Category Archives: Cell Medicine

The undercover investigation youre about to see today is going to make you really angry, because were exposing the worst kind of scam one that takes advantage of those most vulnerable, stealing not just their money, but their hope, their dignity.

Thats how Dr. Mehmet Oz introduces a series of segments scheduled to run on his daytime television program Tuesday. His quarry: those for-profit clinics offering supposed stem cell treatments for an implausible host of diseases unproven, unlikelyand very expensive cures.

We reported on this noisome corner of medical pseudo-sciencelast year, outlining theabsence of scientific support for their treatmentand their intensive marketing pitches to hopeful patients. We reported that in a survey of stem cell tourism, stem cell scientist Paul Knoepfler of UC Davis and bioethicist Leigh Turner of the University of Minnesotaidentified 570 clinicsaround the U.S. offering stem cell interventions. Scores were concentrated in such hotspots as Beverly Hills, Phoenixand New York. Many were offering unproven therapies featuring the termstem cell as a marketing veneer.

Dr. Ozs investigation of these clinics is a worthy addition to public awareness. Its must-viewing for patients and families desperate enough to contemplate turning to such clinics for succor, and for state and federal regulators and law enforcement agencies that should be riding herd on thembut have almost universally given them a pass. Oz calls on the Food and Drug Administration and other regulators to step in and stop this now, thats how bad its become.

Weve been critical of Dr. Oz in the past for purveying untested medical nostrums, as have many other critics. But his investigation of the stem cell clinics is a model of public service. He musters his entire arsenal of crowd-pleasing techniques his forceful, impassioneddelivery, his cultivated aura of medical authority, and his credibility with his audience to the best purpose.

The investigation is the product of the shows so-calledmedical unit and its chief of staff, Michael Crupain, a medical doctor and public health specialist who was hired from Consumer Reports about a year and a half ago. At one point during his research for the program Crupain dialed in to a webinar in which prospective patients were recruited by a clinic. It was like watching someone sell a time-share, he told me an observation that made it into the show.

The three segments, which take up about half of Tuesdays scheduled program, include undercover visits to clinics in New York by Elizabeth Leamy, a reporter on the program, along with a former patient. At one point we see a clinic employee claim that hestreated 44 patients for multiple sclerosis, and every single patient had vast improvement. The investigators are pitched $15,000 treatments and encouraged to spread it out on their credit cards. (No insurer will cover these untested and unproven therapies.) One promoter seen on tape acknowledges to the undercover team, We dont know the exact mechanism of everything we do, but counselsthem, We just know that it works, we use it. If it works and its safe [and] its reasonable in cost, you know, why not?

Why not, indeed? Because the targets of these pitches are at the end of their rope, vulnerable to scamsters,and often have to make immense sacrifices to pay the fees. Doctors and others can prey on their vulnerability, Oz observes.

Oz displays a list of the conditions the clinics claim to treat joint pain, autism, Parkinsons, Alzheimers, stroke, emphysema, and blindness, among many others. He explains that its impossible for a one-size-fits-all treatment to cure them all: It defies basic medical know-how, which means they are not telling us the truth. He lucidly describes their supposed technique, which involves extracting stem cells from the patients by liposuction, separating the stem cells by centrifuge and treating them with some sort of enzyme, then reinjecting them in the patients body and waiting for the concoction to do its magic.

He offers a withering assessment of doctors who claim to be engaged in clinical trials of stem cell treatments butask you to give money upfront and mortgage your house and borrow fromyour friends credit cards thats not how medicine should be practiced.

Oz is assisted by talk show host and multiple sclerosis patient Montel Williams and Sally Temple, a stem cell scientistwho is president of theInternational Society for Stem Cell Research. Temple explains that real research into stem cell treatments takes years and aims to develop treatments that can receive FDA approval. She quite properly underscoresthe dangerto legitimate research posed by bogus clinics offering medically dubious treatments.

Theyre saying they can cure a whole host of diseases, and we know they cant, she says. We are really concerned that its going to undermine the genuinely good work thats being done.

Crupain considers the stem cell investigation to be Dr. Oz at his best. Hes right.

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow@hiltzikmon Twitter, see hisFacebook page, or emailmichael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Return to Michael Hiltzik's blog.

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Dr. Oz takes on those bogus for-profit stem cell clinics--and cuts them to shreds - Chicago Tribune

February 14, 2017 The left image is of an embryonic mouse heart, showing the four chambered structure with atria at the top and ventricles at the bottom. The right image is the fluorescent lineage tracing reporter, showing that our newly discovered progenitor cell population contributes specifically to the ventricular chambers of the heart. Credit: Mount Sinai Health System

A population of cells in early development may give rise to the ventricular chambers of the heart, but not the atria, according to a study led by researchers from the Mindich Child Health and Development Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today in Nature Communications.

Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect, affecting 35,000 babies in the United States each year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Many of these defects originate as the heart chambers are forming. While much is known about the development of the heart, the formation of the four distinct chambers of the heart has lacked thorough understanding.

Using a model that traces cell lineage in mice, investigators studied the protein-coding gene Foxa2, primarily associated with endoderm and ectoderm development during embryogenesis. They discovered a population of progenitor cells expressing Foxa2 during early development that gave rise to cardiovascular cells of both the left and right ventricular chambers, but not the atria. Their research showed that atrial-ventricular segregation may occur long before the morphological establishment of differentiated cardiac structures.

