Category Archives: Stem Cells

Durham, NC (PRWEB) October 08, 2013

A new study released today in Stem Cells Translational Medicine shows that in rats, treating a heart attack with stem cells even weeks after the attack occurred can halt deterioration and help the heart regenerate itself. In addition, the doctors delivered the cells using a patch that resulted in a higher survival rate for the stem cells and more of them migrating into the damaged tissue, where they went to work creating new blood vessels.

The team, from the University of Louisvilles Cardiovascular Innovation Institute (Louisville, KY), had previously shown in rat studies that stem cell treatment immediately following an attack aided recovery by improving blood flow in the smallest vessels of the heart. This time the goal was to determine if the treatment was still effective if applied later in time.

We also were seeking a more efficient delivery method for the stem cells by utilizing the heart patch model. Most studies employing an injection of stem cells encounter swift cell death or cell washout from the target tissue, said Amanda LeBlanc, Ph.D., who led the investigation along with Stuart Williams, Ph.D., the institutes executive and scientific director.

They tested their theory by applying a patch seeded with stem cells harvested from the animals own adipose (fat) tissue and then cultured in the lab. They implanted the seeded patches into one group of rats two weeks after the animals had a heart attack, while another group received the patch without stem cells (to gauge whether any effects might be due to the body's response to a foreign material or whether the biomaterial itself was helping the heart pump more efficiently, regardless of cells). Two more groups of rats with induced heart attacks were given no treatment, and were carried out for two and six weeks as controls.

This approach allowed us to study the progressive and sometimes irreversible pathological changes that occur weeks to months following an attack, such as cellular death, the beginning of scar tissue formation and thinning of the outer left ventricle wall, Dr. Williams explained.

When they compared the results, they found that the cell patch treatment indeed stabilized the heart, preventing or halting any worsening of cardiac function and restoring blood flow to the small blood vessels. This is why I refer to our cell patch as a pause button, because once it was applied the heart didn't progress into worse function like the patch group without cells and the untreated six-week group, Dr. LeBlanc said.

That led us to conclude that the clinical potential of an autologous patch that is, a patch seeded with the patients own stem cells using adipose-derived cells is high, as the patch may be used in conjunction with existing heart attack therapies to promote small vessel survival and/or growth of new vessels following the attack, she added.

This study, and the authors previous research, both in rats, lays important groundwork in addressing such issues as the best delivery method of cells and how long after a heart attack treatment might be beneficial, said Anthony Atala, M.D., editor of Stem Cells Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

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Stem Cells Delivered by Patch Effective in Repairing Cardiac Damage Weeks After Heart Attack Occurs

Miami, Florida (PRWEB) October 07, 2013

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. announced plans to attend 21st Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging, Regenerative and Aesthetic Medicine (a4m) at the Venetian/Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas, Dec. 15, 2013. The prestigious conference, hosted by the American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine, will be attended by physicians and medical practitioners from around the world who will discuss practice management stem cell technology, certification, personalized lifestyle medicine, aesthetic medicine, pellet therapy, brain health, case studies and. Workshops on personalized lifestyle medicine and aesthetic medicine will also be held.

Joseph Purita, M.D., a lead trainer for Stem Cell Training, Inc. and a pioneer in the use of stem cell therapies in orthopedics, will be a featured speaker at the conference. Purita joins an illustrious group of speakers including: Author Judith Reichman, M.D., womens health care expert and specialist in gynecology, infertility and menopause; Travis Stork, M.D., ER physician and host of the Emmy Award-winning talk show, The Doctors; and Actress and Author Suzanne Somers, a dedicated health advocate and proponent of alternative and integrative medicine.

Global Stem Cells Group plans to promote its new postgraduate program, Studies in Cellular Therapy and Tissue Engineering, in partnership with Maimonides University, as well its newly formed alliance with EmCyte Corp. to promote in-office regenerative medicine solutions. Fort Myers, Florida-based EmCyte is a leading provider of biotechnology solutions in the United States, develops biological products for platelet rich plasma and bone marrow concentrate grafting procedures.

For more information on the World Congress on Anti-Aging, Regenerative and Aesthetic Medicine, visit the a4m website, email bnovas(at)regenestem(dot)com or call 849.943.2988.

About the Global Stem Cell Group:

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions. With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.

