What if your very own bone marrow stem cells, upgraded with more immune cells, could be used to increase your chances of survival after a heart attack? Sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but according to a study done by Timothy Henry, MD of the Minneapolis Heart Institute and colleagues, it may in fact be possible. The findings, which were presented at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography, are considered preliminary until they are published in a peer-reviewed journal, but they are definitely promising.

“With stem cells, we’ve been successful with processes that improve blood flow,” Henry told MedPage Today, and added that there is a significant number of class III heart failure patients who don’t do well on medications or with devices.

“A therapy that would delay heart failure progression would be a major step forward,” he said. “This small trial proved the intervention is safe and all the trends were in the right direction.”

The next phase of the trial will begin in the summer. Stay tuned!

Visit link:
Stem Cells May Help Heart Patients

Bacterial magnets and the bio-computer era By Raja Murthy

MUMBAI – Scientists are working to have some of the world’s smallest creatures carry the growing mountain-loads of information worldwide – the next generation of information technology and medical devices based on bacteria, biology and billions of years of evolution.

Researchers from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and University of Leeds are studying bacteria that produce magnets, and how these can be used to produce faster, cheaper, environmentally friendly electronics and computers.

Magnetospirilllum magneticum are the microbial heroes in this story. These underwater dwelling organisms use in-born magnetism to navigate across the Earth. When these bacterial creatures are fed iron, scientists discovered, they generate tiny magnetic crystals. And these crystals can be designed to make

the next generation of electronics and surgery aids in medicine [1].

Traditional electronics is quickly reaching limits of technology to make smaller, more powerful devices, says project leader Dr Sarah Staniland from Leeds University, Britain. So she and her colleagues are using Ma Nature’s help to expand frontiers of nanotechnology.

“Biology has had millennia to experiment through evolution,” Staniland said in an e-mail to Asia Times Online. “Proteins have evolved which are nano-scale factories with specific function and purposes. We can use this to our advantage, and let biology build more precise nano-scale materials and nanotechnologies for us.”

Her project uses the same protein that builds these nano-magnets in the next frontier of nanotechnology. Named after the Greek “nano” meaning “dwarf”, nanotechnology involves creating devices one billionth of meter in size.

Staniland, a professor of nanotechnology at the University of Leeds in Britain, said her project aims to develop a “toolkit of proteins and chemicals” to grow computer and electronic components. The research findings were first published in the nano-technology journal Small [2] last November.

Staniland had earlier worked in the lab of Professor Tadashi Matsunaga, from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology seven years ago. There she met her current project colleague Dr Masayoshi Tanaka, and helped him earn a Royal Society International Newton Fellowship for him to work at her lab in Leeds [3].

See the article here:
Bacterial magnets and the bio-computer era

PHOENIX, AZ (PRWEB) May 16, 2012

This week, experts, thought leaders and health professionals will gather in the Phoenix area (Goodyear) for a national conference on mindfulness, one of the most popular new treatment approaches in the field of psychotherapy. The Art & Science of Mindfulness & Counseling: A Revolution of the Heart conference will be held May 16-19, 2012 at the Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa, and will feature two Sierra Tucson physicians, Robert Johnson, D.O., Medical Director, and James Duffy, M.D., Psychiatrist and Chief of Integrative Medicine, along with Jack Kornfield, Ph.D., a renowned expert in the mindfulness field. The conference is hosted by FACES Conferences, a leading provider of education and conferences dedicated to mindfulness.

Over the last three decades we have helped support and give a voice to a variety of mental health movements, reads the FACES website. In all that time, we have never seen a mental health movement with the potential of the mindfulness movement.

The benefits of mindfulness are becoming more known and appreciated nationally in many facets of wellness and recovery. Mindfulness practices hold promise not only for personal development, but also as powerful tools to augment virtually every form of psychotherapy.

Sierra Tucsons Dr. Johnson, a Board Certified Psychiatrist & Addictionologist, will present Meds, Mindfulness, and More: The Neurobiological Case for a More Integrative Approach to the Treatment of Depression, in which hell discuss the controversies around the effectiveness of psychotropic medication versus placebo, how the industry came to embrace such a narrow approach to the treatment of psychiatric illness, and the emerging neuroscientific data about the benefits of a broader and more integrative approach to psychiatric treatment. He will specifically discuss the neurobiological benefits of various somatic, experiential, psychotherapeutic, coaching, and complementary/alternative approaches for the treatment of major depression.

There is a growing line of evidence that the therapies that work whether medication, psychotherapy, mindfulness practices, somatic treatments, or experiential therapies may share common psychobiological mechanisms, said Dr. Johnson. We are beginning to gain a greater understanding at a neurobiological level of the nature of the mind/body relationship. Even though antidepressant medications can be very helpful, given what we know about their potential toxicities and limitations, there is a strong, emerging scientific argument to be made about the value of a more integrative and broad-based approach to the treatment of depression.

Sierra Tucsons Dr. Duffy will present The 5 Medicines: A Practical Model of Integrative Mental Healthcare, in which hell describe the significant challenges to incorporating integrative medicine approaches into clinical practice including the avalanche of new research data that clinicians must sort through in the face of limited time and resources. The workshop will present a practical model for providing integrative mental healthcare and a review of recent important scientific findings that support a holistic approach.

