Category Archives: Stem Cells

Aug. 1, 2013 McMaster University researchers have revealed the location of human blood stem cells that may improve bone marrow transplants. The best stem cells are at the ends of the bone.

It is hoped this discovery will lead to lowering the amount of bone marrow needed for a donation while increasing regeneration and lessening rejection in the recipient patients, says principal investigator Mick Bhatia, professor and scientific director of the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute.

In a paper published online today by the journal Cell Stem Cell, his team reports that human stem cells (HSC) residing in the end (trabecular region) of the bones display the highest regenerative ability of the blood and immune system.

"Like the best professional hockey players, our findings indicate blood stem cells are not all equal," said Bhatia. "We now reveal the reason why -- it's not the players themselves, but the effect the arena has on them that makes them the highest scorers."

Bone marrow transplants have been done for more than 50 years and are routine in most hospitals, providing a life saving treatment for cancer and other diseases including leukemia, anemia, and immune disorders.

Bhatia, who also holds a Canada Research Chair in Human Stem Cell Biology, said that cells surrounding the best blood stem cells are critically important, as these "stem cell neighbors" at the end of the bone provide the unique instructions that give these human blood stem cells their superior regenerative abilities.

The research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Ontario Cancer Research Institute.

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Researchers find home of best stem cells for bone marrow transplants

Albany, New York (PRWEB) August 02, 2013

According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research "Stem Cells Market (Adult, Human Embryonic , Induced Pluripotent, Rat-Neural, Umbilical Cord, Cell Production, Cell Acquisition, Expansion, Sub-Culture)- Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2012 - 2018," the market for stem cells was valued at USD 26.23 billion in 2011 and is expected to reach an estimated value of USD 119.51 billion in 2018, growing at a CAGR of 24.2% from 2012 to 2018.

Related Report : Dental Equipment Market http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/dental-devices-market.html

The market growth is majorly attributed to therapeutic research activities led by government support worldwide owing to the growing number of patients with chronic diseases across the globe. In addition, rising awareness of regenerative treatment options and growing importance of stem cell banking services are also fostering the growth of the market. Apart from these, development of medical tourism hubs in developing nations such as India and China and in turn migration of patients from developed nations such as the U.S., and Europe for quality treatment at significantly lower prices will also serve the market as a driver especially for the Asian stem cells market.

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Stem cells market will be driven by rising proportion of patients with neurological and other chronic conditions and rising disposable incomes of patients induced by economic growth of Asian regions in the next five years In addition, increasing dependence on stem cells for drug discovery and screening will boost the growth of the market in future. Increased outsourcing of contract research and clinical trials to developing Asian regions will further encourage growth of the stem cells market.

Adult stem cells held majority share of the overall stem cells market in 2011 at over 80%. This is due to less laborious procedure of harvesting, and less probability of contamination during expansion and sub-culture of adult stem cells. However, fewer post-transplant complications and lesser risk of graft vs. host reaction from the recently introduced induced pluripotent stem cells will lead to its rapid inclusion in research activities and help the global induced pluripotent stem cells market to grow at a relatively faster CAGR during the forecast period.

Browse the full report with TOC at http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/stem-cells-market.html.

Regenerative medicine dominated the stem cells market by applications in 2011, and is expected to maintain its leading position till 2018. Considerable research activities and the resultant developed therapies in neurology will drive the stem cells market in the forecast period.

North America was the market leader of the total stem cells market in 2011 and is expected to maintain its leading position till 2018. North American market is a center for stem cells research owing to greater support offered by federal government, and higher affordability of treatment in the region.

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Stem Cells Market Research Report Published by Transparency Market Research

TORONTO Stem cells from bone marrow have been helping people with diseases like leukemia to rebuild a healthy blood system for half a century. But now Canadian researchers have determined that not all stem cells are created equal and that might lead to better bone marrow transplants for more patients.

Scientists at Hamiltons McMaster University have discovered that stem cells located in bone marrow at the ends of bones are superior at regenerating blood cells, including immune system cells, than those found in the shafts of bones.

They all do the job, but theyre a little bit different, said principal researcher Mick Bhatia, scientific director of the Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute at McMaster.

They have to regenerate the blood system, otherwise we cant even consider them a stem cell, said Bhatia, explaining that stem cells give rise to other cell types and are also capable of renewing themselves.

He likened these superior-performing stem cells, and their durability over time, to elite athletes.

You can have someone who can run and get to the Olympics, but there are ones that run that speed for a lot longer and a lot faster, he said. It makes them all professional athletes, but there are different gradients.

Bhatia said it turns out that what boosts their quality is whats going on at the ends of bones, which supply whats known as a niche, or home, for the regenerative cells.

Bone-making cells that make up this niche send chemical messages to the stem cells that allows them to perform differently from those in the middle of the bone.

Its not the athletes themselves, but the effect the arena has on them, he said.

In studies employing specially bred mice and donated samples of human bone removed as part of unrelated surgeries, Bhatias team found stem cells from bone ends regenerate better and last longer than those elsewhere along the bone.

