Category Archives: Cell Medicine

An antibody-based treatment can gently and effectively eliminate diseased blood-forming stem cells in the bone marrow to prepare for the transplantation of healthy stem cells, according to a study in mice by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

The researchers believe the treatment could circumvent the need to use harsh, potentially life-threatening chemotherapy or radiation to prepare people for transplant, vastly expanding the number of people who could benefit from the procedure.

There are many blood and immune disorders that could be cured by a transplant of healthy stem cells, said Judith Shizuru, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at Stanford. But the pre-treatments necessary to get the healthy cells to transplant effectively are so toxic that we cant offer this option to many patients. A treatment that specifically targets only blood-forming stem cells would allow us to potentially cure people with diseases as varied as sickle cell disease, thalassemia, autoimmune disorders and other blood disorders.

Shizuru is the senior author of the study, which will be published online Feb. 11 inBlood. Postdoctoral scholar Wendy Pang, MD, PhD, and assistant professor of pediatrics Agnieszka Czechowicz, MD, PhD, share lead authorship of the work.

The study is one of two recently co-authored by Shizuru, Czechowicz and research associate Hye-Sook Kwon, PhD, indicating that an antibody targeting a protein called CD117 on the surface of blood-forming, or hematopoietic, stem cells can efficiently and safely eliminate the cells in mice and non-human primates. CD117 is a protein found on the surface of the stem cells. It regulates their growth and activity; the antibody, called SR1, binds to the protein and prevents its function.

The use of antibodies against CD117 to eliminate blood-forming stem cells is based on studies conducted in the laboratory of study co-author Irving Weissman, MD, director of Stanfords Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and of the Ludwig Center for Cancer Stem Cell Research and Medicine at Stanford, and by then-graduate student Czechowicz.

The results of these studies, including a recently published article inBloodco-authored by Kwon that showed the antibody treatment was safe in non-human primates, set the stage for a clinical trial of the antibody at Stanford and the University of California-San Francisco in children with an immune disorder called severe combined immunodeficiency.

Hematopoietic stem cells are found in the bone marrow. They give rise to all the cells of the blood and immune system. Blood cancers, such as leukemia, arise when the stem cells or their progeny begin dividing uncontrollably; other genetic conditions such as sickle cell anemia or thalassemia occur when the hematopoietic stem cells generate malformed red blood cells or hemoglobin.

Often the best chance for a cure for these and other diseases originating in the bone marrow is to eliminate the patients own defective hematopoietic stem cells and replace them with healthy stem cells from a closely matched donor. But in order to do so, the patient must be able to withstand the pre-treatment, known as conditioning. Most conditioning regimens consist of a combination of chemotherapy and radiation in doses high enough to kill stem cells in the marrow.

Shizuru and her colleagues studied a mouse model of a class of human diseases called myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS. People with MDS are unable to make mature, properly functioning blood cells and the only cure is a stem cell transplant. The disease primarily affects older adults, who are more likely than younger people to have additional, complicating medical factors and who are less likely to withstand the conditioning regimen.

Many of these people are elderly and unable to qualify for a transplant, Pang said. But there is no other cure for MDS.

Because there are many different types of MDS, the patients are assigned risk levels based on disease type, blood test results and the presence or absence of specific mutations in the affected cells. According to the World Health Organization, patients with low-risk MDS have a median survival rate of 5.5 years; those with high-risk disease have a median survival of 2.2 years.

SR1, the anti-CD117 antibody Pang and Czechowicz studied, recognizes CD117 on the surface of hematopoietic stem cells isolated from either healthy donors or from patients with MDS. They found that the antibody blocked the growth of both healthy and diseased stem cells in a laboratory setting. Then, the researchers investigated the effect of SR1 treatment on mice that were engineered to have a hybrid blood systems consisting of both human and mouse hematopoietic stem cells.

They found in the mice that SR1 quickly and efficiently eliminated both healthy human hematopoietic stem cells and cells isolated from low-risk MDS patients. In those animals with diseased human stem cells, SR1 pre-treatment significantly improved the ability of healthy hematopoietic stem cells to engraft after transplantation.

SR1 directly targets the disease-initiating cells for elimination in the mice, even though these cells typically have a significant competitive advantage, Pang said. This is the first antibody directed against CD117 that has been proven to clear both normal and diseased human cells from the recipient. We are very pleased with the results.

Although SR1 is also able to significantly reduce the number of high-risk MDS cells from the mice, the researchers found that the effect was transient: The diseased cells eventually returned even after transplant. In such cases, it may be necessary to combine anti-CD117 treatment with other therapies to completely eliminate the diseased cells, the researchers believe.

Based on the results of this study and others, we have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to move forward with a clinical trial for MDS patients using a version of SR1 appropriate for a trial in humans, Shizuru said. We are very hopeful that this body of research is going to have a positive impact on patients by allowing better depletion of diseased cells and engraftment of healthy cells.

The work is an example of Stanford Medicines focus on precision health, the goal of which is to anticipate and prevent disease in the healthy and precisely diagnose and treat disease in the ill.