Global Stem Cells Groups corporate mission is to make the promise of stem cell medicine a reality for patients around the world. With each of GSCGs six operating companies focused on a separate research-based mission, the result is a global network of state-of-the-art stem cell treatments.

The Global Stem Cell Foundation was formed as a nonprofit charitable organization that aims to fund research on the expanding need for stem cell solutions for patients, and identify best practices between physicians engaged in stem cell treatments in the U.S. and around the world.

To learn more about Global Stem Cells Group, Inc., and for investor information, visit the Global Stem Cell Group website, email bnovas(at)regenestem(dot)com, or call 305-224-1858.

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Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. Announces Plans to Attend 21st Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging, Regenerative and ...

Stem cells delivered by patch effective in repairing cardiac damage weeks after heart attack occurs

A new study released in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine shows that in rats, treating a heart attack with stem cells even weeks after the attack occurred can halt deterioration and help the heart regenerate itself. In addition, the doctors delivered the cells using a patch that resulted in a higher survival rate for the stem cells and more of them migrating into the damaged tissue, where they went to work creating new blood vessels.

The team, from the University of Louisvilles Cardiovascular Innovation Institute (Louisville, KY), had previously shown in rat studies that stem cell treatment immediately following an attack aided recovery by improving blood flow in the smallest vessels of the heart. This time the goal was to determine if the treatment was still effective if applied later in time.

We also were seeking a more efficient delivery method for the stem cells by utilizing the heart patch model. Most studies employing an injection of stem cells encounter swift cell death or cell washout from the target tissue, said Amanda LeBlanc, Ph.D., who led the investigation along with Stuart Williams, Ph.D., the institutes executive and scientific director.

They tested their theory by applying a patch seeded with stem cells harvested from the animals own adipose (fat) tissue and then cultured in the lab. They implanted the seeded patches into one group of rats two weeks after the animals had a heart attack, while another group received the patch without stem cells (to gauge whether any effects might be due to the body's response to a foreign material or whether the biomaterial itself was helping the heart pump more efficiently, regardless of cells). Two more groups of rats with induced heart attacks were given no treatment, and were carried out for two and six weeks as controls.

This approach allowed us to study the progressive and sometimes irreversible pathological changes that occur weeks to months following an attack, such as cellular death, the beginning of scar tissue formation and thinning of the outer left ventricle wall, Dr. Williams explained.

When they compared the results, they found that the cell patch treatment indeed stabilized the heart, preventing or halting any worsening of cardiac function and restoring blood flow to the small blood vessels. This is why I refer to our cell patch as a pause button, because once it was applied the heart didn't progress into worse function like the patch group without cells and the untreated six-week group, Dr. LeBlanc said.

That led us to conclude that the clinical potential of an autologous patch that is, a patch seeded with the patients own stem cells using adipose-derived cells is high, as the patch may be used in conjunction with existing heart attack therapies to promote small vessel survival and/or growth of new vessels following the attack, she added.

This study, and the authors previous research, both in rats, lays important groundwork in addressing such issues as the best delivery method of cells and how long after a heart attack treatment might be beneficial, said Anthony Atala, M.D., editor of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

STEM CELLS Translational Medicine

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Stem cells delivered by patch repair damage after cardiac arrest

Stem cells and real estate have this in common: the most important thing is location, location, and location.

Stem cells are extensively studied because of their ability to generate a wide variety of tissue types from new heart, liver and even brain cells. A new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers published online Oct. 6 in the journal Nature shows that the fate of stem cells depends upon their immediate surroundings.

The emphasis in regeneration has been on studying the intrinsic properties of stem cells, but we have found that where those cells are placed play a much bigger role than the cells themselves, said Valentina Greco, assistant professor of genetics and of dermatology and senior author of the paper. In a way, it is analogous to human children what they are exposed to in their environment determines what they become as adults.

Grecos lab developed a novel form of microscopy that allowed them to track over time individual stem cells in the hair follicles of mice. They found that the fate of those stem cells was determined by where along the follicle niche they were located. Those at the top showed little activity and only divided periodically to replenish their pool. However, cells in the middle portion of the follicle niche proliferated more and produced cells that could create a wide variety of tissue types while those at the base tended to differentiate into specialized cells that build the actual hair shaft.

To their surprise, when they eradicated stem cells in one location, surrounding cells rushed into the niche and began regenerating the tissue.

