Category Archives: Connecticut Stem Cells

Information on this page is excerpted from the UConn Health Stem Cell website.

Responding to the federal restrictions on the creation of new stem cell lines for research, the Connecticut General Assembly passed legislation that was signed into law by then Gov. M. Jodi Rell, authorizing the use of public funds to finance human stem cell research. The law commits $100 million over a period from 2007 to 2017 to support this highly promising area of bioscience research.

While five states have passed similar legislation, Connecticut, has set a new standard by becoming the first state to actually implement a structured, ongoing research grant program of this type. The law established a competitive process for awarding research grants. An impartial Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee, chaired by the Connecticut Commissioner of Public Health, was appointed to distribute the funds based on the scientific, legal and ethical integrity of the research being done.

Fifteen of the 21 research proposals funded were awarded to UConn faculty. Collectively, they amounted to nearly $12 million, or about 60 percent of the total disbursal. The funding supports investigators engaged in a wide range of research projects designed to unlock the secrets of stem cells and turn them into effective treatments for a host of diseases and disorders as quickly as possible.

Below is a listing of UConn Health faculty who received State of Connecticut Stem Cell Awards along with a brief description of their research projects.

Hector Leonardo Aguila

FACS isolation of progenitors and generation novel cell surfaces antibodies.

In order for researchers to use stem cells for regenerative therapies, the design of methods for the correct identification of stem cells is crucial. One of the best approaches not only to characterize different cell types, but also to isolate them - is the generation of antibodies against cell surface molecules. The Project 2 group has developed unique tracking systems for musculoskeletal development to visualize progenitor cells with the ability to develop into cartilage, bone, fat and muscle. These systems employ genetic techniques that add genetic information to embryonic stem cells to make them express fluorescent protein at defined stages of their development.

Gordon G. Carmichael and Asis Das

DsRNA and epigenetic regulation in embryonic stem cells.

Read more:
Stem Cells: Thematic Research Areas

CGI Illustration by Peter Crowther Associates c/o Dbut Art

Andrea Accomazzo: Comet chaser | Suzanne Topalian: Cancer combatant | Radhika Nagpal: Robot-maker | Sheik Humarr Khan: Ebola doctor | David Spergel: Cosmic sceptic | Maryam Mirzakhani: Surface explorer | Pete Frates: Ice-bucket challenger | Koppillil Radhakrishnan: Rocket launcher | Masayo Takahashi: Stem-cell tester | Sjors Scheres: Structure solver | Ones to watch

A former test pilot steered the Rosetta mission to an icy world in deep space. By Elizabeth Gibney

Andreas Reeg/Agentur Focus/Eyevine

Nearly two decades ago, Andrea Accomazzo got into trouble with his girlfriend when she found a scrap of paper on his desk. In his handwriting was scrawled a phone number next to a female name: Rosetta.

She thought it was a girl, says Accomazzo. I had to explain to my jealous Italian girlfriend that Rosetta is an interplanetary mission that is flying to a comet in almost 20 years.

Ever since, Accomazzo has divided his attention. He eventually married his girlfriend and has also spent the past 18 years pursuing the comet 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko. As flight director for the mission, Accomazzo led the team that steered Rosetta to its August rendezvous with the comet, following a 6.4-billion-kilometre journey from Earth. The pinnacle of the project came in November, when Rosetta successfully set down a lander named Philae, providing scientists with the first data from the surface of a comet and making it one of the most successful missions in the history of the European Space Agency (ESA).

Accomazzo did not act alone: it took a large operations team at ESA to manoeuvre Rosetta with enough precision to drop Philae down just 120 metres from the centre of the landing zone. Given that we'd had a 500-metre error circle, that was not a bad shot, says Fred Jansen, who led the mission. When Philae's anchoring systems failed, the craft bounced into a shady site where it could not charge its solar panels, so the lander lost power after 64 hours. But in that time, it gathered a trove of data that will add to the information collected by Rosetta about the comet's structure and composition. Armed with those insights, scientists hope to better understand the origin and evolution of the Solar System, including whether comets could have brought water and organic molecules to Earth during its infancy.

Accomazzo started off his career focused on a different type of flight. He first trained as a test pilot in the Italian Air Force. But although he loved flying, he found the culture too constraining and after two years he quit to study aerospace engineering. With his quiet, hard-working, sometimes no-nonsense nature, colleagues say that Accomazzo brings a bit of the military with him into mission control.

For Accomazzo, the biggest parallel between flying a fighter jet and Rosetta is the need for split-second judgements. You have to prepare and train a lot to be able to make the right decision, very quickly, he says. Between launch and landing, his team ran 87 full-day simulations.

See the article here:
365 days: Nature's 10

Stem Cells are cells that are able to differentiate into more specialized cells and are one of the bodys fundamental tools and mechanisms for self-repair.

