Category Archives: Minnesota Stem Cells

What is the benefit of stem cell treatment?

Stem cell injections provide a non-surgical treatment option to reduce pain and promote natural healing and regeneration, while still providing long-lasting relief from arthritic joint pain, chronic tendinitis, or damaged musculoskeletal tissue.

Who is a suitable candidate for stem cell treatment?

In general, stem cell injections are most appropriate for patients suffering from mild to moderate osteoarthritis affecting the knee, shoulder, hip, ankle, foot, hand, or digits. Stem cell injects are also appropriate for patients with chronic tendinitis, partially torn tendons, and damaged musculoskeletal tissues such as a rotator cuff, labrum, meniscus, ligament, and skeletal muscle.

Who is not a suitable candidate for stem cell treatment?

Conditions excluding a patient from being a suitable candidate for a stem cell treatment include: (1) a patient with lymphoma, leukemia, or active cancer not in remission for at least five years; (2) a patient with any current or active infection; (3) a patient needing to take blood thinners such as Coumadin; (4) a patient with a contraindication to having liposuction or autologous stem cell treatment or PRP therapy; (5) a patient with multiple or complex medical issues.

Which joints, tendons and musculoskeletal tissues can be treated with stem cells?

The most common joints treated with stem cells include the knee, shoulder, hip, ankle, hand, finger and toe. The most common tendons treated with stem cells involve those with chronic tendinitis or partial tears such as the shoulder rotator cuff, distal biceps tendon, medial or lateral elbow tendons, and Achilles tendon.

What are the risks of a stem cell treatment?

An orthopedic stem cell treatment to treat painful osteoarthritis or chronic tendinitis or degenerative musculoskeletal tissue uses your own stem cells. Since the cells come from your own fat, there is no chance of your body rejecting them as these cells promote or regenerate your bodys natural ability to heal. There is a small risk of infection during a stem cell treatment. You can expect some soreness at both the liposuction site and the stem cell injection site for a few days following the procedure.

What is the price of a stem cell treatment?

The final price of a stem cell treatment is determined by what type of stem cell injection is being done, the number of injections, and whether or not platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is used along with the stem cells.While the price can vary, the price for a stem cell injection with PRP into a single joint or tendonis $5900.The price for a stem cell injection with PRP into two or more areas may be more.

Orthopedic stem cell treatments with PRP using fluoroscopic or ultrasound guidance during injection are typically not a covered benefit of Medicare or private insurance.

Where is the stem cell therapy offered?

Our regenerative medicine specialists at Minnesota Regenerative Medicine provide stem cell treatments at our Hogue Clinics corporate headquarters only in Maple Grove, Minnesota. The entire stem cell treatment process takes five hours or less to perform.

What should I do if I think Im a suitable candidate?

If you live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul (Twin Cities) or surrounding areas, we recommend that you schedule an appointment for a consultation to determine if you are a suitable candidate for a stem cell with PRP treatment. To expedite this process, we recommend that you bring in your most recentradiology reportsfor any imaging studies performed, as well as any other pertinent medical records.

Where do the stem cells come from?

The stem cells used for a patients stem cell injection come from the patients own adipose tissue (fat).

What is the success rate of a stem cell treatment?

Since we began performing stem cell treatments in 2011, our experience is that most patients will experience some degree of pain relief and improvement starting within a few weeks to months following a stem cell with PRP treatment.

Sometimes, we recommend platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections be performed monthly following the initial stem cell treatment to continue to nourish and stimulate the injected stem cells. Additional PRP treatments will incur a separate charge with each PRP treatment. Clinical improvement and pain relief continues for six months or longer, often up to a year or more, following a stem cell treatment. Of the dozens of patients we have treated so far with stem cell treatments, the majority of patients have self reported some degree of pain relief and improvement in musculoskeletal function. Very few patients have reported little to no improvement.

Does a stem cell treatment consist of one or multiple injections?

Typically we do from one to several stem cell injections per joint or tendon or targeted area. This may vary depending on the severity and complexity of the osteoarthritis or chronic tendinitis or degenerative musculoskeletal condition being treated.

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Stem Cell FAQs - Minnesota Regenerative Medicine

Last year, the 2014 Minnesota legislative session brought a big win for regenerative medicine, as legislators passed a bill allotting nearly $50 million over 10 years for regenerative medicine research, clinical translation and commercialization efforts.

