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Newswise LOS ANGELES (Feb. 6, 2014) A Cedars-Sinai research team led by Paul W. Noble, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine and director of the Women's Guild Lung Institute, has been awarded $628,816 by Californias stem cell agency to develop a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a deadly disease that destroys the lungs and damages other vital organs.

The illness, which has no cure and few effective treatments, thickens and hardens lung tissue, leaving the organs badly scarred. Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis have great difficulty breathing and the chronic reduction in oxygen damages vital organs. The cause of the disease is not clearly understood and many people live only three to five years after diagnosis.

Lung fibrosis occurs when the lung is unable to repair itself properly after injury or infection, said Noble. Some people are more susceptible to developing fibrosis, and we currently dont understand why the normal repair and renewal of lung cells stops occurring in these patients.

The two-year study will build upon preliminary research completed at Cedars-Sinai by Noble and physician researcher Dianhua Jiang, MD, PhD. They uncovered important clues to the precise way normal lung stem cell repair occurs and how a cure might be developed.

Currently, there is no therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The only effective therapy is lung transplantation, which we do here at Cedars-Sinai, said Noble. But if successful, our research will result in a completely novel approach to the treatment of lung diseases, allowing for the renewal and repair of the patients cells.

This phase of Nobles research will involve the study of laboratory mice and human tissue to further identify the exact mechanisms necessary for stem cells to repair damage to the lungs.

Funding these awards highlights our commitment to advancing the field with the most cutting-edge approaches and to help deepen our understanding of every aspect of stem cells, to help us find new treatments, and even cures for the deadliest diseases, said Jonathan Thomas, PhD, JD, chair of the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

This award is a reflection of the highest peer recognition of Dr. Nobles scholarly efforts to discover novel approaches for understanding pathogenesis and new therapies for lung disorders, said Shlomo Melmed, MD, senior vice president for academic affairs, dean of the medical faculty and the Helene A. and Philip E. Hixon Chair in Investigative Medicine.

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Director of Women's Guild Lung Institute Awarded Stem Cell Grant to Study Treatment for Lung Disease

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

6-Feb-2014

Contact: Anne Holden anne.holden@gladstone.ucsf.edu 415-734-2534 Gladstone Institutes

SAN FRANCISCO, CAFebruary 6, 2014A cure for type 1 diabetes has long eluded even the top experts. Not because they do not know what must be donebut because the tools did not exist to do it. But now scientists at the Gladstone Institutes, harnessing the power of regenerative medicine, have developed a technique in animal models that could replenish the very cells destroyed by the disease. The team's findings, published online today in the journal Cell Stem Cell, are an important step towards freeing an entire generation of patients from the life-long injections that characterize this devastating disease.

Type 1 diabetes, which usually manifests during childhood, is caused by the destruction of -cells, a type of cell that normally resides in the pancreas and produces a hormone called insulin. Without insulin, the body's organs have difficulty absorbing sugars, such as glucose, from the blood. Once a death sentence, the disease can now be managed with regular glucose monitoring and insulin injections. A more permanent solution, however, would be to replace the missing -cells. But these cells are hard to come by, so researchers have looked towards stem cell technology as a way to make them.

"The power of regenerative medicine is that it can potentially provide an unlimited source of functional, insulin-producing -cells that can then be transplanted into the patient," said Dr. Ding, who is also a professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), with which Gladstone is affiliated. "But previous attempts to produce large quantities of healthy -cellsand to develop a workable delivery systemhave not been entirely successful. So we took a somewhat different approach."

One of the major challenges to generating large quantities of -cells is that these cells have limited regenerative ability; once they mature it's difficult to make more. So the team decided to go one step backwards in the life cycle of the cell.

The team first collected skin cells, called fibroblasts, from laboratory mice. Then, by treating the fibroblasts with a unique 'cocktail' of molecules and reprogramming factors, they transformed the cells into endoderm-like cells. Endoderm cells are a type of cell found in the early embryo, and which eventually mature into the body's major organsincluding the pancreas.

"Using another chemical cocktail, we then transformed these endoderm-like cells into cells that mimicked early pancreas-like cells, which we called PPLC's," said Gladstone Postdoctoral Scholar Ke Li, PhD, the paper's lead author. "Our initial goal was to see whether we could coax these PPLC's to mature into cells that, like -cells, respond to the correct chemical signals andmost importantlysecrete insulin. And our initial experiments, performed in a petri dish, revealed that they did."