With the occurrence of disease, injury, or even aging, these stem cells respond to specific signals and facilitate healing by differentiating into specialized cells required for the bodys natural self-repair. Provided the stem cells exist in sufficient numbers and receive the correct signals when disease or injury occurs, all is well.

When the stem cell lines become depleted, the end result will likely be an inadequate or compromised healing response. This process of cellular depletion correlates with the aging process that all people go through. As the stem cell number decreases, the bodys vitality and reserve capacity also diminishes. This results inevitably in the aging of the body. Stem cell therapy can slow this process, and even rejuvenate aged and damaged tissues.

Our body uses its own stem cells to make us stronger, healthier and more resistant to disease. As we age, we use stem cells to repair damaged organs, or to replace those stem cells destroyed by toxins over time. At all stages of your life, your body fights damage by using stem cells As we age, however, the bone marrow releases fewer stem cells, giving us less power to repair the damage of ageing. Treatment with stem cells reverses this process

You can expect improvements after stem cell therapy, including but not limited to:

1. Physical improvements such as:

Less head/neck aches Decreased pain in the back, arms and legs Reduced stiffness in joints Less weakness and fatigue

2. Aesthetic improvements such as:

The skin on the face and hands becomes tighter Fewer wrinkles Looking younger general younger appearance Change in color of hair from grey to black/normal Hair thickens

3. Mental and Emotional improvements

The rest is here:
Stem cells - Dr Olivier Clinic

Best Spa and Best Mani-Pedi

Nusta Spa 1129 20th St. NW; 202-530-5700, nustaspa.com.

If youre after a spa experience that puts you in touch with the earth, you might as well get it at the first LEED-certified spa in the country, which Nusta claims to be. Many of Nustas services come with a natural twist, incorporating essential oils, clays, algae, fruit and mysterious ingredients such as apple stem cells. If youre looking to put your best feet or hands forward, Nusta also offers four manis and four pedis. On the simple end of the spectrum, the Maintenance Manicure ($35) will keep your nails clean and presentable, while the more intense Optimal Manicuire ($70) uses a fruit acid peel to reduce signs of aging on your hands.

Spa: 2nd: Bliss Spa, 515 15th St. NW; 202-661-2416,blissworld.com. 3rd: The Emerald Door, 8311 Grubb Road, Silver Spring;301-587-5800, emeralddoorsalon.com.

Mani-Pedi: 2nd: Mimosa Salon and Spa, 1706 Connecticut Ave. NW; 202-232-6900, mimosasalondc.com. 3rd: The Emerald Door, 8311 Grubb Road, Silver Spring;301-587-5800, emeralddoorsalon.com.

Bang Salon Multiple locations; bangsalon.com.

Claiming its fifth win in this category since 2009, Bang Salon proves you dont need a supermodels salary to keep your locks looking trendy. Appointments with one of the chains knowledgeable stylists start at $34 for men and $39 for women, and theyre more than happy to discuss your makeover, even if its just a simple trim. Bang has locations in Chinatown, Navy Yard, Logan Circle and the U Street corridor, so you can immediately debut your new look at a crowded restaurant or bar.

2nd: PR at Partners, multiple locations; pratpartners.com. 3rd: Celadon, 1180 F St. NW; 202-347-3333, celadonspa.com.

Excerpt from:
D.C.s best places to get beautiful: Nusta Spa and Bang Salon

Connecticut Stem Cell Therapy Worldstemcells.com is one of the leading stem cell therapy and treatment providers for residents of Connecticut and across the nation. Our cutting edge technology and compassionate staff truly set us apart from the competition. We are a US based company that understands your needs and concerns when looking for a stem cell treatment center. Our treatment center is located in Cancun, Mexico.

Conditions we treat include but not limited to:

Getting Started With Your Stem Cell Therapy and Treatments Here at World Stem Cells LLC we try to make the process of receiving stem cell transplants as easy as possible. We will help you figure out what your needs are and help you reach your goals as fast as possible. Follow the steps below on what to do.

Option 1 1.) Go to any page on our website and fill out the contact form. 2.) Fill in the required information and select the condition you would like to treat with stem cell therapy. 3.) Be sure to include any special information in the comments section. 4.) Click the submit button and we will contact you in a timely manner. 5.) Thats it, youre done!!!

REQUEST INFORMATION NOW!

Option 2

Call 800-234-1693 and speak with a representative regarding your stem cell therapy needs and requirements.

Read more from the original source:
Connecticut Stem Cell Therapy | Stem Cell Treatments

Eight hundred people from around Long Island and out of state braved the 90-degree temperature to walk at the Alzheimers Disease Resource Center 11th annual fundraiser event at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration recently.