Jessica Poyser, a life science research professional at Stanford and researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, UCSF and the New York University School of Medicine are also co-authors of the study.

Shizuru is a member of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine and the Stanford Cancer Institute.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants R01CA86065 and R01HL058770), the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Fund for Cancer Research,the Gunn/Oliver Research Fund, the HL Snyder Medical Foundation, the Stinehart-Reed Foundation, the Walter V. and Idun Berry Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Stanford Medical Scholars Research Program and the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.

Weissman and Czechowicz are inventors on patents that include the use of anti-CD117 antibodies in hematopoietic stem cell transplant conditioning, and Weissman and Shizuru are inventors on patents that pair anti-CD47 agents and anti-CD117 antibodies for the transplant conditioning. Weissman is a co-founder, stockholder and director of Forty Seven Inc., which has licensed these patents from Stanford University. Shizuru has equity ownership in Forty Seven Inc., and Czechowicz has equity ownership in Forty Seven Inc., Magenta Therapeutics, Beam Therapeutics, Editas Medicines and Global Blood Therapeutics.

Stanfords Department of Medicine also supported the work.

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Antibody could increase cure rate for blood, immune ...

Asymmetrex is a life sciences biotechnology company with a focus on innovating adult stem cell medicine technology that will advance the potential of adult tissue stem cells into routine medical practice. Adult tissue stem cells are found in the bodies of children and adults. They are a small fraction of the cells (less than 1 per 1000) that make up organs and tissues like the liver, cornea, skin, muscles, hair, brain, and bone marrow. Despite their small fraction, they are responsible for continuously renewing and repairing the body.

Because of their normal role in maintaining and restoring organs and tissues, tissue stem cells obtained from a donating person have an inherent ability to reconstitute severely damaged tissues due to injury or disease in another recipient person. Currently, tissue stem cell transplantation treatments of this type are only available for a few tissues, e.g., bone marrow and the cornea of the eye. There are many, many more tissues in the body for which stem cell transplantation therapies are needed, but not possible. The major cause of this shortcoming insufficient quantities of donor stem cells often also undermines the effectiveness of the tissue stem cell treatments that are available.

Asymmetrex holds adult stem cell patents for technologies that promotethe multiplication of adult tissue stem cells. Tested so far for tissue stem cells found in the liver, lung, pancreas, muscle, skin and hair follicle, the technologies have the potential to produce therapeutic human tissue stem cells by the pound, trillions of cells at a time. Unlike other presently popularized strategies based on pluripotent stem cells, Asymmetrexsadult stem cell medicine technologyproducesnormal cells without high rates of mutation or tumor-forming properties. A major pursuit of Asymmetrex is collaboration with strategic partners to develop robust manufacturing processes for producing medically important tissue stem cells and their differentiated derivative cells for use in transplantation therapies and drug development.

Another long-standing challenge in stem cell biomedicine is lack of means to identify and count tissue stem cells. Because of this need, even the available tissue stem cell therapies like bone marrow transplantation cannot be reliably optimized to achieve better treatment outcomes. This problem has existed for half a century because of the failure to discover biological markers found exclusively in or on adult tissue stem cells.

Employing its internationally recognized, special research expertise in unique adult tissue stem cell properties, Asymmetrex has developed several technologies that make it now possible to either count tissue stem cells directly or estimate their number precisely. This adult stem cell medicine technologyand innovation provide, for the first time, the means to monitor tissue stem cell number and quality for applications in regenerative medicine and drug development.

By continuing to discover and develop adult stem cell medicine technology for the production, identification, and quantification of restorative adult tissue stem cells, Asymmetrex will set the direction and pace of modern stem cell biomedicine. In addition to our current focus in developing stem cell toxicology assays for the pharmaceutical industry, we also license technologies for stem cell detection (including cancer stem cells) and stem cell expansion for user-exclusive applications.

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Adult Stem Cell Medicine Technology | Asymmetrex

In 2011, the Stanford University Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine was the first new School of Medicine doctoral program to be approved by the Faculty Senate in more than 20 years. When chartered, the SCBRM Program also became the first graduate program in the world to offer specialized training at the intersection of basic and clinical science with specific emphasis on Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. Typically, this intersection is referred to as pre-clinical or translational science and this unique discipline has become an area of intense interest at medical schools and universities in the US and abroad.

The initial program concept grew out of an increasing recognition that academic and industry positions for scientists, as advertised in the major scientific journals seek to recruit translational scientists with broad cross-disciplinary training. Such openings increasingly target those with demonstrated training and experience in human stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, and translation. Traditionally, doctoral programs in biomedical sciences across the US, including Stanford, have focused on the basic sciences with little interaction with translation and clinical application. The Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Program at Stanford became the first graduate program at Stanford to bridge this gap with specific intent to provide young scientists with expertise in both basic discovery and in the application of discoveries to improve human health and wellbeing.

What's different about the Stanford Stem Cell PhD program?

Our program offers advanced training at the intersection of basic science and clinical application with a specific emphasis on Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. This program is one of the first in the nation and abroad to specifically offer doctoral degrees in the translational sciences.