Some of that research funding has now been awarded to Bruce Walcheck, Ph.D., professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, whose proposal was one of six funded out of 90 applications. Bruce is the principal investigator on a new $500,000 grant for research on engineering human pluripotent stem cells to generate enhanced natural killer cells for cancer therapy. The ultimate goal: treating cancer using the patients immune system.

A unique scientific and medical resource, pluripotent stem cells are self-replicating and have the potential to differentiate into almost any cell in the body. They are an important starting cell population for engineering enhanced immune cells for cell-based therapies that have the potential to cure various types of cancer. The investigative team will generate natural killer cells, which are part of the human bodys first line of defense against cancer cells and virus-infected cells.

Our long-term goal is to engineer human-induced pluripotent stem cells to generate a renewable source of super natural killer cells to enhance current therapies and the patients immune system in killing cancer cells, Walcheckexplained. Natural killer cells play a vital role in the fight against cancer. In contrast to other lymphocytes, natural killer cells kill malignant cells without being restricted to specific antigens or requiring considerable expansion. Standardized natural killer cell-based immunotherapies can therefore be more readily administered to patients.

However, during their expansion for transfer into patients and in the tumor environment, natural killer cells can down-regulate key receptors, resulting in their dysfunction. Our objective is to genetically modify human-induced pluripotent stem cells to derive natural killer cells that maintain their expression of key receptors for enhanced anticancer activity.

The other members of the multidisciplinary investigative team are Dan Kaufman, M.D., Ph.D., professor, Medical School (coinvestigator); Jianming Wu, D.V.M., Ph.D., associate professor, College of Veterinary Medicine (coinvestigator); Jeffrey Miller, M.D., Ph.D., professor, Medical School (collaborator); Melissa Geller, M.D., associate professor and gynecologic oncologist, Medical School (collaborator); and Paul Haluska, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of oncology, Mayo Clinic (collaborator).

Members of the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, are involved in this research.

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Minnesota invests in regenerative medicine - Health Talk

Donating umbilical cord blood a rich source of lifesaving stem cells hasnt been an option for new mothers in Minnesota for years.

But a new partnership between the University of Minnesota and the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank in Missouri could restore that chance and accelerate research at the U, a pioneering center for cord blood transplants and stem cell research.

Leaders of the two organizations are meeting Tuesday to finalize a deal allowing the university Medical Center to collect cord blood after childbirth and send it to St. Louis to be stored and matched to patients who need it.

Transplants of the regenerative stem cells in cord blood help fight cancers such as leukemia by killing the cancer cells and rebuilding immune systems that are wiped away by chemotherapy and radiation.

The absence of local donation hasnt hindered Minnesotans in receiving transplants from a national donor pool, but it has hampered the pace of research at the U, where Dr. John Wagner performed the worlds first cord blood transplant for leukemia in 1990.

And it is something of an embarrassment, considering the Us prominence in the specialty and the fact that Be The Match, the organization that matches cord blood to patients, is based in Minneapolis.

Fact is, this is the worlds largest cord blood transplant program, said Dr. Jeff McCullough, a U pathologist and specialist in transfusion medicine. To not even be collecting here for potential transplants? We should be able to do better than that.

Researchers benefit from local collections because they can receive cord blood units that are ruled unsuitable for transplant. Lacking that, Wagners team has had a limited supply of cord blood for research and has paid a premium to buy discarded units from other states.

U researchers are trying, among other things, to determine if cord blood medicine can move beyond rare cancers and become effective treatments for common diseases such as diabetes. They also are studying ways to coax cord blood stem cells to work faster, especially for cancer patients at risk of fatal infections while their immune systems recover.

Cord blood is the lingering blood in the umbilical cord and placenta after childbirth. Donation involves draining that blood after the cord is clamped and severed from the newborn.

While cord blood isnt the only source of stem cells, it has advantages over stem cells that are commonly obtained from adult bone marrow donors.

It saved my life

Phillip Englund received a stem cell transplant at the U Amplatz Childrens Hospital 80 days ago, at the ideal juncture of his chemotherapy and radiation, because a cord blood unit was immediately available.

On Friday, the 20-year-old from Grand Rapids, Minn., learned he is on track to go home after months in the Minneapolis hospital to fight leukemia, and that he can think about resuming college.

It saved my life, he said. As weird as it is [to receive stem cells from umbilical cord blood], it was what I needed.

The American Red Cross used to bank cord blood from hospitals in Minneapolis, Coon Rapids and Mankato but got out of the business six years ago.

