Category Archives: Cell Therapy

PROVIDING NON-SURGICAL ALTERNATIVE TO JOINT AND BACK PROBLEMS

Experience Counts- Located in Jacksonville, Florida, we are the leader in Adult Stem Cell and Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Procedures. We have performed these procedures for more than ten years with over 90 % results and ZERO side effects.

Top Stem Cell Center in the World:Unique Proven Clinical Protocols, over ten years of experience and hundreds of satisfied patients is why people from around the world come to us for their adult stem cell and Platelet-Rich Plasma Procedures.

FIVE reasons you need to know before you decide. You will see why people around the world choose us over other Clinics.

Glaring Differences

SmartChoice

Clinic

Other Leading Stem Cell Clinics (including Regenexx, Cell surgical Networks and others)

1. Gene and Cellular tests to evaluate your stem cell functions.

YES

NO

2. Use BOTH Bone Marrow and Fat Stem Cells, along with PRP.

YES

NO

3. Process Your Stem Cells with safety and use no dangerous chemicals like collagenase.

YES

NO

4. Use Dynamic Ultrasound Guided Injections for Precision and safety (and NOT use X-Rays that can damage your cells).

YES

NO

5. Improve body functions with proprietary Hormones and Supplements, so you get the best possible clinical outcome.

YES

NO

After successfully using SmartChoice Procedures over the past five years to treat many patients with various orthopedic and sports medicine conditions from around the country, we truly believe that Adult Stem cells are making a seismic change in the science of medicine.

We hope the information provided in this website regarding our innovative, non-surgical SmartChoice Joint Procedures will help guide you in your decision to find alternatives to surgery for your spineand joints.

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And if you are considering a knee, hip or other joint replacement, you might want to learn about how the adult stem cells and PRP procedures stack up against these risky orthopedic surgeries.

For many patients, the Knee or Hip Joint Replacement may not be an option due to their younger age, especially considering the fact that we are living longer and more active lifestyle and the Joint Replacement may not last for more than 10 to 15 years. Also, the injuries may not be serious enough to require any surgery in first place.

As an alternative to the knee and hip (and other joints) surgery or replacement, SmartChoice Joint Procedures may help alleviate joint pain and the medical condition that causes it with a simple office injection procedure. We encourage the patients to walk the same day and most experience almost no downtime after our procedures.

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Stem Cell Treatment, Non-Surgical Stem Cell Therapy

Novartis AG's NVS, -0.57% CAR-T cell therapy was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday, making it the first gene therapy to be available in the U.S. Novartis' Kymriah was approved for young people up to age 25 with a form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. CAR-T, or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, uses a patient's immune T-cells and re-engineers them to better fight cancer. As such, each dose of Kymriah is customized to the individual patient's T-cells through genetic modification. Novartis said on Wednesday that it will work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services so medicine prices can be "based on the clinical outcomes achieved, which would eliminate inefficiencies from the health care system." For Kymriah, Novartis is also working with CMS "to allow for payment only when pediatric and young adult ALL patients respond to Kymriah by the end of the first month." Novartis did not give any specifics as to what the price range might be. Even before Novartis' Kymriah was approved, there was concern about pricing of the new therapy, given that new therapies are typically priced based on level of innovation and cancer is a particularly expensive area. On Wednesday, the FDA also expanded approval of Roche's ROG, +0.29% Genentech's rheumatoid arthritis drug Actemra to treat CAR-T cell-induced cytokine release syndrome, which consists of high fever and flu-like symptoms and can be life-threatening; nearly 70% of patients had CRS completely resolved in two weeks using one or two doses of Actemra, the FDA said. Kite Pharma, which is also working in the CAR-T space, has also been racing to gain FDA approval; the biotech's $11 billion acquisition by Gilead Sciences Inc. GILD, +0.05% was reported earlier this week. Gilead shares surged 5.5% in extremely heavy midday trade. Novartis shares declined 1% in heavy midday trade. Novartis shares have risen 2.8% over the last three months, compared with a 1.6% rise in the S&P 500 SPX, +0.20%

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Novartis AG's CAR-T cell therapy for leukemia approved by FDA in 'historic action'; price to be based on outcomes - MarketWatch

Essentially, nanoparticles carried a gene-editing tool to T cells of the immune system that snipped out their natural T-cell receptors, and then was paired with genes encoding a chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR, a synthetic molecule designed to attack cancer.

