Category Archives: Regenerative Medicine

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) September 16, 2014

New Organ, a collective initiative for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, announced today the initial six teams competing for the New Organ Liver Prize, a global prize competition sponsored by the Methuselah Foundation, a biomedical charity. The prize challenge will award $1,000,000 to the first team that creates a regenerative or bioengineered solution that enables a large animal to live 90 days without native liver function.

Initial teams represent scientists from Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research, University College of London, University of Florida, University of Oxford, University of Pittsburgh, and Yokohama City University. Additional teams are under review and will be announced in the future.

New Organ Founder and Methuselah CEO David Gobel: We are gratified to see the initial interest in the Liver Prize. We are doing this because of the millions who need new organs. Organ disease, and the associated organ shortage, represents one of the greatest medical challenges that can be solved. A scientific foundation has been built over the last 15 years to pursue the vision of organs on demand. Its time for a significant societal commitment to that vision.

The prize teams are led by:

Dr. Tahera Ansari (Team Hepavive): Pursuing the decell-recell approach to bioengineering a liver. Dr. Stephen Badylak (Team Badylak): A pioneer in biologic scaffolds using extracellular matrix. Dr. Eric Lagasse (Team Ectogenesis): Grew mini-livers inside the lymph nodes of mice with liver disease. Dr. Bryon Petersen (Team Petersen): An authority on the role of hepatic stem cells in liver pathology. Dr. Takanori Takebe (Team Organ Creative): Created tiny liver buds that grew and functioned in mice. Dr. Basak Uygun (Team HepaTx): First to report proof-of-principle transplantation of engineered liver grafts.

Representing distinguished leaders within regenerative medicine, the Founding Fellows of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) remarked: We strongly and enthusiastically endorse New Organ. Regenerative medicine has made significant advances in the past 15 years and the New Organ Liver Prize represents a golden opportunity for the next leap forward. The public and the medical community will realize a remarkable clinical benefit with the availability of off the shelf whole livers obviating the need for donor organs, and the medical health care system will simultaneously benefit. We hope this forward-looking effort sets the standard that inspires other initiatives to focus all the resources of regenerative medicine on solving major health care challenges.

About New Organ:

New Organ is a collective initiative tackling organ disease by building a prize portfolio and global alliance of partners committed to advancing breakthroughs in bioengineering, banking, and regenerating vital organs, starting with the liver. It is designed to be a collaborative network of government, industry, and philanthropic organizations working together for the benefit of society. In December 2013, the New Organ Liver Prize was launched at the World Stem Cell Summit with $1 million in initial funding from the Methuselah Foundation. Learn more at http://neworgan.org.

About Methuselah Foundation:

Continued here:
Initial Six Teams to Compete for New Organ Liver Prize

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

16-Sep-2014

Contact: Dov Smith dovs@savion.huji.ac.il 972-258-82844 The Hebrew University of Jerusalem @HebrewU

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a new cocktail that is highly effective at coaxing adult cells to become quality pluripotent stem cells.

Regenerative medicine is a new and expanding area that aims to replace lost or damaged cells, tissues or organs through cellular transplantation. Because stem cells derived from human embryos can trigger ethical concerns, a good solution is reprogramming adult cells back to an embryo-like state using a combination of reprogramming factors.

The resulting cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), could be used to replace those lost to damage or disease. However, scientists have discovered that the process of reprogramming adult cells can introduce genetic abnormalities that limit the cells' usefulness in research and medicine.

To make iPSCs, scientists expose adult cells to a cocktail of genes that are active in embryonic stem cells. iPSCs can then be coaxed to differentiate into other cell types such as nerve or muscle. However, the standard combination of factors used to reprogram cells leads to a high percentage of serious genomic aberrations in the resulting cells. (The reprogramming factors are Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and Myc known collectively as OSKM).

Now researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a new cocktail of reprogramming factors that produce high-quality iPSCs. Dr. Yosef Buganim, at the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada in the Hebrew University's Faculty of Medicine, worked with scientists at the lab of Whitehead Institute founding member Rudolf Jaenisch, a professor of biology at MIT.

The researchers reasoned that changing the reprogramming factors could reprogram the adult cells in a more controlled way and yield high-quality iPSCs. Working with mouse cells, Dr. Buganim and research scientist Styliani Markoulaki used bioinformatic analysis to design a new cocktail of reprogramming factors (Sall4, Nanog, Esrrb, and Lin28, known collectively as SNEL).