The event featured a Coney Island theme, with 90 teams walking the paths around the village. The event raised close to $150,000 and the donations are still being tallied. Executive director Mary Ann Malack-Ragona was pleased with the turnout given the sweltering heat of the day. Malack-Ragona said two grants were recently awarded, with $5,000 to the New York Stem Cell Foundation and $3,000 to Dr. Irving Gomolin, chief division of Geriatric Medicine at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola.

Many local residents came out in support. Photos by Cynthia Paulis

The Stem Cell Foundation makes stem cells not from embryos, but from skin grafts of people who have Alzheimers disease, said Malack-Ragona. This is ground breaking research. The second grant to Dr. Gomolin is doing a study on how the removal of Namenda from the marketplace, which is set to take place at the end of the year and the use of the substitute, an extended release formulation will impact the blood levels of patients with Alzheimers Disease.

Team leaders were asked to come to the stage to be recognized. Randy Bet from Old Bethpage with her group Team Cousins raised the most money for this event coming in at $10,028.

I am proud to be a part of this organization. I want to thank Mary Ann Ragona for all of the work she is doing to keep the funds we raise here on Long Island, said Bet. She has met so much resistance but keeps going.

My father and my mother-in-law both had Alzheimers, so my two children have Alzheimers on both sides of their family. It is really important for us to find a cure for this disease.

One of the major contributors to the team from Syosset was Robert Rankell who donated $7,500. He was honored with a plaque and was humbled by the award.

This is something near and dear to myself and my family members and I walk to help find a cure.

Old Bethpages Al Sasano was the captain of Team Lucy, which boasted 13 members.

Go here to see the original:
Walk To End Alzheimers

The promise of embryonic stem cell research has been thwarted by an inability to answer a simple question: How do you know a good stem cell from a bad one?

Yale researchers report in the Sept. 4 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell that they have found a marker that predicts which batch of personalized stem cells will develop into a variety of tissue types and which will develop into unusable placental or tumor-like tissues.

Scientists have been unable to capitalize on revolutionary findings in 2006 that adult cells could be made young again with the simple introduction of four factors. Hopes were raised that doctors would soon have access to unlimited supplies of a patients own iPSCs induced pluripotent stem cells that could be used to repair many types of tissue damage. However, efforts to direct these cells to therapeutic goals have proved difficult. Many attempts to use cells clinically have failed because they form tumors instead of the desired tissue.

The team of Yale Stem Cell Center researchers led by senior author Andrew Xiao identified a variant histone a protein that helps package DNA which can predict the developmental path of iPSC cells in mice. An accompanying paper in the same journal by researchers at the Whitehead Institute at MIT and Hebrew University in Israel also identifies at different marker that also appears to predict stem cell fate.

The trend is to raise the standards and quality very high, so we can think about using these cells in clinic, Xiao said. With our assay, we have a reliable molecular marker that can tell what is a good cell and what is a bad one.

Lead author of the paper is Tao Wu of Yale.

Research is funded by Yale and Connecticut Stem Cell Foundation.

See the rest here:
YaleNews | How to tell good stem cells from the bad: Yale ...

THE CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT of Health aims to make the state of Connecticut an international center of excellence for stem cell research. On June 15, 2005, the Connecticut General Assembly approved Public Act 05-149 entitled An Act Permitting Stem Cell Research and Banning the Cloning of Human Beings.

The act was signed by Governor M. Jodi Rell and incorporated into Connecticut law. This act made Connecticut the third U.S. state to publicly support stem cell research, budgeting $20 million for embryonic or human adult stem cell research for the fiscal year of 2007-2008. It earned Connecticut the nickname Stem Cell Central, given by the New York Times in a major article reporting on the act.

The first call for research proposals received 70 applications from Connecticut researchers and resulted in nearly all $20 million being allocated to researchers at Yale University in New Haven, Wesleyan University in Middletown, and the University of Connecticut, the main campus of which is at Storrs.

For the remaining fiscal years until the one ending in June 2015, an additional $10 million was to be set aside for this research. The funding for the research would come from the State of Connecticuts Tobacco Settlement Fund. As of 2007, Connecticut receives just over $375 million annually from its tobacco settlement payments, as well as from a tobacco tax.

The Connecticut Stem Cell Research Fund has supported projects of all sizes. Dr. Michael P. Snyder of Yale University received $3,815,477 to study an integrated approach to neural differentiation of human embryonic stem cells, and embryonic stem cell core facilities at three universities (one at Yale and one joint facility at the University of Connecticut and Wesleyan University) received $2.5 million each. Dr. Joseph LoTurco at the University of Connecticut received approximately $500,000 to study the migration and integration of embryonic stem cell derived neurons into cerebral cortex.

Many more researchers were granted approximately $200,000 for smaller, shorter studies that also targeted the molecular biology of stem cells, including a grant to Dr. Yingqun Joan Huang of Yale University, who studies the function of the fragile X mental retardation protein in early human neural development, and one to Dr. Gang Xu of the University of Connecticut for the study of the generation of insulin-producing cells from human embryonic stem cells.