Next, nanoparticles were targeted to blood stem cells and equipped with mRNA that enabled the stem cells to multiply and replace blood cancer cells with healthy cells when used in bone marrow transplants.

Finally, nanoparticles were targeted to CAR T cells and equipped with Foxo1 mRNA, which signals the anticancer T cells to develop into a type of "memory" cell that is more aggressive and destroys tumor cells more effectively and maintains antitumor activity longer.

"Our goal is to streamline the manufacture of cell-based therapies," said lead author Matthias Stephan, M.D., Ph.D., a faculty member in the Fred Hutch Clinical Research Division and an expert in developing biomaterials. "In this study, we created a product where you just add it to cultured cells and that's itno additional manufacturing steps."

Dr. Stephan and his colleagues developed a nanoparticle delivery system to extend the therapeutic potential of mRNA, which delivers molecular instructions from DNA to cells in the body, directing them to make proteins to prevent or fight disease.

The researchers' approach was designed to zero in on specific cell typesT cells of the immune system and blood stem cellsand deliver mRNA directly to the cells, triggering short-term gene expression. It's called "hit-and-run" genetic programming because the transient effect of mRNA does not change the DNA, but it is enough to make a permanent impact on the cells' therapeutic potential.

Other attempts to engineer mRNA into disease-fighting cells have been tricky. The large messenger molecule degrades quickly before it can have an effect, and the body's immune system recognizes it as foreignnot coming from DNA in the nucleus of the celland destroys it.

Stephan and his Fred Hutch collaborators devised a workaround to those hurdles.

"We developed a nanocarrier that binds and condenses synthetic mRNA and protects it from degradation," Dr. Stephan explained. The researchers surrounded the nanoparticle with a negatively charged envelope with a targeting ligand attached to the surface so that the particle selectively homes in and binds to a particular cell type.

The cells swallow up the tiny carrier, which can be loaded with different types of man-made mRNA. "If you know from the scientific literature that a signaling pathway works in synergy, you could co-deliver mRNA in a single nanoparticle," Dr. Stephan elaborated. "Every cell that takes up the nanoparticle can express both."

The approach involves mixing the freeze-dried nanoparticles with water and a sample of cells. Within four hours, cells start showing signs that the editing has taken effect. Boosters can be given if needed. Made from a dissolving biomaterial, the nanoparticles are removed from the body like other cell waste.

"Just add water to our freeze-dried product," Dr. Stephan emphasized. Since it's built on existing technologies and doesn't require knowledge of nanotechnology, he intends for it to be an off-the-shelf way for cell-therapy engineers to develop new approaches to treating a variety of diseases.

The approach could replace labor-intensive electroporation, a multistep cell-manufacturing technique that requires specialized equipment and clean rooms. All the handling ends up destroying many of the cells, which limits the amount that can be used in treatments for patients.

Gentler to cells, the nanoparticle system developed by the Fred Hutch team showed that up to 60 times more cells survive the process compared with electroporation. This is a critical feature for ensuring enough cells are viable when transferred to patients.

"You can imagine taking the nanoparticles and injecting them into a patient; then you don't have to culture cells at all anymore," he asserted.

Dr. Stephan has tested the technology in cultured cells in the lab, but it's not yet available as a treatment. He is looking for commercial partners to move the technology toward additional applications and into clinical trials where it could be developed into a therapy.

Read more:
Cell Therapy Can Be Fast and Easy: Just Add mRNA Nanocarriers ... - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that the agency is targeting clinics that offer unproven stem cell therapies, calling such offices "unscrupulous clinics" selling "so-called cures." The FDA seized materials from one clinic in California, and sent a warning letter to another in Florida.

