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Category Archives: Stem Cell Therapy

Nature Reports on Lee Hood Conflict Case

Posted: May 22, 2013 at 4:18 pm

The journal Nature and genomeweb.com
today picked up the story from the California Stem Cell Report about
the conflict of interest case at the California stem cell agency involving renown scientist Lee Hood of
Seattle, Wash.

Science news aggregators on the
Internet also relayed various versions of the story. The facts were
first reported on this blog yesterday. The matter involved a $24
million application for a genome project involving Irv Weissman of
Stanford. Hood was one of the reviewers in the round. Hood and
Weissman are longtime friends and own property together in Montana.
They have also have a number of professional relationships.
In piece by Ewen Callaway, Nature
additionally referred to ongoing conflict of interest issues at the agency,
including the findings of an Institute of Medicine study. Harold Shapiro, head of the study, said the agency directors make "proposals to themselves, essentially, regarding what should be funded. They cannot exert independent oversight." 
The genomeweb item was also brief and
did not mention the IOM study.

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/xBpF71FS1Ys/nature-reports-on-lee-hood-conflict-case.html

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Grant Reviewer Conflict in $40 Million Round at California Stem Cell Agency

Posted: May 21, 2013 at 5:59 pm

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Text of CIRM Comments on Lee Hood Questions

Posted: May 21, 2013 at 5:58 pm

Here is the full text of the statement
today by Kevin McCormack, senior director for public communications
at the California stem cell agency, in connection with the conflict
of interest issue involving Lee Hood, president of Institute for
Systems Biology
of Seattle, Wash. See here for a story on the matter.

McCormack's comments came in response
to the following questions from the California Stem Cell Report.

“Did (CIRM President Alan) Trounson
recruit Hood to serve on the grants working group?

“Does CIRM perform any sort of
serious examination of the statements of interests of its scientific
reviewers prior to specific review sessions. The conflict involving
Weissman and Hood was easily detected by a Google search. The first
two entries on the search term "lee hood irv weissman"
raise serious red flags. Additionally, I imagine it is more than
common knowledge among many in the scientific community that
these two scientists are longtime friends.”

Here is McCormack's reply,

“Alan helps recruit many reviewers,
including in this case Dr. Hood, but he is not involved in assigning
reviewers to individual applications. Furthermore he expects all
reviewers to declare whatever conflicts they have.  

“Yes, we do a serious examination of
statements of interest from all our reviewers. However, this conflict
was not identified by the reviewer either in the financial disclosure
statement or identified in the conflict of interest list. Normally we
do not check Google for all possible combinations of 15 GWG reviewers
times about 200 individuals listed in these applications. That would
be about 3000 independent Google searches to identify a possible
conflict. While this relationship may be known to some it certainly
was not known to the CIRM staff who checked the conflicts. If it had
been they would have raised it before the meeting.

“It's also important to point out
that Dr. Hood was a new member of this review panel and was not
familiar with our conflict of interest rules. This was clearly a case
of a new reviewer making an innocent error.

“Finally, CIRM’s rules are stricter
than state law, and this would not have been a conflict under
California conflict of interest law.”

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/1ndmVIt2OlQ/text-of-cirm-comments-on-lee-hood.html

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Sports Medicine New Frontiers: Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP) and Stem Cell Therapy

Posted: May 20, 2013 at 8:49 pm

CLEARWATER, Fla., May 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sports Medicine is always at the forefront of innovative medical technology. Athletes are constantly striving to improve. Records are broken as humans run faster, jump higher, and strive for higher levels of performance. Athletes expose their bodies to more wear and tear as performance increases. Scientific training principles and diet have changed drastically over time. Technological breakthroughs have also impacted the rehabilitation process. The use of regenerative medicine has grown significantly in recent years. The popularity of Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP) has escalated as many high profile elite athletes from a diverse array of sports have opted for this treatment. The likes of Kobe Bryant, Rafael Nadal, and Tiger Woods garner ample press coverage when they are treated for injuries. Stem Cell Therapy becomes headlines when Peyton Manning undergoes this treatment. The goal of regenerative medicine therapies is to aid the body to heal itself. Understanding and accepting stem cell therapies for athletic injuries and sports medicine is gathering keen interest.

