include Abbott Biotech Ventures, Amgen Ventures, Baxter Ventures, J&J Development Corporation, MedImmune Ventures, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and Pfizer.

About BIO

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the worlds largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtechNOW, an online portal and monthly newsletter chronicling innovations transforming our world. Subscribe to BIOtechNOW.

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BIO Announces Therapeutic Workshops for 11th Annual BIO Investor Forum

Therapeutic impact of cell transplantation aided by magnetic factor

Public release date: 24-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: David Eve celltransplantation@gmail.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair

Putnam Valley, NY. (Sept. 24, 2012) Two studies in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (21:6), now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/, demonstrate how the use of magnetic particles are a factor that can positively impact on the targeted delivery of transplanted stem cells and to also provide better cell retention.

A research team from the University of British Columbia used focused magnetic stem cell targeting to improve the delivery and transport of mensenchymal stem cells to the retinas of test rats while researchers from Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute (Los Angeles) injected magnetically enhanced cardiac stem cells to guide the cells to their target to increase cell retention and therapeutic benefit in rat models of ischemic/reperfusion injury.

According to study co-author Dr. Kevin Gregory-Evans, MD, PhD, of the Centre for Macular Degeneration at the University of British Columbia, degeneration of the retina - the cause of macular degeneration as well as other eye diseases - accounts for most cases of blindness in the developed world. To date, the transplantation of mensenchymal stem cells to the damaged retina has had "limited success" because the cells reaching the retina have been in "very low numbers and in random distribution."

Seeking to improve stem cell transplantation to the retina, the researchers magnetized rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) using superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs). Via an externally placed magnet, they directed the SPION enhanced cells to the peripheral retinas of the test animals.

"Our results showed that large numbers of blood-borne magnetic MSCs can be targeted to specific retinal locations and produce therapeutically useful biochemical changes in the target tissue," explained Gregory-Evans. "Such an approach would be optimal in focal tissue diseases of the outer retina, such as age-related macular degeneration."

Contact:

Dr. Kevin Gregory-Evans, Centre for Macular Research, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2550 Willow St., Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 3N9 Tel. + 1-604-671-0419 Fax. + 1-604-875-4663 Email: kge30@interchange.unc.ca

Citation: Yanai, A.; Hfeli, U. O.; Metcalfe, A. L.; Soema, P.; Addo, L.; Gregory-Evans, C. Y.; Po, K.; Shan, X.; Moritz, O. L.; Gregory-Evans, K. Focused Magnetic Stem Cell Targeting to the Retina Using Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles. Cell Transplant. 21(6):1137-1148; 2012.

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Therapeutic impact of cell transplantation aided by magnetic factor

ChanTest Awarded $1 Million Grant for Predictive Assays using Stem Cell-Derived Human Cardiomyocytes

CLEVELAND , Sept. 17, 2012 /CNW/ - ChanTest, the leading CRO expert in ion channels and nonclinical cardiac safety testing, announces funding of a Phase II SBIR grant. ChanTest will use the grant from the National Heart Lung & Blood Institute to optimize drug safety and discovery assays using stem cell-derived human cardiomyocytes.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120817/CL58977LOGO )

"This grant will allow us to optimize our industry-leading cardiomyocyte assays," said ChanTest's Principal Investigator Andrew Bruening-Wright, Ph.D. "With our collaborators at FDA, DSEC, and Leadscope, Inc., we have improved predictivity models based on currently available ChanTest services. Our nonclinical models will only get better as we fully integrate cardiomyocyte-based assays."

These cardiomyocyte assays are critical for improving the predictivity of nonclinical testing and reducing the use of animals as proposed in the NIH roadmap for drug discovery and the FDA's critical path initiative. The grant will also fund development of automated instrument-based services to increase throughput and drive down costs to meet the needs of ChanTest customers.

Dr. Arthur "Buzz" Brown, founder and CEO of ChanTest and co-PI on the grant, added "ChanTest has assembled an expert team to ensure success of this grant. We'll build on this success to improve drug discovery for other diseases in which ion channels play a critical role."

