Category Archives: Cell Therapy

BYRON, MN--It's a dream for many in the medical field, to use a person's own stem cells to help them heal. And it's a reality already happening in our area.

But it's not humans who are being treated. In this case, dogs are the ones being treated.

Animal Stem Cell Regenerative Therapy has been performed a few thousand times now across the U.S. Doctors harvest stem cells and re-enter them where the animal is having problems.

Both Marley and Vinnie have bad ligaments in their legs, and like many dogs suffering from arthritis, they are subject to monthly doses of expensive drugs.

That is until today.

Dr. Garren Kelly, D.V.M. at Meadow View Veterinary Clinic just outside Rochester says, "If you'd of asked me 5 years ago if I would be doing anything like this, I would have said no. But then as soon as I saw it i'm like 'Yeah that's for me'. I kind of like staying on the cutting edge of technology and surgeries".

The two are undergoing a first of its kind surgery in minnesota, using regenerative stem cells.

Blood is taken from the dogs, as well as fat tissue.

Then stem cells are separated out from the fat, activated with an led light, and injected back into the affected area. All in the same day.

MediVet America trainer Jordan Smith says, "It's a better quality of life, we're not promising to give them 10 years or 5 years but we are promising that the years that they do have remaining are a lot more enjoyable".

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Animal Stem Cell Therapy

ROCKVILLE, Md., June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE MKT: CUR) announced that the first patient to receive stem cell transplantation in both regions of the spinal cord has been treated in the ongoing Phase I trial of its spinal cord neural stem cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease). This is also the 16th patient to be treated in the trial altogether and the first patient returning to the trial for a second treatment. In this treatment, the patient received five injections in the cervical (upper back) region of the spinal cord, in addition to the ten he received previously in the lumbar (lower back) region of the spine, for a total of 15 injections. This is the highest number of injections in the trial so far. Patient 16 is also the first patient in the world to receive stem cell transplants in both the lumbar and cervical regions of the spinal cord in an FDA-approved trial. Two additional previously-treated patients are expected to return to the trial this summer in this cohort, provided they continue to meet the inclusion requirements. The trial is taking place at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061221/DCTH007LOGO )

"Transplanting the first of the returning patients represents a major milestone in the trial," said Dr. Karl Johe, PhD, Neuralstem's Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer. "The ability to safely administer multiple dosings to these patients is a key enabling step in administering the maximum safe dose. Not only are we dosing patients for a second time in this cohort, we are now dosing in both the lumbar and cervical regions of the spinal cord for the first time, where the stem cell therapy could support both walking and breathing."

About the Trial

The Phase I trial to assess the safety of Neuralstem's spinal cord neural stem cells and intraspinal transplantation method in ALS patients has been underway since January 2010. The trial is designed to enroll up to 18 patients. The first 12 patients were each transplanted in the lumbar (lower back) region of the spine, beginning with non-ambulatory and advancing to ambulatory cohorts.

The trial then advanced to transplantation in the cervical (upper back) region of the spine. The first cohort of three was treated in the cervical region only. The current cohort of three will receive injections in both the cervical and lumbar regions of the spinal cord. In an amendment to the trial design, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the return of previously-treated patients to this cohort. The first of these returning patients was just treated. The entire 18-patient trial concludes six months after the final surgery.

About Neuralstem

Neuralstem's patented technology enables the ability to produce neural stem cells of the human brain and spinal cord in commercial quantities, and the ability to control the differentiation of these cells constitutively into mature, physiologically relevant human neurons and glia. Neuralstem is in an FDA-approved Phase I safety clinical trial for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, and has been awarded orphan status designation by the FDA.

In addition to ALS, the company is also targeting major central nervous system conditions with its cell therapy platform, including spinal cord injury, ischemic spastic paraplegia and chronic stroke. The company has submitted an IND (Investigational New Drug) application to the FDA for a Phase I safety trial in chronic spinal cord injury.

Neuralstem also has the ability to generate stable human neural stem cell lines suitable for the systematic screening of large chemical libraries. Through this proprietary screening technology, Neuralstem has discovered and patented compounds that may stimulate the brain's capacity to generate new neurons, possibly reversing the pathologies of some central nervous system conditions. The company has received approval from the FDA to conduct a Phase Ib safety trial evaluating NSI-189, its first neurogenic small molecule compound, for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Additional indications could include CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), Alzheimer's disease, anxiety, and memory disorders.