The FDA will not allow deceitful actors to take advantage of vulnerable patients by purporting to have treatments or cures for serious diseases without any proof that they actually work," said FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb in a statement.

The agency announced that on Friday, Aug. 25th, U.S. Marshals seized five vials of a vaccine that is intended for people at a high risk for smallpox (for example, people in the military) from StemImmune Inc. in San Diego, California. The FDA says it learned that StemImmune was using the vaccines as well as stem cells from body fat to create an unapproved stem cell therapy. On its website, StemImmune says "The patients own (autologous, adult) stem cells, armed with potent anti-cancer payloads, function like a Trojan Horse, homing to tumors and cancer cells, undetected by the immune system." The stem cell treatment was injected into the tumors of cancer patients at the California Stem Cell Treatment Centers in Rancho Mirage and Beverly Hills, California.

MORE: Three People Are Nearly Blind After Getting a Stem Cell Treatment

The FDA also sent a warning later to U.S. Stem Cell Clinic in Sunrise, Florida. The company recently came under public scrutiny when a March report revealed that three people had severe damage to their vision one woman went blindafter they were given shots of what the company said were stem cells into their eyes during a study sponsored by the clinic. The FDA says that an inspection of U.S. Stem Cell Clinic revealed that the clinic was using stem cells to treat diseases like Parkinson's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease and pulmonary fibrosis. According to the FDA, there are currently only a limited number of stem cell therapies approved by the agencyincluding ones involving bone marrow, for bone marrow transplants in cancer care, and cord blood for specific blood-related disorders. There are no approved stem cell treatments for other diseases.

The FDA says U.S. Stem Cell Clinic also attempted to interfere with the FDA's most recent inspection by refusing to allow FDA investigators to enter without an appointment, and denied the agency access to its employees. "Refusing to permit entry or FDA inspection is a violation of federal law," the FDA says.

Action by the FDA on clinics promoting unproven stem cell therapies is "a long time coming," says Sean Morrison, former president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) and d irector of the Childrens Research Institute at UT Southwestern. "C linics are preying on the hopes of desperate patients claiming they can cure all manner of diseases with stem cells that have not been tested in clinical trials, and in some cases, are flat out impossible."

In the past, medical experts were concerned over Americans traveling to countries with less medical regulation for stem cell therapies, but Morrison says such clinics have been popping up stateside over the last five years. "It's not a few companies in the U.S. making claims about therapies with stem cells," says Morrison. "It's scores of companies. The problem has exploded in the U.S."

Morrison blames the lack of FDA crackdown in the past for the growing problem. "At some point people made the calculation that the FDA didnt seem to be enforcing these laws," he says. "The margins are huge. They charge people tens of thousands of dollars."

Since stem cell therapy is still an active and legitimate area of scientific research, it can be hard for Americans to figure out what is safe and effective and what is not. Even when it comes to clinical trials, the scientific soundness is murky. A July 2017 paper reported that 18 U.S. companies have registered "patient-sponsored" stem cell studies on ClinicalTrials.gov. That means that the patients receiving the treatment paid for them, which isn't the case in more legitimate studies. None of these were gold standard studies: meaning the people were not randomly assigned to receive the treatment or not, so the participants knew they were receiving the therapy that could bias the results. Only seven of the studies disclosed upfront that patients had to pay to join the study, and none revealed that the costs ranged from $5,000 to $15,000 a treatment, Wired reports.

While Morrison says he's glad the FDA has taken action, he says it's not enoughat least not yet. "The FDA has to show that there is really a sustained commitment to enforcement," he says. "When the FDA wasnt bringing actions against these companies, I think people thought this meant that it was a gray area and that they could get away with it."

Undoing that damage could be a long process, and one that Morrison says needs consistent attention by the agency. In a letter released on Monday, FDA commissioner Gottlieb said the agency is stepping up enforcement of stem cell therapies and regenerative medicine. "Ive directed the FDA to launch a new working group to pursue unscrupulous clinics through whatever legally enforceable means are necessary to protect the public health," said Gottlieb. Whether those efforts have an impact remains to be seen.

