Category Archives: Arizona Stem Cells

Repairing beating human hearts with living patches is the aim of Avery Therapeutics, a startup company founded on technology developed by University of Arizona researchers.

The company recently licensed a new heart-graft technology from the UA and is working to get it into human clinical trials to treat heart failure within a few years.

Avery was co-founded in 2014 by cardiologist Dr. Steve Goldman of the UAs Sarver Heart Center and Jordan Lancaster, who earned his UA doctorate in physiology while working in Goldmans lab.

Averys biologically active heart graft, dubbed MyCardia, combines commercially available living cells called fibroblasts, heart-muscle cells derived from stem cells and a biologically absorbable scaffold.

The resulting graft can be sewn onto a live heart where it can build up new muscle cells to improve heart function as it grows with the patients own tissue.

You can basically think of it as a living Band-Aid, said Lancaster, who is chief science officer of Avery.

Goldman and Lancaster began research in the area in 2009 at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, where Goldman was chief of cardiology, for a San Francisco-based company developing a heart graft using fibroblasts on a scaffold material to treat angina, or heart-related chest pain.

That project ended when studies showed little improvement with the graft, Lancaster said.

But Goldman and Lancaster extended the research at the UA, tapping Nobel Prize-winning technology developed by Japanese scientists using so-called induced pluripotent stem cells which have the ability to turn into any kind of cell to create a new kind of living heart patch.

The Avery research team already has published scientific studies showing improvement in heart function in rats treated with the heart patch.

Immersed in a nutritive medium, the companys prototype patches contract in rhythm, on their own.

Theyre waving or winking at you, every time you see them in the lab, Lancaster said.

Though much work remains to be done even to get to human clinical trials, Avery is proceeding apace to commercialize the technology with the help of Tech Launch Arizona, the UAs technology-commercialization arm.

Jen Koevary, who earned her doctorate in biomedical engineering from the UA, joined Avery as chief operating officer after helping the company as a business-development officer for TLA.

Avery also is being advised by Bruce Burgess, a TLA mentor-in-residence with more than 30 years of entrepreneurial experience in medical devices, diagnostics and drug delivery.

Though an approved product is still years away, the company has published numerous scientific papers, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in research grants and won one patent, with more in the pipeline.

In August, Avery was awarded a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research grant of nearly $500,000 by the National Institutes of Healths National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to develop manufacturing, cryopreservation, storage and reconstitution methods for the MyCardia patch.

Lancaster noted that Phase I SBIR contracts are generally up to $150,000, so the much larger NIH grant was significant.

The company also has won a $750,000 grant through the UA from the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission, and $60,000 in cash and prizes at Tucsons Get Started business-pitch competition in October.

The company has delivered its pitch internationally, at the Falling Walls Venture conference in Berlin in November.

Last week, Avery presented at the TechCode event space in Mountain View, California, where Silicon Valley investors learned about the company along with four other UA spinoffs.

Koevary said the company will keep pitching its technology and writing grants to raise money for further studies, likely including a bid for a larger Phase II SBIR grant.

Avery plans to present its technology at the 2017 BIO International Convention one of the biggest biotech events in the world in San Diego in June.

Scientifically, the next step is to test the patch in large-animal studies using pigs, which provide a close match to humans, she said.

Theres a lot that still needs to be done, Koevary said, noting that induced pluripotent stem cells have been tested in just one clinical trial, a Japanese effort focused on treating the eye.

We have to do a lot of work on the manufacturing side, in proving we can manufacture a quality product every time, she said.

After the animal studies the company also will have to submit a rigorous lab-practices study, which the company hopes will pave the way to start human clinical trials by 2020, Koevary said.

Koevary said the company will likely need upward of $10 million to take the heart patch to human clinical trials.

Avery is working on a private investment round among friends and family, she said, adding that the company also is establishing relationships with investor groups and looking at partnerships with established biomedical companies.

Researchers worldwide are working on regenerative tissue therapies, including a University of Minnesota group that recently published a paper on a heart graft made by 3-D printing heart-muscle stem cells and growing them in the lab.

But Lancaster said Avery named for his daughters middle name has a big advantage with Goldman and his lab, which he said offers a rare combination of clinical expertise in cell culturing, bioengineering and animal modeling.

Being able to cover that spectrum has really allowed us to move faster than others, Lancaster said. I think weve got a very good head start on a lot of people.

Tucson Tech runs Thursdays or Sundays in the Star. Contact senior reporter David Wichner at dwichner@tucson.com or 573-4181. On Twitter: @dwichner

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Tucson Tech: University of Arizona startup advances living heart patch - Arizona Daily Star

A large, well-hydrated saguaro can weigh more than 10 tons! This native cactus is protected in Arizona by regulations restricting the harvest or sale of wild saguaros. However, seed-grown plants are readily available from commercial nurseries.

Currently starting its annual bloom season, the saguaro became the official state flower of Arizona in 1931. Although portrayed in movies and advertisements throughout the Southwest, it grows only in Southern Arizona and western Sonora, Mexico.

First, a little anatomy the exterior of the saguaro is covered with a thick, waxy skin that waterproofs the surface and restricts loss of water. Just beneath this layer is a thin layer of chlorophyll-containing cells.

Outer pleats enable the stem to expand without bursting during water uptake. Clusters of hard spines along the pleats provide shade for the surface, reducing heat load and water loss. The deeper interior consists of water storage tissue.

