Category Archives: Stem Cell Treatments

19-12-2011 14:50 Katie Sharify, 23, of Pleasanton, receives stem cells for a spinal cord injury.

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Stem cell therapy at VMC - Video

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA and SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - Feb 6, 2012) - Benitec Biopharma (ASX: BLT) and Medistem (PINKSHEETS: MEDS) announced today the successful treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in preclinical models using Benitec Biopharma's patented gene silencing technology applied to stem cell-derived immune system cells called dendritic cells. The studies, which were led by Dr. Wei-Ping Min of the University of Western Ontario, were published in the "Journal of Translational Medicine" on the 31st January 20121. Benitec Biopharma's CEO Dr Peter French and Medistem's scientist Dr Rosalia De Nochea Champion were co-authors on the paper.

"In 2003, Dr Wei-Ping Min's group, together with Medistem's CEO Dr Thomas Ichim, were the first to apply the technology of RNA Interference to the immune system, by silencing the autoimmune disease-associated gene IL-12p352," said Dr. Peter French. "In the current paper, Dr. Min expanded these studies to a disease-relevant model, and using stem cell-derived dendritic cells was capable of developing promising preclinical data relevant to rheumatoid arthritis."

By specifically "silencing" various genes, Benitec Biopharma's ddRNAi technology is capable of modulating stem cells outside of the body, in order to endow them with new desired therapeutic activities. The first clinical study which combined stem cell therapy with Benitec Biopharma's ddRNAi technology was in a trial of AIDS-related lymphoma patients, the results of which were published in 2010 and showed the safety and feasibility of the approach3.

In the current paper, ddRNAi was used to generate dendritic cells that acted as a "tolerogenic vaccine," which specifically blocked the pathological immune response in rheumatoid arthritis, without blocking healthy immune responses. It is contemplated that by blocking pathological immunity, ddRNAi-modified stem cell-based therapies, such as those being developed by Medistem, could provide novel treatment and curative approaches to tissue that has been damaged. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis the tissue would be cartilage and synovium.

"Medistem is the first company to take a stem cell from discovery to clinical trials in the short span of four years," said Dr. Weiping Min. "This is a unique example of merging basic research, as performed in my laboratory with the translational expertise of Dr. Ichim's company."

Medistem has previously published work in the area of rheumatoid arthritis, however the company's main efforts are currently focused on heart failure, for which it has started the RECOVER-ERC 60 patient double blind, dose escalating, placebo controlled trial using its Endometrial Regenerative Cell (ERC) universal donor stem cell. The company also has a critical limb ischemia trial recently approved by the FDA.

"In our opinion the Benitec Biopharma technology platform is the only means of inducing the stable expression of gene silencing in a stem cell," said Dr. Ichim, CEO of Medistem. "Given that Benitec Biopharma has pioneered ddRNAi for human therapy, and has been involved in applying it to stem cell manipulation, we are eager to continue our collaborations and finding means of leveraging the unique properties of the ERCs with the transformational technology of ddRNAi to develop novel cell therapies for a range of chronic life-threatening human diseases."

"Benitec Biopharma and Medistem are in discussions as to how to advance this work both in rheumatoid arthritis and in a range of other disease states that would lend themselves to such a novel combination therapy," Dr. French added.

About Medistem
Medistem Inc. is a biotechnology company developing technologies related to adult stem cell extraction, manipulation, and use for treating inflammatory and degenerative diseases. The company's lead product, the endometrial regenerative cell (ERC), is a "universal donor" stem cell being developed for critical limb ischemia and heart failure. A publication describing the support for use of ERC for this condition may be found at http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/pdf/1479-5876-6-45.pdf.

Cautionary Statement This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of our securities. This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking information. Factors which may cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements are discussed in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About Benitec Biopharma

Benitec Biopharma Ltd is developing novel treatments for chronic and life-threatening conditions based on targeted gene-silencing activity using a transformational technology: DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi) -- sometimes called expressed RNAi. The technology's potential to address unmet medical needs and to cure disease results from its demonstrated ability to permanently silence genes which cause the condition. Importantly, this technology's target gene and related gene pathways will rarely have presented as a therapeutic avenue for research for the traditional small molecule agents, currently accounting for the majority of today's pharmaceutical products.

Benitec now either owns or exclusively licenses from CSIRO more than 40 granted or allowed patents in the field of RNA interference for human therapeutic applications. Patents have been granted in key territories such as the USA, the UK, Japan, Europe, Canada and Australia. In addition, Benitec has almost 50 patent applications pending for which it is the owner or exclusive licensee from CSIRO, and has further intellectual property under development as a result of its pipeline program.

Founded in 1997 and trading publicly since 2001, Benitec Biopharma is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) under the symbol "BLT." Benitec aims to deliver a range of novel ddRNAi-based therapeutics to the clinic in partnership with the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to its focused R&D strategy in infectious diseases, cancer and chronic cancer-associated pain, Benitec Biopharma is pursuing programs with licensees.