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FDA Cracks Down on Stem Cell Clinics But Patients Are Still at Risk - TIME

Xconomy San Francisco

Investors have been waiting for years for Gilead Sciences to make another big splash. This morning, it finally did, agreeing to buy Kite Pharma for close to $12 billion in a significant bet on the success of an emerging, cutting edge type of cancer immunotherapy known as CAR-T.

Gilead (NASDAQ: GILD), of Foster City, CA, is paying $180 per share in cash for Santa Monica, CA-based Kite (NASDAQ: KITE), a 29 percent premium to the companys $139.10 per share closing price on Friday and a deal that values the company at $11.9 billion. Kite shares promptly climbed 16 percent, to $162 apiece, early Monday. The agreement was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. It is expected to close during the fourth quarter. Kites lead product, to treat desperate cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is expected to get FDA approval by the end of 2017.

For Gilead, the acquisition shows a renewed effort by the big drugmaker to make a dent in the oncology field. Gilead is known for its HIV drugs and more recently hepatitis C treatments, thanks to an $11 billion buyout of Pharmasset in 2011 that gave it the mega-blockbuster drugs sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) and sofosbuvir-ledipasvir (Harvoni). But over the years, Gilead has also steadily made a series of business development moves in oncology, among them an acquisition of Calistoga Pharmaceutials that gave the company its first, and to this point, only marketed cancer drug, idelalisib (Zydelig). In 2016, the drug generated $168 million in sales.

Gilead has been hoping for much more than that in cancer, and the pressure for the company to do something significant to generate excitement about its future has been building over the past few years as competing hepatitis C treatments have arrived and eroded its market share. Shares of Gilead are down almost 40 percent from their all-time highs in the summer of 2015 as calls for Gilead to use its pile of cashit had $36.6 billion on hand at the end of Juneon a transformative deal have intensified.

Will the Kite buyout be the jumpstart Gilead has been searching for? The deal is a gamble on a field of high promise, but substantial risk: a type of cancer immunotherapy treatment known as CAR-T, in which a patients immune cells are removed, modified, and re-infused into the body to find and kill cancer. The approach has shown promise in certain forms of blood cancer, in some cases wiping out leukemias or lymphomas in patients at deaths door, and is close to its first FDA approval. Novartis (NYSE: NVS) could bring the first CAR-T product, CTL019, to market later this year, and Kites axicabtagene ciloleucel (or axi-cel for short) could follow close behind. Kite has also filed for approval of axi-cel in Europe; a decision is expected next year.

The acquisition of Kite establishes Gilead as a leader in cellular therapy and provides a foundation from which to drive continued innovation for people with advanced cancers, said Gilead president and CEO, John Milligan, in a statement.

Milligan added that the cell therapy field has advanced very quickly, to the point where the science and technology have opened a clear path toward a potential cure for patients. And Gilead appears to be going all in, saying in its statement that it wants to build an industry-leading cell therapy franchise. But there are lingering questions about CAR-Ts overall potential. It comes with safety risks, namely figuring out how to harness the altered cells without causing the body significant harm in the process. A common reaction to treatment, for instance, is an immune system reaction called cytokine release syndrome that has proven deadly in some cases. Kite and Seattle competitor Juno Therapeutics (NASDAQ: JUNO) have also seen certain instances of brain swellingJuno had to abandon its most advanced treatment after the side effect led to multiple deaths in clinical testing.

In addition, CAR-T treatments havent yet worked in solid tumors, which include more prevalent cancers of the breast and lung. They also involve a complex manufacturing process and are likely to be very expensive; their commercial prospects are uncertain.

We are encouraged that Gilead has finally executed an acquisition and we think that the Kite deal is a major strategic positive, wrote Barclays analyst Geoff Meacham, in a research note. [T]he question will be if Kite will be big enough to move the needle and re-accelerate earnings growth to Sovaldi/Harvoni-launch levels.