Their results showed that the interaction between reprogramming factors plays a crucial role in determining the quantity and quality of resulting iPSCs and that a different combination of reprogramming factors can in fact produce a much higher quality product.

Continued here:
Scientists create therapy-grade stem cells using new cocktail to reprogram adult cells

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) September 16, 2014

New Organ, a collective initiative for regenerative medicine, announced today the initial six teams competing for the New Organ Liver Prize, a global prize competition sponsored by the Methuselah Foundation, a biomedical charity. The prize challenge will award $1,000,000 to the first team that creates a regenerative or bioengineered solution that enables a large animal to live 90 days without native liver function.

Initial teams represent scientists from Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research, University College of London, University of Florida, University of Oxford, University of Pittsburgh, and Yokohama City University. Additional teams are under review and will be announced in the future.

New Organ Founder and Methuselah CEO David Gobel: We are gratified to see the initial interest in the Liver Prize. We are doing this because of the millions who need new organs. Organ disease, and the associated organ shortage, represents one of the greatest medical challenges that can be solved. A scientific foundation has been built over the last 15 years to pursue the vision of organs on demand. Its time for a significant societal commitment to that vision.

The prize teams are led by:

Dr. Tahera Ansari (Team Hepavive): Pursuing the decell-recell approach to bioengineering a liver. Dr. Stephen Badylak (Team Badylak): A pioneer in biologic scaffolds using extracellular matrix. Dr. Eric Lagasse (Team Ectogenesis): Grew mini-livers inside the lymph nodes of mice with liver disease. Dr. Bryon Petersen (Team Petersen): An authority on the role of hepatic stem cells in liver pathology. Dr. Takanori Takebe (Team Organ Creative): Created tiny liver buds that grew and functioned in mice. Dr. Basak Uygun (Team HepaTx): First to report proof-of-principle transplantation of engineered liver grafts.

Representing distinguished leaders within regenerative medicine, the Founding Fellows of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) remarked: We strongly and enthusiastically endorse New Organ. Regenerative medicine has made significant advances in the past 15 years and the New Organ Liver Prize represents a golden opportunity for the next leap forward. The public and the medical community will realize a remarkable clinical benefit with the availability of off the shelf whole livers obviating the need for donor organs, and the medical health care system will simultaneously benefit. We hope this forward-looking effort sets the standard that inspires other initiatives to focus all the resources of regenerative medicine on solving major health care challenges.

About New Organ:

New Organ is a collective initiative tackling organ disease by building a prize portfolio and global alliance of partners committed to advancing breakthroughs in bioengineering, banking, and regenerating vital organs, starting with the liver. It is designed to be a collaborative network of government, industry, and philanthropic organizations working together for the benefit of society. In December 2013, the New Organ Liver Prize was launched at the World Stem Cell Summit with $1 million in initial funding from the Methuselah Foundation. Learn more at http://neworgan.org.

About Methuselah Foundation:

Continued here:
Six Teams to Compete for New Organ Liver Prize

Kolkata: India's top public healthcare establishment, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, is in talks with the Ohio State University (OSU) to set up the country's first comprehensive regenerative medicine centre that will open up avenues in research and development and introduce revolutionary techniques.

Regenerative medicine, a broad subject, deals with the "process of creating living, functional tissues to repair or replace tissue or organ function lost due to age, disease, damage or congenital defects".

Proposed to be established on a small scale, initially on the ninth floor of the newly-inaugurated Convergence Block at AIIMS, the proposed hub will come up in partnership with the American public research varsity's Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Cell-Based Therapies (CRMCBT), known for its pioneering efforts in the field.

CRMCBT director Chandan Sen said the expertise and advisory will be provided by OSU, which ranks second in the US on industry-sponsored research among public schools.

"This venture will introduce a new discipline of medicine to India's premier seat of academic medicine and CRMCBT will provide expertise and advisory. There is a substantial need for regenerative medicine in India," Sen told IANS in an email interaction.

Sen is a tenured Professor of Surgery and Executive Director of the varsity's Comprehensive Wound Center.

Regenerative medicine involves injection of stem cells or progenitor cells (cell therapies), the induction of regeneration by biologically active molecules administered alone or as a secretion by infused cells and transplantation of in vitro or lab grown organs and tissues.

Amit K. Dinda, a professor at the AIIMS Department of Pathology, who is spearheading the project, said the focus would be on amalgamating various disciplines including stem cell technology, biomedical science, tissue engineering and material science.

"The demand is huge in India... one example is burns and acid attack victims. Regenerative medicine is a broad subject and we are working towards an alliance of physicians, surgeons and scientists," Dinda told IANS on the phone.