"An in-depth understanding of the formation of the heart chambers will enable us to better comprehend the biology behind detrimental heart defects and how best to address them," said lead investigator Nicole Dubois, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "In addition to informing our understanding of early heart development, we hope that these findings will also lead to new protocols for the generation of ventricular cardiomyocytes in cell culture that could potentially be used in therapeutic settings."

"There is a lot we still don't understand about this population, or the function of Foxa2 during the formation of the heart, but we think these findings provide a powerful new system to answer some of the most relevant open questions about how early heart development occurs," said Evan Bardot, PhD student and first author of the Nature Communications study.

Explore further: New mouse model helps explain gene discovery in congenital heart disease

More information: Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS14428

Scientists now have clues to how a gene mutation discovered in families affected with congenital heart disease leads to underdevelopment of the walls that separate the heart into four chambers. A Nationwide Children's Hospital ...

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are a leading cause of birth defect-related deaths. Understanding how genetic alterations cause such defects is complicated by the fact that many of the critical genes are unknown, and those ...

Using cardiac imaging during heart surgery can detect serious residual holes in the heart that may occur when surgeons repair a child's heart defect, and offers surgeons the opportunity to close those holes during the same ...

Loyola Medicine is the only center in the Midwest enrolling patients in a landmark clinical trial of a new procedure to treat a life-threatening heart rhythm disorder called ventricular tachycardia.

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes linked a single gene mutation to two types of heart disease: one causes a hole in the heart of infants, and the other causes heart failure. Using cells donated by a family with the mutation, ...

Food fortified with folic acid, a B vitamin required in human diets for numerous biological functions, was associated with reduced rates of congenital heart defects, according to new research in the American Heart Association's ...

A population of cells in early development may give rise to the ventricular chambers of the heart, but not the atria, according to a study led by researchers from the Mindich Child Health and Development Institute at the ...

Researchers have projected that aggressively lowering blood pressure could help prevent more than 100,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.

Obesity and a diet high in fat could lead to a harmful activation of the immune system, increasing a person's risk of heart disease, according to a study led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

While boxes of decadent chocolate treats, celebratory champagne and romantic, high-calorie dinners may dance in your mind as a way to celebrate Valentine's Day, your heart may be pining for something else. With Valentine's ...

Strokes and heart attacks often strike without warning. But, a unique application of a medical camera could one day help physicians know who is at risk for a cardiovascular event by providing a better view of potential problem ...

Matters of the heart can be complicated, but York University scientists have found a way to create 3D heart tissue that beats in synchronized harmony, like a heart in love, that will lead to better understanding of cardiac ...

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Interesting that in the development from fertilized egg to fully grown human being we witness true evolution - changes from a single ancestor cell into an extreme highly complex life form. Right before our eyes, in our lifetime. Fully observed, repeatable and verifiable. No need to invent non-existing missing links since it's all there - right in front of us. Everywhere. True, full blooded, indisputable evolution - one kind into another into another into another into another.............all programmed to the last tee by a superlatively ingenious super intelligent being otherwise known as the Creator. Strange then that highly educated scientists do not want to see or acknowledge the evidence for the existence of said Creator.

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Researchers identify cells linked to the development of the heart's ventricular chambers - Medical Xpress

OCASCR scientist Lin Liu at work. Photo provided.

Working together, scientists from Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation are advancing adult stem cell research to treat some of todays most devastating diseases.

Under the umbrella of the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research (OCASCR), created with funding from the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, these scientists have amassed groundbreaking findings in one of the fastest growing areas of medical research.

We have made exciting progress, said OCASCR scientist Lin Liu, director of the Oklahoma Center for Respiratory and Infectious Diseases and director of the Interdisciplinary Program in Regenerative Medicine at Oklahoma State University.

We can convert adult stem cells into lung cells using our engineering process in petri dishes, which offers the possibility to repair damaged lung tissues in lung diseases, said Liu, whose research primarily focuses on lung and respiratory biology and diseases.

Using our engineered cells, we can also reverse some pathological features. These studies give us hope for an eventual application of these cells in humans.

Adult stem cells in the body are capable of renewing themselves and becoming various types of cells.

Until recently, stem cell treatments were largely restricted to blood diseases. However, new studies suggest many other types of adult stem cells can be used for medical treatment, and the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research was created to promote this branch of research.

OCASCR scientist Lin Liu and his team discussing their work. Photo provided.

Liu said the discipline provides hope for many ailments.

What most fascinated me in stem cell research is the hope that we may be able to use stem cells from our own body; for example, bone marrow or fat tissues to cure lung diseases, Liu said.

It is impossible to know exactly which diseases will respond to treatments.However, results of early experiments suggest many diseases should benefit from this type of research, including lung, heart, Alzheimers and Parkinsons diseases, as well as cancer, diabetes and spinal cord injuries. The field is often referred to as regenerative medicine, because of the potential to create good cells in place of bad ones.

While the application of stem cells can be broad, Liu hopes that his TSET-funded work will help develop treatments for diseases caused by tobacco use.

The goal of my research team is to find cures for lung diseases, Liu said. One such disease is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

COPD is the third leading cause of death in the country and cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD.

Cigarette smoking is also a risk factor for another fatal lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which has a mean life expectancy of 3 to 5 years after diagnosis, he added.

There is no cure for COPD or IPF. The current treatments of COPD and IPF only reduce symptoms or slow the disease progression.