The research team then wanted to see whether the same would occur in live animal models. So they transplanted PPLC's into mice modified to have hyperglycemia (high glucose levels), a key indicator of diabetes.

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Scientists reprogram skin cells into insulin-producing pancreas cells

Poway, California (PRWEB) January 31, 2014

Vet-Stem, Inc., the leading Regenerative Veterinary Medicine company is proud to announce their co-sponsorship of the Veterinary Orthopedic Society/North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association Regenerative Medicine sessions at the fourth World Veterinary Orthopaedic Congress. The Congress will be taking place at the Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge, Colorado from March 1st through the 8th of this year.

Vet-Stem has always supported the Veterinary Orthopedic Society (VOS) and the North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association (NAVRMA) in the promotion of education and new information in the veterinary industry. The VOS/NAVRMA Regenerative Medicine sessions at the Congress will be discussing and presenting topics concerning sources of stem cells as well as use of stem cells and other cellular therapies for ligament, tendon, and cartilage injuries in dogs and horses.

Robert Harman, DVM, Founder and CEO Vet-Stem spoke recently at the NAVRMA Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. His presentation titled One Medicine and Collaboration for Rapid Development of Cell Therapy showed a model and examples of collaborations between commercial, academic, human and veterinary groups to the betterment of all medical progress. He illustrated how veterinary stem cell medicines have impacted the clinical progress of human stem cell medicines development.

Dr. Harman pulls from his biotechnology and veterinary experience to help Vet-Stem perfect the clinical application of regenerative therapies for various types of injuries, illnesses, and other healing-promoting applications. Vet-Stem is leading in the development for regenerative medicine in the veterinary field, with over 10,000 animals treated in the last 10 years.

About Vet-Stem, Inc. Vet-Stem, Inc. was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the veterinary profession. The privately held company is working to develop therapies in veterinary medicine that apply regenerative technologies while utilizing the natural healing properties inherent in all animals. As the first company in the United States to provide an adipose-derived stem cell service to veterinarians for their patients, Vet-Stem, Inc. pioneered the use of regenerative stem cells in veterinary medicine. The company holds exclusive licenses to over 50 patents including world-wide veterinary rights for use of adipose derived stem cells. In the last decade over 10,000 animals have been treated using Vet-Stem, Inc.s services, and Vet-Stem is actively investigating stem cell therapy for immune-mediated and inflammatory disease, as well as organ disease and failure. For more on Vet-Stem, Inc. and Veterinary Regenerative Medicine visit http://www.vet-stem.com or call 858-748-2004.

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Vet-Stem, Inc. Proudly Sponsors the Regenerative Medicine Sessions at the Fourth World Veterinary Orthopaedic Congress

In a feat that experts say is a significant advance for regenerative medicine, scientists have discovered a surprisingly simple method for creating personalized stem cells that doesnt involve human embryos or tinkering with DNA.

Two studies published Wednesday in the journal Nature describe a novel procedure for reprogramming the blood cells of newborn mice by soaking the cells in a mildly acidic solution for 30 minutes. This near-fatal shock caused the cells to become pluripotent, or capable of growing into any type of cell in the body.

When the reprogrammed cells were tagged and injected into a developing mouse, they multiplied and grew into heart, bone, brain and other organs, the scientists found.

It was really surprising to see that such a remarkable transformation could be triggered simply by stimuli from outside of the cell, said lead study author Haruko Obokata, a biochemistry researcher at the RIKEN research institute in Japan. Very surprising.

The simplicity of the technique, which Obokata and her colleagues dubbed stimulus triggered acquisition of pluripotency, or STAP, caught many experts off-guard.

So you mistreat cells under the right conditions and they assume a different state of differentiation? Its remarkable, said Rudolf Jaenisch, a pioneering stem cell researcher at MIT who was not involved in the study. Lets see whether it works in human cells, and theres no reason why it shouldnt.

Obokata said that researchers had already begun experiments on human cells, but offered no details.

VIDEO: A beating heart, grown from STAP stem cells

Due to their Zelig-like ability to form any number of specialized cells, pluripotent stem cells are considered the basic building blocks of biology. Scientists are working on ways to use them to repair severed spinal cords, replace diseased organs, and treat conditions as varied as diabetes, blindness and muscular dystrophy.