It will be funded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).

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AIIMS, US varsity tie-up on India's first regenerative medicine centre

SINGAPORE: The Republic now has a research institute to improve treatment and seek cures through research for cardiovascular diseases. The facility was launched on Friday (Sep 5) at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Scientific Congress 2014, a platform to showcase the latest medical developments.

The 4,000-square-meter National Heart Research Institute Singapore is located in the Singapore General Hospital campus, and will focus on areas such as heart function and genetics, and regenerative medicine.

A joint venture by National Heart Centre Singapore and Duke-NUS, the research institute seeks to be a leading facility in cardiovascular research in Singapore and the Asian region. It is helmed by renowned cardiovascular research expert Professor Stuart Cook.

Research efforts were given a boost with a gift of S$3 million from Tanoto Foundation. Of this amount, S$2.5 million will be used to set up the Tanoto Foundation Professorship in Cardiovascular Medicine, and S$500,000 will fund the Tanoto Foundation Initiative for Genetics and Stem Cell research.

NEW MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS

At the congress, some of the latest medical developments were showcased. One of the breakthroughs was the discovery of novel genes for age-related cataract, a global leading cause of blindness, by the Singapore Eye Research Institute in partnership with Duke-NUS and the Genome Institute of Singapore at A*STAR.

These findings will improve clinician's understanding of the disease and pave the way for further research on how to target the genes to delay cataract formation. The two-day congress will see more than 2,500 delegates.

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Research institute to improve treatment for heart diseases

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Newswise LOS ANGELES (Sept. 4, 2014) An interdisciplinary research team in the Cedars-Sinai Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Regenerative Medicine Institute and Department of Surgery received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop the first imaging technique used to identify biomarkers that could indicate patients have a painful, degenerative back condition.

Biomarkers are certain body substances, such as proteins or body fluids that can indicate specific health conditions. When noninvasive imaging procedures can identify exactly where the biomarkers are, researchers may alleviate the need for painful and invasive diagnostic procedures and, in the future, provide targeted, stem cell-based therapies to patients with the condition.

More than 85 percent of the United States population suffers from low back pain, much of which is caused by intervertebral disc degeneration. Disc degeneration is a progressive condition, resulting in chronic pain in the back and neck. For some patients, degeneration can occur for years before pain sets in, presenting symptoms, while others are affected almost immediately.

As described in an article in the journal Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, identifying the exact disc that is the source of pain by employing the latest imaging techniques may save patients from painful and invasive diagnostic procedures, such as procedures in which physicians inject a contrast agent or non-toxic dye into patients spinal discs.

The goal of our institute is to develop and apply novel imaging techniques that translate to clinical significance, said Debiao Li, PhD, director of the Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, corresponding author of the article and a co-principal investigator on the NIH grant. This imaging technology may allow us to do just this. By mapping a patients lower spinal region, we can identify the discs causing discomfort, which allows physicians to then treat accordingly.

In the study, investigators developed various imaging techniques using magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, which can identify specific biomarkers to potentially provide a noninvasive diagnostic approach to intervertebral disc degeneration. The approach, which has been tested on patients and in the laboratory, enabled investigators to precisely pinpoint the origin of pain and monitor the progression of each patients condition.

With this imaging technique, investigators in the Regenerative Medicine Institute aim to generate a stem cell-based therapeutic for patients suffering from the degenerative condition.

Our research team is interested in the role of stem cells in this disease and how we can utilize these cells to regenerate the disc and turn it back into a functional tissue, said Dan Gazit, PhD, co-principal investigator on the grant and director of the Skeletal Regeneration and Stem Cell Therapy Laboratory in the Department of Surgery, the Skeletal Program in the Regenerative Medicine Institute and the Molecular and Micro Imaging Core Facility. Using this novel imaging technique, we will be able to evaluate the effect of our future stem cell therapies on back pain.

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Researchers Developing Noninvasive Method for Diagnosing Common, Painful Back Condition

Dr Adam Miller Talks Modern Medicine
Dr. Miller has experience as an oral and facial cosmetic surgeon, sleep apnea specialist, skin cancer expert, and is stem cell/ regenerative medicine and Age Management certified. He helped...

By: adam miller

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Dr Adam Miller Talks Modern Medicine - Video

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

2-Sep-2014

Contact: Karen Richardson krchrdsn@wakehealth.edu 336-716-4453 Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Winston-Salem, N.C. Sept. 2, 2014 What if repairing large segments of damaged muscle tissue was as simple as mobilizing the body's stem cells to the site of the injury? New research in mice and rats, conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine, suggests that "in body" regeneration of muscle tissue might be possible by harnessing the body's natural healing powers.