Traditionally, doctoral programs in biomedical sciences have focused on the basic sciences with emphasis on model systems such as bacteria, yeast, flies, worms, frogs and mice. This educational formula is based on the concept that clinically-relevant discoveries will naturally emerge from the basic sciences, that the human organism is of such complexity that model systems are preferable, and that there will be a growing need for scientists with narrow expertise in the basic sciences. Little emphasis has been placed on clinical translation of the basic science discoveries. However with the introduction of new tools and technologies of the last decade, it is clear that human biology is amenable to rigorous inquiry and that we can expand career opportunities for our graduates by providing them with the skills and knowledge to encompass the continuum of basic, translational and clinical sciences.Human stem cells enable these new lines of enquiry and translation. Tissue-derived and pluripotent stem cells allow investigators to create authentic human biological systems in vitro and in animals. Emerging tools in genetic engineering and in single cell biology allow us to begin targeting disease at the source and to create interventions that are precisely tailored to the mechanisms underlying disease.

Our doctoral program provides exceptional didactic education and research experience in the basic sciences underlying stem cell biology. In addition, program participants will receive specialized training in the development and clinical application of discoveries in the basic sciences to achieve regenerative therapies. Thus, our graduates will be uniquely positioned to develop successful translational careers in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and will emerge prepared to deliver on their passion to improve the human condition.

The Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine

The Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine is home to theCenter for Definitive and Curative Medicine. The effort is led by the Institutes Co-Director, Dr. Maria-Grazia Roncorolo. Clinician investigators and researchers at Stanford have created one of the first dedicated translational medicine centers located on an academic campus. The Center and the Stem Cell PhD program strongly encourage graduate students to consider a research path and dissertation that engages the resources of The Center. The explicit intent of The Center is to enable discoveries to transition to the clinic within a well-integrated and fully self-contained pipeline that spans from the research bench to the first application of cell and gene therapy in humans. Many of the Stem Cell PhD Program faculty participate in clinically-targeted research projects and students in the Stem Cell Program have an unprecedented opportunity to gain experience in the unique science and regulatory environment of first-in-human clinical trials.

Extraordinary Freedom to Design your own Doctoral Research Program and Dissertation.Our commitment is to fully fund any student admitted to the Stem Cell PhD Program for the first 4 years of graduate school. A student no longer needs to ask a prospective faculty member Do you have funding to support a graduate student? The faculty members of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine represent the cutting edge of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and we encourage students to take full advantage of program faculty. However, we also recognize that there are many faculty members on the larger Stanford campus whose groundbreaking advances provide the biological breakthroughs, technologies, and tools for the next generation of treatments and cures. Many Stem Cell PhD students design dissertations that are immersed in the disciplines of physics, photonics, chemistry, materials sciences and engineering, bioengineering, and computational biology. Students in the Stem Cell PhD Program can rotate with any faculty member at Stanford University and, if the faculty member agrees, the student can select a dissertation co-mentor or primary advisor from any department or graduate program.

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Stem Cell PhD Program | Institute for Stem Cell Biology ...

STEM CELL TECHNOLOGY

Advanced Regenerative Medicine is using breakthrough technology in order to provide relief from osteoarthritisspecifically in the knee, hip, and shoulder joints. But what is regenerative medicine, and how is it being used to help patients avoid invasive joint replacement surgeries?

Regenerative medicine is changing the game in terms of how the body repairs and heals itself. This is especially beneficial to our senior population, who frequently experience pain from osteoarthritis in the hip, knees, and shoulders.

What is regenerative medicine? This medical treatment method is changing the way that medical professionals get to the root cause of injury, disease, osteoarthritis, and more. It is focused on rejuvenating the bodys ability to heal itself naturallywhich eliminates the need for surgery.

Regeneration delivers specific types of cells to diseased tissues or organs. The end goal is to help the tissue restore itself and return to its original functioning capabilities. This is achieved by using stem cell therapy.

Stem cells are a critical key to regenerative medicine. These cells are able to develop into another type of cell in the body, which helps tissues and organs rebuild and repair themselves. The idea behind regenerative medicine from ARM is to help a patients body heal on its own, while reducing risks and inconveniences associated with traditional joint replacement.

Regenerative medicine can help patients regain full range of motion of hip, knee, and shoulder joints. Furthermore, they will experience substantially reduced levels of pain. This approach is minimally invasive and can be conducted on an outpatient basis.

ARM uses cutting-edge technology to extract adipose-derived stem cells from adipose tissue. This enables ARM to eliminate the use of foreign enzymes and chemicals, which makes the process safer.

If youre unsure if regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy is right for you, our helpful staff can help guide you through the process and make the best decision for your needs. To learn more about stem cell procedures and regenerative medicine, contact Advanced Regenerative Medicine today.

Dr. Mark R. LoDico, a pioneer in the field of pain medicine, believes that no one should have to live with the frustration of chronic pain. Board Certified in both Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, he founded Advanced Pain Medicine in 2001, uniquely committing the practice to finding specific, ongoing solutions to specific pain.

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What is Stem Cell Regenerative Medicine? | Advanced ...