These data tell us that some adult stem cells may not be as essential as previously thought, since other neighboring cells can change their identity to act as stem cells when the circumstances require it. said Pantelis Rompolas, postdoctoral fellow in Grecos lab and first author of the paper.

This suggests that if you can duplicate the environment within the niche, then any cells that enter the niche can do the job, Greco said.

The lab is investigating how changes in the tissue environment can regenerate specific cell types.

Kalin R. Mesa is a co-author of the paper.

The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health and American Cancer Society.

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In stem cells, like real estate, location is most important factor

Oct. 4, 2013 A group of Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Stem Cell Institute researchers, and collaborators at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital have found a way to use stem cells as drug delivery vehicles.

The researchers inserted modified strands of messenger RNA into connective tissue stem cells -- called mesenchymal stem cells -- which stimulated the cells to produce adhesive surface proteins and secrete interleukin-10, an anti-inflammatory molecule. When injected into the bloodstream of a mouse, these modified human stem cells were able to target and stick to sites of inflammation and release biological agents that successfully reduced the swelling.

"If you think of a cell as a drug factory, what we're doing is targeting cell-based, drug factories to damaged or diseased tissues, where the cells can produce drugs at high enough levels to have a therapeutic effect," said research leader Jeffrey Karp, PhD, a Harvard Stem Cell Institute principal faculty member and Associate Professor at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Affiliate faculty at MIT.

Karp's proof of concept study, published in the journal Blood, is drawing early interest from biopharmaceutical companies for its potential to target biological drugs to disease sites. While ranked as the top sellers in the drug industry, biological drugs are still challenging to use, and Karp's approach may improve their clinical application as well as improve the historically mixed, clinical trial results of mesenchymal stem cell-based treatments.

Mesenchymal stem cells have become cell therapy researchers' tool of choice because they can evade the immune system, and thus are safe to use even if they are derived from another person. To modify the cells with messenger RNA, the researchers used the RNA delivery and cell programming technique that was previously developed in the MIT laboratory of Mehmet Fatih Yanik, PhD. This RNA technique to program cells is harmless, as it does not modify the cells' genome, which can be a problem when DNA is used (via viruses) to manipulate gene expression.

"This opens the door to thinking of messenger RNA transfection of cell populations as next generation therapeutics in the clinic, as they get around some of the delivery challenges that have been encountered with biological agents," said Oren Levy, PhD, co-lead author of the study and Instructor of Medicine in Karp's lab. The study was also co-led by Weian Zhao, PhD, at University of California, Irvine who was previously a postdoctoral fellow in Karp's lab.

One such challenge with using mesenchymal stem cells is they have a "hit-and-run" effect, since they are rapidly cleared after entering the bloodstream, typically within a few hours or days. The Harvard/MIT team demonstrated that rapid targeting of the cells to the inflamed tissue produced a therapeutic effect despite the cells being rapidly cleared. The scientists want to extend cell lifespan even further and are experimenting with how to use messenger RNA to make the stem cells produce pro-survival factors.

"We're interested to explore the platform nature of this approach and see what potential limitations it may have or how far we can actually push it," Zhao said. "Potentially, we can simultaneously deliver proteins that have synergistic therapeutic impacts."

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Stem cells engineered to become targeted drug factories

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In a paper in Cell Stem Cell, a team led by researchers in the Boston Children's Hospital's Stem Cell Transplantation Program reports a new approach for turning induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells for in vivo disease modeling.

With this strategywhich they call re-specificationthe team, including Sergei Doulatov, PhD, and George Daley, MD, PhD, of Boston Children's, may have overcome technical barriers to generating blood disease-specific animal models from the thousands of iPSC cell lines now sitting in laboratory freezers around the world.

The main advantage of the technique lies in the raw material. The research team started with iPSCs that had already been directed to grow into myeloid progenitors, which are more closely related to the desired blood progenitors than skin or other fully differentiated cell types commonly used in stem cell experiments.

The researchers then used a select set of transcription factors to turn back the molecular clock just a little on these committed myeloid cells, turning them into blood progenitors that readily engrafted and differentiated when transplanted into mice.

The re-specification technique could help generate the large number of engraftable cells needed to create animal models from iPSCs generated from human patients suffering a range of blood disorders, such as anemias, thalassemia or sickle cell disease.