Heres more on CAR-Ts promise and the questions that lie ahead for its developers.

Gilead will hold a conference call this morning to discuss the deal.

Ben Fidler is Xconomy's Deputy Biotechnology Editor. You can e-mail him at bfidler@xconomy.com

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Gilead Makes Long-Awaited Splash With $12B Bet on Kite, Cell Therapy - Xconomy

RENTON Turns out, Doug Baldwin started this current Seahawks fad of traveling outside the teams normal medical coverage to get far-flung treatment using body cells.

The Seahawks No. 1 wide receiver told me Monday he went overseas before this season -- to England, to be exact -- for pre-emptive, preventative treatment to maintain healthy knees.

I had mine in the offseason. I did stem-cell, Baldwin said, drenched in sweat in the hallway outside the teams locker room just after completing Mondays practice.

I mean, I dont have any ailments. Im trying to find every edge I can get.

Baldwin, Seattles $46 million receiver, tied Bobby Engrams 2007 franchise record with 94 receptions last season. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection. In 2015, the season that led to his contract extension, he co-led the NFL with 14 touchdown catches.

He said hed been looking into stem-cell therapy for years.

Transplanting or using bone marrow is the most widely used stem-cell therapy to treat or prevent a condition or disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration further explains stem cells may also help repair the body by dividing to replenish cells that are damaged by disease, injury, or normal wear.

So why London for Baldwin?

The FDA, as stated on its website, has not approved any stem cell-based products for use in this country other than using human umbilical cord blood forming stem cells for certain diseases.

There was a company wed be speaking to, Baldwin said of the London place he got treatment, without wanting to disclose many details. Did my research. Took my two years to finally decide.

In the last two weeks, seven Seahawks have gone away and outside the teams regular medical treatment to get a debated blood-re-injection process called regenokine to treat aching joints and/or aid in recovery from surgery. The treatment was founded in Germany, where its known as orthokine.

K.J. Wright returned last week from regenokine treatment, the re-injection of ones blood after it is heated and spun in a centrifuge to enhance its anti-inflammatory properties. The Pro Bowl outside linebacker played in Seattles exhibition last Friday against Kansas City.

D.J. Alexander the Pro Bowl special-teams player the Seahawks acquired this summer in a trade with Kansas City, went for regenokine treatment last week.

On Monday, coach Pete Carroll said wide receiver and kick returner Tyler Lockett, Pro Bowl defensive ends Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril, starting left guard Luke Joeckel and starting outside linebacker Michael Wilhoite are away from the team getting the same treatment Wright and Alexander had. Carroll said the team expects all those players to be ready for the opening game Sept. 10 at Green Bay.

That process reportedly costs $10,000. That doesnt count the travel and hotel costs of flying to get the therapy, of course. The FDA has yet to approve regenokine for use in the U.S., largely because its still unproven and reportedly because the agency has issues with the heating of the blood.

That is probably why Carroll said this on Thursday: Ive never had the OK that I can talk about it; I dont even know if I can talk about it. I was always afraid I wouldnt pronounce it right. But what I know its called is regenokine.

Dr. Peter Wehling in Germany, the man who founded the procedure known there as orthokine, was said in 2013 to have treated 30 to 40 NFL players with it. At that time the treatment process took four days, which could explain why Wright and his Seahawks successor have been missing a week of practices and games this month for it.

LifeSpan Medicine, clinic in Santa Monica, California, with offices also in New York and Dallas, lists regenokine as one the regenerative therapies it practices -- again, without FDA approval for use in this country.

Carroll said this on Monday:

Baldwin turns 29 next month. The opening at the Packers will begin the second season of the four-year, $46 million extension he signed in the summer of 2016. He looked ready for the 2017 season in Seattles most recent preseason game, Friday against Kansas City. He had two catches for 45 yards in 2 1/2 quarters, racing across the field and away from Chiefs defenders.