By using stem cells spawned from the patients own cells, replacement tissues would stand less of a chance of being attacked by the patients own immune system, researchers say. That would spare patients the need to undergo a lifetime regimen of dangerous, immune-suppressing drugs.

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Scientists report making stem cells in about 30 minutes

In a feat that experts say is a significant advance for regenerative medicine, scientists have discovered a surprisingly simple method for creating personalized stem cells that doesnt involve human embryos or tinkering with DNA.

Two studies published Wednesday in the journal Nature describe a novel procedure for reprogramming the blood cells of newborn mice by soaking the cells in a mildly acidic solution for 30 minutes. This near-fatal shock caused the cells to become pluripotent, or capable of growing into any type of cell in the body.

When the reprogrammed cells were tagged and injected into a developing mouse, they multiplied and grew into heart, bone, brain and other organs, the scientists found.

It was really surprising to see that such a remarkable transformation could be triggered simply by stimuli from outside of the cell, said lead study author Haruko Obokata, a biochemistry researcher at the RIKEN research institute in Japan. Very surprising.

The simplicity of the technique, which Obokata and her colleagues dubbed stimulus triggered acquisition of pluripotency, or STAP, caught many experts off-guard.

So you mistreat cells under the right conditions and they assume a different state of differentiation? Its remarkable, said Rudolf Jaenisch, a pioneering stem cell researcher at MIT who was not involved in the study. Lets see whether it works in human cells, and theres no reason why it shouldnt.

Obokata said that researchers had already begun experiments on human cells, but offered no details.

VIDEO: A beating heart, grown from STAP stem cells

Due to their Zelig-like ability to form any number of specialized cells, pluripotent stem cells are considered the basic building blocks of biology. Scientists are working on ways to use them to repair severed spinal cords, replace diseased organs, and treat conditions as varied as diabetes, blindness and muscular dystrophy.

By using stem cells spawned from the patients own cells, replacement tissues would stand less of a chance of being attacked by the patients own immune system, researchers say. That would spare patients the need to undergo a lifetime regimen of dangerous, immune-suppressing drugs.

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New method makes stem cells in about 30 minutes, scientists report

Durham, NC (PRWEB) January 29, 2014

In a study just published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, researchers have found what might prove to be a rich new source of adult stem cells for use in regenerative medicine the tissue normally discarded during routine hip replacement surgery. With well over 300,000 hip replacements taking place each year in the United States alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control, this tissue might provide an unprecedented source of autologous stem cells for aging patients and have profound implications in clinical use, the scientists say.

In hip replacement surgery, the femoral head and part of the neck are resected to accommodate the neck of the implant. Typically this tissue is discarded, yet it may provide an untapped source of autologous stem cells for aging adults who were born a generation too early to benefit from banking of tissues like umbilical cord blood at birth, Melissa Knothe Tate, Ph.D., of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, the leader of the study. Teaming with an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Ulf Knothe of the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, the Institutional Review Board-approved study was a global effort with scientists from Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

The aim of the study was to determine the feasibility of using the patients own tissue removed during routine joint replacement to potentially heal and/or repair failing organs and to treat diseases. The team collected cells from the periosteum, a fibrous membrane of connective tissue that snugly covers all bones, of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA) who underwent hip replacement surgery. These periosteum derived cells (PDCs), from patients ranging in age from 30 to 72 years, were compared with commercial bone marrow stem cells derived from prenatal donors on up to 72-years-old of undetermined health.

Based on the results, the PDCs exhibited remarkable similarities to the bone marrow cells cultured under identical laboratory conditions. They also showed no significant differences in their ability to differentiate into other cells due to the donors age or disease state.

The use of periosteum tissue that is discarded with the femoral neck in replacing the hip is highly novel, as it represents an unprecedented and to date unstudied source of stem cells from OA and RA patients, Dr. Knothe Tate and her team noted further.

Dr. Ulf Knothe, the leading clinical scientist on the study, concluded, Use of stem cells from periosteum may open up unprecedented opportunities for the treatment of disease and tissue/organ failure in aging osteoarthritic patients who are increasingly in need of novel therapeutic interventions.

This study, believed to be the first to show the feasibility of isolating cells from periosteal tissue, suggests a potential new source of cells for patients future use, said Anthony Atala, M.D., editor of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Of course, followup studies must address how banking affects cell viability.