Using OCASCR/TSET funding, my team is researching the possibility to engineer adult stem cells using small RNA molecules existing in the body to cure COPD, IPF and other lung diseases such as pneumonia caused by flu, Liu said.

This is vital research, considering that more than11 million peoplehave been diagnosed with COPD, but millions more may have the disease without even knowing it, according to the American Lung Association.

Despite declining smoking rates and increased smokefree environments, tobacco use continues to cause widespread health challenges and scientists will continue working to develop treatments to deal with the consequences of smoking.

We need to educate the public more regarding the harms of cigarette smoking, Liu said. My research may offer future medicines for lung diseases caused by cigarette smoking.

Under the umbrella of the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research (OCASCR), created with funding from the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, these scientists have amassed groundbreaking findings in one of the fastest growing areas of medical research. Photo provided.

Liu has been conducting research in the field of lung biology and diseases for more than two decades.

However, his interests in adult stem cell therapy began in 2010 when OCASCR was established through a grant with TSET, which provided funding to Oklahoma researchers for stem cell research.

I probably would have never gotten my feet into stem cell research without OCASCR funding support, he said. OCASCR funding also facilitated the establishment of the Interdisciplinary Program in Regenerative Medicine at OSU.

These days, Liu finds himself fully immersed in the exciting world of adult stem cell research and collaborating with some of Oklahomas best scientific minds.

Dr. Liu and his colleagues are really thriving. It was clear seven years ago that regenerative medicine was a hot topic and we already had excellent scientists in the Oklahoma, said Dr. Paul Kincade, founding scientific director of OCASCR. All they needed was some resources to re-direct and support their efforts. OSU investigators are using instruments and research grants supplied by OCASCR to compete with groups worldwide. TSET can point to their achievements with pride.

The Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research represents collaboration between scientists all across the state, aiming to promote studies by Oklahoma scientists who are working with stem cells present in adult tissues.

The center opened in 2010 and has enhanced adult stem cell research by providing grant funding for researchers, encouraging recruitment of scientists and providing education to the people of Oklahoma.

We are fortunate that the collaboration at the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research is yielding such positive results, said John Woods, TSET executive director. This research is leading to ground breaking discoveries and attracting new researchers to the field. TSET is proud to fund that investments for Oklahomans.

Funding research is a major focus for TSET and it comes with benefits reaching beyond the lab. For every $1 TSET has invested at OCASCR, scientists have been able to attract an additional $4 for research at Oklahoma institutions, TSET officials said.

TSET also supports medical research conducted by the Stephenson Cancer Center and the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center.

For more information, visit http://www.ocascr.org.

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OCASCR scientists make progress in TSET-funded adult stem cell research - NewsOK.com

1. A targeted immunoproteasome inhibitor, DPLG3, was found to have high selectivity for the immune cell proteasome and was not toxic to other cell types.

2. When administered after a heart transplant in mice, DPLG3 allowed for minimal graft rejection through a decrease in T cell activation.

Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent)

Study Rundown: Organ transplants typically require the recipient to continue taking immunosuppressive medications to prevent rejection of the graft. However, the toxicity of these medications necessitates a safer option for transplant recipients. Researchers in this study synthesized DPLG3, a molecule that was modeled after a currently prescribed proteasome inhibitor and had selectivity to a subunit of the immunoproteasome.

When tested in vitro, DPLG3 selectively inhibited the 5i immunoproteasome subunit in a lymphoma cell line and did not affect other immunoproteasomes or cell types. The compound was found to decrease T cell proliferation in response to alloantigens. In a mouse model of skin transplantation, treatment with DPLG3 decreased the production of inflammatory cytokines and increased the expression of coinhibitory molecules by T cells. Next, DPLG3 was administered to mice that received a heart transplant from a mouse of another strain. These mice survived longer than the recipients that did not receive the compound, and there were few signs of rejection histologically. In addition, there were fewer effector T cells in the spleen, indicating the inhibition of an immune response. Overall, there was less lymphocyte infiltration and a decrease in T cell activation and proliferation compared to mice not treated with DPLG3. This study demonstrated that the synthesis of a selective proteasome inhibitor to prevent immune response to allografts could potentially allow for a safer and more efficacious medication for transplant recipients.

Click to read the study in PNAS

Relevant Reading: Proteasome inhibition suppresses essential immune functions of human CD4+ T cells

In-Depth [animal study]: An N,C-capped dipeptide, DPLG3, was synthesized to selectively bind to 5i 99,000-fold higher than 5c, a selectivity significantly greater than the currently available proteasome inhibitor. In vitro, DPLG3 inhibited 5i activity in Karpas lymphoma cells, while it had no effect on 5c activity in HepG2 human hepatoma cells. DPLG3 was not cytotoxic to human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. When T cells were isolated from the spleen of mice and treated with increasing concentrations of DPLG3, there was a concentration-dependent decrease in proliferation assessed using 3H-thymidine incorporation (p<0.05). A similar result was seen when mice that received a skin allograft were treated with 25 mg/kg of the compound. Their immune cells showed reduced proliferation in response to alloantigen, increased gene expression of coinhibitory molecules such as CTLA4 and BTLA, as well as a decrease in the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-2 and IL-17 (p<0.05).