References
1 Li, R et al. Gene silencing of IL-12 in dendritic cells inhibits autoimmune arthritis. "Journal of Translational Medicine" 2012, 10:19 doi:10.1186/1479-5876-10-19.
2 Hill JA et al. Immune modulation by silencing IL-12 production in dendritic cells using small interfering RNA. "The Journal of Immunology," 2003, 171: 691-696.
3 DiGiusto DL et al. RNA-based gene therapy for HIV with lentiviral vector-modified CD34+ cells in patients undergoing transplantation for AIDS-Related Lymphoma. "Science Translational Medicine," 2(36): 36ra43.

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Benitec Biopharma and Medistem Technologies Successfully Combined in Preclinical Stem Cell Therapy for Rheumatoid ...

05-01-2012 12:09 Stem Cell treatments are in the news and sound great. But what is in store for diabetics using them and are they better than a proper diet for diabetes? For this and more information on your diet for diabetes, go to: http://www.dietfordiabetes.ca

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Stem Cell Treatment vs Diet For Diabetes - Video

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Treating stroke patients with stem cells taken from their own bone marrow appears to safely help them regain some of their lost abilities, two small new studies suggest.

Indian researchers observed mixed results in the extent of stroke patients' improvements, with one study showing marked gains in daily activities, such as feeding, dressing and movement, and the other study noting these improvements to be statistically insignificant. But patients seemed to safely tolerate the treatments in both experiments with no ill effects, study authors said.

"The results are encouraging to know but we need a larger, randomized study for more definitive conclusions," said Dr. Rohit Bhatia, a professor of neurology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, and author of one of the studies. "Many questions -- like timing of transplantation, type of cells, mode of transplantation, dosage [and] long-term safety -- need answers before it can be taken from bench to bedside."

The studies are scheduled to be presented Wednesday and Thursday at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting in New Orleans.

Stem cells -- unspecialized cells from bone marrow, umbilical cord blood or human embryos that can change into cells with specific functions -- have been explored as potential therapies for a host of diseases and conditions, including cancer and strokes.

In one of the current studies, 120 moderately affected stroke patients ranging from 18 to 75 years old were split into two groups, with half infused intravenously with stem cells harvested from their hip bones and half serving as controls. About 73 percent of the stem cell group achieved "assisted independence" after six months, compared with 61 percent of the control group, but the difference wasn't considered statistically significant.

In the other study, presented by Bhatia, 40 patients whose stroke occurred between three and 12 months prior were also split into two groups, with half receiving stem cells, which were dissolved in saline and infused over several hours. When compared to controls, stroke patients receiving stem cell therapy showed statistically significant improvements in feeding, dressing and mobility, according to the study. On functional MRI scans, the stem cell recipients also demonstrated an increase in brain activity in regions that control movement planning and motor function.

Neither study yielded adverse effects on patients, which could include tumor development.

But Dr. Matthew Fink, chief of the division of stroke and critical care neurology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, said that the therapy's safety is the only thing the two studies seemed to demonstrate.

"The thing to keep in mind is that these are really phase one trials," said Fink, also a professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College. "I'm concerned that people get the idea that now stem cell treatment is available for stroke, and that's not the case."

Fink noted that the cells taken from study participants' hip bones can only be characterized as "bone marrow aspirates" since the authors didn't prove that actual stem cells were extracted.

"They haven't really analyzed if they're stem cells and what they turn into when they go into circulation," he added. "The best way to look at this is, it's very preliminary . . . when patients come to me to talk about it, I'm going to tell them it's years away before we know if this is going to work."

Studies presented at scientific conferences should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more information on stem cells.

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Stem Cell Therapy Shows Promise for Stroke, Studies Say

26-11-2011 11:13 Stem cells are the body's repair cells. They have the ability to divide and differentiate into many different types of cells based on where they are needed throughout the body. Stem cells can divide and turn into tissues such as skin, fat, muscle, bone, cartilage, and nerve to name a few.

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Medivet's Stem Cell Therapy Featured on Animal Planets Dogs 101 - Video

21-09-2011 03:21 DOWNLOAD HERE: newsdirect.nma.com.tw Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Peyton Manning has had three operations to try and correct a bulging disc in his neck. Reports now suggest Manning recently traveled to Europe for stem cell therapy unavailable in the US in a bid to aid his recovery. This animation explores and explains the procedures that Manning has undergone

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Peyton Manning tries stem cell therapy to fix neck injury - Video

09-01-2012 14:24 The Internet is full of websites selling unproven stem cell treatments for incurable illnesses. Scott Pelley confronts one disgraced doctor offering false hope to a family with a disabled child.

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Stem Cell Fraud: A 60 Minutes investigation - Video

22-01-2012 12:22 http://www.StemCellTreatment.org We offer stem cell financing to qualified candidates on many different procedures.

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Stem Cell Financing - Video

23-01-2012 19:12

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Stem cell treatment debate (Outside the Lines) - Video

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Adult Stem Cell Treatments for COPD -Real patient results, USA Stem Cells- Shirlen M. Testimonial - Video