Integrative approaches to mental healthcare have demonstrated efficacy in treating mental disorders and have very few, if any, harmful side effects, said Dr. Duffy. These simple but effective treatments include diet, movement practices, environmental changes, meditation and non-Western approaches such as acupuncture and Ayurveda, each of which can be used in adjunct to conventional allopathic treatments.

About Sierra Tucson A premier facility for treating coexisting disorders, Sierra Tucson is known for its holistic, bio-psycho-social-spiritual treatment approach. Individualized treatment plans incorporate 12-Step philosophy, a wide variety of innovative and integrative therapies, a Family Program, and a combination of Western and Eastern Medicine practices. Dually accredited by The Joint Commission, Sierra Tucson employs full-time medical staff as a key part of its multidisciplinary treatment team. Specialized programs include:

Sierra Tucson is a member of CRC Health Group, the most comprehensive network of specialized behavioral care services in the nation. CRC offers the largest array of personalized treatment options, allowing individuals, families, and professionals to choose the most appropriate treatment setting for their behavioral, addiction, weight management, and therapeutic education needs. CRC is committed to making its services widely and easily available, while maintaining a passion for delivering advanced treatment. Since 1995, CRC programs have helped individuals and families reclaim and enrich their lives.

More here:
Top Sierra Tucson Docs to Present at Mindfulness Conference This Week

Every few days my Google Alerts have been dropping in my inbox reviews of Harry Osters Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People. The latest, is in the The Tablet, A Case for Genetic Jewishness:

For a Jewish genetics researcher, being told inprintthat Hitler would certainly have been very pleased by your work cant be pleasant. But thats what happened in 2010 toHarry Ostrer, a geneticist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, when he and his colleagues published astudyshowing that Jews in three different geographical areas had certain collections of genes that made them more biologically similar to one another than they were to non-Jews in the same regions. The work also showed that Jews around the world could trace their ancestry to a group of people who lived in the Middle East 2,000 years ago; that meant, however, that certain genetic signatures could be used to identify Jews, indicating that Jews share a common biological identity beyond their religious affiliationwhich is what inspired the Hitler crack.

I dont plan on reading Legacy because I already read the paper which it is based on, Abrahams Children in the Genome Era: Major Jewish Diaspora Populations Comprise Distinct Genetic Clusters with Shared Middle Eastern Ancestry. It is now open access, so you can read it too. As implied in the article in The Tablet the biggest finding in this paper is that most of the worlds Jewry seem to share tracts of the genome which are identical by descent (IBD). You dont have to be a geneticist to intuit that being IBD implies relatively recent and elevated shared descent from a common set of ancestors. In particular the authors were looking for segments of the genome where individuals shared the same sequence of genetic markers. Very long sequences indicate a relatively recent common ancestor, while many short ones suggest more distant but numerous common ancestors.

From looking at these patterns of relatedness the authors infer that despite the genetic variation in the modern Jewry, most of the worlds Jews, from Iran to Morocco to Lithuania, share common ancestry from a source population which flourished ~2,500 years ago. All that being said, genetics is only part of the puzzle here. In the discussion the authors suggest that Yet, the sharing of Iranian and Iraqi Jews of a branch on the phylogenetic tree with the Adygei suggests that a certain degree of admixture may have occurred with local populations not included in this study. I argue in my post The Assyrians and Jews: 3,000 years of common history, a clear and distinct category of Jew as opposed to generic North Levantine in the year 500 BC probably does not make biological sense, though it might make culturally sense (and generic North Levantine is obviously not accurate, as most of these individuals had strong tribal or ethnic identities at the time). Finally, I dont think I highlighted in my earlier commentary that these data imply that the rise of Christianity and Islam fundamentally stabilized the genetics of the Jewish people, insofar as much of the admixture upon the core base in the peripheral populations seems to predate the rise of these religious civilizaitons. Once Christianity and Islam marginalized the Jews, the gene flow from non-Jews to Jews diminished greatly. This is curiously analogous to the cultural involution which Jews also underwent during this period.

Read more:
Abraham’s genetic threads | Gene Expression

33054641 story Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday May 15, @08:17PM from the boosterspice-before-i-get-old-please dept. Grond writes “ScienceDaily reports, ‘Researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have demonstrated that the mouse lifespan can be extended by the application in adult life of a single treatment acting directly on the animal’s genes. Mice treated at the age of one lived longer by 24% on average (PDF), and those treated at the age of two, by 13%. The therapy, furthermore, produced an appreciable improvement in the animals’ health, delaying the onset of age-related diseases like osteoporosis and insulin resistance and achieving improved readings on aging indicators like neuromuscular coordination.’ Notably, the therapy did not cause an increase in the incidence of cancer.” You may like to read: Post

Life is the living you do, Death is the living you don’t do. — Joseph Pintauro

Working…

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Gene Therapy Extends Mouse Lifespan

16 May 2012

Angel Biotechnology Holdings plc

(“Angel” or “the Company”)

Angel signs new contract with ReNeuron to provide GMP (KOSDAQ: 018290.KQ – news) cell manufacturing services for completion of stroke clinical trial

Angel Biotechnology Holdings plc, (AIM:ABH), the biopharmaceutical contract manufacturer, has signed a new contract with ReNeuron Group (Berlin: RQE.BE – news) plc (AIM:RENE) to perform GMP manufacturing services in support of the final part of the PISCES Phase 1 clinical trial of its ReN001 stem cell therapy for stroke; the value of the contract was not disclosed.