Overview

Cell scienceis an emerging field of therapeutics and as well as stem cell therapyalso. In this Stem cells are playing widal role to develop into a newregenerative medicineof modern era in the globe. Most researchers believe thatStem Cellsare play a major role in future generations and give the big global business market across the world. This event leads us to build a great opportunity to fulfill the global needs and human welfare.

1.Molecular and Cellular Physiology and of Structural Biology

The cell structure is an important target structure for drugs and bacterial pathogens. It is composed of different protein filaments that are continuously remodeledto construct a dynamic cellular scaffold. The cytoskeleton is a scaffold that gives cells their diverse and adaptable shapes and that organizes their internal structures.The cytoskeleton plays a fundamental role in all aspects of cell mechanics, such as cell adhesion and motility, cell division, intracellular transport, the establishment of cell polarity and the organization of cells in tissues and organs.Many drugs and bacterial toxins act by blocking or activating cytoskeletal regulatory proteins.We primarily investigate the regulation of the cytoskeleton in the context of cancer and bacterial infections.

2.Cell Biology of Vertebrates, Microbes and Parasites

Vertebrates are multicellular, heterotrophic eukaryotes with tissues that develop from embryonic layers. Biologists have identified 1.3 million living species of animals. Estimates of the total number of animal species run far higher, from 10 to 20 million to as many as 100 to 200 million.in general vertebrates are all motile, heterotropic, and multicellular .Animals are ingestive heterotrophs unlike plants, who store their food as starch,and animals store their food as glycogen. Vertebrates cells lack of cell walls that provide structural support for plants and fungi .The multicellular bodies of animals are held together by extracellular structural proteins especially collagen. Vertebrate cells are made up of cells organized into tissues .each tissue specialized to some specific functions .vertebrates have their unique types of intracellular junctions, including tight junctions, desmosomes. And gap junctions together. Microbes are member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes unicellular microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as multicellular fungi that produce familiar fruiting forms known as mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from the other eukaryotic life kingdoms of plants and animals.

3.Current Research in Cell and Molecular Biology

Cell biology is playing a vital role in current scientific research oriented studies. Current situation is all about cell biology leads to invention of regenerative medicine and receptor and antibody mediated medicine. Stem cells are using as a therapy for diseases include bone marrow transplantation ,cancer therapy and treating in Alzheimers disease and cardiac treatments etc. The cell science research is mainly target to to achieve the diagnostic and therapeutic uses for the people across the global. Currently it has emerged as a rapidly diversifying field with the potential to address the worldwide organ shortage issue and comprises of tissue regeneration and organ replacement. Regenerative medicine save public health bodies money by reducing the need for long-term care and reducing associated disorders, with potential benefits for the world economy as a whole.

4.Nanotechnology: Stem Cells & Cancer

Nanotechnology in medicine offers some exciting possibilities. Some techniques are only imagined, while others are at various stages of testing, or actually being used today. Nanotechnologies in medicine involve applications of nano particles currently under development, as well as longer range research that involves the use of manufactured nano-robots to make repairs at the cellular level. Nanotechnology in medicine currently being developed involves employing nano particlesto deliver drugs, heat, light or other substances to specific types of cells (such as cancer cells). Particles are engineered so that they are attracted to diseased cells, which allow direct treatment of those cells. This technique reduces damage to healthy cells in the body and allows for earlier detection of disease.

5.Molecular and Cellular Basis of Growth and Regeneration

Cell growth is used in the biological cell development and cell reproduction. Where a cell, known as the mother cell, grows and divides to produce two daughter cells. In the cell development cytoplasmic and organelle volume increase and genetic material also. Regeneration is the process of renewal, restoration, and growth that makes genomes, cells,organisms, and ecosystems resilent to natural fluctuations or events that cause disturbance or damage.

6.Stem Cells, Self-Assembly, Tissue Growth and Regeneration

Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

7.Germline Stem Cells

Germ cells are specialized cells which are involved in reproduction. The most well-known examples of this type of cell are gametes, the sperm and eggs which come together to create a zygote which can develop into a foetus. In addition to gametes, a number of other cells involved in reproduction are also germ cells, including gonocytes, the cells which regulate the production of eggs and sperm. All germ cells carry the germ line, the genetic material which an organism can pass on to its offspring. In humans, these cells are haploid, meaning that they carry only half the number of chromosomes necessary to create an organism. When germ cells from two different people meet, their haploid genetic material combines to create diploid cells which can replicate themselves through cell division, ultimately building a baby.

8.Cellular And Molecular Medicine

Regenerative medicines have the ability to repair, replace, and regenerate tissues and organs affected due to injury, disease, or natural aging process. These medicines are capable of restoring the functionality of cells & tissues and are applicable in a wide range of degenerative disorders such as dermatology, Neurodegenerativediseases, cardiovascular and orthopaedic applications. Researchers focus on developing technologies based on biologics, genes, somatic as well as stem cells. Stem cells are capable of proliferation and differentiation owing to which they are of importance in this field.

