Category Archives: Stem Cells

Poway, California (PRWEB) May 08, 2014

Vet-Stem, Inc., announced that a major patent has been issued directly to Vet-Stem for New Zealand. This patent covers methods for extracting/preparing and using adipose tissue-derived stem cells for preventing or treating diseases in any mammal, including humans. This patent will provide coverage for the ongoing commercial and development programs at Vet-Stem and for its licensees in Australasia. This patent may be available for licensing for human applications to other companies interested in working in this field.

Of particular interest is the application to the rapidly evolving field of Regenerative Sports Medicine. This patent covers the preparation methods and use of adipose-derived stem cells in treating any type of disease, but specifically covers the use in injuries or diseases of the musculoskeletal system such as tendon tears, ligament injury and osteoarthritis.

This new patent issued to Vet-Stem adds to the many other patents in the Vet-Stem portfolio that cover methods of preparing and using regenerative cells from adipose. Vet-Stem has already had a similar patent issue in the EU and applications are pending in the US and other countries. In addition to these owned patents, Vet-Stem has exclusive worldwide rights to a portfolio of patents (over 50 issued and 70 pending patents) from Artecel, Inc. (including University of Pittsburgh patents) and the University of California, which further strengthens the companys intellectual property position in this rapidly developing field.

As the first company in the world to offer fat derived stem cell services for veterinary use, Vet-Stem has rapidly developed the market, providing treatments to over 10,000 horses, dogs, cat and exotic species. Intellectual property rights can be confusing in a rapidly developing market with evolving technology, said Bob Harman, DVM, MPVM, CEO of Vet-Stem. We needed to do everything possible to protect the market that we are creating in regenerative veterinary medicine and to ensure that the value of the company is optimized. The value of this technology has increased greatly since the founding of the company in 2002 as the business model, therapeutic activity of the cells, and ease of tissue collection have all been demonstrated.

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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New Vet-Stem Patent for Stem Cells Covers Sports Medicine Applications

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Newswise ANN ARBOR, Mich. A subset of immune cells directly target colon cancers, rather than the immune system, giving the cells the aggressive properties of cancer stem cells.

So finds a new study that is an international collaboration among researchers from the United States, China and Poland.

If you want to control cancer stem cells through new therapies, then you need to understand what controls the cancer stem cells, says senior study author Weiping Zou, M.D., Ph.D., Charles B. de Nancrede Professor of surgery, immunology and biology at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Consider invasive Africanized honey bees. The worker honey bees are like the bulk majority of tumor cells while the queen bee is like the cancer stem cell. The queen bee can repopulate an entire colony but survives on royal jelly. If you remove the royal jelly, the queen bee dies and the entire colony of invasive Africanized honey bees can be removed. Th22-derived IL-22 is the royal jelly.

Th22 is a subset of a type of immune cell called T-cells. Typically, T-cells are the soldiers of the immune system, killing off tumor cells. In the case of colon cancer, the researchers found, Th22 acts as a tumor helper, actually supporting the cells in becoming able to renew one of the hallmarks of cancer stem cells.

The researchers discovered that an epigenetic factor called DOT1L is regulated by IL-22, contributing to the cells developing stem cell properties. High levels of DOT1L in patient tumor samples were tied to shorter survival. The researchers suggest DOT1L may be a marker for colon cancer progression, and that this pathway could potentially be targeted in new colon cancer treatments.

The researchers are now looking at potential drugs that might target this process directly. No specific therapies are currently available.

Tumor immunology and immunotherapy has become a hot research topic recently. Science named it the breakthrough of the year in 2013. Zous group has been among the pioneers in understanding how the immune system plays a role in cancer.

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Immune Cells Found to Fuel Colon Cancer Stem Cells

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

7-May-2014

Contact: Lucia Lee NewsMedia@mssm.edu 212-241-9200 The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine

(NEW YORK May 7) Adults suffering from diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-related disorders may benefit from life-saving treatment commonly used in pediatric patients. Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified a new technique that causes cord blood (CB) stems cells to generate in greater numbers making them more useful in adult transplantation.

The study, published in the May issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, looked at ways to expand the number of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in the laboratory required to replenish and renew blood cells. Cord blood stem cells have the ability to rapidly divide in the presence of combinations of growth factors but they often lose their marrow-repopulating potential following cell division. Researchers looked at ways to overcome this limitation by inducing a genetic program by which a stem cell retains its full functional properties after dividing in the laboratory.

"Cord blood stem cells have always posed limitations for adult patients because of the small number of stem cells present in a single collection," said Pratima Chaurasia, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai. "These limitations have resulted in a high rate of graft failure and delayed engraftment in adult patients."

Researchers used a technique called epigenetic reprogramming which reshaped cell DNA by treating cells with a combination of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACI) and valproic acid. The VPA-treated cells produced a greater number of repopulating cells, and established multilineage hematopoiesis in primary, secondary and tertiary immune-deficient mice.