Water makes up 75 to 85 percent of the weight of a saguaro. The retained water helps prevent temperature extremes which are harmful to the plant. A skeleton of 12 to 20 woody ribs is in the center of the stem, running through the main stem and branching into the arms. Surprisingly, roots for this giant are rarely more than 4 inches deep, radiating horizontally from the plant as far as it is tall.

White flowers open late at night and remain open until the next mid-day, releasing an aroma much like an over-ripe melon. Pollination takes place both at night when bats feed on the nectar, and during the day when bees and white-winged doves feast.

During June, the pollinated flowers mature into 3-inch fruit containing many tiny seeds embedded in the juicy, red pulp. When the rind splits and displays the bright inner lining, the open fruit is often mistaken for red flowers.

Saguaro fruit ripens during pre-monsoon drought and is often the only moist food available for wildlife. It becomes a staple for many insects, birds and mammals. Conveniently, seed dispersal takes place just prior to the summer rainy season.

From a seed the size of a pinhead, successful sprouting takes place under the protection of another plant, referred to as the nurse plant. In 10 years the plant grows to 1.5 inches high. If it survives for 30 years, the saguaro reaches 2 feet high. By 50 years, most plants flower, produce arms, and may top out at 8 to 10 feet high.

Some saguaros may have as many as 50 arms; many will never grow any arms. Studies have shown that arm production is random. Saguaro arms grow upward. Drooping or twisted arms are caused by wilting after freeze damage.

Whether with or without arms, the saguaro is a well-engineered, statuesque, sun-loving symbol of the Southwest desert and the state of Arizona.

Mary Kidnocker is a University of Arizona Master Gardener who lives in Green Valley. Her articles are featured weekly.

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GV Gardeners: Sun-loving saguaro Southwest symbol - Green Valley News

MONDAY, May 8, 2017 Changes in your hair whether it's graying hair or hair loss are a bane of aging.

But if new research in mice pans out in humans, you could one day cross worries about your mane off your list of concerns about getting older.

That's because researchers accidently pinpointed skin cells linked to gray hair and balding while they were conducting research on a specific type of cancer that affects nerve cells. The investigators believe their discovery could someday lead to new treatments to stop baldness and graying hair.

"Although this project was started in an effort to understand how certain kinds of tumors form, we ended up learning why hair turns gray and discovering the identity of the cell that directly gives rise to hair," said study author Dr. Lu Le. He is an associate professor of dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

"With this knowledge, we hope in the future to create a topical compound or to safely deliver the necessary gene to hair follicles to correct these cosmetic problems," he explained in a university news release.

The researchers found that a protein called KROX20 turns on skin cells that develop into the hair shaft. These cells are usually linked to nerve development.

These skin cells then produce a protein involved in hair color. This protein is called stem cell factor (SCF). When SCF was deleted from mice, their hair turned white, according to the report.

When KROX20 cells were deleted, the mice became bald, the researchers said.

Studies done on animals don't always turn out the same in humans, so it remains to be seen if these results will look as promising in people.

The study team does want to learn if SCF and KROX20 stop working properly over time in people. And, because gray hair and balding are often among the first signs of aging, this research could also provide information on aging in general, the authors noted.

The study was published online May 2 in the journal Genes & Development.

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Scientists uncover root of graying, thinning hair - Arizona Daily Star

Shawnee and Shane Doherty of Phoenix, who lost their 7-year-old son to a form of brain cancer, talk about their boy, Hollis, his zest for life, and the need for more research. Tom Tingle/azcentral.com

Shawnee Doherty, left, and her husband, Shane, talk about losing their 7-year-old son, Hollis, to brain cancer while in their Phoenix home on Friday, April 7, 2017.(Photo: Tom Tingle/The Republic)

Hollis Doherty was a star elementary-school athlete, but not forthe reasons you'd think.

"He wasn't necessarily the most skilled player ...but he was like the fun kid; he was the cheerleader," said his mother, Shawnee Doherty.

He was the first kid ever to be on the championship-winning baseball, basketball and football teams in one year in his uptown Phoenix program, but photos usually show him running around and laughing on the field, no ball in sight.

Hollis Doherty was 7 years old when he died of a rare brain tumor.(Photo: Dacia Rolando/Special for The Republic)

"He called himself 'Hollis the Hugger' because he was always hugging everybody, hugging strangers,"Doherty said.

He was a healthy kid with perfect attendance in school, so it was strange when Hollis had his first bad headache in March 2016.He visited doctors and had tests done, but everything came backnormal, so the pain was considered a migraineor a virus.

Then, about a week later during baseball practice, Hollis fell to the ground and began screaming in pain.

An MRI revealed a tumor on Hollis'brain stem. He was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG,on March 29, 2016.

DIPG is a aggressive brain tumor that almost exclusively affects children. It is difficult to treat, has no cure and "interferes with all bodily functions, depriving a child of the ability to move, to communicate, and even to eat and drink,"according todefeatdipg.org.

Hollis never reached that point. Instead, he lived happily, andjust a couple days after sledding in northern Arizona last winter with his parentsand 10-year-old brother, Rhett, he fought a brief battle with his symptoms and died on Jan.2.

He was 7 years old.

Now, his parents are hoping to keep his memory alive and use their experience to help others affected by this fatal disease, planning fundraisers this spring to research his tumor and his treatment in hopes of helping other kids like him.