Dr Stewart White, Acting CEO, Angel Biotechnology (Berlin: A3G.BE – news) said: “Angel is very proud to be providing ReNeuron with additional manufacturing support to complete this ground breaking Phase 1 clinical trial. This contract is further recognition of the strong partnership between Angel and ReNeuron, and also reaffirms both companies commitment to provide solutions for a real clinical need.”

For further information:

Angel Biotechnology Holdings plc

Lorna Peers, Finance Director +44 (0) 131 445 6077

Stewart White, Acting CEO/Commercial Director www.angelbio.com

Go here to read the rest:
Angel Biotechnology – Angel signs new contract with ReNeuron

A study conducted by Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland scientists identifies how skeletal muscle stem cells respond to muscle injury and may be stimulated to improve muscle repair in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a severe inherited disease of muscle that causes weakness, disability and, ultimately, heart and respiratory failure.

The study, led by Julie D. Saba, MD, PhD, senior scientist at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), shows that a lipid signaling molecule called sphingosine-1-phosphate or “S1P” can trigger an inflammatory response that stimulates the muscle stem cells to proliferate and assist in muscle repair. It further shows that mdx mice, which have a disease similar to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, exhibit a deficiency of S1P, and that boosting their S1P levels improves muscle regeneration in these mice. A research report describing the study findings will be published online (http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0037218) on May 14, 2012 in the journal Public Library of Science ONE (PLoS ONE).

Skeletal muscle is the biggest “organ” system of the human body. It is important for all human activity. Muscles can be injured by trauma, inactivity, aging and a variety of inherited muscle diseases. Importantly however, skeletal muscle is one of the few tissues of the human body that has the potential to fully repair itself after injury. The ability of muscles to regenerate themselves is attributed to the presence of a form of adult stem cells called “satellite cells” that are essential for muscle repair. Normally, satellite cells lie quietly at the periphery of the muscle fiber and do not grow, move or become activated. However, after muscle injury, these stem cells “wake up” through unclear mechanisms and fuse with the injured muscle, stimulating a complicated process that results in the rebuilding of a healthy muscle fiber.

S1P is a lipid signaling molecule that controls the movement and proliferation of many human cell types. Other scientists had shown previously that S1P can activate satellite cells, but they did not know how this occurred.

“We have been studying S1P signaling for many years,” states Dr. Saba. “In 2003, we published a report demonstrating that fruit fly mutants with defective S1P metabolism were unable to fly because they developed a muscle disease or “myopathy” that led to degeneration of their flight muscles. Based on that observation, I became convinced that S1P signaling played an important role in muscle stability and homeostasis, not just in flies but in mammals, including humans.”

Dr. Saba’s team has discovered how S1P is able to “wake up” the stem cells at the time of injury. It involves the ability of S1P to activate S1P receptor 2, one of its five cell surface receptors, leading to downstream activation of an inflammatory pathway controlled by a transcription factor called STAT3. They showed that S1P is rapidly produced in the muscle immediately after injury, leading to an S1P “signal.” S1P, acting through S1P receptor 2, leads to activation of STAT3, resulting in changes in gene expression that cause the satellite cell to leave its “sleeping” state and start to proliferate and assist in muscle repair.

Follow this link:
Study identifies how skeletal muscle stem cells respond to muscle injury

Public release date: 14-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: David McKeon dmckeon@nyscf.org 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation

NEW YORK, NY (May 14, 2012) — Dr. Darja Marolt, an Investigator at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Laboratory, is lead author on a study showing that human embryonic stem cells can be used to grow bone tissue grafts for use in research and potential therapeutic application. Dr. Marolt conducted this research as a post-doctoral NYSCF Druckenmiller Fellow at Columbia University in the laboratory of Dr. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic.

The study is the first example of using bone cell progenitors derived from human embryonic stem cells to grow compact bone tissue in quantities large enough to repair centimeter-sized defects. When implanted in mice and studied over time, the implanted bone tissue supported blood vessel ingrowth, and continued development of normal bone structure, without demonstrating any incidence of tumor growth.

Dr. Marolt’s work is a significant step forward in using pluripotent stem cells to repair and replace bone tissue in patients. Bone replacement therapies are relevant in treating patients with a variety of conditions, including wounded military personnel, patients with birth defects, or patients who have suffered other traumatic injury.

Since conducting this work as proof of principle at Columbia University, Dr. Marolt has continued to build upon this research as an Investigator in the NYSCF Laboratory, developing bone grafts from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. iPS cells are similar to embryonic stem cells in that they can also give rise to nearly any type of cell in the body, but iPS cells are produced from adult cells and as such are individualized to each patient. By using iPS cells rather than embryonic stem cells to engineer tissue, Dr. Marolt hopes to develop personalized bone grafts that will avoid immune rejection and other implant complications.