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Researchers unveil method for creating 're-specified' stem cells for disease modeling

Tampa, FL (PRWEB) October 04, 2013

Dr. Ernesto Gutierrez explains that the Age Management/Anti-Aging department came about in response to a demand from patients with typical age-related problems, including age spots; degenerative diseases; general aches, pains and fatigue; insomnia; loss of energy, hair, memory and skin texture; mood swings; poor concentration; reduced sex drive, and, of course, wrinkles. With this demand and the fact that he has major education and experience in Age Management/Anti-Aging, it was a natural extension of World Stem Cells Clinic's medical menu.

Dr. Gutierrez says he prefers to call it "Age Management" over Anti-Aging. An Age Management program is created by the medical staff (clinical physicians, dermatologists, and anti-aging specialists) at World Stem Cells Clinic by examining the patient and reviewing all available medical records and other diagnostic information to assess the best Age Management stem cell treatment to maximize the patients results. Then, the medical staff meets and confers with the research scientists for a pre-treatment planning meeting. The Age Management stem cell treatment planning conference takes advantage of decades of the staffs clinical experience, analyzes the patients current condition and available social support system, and performs a full review of the medical history of the patient, as well as an inclusion and consideration of any recently published research literature on Age Management/Anti-Aging stem cell treatments. In other words, it's all about the patient through providing a detailed, systematic and entirely unique long-term stem cell treatment Age Management program.

Gutierrez says the Age Management/Anti-Aging Stem Cell Treatment at The World Stem Cells Clinic takes five days to complete as it is comprehensive and designed to maximize the patients safety. The patients treatment is based on the protocol designed for that individual using a combination of or all of the following: bone marrow or adipose extraction; cell stimulation; cell culturing; peripheral blood cells extraction; cell implants by IV; growth factor injections or by special equipment designed to allow cell surface introduction; lasers; vibration; wrinkle line filling; adjunctive service such as vitamins, minerals, physical therapy and other rejuvenation processes. The treatment is designed to and for the patient.

World Stem Cells, LLC provides all United States patient management services.

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New "Age Management/Anti-Aging” Department at World Stem Cells Clinic Opened in September for Patients Needing Stem ...

Though the Food and Drug Administration remains closed due to the federal government shutdown, researchers at the University are pushing forward the development of stem-cell therapies, with the hope of improving the quality of life for individuals with life-threatening disabilities.

Researchers at University Hospital and the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute are exploring the use of stem cells in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also known as Lou Gerhigs disease, a neurodegenerative condition that causes cell death in spinal cord neurons that control movement. Patients with ALS suffer from loss of muscle control and often die of respiratory failure.

Neurology Prof. Eva Feldman presented recent results from her research at an event Wednesday evening at the Taubman Institutes Kahn Auditorium for an audience of about 40 students and faculty. Feldman discussed the completion of Phase I trials of the new stem-cell therapy and her plans for Phase II.

While Phase I trials typically test the safety of a treatment in human patients, Phase II tests the treatments efficacy. Feldmans research team received approval for Phase II of their research in May and has since begun tests.

Shortly before the event Wednesday afternoon, a third patient enrolled in the trial had the surgical procedure, in which a surgeon injects stem cells into specific regions of the spinal cord. Although it is too early to record changes in disease progression, Feldman said the three patients have experienced no adverse consequences from the procedure.

Stem cells have the unique ability to fulfill a wide variety of tasks by developing into specialized cells depending on their environment. When these cells are injected into the spinal cord of ALS patients, they surround diseased cells and slow the progression of cell death, Feldman said.

Depending on how you grow them they can become any cell in the body, Feldman said.

Feldmans treatment uses a relatively new strain of human embryonic stem cells developed at the University through partnerships with the National Institutes of Health. She referenced the work of Physiology Prof. Gary Smith at MStem Cell Laboratories the Universitys stem cell institution as a crucial component to the development of the treatment.

What weve done here at the University of Michigan is make embryonic stem cell lines, which are now being used for understanding disease course as well as for treatment, Feldman said.

Stem cells have the potential to aid in the treatment of not only ALS, but a wide range of debilitating and life-threatening diseases, including Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers disease and multiple sclerosis, Feldman said.

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Research on treatment for ALS aided by stem cells

Public release date: 3-Oct-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Anne DeLotto Baier abaier@health.usf.edu 813-974-3303 University of South Florida (USF Health)

Tampa, FL (Oct. 3, 2013) -- University of South Florida researchers have suggested a new view of how stem cells may help repair the brain following trauma. In a series of preclinical experiments, they report that transplanted cells appear to build a "biobridge" that links an uninjured brain site where new neural stem cells are born with the damaged region of the brain.