The Dohertys' home in the FQ Story Historic District in central Phoenix has a University of Arizona flag the place where Shane and Shawnee met and fell in love hanging near the entrance. On a recent March afternoon, Rhett kicked off his fourth-grade spring break by laughing at YouTube videos in his room.

Thehouse is decked out in green, with four-leaf clovers and shamrocks everywhere. The Dohertys are Irish and Scottish, so when they made a Facebook page called Hope for Hollisthe day after his diagnosis, they first used a green heart as a logo, and later a four-leaf clover with hearts in it.

Shane and Shawnee Doherty pose with their sons, Rhett (left) and Hollis. After Hollis was diagnosed with DIPG, his parents worked to give him the "most best days."(Photo: Dacia Rolando/Special for The Republic)

As the popularity of Hollis'Facebookpage grew, athletes and celebrities, such as world-renowned golfer Jason Day and Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, began taking photos of themselves with an H for Hollis written on their hand as a way to bring Hollis joy and spread the word about DIPG.

Even comedian Will Ferrell sent Hollis a video, in which he said:"(I) put on a fancy tuxedo for you, because I know youre a very fancy person. Youve been rumored to wear a lot of tuxedos all the time, and you have very polite manners and wonderful etiquette at the dinner table."

"When he was alive he would tell people, 'I'm internet famous,' " Shane said, chuckling. "Sometimes, there's kids that just touch people, and... Hollis was one of those."

DIPG is so devastating, in part, because it is generally considered inoperable. It is risky to take a biopsy from the brain stem, and the tumor isn't one solid mass but instead is spread out, intermingled with healthy cells. There is little treatment and no cure.

Hollis underwent radiation to shrink his tumor, allowing him to function better and more comfortablyuntil it would inevitably grow back. After that, he and his family traveled to Germany one week every month for him to receive relatively non-invasive immunotherapy. Buthe never had surgery or chemotherapy, and never lived in the hospital.

Instead, Shane and Shawnee focused on giving Hollis the "mostbest days."

"Some of the families who are going through this remove themselves from reality and start a bucket list, but for a 7-year-old, Idont know what a bucket list would look like. For him, you know, we just had to decide to give him as normal a childhood as we could," Shawnee said. "He was smart enough that we knew if we veered away from this sense of normalcy that he would understand why."

That meant going to school, riding the bus, eating lunch with his friends and doing homework, even while in Germany. Last Halloween, he walked his neighborhood dressed up as a blue ninja.

ForHollis, many of his best dayswere in sports.

Rhett (left) and Hollis Doherty visit with Evan Marshall in 2016. Marshall no longer plays with the Diamondbacks.(Photo: Shawnee Doherty/Special for The Republic)

"Even though he was still battling this, he still was able to win a championship in basketball in his youth league;he was able to win a championship in his flag football league," Shane said."Two weeks before he passed away, he ran a full 20 minutes on the basketball court with his basketball team."

"So he lived, and that's what gave him most best days in the eyes of a 7-year-old child."

Hollis threw the opening pitch at an Arizona Diamondbacks game, metthe team and toured behind the scenes at the stadium. He dropped the puck at an Arizona Coyotes game and met Arizona Cardinals players.

Hollis'bedroom is decked out in sports memorabilia made especially for him: a framed Cardinals jersey with his name on it and a photo of the family on the field, a framed green Diamondbacks jersey that says "Hope 4 Hollis" with an engraved plate that says "Hollis, welcome to the team!"

"I often think that if it wasnt captured on the internet, his friends wouldnt believe him at school the next day, 'cause, you know, some of what he got to experience was a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Shawnee said.

A note one of Hollis Doherty's classmates wrote about him after his death. It's part of a book, made by Hollis' classmates, that was given to him parents.(Photo: Kaila White/The Republic)

Hollis didn't have another headache until Dec. 28. A couple days later, the family traveled to Flagstaff, where he wentsledding and shot BB and pellet guns before suffering another one. He was admitted to the hospital on New Year's Eve and, after a brief battle, died with his family at his side.

"I dont know if he ever was afraid he was going to die," Shawnee said."I think he just was in the hospital and then, next minute, was in heaven."

About 3,000 people packed Living StreamsChurch for Hollis'memorial service in January, and another 1,500 watch the livestreamon the church's website.

In the following weeks, Hollis'classmates made a book for the family of their favorite memories of him. The Dohertyskeep it in his room.The vast majority of the entries were about his love of reading, with one child even writing the he had "3,000 books."

"My favorite memory about Hollis is that he was very funny," one boy named Emiliowrote, along with a drawing of Hollis saying "sup dood" and laughing."Hollis loved to read books. I will always remember Hollis' smile and his hugs. Hollis was a really good friend."

Moments after doctors told Shane and Shawnee about Hollis'diagnosis last year, they called Dr. Michael Berens, a church friend who also is head of the Glioma Research Lab at theTranslational Genomics Research Institute, or TGen, in Phoenix.

Berens is a brain-tumor scientist who, although a researcher and not a medical doctor, often counsels families through diagnosis, informing them of the newest and best in the science of the disease.

Hewas the one who encouraged the Dohertys to make decisions with the "most best days" philosophyand talked extensively with their doctor in Germany before giving his stamp of approval.

"When I would track with Hollis I was thinking, Hes having incredibly best days. It was startling to me, and thats not typical for DIPG. Those kids tend to have very progressive erosion of the scale of their lives," Berens said, pausing. "He had an amazing, brief, high-quality life."