Dr. Dennis Lox, http://www.drlox.com a Sports and Regenerative Medicine Physician in the Tampa Bay Florida area, comments that the scientific backdrop of cell signaling and inflammatory mediators has led to a new understanding of how tissues heal. This also explains why injured tissues fail to heal, and is why the aging athlete recovers and heals more slowly than his younger counterpart. It is felt that the use of growth factors in Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP) is a localized cellular response to control negative repair processes and direct healing toward a positive restorative pathway. This directional approach to control repair, is more complex in stem cells, and as such, may be more effective for healing injured tissue. The stem cells are the body's repair cells that direct the necessary patterns of cellular messenger signals to target the repair process. It is not a simple chemical reaction where two chemicals react and one outcome results. There are a myriad of complicated molecules that interact to direct the repair process, and to counter the effects of a multitude of other molecules and signals regulating the breakdown or degradation of tissue. Dr. Lox points out, it is overcoming the many undesirable messages that occur with injury, whereby regenerative medicine may enhance sports injury recovery. Athletes are in need of rapid recovery to avoid losing peak conditioning. Aging athletes do not heal as effectively. Finding successful measures to aid the body in the healing naturally, is desirable for athletes and in preventing degenerative arthritis. Understanding the scientific rationale for the use of Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP) and Stem Cell Therapy, may pave the way for the expansive role for these treatments in future directions for athletic injury.

About Dr. Dennis Lox Dr. Lox practices in the Tampa Bay Florida area. Dr. Lox is a Sports and Regenerative Medicine Physician, who specializes in the use of regenerative and restorative medicine to assist in treating athletic and arthritis conditions. Dr. Lox may be reached at (727) 462-5582 or visit Drlox.com.

Excerpt from:
Sports Medicine New Frontiers: Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP) and Stem Cell Therapy

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Treatment of a patient with Parkinson's Disease using stem cell therapy – Video

Posted: May 19, 2013 at 7:49 am


Treatment of a patient with Parkinson #39;s Disease using stem cell therapy
Here we demonstrate how a patient who suffers from Parkinson #39;s Disease has benefited from stem cell therapy with us in Panama.

By: SCRMPanama

Continued here:
Treatment of a patient with Parkinson's Disease using stem cell therapy - Video

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Weissman Says Oregon-style Stem Cell Research Could be Done in California

Posted: May 19, 2013 at 3:10 am

Stanford researcher Irv Weissman says it
is “not true” that Oregon's stem cell research could not be done
legally in California.

Weissman said, 

"Not true. They did
it with nearly 40 percent efficiency, which does not require paying
for eggs, just use leftovers from IVF clinics."

There is no question that it is illegal
to pay donors for their eggs in California. The question is whether
the research could be done without using paid donors. In recent
years, researchers at Harvard and elsewhere have said they needed paid donors to properly perform their research
and could not find them without providing compensation.
We have queried Shoukhrat Mitalipov in
Oregon concerning his views on Weissman's comments. We welcome other
comments as well. Comments can be filed directly by clicking on the word "comment" at the end of this item or you can email them to djensen@californiastemcellreport.com
We should also note the comment from
researcher Paul Knoepfler of UC Davis who notes that SCNT cloning is
permissible in California, which is what was done in Oregon. The
state does ban reproductive cloning, however.

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/vlJ5XeK4AOU/weissman-says-oregon-style-stem-cell.html

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Replicating Oregon Cloning in California: Views on the Legality

Posted: May 19, 2013 at 3:10 am

Oregon's stem cell cloning achievement
has triggered some discussion about whether it could be replicated
legally in California, which bans paying for eggs as was done in
Oregon.

Stanford researcher Irv Weissman said
it is “not true” that Oregon's stem cell research would be
illegal in California. Leftovers from IVF clinics could be used, he said.
But in response Oregon researcher
Shoukhrat Mitalipov said that “SCNT (the process he used) did not
work with discarded human eggs.”
He added,

 “SCNT worked with eggs from
healthy young volunteers (paid of course). IVF patients (whether paid
or not) have reproductive health problems and may not provide
acceptable quality eggs for SCNT.” 

Weissman said,

 "Not true. They did
it with nearly 40 percent efficiency, which does not require paying
for eggs, just use leftovers from IVF clinics."

There is no question that it is illegal
to pay donors for their eggs in California. The question is whether
the research could be done properly without using paid donors. In recent
years, researchers at Harvard and elsewhere have said they needed paid donors for stem cell research to properly perform their research
and could not find them without providing compensation.

