Category Archives: Colorado Stem Cells

Lakewood CO Stem Cell Research is a complex and beneficial science using stem cells in a lab environment to better understand how normal human development works, and also to look for and develop new treatments for a wide range of human ailments. Lakewood Colorado Stem Cell Research involves two types of stem cells, classified as either embryonic stem cells or adult stem cells, which are used according to the type of Lakewood CO Stem Cell Research that is desired.

Embryonic stem cells are derived from pre-embryos, called blstocysts, approximately three to five days old. They are created specifically for fertilization treatments in the Lakewood Colorado Stem Cell Research lab, will not be used to start a pregnancy, and will be discarded if not used for research. Doctors use in-vitro fertilization to create an embryo in a culture dish, which after three to five days becomes a blstocysts. Lakewood CO Stem Cell Research lab technicians then extract the inner cell mass from the blstocysts, which is used to derive embryonic stem cells in the Lakewood Colorado Stem Cell Research facility.Embryonic stem cells are classified as pluripotent.

This means they can develop into any type of cell in a fully developed human body. It should be noted that embryonic stem cells cant develop into placenta or umbilical cord tissues, but they do appear to be able to develop into any other type of cell in a human body. What is so important about embryonic Lakewood CO Stem Cell Research is that it enables very flexible research, as the stem cells can be grown into any type of cell needing to be researched, at any time, at the Lakewood Colorado Stem Cell Research facility. This makes for more efficient and more productive stem call research, promising a faster path to cures for ailments that devastate humanity. Lakewood CO Stem Cell Research cannot use adult stem cells to generate just any desired tissues since they are already programmed. They are quite useful nonetheless, and Lakewood Colorado Stem Cell Research doctors have identified caches of adult stem cells in several tissues of the human body.

Lakewood CO Stem Cell Research in general has been able to make some wonderful advancement and create excellent treatments using adult stem cells. But there are limitations to doing Lakewood Colorado Stem Cell Research using "only" adult stem cells. Adult stem cells are able to give rise to related kinds of cells in their home tissues, but for example Kidney stem cells cannot generate heart cells, and liver stem cells cannot generate brain cells.

A great deal of Lakewood CO Stem Cell Research remains to be done, and at this point Lakewood Colorado Stem Cell Research doctors have developed a technique for getting an adult stem cell to behave similar to an embryonic stem cell. This specialized Lakewood CO Stem Cell Research technique creates what are called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). They can be produced from adult cells in skin, fatty tissue, and other sources. With this, Lakewood Colorado Stem Cell Research remains a promising field. There is of course a great deal more work to do, but Lakewood CO Stem Cell Research promises to benefit mankind in many profound ways.

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Lakewood Colorado Stem Cell Research | Lakewood CO Stem ...

Brenda Simmons hugs her horse Little Brother at her ranch in Granby late last month. Simmons and Little Brother have had stem cell therapy on their legs, preventing debilitating issues for both. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers removed about 100 prairie dogs. (Courtesy Malia Reeves)

Your daily resource for late-breaking news, upcoming events, the Denver weather forecast, Denver traffic information, and the stories that will be talked about on Wednesday, April 8, 2015. Download our iPhone, iPad and Android apps for breaking news throughout the day.

1. THE HORSE FIX IS IN

The story of how researchers are using some horse sense to innovate stem cell joint therapies. Close to home, horses are leading humans into new territory, inspiring not only patients but researchers in regenerative therapies at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver.

2. NOBLE TO CUT 100 ENERGY JOBS

Noble Energy, Colorado's second largest oil producer, said Tuesday that in the face of low prices it is reorganizing its operations cutting 100 jobs in Denver and Greeley.

3. 100 SEIZED PRAIRIE DOGS IN RODENT LIMBO

State wildlife agents and police officers seized about 100 prairie dogs from a Castle Rock woman's garage Tuesday morning, weeks after they were trapped at a controversial shopping mall development site.

4. POUNCED IN PRISON

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Daily Digest: The horse stem cell fix is in for Colorado ...

AURORA, Colo. (April 6, 2015) - Brain activity affects the way the developing brain connects neurons and a study by researchers at the School of Medicine on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Children's Hospital Colorado suggests a new model for understanding that process.

In a study of zebrafish, scientists tested how brain activity affected the development of insulating sheaths on selected axons, which are slender nerve fibers that conduct electrical impulses between neurons. They found that, while the wrapping of axons was indiscriminate, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that stabilize the sheaths contribute substantially to axon selection in response to activity.