Dr. Michael Berens (left) and Shawnee and Shane Doherty pose with a photo of Hollis Doherty, who died Jan. 2, 2017.(Photo: TGen)

He and his wife visited Shane and Shawnee in the hospital moments before Hollis died. When he passed, they called Berens to donate Hollis'tumor to his lab.

"It was actually one of the few lab meetings we've had where more than a few people were in tears," Berens said.

Afterraising more than $123,000 on their GoFundMe pagefor Hollis'treatment and covering all oftheir costs, Shane and Shawnee donated $30,000to TGenso that Berens and his team could study the genetics of Hollis'tumor, compare it to others and see if the immunotherapy he received had any impact.

"Im looking to try to help them on their journey of grief, and that typically is not what a research lab is going to do. But as a friend, I have an opportunity" to help them understand what happened and to advance the body of knowledge on the disease, Berens said.

Government funding and budgeting leaves little money for pediatric-cancer research and even less specifically for DIPG.Instead, much of the funding for DIPG research comes from families devastated by the disease.

"It's families like us that are just pissed off and their kids are dead that are bringing this change," Shawnee said."Like with TGen, we're trying to move the needle. That's it. It's taking the families who are becoming advocates to say, 'No more.' "

Astronaut Neil Armstrong lost his daughter to DIPG, and former Chicago Bears running back Adrian Peterson lost his son. One of the largest DIPG foundations in the country is theChadTough Foundation on behalf of Chad Carr, the grandson of formerUniversity of Michiganfootball coach Lloyd Carr.

Yet, little progress has been made against the disease in the last 40 years.

The Dohertys are hoping to change that. They're currently working to raise $200,000 for a second phase ofresearch to begin later this year.

Instead of joining an existing trial, they want to try something innovative, like focusing on the immune-system therapy Hollis received in Germany that may have helped stave off his symptoms.

Berens intends to assemble ateam ofDIPG researchers and clinicians to design a clinical trial in which each patient with DIPG will receive personalized therapies designed to help their own bodies fight the tumor, in hopes of giving them the "most best days."

The Dohertys have a few fundraisers planned for this spring, which are noted on their Facebook page.

On Saturday, the Diamondbacks are hostingHope Through Hollis Nightduring their game against theColorado Rockies. For every ticket sold through groupmatics.events/event/hollis, the team will donate $10 to the Hope Through Hollis Fund at TGen.

Anyone who buys the fundraising tickets can participate in a pre-game parade on the field by lining up outside Gate J near Section 110 by 3:45 p.m.The Dohertys will be part of the parade and welcome anyone to walk with them, especially kids, Shawnee said.

Those who wantto support the cause but can't attend the Saturday game can buy adiscounted $25 ticket voucher good for any home game after May 1.

During a trip to Chase Field in 2016, Hollis (left) and Rhett Doherty met members of the Arizona Diamondbacks and got a behind-the-scenes tour.(Photo: Shawnee Doherty/Special for The Republic)

"The Dohertys hold a special place in our hearts, and they have become a part of our baseball family that is closer than any other,"Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall said.

May 7 isTGen's seventh annual Cycle for the Cure, a one-day fundraiser consisting of indoor cycling and yoga classes at five locations in Phoenix, Chandler and Scottsdale. There are still spots open on the Hope For Hollis cycling team, or people can sponsor the riders, including Shawnee. Learn more attgenfoundation.org/cycle.

The last fundraiseron their schedule so far is the Hope Through Hollis Golf Tournament and Family Event on May 20 atLongbow Golf Course in Mesa. Cost for a single golfer is $150, and they are still seeking sponsors for the event. Find more information on theFacebook pageor athth.accelraising.com.

Anyone also can donate to the Hope Through Hollis Fund at TGen directly attgen.org/hollis.

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7-year-old Hollis spread joy around U.S. After losing him to rare brain tumor, parents turn to finding cure - AZCentral.com

La Bella Saunders gasped as she steppedtoward the giant fuchsia nucleus floating in front of her. She giggled as she reached out toward two oblong, orange mitochondria and an electric blue ball of protein, then lowered her head to look through a small pore one of dozens of openings in the nucleus to spy the DNAinside.

Saunders, a fifth-grader at Foshay Learning Center near USCs University Park Campus, was exploring human biology using a virtual-reality headset that put her inside a cell.

The experience was part of a Young Scientists Program (YSP) after-school workshop on emerging technologies, held March 22 at the school. YSP is a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning initiative hosted through theJoint Educational Project (JEP) of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

In addition to exploring virtual and augmented reality, the 25 fourth- and fifth-grade participants experienced 3-D printing and drones many for the first time.

We chose these three fields because they are key elements in todays newly emerging technologies, said JEP STEM Program Manager Dieuwertje DJ Kast, who organized the workshop.

I want to show the YSP students what is possible and introduce them to potential careers that could spring from what theyre learning about today, she said. I also want to help level the playing field by giving them the opportunity to get exposure to this technology now, while theyre young.

Students spent 20 minutes at differentstations learning aboutthe three emerging technologies. YSP teaching assistants were on hand to ensure the youngsters had fun while also understanding the underlying science.

At the 3-D printing station, students designed objects in a virtual space using the 3D Slash computer program. This gave them firsthand experience of how architects and engineers, who work with 3-D concepts, think and design. Thanks to local 3-D printing company Deezmakers, students were able to observe printers in action. They watchedintentlyas their teachers and YSP staff were scanned by the Deezmaker selfie setup, which printed out tiny 3-D models.