###

The New York Stem Cell Foundation has supported Dr. Marolt’s research throughout her career, first through a NYSCF Druckenmiller Fellowship to fund her post-doctoral work at Columbia University, and now with a NYSCF Helmsley Investigator Award at The New York Stem Cell Foundation Laboratory. “The continuity of funding provided by NYSCF has allowed me to continue my research uninterrupted, making progress more quickly than would have otherwise been possible,” Dr. Marolt said.

The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) conducts cutting-edge translational stem cell research in its laboratory in New York City and supports research by stem cell scientists at other leading institutions around the world. More information is available at www.nyscf.org.

Go here to see the original:
New York Stem Cell Foundation scientist grows bone from human embryonic stem cells

Published on May 15, 2012 at 5:02 AM

Dr. Darja Marolt, an Investigator at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Laboratory, is lead author on a study showing that human embryonic stem cells can be used to grow bone tissue grafts for use in research and potential therapeutic application. Dr. Marolt conducted this research as a post-doctoral NYSCF – Druckenmiller Fellow at Columbia University in the laboratory of Dr. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic.

The study is the first example of using bone cell progenitors derived from human embryonic stem cells to grow compact bone tissue in quantities large enough to repair centimeter-sized defects. When implanted in mice and studied over time, the implanted bone tissue supported blood vessel ingrowth, and continued development of normal bone structure, without demonstrating any incidence of tumor growth.

Dr. Marolt’s work is a significant step forward in using pluripotent stem cells to repair and replace bone tissue in patients. Bone replacement therapies are relevant in treating patients with a variety of conditions, including wounded military personnel, patients with birth defects, or patients who have suffered other traumatic injury.

Since conducting this work as proof of principle at Columbia University, Dr. Marolt has continued to build upon this research as an Investigator in the NYSCF Laboratory, developing bone grafts from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. iPS cells are similar to embryonic stem cells in that they can also give rise to nearly any type of cell in the body, but iPS cells are produced from adult cells and as such are individualized to each patient. By using iPS cells rather than embryonic stem cells to engineer tissue, Dr. Marolt hopes to develop personalized bone grafts that will avoid immune rejection and other implant complications.

The New York Stem Cell Foundation has supported Dr. Marolt’s research throughout her career, first through a NYSCF – Druckenmiller Fellowship to fund her post-doctoral work at Columbia University, and now with a NYSCF – Helmsley Investigator Award at The New York Stem Cell Foundation Laboratory. “The continuity of funding provided by NYSCF has allowed me to continue my research uninterrupted, making progress more quickly than would have otherwise been possible,” Dr. Marolt said.

Source: New York Stem Cell Foundation

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Human embryonic stem cells can be used to grow bone tissue grafts

Washington, May 15 : In a new study, researchers have shown that human embryonic stem cells can be used to grow bone tissue grafts for use in research and potential therapeutic application.

The study is the first example of using bone cell progenitors derived from human embryonic stem cells to grow compact bone tissue in quantities large enough to repair centimeter-sized defects.

When implanted in mice and studied over time, the implanted bone tissue supported blood vessel ingrowth, and continued development of normal bone structure, without demonstrating any incidence of tumor growth.

Dr. Darja Marolt, an Investigator at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Laboratory, is the lead author on the study.

She conducted the study as a post-doctoral NYSCF ‘ Druckenmiller Fellow at Columbia University in the laboratory of Dr. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic.

Dr. Marolt’s work is a significant step forward in using pluripotent stem cells to repair and replace bone tissue in patients. Bone replacement therapies are relevant in treating patients with a variety of conditions, including wounded military personnel, patients with birth defects, or patients who have suffered other traumatic injury.

Since conducting this work as proof of principle at Columbia University, Dr. Marolt has continued to build upon this research as an Investigator in the NYSCF Laboratory, developing bone grafts from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.

iPS cells are similar to embryonic stem cells in that they can also give rise to nearly any type of cell in the body, but iPS cells are produced from adult cells and as such are individualized to each patient.

By using iPS cells rather than embryonic stem cells to engineer tissue, Dr. Marolt hopes to develop personalized bone grafts that will avoid immune rejection and other implant complications. (ANI)

More from health-news:

See the original post here:
Bone grown from human embryonic stem cells

Pluristem Therapeutics Ltd. (Nasdaq:PSTI; DAX: PJT: PLTR) today reported that the cardiac function in a diabetic-induced diastolic dysfunction in animals improved following PLacental eXpanded (PLX cells) administration.

The study was conducted as part of the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7) in collaboration with Prof. Doctor Carsten Tschope and his staff at the Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Berlin-Bradenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Berlin, Germany.

Dr. Tschope said, “Currently, there are limited treatment options for diastolic dysfunction and even fewer options for diabetic induced diastolic dysfunction. This study holds promise that PLX cells might be able to inhibit diabetic induced diastolic dysfunction progression as well as possibly repair the existing damage, hypotheses that will be further explored in future studies.”

Diabetes was induced in thirty-six mice resulting in the development of diastolic heart failure. After seven days, the animals received either PLX cells from two separate batches or placebo (12 subjects in each of the three groups). Ten mice were not treated (controls).

After three weeks, several cardiac parameters were assessed and found to be significantly improved following the treatment with PLX cells. Important measurements included the cardiac ejection fraction and the left ventricular (LV) relaxation time constant, believed to be the best index of LV diastolic function and a determination of the stiffness of the ventricle. Cardiac ejection fraction improved 19%, the left ventricular relaxation time constant fell 16% and stiffness of the ventricle fell 19%.