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The full article, Arthritic periosteal tissue from joint replacement surgery: A novel, autologous source of stem cells, can be accessed at http://www.StemCellsTM.com.

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Hip Replacements Might Provide “Untapped” Source of Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine

Why Stem Cell ARTS? The Art Of Regenerative Medicine - Dr. Rober Wagner
Dr Robert Wagner talks about the advanced regenerative medicine therapies and treatments available at StemCell ARTS, an affiliate of National Spine and Pain ...

By: StemCell ARTS

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Why Stem Cell ARTS? The Art Of Regenerative Medicine - Dr. Rober Wagner - Video

(PRWEB) January 28, 2014

The Magaziner Center for Wellness is a licensed New Jersey regenerative and holistic medicine facility that has been serving the Garden State and the surrounding areas for the last twenty five years. As a primary source of platelet-rich plasma therapy treatment, generally performing well over 100 procedures of PRP alone per month, the Magaziner Center for Wellness features this treatment as a means of alleviating thousands of patients problematic symptoms. Even though this procedure has been regarded as up and coming, Dr. Allan Magaziner and Dr. Scott Greenberg have been utilizing PRP and stem cell technology for years. This integrative medical clinic uses both natural and nontoxic techniques to both prevent and reverse any chronic or debilitating illnesses that degrade a patients quality of life.

Situated in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, this platelet-rich plasma and stem cell location features custom-tailored blueprints for pain management patients. We have innovated therapies such as the correction of the pelvic tilt/leg length discrepancy, have served on stem cell research boards, authored the original PRP guidelines, and also serve as stem cell and PRP consultants to major biotechnology corporations.

Dr. Magaziner and Greenbergs medicine methods also include diagnostics such as the latest laboratory-testing technologies and state-of-the-art treatment methods that are designed to best assess your bodys biochemistry in order to prevent disease and to maintain optimal health. Patients, who are suffering from a condition such as chronic back pain, neck pain, foot and ankle problems, or even headaches, can find appropriate healing at this Cherry Hill platelet-rich plasma doctor.

The lovely area of Cherry Hill, New Jersey is a family-friendly suburb that rests nearly fifteen quick minutes away from the metropolitan hub of Philadelphia. Recognized as the commercial center of southern New Jersey, this area features many different options that visitors could enjoy such as fashion shopping, fine dining and various types of entertainment. Our staff is quite capable of assisting travel for patients from the regional area in addition to around the country and around the world.

The Magaziner Center for Wellness focuses on proper dieting regimens, appropriate nutritional supplements, regular exercise and the maximum optimizing of a patients bodily functions. With a unique procedure such as prolotherapy, this Cherry Hill prolotherapy office manages to permanently stabilize joints and provide immense healing benefits, whereas other treatments provide only temporary relief and patients experience recurring symptoms. Providing Camden County patients with some of the states most cost-effective healthcare, Dr. Magaziner, Greenberg and Magaziner Center for Wellness strays completely clear from any of the minimized health resources that have let patients down in the past.

While this platelet-rich plasma injection location is located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, all regenerative medical services are extended to the entire region of Camden County. Additionally, the outer lying towns and cities of Pennsauken, Maple Shade, Collingswood, Haddonfield, Audubon, Cinnaminson, Voorhees, Gloucester City, Washington Township, Philadelphia, Moorestown, Bellmawr and Marlton are all extended these amazing prolotherapy services. Our doctors have not only helped our local and international communities, but have helped professional athletes at every level from high school, to Olympic, to Pro.

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Cherry Hill Prolotherapy Office Specializes in Treating New Jersey Pain Patients with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) January 23, 2014

Bioquark, Inc., (http://www.bioquark.com) a company focused on the development of combinatorial biologics for regeneration and disease reversion in human organs and tissues, today announces the appointment of Dr. Joel I. Osorio MD, as VP of International Clinical Development.

We are honored to have someone with Dr. Osorios experience join us as we execute on a globalized clinical strategy, said Ira S. Pastor, CEO, Bioquark Inc. His broad clinical experience in functional anti-aging regenerative and stem cell based medicine make him a very valuable addition to the Bioquark team.