At the drone station, students sawprofessional drone pilot Roee Fung fly a selection of four quadcopter drones. They grinned for the camera as a tiny, remote control aircraft snapped aerial drone selfies of them as it hovered overhead.

After watching the aerial drones, 10-year-old Maurice Stepter focused on building a fan-driven drone car of his own using a plastic lunch box, wheels, a propeller and a tiny battery-driven motor. It was the fourth-graders first time attending a YSP event.

When I got here it was like, Whoa, this is cool, and that made me want to stay.

Maurice Stepter

Some teachers were encouraging me to come along today so I did, and when I got here it was like, Whoa, this is cool, and that made me want to stay, he said.

Four stations were dedicated to VRand augmented reality, including the Into the Cell experience, a VR project built by Smart Sparrow Inc. and presented by Jessica Swann and Joe Tamer from Arizona State Universitys Center for Education Through eXploration. Students also got to experience a virtual safari, a roller coaster ride and a dive to the depths of the ocean, thanks to WeLens, which donated 50 cardboard VR headsets for students to take home.

Students learned about erosion by playing with the Deezmakers augmented reality sandbox, which changes the color of sand according to its depth. That allowed YSP staff to explain topographical maps by giving students hands-on experience with creating their own landscapes.

At another station, YSP teaching assistant Michelle Huber, a senior majoring in environmental studies at USC Dornsife, was helping students create holograms by cutting and folding transparencies into a trapezoidal shape and placing them on top of a smartphone inside a black box. As the phone played a video of a blue jellyfish, the images were reflected in the trapezoid, creating a hologram.

Working with YSP helped Huber realize that she wants to pursue a career in teaching. I want to go into education because I have really enjoyed programs like this one that involve teaching young kids, she said.

Saunders was impressed with the YSP workshop.I learned all about cells and how drones can help save people by showing firefighters the places they need to put out fires, she said.

Kast emphasized the importance of YSP workshops in introducing students to STEM and helping them advance on the path that will allow them to turn their career dreams into reality.

These workshops are extremely valuable because they really show students whats possible, she said, whether that involves careers, experiences or opportunities.

Jasmine Tigolo, Saunders teacher at Foshay, agreed, saying she was delighted to be able to offer YSP to her students.

This is the sort of up-to-date technology they need to know in order to be able to compete in the outside world, she said, so exposing them to something while theyre this young is phenomenal.

More stories about: Community Outreach, Joint Educational Project, Virtual Reality

Experts and peers in their respective fields agree: These Trojans are changing the world.

With the help of USC undergrads, fourth- and fifth-graders take part in a skills-shaping event hosted by the Joint Educational Project.

Students learn to write code, design games and control robots at a computer science workshop.

The Joint Educational Project curriculum brings in a weatherman to talk with youngsters about meteorology.

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Young minds meet new technology at STEM-focused after-school program - USC News

In this four-part series, we speak with Dr. Hope Jones, CSO of C4 Laboratories, who took her experience in tissue culture from NASA to the cannabis industry.

Dr. Hope Jones, chief scientific officer of C4 Laboratories, believes there are a number of opportunities for cannabis growers to scale their cultivation up with micropropagation. In her presentation at the CannaGrow conference recently, Dr. Jones discussed the applications and advantages of tissue culture techniques in cannabis growing.

Dr. Jones work in large-scale plant production led her to the University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC)where she worked to propagate a particularly difficult plant to grow- a native orchid species- using tissue culture techniques. With that experience in tissue culture, hydroponics and controlled environments, she took a position at the Kennedy Space Center working for NASA where she developed technologies and protocols to grow crops for space missions. I started with strawberry TC [tissue culture], because of the shelf life & weight compared with potted plants, plus you cant really water plants in space- at least not in the traditional way, says Dr. Jones. Strawberries pack a lot of antioxidants. Foods high in antioxidants, I argued, could boost internal protection of astronauts from high levels of cosmic radiation that they are exposed to in space. That research led to a focus on cancer biology and a Ph.D. in molecular & cellular biology and plant sciences, culminating in her introduction to the cannabis industry and now with C4 Labs in Arizona.

Working with tissue culture since 2003, Dr. Jones is familiar with this technology that is fairly new to cannabis, but has been around for decades now and is widely used in the horticulture industry today. For example, Phytelligence is an agricultural biotechnology company using genetic analysis and tissue culture to help food crop growers increase speed to harvest, screen for diseases, store genetic material and secure intellectual property. Big horticulture does this very well, says Dr. Jones. There are many companies generating millions of clones per year. The Department of Plant Sciences Pomology Program at the Davis campus of the University of California uses tissue culture with the Foundation Plant Services (FPS) to eliminate viruses and pathogens, while breeding unique cultivars of strawberries.

First, lets define some terms. Tissue culture is a propagation tool where the cultivator would grow tissue or cells outside of the plant itself, commonly referred to as micropropagation. Micropropagation produces new plants via the cloning of plant tissue samples on a very small scale, and I mean very small, says Dr. Jones. While the tissue used in micropropagation is small, the scale of production can be huge. Micropropagation allows a cultivator to grow a clone from just a leaf, bud, root segment or even just a few cells collected from a mother plant, according to Dr. Jones.

The science behind growing plants from just a few cells relies on a characteristic of plant cells called totipotency. Totipotency refers to a cells ability to divide and differentiate, eventually regenerating a whole new organism, says Dr. Jones. Plant cells are unique in that fully differentiated, specialized cells can be induced to dedifferentiate, reverting back to a stem cell-like state, capable of developing into any cell type.