The efficacy of DPLG3 was then tested on C57BL/6 mice that were allografted with hearts from BALB/c mice. The recipient mice were then given 25 mg/kg DPLG3 each day for 14 days after receiving the transplant. These mice were found to have a significant decrease in the percentage of T cells in the spleen (p<0.05), demonstrating a lack of immune activation. In addition, the splenocytes demonstrated reduced responsiveness to alloimmune stimuli and there was a significant decrease in histologic signs of graft rejection. The treated mice had overall longer graft survival, with no death seen with 2 weeks of treatment with DPLG3 and a single dose of 25 g CTLA4 Ig.

Image: PD

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2 Minute Medicines The Classics in Medicine: Summaries of the Landmark Trials is available now in paperback and e-book editions.

This text summarizes the key trials in:General Medicine and Chronic Disease, Cardiology, Critical and Emergent Care, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Hematology and Oncology, Imaging, Infectious Disease, Nephrology, Neurology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Pulmonology, and Surgery.

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Inhibition of the immunoproteasome may improve graft acceptance [PreClinical] - 2 Minute Medicine

Cost-effective stem cell treatment has to be the next revolution to transform personalised treatment of patients, said Hunterian Professorship Awardee A.A.Shetty. Speaking at a felicitation function, Dr. Shetty said there is a need to create awareness about stem cells and patient-specific treatment specifically designed for individuals.

It is going to be simple, with minimal complications. Our role is to make it cost effective. Once it happens, it will revolutionise treatment, said Dr. Shetty.

Surgery using stem cell technology is developing at a rapid pace and the role of stem cell therapy in Orthopaedics is gaining importance, said Trauma and Orthopaedic Speciality Hospital (TOSH) Managing Director S.H. Jaheer Hussain. The ability of stem cells to transform into bone and cartilage has given a new dimension in the treatment of osteoarthritis, fracture non union, ligament tears. Stem cells have shown significant clinical results in osteoarthritis and cartilage defects. Recent advances in stem cells centrifuging techniques have lead to the introduction of the new concept of single- stage knee cartilage regeneration.

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'Economical stem cell treatment will revolutionise medicine' - The Hindu

Human heart muscle cells can be created in the lab, but researchers have been unable to grow the immature cells to the point where they could be useful.

It's a conundrum that's stumped researchers in regenerative medicine.

"You cannot really use them for regeneration. You cannot even use them for disease models," said Chulan Kwon, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

But Kwon said he's discovered a solution for the problem in an unlikely place newborn rats and he published a study about his reasearch last month in the journal Cell Reports.

When immature human heart cells are injected into baby rats, they match the rodents' rapid growth cycle and develop fully. These rats act as living incubators, said Dr. David Kass, a Hopkins professor and cardiologist who co-authored the study.

"The biological environment gives you whatever the magic juice is," Kass said. "There were a lot of people looking for this magic juice."

Researchers at the University of Washington, Harvard and Stanford universities and beyond have been working to solve this puzzle fundamental to regenerative medicine.

"Laboratories throughout the world are working on this," said Dr. Richard Lee, a Harvard professor of stem cell and regenerative biology. "We are all very excited that we can make heart cells, but they're heart cells like an infant's heart cells. We want to make heart cells like our patients, who are mostly adults."

Lee said his research team is working to unravel the conditions that stimulate cells to mature inside the body. He praised the Hopkins discovery.

"It's a very nice step forward," Lee said.

Dr. Charles Murry at the University of Washington also has tried to grow the cells to maturity.

"We tried a whole lot of things that didn't work," he said. "Sort of like Edison and the light bulb."

Murry has seen some positive signs when feeding the cells fat instead of sugar.

"But we haven't seen anything that works as well as putting them back into their natural environment, which is back into a heart," he said.

Soon after the late 1990s when researchers isolated embryonic stem cells, people in the field wondered if the process could be used to grow heart muscles in the lab and someday repair the lasting damage from heart attacks and disease. Researchers in 2007 developed methods to modify skin cells to behave as stem cells, and, about five years later, Murry's research team at the University of Washington developed techniques to activate these modified skin cells into early forms of heart muscle cells.

From there researchers have worked to fully develop them into heart cells, a feat that has proven elusive.

Kass, the Hopkins researcher, compares the cell to a car engine. In an undeveloped state, the engine parts are present but scrambled, so the engine doesn't function.

"When you look at a normal heart muscle cell, it's an exquisitely complicated and well organized engine. Every little protein has to be positioned precisely," Kass said. "This doesn't work if they're willy-nilly, oriented randomly and loosely around the cell."

These undeveloped cells have about 1 percent of the pumping force of an adult heart cell, Kwon said.

"The frustrating thing is even if you culture the dish for more than a year," he said, "they're just kind of stuck in embryonic stages."

Around the summer of 2013, he began experimenting with rats. He uses newborn rats engineered to have no immune system. This ensures the pups don't reject the foreign cells. Mouse hearts were too small.

He injects the rat hearts with as many as 200,000 human cells. These human cells are tagged with a protein that glows green or red under fluorescent light. After about a week, the cells remained immature. But after a month, they appeared developed. The researchers tested these cells and found they could contract or beat precisely like an adult heart cell.

The researchers suspect two forces at play: The rats faster life cycle quickens the cells' development. And the rats' biological cues cause the cells to leap the threshold into maturity.

"So the million dollar question would be: What are those cues?" Kwon said.

Their work was published Jan. 10 in Cell Reports, an open-access journal, and they're still trying to pinpoint the cues.