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Sixteenth Patient Dosed In Neuralstem ALS Stem Cell Trial

HAIFA, Israel, June 19, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pluristem Therapeutics, Inc. (PSTI) (TASE:PLTR) announced today at the 2012 Bio International Convention the results of a pre clinical study it conducted measuring the effectiveness of its Placental eXpanded (PLX) cells when administered intramuscularly(IM). Cell therapies are traditionally delivered through intravenous (IV) injections for systemic effect. However, Pluristem's latest findings show that its PLX cells can be effective when injected by needle, into the muscle. Avoiding the use of an IV is simple and more cost-effective. This opens far larger markets for treatments in a wide range of potential outpatient settings and local clinics.

"The ability for IM injections of PLX cells has significant market implications that potentially broaden the indications and frequency with which our cell therapy can be used. We look forward to conducting additional testing of this very promising approach," said Zami Aberman, Chairman and CEO of Pluristem.

The study found that Intramuscularly administered PLX cells are safe, effective, easy to inject and provided systemic therapeutic benefits in a wide range of hematological disorders, as well as primary and secondary bone marrow failure, such as in radiation sickness and possibly for some complications from chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

The results of the study demonstrated a significant survival and recovery rate of bone marrow and peripheral blood counts in animals pre-irradiated by high lethal doses. These findings indicate that the IM route of administration of PLX cells stimulate the hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) of the bone marrow to produce red and white blood cells as well as platelets crucial for the treatment of hematological disorders. The study was conducted in cooperation with the Sharett Institute of Oncology at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.

"Pluristem is extremely pleased at how convincingly this study's data demonstrates that our PLX cells have the ability to stimulate the HSCs involved in rescuing bone marrow. With PLX cells, we may be able to reverse the traditional mindset that if you want to get a systemic effect, you need to inject the cells intravenously," said Liat Flaishon, MD. PhD. BD Director and the Head of the Radiation project at Pluristem.

"We had announced on May 9, 2012 the successful treatment of a pediatric patient whose bone marrow graft was rescued using our PLX cells. This data demonstrates the basis for the successful treatment. In the treatment conducted by Professor Reuven Or from the Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit at Hadassah, PLX cells were given to this patient intramuscularly as well," added Dr. Flaishon.

Prof. Raphael Gorodetsky, Head of the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Radiobiology in the Cancer Research Laboratories of Sharett Institute of Oncology at Hadassah Hospital, has been conducting the animal studies of Pluristem's PLX cells in the past several months. In these studies PLX cells and control medium were administered intramuscularly to C3H mice previously irradiated by a total body dose of 770cGy. The company previously reported initial results from these studies with respect to Acute Radiation Syndrome.

The key results of the Study include:

- After an initial sharp fall, a significant increase in the total number of bone marrow cells extracted from the major bones at 23 days was recorded: from~16million cells/mouse to ~32 million cells/mouse in the PLX treated (p<0.001). Non-irradiated animals had an average of 40 million cells.

- at 23 days a significant increase in the total number of red blood cells was recorded from 3.5 in the surviving controls to 6 million cells/microliter, in comparing the PLX (p<0.001). Non-irradiated animals had an average of 7 million cells/microliter.

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Pluristem Therapeutics' Cell Therapy Broadens Addressable Markets - Demonstrates Systemic Effectiveness of ...

17-06-2012 23:59 Gary B Stem Cell Therapy for CMT Part 2 - For more info. visit

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Stem Cell Therapy for CMT-Gary B-part 2.mp4 - Video

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Sistemic Ltd., a leading provider of microRNA-based problem-solving services and kit-based products to the Cell Therapy community, announced today that chairman and CEO Jim Reid is moderating a panel discussion at the 2012 Bio International Convention on Wednesday, June 20, in Boston. Featuring leaders from the regenerative medicine space, the panel is titled Stem Cell Therapies Fact or Fiction, and will share the lessons learned to-date from Scottish, European and American perspectives on the path to successfulcommercialization of stem cell therapies.

Jim Reid, Sistemic CEO, commented, "Sistemic is very active in the CellTherapyarena and aremembersof Alliance for Advanced Therapies (AAT) and the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM). We see the ability to raise this topic at the leading world event, BIO 2012, as animportantstep on the path to commercialization of these products which will be transformational in healthcare, and bring hope and cures to many people around the globe."

More information on the panel at BIO 2012:

What: Panel Discussion Featuring Leaders in the Regenerative Medicine Space

When: Wednesday, June 20, 3:00PM EDT

Where: Boston Convention Center, Room 254A

Who: Leaders of the Regenerative Medicine space:

Panel objectives include evaluating lessons learned and best practice including from the Scotland Roadmap for the commercialization of stem cell therapies; identifying global (US and EU) examples of progress in stem cell therapy commercialization; and facilitating a debate on the need for a global, multi-disciplinary approach to successful commercialization of stem cell therapies.