9.Computational Biology and Drug Designing

Computational Biology is the science of using biological data to develop algorithms and relations among various biological systems. Computational biology is different from biological computation, which is a sub field of computer science and computer engineering using bio engineering and biology to build computers, but is similar to bioinformatics, which is an interdisciplinary science using computers to store and process biological data. Computer-aided drug design methods have played a major role in the development of therapeutically important small molecules for over three decades. The field is broadly defined and includes foundations in computer science, applied mathematics, animation, statistics, biochemistry, chemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, genetics, genomics, ecology, evolution, anatomy, neuroscience, and visualization.

10.Cell Signaling Technology

Cell signalling is major part of communication that coordinates basic activities of cells and perform cell actions. The ability of cells to perceive and correctly respond to their micro environment on the basis of development, tissue reform, and immunity as well as normal tissue homeostasis. Damage in cellular information processing are responsible for diseases such as cancer, autoimmunity, and diabetes. By understanding cell signalling, diseases may be treated more effectively and, theoretically, artificial tissues may be created. Cell signalling has been most studied in human diseases. Cell signalling may also occur between the cells of two different organisms. In mammals, early embryo cells exchange signals with cells of the uterus.

11.Tissue Engineering

Tissue engineering evolved from the field of bio material development and describes the practice of combining scaffolds, cells, and biologically active molecules into functional tissues. The goal of tissue engineering is to assemble functional constructs that restore, maintain, or improve damaged tissues or whole organs. Artificial skin and cartilage are examples of engineered tissues that have been approved by the FDA. This field continues to evolve. In addition to medical applications, non-therapeutic applications include using tissues as biosensorsto detect biological or chemical threat agents, and tissue chips that can be used to test the toxicity of an experimental medication.

12.Cell Rejuvenation and Wound Healing

Cell Rejuvenation is described as the reforming of a damaged cell. Skin compartments, epidermis, and hair follicles house stem cells that are indispensable for skin homeostasis and regeneration. The stem cells also contribute to wound repair, resulting in restoration of tissue integrity and function of damaged tissue. Unsuccessful wound healing processes often lead to non-healing wounds. Chronic wounds are caused by depletion of stem cells and a variety of other cellular and molecular mechanisms, many of which are still poorly understood. Current chronic wound therapies are limited, so the search to develop better therapeutic strategies is on going.Adult stem cells are gaining recognition as potential candidates for numerous skin pathologies. Emerging concepts offer some perspectives on how skin tissue-engineered products can be optimized to provide efficacious therapy in cutaneous repair and regeneration.

13.Stem Cell Therapeutics in Modern era

Stem-cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition. Bone is the most widely used stem-cell therapy, but some therapies derived from umbilical cord blood are also in use. Research is underway to develop various sources for stem cells, and to apply stem-cell treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions. Stem-cell therapy has become controversial following developments such as the ability of scientists to isolate and culture embryonic stem cells, to create stem cells using somatic cell nuclear transfer and their use of techniques to create induced spluripotent stem cell. This controversy is often related to abortion politics and to human cloning. Additionally, efforts to market treatments based on transplant of stored umbilical cord blood have been controversial.

14.Cancer Cell Biology

Cancer stem cells are cancer cells that possess characteristics associated with normal stem cells, specifically the ability to give rise to all cell types found in a particular cancer sample. CSCs are therefore tumorogenic , perhaps in contrast to other non-tumorigenic cancer cells. CSCs may generate tumours through the stem cell processes of self-renewal and differentiation into multiple cell types. Such cells are hypothesized to persist in tumours as a distinct population and cause relapse and metastasis by giving rise to new tumours. Therefore, development of specific therapies targeted at CSCs holds hope for improvement of survival and quality of life of cancer patients, especially for patients with metastatic disease.

15.Bioethical Issues in Cell and Stem Cell Biology

The main Bioethical issues associated with human stem cells involve their derivation and use for research. Although there are interesting ethical issues surrounding the collection and use of somatic adult stem cells from aborted foetuses and umbilical cord blood, the most intense controversy to date has focused on the source of human embryonic stem (hES) cells. At present, new ethical issues are beginning to emerge around the derivation and use of other hES celllike stem cells that have the capacity to differentiate into all types of human tissue. In the near future, as the stem cell field progresses closer to the clinic, additional ethical issues are likely to arise concerning the clinical translation of basic stem cell knowledge into reasonably safe, effective and accessible patient therapies. This Review summarizes these and other bio ethical issues of the past, present and future of stem cell research.

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Cell Science, Stem Cell Research & Regenerative ...

In 2011 I attended training and education on adult stem cell harvesting, isolation, and separation techniques led by Kristin Comella. She laid a solid foundation for us by educating us on how stem cells function, practical applications, and current research and results. When we went into the lab portion, Kristin was very thorough and meticulous when walking us through the steps. We were given a detailed, printed protocol to follow that made things very clear and easy to replicate. Kristin was eager to help out, answer questions, and show us the most efficient ways to perform each step of the procedure. Kristin is very knowledgable and passionate about her research and adult stem cell therapies and has continued to be a valuable resource to us at SouthPointe Family Physicians. She always replies promptly to any questions or concerns we may have and keeps us up-to-date on the latest protocols and findings! Overall, working with Kristin has been a fantastic experience, and I'm excited to continue learning more from her in this field!