Further discoveries might allow them to replicate the cues in a petri dish and expedite cell growth by avoiding the delicate injections into rat hearts. While promising, their methods remain too small in scale to offer much help to patients. At least, not yet.

"It has to be a bit more practical," Kass said. "If you're injecting things into rat neonates, they're small. So how many cells can you really get in there, and how many can you actually find?"

The abillity to culture larger quantities would allow doctors to test heart medicines on a patients' own cells, furthering the emerging trend of precision medicine.

In 2015, President Barack Obama announced a $215 million precision medicine initiative aimed at developing treatments that consider someone's genes, environment and lifestyle. The grant money funds efforts at the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute to advance such treatments.

Dr. Roberto Bolli at the University of Louisville School of Medicine sees potential in the rat method for screening patients with different medicines. Doctors could swab the cheek of a particular patient, modify the cheek cells to behave as stem cells, activate them into early heart cells, and inject them into the rats.

Once grown, the cells could be tested with various treatments.

"This would help tremendously to understand the mechanism or these hereditary diseases and also screen for drugs," Bolli said.

The Hopkins researchers are taking steps to produce more mature cells. Kwon said they will try the method with pig hearts, which are larger and can hold more implanted cells.

"If we can really scale this up," he said, "it has a lot of utilities."

tprudente@baltsun.com

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Hopkins researchers discover newborn rats hold secret to ... - Baltimore Sun

IFT20 protein's role in helping cancer cells to invade Science Daily This research was carried out by an international team including Associate Professor NISHITA Michiru (Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine Department of Physiology and Cell Biology), Professor MINAMI Yasuhiro (Kobe University Graduate School ...

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VINCENNES, Ind. (WTHI) In the past, new moms would be asked if they wanted to save their umbilical cord blood for future, personal use.

But at one area hospital, a new partnership is taking that concept and making it public.

Amelia Nance and her fianc just welcomed their second child on Monday, a baby boy named Finn.

The new mom says, Its neat to be a part of something thats growing in a positive way.

Nance just donated the umbilical cord, cord blood, placenta, and amniotic fluid from Finns birth to Life Line Stem Cell.

Its a partnership at Good Samaritan Hospital thats just weeks old.

However, officials say around 90% of patients take part in the program.

Margaret Suozzi, MSN/RN is the Director of Women & Children Services at Good Samaritan.

She says, Like any program we havent been up and running long enough to have monthly stats yet, but we anticipate that we will be pretty close to that even from the very beginning. And any time you start a new program, its always one of those things where theyre like, What does this mean? What do I do?'

One of the first questions asked is, Does this cost anything? The answer is no. It is a free service.

Since being a new or expecting mom is hard enough, Life Line has narrowed the donation process down to a questionnaire.

Nance says, The form is actually really simple its pretty laid out, open questions, it asks you about your history, your parents history.

If the tissues werent donated they would be properly disposed of by the hospital.

Suozzi says that could mean missing out on countless possibilities to change someone elses life.

Suozzi says, I believe that this will be the next generation of medicine. We are already finding a million things that stem cells can do for our existing patients in other areas: diabetics, wound care, Chrons disease, and many other things. And I think it is the tip of the ice berg. So for our patients to be able to donate to the cause and to be able to help others, is just one sign of Indiana hospitality.

Life Line Stem Cell allows the family that provides the tissue first dibs if a family member could benefit from the blood.

But after that, its donated to a registry for public use.

Thats part of the reason Nance decided she wanted to take part.

The new mom says, I would say its excellent. The fact that, again, it was absolutely no cost to me, it didnt hurt our child, and we could donate it and it could possibly help him out again or you know, one of my family members. Ive had family members thats died of cancer or different diseases. And its nice to know that there can possibly be research done with this blood that would help progress you know, a cure or even just something that would help prolong a positive future for somebody. Whether it be a kid or a child with a disease that might otherwise be painful or negative in their life.

A rep for Life Line Stem Cell says one placenta can be used to heal as many as 100 eyes.

He says amniotic fluid is showing great results in the healing process for burn victims too.

Tricia Crowe is a Life Line Stem Cell Training Manager. She says, It is important that families understand that we are only using hematopoietic blood cells that are found in the umbilical cord and are blood forming. They give rise to red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Suozzi says Good Samaritan is the only hospital in the Southwest region that is offering this program.

For more information on stem cell donation, contact Good Samaritans Women and Infants Center at 812-885-3369 or click here.

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I believe that this will be the next generation of medicine. Area ... - WTHITV.com

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6th International Conference onTissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine, Baltimore, USA, Aug 20-22, 2017; 8th World Congress and Expo onCell & Stem Cell Research,Orlando, USA, March 20-22, 2017; 15thWorld Congress on Biotechnology and Biotech Industries Meet,Rome, Italy,March 20-21,2017; 2nd International Conference onGenetic Counselling and Genomic Medicine,Beijing, China, July 10-12, 2017; International Conference onClinical and Molecular Genetics, Las Vegas, USA, April 24-26, 2017.

Track: Cell Biology

Cell biologyis a branch of biology that studies cells their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division, death and cell function. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level. The advancing live cell imaging encompasses its applications to Biochips for cell biology, Single-cell ros imaging and Experimental models and clinical transplantation in cell biology and indeed many more.