About Sistemic Ltd

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Sistemic to Moderate Regenerative Medicine Panel at 2012 Bio International Convention

17-06-2012 02:12 Gary B. Stem Cell Therapy for CMT - For more info. visit

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Stem Cell Therapy for CMT - Gary B-part 1 - Video

14-06-2012 10:32 Dr. Riordan shows a video documenting the progress of a T-12 spinal cord injury patient after her combined bone marrow and umbilical cord stem cell treatment in Panama. He shows another video of a 65 year-old man (T-9) who was treated 13 years after his injury. This case illustrates the potential of treating older people whose injuries occurred many years prior to treatment. Treatment information at More information on Dr. Riordan at

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Neil Riordan PhD - Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury (Part 4 of 5) || Stem Cell Treatments - Video

SAN DIEGO, June 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --ViaCyte, Inc. today announced the appointment of seasoned entrepreneur, Paul Laikind, Ph.D., as President & Chief Executive Officer. Allan Robins, Ph.D., who was serving as Acting CEO, will continue in his role as Vice President & Chief Technology Officer. ViaCyte is a leading pre-clinical company developing a novel cell therapy product for the treatment of insulin dependent diabetes.

Dr. Laikind brings over 25 years of leadership experience in the biotechnology and life sciences industry to ViaCyte. He is a serial entrepreneur, who co-founded three San Diego companies, Gensia Pharmaceuticals Inc., Viagene Inc., and Metabasis Therapeutics Inc., serving in various executive positions including President and CEO. All three companies went public and were eventually acquired. Most recently, he served as Chief Business Officer and Senior Vice President of Business Development at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute.

"Paul brings to ViaCyte a wealth of experience in managing new businesses based on highly innovative life sciences technologies," said Fred Middleton, Chairman of ViaCyte. "We are pleased to have him join to lead ViaCyte through our next phase of development in bringing our transformative stem cell therapy to patients with diabetes. We believe Paul's leadership and business development skills will greatly assist us in our strategy to be a leader in regenerative medicine therapy and to capitalize on our current technology leadership position in the development of stem cell therapy."

As Sanford-Burnham's first Chief Business Officer, Dr. Laikind set a new direction for the Institute's business development activity through a combination of licensing and strategic partnerships with large pharmaceutical organizations, including collaborations with Pfizer's Centers for Therapeutic Innovation, Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a division of Johnson & Johnson, and Takeda Pharmaceutical. Working with the Institute's leadership team he helped establish a sophisticated infrastructure for advanced drug discovery and development at Sanford-Burnham.

Prior to Sanford-Burnham, Dr. Laikind served as President & CEO from 1999-2008 for Metabasis Therapeutics, which developed new therapies for metabolic and liver diseases. Dr. Laikind co-founded Gensia Pharmaceuticals in 1986, was a board member of the company and held various executive leadership positions. While at Gensia he was responsible for establishing a number of important strategic partnerships. In 1997, he was part of a team that restructured Gensia to focus on specialty pharmaceuticals. The restructured company was renamed Gensia Sicor and went on to be acquired for over $3 billion by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in 2004. Soon after founding Gensia, he was co-founder of Viagene, a gene therapy company. Viagene completed an initial public offering in 1993 and was acquired in 1995 by Chiron Inc., now a subsidiary of Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics.

Dr. Laikind earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego and is the inventor on a number of key patents.

"ViaCyte addresses one of the largest commercial and medical opportunities in stem-cell-derived therapeutics, and its team is internationally recognized for its scientific leadership," said Dr. Laikind. "I look forward to working with ViaCyte through clinical development and market launch of its first important product that promises to change the way we treat insulin dependent diabetes."

About ViaCyte

ViaCyte is a preclinical cell therapy company focused on diabetes. The Company's technology is based on pancreatic beta cell progenitors derived from human pluripotent stem cells. These cells are implanted using a durable and retrievable encapsulation device. Once implanted and matured, these cells secrete insulin in response to blood glucose levels. ViaCyte's goal is long term insulin independence without immune suppression, and without hypoglycemia and other diabetes-related complications.

ViaCyte is a private company headquartered in San Diego, California with additional operations in Athens, Georgia. The Company is funded in part by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

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ViaCyte Appoints Dr. Paul Laikind Chief Executive Officer