About ChanTest The Ion Channel Expert

ChanTest's mission is to serve the drug discovery and development needs of customers worldwide with high-value solutions for ion channel and GPCR biology. Since its inception in 1998, the company has tested compounds for more than 500 global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and partners with them to speed the drug development process for the release of better, safer drugs. ChanTest offers integrated ion channel and GPCR services (GLP and non-GLP) and reagents; the company's library of validated ion channel cell lines and pre-clinical cardiac risk assessment service portfolio are the most comprehensive commercially available today. Because of ChanTest's seminal role in the nonclinical cardiac safety field, along with the company's uncompromising commitment to quality, ChanTest has been named the "most trusted and most used fee-for-service provider" for ion channel screening in an independent survey for the past three years. ChanTest is based in Cleveland , Ohio. For more information, e-mail info@chantest.com.

CONTACT: Chris Mathes , +1-732-586-1073

SOURCE: ChanTest

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ChanTest Awarded $1 Million Grant for Predictive Assays using Stem Cell-Derived Human Cardiomyocytes

RBCC Expands Cell Culturing Focus to Include Adult Stem Cells

NOKOMIS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Rainbow Biosciences, the biotechnology subsidiary of Rainbow Coral Corp. (RBCC), announced today that it will expand its focus on technology capable of culturing 3D cell clusters to include adult stem cells, as well.

According to a report published last year by analysts as GIA, global investments in adult stem-cell research are forecast to reach $2.4 billion by 2015. That growth is being driven by technological advancements, the rising number of research groups engaged in stem cell research activities, broadening research activities and substantial investments from governments in leading global markets.

A rising incidence of life-threatening diseases, un-met needs in the area of medicine, and costs associated with drug development also contribute to the market expansion.

RBCC aims to help develop and market advanced new technologies capable of growing adult stem cells for research that more closely resemble those found in the body, said RBCC CEO Patrick Brown. Demand from the worlds growing elderly population is making continued stem-cell research a necessity, and we intend to position our company and our shareholders to capitalize on that need by providing the best stem-cell technology in the world.

RBCC plans to develop technology to compete in the stem-cell research industry alongside Amgen, Inc. (AMGN), Celgene Corporation (CELG), Genzyme Corp. (NASDAQ:GENZ) and Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD).

For more information on Rainbow BioSciences, please visit http://www.rainbowbiosciences.com/investors.html.

About Rainbow BioSciences

Rainbow BioSciences, LLC, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rainbow Coral Corp. (OTCBB:RBCC). The company continually seeks out new partnerships with biotechnology developers to deliver profitable new medical technologies and innovations. For more information on our growth-oriented business initiatives, please visit our website at [www.RainbowBioSciences.com]. For investment information and performance data on the company, please visit http://www.RainbowBioSciences.com/investors.html.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

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RBCC Expands Cell Culturing Focus to Include Adult Stem Cells

Symposium attracts top stem cell researchers

BRIDGEWATER Scientists from all over the country gathered for the sixth annual New Jersey Stem Cell Research Symposium on Wednesday at the Bridgewater Marriott hotel.

Researchers presented discoveries to an audience of about 250 people, with the University contributing 42 displays on findings in fields ranging from leukemia to addiction.

The symposium was designed to help different personnel in the field meet to boost productivity, said Kathryn Drzewiecki, a University graduate student in biomedical engineering.

Its good to have research and industry together to help each other, said Drzewiecki, who studied devices meant to culture stem cells. We can tell them what they need and they can get those products to be developed.

The Universitys Center for Stem Cell Research co-sponsored the symposium.

Ron Hart, professor of cell biology and neuroscience at the University, said the University is on the forefront of stem cell research and has the largest collection of human blood cells in the world. Half a million samples are stored in the Cell and DNA Repository and are now being used to generate stem cells for research, he said.

We turn them into neurons and begin to study mechanisms of disorders, Hart said. So there are several labs in Rutgers that are dealing with various diseases. Thats what makes our University special in this aspect.

Among the projects featured at the symposium was a new machine introduced by Life Technologies, a global life-sciences company, designed to copy a genome sequence quicker and cheaper than before.

Although the machine, called the Ion Proton Sequencer, costs $200,000, the chip used to take tissue samples has been reduced from its current cost of $500,000 to about $1,000, said Marsha Slater, application specialist for Life Technologies.

Thats going to create a lot of change in how medicine is done, Slater said. Cancer patients will be able to get their tissue samples sequenced, see what mutations are there which will help choose the best chemotherapy for the patient.

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Symposium attracts top stem cell researchers