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/IimgOYxndkg/replicating-oregon-cloning-in.html

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Oregon-style Stem Cell Cloning Research Illegal in California: No Pay for Eggs in Golden State

Posted: May 19, 2013 at 3:10 am

The good news out of Oregon is that
some diligent scientists in the Beaver State have accomplished a
major advance in stem cell research --- the cloning of human stem
cells.

That bad news is that their research
would have been illegal in California, and probably will be banned
for decades, if not longer – thanks to Proposition 71 of 2004.
The proposition was the ballot
initiative that created the $3 billion California stem cell agency,
which is hailed internationally as being one of the world leaders in
financing stem cell science. Unfortunately, the 10,000-word
initiative also contains language that was aimed at winning voter
approval of the measure -- not promoting good science.
The team writing the initiative, led by
Robert Klein, the former and first chairman of the stem cell agency,
put in a provision that made it illegal to pay women for their eggs.
The Oregon researchers paid women $3,000 to $7,000 each for their eggs, reflecting the current market rate based on prices paid in
connection with IVF. In some cases for IVF, the compensation is
dramatically higher. (See here and here.) Stem cell researchers in
recent years in the United States have found that they cannot secure
an adequate number of donors without matching IVF donor compensation.
While compensation for eggs is a matter
of some controversy, strong cases have been made that women
should make their own decisions about selling their eggs – not the what some call the nanny state. Of course, that should occur under well-regulated
situations. But Proposition 71 backers wanted to remove any possible
campaign objections by opponents of stem cell research, and so they
inserted the ban along with management minutia and other dubious
material.
Can't that be changed, one might ask?
Not without a herculean effort. That means another ballot measure or
a super, super majority vote in the California legislature plus the
signature of the governor. Imagine a measure on the ballot to
allow women to sell their eggs. The uproar would be heard
internationally. In 2004, when Proposition 71 was approved, it would
have been better to leave the compensation issue unaddressed. Then it
could have been dealt with through regulation or normal legislation,
both of which are far more flexible than ballot measures that alter
the state Constitution and state law.
Our quick and limited survey of the
news coverage indicated that many of the mainstream media stories
omitted the price of the eggs, which may suggest that the issue of
compensation is becoming moot.
In related news about the Oregon
accomplishment, UC Davis stem cell researcher Paul Knoepfler has
posted a good look at the some of the misinformation that is
surfacing on the Internet about the research, including its
implications.
He said,

“Keep in mind that on day one of the
iPS cell era in the stem cell field we had a huge number of
misconceptions because we simply had so much to learn. Same is true
here.”

Jessica Cussins over at the
Berkeley-based Biopolitical Times also has a solid roundup of the
coverage of the Oregon research and the analysis of its significance.
Here are links to two blog items from
the California stem cell agency on the Oregon research, including one
dealing with “cloning hysteria” and a more general look.

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/A4AXZfPs3dc/oregon-style-stem-cell-cloning-research.html

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A Patent War on iPS: One Researcher’s View

Posted: May 19, 2013 at 3:10 am

As the California stem cell agency
pushes ever more aggressively to turn research into cures, the second
largest share of its awards, in terms of numbers of grants, has gone
to efforts involving induced pluripotent cells, also known as
reprogrammed adult cells.

But questions do exist whether those
efforts can surmount barriers that have to do with patents and
ownership of the intellectual property.
UC Davis stem researcher and blogger
Paul Knoepfler discussed some of the problems in a post yesterday. He wrote,

“All the talk and the slew of
publications about potentially using iPS cells to develop therapies
to help patients is exciting in theory, but unfortunately the reality
is that it is not entirely clear if most researchers are, from a
legal standpoint, even allowed to develop and commercialize iPS
cell-based therapies at all.

“The patent landscape for iPS cells
is complicated to put it mildly. A
Google patent search for “induced pluripotent stem cells”
produced almost 200,000 results
.

“A search for “cellular
reprogramming produced more than 1,000
results
.
I’m not sure all of these results are
really separate patents, but still….that’s a big complicated
mess.…..

“It is no exaggeration to say
there are likely dozens of institutions around the world wanting to
commercialize iPS cell-based products.

“Will they all have to pay expensive
licensing fees or end up in court?
…or will the patent holders
voluntarily and freely allow others to commercialize iPS cell-based
medical treatments?

“I don’t think so.

“This could get really messy.”