To oversee the Stem Cell Research Fund, the State of Connecticut has a Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee, with a Subcommittee on Law and Ethics, as well as a Stem Cell Research Peer Review Committee. The Peer Review Committee reviews submitted proposals for funding by the Connecticut Stem Cell Research Fund, following guidelines established by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

To oversee the use and research of stem cells at the University of Connecticut, this institution has organized an Embryonic Stem Cells Research Oversight Committee (UC-ESCRO). UC-ESCRO functions to guide researchers at the University of Connecticut, as well as those scientists affiliated with the university, through their research to ensure ethical compliance and proper handling of sensitive topics. If the oversight committee determines a particular project to be unethical, regardless of the funding source, this project will not be allowed at the university. Wesleyan University and Yale University have similar committees.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health, the Connecticut Stem Cell Coalition, and Connecticut United for Research Excellence sponsor the annual conference StemCONN. This conference is an international symposium for stem cell research. One result from the conference is a publicly available panel discussion on stem cells, which is targeted toward people who are not necessarily scientists. In particular, the panel aims to stimulate discussion and thereby education and awareness among youth in high schools and colleges across the state.

Read more here:
Connecticut (Stem Cell) - what-when-how

The promise of embryonic stem cell research has been thwarted by an inability to answer a simple question: How do you know a good stem cell from a bad one?

Yale researchers report in the Sept. 4 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell that they have found a marker that predicts which batch of personalized stem cells will develop into a variety of tissue types and which will develop into unusable placental or tumor-like tissues.

Scientists have been unable to capitalize on revolutionary findings in 2006 that adult cells could be made young again with the simple introduction of four factors. Hopes were raised that doctors would soon have access to unlimited supplies of a patients own iPSCs induced pluripotent stem cells that could be used to repair many types of tissue damage. However, efforts to direct these cells to therapeutic goals have proved difficult. Many attempts to use cells clinically have failed because they form tumors instead of the desired tissue.

The team of Yale Stem Cell Center researchers led by senior author Andrew Xiao identified a variant histone a protein that helps package DNA which can predict the developmental path of iPSC cells in mice. An accompanying paper in the same journal by researchers at the Whitehead Institute at MIT and Hebrew University in Israel also identifies at different marker that also appears to predict stem cell fate.

The trend is to raise the standards and quality very high, so we can think about using these cells in clinic, Xiao said. With our assay, we have a reliable molecular marker that can tell what is a good cell and what is a bad one.

Lead author of the paper is Tao Wu of Yale.

Research is funded by Yale and Connecticut Stem Cell Foundation.

Visit link:
How to tell good stem cells from the bad: Yale researchers answer key question

When injury occurs to the spinal cord, the connections between the brain and the body are hampered or broken, which results in some level of impairment and a certain degree of paralysis. Symptoms may include movement disability, loss of sensation, impaired control of urination and defecation, cramps, pain and depression.

Conventional treatments for spinal cord injury are focused on prevention of secondary damage and providing rehabilitation.

Background information on this condition

With the advancement of stem cell treatments in China now you have a novel treatment option for Spinal Cord Injury. Stem cell therapy can support the natural regeneration processes of the body by stimulating the repair of damaged tissues. It goes beyond symptomatic treatment and may potentially help you to improve or regain some of the impaired functions.

Cell death occurs when cells are injured. However, these dead cells are surrounded by damaged and healthy cells. Stem cells have the potential to stimulate the healing of these injured cells by the secretion of cytokines, such as nerve growth factor to promote the bodys self-repair mechanisms.

Stem cells are injected by an innovative procedure known as a CT-guided intraspinal injection technique and this is supplemented by further stem cell transplantation via lumbar punctures or IV injections.

We are proud to be the pioneers of the CT-guided intraspinal stem cell transplantation surgical procedure, which is a landmark in the field of stem cell therapy for Spinal Cord Injury. To date, CT-guided intraspinal stem cell transplantation is only available at our hospital in China. CT guidance enables the neurosurgeon to target the stem cells precisely, administering the stem cells inside healthy spinal cord tissue adjacent to the lesion. This technique avoids open surgery of the spine. Thus pain, risks, and healing time are all minimized.

Our doctors understand that a variety of factors may influence decisions regarding your treatment. Our team is dedicated to patient education and collaboration so that you are clearly aware of your condition and treatment options. The hospital offers a wide range of treatments and related services. Therefore we advise you to consult with one of our specialists for personalized treatment information before you arrive to China.

We also encourage you to carefully study our CT Guided Transplantation Method and our stem cell treatment schedule.

Continued here:

Stem Cell Treatment for Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) with CT ...