McCullough directed the Red Cross bank at the time, and tried unsuccessfully to get the U to take it over. Other efforts to maintain cord blood banking in Minnesota fell apart when federal grants were steered toward states with greater demographic diversity, because of the need for cord blood from ethnic and racial minorities.

Starting a new bank would be difficult: It would have to collect hundreds of cord blood units at a cost of $2,000 per donation until it matched one to a patient and sold it to a transplant center.

Instead, existing banks are seeking to increase the national inventory by forming partnerships in other states.

Seeking a satellite donor site in Minnesota is a no-brainer, said Donna Regan, who directs the St. Louis bank.

We know they have the infrastructure and the interest and the motivation to collect cord blood.

Under a proposed deal, the St. Louis bank would bear the financial risks and rewards of collecting the cord blood for transplants, and the U would gain free access to discarded units for research.

Breakthroughs at the U

Among other innovations, U doctors pioneered the double-cord transplant by which two cord blood units are mixed for a single transplant. Individual units are sufficient for children, but often too small to treat adults.

They also are studying ways of broadening the match between donor and patient. Mismatched stem cells from bone marrow carry the risk of being rejected by patients after transplant a complication that can be fatal.

But U studies indicate that cord blood stem cells dont need to be as closely matched, and might even offer cancer-fighting benefits when mismatched.

That, ironically, could reduce the need for more cord blood donation, Wagner added, because it would increase the potential uses for every unit in the national inventory.

But other medical developments could have the effect of reducing supply. More mothers, for example, are asking that the clamping of their umbilical cords be delayed 30 to 60 seconds so more cord blood can transfuse into their newborns. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology hasnt endorsed the practice, but noted in a policy statement last December that it might offer health benefits. Delayed clamping, however, leaves less blood for donation often too little for transplants.

Demand for cord blood, meanwhile, could be on the rise especially if research by Wagner and his colleagues prove that cord blood is effective against a broad new range of diseases.

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Minnesota to resume umbilical cord blood donations ...

Through the Minnesota Zoos Math and Science (ZOOMS) Program, students and teachers discover just what it takes to engineer a modern zoo. Funded by 3M, ZOOMS provides both teachers and students the opportunity to apply important science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts to real world situations using the Minnesota Zoo as a context. Through topics such as Engineering FORAnimals (exhibit design),Engineering FROM Animals(biomimicry), andEngineering BYAnimals (animals as engineers), teachers and students are challenged to consider and tackle the complexities in both the natural world and constructed environments. The ZOOMS program supports teachers with integrating standards-based ZOOMS resources, design challenges, and field trips into their curriculum to better equip students with the STEM skills to engineer and problem solve just like zookeepers, exhibit designers and conservationists at the Minnesota Zoo! Start seeing the zoo in a whole new way!

STEM at the Zoo: ZOOMS Workshop for Informal Educators

Dates: April 24-26, 2017 Time: 8 am-4 pm

Join us this spring for a three- day workshop held at the Minnesota Zoo. This professional development opportunity is offered to informal educators from zoos and aquariums that are looking to expand their institutions STEM programming and implement the ZOOMS model, a zoo-based integrated STEM program. We will explore the role of zoos and aquariums in providing high-quality STEM education, give examples of the programming we offer through ZOOMS, and provide tools and resources that you can take back to your home institution.

Check out more information.

Register Online

Cancellation Policy 75% refund through March 13th 50% refund March 14th-April 10th No refund after April 11th

How is STEM applied at the Minnesota Zoo? Get inspired through the exploration of exhibit design, biomimicry, and animal engineers to further equip your students with STEM skills used by real zoo professionals.

Professional Development Opportunities

For a more complete list of teacher professional development offerings or to register to attend a workshop, visit here.

The ZOOMS design challenge offers students a chance to develop a solution to a real problem faced by Zoo Keepers and staff at the Minnesota Zoo.From designing an enrichment, to building a model of a renovated animal exhibit, the problem will challenge students to use their science and math knowledge, creativity, problem solving, and research skills during the engineering design process in order to best solve the problem and present a solution. Selected students are invited to showcase their design challenge solution in the ZOOMS Design Exhibition in March at the Minnesota Zoo for a chance to win a backstage pass experience with our animals!

See the ZOOMS Design Challenge in Action!

Courtesy of South Washington County Schools

2016-2017 ZOOMS Enrichment and Exhibit Design Challenges

Need a reminder for upcoming ZOOMS opportunities? FollowMNZoo Teach & Learn Loop Facebookpage or sign up at mnzoo.org/teachandlearnto receive the MnZoo Teach & Learn Times E-newsletter.