"Our study has implications for understanding psychiatric disease and ties into the current conversations about the changing adolescent and teenage brain," said Bruce Appel, PhD, who is professor of pediatrics, the Diane G. Wallach Chair of Pediatric Stem Cell Biology at Children's Hospital Colorado and senior author of the study, which is published in the April 6 edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience.

This study builds on previous research showing that white matter of the brain can develop by learning to juggle or play a musical instrument. The brain's white matter consists of axons, the long nerve fibers that conduct electrical signals between nerve cells and connect different parts of the brain together.

"We asked, 'What is it about brain activity that could affect white matter?'" Appel said.

In experiments, the scientists found that activity-dependent secretion from axons promoted extension and stabilization of the prospective sheaths that protected the axons. Without brain activity, the sheaths were able to form, but did not extend and were retracted at a higher frequency.

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This study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, a gift from the Gates Frontiers Fund, a National Multiple Sclerosis Postdoctoral Fellowship and a NIH fellowship.

About the University of Colorado School of Medicine

Faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine work to advance science and improve care. These faculty members include physicians, educators and scientists at University of Colorado Health, Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver Health, National Jewish Health, and the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The school is located on the Anschutz Medical Campus, one of four campuses in the University of Colorado system. To learn more about the medical school's care, education, research and community engagement, visit its web site.

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CU researchers: Brain activity boosts processes that promote neural connections

DENVER (CBS4) On Friday, March 27, Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness will be headlining the give LIVE Concert benefiting Bonfils Blood Center.

Bonfils Blood Center is a leading blood collection center in Colorado. Last year, the organization took in 140,000 units of blood from 68,000 donors. They process and distribute that blood and blood products to about 100 medical facilities across the state. Bonfils also maintains the Colorado Marrow Donor Registry which is aligned with the national Be The Match Registry.

LINK: Bonfils Blood Center

The money raised at the concert helps us continue our life saving mission, from collecting and distributing donated blood to offering blood drives all over the state, said Liz Lambert, communications specialist with Bonfils Blood Center.

Andrew McMahon (credit: bonfils.org)

Andrew McMahon has a personal connection to the kind of work that Bonfils does. His current album is an exploration of his battle with cancer.

He was diagnosed with cancer when he was 22 and he needed a lifesaving donation of stem cells. And his sister was a match, so he was able to get that transplant, Lambert explained.

LINK: Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness

Signing up for the Colorado Marrow Donor Registry will be a key part of the give LIVE Concert experience. Its easy to get signed up.

Anyone whos between the ages of 18 and 44 can fill out a basic health questionnaire and get their cheek swabbed, and then be added to that registry. So if someone is in need of a lifesaving transplant, they can see if theres a match there, Lambert told CBS4.

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Give LIVE Concert Benefits Bonfils, Marrow Donation

Sgt. Daniel Nerstrom was knocked unconscious by bombs eight times during his 12-month deployment in Iraq from 2005 to 2006.

Suffering from relentless migraines and the memories of losing 44 colleagues, Nerstrom committed suicide at some point after his Dec. 1 disappearance.

More than 100 friends, family and complete strangers attended Nerstrom's funeral Saturday in north suburban Libertyville, about a week after police found his body.

Nerstrom, 31, was remembered as an enthusiast of Lego blocks and as a recreational welder. He also was credited with being a devout family man.

While deployed as a scout with the Army's Third Armored Regiment, Nerstrom was able to get home for a few days and donate stem cells to help his father, Douglas, beat cancer.

Serving his country was a dream, according to Nerstrom's mother, Kim. She asked him to go to college first, but caved after one year and gave her blessing. She said he watched the news with a burning passion, and she couldn't deny him any longer.

Nerstrom was given a medical discharge from the Army in January 2009. He had been stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colo., during the years after his tour in Iraq.

In her eulogy, the Rev. Janet Lee Kraft said Nerstrom struggled with his post-war injuries for years before he disappeared. She said he turned to alcohol for a while but quit when a counselor prescribed animal therapy.

"Daniel deserved better," Kim Nerstrom said. "This shouldn't have happened. He loved his country. His country shouldn't let things like this happen."

Police found Nerstrom's body around 10 a.m. March 13 along the Metra tracks east of downtown Libertyville after a train passenger noticed something unusual outside his window.

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Libertyville soldier's funeral brings remembrance, awareness

By Julie Watson February 17 at 9:02 AM

Whenever an endangered animal dies at the San Diego Zoo, researchers race out, regardless of the hour, to remove its sperm or eggs, maybe a bit of ear or eyeball, and carefully freeze the cells in liquid nitrogen.

Today, the survival of the northern white rhinoceros and dozens of other species could hinge on the collection amassed over nearly 40 years that has become the largest gene bank of its kind: the Frozen Zoo. The icy vials may someday even be used in experiments to resurrect recently extinct animals such as the Hawaiian poouli bird.