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U.S. Stem Cell Training | Regenerative Medicine Training ...

Ted Dawson, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neurology and co-director of NeuroICE explains where we are in using stem cells to treat Parkinsons Disease.

Were creating induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from patients with Parkinsons disease with the intent of turning them into dopamine neurons that we can study in a dish and also put into animals. We want to see if human iPS derived neurons grown in culture or in a mouse can lead to disease, and if it can, to study the mechanisms of why cells degenerate and test our hypotheses, drugs and targets in human cells.

If you look at the work thats been done in neurodegenerative diseases in animal models, weve been good at slowing progression of disease, but when we go to humans, the trials fail. So why is that? Perhaps because in mice were able to intervene very early in the disease, but in humans were treating late. Maybe the treatment would work if we treated early in humans, but this would require the ability to diagnosis the disease prior to the onset of symptoms. The other possibility is that Parkinsons disease in a mouse is different than a man.

Using iPS cells we can test new therapies in human neurons for the first time. One of the reasons there have been tremendous new therapies with cancers is that scientists can biopsy human tumors and use those cells to design drugs. Now stem cells are putting us in a position to be able to study neurodegenerative diseases in a similar way.

For developmental diseases such as Down syndrome and schizophrenia, theres no question in my mind that iPS will change the ways those diseases are studied and treated. With an adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder that takes 50 years to develop in humans, the big question is whether an iPS cell will have Parkinsons disease after growing in a mouse for a few months. We just dont know. But we need to do the experiment.

Lots of people thought Parkinsons was going to be low hanging fruit for stem cell transplantation. But we still dont fully understand the transplantation process and how to optimize it. There needs to be a lot of work done to get to that point. And medical therapy for Parkinsons is so advanced that transplantation right now probably isnt going to be any better than what we can already do. But that doesnt mean we shouldnt be forging ahead, using stem cells to discover more about the disease in order to find new drugs as well as refine our ideas about transplantation.

--Interviewed by Maryalice Yakutchik

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Stem Cell Research at Johns Hopkins Medicine: Parkinsons ...

By Lori Hinnant, Alex Oller And Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press on August 20, 2017.

RIPOLL, Spain They were brothers and boyhood friends from a town with no unfamiliar faces. They were linked by Moroccan roots and equally tied by their upbringings in Ripoll, an ancient hub in the Catalan foothills known for its monastery and passageways dotted with cafes and kebab shops.

But most recently, police believe, the young men were drawn together by an imam and an alleged plot to murder on a massive scale an extraordinary secret for 12 people to keep for months on end.

In the suspected extremist cells final days, the group accumulated more than 100 gas canisters, blew up a house in a botched effort to make bombs, drove a van through Barcelonas storied Las Ramblas promenade, and attacked beachside tourists, Spanish authorities said.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks that killed at least 14 people and left scores wounded. Five of the dozen were shot dead by police.

Now, Ripoll is cut off by police roadblocks as the search for an alleged cell member thought to still be on the run continues. Families and friends in the town are torn between horror at the bloodshed and grief for the children they thought they knew.

We dont know whether to cry and mourn them or what to do, said Wafa Marsi, who knew the attackers and stood with their weeping mothers on Saturday as they clustered in small groups in the town square. They have killed 13 or 14 people and wounded a hundred, and we dont know what to do.

What the families finally did, after fiercely debating the issue, was denounce the attack, some holding up homemade signs reading Not in our name.

Police have identified 12 members of the cell, but three remained unaccounted for Sunday. Two are believed to have been killed when the house where the plot was hatched exploded Wednesday, Catalan police official Josep Lluis Trapero told reporters Sunday.

Complicating the manhunt for the suspected fugitive and any other possible accomplices, though, was the fact that police so far have been unable to pinpoint who remained at large. The explosion in Alcanar, 300 kilometres (186 miles) south of Ripoll, nearly obliterated the bomb makers along with the house. A police official has said the imam, Abdelbaki Es Satty, is thought to be one of them.

Trapero declined to confirm that Younes Abouyaaquoub, a 22-year-old Moroccan, was the one at large and the suspected driver of the van that plowed down the Las Ramblas promenade Thursday, killing 13 people and injuring 120. Another attack hours later killed one person and injured others in Cambrils, a seaside town south of the city.

We are working in that line, Trapero said. But he added: We dont know where he is.

Another police official did confirm that three vans tied to the investigation were rented with Abouyaaquoubs credit card: The one used in the Las Ramblas carnage, another found in Ripoll, where all the main attack suspects lived, and a third found in Vic, on the road between the two.

Police are investigating whether a man found stabbed to death inside a car in Barcelona may have been killed by an attacker as well.

Police believe the cell members had planned to fill the vans with explosives and create a massive attack in the Catalan capital. Trapero confirmed that more than 100 tanks of butane gas were found at the Alcanar house that exploded, as well as ingredients of the explosive TATP, which was used by the Islamic State group in attacks in Paris and Brussels.