Administration of either batch of PLX cells also resulted in a significant anti-inflammatory effect.

Pluristem chairman and CEO Zami Alberman said, “As we demonstrated last week with the announcement that our cells successfully treated the seven year old patient suffering from aplastic bone marrow disease, our strategy is to develop a minimally invasive cell therapy solution that can be used to treat a wide range of life-threatening diseases. Our initial testing of a treatment for diastolic heart disease opens a new potential indication where our cells can be used and potentially positions Pluristem as a “first-line of defense” for diastolic dysfunction.”

Pluristem’s share price jumped 5.6% in pre-market trading on Nasdaq to $3.01, giving a market cap of $126.33 million. The share rose 10.6% on the TASE today to NIS 11.50.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news – www.globes-online.com – on May 15, 2012

Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012

Continued here:
Pluristem trial finds stem cells improve cardiac dysfunction

DALLAS, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ —

ReportsnReports.com announces a Flat 10% Discount on ALL market research reports by BioInformant WorldWide, LLC through June 20, 2012. Whether stem cells are to be studied functionally or based on source tissues, our database of reports on stem cells is sure to meet your research requirements.

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The stem cell research products market (excluding stem cell antibodies) was valued at $1.28 billion for the full year 2011 and is projected to increase to $2.10 billion by 2016. The total market for all types of stem cell products – including stem cell research products, stem cell antibodies, and stem cell therapies – was valued at $5.72 billion for the full year 2011. This report identifies, defines, and quantifies each market segment within the stem cell product industry.

This research helps you with data and analysis on rate of entrants to the cord blood banking industry, revenue distinctions among existing banks, effect of new entrants for existing competitors, leveraging global tactics for growth and more.

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This market research report focuses on recent advances in MSC research applications, explores research priorities by market segment, highlights individual labs and end-users of MSC research products, explores the competitive environment for MSC research products, and provides 5-year growth and trend analysis.

This study explores the complex IP landscape affecting development of human embryonic stem cell products, providing clear guidance for companies that want to enter the product area.

Explore information on applications, application priorities, patents, projected 5-years market growth, Competitors covering suppliers of neural stem & progenitor cell products and their products offered, Specialty pharmaceutical companies in neural stem & progenitor cell therapies, Breakdown of stem cell research activity by cell type, Potential end-users of neural stem cell products, Product ideas & suggestions and more.

This report uses end-user surveys of expectant parents and technology-derived data to determine the factors involved in parental-decision making. More than 1,200 expectation parents in the U.S., Canada, Europe and other international regions answered a detailed survey between November 2008 and January 2009.

See more here:
Stem Cell Market & Cord Blood Banking Industry Research Reports at 10% Discount – Limited Period Offer

ScienceDaily (May 15, 2012) A study conducted by Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland scientists identifies how skeletal muscle stem cells respond to muscle injury and may be stimulated to improve muscle repair in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a severe inherited disease of muscle that causes weakness, disability and, ultimately, heart and respiratory failure.

The study, led by Julie D. Saba, MD, PhD, senior scientist at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), shows that a lipid signaling molecule called sphingosine-1-phosphate or “S1P” can trigger an inflammatory response that stimulates the muscle stem cells to proliferate and assist in muscle repair. It further shows that mdx mice, which have a disease similar to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, exhibit a deficiency of S1P, and that boosting their S1P levels improves muscle regeneration in these mice. A research report describing the study findings will be published online on May 14, 2012 in the journal Public Library of Science ONE (PLoS ONE).

Skeletal muscle is the biggest “organ” system of the human body. It is important for all human activity. Muscles can be injured by trauma, inactivity, aging and a variety of inherited muscle diseases. Importantly however, skeletal muscle is one of the few tissues of the human body that has the potential to fully repair itself after injury. The ability of muscles to regenerate themselves is attributed to the presence of a form of adult stem cells called “satellite cells” that are essential for muscle repair. Normally, satellite cells lie quietly at the periphery of the muscle fiber and do not grow, move or become activated. However, after muscle injury, these stem cells “wake up” through unclear mechanisms and fuse with the injured muscle, stimulating a complicated process that results in the rebuilding of a healthy muscle fiber.

S1P is a lipid signaling molecule that controls the movement and proliferation of many human cell types. Other scientists had shown previously that S1P can activate satellite cells, but they did not know how this occurred.

“We have been studying S1P signaling for many years,” states Dr. Saba. “In 2003, we published a report demonstrating that fruit fly mutants with defective S1P metabolism were unable to fly because they developed a muscle disease or “myopathy” that led to degeneration of their flight muscles. Based on that observation, I became convinced that S1P signaling played an important role in muscle stability and homeostasis, not just in flies but in mammals, including humans.”

Dr. Saba’s team has discovered how S1P is able to “wake up” the stem cells at the time of injury. It involves the ability of S1P to activate S1P receptor 2, one of its five cell surface receptors, leading to downstream activation of an inflammatory pathway controlled by a transcription factor called STAT3. They showed that S1P is rapidly produced in the muscle immediately after injury, leading to an S1P “signal.” S1P, acting through S1P receptor 2, leads to activation of STAT3, resulting in changes in gene expression that cause the satellite cell to leave its “sleeping” state and start to proliferate and assist in muscle repair.