The stainless-steel tanks hold the genetic material of more than 10,000 individual animals from more than 1,000 species and subspecies.

The Frozen Zoos work has taken on renewed urgency since the San Diego Zoo Safari Park lost 42-year-old Angalifu to cancer in December, leaving only five northern white rhinos in the world and all unable to reproduce.

Scientists are racing to find the best way to utilize the banks frozen sperm to produce another one before the northern white goes extinct, which could happen within a decade.

Critics question whether its worth spending millions of dollars on species that are down to so few.

The bank is valued as a genetic archive that has helped advance artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, cloning and stem cell technology. But debate is stirring over how far such research should go.

The Frozen Zoo is basically rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, said Paul Ehrlich, a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University.

He noted the world needs to address the problems root causes, such as population growth and climate change.

Continued here:
Survival for some endangered species hinges on Frozen Zoo

A new Phase I trial involving the use of stem cells in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients is underway in a study by the Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University, and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center. Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease, wherein the immune system attacks the central nervous system (CNS), both the brain and spinal cord.

So far, 2 patients have undergone the complete process, with another patient expecting to start the process soon. In all, 24 patients with relapsing or progressively worsening MS will be in the trial over the next 2 to 3 years. The protocol calls for harvesting of their own stem cells from bone marrow at the University Hospital, cultivating those cells at a Case Western laboratory, and then returning the stem cells to the patient intravenously at the Cleveland Clinic.

The primary focus of this study is to determine both the feasibility and the safety of such a treatment process. In the process, the researchers will also be looking for any evidence of improvement in the patients, although the trial is not set up to actually gauge either subjective or objective endpoints. This is a conservative study that will only look at safety parameters. If the trial goes well, further Phase II trials would likely follow, with actual treatment endpoints as the focus.

The first patient treated in the trial, Bill White, was first diagnosed with MS about 6 years ago. His first symptoms were fatigue and balance problems. After a while, exercise and even walking became problematic for him, and he eventually had to stop working. The reason for these issues is that in MS, the immune system abnormally attacks the CNS, leading to damage in the protective myelin sheaths, followed by irreversible damage to the axons and even neuronal death. The damage builds up and can progressively worsen over time, or can occur in a relapse and remission format. The process leads to noticeable changes on MRI and the diagnosis can be confirmed by looking at the spinal fluid. Mr. White had the characteristic changes on a scan of his brain in 2007. He has also since undergone treatment with 2 different drugs without seeing much benefit, if any, while subjecting him to a variety of side-effects.

After enrolling in this trial, his stem cells were harvested in March. The stem cells were cultured in the lab for months, and they were eventually injected into his bloodstream in June. Mr. White saw changes very quickly. He stated that "I used to have to use my left arm to lift my left leg up. Now I can lift it up on my own", meaning without the assistance of his arm. And although he still tires when walking, he does so less quickly now. In addition, his vision has improved from 20/50 to 20/20. Objectively, a recent MRI showed no new lesions in his brain. The proposed mechanism of action for the stem cells is in modulating the immune system, causing a decrease in the immune attack on the CNS. Also, the stem cells may be promoting the healing and regrowth of damaged tissues.

Other Phase I trials looking at stem cells and MS will soon be underway in Spain, China, and Iran. These are exciting times for sure, and the idea that a patient's own stem cells could help with the treatment of MS is truly amazing!

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Stem Cell Therapies

ESCONDIDO, Calif. (AP) Whenever an endangered animal dies at the San Diego Zoo, researchers race out, regardless of the hour, to remove its sperm or eggs, maybe a bit of ear or eyeball, and carefully freeze the cells in liquid nitrogen.

Today, the survival of the northern white rhinoceros and dozens of other species could hinge on the collection amassed over nearly 40 years that has become the largest gene bank of its kind: The Frozen Zoo.

The icy vials may someday even be used in experiments to resurrect recently extinct animals, like the Hawaiian Poouli bird. The stainless steel tanks hold the genetic material of more than 10,000 individual animals from more than 1,000 species and subspecies.

The Frozen Zoos work has taken on renewed urgency since the San Diego Safari Park lost 42-year-old Angalifu to cancer in December, leaving only five northern white rhinos left in the world and all unable to reproduce.

Scientists are racing against the clock to find the best way to utilize the banks frozen sperm to produce another one before the northern white goes extinct, which could happen within a decade.

Critics question whether its worth spending millions of dollars on species that are down to so few.

The bank is valued as a genetic archive that has helped advance artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, cloning and stem cell technology. But debate is stirring over how far such research should go.