Our thesis is that the group had planned one or more attacks with explosives in the city of Barcelona, he said. The plot was foiled when the house in Alcanar blew up Wednesday night.

None of the 12 had any known history of violent extremism, Spanish police have said.

Trapero confirmed the imam was part of the investigation, but said police had no solid evidence that he was responsible for radicalizing the young men in the cell. Es Satty in June abruptly quit working at a mosque in Ripoll and has not been seen since.

Dont criminalize the mosques because the overwhelming majority of them are places of worship. They are places where people pray, Trapero said. In fact, even though there is an imam implicated in the group, it doesnt mean that the mosque is where they were radicalized.

One woman who was close to multiple attackers and who heard Es Sattys sermons said the imam repeatedly preached about jihad and killing infidels. She spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing she would be attacked for speaking out.

I feel like I could have done something. I feel a little bit guilty now, she said. Everybody knew it. It was an open secret. But I cant say it because these people are dangerous and they could come after me. I dont trust anybody now.

Es Sattys former mosque denounced the deadly attacks, but denied Es Satty was anything other than a normal imam.

Hammou Minaj, secretary of the mosque who knew the attackers as well, described Es Satty as an easygoing preacher.

Its hard to get an imam. When you get one, youre always happy, Minaj said.

The mosque is on a main artery in Ripoll named Progress, occupying an unmarked corner storefront. The Muslim community took the space when it outgrew the towns other mosque, which held just 40 worshippers. Es Satty preached first at the smaller space and eventually lost his job in late 2015 for reasons that the president, Ali Yassine, did not specify.

Es Satty then left to look for work as an imam in Belgium from January to March 2016, according to Hans Bonte, mayor of the Belgian city of Vilvoorde.

Vilvoorde is known for Islamic State recruiting and jihadi activity. Police there contacted the Catalan department of justice and were told Es Satty had no links to extremist violence.

With what we know today, this is remarkable and an eye-opener for everybody, Bonte told De Morgen newspaper.

But Catalonia itself has become increasingly known as a centre of extremism and for tensions within the Muslim community on how to handle it. Nearly one-third of the arrests in Spain for alleged links to the Islamic State group were made in Catalonia, according to an analysis last year by Fernano Reinares of the Royal Institute Elcano, a Spanish think-tank founded by the king.

When Es Satty returned to Ripoll, he again landed a job as imam this time at the new mosque. But at the beginning of the summer, Es Satty announced he wanted a three-month vacation in Morocco and the mosque let him go. His apartment was empty on Saturday.

Ripoll resident Marsi, as well others who spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity, admitted tensions brewed at times between the two mosques, although Marsi pointed out that the differences were not over religious content.

I cant vouch for anybody else, but I can guarantee 100 per cent that there was zero radicalization in either mosque. If the imam had said something about jihad, the people of Ripoll would have ousted him. The women, in particular, are raging right now, Marsi emphasized.

The size of the cell and the close family connections among the attack suspects recalled the November 2015 attacks in Paris, where Islamic State adherents struck the national stadium, a concert hall and bars and restaurants nearly simultaneously, leaving 130 people dead.

Catalan authorities have not released the names of those killed, but Spanish media have reported widely that at least three sets of brothers were among the cells alleged members.

Brothers radicalizing together are a common theme among extremists. They share unbreakable bonds, an ability to keep secrets, and an airtight communication channel. A pair of brothers carried out suicide bombings in March 2016 in Brussels. Two brothers gunned down the staff members of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris in January 2015. Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who bombed the Boston Marathon in 2013, were brothers originally from Chechnya.

On Sunday, many in Ripoll said they didnt see themselves in either the young men who had once seemed familiar or the imam now implicated in the investigation

Those people that heard him talk about jihad and didnt say anything, are they happy now? Why didnt they stop him? Hassan Azzidi, who was holding a sign that read Not in the name of Islam, said.

He added: We are taught not to kill animals for sport, let alone humans.

___

Wilson contributed from Barcelona. Angela Charlton in Paris; Nicole Winfield in Rome; Mystyslav Chernov in Ripoll, Spain; and Oleg Cetinic in Alcanar, Spain contributed.

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Spanish town struggles to reconcile locals as extremist cell - Medicine Hat News

In BriefA new study from the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute reveals that stem cells taken from younger rats provided older rats with youthful vigor when injected into their hearts. After a month, the rats ran longer, and regrew hair faster.

Old hearts may find new life, according to a new study, which shows that stem cells taken from younger hearts can be used to reverse the aging process. This could potentially cause older hearts to act and perform like younger ones.Click to View Full Infographic

The study, conducted by the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and published by the European Heart Journal, set out to observe the effects of cardiac stem cells on various aspects of the heart, including its function and structure. Prior applications of Cardiosphere-derived cells (CDC) resulted in positive effects, but this was the first time its effects in the aging process were tested. This is different from the tests performed last month at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where the hypothalamus region of the brain was discovered to be a key part of aging in mice.

Cedars-Sinai researchers instead took CDC cells from newborn mice and injected it into the hearts of older mice, while another group of older mice were injected with saline. Blood, echocardiographic, haemodynamic and treadmill stress tests were performed on all mice after injections, with the older groups tested 1 month later.