Reporting online ahead of print in the journal Acta Biomaterialia, the research team demonstrated the ability to recruit stem cells that can form muscle tissue to a small piece of biomaterial, or scaffold that had been implanted in the animals' leg muscle. The secret to success was using proteins involved in cell communication and muscle formation to mobilize the cells.

"Working to leverage the body's own regenerative properties, we designed a muscle-specific scaffolding system that can actively participate in functional tissue regeneration," said Sang Jin Lee, Ph.D., assistant professor of regenerative medicine and senior author. "This is a proof-of-concept study that we hope can one day be applied to human patients."

The current treatment for restoring function when large segments of muscle are injured or removed during tumor surgery is to surgically move a segment of muscle from one part of the body to another. Of course, this reduces function at the donor site.

Several scientific teams are currently working to engineer replacement muscle in the lab by taking small biopsies of muscle tissue, expanding the cells in the lab, and placing them on scaffolds for later implantation. This approach requires a biopsy and the challenge of standardizing the cells.

"Our aim was to bypass the challenges of both of these techniques and to demonstrate the mobilization of muscle cells to a target-specific site for muscle regeneration," said Lee.

Most tissues in the body contain tissue-specific stem cells that are believed to be the "regenerative machinery" responsible for tissue maintenance. It was these cells, known as satellite or progenitor cells, that the scientists wanted to mobilize.

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Research in rodents suggests potential for 'in body' muscle regeneration

New York, California (PRWEB) August 28, 2014

The Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group announces a series of free public seminars on the use of adult stem cells for various degenerative and inflammatory conditions. They will be provided by Dr. Thomas A. Gionis, Surgeon-in-Chief, and, Dr. Nia M. Smyrniotis, Medical Director.

The seminars will be held on Wednesday, September 3, 2014, at 2pm and 4pm at the City Limits Diner, at 135 Harvard Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902. Please RSVP at (917) 410-7391.

The Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group is an affiliate of the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center, which abide by investigational protocols using adult adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) which can be deployed to improve patients quality of life for a number of degenerative and chronic inflammatory conditions and diseases. ADSCs are taken from the patients own adipose (fat) tissue (found within a cellular mixture called stromal vascular fraction (SVF). ADSCs are exceptionally abundant in adipose tissue. The adipose tissue is obtained from the patient during a 15 minute mini-liposuction performed under local anesthesia in the doctors office. SVF is a protein-rich solution containing mononuclear cell lines (predominantly adult autologous mesenchymal stem cells), macrophage cells, endothelial cells, red blood cells, and important Growth Factors that facilitate the stem cell process and promote their activity.

ADSCs are the body's natural healing cells - they are recruited by chemical signals emitted by damaged tissues to repair and regenerate the bodys injured cells. The Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group and the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center only use Adult Autologous Stem Cells from a person's own fat No embryonic stem cells are used. Current areas of study include: Emphysema, COPD, Asthma, Heart Failure, Parkinsons Disease, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohns Disease, and degenerative orthopedic joint conditions. For more information, or if someone thinks they may be a candidate for one of the adult stem cell protocols offered by the Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group or Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center, they may contact Dr. Gionis or Dr. Nia directly at (917) 410-7391, or see a complete list of the Centers study areas at: http://www.MiamiStemCellsUSA.com or http://www.NYStemCellsUSA.com.

About Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group and the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center: The Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group and The Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center is an affiliate of the Cell Surgical Network (CSN); they are located in Manhattan, NY; Miami, Boca Raton, and Orlando, Florida. We provide care for people suffering from diseases that may be alleviated by access to adult stem cell based regenerative treatment. We utilize a fat transfer surgical technology to isolate and implant the patients own stem cells from a small quantity of fat harvested by a mini-liposuction on the same day. The investigational protocols utilized by the Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group and the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center have been reviewed and approved by an IRB (Institutional Review Board) which is registered with the U.S. Department of Health, Office of Human Research Protection; and the study is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). For more information visit our website: http://www.MiamiStemCellsUSA.com or http://www.NYStemCellsUSA.com.

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Adult Stem Cell Public Lecture New York Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group

Learn about Bioheart Inc. (BHRT)
Kristin Comella, Chief Science Officer for Bioheart (BHRT), discusses the company #39;s research using stem cell technology and regenerative medicine products.

By: Bioheart Inc.

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Learn about Bioheart Inc. (BHRT) - Video