“These findings are important especially for certain muscle diseases or “myopathies” that can affect children,” states Dr. Saba. The most common and one of the most severe myopathies is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a disease that affects young boys and often leads to death from respiratory and heart failure in a patient’s twenties. Although patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy start out life with enough satellite cells to repair the patients’ degenerating muscles, over time the satellite cells fail to keep up with the rate of muscle degeneration. “We found that mdx mice, which have a disease similar to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, are deficient in S1P. We were able to increase the S1P levels in the mice using a drug that blocks S1P breakdown. This treatment increased the number of satellite cells in the muscles and improved the efficiency of muscle regeneration after injury.”

If these findings are also found to be true in humans with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, it may be possible to use similar approaches to boost S1P levels in order to improve satellite cell function and muscle regeneration in patients with the disease. Drugs that block S1P metabolism and boost S1P levels are now being tested for the treatment of other human diseases including rheumatoid arthritis. If these studies prove to be relevant in Duchenne patients, it may be possible to use the same drugs to improve muscle regeneration in these patients. Alternatively, new agents that can specifically activate S1P receptor 2 could also be beneficial in recruiting satellite cells and improving muscle regeneration in muscular dystrophy and potentially other diseases of muscle.

This work was supported by grants from the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the National Institutes of Health and a fellowship award from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.

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Scientists discover clues to muscle stem cell functions

May 15, 2012

A New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) scientist has shown in new research that human embryonic stem cells can be used to grow bone tissue grafts for use in research and potential medical applications.

Dr. Darja Marolt, an investigator at the NYSCF, is the lead author of the study, which was published this week in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

It is the first example of using bone cell progenitors derived from human embryonic stem cells to grow compact bone tissue in quantities large enough to repair centimeter-sized defects. When implanted in mice and studied over time, the implanted bone tissue supported blood vessel in-growth, and continued development of normal bone structure, without demonstrating any incidence of tumor growth.

This is a significant step forward in using pluripotent stem cells to repair and replace bone tissue in patients, noted the researchers. Bone replacement therapies are relevant in treating patients with a variety of conditions, wounds, birth defects, or other traumatic injuries.

Dr. Marolt conducted this research as a post-doctoral NYSCF Druckenmiller Fellow at Columbia University in the laboratory of Dr. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic. Since conducting this work, Marolt has continued to build upon the research, developing bone grafts from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.

IPS cells are similar to embryonic stem cells in that they can also give rise to nearly any type of cell in the body, but iPS cells are produced from adult cells and as such are individualized to each patient. Marolt hopes that by using iPS cells to engineer tissue, she can develop personalized bone grafts that will avoid immune rejection and other implant complications.

The New York Stem Cell Foundation conducts cutting-edge translational stem cell research in its laboratory in New York City and supports research by stem cell scientists at other leading institutions around the world.

Source: RedOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

Read the rest here:
Human Embryonic Stem Cells Used To Grow Bone Tissue

Stem cell therapies developer Gamida Cell Ltd. has raised $10 million in its fifth financing round from all its investors. The company will use the proceeds to support the global commercialization of its lead cell therapy product, StemEx, as an alternative therapeutic treatment for patients with blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, who can be cured by bone marrow transplantation but do not have a matched bone marrow donor.

Gamida Cell is developing StemEx with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA; TASE: TEVA), and it is seeking a strategic partner for the product’s global commercialization.

The company will also use the proceeds for the further development of other products, primarily a clinical trial of its NiCord treatment for sickle cell anemia and thalassemia.

Gamida Cell chairman Reuven Krupik said, The investors were unanimous in their decision to reinvest, understanding the importance of bringing StemEx to market as well as maintaining the companys leadership role in the stem cell industry. Gamida Cell is a game changer.”

Gamida Cell completed enrollment for a pivotal Phase III clinical trial of StemEx in February, and expects results in the fourth quarter. The company plans to launch the product in 2013, and it could be the first allogeneic stem cell product in the market.

The company’s current investors include Elbit Imaging Ltd. (Nasdaq: EMITF; TASE: EMIT), Clal Biotechnology Industries Ltd. (TASE: CBI), Israel Healthcare Venture, Teva, Amgen, Denali Ventures and Auriga Ventures.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news – www.globes-online.com – on May 15, 2012

Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012

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Stem cell co Gamida Cell raises $10m

Animal stem cell regenerative therapy is the newest service at the Animal Hospital of Tiffin.

“We are the official first site for the therapy in Ohio,” said veterinarian Bob McClung.

The technology uses an adult animal’s stem cells to heal itself.

Veterinarian Mike Brothers performed the surgery Monday on his dog, Tucker, a 2-year-old labrador retriever. It was the second surgery performed at the clinic.

Brothers said his dog’s joint problems are hereditary and he’s had problems since he was a puppy.

“What we’ve been able to do is slow down the arthritis,” Brothers said. The cause of the degeneration will continue, but the fatty tissue removed from the dog can be used for future treatments.

From a piece of fatty tissue of the size removed from Tucker, McClung estimated $3.2 billion stem cells were harvested.