Immerse students in the world of engineering at the zoo in this customized full or multi-day residency. Guided by a zoo naturalist, students will be led through hands on inquiry-based activities, an exploration of exhibit and enrichment design, behind the scenes experiences, encounters with zoo professionals in STEM and more. Students will leave with a deeper understanding of how science, technology, engineering, and math is used and applied at the zoo.

Fee: $25 per student per day; $250 per day minimum plus applicable admission fees.

These 45-minute interactive classes are fun and engaging and provide a great opportunity to reinforce standard-based concepts being explored in your curriculum. Topics range from tropical rainforests to animal adaptations to ocean conservation.

Learn more about Zoo Classes.

EngineeringbyAnimals: Inventive Nature Humans arefarfrom the only living creatures on earth that affect their environments in fascinating ways. EngineeringbyAnimals looks at examples of wildlife that show animals goingbeyondtheir built-in physical adaptations, using and evenalteringtheir habitats to increase the chances of their own survival. During this program you will also have a chance to test your own animal ingenuity during its Survival Solutions activity!

EngineeringforAnimals: Exhibit Design & Beyond Zoos have come a long way in the last 75 years: blank concrete cells with steel bars have given way to lush, naturally-inspired enclosures with live plants and jungle-gyms that put our own playgrounds to shame. During this program youll visit a variety of the Minnesota Zoos cutting-edge animal enclosureslive, and learn about the smart engineering that goes into designing a modern zoo exhibit. Youll also test your own ingenuity by whipping up exhibit designs for animals that dont even exist yet!

To register for a program or to find a more complete list of Interactive Video Conferencing programs, visit here.

Its true! People use math every day, and the keepers and scientists at the zoo are no exception! The Minnesota Zoo Math Days have been designed to inspire students grades 4th-12th to learn more about math applications in the workplace. Through hands on activity stations, students will answer grade appropriate math problems related to a wide variety of animal issues such as animal weights, diets and conservation.

Math Day 2016 will be open for registration August 2016.

For more information on Math Day, visit here.

STEM Quest Curriculum Guide: Analyzing Human Impact in Malaysia

To find a complete list of teacher resources, visit here.

Minnesota Zoo is proud to partner with !

SciGirls, an award winning PBS KIDS series, website and national outreach initiative, is changing how millions of tween girls think about science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM! In each episode, animated characters Izzie and her best friend Jake find themselves in jams only science can fix. To set things right, Izzie calls on bright, curious real-life SciGirls, who put STEM to work and save the day. Izzie also invites viewers to hang out on the website pbskids.org/scigirls a totally safe, social networking environment where girls can play games, connect, create personal profiles and avatars, share projects and watch every episode.

As a partner to SciGirls, the ZOOMS program integrates standards-based activities, hands on inquiry, and exploration in zoo classes, camps, and curriculum activities in order to inspire girls to get excited about STEM. To learn more, visit teacher resources or http://mnzoo.org/education/camps/.

SciGirls is produced for PBS by tpt National Productions and is made possible by the National Science Foundation. Additional support by LOreal USAs For Girls in Science program, Northrup Grumman Foundation, and PPG Industries Foundation. SciGirls / 2014 Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. pbskids.org/scigirls ZOOMS is sponsored by

For further questions regarding STEM programming at the Minnesota Zoo, please contact STEM@mnzoo.org.

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STEM Programs - Minnesota Zoo

Regenerative medicine physicians at Minnesota Regenerative Medicine are among only a few in the region to offer stem cell treatments to relieve pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis (OA) and chronic tendinitis. Stem Cell therapy at Minnesota Regenerative Medicine refers to the use of an adult patients own stem cells, which are derived from the patients own adipose tissue. During the stem cell harvesting procedure, surgeons use manual liposuction to extract stem cells from the patients adipose tissue. These stem cells, also called mesenchymal stem cells, are responsible for regenerating and rebuilding the body. Once isolated and concentrated, the stem cells are then injected into the patients damaged joint or tendon or musculoskeletal tissue using real time fluoroscopy or ultrasound guidance to ensure proper placement.

A stem cell treatment represents a complex process that involves multiple steps and takes several hours to perform. Because the stem cell therapy uses the patients own cells, there is no chance of rejection. At Minnesota Regenerative Medicine, strict FDA guidelines in the use of stem cells are followed, and at no time are stem cells manipulated, expanded or grown in culture. Not all prospective patients are suitable candidates for stem cell injection therapy. See the list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) to determine what makes someone a suitable candidate.