Session includes following Topics:

Cell Organelles: Function and Dysfunction, Cell Biology of Host-Pathogen Interactions,Cancer Cell Biology, Cell Biology of Metabolic Diseases,Cell Biology of Ageing, Cell Signaling and Intracellular Trafficking,Cell Death, Cell Stress, Cell Division and Cell Cycle.

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Track: Developmental Biology

Developmental Biology session mainlyfocuses on mechanisms ofdevelopment, differentiation, andgrowthinanimals molecular, cellular, genetic and evolutionary levels. Areas of particular emphasis include transcriptional control mechanisms, embryonic patterning,cell-cell interactions, growth factors and signal transduction, and regulatory hierarchies in developing plants and animals. Research Areas Include:- Molecular geneticsof development, Control ofgene expression, Cell interactions and cell-matrix interactions, Mechanisms of differentiation, Growth factors and oncogenes,Regulation of stem cell populations, Evolution of developmental control, and Gametogenesis and fertilization.

AgainNational Science Foundationhas bought its focus on Developmental Biology Branch too for funding and encouraging research. TheWelcome Trusttoo supports the Four Year PhD Programme with its funding to encourage the growing research interest in the field.

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Track: Molecular Biology

Molecular biologyconcerns the molecular basis of biological activity between the various systems of a cell, including the interactions between the different types of DNA, RNA and proteins and theirbiosynthesis, and studies how these interactions are regulated. It has many applications like in gene finding, molecular mechanisms of diseases and its therapeutic approaches by cloning, expression and regulation of gene. Research area includes gene expression, epigenetics and chromatin structure and function,RNA processing, functions of non-coding RNAs, transcription. Nowadays, Most advanced researches are going on these topics: Molecular biology, DNA replication, repair and recombination,Transcription, RNA processing, Post-translational modification, proteomics, Mutation, Site-directed mutagenesis,Epigenetics,chromatin structure and function, Molecular mechanisms of diseases.

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Trcak: Structural Biology

Structural biologyseeks to provide a complete and coherent picture of biological phenomena at the molecular and atomic level. The goals of structural biology include developing a comprehensive understanding of the molecular shapes and forms embraced by biological macromolecules and extending this knowledge to understand how different molecular architectures are used to perform the chemical reactions that are central to life. Most recent topics related to structural biology are: Structural Biochemistry,Structure and Function Determination, Hybrid Approaches for Structure Prediction,Structural Biology In Cancer Research,Computational Approaches in Structural Biology,Strucutural Biology Databases.

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Track: Cancer Biology

Cancer biology encompasses the application of systems biology approaches to cancer research, in order to study the disease as a complex adaptive system with emerging properties at multiple biological scales. More explicitly, because cancer spans multiple biological, spatial and temporal scales, communication and feedback mechanisms across the scales create a highly complex dynamic system.

Cancer biologytherefore adopts a holistic view of cancer aimed at integrating its many biological scales, including genetics, signaling networks,epigenetics, cellular behavior, histology, (pre)clinical manifestations and epidemiology. Basic researchers and clinicians have progressively recognized the complexity of cancer and of its interaction with the micro- and macro-environment, since putting together the components to provide a cohesive view of the disease has been challenging and hampered progress. Most recent research are going onCancer Genetics,Carcinogenesis,DNA damage and repair, Apoptosis,angiogenesis, and metastasis, Tumor microenvironment, Molecular mechanisms of Cancer Pathogenesis ,Cancer stem cells, Discovery of tumor suppressor genes, Aberrant signaling pathways in tumor cells, Roles of ubiquitination pathways in cancer,Molecular cancer epidemiology, Cancer detection and therapy.

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Track: Genetic Engineering and rDNA Technology

Genetic engineeringis a broad term referring to manipulation of an organisms nucleic acid. Organisms whose genes have been artificially altered for a desired affect is often called genetically modified organism (GMO).Recombinant DNA technology(rDNA) is technology that is used to cut a knownDNA sequencefrom one organism and introduce it into another organism thereby altering the genotype (hence the phenotype) of the recipient. The process of introducing the foreign gene into another organism (or vector) is also called cloning. Sometimes these two terms are used synonymously.

Basically, these techniques are used to achieve the following:

Study the arrangement, expression andregulation of genes, Modification of genes to obtain a changed protein product, Modification ofgene expressioneither to enhance or suppress a particular product, Making multiple copies of anucleic acid segmentartificially, Introduction of genes from organism to another, thus creating a transgenic organism, Creation of organism with desirable or altered characteristics.

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Track: Genomics

Genomics researchoften requires the development of new techniques utilizing Genomics and bioinformatics tools for target assessment, including both experimental protocols and data analysis algorithms, to enable a deeper understanding of complex biological systems. In this respect, the field is entering a new and exciting era; rapidly improving next-generationDNA sequencingtechnologies, Cloud computing, hadoop in genomics, now allow for the routine sequencing of entire genomes and Transcriptomes, or of virtually any targeted set of DNA or RNA molecules.

Genomic labs have the fastest growing market with nearly 250 universities concentrating on its research majorly to be named Whitetail Genetic Research Institute, Stanford University, National Human Genome Research Institute. Major companies concentrating on the research are Affymetrix, Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Genentech etc.The scope and research areas of genomics includes genomics and bioinformatic tools for target assessment, structural,functional and comparitive genomics,genomics in marine monitoring,applications of genomics and bioinformatics, infectious disease modelling and analysis,oncogenomics,clinical genomics analysis,microbial genomics, plant genomics,medical genomics,epigenomics and DNA and RNA structure/functionstudies but are not limited to this only. The promise of genomics is huge. It could someday help us maximize personal health and discover the best medical care for any condition. It could help in the development of new therapies that alter the human genome and prevent (or even reverse) complications from the diseases we inherit.