Hes only missed two games in his six-year career. Those absences were in his second season, 2012, after Seattle signed him as one of the leagues most successful undrafted free agents of the last decade.

Now, hes one of the trend-setters among eight Seahawks whove received alternative therapy.

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Trendsetter: Why Doug Baldwin went to England for stem-cell therapy - The News Tribune (blog)

Police on Sunday arrested a doctor and five others suspected of involvement in unauthorized stem cell therapies using blood from umbilical cords and placenta after childbirth.

The doctor who heads a clinic in Tokyo and people involved in cord blood sales are suspected to have administered cord blood to seven patients to treat cancer and as a beauty treatment. Each treatment is said to have cost 3 million to 4 million yen ($27,400-$36,600).

While hopes are high over the use of cord blood in the field of regenerative medicine to treat a number of diseases as it contains stem cells, the health ministry is concerned over the spread of costly medical services provided without clear scientific evidence and without ensuring sufficient safety.

The arrests were the first of anyone suspected of violating a law on regenerative medicine that came into force in 2014. The transplantation of cells could involve the risk of graft rejection and infection.

Medical institutions using stem cells are required to submit treatment plans beforehand for review by the health ministry, except for treating designated diseases such as leukemia.

The six suspects allegedly conducted the treatments without notifying the authorities.

Those arrested include Shinsuke Shuto, a 40-year-old doctor in Tokyo, and Tsuneo Shinozaki, 52, who runs a Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture company selling cord blood, and Shusuke Tsubo, 60, who runs a clinic in the city of Kyoto.

Shuto is among those who allegedly administered cord blood to four patients at his clinic between July last year and this April without reporting the treatment to the government. Shinozaki and Tsubo are suspected of involvement in the unauthorized treatment of three people from around February last year to April.

The police have not made clear how the six suspects have responded to the allegations.

The seven patients included one minor and others ranging in age from the 40s to 70s. Six lived in different prefectures in Japan and one was a Chinese, the police said.

According to the police investigation, Shinozaki's company was selling cord blood it took over from a private cord blood bank in Tsukuba, which went under in 2009. It had enough cord blood to treat more than 1,000 people.

Between May and June this year, the health ministry ordered a total of 12 clinics in Tokyo and other cities, including Shuto's clinic, to suspend treatment after they were found to have administered cord blood for cosmetic therapy or cancer treatments without notification. The effectiveness and safety of such therapy has not been proven.

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6 arrested over unauthorized stem cell therapy using cord blood - Kyodo News Plus

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Global Cartilage Repair Market 2017-2021" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global cartilage repair market to grow at a CAGR of 11.59 % during the period 2017-2021.

The treatment of articular cartilage has evolved tremendously in the past decade. Reparative and restorative methods have been developed to address the significant source of morbidity in the young and active patients. Articular cartilage injury can be focal, which is localized or systemic. Procedures are being developed not only to alleviate the symptoms associated with articular cartilage defects but also to limit the progression of cartilage damages into degenerative diseases.

According to the report, one of the major drivers for this market is Rising incidence of accidental injuries. Globally, the road traffic injuries are increasing, with post complicated symptoms such as weakening of tendons, cartilage tear, and orthopedic issues.

The latest trend gaining momentum in the market is Gene therapy and stem cell therapy. Gene therapy is one of the promising fields in the cartilage repair. Many clinical studies have been performed for cartilage repair. The researchers are trying to develop gene therapy for cartilage repair and currently been investigated for clinical application.

Further, the report states that one of the major factors hindering the growth of this market is Product side effects. Surgeons use cartilage repair products such as tissue scaffold to improve the recovery. These products once grafted in the body may cause serious complications, resulting in their increased scrutiny for safety and efficacy. In many autologous chondrocyte implantation, there were common complications such as graft rejection, symptomatic hypertrophy, disturbed fusion and delamination.

Key vendors

Other prominent vendors

Key Topics Covered:

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/rjx284/global_cartilage

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Global Cartilage Repair Market 2017-2021 - Gene Therapy and Stem Cell Therapy is the latest Market Trend Making ... - Business Wire (press release)

Louis Breton, Calimmune

CSL Behring has bagged the stem cell gene therapy player Calimmune for $91 million and another $325 million in milestones for the years-long clinical journey ahead.