The frozen zoo is basically re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, said Paul Ehrlich, a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University.

He noted the world needs to address the problems root causes, such as population growth and climate change.

Screwing around with science to save a white rhino might be fun and I would like to see it preserved and am all for biodiversity, but its so far down the list of things we should be doing first, he said.

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Frozen Zoo holds key to survival for some species

ESCONDIDO, Calif. -- Whenever an endangered animal dies at the San Diego Zoo, researchers race out, regardless of the hour, to remove its sperm or eggs, maybe a bit of ear or eyeball, and carefully freeze the cells in liquid nitrogen.

Today, the survival of the northern white rhinoceros and dozens of other species could hinge on the collection amassed over nearly 40 years that has become the largest gene bank of its kind: The Frozen Zoo.

The icy vials may someday even be used in experiments to resurrect recently extinct animals, like the Hawaiian Po'ouli bird. The stainless steel tanks hold the genetic material of more than 10,000 individual animals from more than 1,000 species and subspecies.

The Frozen Zoo's work has taken on renewed urgency since the San Diego Safari Park lost 42-year-old Angalifu to cancer in December, leaving only five northern white rhinos left in the world - and all unable to reproduce.

Scientists are racing against the clock to find the best way to utilize the bank's frozen sperm to produce another one before the northern white goes extinct, which could happen within a decade.

Critics question whether it's worth spending millions of dollars on species that are down to so few.

The bank is valued as a genetic archive that has helped advance artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, cloning and stem cell technology. But debate is stirring over how far such research should go.

11 Photos

The annual animal count at the London Zoo

"The frozen zoo is basically re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic," said Paul Ehrlich, a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University.

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"Frozen Zoo" is some species' last hope for survival

Three years after a small number of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were treated with high-dose immunosuppressive therapy (HDIT) and then transplanted with their own hematopoietic stem cells, most of the patients sustained remission of active relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and had improvements in neurological function, according to a study published online by JAMA Neurology.

MS is a degenerative disease and most patients with RRMS who received disease-modifying therapies experience breakthrough disease. Autologous (using a patient's own cells) hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) has been studied in MS with the goal of removing disease-causing immune cells and resetting the immune system, according to the study background.

The Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (HALT-MS) study examines the effectiveness of early intervention with HDIT/HCT for patients with RRMS and breakthrough disease. The article by Richard A. Nash, M.D., of the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center, Denver, and coauthors reports on the safety, efficacy and sustainability of MS disease stabilization though three years after the procedures. Patients were evaluated through five years.

Study results indicate that of the 24 patients who received HDIT/HCT, the overall rate of event-free survival was 78.4 percent at three years, which was defined as survival without death or disease from a loss of neurologic function, clinical relapse or new lesions observed on imaging. Progression-free survival and clinical relapse-free survival were 90.9 percent and 86.3 percent, respectively, at three years. The authors note that adverse events were consistent with the expected toxic effect of HDIT/HCT and that no acute treatment-related neurologic adverse events were seen. Improvements in neurologic disability, quality-of-life and functional scores also were noted.

"In the present study, HDIT/HCT induced remission of MS disease activity up to three years in most participants. It may therefore represent a potential therapeutic option for patients with MS in whom conventional immunotherapy fails, as well as for other severe immune-mediated diseases of the central nervous system. Most early toxic effects were hematologic and gastrointestinal and were expected and reversible. Longer follow-up is needed to determine the durability of the response," the authors conclude.

(JAMA Neurol. Published online December 29, 2014. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2014.3780. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor's Note: Authors made conflict of interest disclosures. This work was sponsored by the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Editorial: Moving Targets for Stem Cell Transplantation for Patients with MS

In a related editorial, M. Mateo Paz Soldn, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and Brian G. Weinshenker, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., write: "This study and another phase 2 single-arm study leave little doubt that high-dose immunotherapy is able to substantially suppress inflammatory disease activity in patients with MS who have active disease in the short term. There is some evidence for long-term suppression of MS. Lessons have been learned about how treatment-related morbidity and mortality may be reduced. However, deaths have occurred, even in small studies, and aggressive regimens have resulted in lymphomas associated with Epstein-Barr virus."

"Nash et al show evidence of prolonged depletion of memory CD4+ cells, depletion of CD4+-dominant T-cell receptor clones and evidence of 'immune reset'; however, clinical or radiologic evidence of relapse trumps immunologic evidence of immune reset, and this study raises concern that those end points have not been adequately achieved. The jury is still out regarding the appropriateness and indication of HCT for MS," the authors conclude.

Excerpt from:
Report on remission in patients with MS 3 Years after stem cell transplant