Cannabis growers already utilize the properties of totipotency in cloning, according to Dr. Jones. When cloning from a mother plant, stem cuttings are taken from the mother, dipped into rooting hormone and two to five days later healthy roots show up, says Dr. Jones. That stem tissue dedifferentiates and specializes into new root cells. In this case, we humans helped the process of totipotency and dedifferentiation along using a rooting hormone to steer the type of growth needed. Dr. Jones is helping cannabis growers use tissue culture as a new way to generate clones, instead of or in addition to using mother plants.

With cannabis micropropagation, the same principles still apply, just on a much smaller scale and with greater precision. In this case, very small tissue samples (called explants) are sterilized and placed into specialized media vessels containing food, nutrients, and hormones, says Dr. Jones. Just like with cuttings, the hormones in the TC media induce specific types of growth over time, helping to steer explant growth to form all the organs necessary to regenerate a whole new plant.

Having existed for decades, but still so new to cannabis, tissue culture is an effective propagation tool for advanced breeders or growers looking to scale up. In the next part of this series, we will discuss some of issues with mother plants and advantages of tissue culture to consider. In Part 2 we will delve into topics like sterility, genetic reboot, viral infection and pathogen protection.

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Applications for Tissue Culture in Cannabis Growing: Part 1 - Cannabis Industry Journal (blog)

Mar 12, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees pitcher James Kaprielian (88) looks on from the dugout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees In Line To Sweep The Series With Rays Hell Yes! by Steve Contursi

Yankees: In the Blink Of An Eye, A Fledging Career Is In Jeopardy by Steve Contursi

Yankees top pitching prospectand sixth-best prospect in the entire farm system (perMLB Pipeline) will have surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right throwing elbow on Tuesday of next week.

After being examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, the prognosis was grim, as the results were in line with what the team concluded following the first MRI and dye test they performed back in Tampa.

Though Yankees general manager Brian Cashman wouldnt talk about Kaprielians ulnar collateral ligament or the possibility of Tommy John surgery, he did, however, point out the obvious.

Clearly, you dont bounce around the country if the surgical option isnt on the table, Cashman said. Its either the surgical option or continue to pitch through it. Hes basically gonna take a day or two to talk to his family and his agency and get back to us about what hed like to see happen.

Its understandable that Kaprielian asked the Yankees for a few days to mull over his options. After all, this isnt the first problem hes experienced from his million dollar arm. Kaprielian missed all but two starts last season, after being shut down with a strained right flexor tendon.

Oftena precursor to Tommy John surgery, Kaprielian pitched well in the offseason instructional league, Arizona Fall League, and even parts of this Spring Training.

While many within the organization were hopeful he would reach the big leagues at some point this season, Kaprielian will now likely be out of action until the midway point of 2018.

Fellow top pitching prospect, Alex Reyes of the St. Louis Cardinals, recently faced the same frustrating decision.

After sustaining a torn UCL in 2016, Los Angeles Angels righty Garrett Richards went in an opposite direction in regards to his recovery. Richards began biometrics surgery in early May of last year, which involves stem cells being directly injected into the affected area. And though he missed the remainder of the 2016 season, Richards did return this springand was said to be throwing in the mid to upper 90s before hitting the DL with a biceps strain, just a few days ago.

But thats the worry about pitchers who dont get TJ surgery the first time around. Other parts of the arm overcompensate to make up for the instability in the UCL. Sure, you can mostly stabilize the muscles around the injured ligament, as Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka has done, but it can lead to a laundry list of other maladies.

If I were the Yankees, I would have told Tanaka the same thing when he sustained the injury back in 2014 at age 25. Get the surgery rehab come back strong and lets put this issue to rest.

I fully understand Tanaka had his best statistical season in 2016, but what is his prognosis long-term?

Tanaka wants to play, especially if he intends to optout after this season. But whoever signs him to a multimillion dollar deal this offseason is doing so, knowing there is a real possibility that Tanaka could very well miss 12-18 months with one wrong pitch.

Sure, all pitchers assume some sort of risk each time they take the mound, but how in your right mind can you pay someone $100M plus when you know theyre already hurt? Id rather sign a guy like Yu Darvish, who has already proven he is recovered from TJ surgery (even if he is a few years older).

According to The American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI), nearly 30 percent of all big league pitchers have at one time undergone Tommy John. The successful return rate for pitchers currently stands between 85 to 95 percent. For those wondering about players who have undergone two TJs well, theyve actually come back78.7 percent of the time.

All in all, this type of surgery is no longer a career death sentence. Its a second chance for a once promising player to redefine himself as an athlete, especially at such a young age.

Want your voice heard? Join the Yanks Go Yard team!

Obviously, its a disappointment for the team and its fans, but its the right move for the injured player, and thats all that really matters.

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Yankees: James Kaprielian Getting Tommy John Surgery Out of the Way - Yanks Go Yard

WEDNESDAY, April 5, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists report another step in the use of stem cells to help treat people with debilitating heart failure.

In an early study of 27 patients, Japanese researchers used patients' own muscle stem cells to create a "patch" that was placed on the heart.

Over the next year, the patients generally showed small improvements in their symptoms -- including the ability to walk without becoming breathless and fatigued.

However, experts cautioned that while the results are encouraging, there's a lot of work left ahead before stem cells can be used to treat heart failure.