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Track: Computational Biology & Bioinformatics

Computational Biologyis both an umbrella term for the body of biological studies that use computer programming as part of their methodology, as well as a reference to specific analysis by Bioinformatic tools for protein analysis that are repeatedly used, particularly in the fields of Structural andfunctional genomics,comparative genomicsand bioinformatics insystems biology. Common uses of bioinformatics include the identification of candidategenes and nucleotides(SNPs). Often, such identification is made with the aim of better understanding the Translational bioinformatics forgenomic medicine, Genomics in marine monitoring, andapplications of genomicsand bioinformatics.

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Track: Systems Biology

Systems biologyis the study ofTheoretical aspects of systems biologyof biological components, which may be molecules, cells, organisms or entire species. Living systems are dynamic and complex and their behavior may be hard to predict from the properties of individual parts.

It involves the computational (involvingInsilico modeling in systems biology,Biomarker identification in systems biology) and mathematical modeling of complex biological systems. An emerging engineering approach applied to biomedical and biological scientific research, systems biology is a biology-based inter-disciplinary field of study that focuses on complex interactions within biological systems, using a holistic approach (holism instead of the more traditional reductionism) to biological and biomedical research involving the use of In vitro regulatory models in systems biologyusingOMICS tools. Particularly from year 2000 onwards, the concept has been used widely in the biosciences in a variety of contexts.

ManyFunding Opportunitiesin this research has been bought up bySupport ISB,National Science Foundation,NIHand many CollaborativeFunding Opportunities.

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Track: Bio-Engineering

Biological engineering (Cellular and Molecular Bio-Engineering) or bioengineering (including biological systems engineering) is the application of concepts and methods of biology (and secondarily of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science (In vitro testing in bioengineering) to solve real-world problems related to the life sciences or the application thereof, using engineering's own analytical and synthetic methodologies (defined asSynthetic bioengineering) and also its traditional sensitivity to the cost and practicality of the solution(s) arrived at. In this context, while traditional engineering applies physical and mathematical sciences to analyze, design and manufacture inanimate tools, structures and processes, biological engineering uses primarily the rapidly developing body of knowledge known as molecular biology to study and advance applications of living organisms and to create biotechnology likeCancer Bioengineeringused forOrgan bioengineering and regeneration.

Bio-engineering study remains the main interest of research with more than 340 schools focusing on it majorly beingJohns Hopkins University in Baltimore,Georgia Institute of Technology,University of California - San Diego,University of Washington,and Stanford University.

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Track: Biophysics

Biophysicsis that branch that applies the principles of physics and chemistry and the methods of mathematical analysis and computer modeling to understand how biological systems work. It seeks to explain biological function in terms of the molecular structures and properties of specific molecules. An important area of biophysical study is the detailed analysis of the structure of molecules in living systems. The recent research areas are biophysical approaches tocell biology, cellular movement andcell motility, computational and theoretical biophysics, molecular structure and behavior of lipids, proteins and nucleic acids, molecular structure & behavior ofmembrane proteins, role of biophysical techniques in analysis and prediction, biophysical mechanisms to explain specific biological processes and Nano biophysics. Most recent researchers are going on: Biophysical approaches to cell biology,Cellular Movement and Cell Motility,Computational and theoretical biophysics,Molecular Structure and Behavior of Lipids,Proteins and Nucleic Acids,Molecular Structure & Behavior of Membrane Proteins,Role of Biophysical Techniques in analysis and prediction,Biophysical Mechanisms to explain specific biological processes.

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The UK is one of the best places in the world for life sciences, on a par with premier life science destinations such as Boston, San Francisco, San Diego and Singapore. We have 4 of the top 10 universities in the world, 19 of the top 100 universities, one of the worlds 3 major financial centers, a stable of quality service providers, world class charitable supporters of the industry and a rich heritage of globally recognized medical research. There are nearly 5,633 life sciences companies in the UK employing an estimated 222,000 people and generates a combined estimated turnover of 60.7 billion. The industry sells into a global industry with current total market values of US$956bn for pharmaceutical and biologics, US$349bn for medical technology and US$50bn for the rapidly growing industrial biotechnology market. There are significant levels of health life sciences employment. This breaks down into: 107,000 employed in the biopharmaceutical sector and service and supply chain in 1,948 companies, generating 39.7 billion turnover; 115,000 employed in the medical technology sector and service and supply chain in 3,685 companies, generating 21 billion turnover. Two thirds of employment is outside of London and the South-East with significant concentrations in the East of England (15%, almost 34,000 people) and North-West (12%, almost 26,000 people). It shows that the UK is second only to the US in terms of life science Foreign Direct Investment projects along with the UKs relative strength in the academic base and clinical research landscape. Combined with the strength of the health life sciences supply chain, these factors are driving investment, growth and employment across the country.

Adjusting for these methodology changes overall jobs growth in the sector is estimated to be 2.9% and overall revenue growth is estimated to be 0.8%. The life science industry is global and 42% of employment is at UK owned companies and 49% of employment is at overseas-owned companies and 10% where the ownership location is unknown.