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/ZX0PoUag-pE/a-patent-war-on-ips-one-researchers-view.html

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Klein, StemCells, Inc., and $31,000 in Consulting Fees for Torres

Posted: May 19, 2013 at 3:10 am

The Robert Klein-StemCells, Inc.,
affair has taken another turn with the disclosure that a vice
chairman of the California stem cell agency was paid at least $31,000
over a two-year period by Klein and also voted on behalf of Klein's
effort to win approval of a $20 million award for StemCells, Inc.

Art Torres received what he reported were
consulting fees during 2011 and 2012 from firms controlled by Klein, former chairman of
the agency. In 2012, Torres backed Klein's
efforts to override grant reviewers' rejection of the $20 million
application from the Newark, Ca., publicly traded firm.
Art Torres, center, with Bob Klein, left, at Klein's last meeting in
2011 as chairman of the California stem cell agency.
 Incoming chairman Jonathan Thomas is at right. 

The 29-member board of the California
Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)
, as the agency is formally
known, narrowly voted 7-5 last September for the award. It was the
first time that the board has approved an application rejected twice
by its scientific reviewers. It was also the first time that Klein
has lobbied the board on behalf of a specific application since
stepping down in June 2011. He was elected chairman in 2005 as the
agency was just beginning its work and is an iconic figure to many in
the California stem cell community.

Asked for comment last week by the
California Stem Cell Report, Torres said,

"My decision to support an award
to StemCells, Inc. to explore the use of neural stem cell
transplantation to treat Alzheimer's disease was based on the merits
of the application and the hope it offers to patients who suffer from
Alzheimer's, a disease that affects millions, including Bob Klein's
late mother. I have no financial interest in StemCells, Inc. nor does
Bob Klein, and my decision to support the award has no connection
whatsoever to the work I do with Bob Klein."

Kevin McCormack, senior director for
public communications at CIRM, said that Torres' statement would be
the only comment on the matter from the agency.
Klein did not respond to questions,
declaring that personal issues were occupying his time.
The California Stem Cell Report's
questions to all three dealt with the propriety of Torres' employment
by both CIRM and Klein while Klein was asking the board to award a
business $20 million. The governing board has a code of conduct that
declares members should “maintain the highest standards of
integrity and professionalism.” However, it does not speak to
questions of appropriate employment by CIRM directors outside of the
agency.
In January 2012, Torres authored a document discussing CIRM's conflict of interest rules. He said they
are intended “to eliminate even the appearance of impropriety.”
He also referred to CIRM's policy on “incompatible activities”
for employees. It deals with activities that could “discredit”
the agency or that are “inimical” to it. However, it does not
specifically deal with the type of situation involving Torres and
Klein, who is a real estate investment banker and attorney. The policy additionally does not address cases where a
governing board member is also an employee of the agency.
Torres' economic disclosure statements,
which are required by state law, contain only broad ranges for compensation, and the amount could be significantly higher than
$31,000. Torres reported that in 2011 he was paid between $10,001 and
$100,000 by both Klein Financial Corp. and K CP Cal, which share the
same address as Klein's offices in Palo Alto. In 2012, Torres reported receiving between $10,001 and $100,000 from K CP Cal and
between $1,001 and $10,000 from Klein Ventures LLC, which also has
the same address.
Torres reported that the payments were
consulting fees and that the firms dealt with real estate. He did not
respond to requests for more details.
Torres earns $225,000 a year in his part-time role as one of two vice chairmen for the agency. Under the
arrangement, he works four days a week.
Torres was chairman of the state
Democratic Party and a longtime state legislator. He was nominated
for vice chairman in 2009 by state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, among
others.
Last week, another financial
arrangement involving Klein surfaced in connection with the
StemCells, Inc., application. Klein gave the agency $21,000 last May,two months before he pitched the board on the StemCells, Inc.,application. The donation was not reported to the board prior to
Klein's appearances before the panel. The agency's regulations
require such gifts to be reported to the board but do not specify a
time frame. Following inquiries from the California Stem Cell Report,
the agency said it would report the donation at the agency board
meeting next week.
Klein's donation financed a trip by six
CIRM science officers to Japan for an international stem cell
conference. The agency directed the officers to give special access
to Klein. Two of the officers were heavily involved in the grant
round that included the StemCells, Inc., application, which scientific reviewers scored at 61 on a scale of 100.

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/7zwWISe_LMA/klein-stemcells-inc-and-31000-in.html

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