"We're excited by these results. The findings have important implications for patients battling blood cancers and the difference between success and failure of life saving stem cell transplants." added Ronald Hoffman, MD, Albert A. and Vera G. List Professor of Medicine, Director of Myeloproliferative Disorders Research Program at the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai.

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This study was supported by a New York Stem Cell Science grant from the Empire State Stem Cell Board, whose mission is to foster a strong stem cell research community in New York State and to accelerate the growth of scientific knowledge about stem cell biology and the development of therapies and diagnostic methods under the highest ethical, scientific, and medical standards for the purpose of alleviating disease and improving human health.

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Pushing the boundaries of stem cells

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Newswise (Lebanon, NH, 5/8/14) Researchers at Dartmouths Norris Cotton Cancer Center have published results from a study Cell Reports that discovers a new mechanism that distinguishes normal blood stem cells from blood cancers.

These findings constitute a significant advance toward the goal of killing leukemia cells without harming the bodys normal blood stem cells which are often damaged by chemotherapy, said Patricia Ernst, PhD, co-director of the Cancer Mechanisms Program of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center and an associate professor in Genetics at Geisel School of Medicine.

The study focused on a pathway regulated by a gene called MLL1 (for Mixed Lineage Leukemia). Ernst served as principal investigator; Bibhu Mishra, PhD, as lead author.

When the MLL1 gene is damaged, it can cause leukemia, which is a cancer of the blood, often occurring in very young patients. Researchers found that the normal version of the gene controls many other genes in a manner that maintains the production of blood cells.

This control becomes chaotic when the gene is damaged or broken and that causes the normal blood cells to turn into leukemia, said Ernst.

The researchers showed that the normal gene acts with a partner gene called MOF that adds small acetyl chemical modification around the genes that it controls. The acetyl modification acts as a switch to turn genes on. When this function is disrupted, MLL1 cannot maintain normal blood stem cells.

The researchers also found that a gene called Sirtuin1 (more commonly known for controlling longevity) works against MLL1 to keep the proper amount of acetyl modifications on important stem cell genes. Blood cancers involving MLL1, in contrast, do not have this MOF-Sirtuin balance and place a different chemical modification on genes that result in leukemia.

Blood stem cells also represent an important therapy for patients whose own stem cells are destroyed by chemotherapy. This study also reveals a new way to treat blood stem cells from donors that would expand their numbers.

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Scientists Decode Epigenetic Mechanisms Distinguishing Stem Cell Function and Blood Cancer

By carefully controlling the levels of two proteins, researchers at the Salk Institute have discovered how to keep mammary stem cells -- those that can form breast tissue -- alive and functioning in the lab. The new ability to propagate mammary stem cells is allowing them to study both breast development and the formation of breast cancers.

"What we've shown is that we can take these cells out of a mouse and study them and regulate them in the laboratory by providing them with a specific factor," says Peter C. Gray, a staff scientist in Salk's Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology, who collaborated on the new work with Benjamin T. Spike, a senior research associate in the laboratory of Salk Professor Geoffrey M. Wahl.

The results of the study were published in the April 8th, 2014 issue of the journal Stem Cell Reports.

Mammary stem cells can give rise to new breast cells during fetal development, adolescence or lactation and may also play a role in breast cancer, so they represent a highly promising avenue for breast cancer research. But isolating the stem cells and maintaining them in the lab to study has been difficult.

"There was a lot of prior work demonstrating that mammary-specific stem cells exist, but it was virtually impossible to isolate them in numbers from an adult," says Spike. "But we previously found we could turn to early development, when the stem cells are present in higher proportions."

When the researchers used fetal breast tissue rather than adult tissue from mice, they were able to pinpoint which cells were stem cells but the cells would rapidly change when grown in a dish. A defining property of all stem cells is that when they divide into two new cells, they can form both stem cells and differentiated cells (cells on their way to becoming a specific type of tissue).

Spike and Gray grew the mammary stem cells in culture dishes and stained them so that new stem cells appeared a different color from differentiated mammary cells. Then, they began testing the effects of two proteins -- known as CRIPTO and GRP78 -- that play significant roles in both stem cell biology and embryonic development.

"In normal conditions, we first see the cells as yellow -- the combination of red and green within a single cell -- then later see cells that are either red or green, showing that our cells had the capacity to make two different types of mature cells," says Spike. "But then when we do the experiment again and start changing protein levels, the ratio of these cells becomes very different."

The researchers found that when they blocked CRIPTO, the cells mostly formed differentiated cells instead of new stem cells. Over time, this stem cell population shrank since they weren't repopulating themselves. When they instead boosted levels of CRIPTO, the stem cell colony grew as new stem cells were produced more often than differentiated cells.

In studies in mice, the scientists also found that CRIPTO helped the animals form new mammary tissues, which led the team to hypothesize that CRIPTO may be produced by nearby cells in the fat to spur the growth of breast tissue.