Stem cell therapy is currently being used in orthopedic conditions such as:

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Stem Cell Treatment - Minnesota Regenerative Medicine

The specialty of regenerative medicine at Minnesota Regenerative Medicine focuses on the bodys natural ability to repair, replace, and regenerate damaged or aging tissues, and to restore functionality.

Using stem cell therapy, a patient can tap into their bodys ability to regenerate and heal itself by using the healthy regenerative cells found throughout the body. The stem cell treatment offerings available at Minnesota Regenerative Medicine make it possible to harvest these regenerative cells from a patients adipose tissue, then inject them back into the patient at sites of degeneration and injury to restore and repair aging or damaged cells to effectively regenerate tissue in the body. Stem cell therapy allows patients with painful osteoarthritic joints and chronic tendinitis to receive non-surgical orthopedic care on an outpatient basis without being exposed to the dangers inherent with general anesthesia and orthopedic surgery.

The specific type of stem cell treatments being offered at Minnesota Regenerative Medicine is designed for patients with joint or tendon pain due to osteoarthritis or chronic tendinitis involving the knee, shoulder, hip, ankle/foot, wrist/hand, elbow and Achilles tendon.

While stem cell treatments have been used for decades to treat a variety of diseases, stem cell therapy in orthopedic and sports medicine is relatively new. This treatment is for suitable candidates only and presently is not a covered benefit of Medicare or private insurance. At Minnesota Regenerative Medicine, stem cell treatment is neither a research study, nor clinical study.

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Home - Minnesota Regenerative Medicine

Q. Im in doubt regarding myelodysplasia is it multipotent or pluripotent?

A. Thats a great question because it lets us talk about hematopathology (yay!) and also stem cells (which can be confusing unless someone explains some simple stuff).

What is a stem cell? First, lets talk about stem cells. The thing that makes a stem cell a stem cell, at least in my mind, is the ability to self-renew. This means that the stem cell can either divide into two daughter cells which will mature into grown up cells, or (and more commonly) it can give rise to two cells: one that will become a mature cell, and another which retains the capacity to divide again. Its called asymmetric division: instead of giving rise to two of the same cells, you get one regular cell and another stem cell (which can continue this cycle of replication for a long long time).

(Virtually) limitless replication Most cells have a limited number of times that they can divide. This is because the telomeres (little protective DNA sequences) on the end of the chromosomes get a little shorter every time the DNA replicates and eventually they are so short that they cant protect the DNA and the cell is unable to divide. Stem cells and cancer cells have an enzyme called telomerase that replenishes the telomeres, keeping them nice and long so the cell can keep on dividing. Stem cells do eventually die so technically, there are a limited number of cell divisionsbut its a really, really big number. Cancer cells, on the other hand, are often totally immortal they can just keep on dividing and dividing.

Totipotent Another cool thing about stem cells is that they can give rise to many different kinds of cells. Heres where things can get murky. There are stem cells in an embryo which are able to give rise to any of the cell types in the body: hepatocytes, epithelial cells, neurons, cardiac muscle cellseverything. This makes sense: if youre going to grow into a human, you have to have cells that give rise to all the necessary cell types. These stem cells are called totipotent or pluripotent stem cells. Theres a slight difference between the two words: totipotent means that the stem cell can give rise to any and all human tissue cells and it can even give rise to an entire functional human. The only totipotent cells in human development are the fertilized egg and the cells in the next few cell divisions.

Pluripotent After those few cell divisions, the cells become pluripotent. Pluripotent cells are similar to totipotent cells in that they can give rise to any and all human tissue cells. Theyre different, though, because they are not capable of giving rise to an entire organism. On day four of development, the tiny little embryo forms two layers: one that will become the placenta and the other that will become the baby. The cells that will become the baby can give rise to any human tissue type (obviously) but those cells alone cant give rise to the entire organism (because you cant form the baby without the placenta). Slight difference but enough to make a separate term.

Multipotent Another term you should know is multipotent. Multipotent stem cells cannot give rise to any old cell in the body they are restricted to a limited range of cell types. For example, there are multipotent stem cells in the bone marrow that can give rise to red cells, white cells and platelets. They cant give rise to hepatocytes, or any other cell type, though so they are not totipotent or pluripotent.

There are lots of multipotent stem cells in the adult human body. They reside in the bone marrow, skin, muscle, GI tract, endothelium, and mesenchymal tissues. This means that there is a nice source for replacing cells that have died or been sloughed away.