The mice given the Cardiosphere-derived cells saw a number of benefits compared to their saline counterparts. They had improved heart functionality, were able to exercise 20 percent longer, regrew hair at a faster rate, and had longer heart cell telomeres. This is important because telomeres are compounds found at the ends of chromosomes whose shortening is directly correlated to the aging process.

The way the cells work to reverse aging is fascinating, said Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute Director and Lead Researcher Eduardo Marbn, MD, PhD. They secrete tiny vesicles that are chock-full of signaling molecules such as RNA and proteins. The vesicles from young cells appear to contain all the needed instructions to turn back the clock.

Tests on ratshave shown that CDCs have shown cardiac and systemic rejuvenation on the aging process, but there is much work to do before the anti-aging treatment is tested on people, let alone over the table. Lilian Griorian-Shamagian, MD, PhD, who was co-primary researcher on the study, notes that its still unclear if the cells actually extend the lifespan of the rats, rather than simply providing a new heart in an old body. Its also unknown if CDCs need to be taken from younger hearts in order to be effective. If any CDCs, regardless of their origin, can be used, it could lead to a new round of tests comparing the effects of CDCs from the young to the CDCs from the old or middle-aged.

If stem cells were used for medical purposes, they couldhelp those suffering from heart failure, or the Duchenne muscular dystrophy Marbn and his team are hoping to treat. Beyond that, it could lessen the number of deaths caused by heart disease, which is currently responsible for over 610,000 deaths a year.

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New Study Reveals Stem Cells from Young Hearts May Help Reverse the Aging Process - Futurism

Researchers have identified the cells that unleash allergy symptoms such as sneezing.

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By Mitch LeslieAug. 2, 2017 , 2:00 PM

If you sneeze your way through ragweed season or need a restraining order against your neighbors cat, researchers finally know what part of your immune system you should blame. A new study nails down the specific group of cells that orchestrates allergic reactions, a result that could help scientists determine not only why some people have allergies, but also how to block them.

Its exciting for those of us who are looking at potential ways to treat allergic diseases, says Thomas Casale, an allergist and immunologist at the University of South Florida in Tampa who wasnt connected to the study.

Allergies stem from mistaken identity, when some of our immune cells respond to benign substancesknown as allergensthat include pollen, mold spores, and certain foods. Researchers know that the culprits that touch off allergic symptoms belong to a group of T cells known as TH2 cells. But not all TH2 cells are culpable. Some guard us against parasites and other invaders. Sorting the beneficial TH2 cells from the rogues has proveddifficult, however.

In the new study, researchers led by T cell biologist Erik Wambre and immunologist William Kwok of the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason in Seattle, Washington, obtained blood samples from patients who were sensitive to pollen from alder trees, a common cause of winter and spring allergies. An allergic patients TH2 cells recognize and respond to an allergen because they carry receptor, proteins that match allergen molecules. To tag immune cells carrying receptors for alder pollen, the team added customized fluorescent proteins known as MHCII tetramers to the patients blood samples.

Along with receptors, TH2 cells are dotted with marker proteins. Like sports fans wearing their favorite teams jersey, immune cells proclaim their identity with these marker proteins. The researchers analyzed the tagged cells to determine their combination of markers. Compared with other TH2 cells, one group sported more copies of two marker proteins and fewer copies of four others. Although none of the proteins was exclusive to the cells, together they provided a signature for this clique of TH2 cells, which the researchers dubbed TH2A cells. T cells can sometimes shift identifies, but the researchers found that TH2A cells remained distinct, even after several cellular generations. When these cells are born, they are born to be pathogenic, Wambre says.

As they report online today in Science Translational Medicine, Wambre, Kwok, and colleagues found that the cells were abundant in the blood of patients with allergies to a variety of triggers, including grass pollen and house dust mites. But they were absent from the blood of people who werent sensitive. The team also tested patients undergoing an experimental treatment called oral immunotherapy to alleviate their peanut allergies. Over about 20 weeks, the participants receive larger and larger doses of allergy inducing peanut proteins, and this repeated exposure eventually allows them to tolerate peanuts.

We saw a dramatic decrease in TH2A cells after the success of the treatment, Wambre says. The number of these cells in the patients that reacted to peanuts fell by about 90%. Kwok says that the evidence he and his colleagues have accumulated suggests that people with allergies make this specific subset of T cells that probably lead to allergic symptoms.

The work could ultimately benefit patients through new treatments and better ways to monitor the disease, says immunologist Andrew Luster of Massachusetts General Hospital in Charlestown. For example, he notes, scientists could assess trials of oral immunotherapywhich attempts to quell patients allergies with edible doses of food allergensby tracking which treatments were eliminating TH2A cells. Another option, Kwok adds, is that if researchers can determine what molecular signals steer certain T cells to become TH2A cells, they may be able to develop ways to prevent formation of the cells. If researchers succeed in that, they might also prevent a lot of sniffling and scratching.

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Got allergies? Scientists may have finally pinpointed the cells that trigger reactions - Science Magazine