Their findings were recently reported online in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE.

"The transplanted stem cells serve as migratory cues for the brain's own neurogenic cells, guiding the exodus of these newly formed host cells from their neurogenic niche towards the injured brain tissue," said principal investigator Cesar Borlongan, PhD, professor and director of the USF Center for Aging and Brain Repair.

Based in part on the data reported by the USF researchers in this preclinical study, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved a limited clinical trial to transplant SanBio Inc's SB632 cells (an adult stem cell therapy) in patients with traumatic brain injury.

Stem cells are undifferentiated, or blank, cells with the potential to give rise to many different cell types that carry out different functions. While the stem cells in adult bone marrow or umbilical cord blood tend to develop into the cells that make up the organ system from which they originated, these multipotent stem cells can be manipulated to take on the characteristics of neural cells.

To date, there have been two widely-held views on how stem cells may work to provide potential treatments for brain damage caused by injury or neurodegenerative disorders. One school of thought is that stem cells implanted into the brain directly replace dead or dying cells. The other, more recent view is that transplanted stem cells secrete growth factors that indirectly rescue the injured tissue.

The USF study presents evidence for a third concept of stem-cell mediated brain repair.

The researchers randomly assigned rats with traumatic brain injury and confirmed neurological impairment to one of two groups. One group received transplants of bone marrow-derived stem cells (SB632 cells) into the region of the brain affected by traumatic injury. The other (control group) received a sham procedure in which solution alone was infused into the brain with no implantation of stem cells.

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Stem cells help repair traumatic brain injury by building a 'biobridge'

PERTH, Australia, Oct. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Regenerative medicine company, Orthocell Limited (Orthocell), today announced the results of its unprecedented and successful clinical trial for the treatment of tendon injuries using its patented stem cell technology. Tendon injuries are one of the most common causes of occupational and sporting disability and current clinical treatments are only moderately effective.

Orthocell's new technique is known as Autologous Tenocyte Implantation (Ortho-ATIT) and involves biopsy of the patient's own healthy tendon, isolation and cultivation of tendon stem cells from the biopsy in a special laboratory and then injection of these cells back to the injured tendon. The process takes about 20-minutes and is less invasive than surgery.

The company has received international profiling and recognition in the prestigious American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM), with a peer reviewed publication of the world first study on Ortho-ATIT stem cell technology for regeneration of damaged human tendon.

The AJSM, which is ranked as the world's number one journal for orthopaedics and sports medicine, published outcomes of the clinical trial last week. The data demonstrates that Orthocell's novel technology for repairing tendons was a safe and effective procedure that enables a reduction in pain and repairs tendon in severe chronic resistant tendon injury, like tennis elbow. The patients treated in the study, had failed at least one previous therapy including physiotherapy and corticosteroid injection. Patients achieved significant improvement in function and structural integrity of the tendon after the Ortho-ATIT tendon stem cell injection.

Orthocell Managing Director Paul Anderson said the clinical study indicates great potential for the Ortho-ATIT stem cell tendon repair.

"The AJSM paper is a benchmark study that validates the repair of tendon using tendon derived stem cells. We are now focussing our efforts on offering this world class treatment more widely to patients throughout Australasia, and we are also investigating new potential markets overseas," said Mr Anderson.

The technique was the result of more than 10 years development by Professor Ming Hao Zheng's group at the Centre for Translational Orthopaedic Research at the University of Western Australia, one of the top one hundred universities in the World.

"This is a very exciting body of work, which is indicated for a large patient population. There are currently limited treatment options for people suffering from tendon injury and related disorders, as there are no targeted drug therapies and surgery often delivers unsatisfactory results. This published study of Ortho-ATIT strongly suggested that substitution of tendon stem cells enables regeneration of tendon," said Professor Zheng.

Amanda Redwood, a 45-year-old mother of two who participated in the trial, said Orthocell's treatment relieved her of severe elbow pain within 6 months.

"I experienced debilitating symptoms of tennis elbow for more than 16-months before I had the procedure. Within 6 weeks of the injection the pain started to subside, and within 6 months it was gone," said Ms Redwood.

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World-first Trial for Tendon Repair Using Tendon Stem Cells Published in the Prestigious American Journal of Sports ...