UK life science companies continue to tackle long-term health challenges such as cancer and antimicrobial resistance, and in addition to this many companies are using bioscience to address a range of issues including environmental challenges and chemical production. This predominantly healthcare manifesto also recognizes the growing importance of these new applications.

Why London??

Londons life sciences sector is a shining jewel and a cornerstone of the citys economy. With a rich history of achievements and medical firsts, the sector employs more than 21,000 in private sector industry, hospitals and research facilities including more than 2,000 researchers. The sector impact is in the manner: $720 Million Indirect benefits/ Economic Spinoffs; 780 number of principal researchers and 19 research institutes. The Major Biotech Companies in London are: Albert Browne Ltd, Parexel Informatics, Alcon Laboratories (UK) Ltd, Baxter Healthcare Ltd, Galderma Laboratories, Agilent Technologies, Abbott Laboratories, and Bayer Healthcare.

London's biotech universities and their spin out companies are Gene Expression Technologies, Photobiotic, Biogenic, Spirogen, Genexsyn, Nervation, Inpharmatica, Immune Regulation Ltd, Cerestem, and MedPharm, Immexis, and Antisoma plc.

London is the capital and most populous city of England, United Kingdom and the European Union. With an estimated 2015 population of 8.63 million within a land area of 1,572 km, London is a leading global city, with strengths in the research and development, arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, tourism, and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is one of the world's leading financial centers and has the fifth-or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world depending on measurement.

London is a world cultural capital. It is the world's most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the world's largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education institutes in Europe.

List of major societies in UK:

Royal Society of Biology Royal Society of Chemistry BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) The Oxford University Society British Society for Cell Biology Royal Society of Edinburgh Royal Society of Medicine Biochemical Society Astrobiology Society of Britain British Medical Association British Society for the History of Medicine Genetics Society The Mammal Society Royal Institute of Public Health Society for Experimental Biology Zoological Society of London

List of universities and institutes in London:

The Francis Crick Institute, London University College London Imperial College London University of East London Kingston University London University of Westminster Birkbeck, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London King's College London Queen Mary University of London St George's, University of London

The major universities and institutes in UK are:

University of Leeds, University of Leicester, Leeds Trinity University, University of Glasgow, University of Exeter, University of Essex, University of Edinburgh, University of Dundee, Durham University, Cardiff University, University of Chester, University of Bristol, University of Birmingham, University of Bath, University of Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University, Aston University, University of Bradford, University of East Anglia, University of Liverpool, Loughborough University, University of Nottingham, University of Reading, Queen's University Belfast, University of Sheffield, University of Southampton, University of Sussex, University of Warwick and University of York.

The major Biotech Companies in UK are:

GSK (Stevenage), Martindale Pharmaceuticals Ltd (Brentford), Nova Bio-pharma Holdings Limited, Oxoid Ltd, Omega Pharma Ltd, Quintiles Ltd (Guys Research Centre), Sauflon Pharmaceuticals Limited, Immuno Diagnostic Systems Ltd, Merck Serono Ltd, Quest Diagnostics Ltd, and Fujifilm Diosynth Biotech UK Ltd.

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Scientists have found a way to efficiently engineer new thyroid cells from stem cells. The discovery, performed in mice, is the first step toward engineering new human thyroid cells in order to better study and treat thyroid diseases.

A report on the work - led by Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) in Massachusetts - is published in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

The thyroid is a gland in the middle of the lower neck. Although only small, it produces hormones that reach every cell, organ, and tissue to help control metabolism - the rate at which the body makes energy from nutrients and oxygen.

Thyroid diseases are common conditions in which the gland is either overactive and produces too much hormone (hyperthyroidism), or underactive and produces too little (hypothyroidism).

It is thought that around 20 million people in the United States are living with some form of thyroid disease, the causes of which are largely unknown.

Most thyroid disorders are chronic or life-long conditions that can be managed with medical attention. However, approximately 60 percent of cases are undiagnosed.

Undiagnosed thyroid diseases can lead to serious conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, infertility, and osteoporosis.

Stem cells are cells that have the potential to mature into many different cell types. Particular patterns of genetic switches and signals direct the maturing stem cells toward their individual fates.

Fast facts about hyperthyroidism

Learn more about hyperthyroidism

In their study, the researchers found a way to coax genetically modified embryonic stem cells from mice to develop into thyroid cells.

They discovered that there is a "window of opportunity" for doing this efficiently that occurs during cell development.

As they guided the laboratory-cultured embryonic stem cells through various stages of development, the researchers switched a gene called Nkx2-1 on and off for short periods.

They discovered a small timeframe during which the Nkx2-1 gene is switched on that converts the majority of the stem cells into thyroid cells.

Researchers believe that the discovery is the first step toward an effective human stem cell protocol for creating research models and new treatments for thyroid diseases. The principle may also apply to other cell types, they add.

In their paper, they note that stem cells hold great promise as a way to mass produce differentiated cells for research. However, a major roadblock to achieving high yields has been "the poor or variable differentiation efficiency of many differentiation protocols."

"This method resulted in high yield of our target cell type, thyroid cells, but it may be applicable for the derivation of other clinically relevant cell types such as lung cells, insulin-producing cells, liver cells, etc."

Senior author Prof. Laertis Ikonomou, BUSM

Learn how scientists used stem cells to restore testosterone.

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Engineering thyroid cells from stem cells may lead to new therapies - Medical News Today