Dr. Osorio brings over 9 years of experience in medical practice, both in the private practice and public medical settings. Currently the medical director of the medical spa Bamboo Rejuvenecimiento Facial y Coporal (http://www.bamboobelleza.com), Dr. Osorio has served in capacities in both private and public practice, as a hospital staff physician, and as emergency health services coordinator for a variety of private and public institutions throughout Mexico. He earned MD degrees at both Westhill University and the National Autonomous University of Mexico as a medical surgeon, has diplomas in aesthetic medicine from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara, is an Advance Fellow by the American Board of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine (http://www.a4m.com/joel-osorio-bamboo-rejuvenecimiento-facial-y-corporal-naucalpan-estado-de-mxico.html), is a visiting scholar at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in dermatology, a fellow in stem cell medicine by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and University of South Florida, and currently is completing additional masters work in metabolic and nutrition sciences at University of South Florida. Dr. Osorio is also a member of the round table of ReGeNeRaTe Laboratories Mexico Committee (a DNAge-Lab Company), and has been actively working in the applied stem cell field since 2007. In 2011, Dr. Osorio became a member of the International Cellular Medicine Society, is a PRP certified practitioner in aesthetic and regenerative fields, and from 2009 to 2012 managed the blood bank at Ruben Lenero public hospital. Dr. Osorio frequently appears on Mexican national television programs and interviews regularly as a speaker on the topic of anti-aging (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4SvkBTS-P0) as well as contributes in various magazines and periodicals on anti-aging related subjects.

I am very excited about the candidates being developed at Bioquark and their very novel approach to human regeneration and disease reversion, as well as the broader biological programs focused on anti-aging," said Dr. Osorio. "I'm pleased to be joining the team and am looking forward to playing a more active role in this truly transformational platform."

About Bioquark, Inc. Bioquark Inc. (http://www.bioquark.com) is focused on the development of biologic based products that have the ability to alter the regulatory state of human tissues and organs, with the goal of curing a wide range of diseases, as well as effecting complex regeneration. Bioquark is developing biological pharmaceutical candidates, as well as products for the global consumer health and wellness market segments.

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Bioquark Inc. Appoints Dr. Joel I. Osorio MD, Specialist in Functional Anti-Aging Regenerative and Stem Cell Medicine ...

Tampa, FL (PRWEB) January 21, 2014

Regenerative Medicine Solutions (RMS), a global provider of stem cell treatments for degenerative diseases, is now offering Regenerative ColoTherapy (RCT), a proprietary stem cell treatment for people suffering with celiac and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) are two of the most notable conditions that fall under the IBD umbrella, affecting millions of people across the United States and the world.

It is estimated that there are 1.4 million cases of Crohns and colitis in the United States, which roughly translates to the population size of Philadelphia. Although Crohns, colitis, and celiac disease are very different conditions, affecting different areas of the intestines, treatment options are similar and mainly consist of diet modification, anti-inflammatories, and immunosuppressants.

In severe cases, sufferers use the restroom over 20 times a day and may require surgery to remove part of their intestine or colon. As you can imagine, symptoms of these disorders take a heavy toll on sufferers quality of life. Andrew, a 26-year-old RMS patient that suffers from ulcerative colitis underwent the Regenerative ColoTherapy.

For three years, I suffered from diarrhea, bleeding, painful stomach cramping, and being completely drained of energy, Andrew said. 90 days following the RCT procedure, I noticed considerable improvements in my symptoms. My bowel movements went from upwards of 20 times a day to less than five. This procedure was invaluable and in my opinion the best option for treating this disease.

As stem cells have the ability to differentiate into many different types of tissues and have been found to be immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory in nature, their intrinsic healing capacity is highly beneficial for sufferers of celiac disease and IBD. RMS has harnessed the natural properties of stem cells in the form of Regenerative ColoTherapy, a unique stem cell treatment that utilizes stem cells from a patients own body for the regeneration and repair of damaged tissues in the intestines and colon.

Regenerative ColoTherapy treatments are being performed RMSs headquarters in Tampa, FL where it also operates its subsidiary company Lung Institute. To learn more about RCT or to schedule a free consultation call today at 1-855-469-5864.

About Regenerative Medicine Solutions

Regenerative Medicine Solutions (RMS) is a leading global provider of stem cell treatments for the treatment of an array of debilitating medical conditions. Notably, RMS performs Regenerative ColoTherapy an innovative treatment for people with celiac disease and IBD. For more information, visit MyRegenMed.com or call us today at 1-855-469-5864.

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Stem Cell Therapies for Celiac Disease and IBD Now Offered in the United States