CSL is acquiring two therapeutic tech platforms in the deal, which involve developing and delivering stem cell therapies. CSLs main pipeline interest is in Calimmunes preclinical sickle cell disease and -thalassemia, which the buyer sees as a big plus for its work in hematology.

CSL, though, plans to let go of control of Calimmunes lead, clinical program on HIV as soon as possible. In a follow-up to a query, a company spokesperson replied:

We are currently evaluating our options for developing this pipeline candidate, which could include licensing or partnering. Given our areas of focus, it is unlikely that we will develop this candidate on our own.

Paul Perreault

CSLs plans to development the preclinical program acknowledges that this will be a lengthy process. In their statement CSL notes that it expects to take eight years to push through the clinical program.

Calimmune has research work underway in Australia and California, where the company has gained support for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

Calimmune shares in our promise and focus to improve the lives of patients with rare and serious medical conditions, said CSL CEO Paul Perreault. The acquisition represents another important step in the execution of our strategy for sustainable growth.

Calimmune CEO Louis Breton added:We are excited to become part of CSL Behring. They are an established global industry leader in protein-replacement therapies and have a proven track record of driving innovations through the development pipeline and delivering differentiated products to the global marketplace. Together, we are well positioned to take our achievements to the next level.

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CSL snags a preclinical stem cell therapy in $416M Calimmune ... - Endpoints News

Q: I read that you can use your own stem cells to rejuvenate worn-out knees. Does this really work?

A: Worn out is a good way to term what happens to the knee joint with prolonged use. Lets look at how this happens, starting with cartilage.

The lower portion of the knee joint (at the tibia) contains shock absorbers called menisci made of cartilage. You have one on the inner portion and another on the outer portion of each knee. The upper portion of the knee joint (at the femur) is lined with cartilage as well. All of this cartilage helps protect the bones at the joint but it doesnt heal or regenerate well due to limited blood supply. When severe, worn cartilage leads to arthritis of the knee. In knee X-rays of people over age 60, 37 percent have shown evidence of arthritis of the knees.

The intriguing thing about stem cells is that they have the ability to become any type of cell that the body needs. The cells used for stem cell injections in the knees are called mesenchymal stem cells, and they can differentiate into bone, fat or cartilage cells. These stem cells can come from the fat cells of your body, from your bone marrow or from the inner lining of your knee joint; theyre then replicated in the laboratory and injected into the knee joint.

Heres what the research shows so far.

In a 2013 study, 32 patients with meniscal tears of the knee were injected with a combination of stem cells, platelet-rich plasma and hyaluronic acid. The study reported improved symptoms and even MRI evidence of meniscal cartilage regeneration.

In a 2014 study, 55 patients who had surgery for meniscal tears of the knees were separated into three groups, with two of the groups receiving stem cell injections. Researchers found that, after six weeks, pain had decreased substantially in the two groups that received stem cell injections and that the decrease was even greater at one and two years after the injection.

In a 2017 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers analyzed six studies that used stem cells for osteoarthritis of the knees. In five of the studies, stem cells were given after surgery to the knee; in the other study, stem cells from a donor were administered without surgery. All the studies showed reduced pain and improved knee function. Further, in three of the four trials, MRIs corroborated the cartilage improvements.

There may be benefit to stem cell injections for cartilage loss of the knees, but more data are needed. Id also like to see more data on this type of therapy as a preventive measure for younger patients before their knees are worn out.

ASK THE DOCTORS is written by Robert Ashley, M.D., Eve Glazier, M.D., and Elizabeth Ko, M.D. Send questions to askthedoctors@

mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o Media Relations, UCLA Health, 924 Westwood Blvd., Suite 350, Los Angeles, CA, 90095.

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Stem cell therapy may help knees - News - Citizens' Voice - Citizens Voice