Each injection uses about 90 million cells, so there will be enough of the material for future treatments.

“We have basically 2 billion cells to bank,” he said. “We use cryo-preservation.”

In the freezing process, the cells are gradually cooled to prevent damage and stored in liquid nitrogen at temperatures of minus 80 to minus 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Vet undertakes stem cell surgery

Kolkata, May 15:

Stem cell banking companies are looking at aggressive marketing initiatives to move into the mass market segment. Direct marketing to customers and reduction in price tag for storing umbilical cord blood are on the cards.

The umbilical cord blood and cord tissue are one of the richest sources of stem cells and have potential to treat over 75 serious ailments.

The average cost for storing these for a period of 21 years ranges between Rs 75,000 and Rs 90,000 in India.

According to Chennai-based Life Cell, high price points and lack of proper marketing have limited the penetration of cord blood banking in India. Affordability is the key factor in India.

Only when the prices come down will we see more customers opting for the service. We are working on it (bringing down prices), Mr Mayur Abhaya Srisrimal, Executive Director Life Cell, told Business Line.

Stem cell bankers have already rolled out easy finance options such as EMIs to make the services attractive. CordLife, for instance, offers EMI facility for 12-24 months.

This has helped boost our sales. We have been acquiring 350-400 clients each month, said Managing Director, Mr Meghnath Roy Chowdhury.

Finance, however, is not the only stumbling block. Cord blood bankers have, so far, been depending largely on hospital network for signing up clients. Bangalore-based Ms Deepa Shankar, who is expecting and is due for delivery in June, recently opted for Life Cell services through the hospital.

It’s not a sustainable approach. We need to get into direct marketing for pushing up volumes growth, Mr Srisrimal points out. To strike a cord with the would-be mothers, the company has roped in Lisa Ray as brand ambassador. Ms Ray was cured of multiple myeloma courtesy stem cell therapy.

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Stem cell banking firms to deploy marketing initiatives to boost sales

CARLSBAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB: ISCO.OB – News) (www.internationalstemcell.com) today announced that several of its leading scientists will present experimental results from three of ISCOs pre-clinical therapeutic programs.

Firstly, the application of A9 dopaminergic neurons derived from human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSC) for the treatment of Parkinsons disease. Demonstrating functional dopaminergic neurons in vivo represents an important milestone towards the goal of creating well characterized populations of cells that could be used to develop a treatment for Parkinsons.

Secondly, the differentiation of hpSC and embryonic stem cells into cornea-like constructs for use in transplantation therapy and the in vitro study of ocular drug absorption. There are approximately ten million people worldwide who are blind as a result of damage to their cornea. Generating human corneas from a pluripotent stem cell source should increase the likelihood that people will receive treatment in the future even in the absence of suitable tissue from eye banks.

Lastly, the in vivo and in vitro characterization of immature hepatocyte derived from hpSC. Such cells could be used to develop a treatment for individuals with a liver that has been damaged by disease or sufferers of genetic disorders that inhibit normal liver function. In both cases, implanting healthy hepatocyte cells could treat the underlying disease and prolong the life of the individual.

These results not only show the progress we have made in these important programs, but also demonstrate the broad application of human parthenogenetic stem cells in the development of treatments for incurable diseases, says Dr. Ruslan Semechkin, Vice President of Research and Development.

The presentations will take place at the 15th Annual Meeting of American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, in Philadelphia at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 17th.

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). hpSCs avoid ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenic, 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 www.internationalstemcell.com or follow us on Twitter @intlstemcell.

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International Stem Cell Corporation Scientists to Present Pre-Clinical Research Results at American Society of Gene …

ALACHUA, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

AxoGen, Inc. (AXGN.OB), a leading regenerative medicine company focused on the commercialization of proprietary products and technologies for peripheral nerve reconstruction and regeneration, today announced revenues for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012 of $1.65 million, a 47% increase over 2011 first quarter revenues of $1.12 million.

This quarters record performance has been the direct result of our increase in sales and marketing activity, commented Karen Zaderej, Chief Executive Officer of AxoGen, Inc. During the first quarter we continued to expand our sales force, while continuing to get hospital approval for AxoGen products and training and developing the sales team. Our growing base of sales representatives, combined with increasing surgeon awareness of our technologies and clinical data, creates a strong environment for our continued growth.

Revenues Revenues for the period increased to a record $1.65 million, or 47%, compared to $1.12 million in 2011. The improved results were primarily due to an increase in new accounts as well as stronger sales penetration into key accounts.

Revenues increased 21% over fourth quarter revenues of $1.36 million.

Gross Profit Gross profit reached $1.21 million, a 55% increase, for first quarter 2012 up from $0.78 million reported for the same period 2011. The higher gross profit reflects lower manufacturing and labor cost and the absence of one-time manufacturing startup expenses reported during the first quarter of 2011. The gross profit margin increased to 73% compared to 70% for the same quarter last year.

Sales and Marketing Expenses As a result of the Company’s investment in additional sales and marketing resources, sales and marketing expenses during the first quarter of 2011 increased to $1.63 million, compared to $0.86 million reported during the same period last year. As of the end of the period, the Company reported 16 direct and 21 independent sales representatives and distributors.

