Category Archives: Stem Cell Therapy

Northern Exposure by Emmet Pierce, San Diego Business Journal, August 16, 2010. Excerpt:

An example of San Diegans collaborating with Canadians is the work that has taken place at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center in cooperation with research at the University of Toronto. The partnership has enabled San Diego researchers to acquire a $20 million grant to develop drugs to be used against leukemia stem cells, Barr says.Dr. Catriona Jamieson, director of the stem cell research program at the Moores center, said scientists from Toronto and San Diego share "a deep and abiding interest in cancer stem cell biology." The Canadian consulate in San Diego was instrumental in helping to create a relationship in which both institutions would benefit, sharing information and applying for funds to support their research.

"The idea was to establish a Canada-California cancer stem cell initiative and obtain connections with Canadian funding agencies, particularly Genome Canada and the Ministry of Health," she said.

Jamieson added, "The most important thing is it allows people with disparate abilities and backgrounds to work together on the same problem."

Barr said the University of Toronto also was able to secure a $20 million research grant because of the collaboration, "so the team is greater than the sum of its parts."

Northern Exposure by Emmet Pierce, San Diego Business Journal, August 16, 2010. Excerpt:

An example of San Diegans collaborating with Canadians is the work that has taken place at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center in cooperation with research at the University of Toronto. The partnership has enabled San Diego researchers to acquire a $20 million grant to develop drugs to be used against leukemia stem cells, Barr says.Dr. Catriona Jamieson, director of the stem cell research program at the Moores center, said scientists from Toronto and San Diego share "a deep and abiding interest in cancer stem cell biology." The Canadian consulate in San Diego was instrumental in helping to create a relationship in which both institutions would benefit, sharing information and applying for funds to support their research.

"The idea was to establish a Canada-California cancer stem cell initiative and obtain connections with Canadian funding agencies, particularly Genome Canada and the Ministry of Health," she said.

Jamieson added, "The most important thing is it allows people with disparate abilities and backgrounds to work together on the same problem."

Barr said the University of Toronto also was able to secure a $20 million research grant because of the collaboration, "so the team is greater than the sum of its parts."

Oxygen in Stem Cell Biology: A Critical Component of the Stem Cell Niche by Ahmed Mohyeldin, Tomás Garzón-Muvdi and Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, Cell Stem Cell 2010(Aug 6); 7(2): 150-61. Review. [PubMed citation][FriendFeed entry]. Via Twitter @CellStemCell: Access [to the full text] is free in August worldwide so readers can try out new enhanced online format.

Abstract:

The defining hallmark of stem cells is their ability to self-renew and maintain multipotency. This capacity depends on the balance of complex signals in their microenvironment. Low oxygen tensions (hypoxia) maintain undifferentiated states of embryonic, hematopoietic, mesenchymal, and neural stem cell phenotypes and also influence proliferation and cell-fate commitment. Recent evidence has identified a broader spectrum of stem cells influenced by hypoxia that includes cancer stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. These findings have important implications on our understanding of development, disease, and tissue-engineering practices and furthermore elucidate an added dimension of stem cell control within the niche.

Oxygen in Stem Cell Biology: A Critical Component of the Stem Cell Niche by Ahmed Mohyeldin, Tomás Garzón-Muvdi and Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, Cell Stem Cell 2010(Aug 6); 7(2): 150-61. Review. [PubMed citation][FriendFeed entry]. Via Twitter @CellStemCell: Access [to the full text] is free in August worldwide so readers can try out new enhanced online format.

Abstract:

The defining hallmark of stem cells is their ability to self-renew and maintain multipotency. This capacity depends on the balance of complex signals in their microenvironment. Low oxygen tensions (hypoxia) maintain undifferentiated states of embryonic, hematopoietic, mesenchymal, and neural stem cell phenotypes and also influence proliferation and cell-fate commitment. Recent evidence has identified a broader spectrum of stem cells influenced by hypoxia that includes cancer stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. These findings have important implications on our understanding of development, disease, and tissue-engineering practices and furthermore elucidate an added dimension of stem cell control within the niche.

The following is an excerpt from the August 3, 2010 Breakthrough Technology Alert, published by Agora Financial. Agora Financial is a fully independent publisher and has no financial connections to companies listed below. Breakthrough Technology Alert's editor is industry expert Patrick Cox. Patrick is renowned for his innovative forecasts and keeping readers "ahead of the story".

For more information about Patrick Cox and Breakthrough Technology Alert please visit http://www.agorafinancial.com

ISCO Collaborations Accelerate

Last week, I told you about International Stem Cell Corp.'s (OTCBB: ISCO) new European subsidiary, ISCO Europe. That announcement closely followed an announced alliance with a leading Indian provider of corneal transplants. Now ISCO has announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement for its Lifeline brand of human cell culture products in India.