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Ability to isolate, grow breast tissue stem cells could speed cancer research

Stem Sport - Faster Recovery with Your Own Stem Cells
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Stem Sport - Faster Recovery with Your Own Stem Cells - Video

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Newswise LA JOLLABy carefully controlling the levels of two proteins, researchers at the Salk Institute have discovered how to keep mammary stem cellsthose that can form breast tissuealive and functioning in the lab. The new ability to propagate mammary stem cells is allowing them to study both breast development and the formation of breast cancers.

What weve shown is that we can take these cells out of a mouse and study them and regulate them in the laboratory by providing them with a specific factor, says Peter C. Gray, a staff scientist in Salks Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology, who collaborated on the new work with Benjamin T. Spike, a senior research associate in the laboratory of Salk Professor Geoffrey M. Wahl.

The results of the study were published in the April 8th issue of the journal Stem Cell Reports.

Mammary stem cells can give rise to new breast cells during fetal development, adolescence or lactation and may also play a role in breast cancer, so they represent a highly promising avenue for breast cancer research. But isolating the stem cells and maintaining them in the lab to study has been difficult.

There was a lot of prior work demonstrating that mammary-specific stem cells exist, but it was virtually impossible to isolate them in numbers from an adult, says Spike. But we previously found we could turn to early development, when the stem cells are present in higher proportions.

When the researchers used fetal breast tissue rather than adult tissue from mice, they were able to pinpoint which cells were stem cells but the cells would rapidly change when grown in a dish. A defining property of all stem cells is that when they divide into two new cells, they can form both stem cells and differentiated cells (cells on their way to becoming a specific type of tissue).

Spike and Gray grew the mammary stem cells in culture dishes and stained them so that new stem cells appeared a different color from differentiated mammary cells. Then, they began testing the effects of two proteinsknown as CRIPTO and GRP78that play significant roles in both stem cell biology and embryonic development.

In normal conditions, we first see the cells as yellowthe combination of red and green within a single cellthen later see cells that are either red or green, showing that our cells had the capacity to make two different types of mature cells, says Spike. But then when we do the experiment again and start changing protein levels, the ratio of these cells becomes very different.

Read more from the original source:
Ability to Isolate and Grow Breast Tissue Stem Cells Could Speed Cancer Research

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

5-May-2014

Contact: Katrina Norfleet knorfleet@arvo.org 240-221-2924 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

Orlando, Fla. In two separate studies, scientists have developed methods to convert non-embryonic stem cells into eye cells that could be used to restore sight. The research is being presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Orlando.

In the first method, researchers converted cells taken from the front of a patient's eye into stem cells, which were then programmed to become nerve cells found in the back of the eye. The second study involved introducing stem cells to a single growth factor, which caused them to develop into tissue resembling the developing eye.

Both outcomes will play important roles toward generating sources of transplantable cells to replace damaged tissue in patients with impaired vision.

Abstract Title: Derivation, Characterization and Retinal Neural Induction of Human Tenon's -Derived iPS Cells

Presentation Start/End Time: Monday, May 5, 8:30 10:15am Location: Exhibit/Poster Hall SA Session Number: 218

Abstract Title: The formation of primitive ocular structures and stratified neural retina from human pluripotent stem cells

Presentation Start/End Time: Monday, May 5, 8:30 10:15am Location: Exhibit/Poster Hall SA Session Number: 218

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Scientists convert stem cells to eye tissue

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

5-May-2014

Contact: Katrina Norfleet knorfleet@arvo.org 240-221-2924 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

Orlando, Fla. Scientists have developed a model that mimics the complex structure of the cornea to enable the transplant of healthy corneal stem cells. The research is being presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Orlando Fla.

Used to restore sight, corneal stem cells live in a specific physical environment. Transplanting these stem cells requires accurate mimicry of their natural surroundings during transport. In this work, vision scientists have recreated the 3D architecture where corneal stem cells naturally reside.

The cornea is the transparent window at the front of the eye. When the outermost cell layer of the cornea is damaged, vision is severely impaired. Treatment can include a transplant of healthy corneal stem cells to replace the lost cells.

Abstract Title: Tissue engineering the human limbal crypts: further characterization of an in vitro model

Presentation Start/End Time: Monday, May 5, 3:45 4pm Location: S 331A-D Session Number: 271

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The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. Members include some 11,500 eye and vision researchers from over 70 countries. ARVO encourages and assists research, training, publication and knowledge-sharing in vision and ophthalmology.

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Simulated model of eye's 3D structure facilitates stem cells transplant

Dental Talk Show - Dental Stem Cells, Dental Show Preview Competition News
Host Nick Peters discusses Stem cell research and how the use of Stem Cells from Teeth are showing promising potential in the use of Stroke Therapy due to there likeness of Brain Neurons. #DentalNe...

By: NIck Peters

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Dental Talk Show - Dental Stem Cells, Dental Show Preview & Competition News - Video