"They've shown that this approach is feasible," said Dr. Eiran Gorodeski, a heart failure specialist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

But it's not clear whether the stem-cell tactic was actually effective, said Gorodeski, who was not involved in the study.

That's because the study didn't include a comparison group that did not receive stem cells.

So it's possible, Gorodeski explained, that the "modest" symptom improvements would have happened anyway. All of the patients were on standard medications, and some had heart devices implanted.

Stem cells are primitive cells that mature into the various cells that make up the body's tissues. In the past 15 years or so, scientists have tried to use the cells to help repair some of the damage seen in heart failure.

Heart failure is a progressive disease where the heart muscle is too damaged to efficiently pump blood throughout the body. It often arises after a heart attack.

Symptoms of heart failure include fatigue, breathlessness and swelling in the limbs. The condition cannot be cured, although medications and implantable devices can treat the symptoms.

In the new study, the researchers used stem cells from the patients' own thigh muscle to create a patch they placed on the heart.

That's in contrast to many past studies, where researchers have injected stem cells -- often from patients' bone marrow -- into the heart.

The patch tactic could have some advantages, said senior researcher Dr. Yoshiki Sawa, of Osaka University.

He said animal research suggests that cells in sheet form survive for a longer period, compared to injections.

To test the safety of the approach, Sawa's team recruited 27 patients who had debilitating symptoms despite standard heart failure therapies. The scientists extracted stem cells from each patient's thigh muscle, then cultured the cells so that they formed a sheet.

The sheet was placed on each patient's heart.

The tactic appeared safe, the researchers said, and there were signs of symptom improvements over the next six months to a year.

Why would stem cells from the thigh muscle affect the heart? It's not clear, Sawa acknowledged.

The stem cells don't grow into new heart muscle cells. Instead, Sawa explained, they seem to produce chemicals called cytokines that can promote new blood vessel growth in damaged areas of the heart. The theory, he said, is that "hibernating" cells in the heart muscle can then function better.

Still, it's too soon to know what the new findings mean, said Gorodeski.

This type of trial, called phase 1, is designed to look at the safety and feasibility of a therapy, Gorodeski said. It takes later-phase trials -- where some patients receive the treatment, and others do not -- to prove that a therapy actually works.

Those trials are underway, Sawa said.

Other studies are further along. Last year, researchers reported on a trial testing infusions of stem cells taken from the bone marrow of patients with severe heart failure.

Patients who received the therapy were less likely to die or be hospitalized over the next year, versus those given standard treatment only. But the study was small, and the stem cells had only a minor impact on patients' heart function.

So it's not clear why the stem-cell patients fared better, Gorodeski said.

For now, he stressed, all stem-cell therapies for heart failure remain experimental.

"There's no cell therapy that we can offer patients right now," Gorodeski said.

The message for patients, he added, is that heart failure can be treated, and researchers are looking for "innovative" ways to improve that treatment.

The study was published April 5 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

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Can Stem Cell 'Patch' Help Heart Failure? - Arizona Daily Star

TEMPE, Ariz. Inside a posh Phoenix resort at a Cactus League media event in February, a columnist from Major League Baseballs website approached Billy Eppler to say hello and praise the array of defensive talent the Angels second-year general manager had assembled for his 2017 team.

Eppler smiled and nodded.

Kind of traditional, he replied. Like a team from the 80s maybe, dont you think?

Baseball might have eschewed defensive focus a few decades ago, but the Angels have returned to it.

They were an acceptable defensive team a year ago, 91 runs worse than the league-best Chicago Cubs, 99 runs better than the league-worst Oakland Athletics, according to metrics compiled by fangraphs.com. That was good for 10th-best out of the 30 teams.

But defense received Epplers off-season spotlight, and it is expected to be the clubs strength.

Catcher Martin Maldonado, second baseman Danny Espinosa and left fielder Cameron Maybin should supply fielding upgrades. When Luis Valbuena returns from a hamstring strain, he should do the same at first base.

In center field, the Angels have Mike Trout, arguably baseballs best player, and in right they have Kole Calhoun, one of the most underrated.

But if the 2017 team surprisingly qualifies for the postseason, it will be because its limited pitching stock stayed healthy and its defense overall is elevated to unforeseen levels.

The way you would project this defense to be is probably the best all-around defensive team weve had here, said Angels Manager Mike Scioscia, who is in his 18th season. I think Billy Eppler made a focused effort to upgrade defensively, and we have.

Two days after the 2016 season ended, Scioscia invited three reporters into a boardroom adjacent to the Angel Stadium clubhouse. For one hour, he discussed his vision for the upcoming season.

He said the team required improvements but was not as far out of playoff contention as many people thought.

The one real fly in the ointment right now that really needs to be addressed is our ability to churn out quality starts from our rotation, he said. Thats the heartbeat of our club .

The definition of a quality start is six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs given up. Whether the statistic is a valid indicator of value is debatable, but among American League teams only Minnesota had fewer quality starts than the Angels a year ago.

And it is difficult to envision substantial improvement in that category with the current staff.

Right-hander Garrett Richards is a wild card. He expects to be limited to 100 pitches per start while throwing with an ulnar collateral ligament in his arm that was regenerated by his own stem cells.

Veteran right-handers Ricky Nolasco and Matt Shoemaker can reasonably be expected to replicate their 2016 results.

Young left-hander Tyler Skaggs, while promising, typically has not pitched deep into games, and is coming off elbow ligament replacement surgery.