Jeffrey Janus, senior vice president of operations of ISCO and CEO of its subsidiary Lifeline, said in a press release, Sristi Biosciences is part of one of the most experienced biotechnology companies in India and the first to advance cell therapy into human trials in that country. Their network among academic and corporate researchers and experience and capacity to import and handle primary cell cultures, media and growth factors in India will be highly valuable for Lifeline to continue the international commercial expansion of its brand.

For transformational profits,

Patrick Cox

To learn more about Patrick Cox and Breakthrough Technology Alert please click here. © 2010 by Agora Financial, LLC. 808 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21202. All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means or for any reason without the consent of the publisher. The information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be reliable; however, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

The following is an excerpt from the August 3, 2010 Breakthrough Technology Alert, published by Agora Financial. Agora Financial is a fully independent publisher and has no financial connections to companies listed below. Breakthrough Technology Alert's editor is industry expert Patrick Cox. Patrick is renowned for his innovative forecasts and keeping readers "ahead of the story".

For more information about Patrick Cox and Breakthrough Technology Alert please visit http://www.agorafinancial.com

ISCO Collaborations Accelerate

Last week, I told you about International Stem Cell Corp.'s (OTCBB: ISCO) new European subsidiary, ISCO Europe. That announcement closely followed an announced alliance with a leading Indian provider of corneal transplants. Now ISCO has announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement for its Lifeline brand of human cell culture products in India.

Jeffrey Janus, senior vice president of operations of ISCO and CEO of its subsidiary Lifeline, said in a press release, Sristi Biosciences is part of one of the most experienced biotechnology companies in India and the first to advance cell therapy into human trials in that country. Their network among academic and corporate researchers and experience and capacity to import and handle primary cell cultures, media and growth factors in India will be highly valuable for Lifeline to continue the international commercial expansion of its brand.

For transformational profits,

Patrick Cox

To learn more about Patrick Cox and Breakthrough Technology Alert please click here. © 2010 by Agora Financial, LLC. 808 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21202. All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means or for any reason without the consent of the publisher. The information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be reliable; however, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

Scientists at UCLA find cell of origin for human prostate cancer by Kim Irwin, UCLA Newsroom, July 29, 2010. Excerpts:

"Certainly, the dominant thought is that human prostate cancer arose from the luminal cells because the cancers had more features resembling luminal cells," said Witte, senior author of the study and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. "But we were able to start with a basal cell and induce human prostate cancer, and now, as we go forward, this gives us a place to look in understanding the sequence of genetic events that initiates prostate cancer and defining the cell-signaling pathways that may be at work fueling the malignancy, helping us to potentially uncover new targets for therapy."

.....

The new human-in-mouse model system developed in the study was created by taking healthy human prostate tissue that will induce cancer once it is placed in mice, instead of taking malignant tissue that is already cancerous and implanting it. This model can now be used to evaluate the effectiveness of new types of therapeutics. By using defined genetic events to activate specific signaling pathways, researchers can more easily compare therapeutic efficacy. The new model, by deconstructing tissue and then reconstructing it, also will aid in analyzing how the cells change during cancer progression.

This news release is based on the publication: Identification of a Cell of Origin for Human Prostate Cancer by Andrew S Goldstein and 5 co-authors, including Owen N Witte, Science 2010(Jul 30); 329(5991): 568-71. [PubMed citation][FriendFeed entry][Twitter trackbacks via Topsy].

Scientists at UCLA find cell of origin for human prostate cancer by Kim Irwin, UCLA Newsroom, July 29, 2010. Excerpts:

"Certainly, the dominant thought is that human prostate cancer arose from the luminal cells because the cancers had more features resembling luminal cells," said Witte, senior author of the study and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. "But we were able to start with a basal cell and induce human prostate cancer, and now, as we go forward, this gives us a place to look in understanding the sequence of genetic events that initiates prostate cancer and defining the cell-signaling pathways that may be at work fueling the malignancy, helping us to potentially uncover new targets for therapy."

.....

The new human-in-mouse model system developed in the study was created by taking healthy human prostate tissue that will induce cancer once it is placed in mice, instead of taking malignant tissue that is already cancerous and implanting it. This model can now be used to evaluate the effectiveness of new types of therapeutics. By using defined genetic events to activate specific signaling pathways, researchers can more easily compare therapeutic efficacy. The new model, by deconstructing tissue and then reconstructing it, also will aid in analyzing how the cells change during cancer progression.

This news release is based on the publication: Identification of a Cell of Origin for Human Prostate Cancer by Andrew S Goldstein and 5 co-authors, including Owen N Witte, Science 2010(Jul 30); 329(5991): 568-71. [PubMed citation][FriendFeed entry][Twitter trackbacks via Topsy].