What about myelodsyplasia? So back to your question. Myelodysplasia is a hematopoietic disorder in which cells in the bone marrow grow funny (dysplasia) they might be binucleate, or not have the normal number of granules, or whatever. In addition, some cases have an increase in blasts in the bone marrow but not over 20%, or youd call it an acute leukemia. Some cases transform, eventually, into an acute myeloid leukemia; others just stay the way they are and dont become nasty.

Check out the image above, from a case of myelodysplasia. There is a bizarre, multinucleated erythroblast at 11 oclock (this is called dyserythropoiesis, or disordered red cell growth). There are also two messed-up neutrophils (dysgranulopoiesis) at 4 oclock and 10 oclock the one at 4 oclock has only two nuclear lobes, and both are hypogranular (not enough specific granulation). Theres also an increase in blasts, if this field is representative: theres one in the middle and (probably) one at 5 oclock.

This disorder (actually, its a group of disorders) involves stem cells in the bone marrow. Sometimes only one cell line is involved (red cells, say); other times all three cell lines are involved (red cells, white cells and platelets). Either way, the disorder involves a stem cell, and since the stem cells in the bone marrow are multipotent, it would be correct to say that myelodysplasia is a disorder of multipotent stem cells in the bone marrow. Its kind of redundant, though, because as far as we know, there arent any other kind of stem cells in the bone marrow! But at least you know the answer to your question now.

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Multipotent vs. pluripotent stem cells - Pathology Student

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO)A Minnesota man living with Lou Gehrigs Disease is hoping a unique treatment can help him defy the odds.

Fifty-one-year-old Steve Stefano was diagnosed with ALS in 2011.

The one-time long distance runner from Hugo is now in a wheelchair and needs a ventilator to breathe.

I would run sixmiles a day before I got sick, Stefano said.

As the saying goes, Stefano was living the dream. The former high school quarterback married his high school sweetheart. They had a son together, and life was good. That was until 2011, when pain in his shoulders eventually led to a life-changing diagnosis. Steve had ALS.

Denial, Stefano said. I didnt want to believe it. It was a hard day.

Steve now spends his days in his living room, and he needs around-the-clock care.

Instead of going out for a run, a ceiling track helps him get from his recliner to the bathroom. And a ventilator keeps him breathing.

But despite losing control of his life, Stefano still has hope.

Last month, Stefano made a grueling, cross-country trip to see a doctor at the Peace Wellness Center in Phoenix, Arizona. She performed a relatively new procedure on Stefano. She took stem cells from his fat tissue and injected them into his shoulders, legs and other problem areas.

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Minnesota Man With ALS Hopes Stem Cells Save His Life ...

This degree program offers training in stem cell biology, which is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field that rests on foundations provided by molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. Students will take lecture, lab, and seminar classes in these various disciplines, in addition to stem cell biology. They will interact with members of the Stem Cell Institute through participation in research seminars and journal clubs, and will spend a full calendar year conducting stem cell research in the laboratory of a Stem Cell Biology Graduate Program faculty member. This research will form the basis of the Masters thesis.

This program is an excellent preparation for work in academic and bioscience industry settings.

Since the first Stem Cell Institute in the United States was founded at the University of Minnesota in 1999, many universities have established their own stem cell centers, (e.g., Wisconsin, Connecticut, Vanderbilt, Oregon, and several in California). This area of research is rapidly expanding, and funding from the State and Federal level is being invested. As projects move from the academic to the applied science area, bioscience companies will increasingly take up the technology and will be in need of skilled staff. Important companies currently engaged in this area include Merck, Pfizer, Novartis, and Geron. All of this activity, in both academic and commercial settings, is creating a demand for trained staff, which in turn will lead to more demand for relevant education.

The minor in Stem Cell Biology is available to students in relevant Ph.D. programs such as MCDB&G, MICaB, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, or Bioengineering who have an interest in stem cell biology. Students pursuing this minor will undertake their main research project in the laboratory of a member of the Stem Cell Biology Graduate Program faculty.

The Stem Cell Biology Training Program provides pre-doctoral training in stem cell biology, the clinical applications of stem cells, and the ethical issues related to stem cell research. The goal of the training program is to provide trainees with the essential tools to establish successful careers.

The program provides coursework and hands-on training that will train students to make advancements in the basic biological study of stem cells and to develop new stem cell-based clinical therapies.

Download a graduate program brochure.

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Graduate Programs - MED - Stem Cell Institute, University ...