Research and Development Expenses Research and development expenses increased to $0.30 million during the first quarter of 2012. Substantially all of the research and development expenses relate to expenditures for clinical activity.

General and Administrative Expenses General and administrative expenses increased to $1.23 million for the quarter, compared to $0.72 million reported last year. This increase was largely driven by payroll and benefit increases and expenses associated with being a public company.

Operating Loss The Company reported a net loss of $2.11 million, or $0.19 per common share, compared to a net loss of $2.3 million, or $2.21 per common share, reported during the same period in 2011.

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AxoGen, Inc. Announces Record First Quarter 2012 Revenues

WALTHAM, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Regenerative medicine company Histogenics Corporation, announced today the presentation of intermediate term data supporting the clinical efficacy of the Companys NeoCart Autologous Cartilage Tissue Implant (ACTI) for periods of up to five years with no evidence of severe treatment-related adverse events in patients with grade III chondral injury to the femur (cartilage damage in the knee). Dennis Crawford,M.D., Ph.D.,Assistant Professor and Surgical Director of Sports Medicine Programs in the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at Oregon Health Science University presented the findings An Autologous Cartilage Tissue Implant (ACTI) NeoCart for Treatment Grade III Chondral Injury to the Femur. Intermediate Term Results from Initial FDA Trials. at the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) 2012 Annual Meeting in Montreal Canada on Sunday, May 13, 2012. NeoCart is an autologous bioengineered neocartilage grown outside the body using the patients own cells for the repair of full thickness cartilage lesions.

These results suggest that NeoCart has significant potential to act as a first-line surgical treatment option for focal cartilage repair or replacement and, as such, may provide an alternative to microfracture type procedures, said Dr. Crawford. For the patients in this cohort with knee cartilage injuries treated with NeoCart, we reported improvement in all patient reported outcomes as soon as six months following surgery, as patients were released to full activity, and these therapeutic gains weresustained throughout a median study period of 48 months. The first patients treated with NeoCart have had similar gains for five years. These improvements are seen across a spectrum of validated, ICRS-recommended outcome measures, including pain, function and associated activity of daily living performance.

This analysis continues to add to an already impressive NeoCart data set and further supports our ongoing Phase 3 study, said Patrick ODonnell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Histogenics. There is clearly a need in the market for longer-term, effective solutions for cartilage injury and we are hopeful that NeoCart may be able to play a role in filling this treatment void.

The primary purpose of the analysis was to summarize the safety and efficacy experience of all patients treated with NeoCart up to five years using ICRS-recommended patient reported scores, as well as general health assessments. Subjects were pooled from previously-completed, Company-sponsored Phase 1 and 2 multi-center clinical trials. Eligible patients were between the ages of 18-55 years of age and had one or two symptomatic ICRS grade III chondral lesion(s) on the femoral condyle. Validated and ICRS-recommended patient reported outcome measures were obtained at each follow up visit. These included the following: Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, Visual Analog Scale, Short Form Health Survey, and International Knee Documentation Committee subjective. Serious and adverse events were recorded for all patients. Data on twenty-nine patients was reported in the cohort, including eight patients through 60 months and 20 patients at a minimum of 36 months; one patient was lost to follow up after 12 months. The median follow up time period was 48 months.

Significant improvement (p<0.0001) was seen in the mean measures of all patient reported outcomes across all time points up to four years and at final follow up for each patient. Measures included the International Knee Documentation Committee, Short Form Health Survey, all five domains of the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) average and highest. Significant decreases from baseline (p<0.05) were reported for average VAS pain scores (1718, p=0.031) at six weeks and for highest VAS pain scores at three months (2331, p=0.004), and sustained through final visit (p<0.0001) for both. Range of motion did not decrease in any patient and, in fact, improved with a mean change from baseline of 68 degrees at final follow-up (p<0.001). Serious adverse events were limited to four and not related to the implant.

About NeoCart

NeoCart is an autologous bioengineered neocartilage grown outside the body using the patients own cells for the regeneration of cartilage lesions. NeoCart recently entered a Phase 3 clinical trial after reporting positive Phase 2 data, in which all primary endpoints were met and a favorable safety profile was demonstrated.

About Histogenics

Histogenics is a leading regenerative medicine company that combines cell therapy and tissue engineering technologies to develop highly innovative products for tissue repair and regeneration. In May of 2011, Histogenics acquired Israeli cell-therapy company Prochon BioTech. Histogenics flagship products focus on the treatment of active patients suffering from articular cartilage derived pain and immobility. The Company takes an interdisciplinary approach to engineering neocartilage that looks, acts, and lasts like hyaline cartilage. It is developing new treatments for sports injuries and other orthopedic conditions, where demand is growing for long-term alternatives to joint replacement, including lead candidates NeoCart, an autologous bioengineered neocartilage grown outside the body using the patients own cells for the regeneration of cartilage lesions, and VeriCart, a three-dimensional cartilage matrix designed to stimulate cartilage repair in a simple, one-step procedure. Histogenics has successfully completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials in which the NeoCart autologous tissue implants effectiveness is compared to that of standard microfracture surgery. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, the company is privately held. For more information, visitwww.histogenics.com.

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Histogenics’ NeoCart for Patients with Knee Cartilage Damage Demonstrates Continued Efficacy for Periods of Up to Five …