Right-hander Jesse Chavez has started 49 times in the majors and turned in 23 quality starts which would have been exactly average in the AL last year.

Right-hander Alex Meyer could be the first choice for a call-up from triple A in case of an injury. However, several scouts who watched him this spring said he was a better fit in the bullpen.

Right-hander JC Ramirez, a converted reliever, was impressive during spring training but has never started a major league game.

Yet, the Angels say they like their pitching depth.

Our rotation has the probability of being much deeper, much more effective, although we cant tell you exactly what the names are gonna be, Scioscia said recently. I think we can see on the horizon that were gonna be better. The way we established a bullpen in the second half of the season that held leads for us made an impact. There are some really good arms that maybe arent household names, but theyre gonna help us win.

Rival scouts are less convinced about the Angels bullpen, which remained unsettled deep into spring training. Each time a reliever such as Kirby Yates, Jose Valdez or Austin Adams strung together a solid stretch, a blow-up soon followed.

The Angels dont seem concerned.

We feel like the people that are in this camp can give us a competitive bullpen, Eppler said near the end of spring training.

How much the defensive upgrades will help was difficult to evaluate during spring training.

We havent had our entire group together at the same time very often, Eppler said. And the environment in Arizona is different than the environment where well play in Anaheim and the American League West.

But, looking at individuals and how theyre playing, its easy to see their own specific defensive contributions.

Maybin used to play center field, Espinosa was a shortstop and Valbuena a third baseman. Eppler is asking each to play a less demanding position, but, as with any change, there is a measure of uncertainty.

With the guys that weve got, I think its pretty likely that theyre going to be fine at their new defensive positions, utility man Cliff Pennington said. But, in general, its not a slam dunk.

The same could be said of the Angels season.

2017 Los Angeles Times

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Angels' focus is on defense - Reading Eagle

Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill put some distance between himself and his spring of discontent Friday night, while Angels right-hander Garrett Richards put the finishing touches on his spring time of renewal.

Hill allowed four hits in 3 2/3 scoreless innings in a 3-1 exhibition victory at Angel Stadium, striking out two and walking one, a marked contrast from the 8.03 earned-run average he posted in five Cactus League starts, when he walked 14 and struck out 13 in 12 1/3 innings.

Hill said he was not particularly worried about his spring numbers. After all, he posted an 11.25 ERA last spring, then a 2.12 ERA during the season. Still, he was pleased with his performance Friday.

Everything is going in the right direction, he said. Today was a good outing, a good way to finish up spring training.

He said his curve and slider were the sharpest they had been all spring.

It was pretty weak contact throughout the game, he said. I think thats an indication of how the ball is coming out of your hand.

Richards allowed one run and two hits in four innings, striking out three and walking one in a 57-pitch tuneup for his regular-season debut Wednesday in Oakland.

His only blemish was a 1-and-1 slider that Justin Turner lined over the left-field wall in the fourth for a solo home run, giving the Dodgers third baseman, who is batting .385, a team-leading four homers and 16 runs batted in for the spring.

That Richards will open the season in the rotation is something of a miracle considering his setback last spring. He tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in May and seemed headed for Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery.

Instead, he opted for stem-cell therapy, in which stem cells from his own bone marrow were injected into his elbow. A procedure that didnt work for teammate Andrew Heaney worked for Richards, who pitched in the instructional league last fall and has looked strong this spring, his fastball clocked in the 96-mph range.

I just feel very blessed, very thankful, for my teammates, who stood by me the whole time, for our training staff and doctors, Richards said. Everybody did such a great job with me, and I really appreciate it. Its been a long time, and Ive got to watch a lot of baseball, so its good to be out there competing again.

Richards said any doubts about the integrity of his elbow were eliminated in the instructional league. He had to overcome a similar mental hurdle in the spring of 2015 when he returned from major left-knee surgery.

I feel normal, Richards said. My body is finally feeling complete again. Im over the knee, my arm feels good.

Richards only concession to the elbow injury will be a pitch limit that the Angels hope to keep at around 100. A workhorse by nature, Richards threw 118 pitches and 115 pitches in consecutive April games last season.

I dont think well see 110-pitch outings from Garrett, but theres nothing to say he wont pitch deep into games, Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. I think the extremes with Garret are something well avoid. Early in the season, were not going to see him throw 115 pitches. It just doesnt make sense.

The Dodgers were encouraged by Hills command Friday night, when he walked one of 16 batters after walking 14 of 58 batters in Arizona. He struck out Albert Pujols looking at a looping curve to end the first. He pitched out of a two-on, two-out jam in the second and retired the side in order in the third.

Left fielder Andrew Toles helped Hill with a running, lunging catch of Jefry Martes drive to the wall in the fourth, and Hill finished his night by striking out Danny Espinosa looking at a full-count curve.

The Dodgers scored twice off Angels reliever Kirby Yates in the eighth when Erick Mejia and Franklin Gutierrez led off with doubles and Cody Bellinger hit a two-out RBI double.

Angels right-hander Blake Parker may have solidified a bullpen spot when he struck out the side in the ninth, extending his consecutive strikeout string to 17 batters.

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen struck out two of three in the fifth, and probable Angels closer Cam Bedrosian retired the side in order in the seventh, giving him nine scoreless innings this spring.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

Follow Mike DiGiovanna on Twitter @MikeDiGiovanna

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Some restoration drama at the Big A as Dodgers top Angels, 3-1 - Los Angeles Times