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Best blood stem cells found in bone ends: study

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/mqlqdz/mesenchymal_stem) has announced the addition of the "The Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) Product Market 2013" report to their offering.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types, including osteoblasts, chondrocytes, myocytes, adipocytes, beta-pancreatic islets cells, and potentially, neuronal cells. MSCs are of intense therapeutic interest because they represent a population of cells with the potential to treat a wide range of acute and degenerative diseases.

MSCs are advantageous over other stem cells types for a variety of reasons: they avoid the ethical issues that surround embryonic stem cell research, and repeated studies have found MSCs to be immuno-privileged, which make them an advantageous cell type for allogenic transplantation. MSCs reduce both the risks of rejection and complications of transplantation. Recently, there have been advances in the use of autologous mesenchymal stem cells to regenerate human tissues, including cartilage, meniscus, tendons, bone fractures, and more.

Trend analysis of grant activity, scientific publication rates, and patent applications trends reveal that global research activity involving mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) increased 112% from 2009 to 2010, and 116% from 2010 to 2011. Of most interest is that this rate of growth accelerated throughout 2011, making mesenchymal stem cells the fastest growing area of stem cell research.

Because mesenchymal stem cell researchers represent a rapidly growing, well-funded research community, this report presents strategies for research supply companies to use to develop high-demand products for this community. A key element of this report is a survey of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) researchers.

This survey reveals critical findings that include:

- Preferred Tissue Source for MSCs

- Preferred Species Source for MSCs

- MSC Product Preferences

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Research and Markets: The Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) Product Market 2013 - The fastest growing area of stem cell ...

File photo of frozen vial of human embryonic stem cells. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Paul Sancya

Stem cells from bone marrow have been helping people with diseases like leukemia to rebuild a healthy blood system for half a century. But now Canadian researchers have determined that not all stem cells are created equal and that might lead to better bone marrow transplants for more patients.

Scientists at Hamiltons McMaster University have discovered that stem cells located in bone marrow at the ends of bones are superior at regenerating blood cells, including immune system cells, than those found in the shafts of bones.

They all do the job, but theyre a little bit different, said principal researcher Mick Bhatia, scientific director of the Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute at McMaster.

They have to regenerate the blood system, otherwise we cant even consider them a stem cell, said Bhatia, explaining that stem cells give rise to other cell types and are also capable of renewing themselves.

He likened these superior-performing stem cells, and their durability over time, to elite athletes.

You can have someone who can run and get to the Olympics, but there are ones that run that speed for a lot longer and a lot faster, he said. It makes them all professional athletes, but there are different gradients.

Bhatia said it turns out that what boosts their quality is whats going on at the ends of bones, which supply whats known as a niche, or home, for the regenerative cells.

Bone-making cells that make up this niche send chemical messages to the stem cells that allows them to perform differently from those in the middle of the bone.

Its not the athletes themselves, but the effect the arena has on them, he said.

Read more here:
Best stem cells for bone marrow transplant at bone ends: study

Stem cells can be isolated from urine and transformed into multiple cell types without the use of expensive and invasive surgeries

Scientists have found a way to harvest stem cells -- which are capable of becoming many types of cells for different therapies --easily from urine.

Researchers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine -- led byYuanyuan Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of regenerative medicine -- have found that stem cells can be isolated from urine and transformed into multiple cell types without the use of expensive and invasive surgeries.

Isolating stem cells from organs and tissues can be difficult because it's a very small population of cells. Also, taking the stem cells from urine means transforming into many cell types instead of just one.

The research team originally found the cells in urine back in 2006. They discovered that these cells don't form tumors when implanted in the body likeiPS cells or embryonic stem cells, making them great candidates for patient use.

Also, using stem cells from the patient's body is a good idea because there's no worry of immune rejection.

The team tookurine samples from 17 healthy individuals ranging from ages five to 75. They then processed it and looked at the cells' ability to turn into multiple types.

From there, the cellsdifferentiated into the three tissue layers -- endoderm, ectoderm and mesoderm -- and directed them tobecome bladder-type cells, such as smooth muscle and urothelial. These cells line the bladder. The cells were placed inscaffolds made of pig intestine, and when they wereimplanted in micefor one month, the cells formed tissue-like structures with multiple layers.

The stem cells also had the ability to become other types, such as mesenchymal cells, which are adult stem cells from connective tissue like bone marrow. They also showed markers for pericytes, which are a subset of mesenchymal cells located in small blood vessels.

"These stem cells represent virtually a limitless supply of autologous cells for treating not only urology-related conditions such as kidney disease, urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, but could be used in other fields as well," said Zhang. "They could also potentially be used to engineer replacement bladders, urine tubes and other urologic organs."

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Urine Provides Stem Cells Capable of Multiple Therapies

Researchers have isolated stem cells from urine as the latest potential source of treatment for human diseases. Investigators say using urine to collect and cultivate these master cells is easy and involves minimal processing.

Using proteins known as growth factors, researchers can manipulate stem cells - or master cells - to grow into any tissue in the body. Therapy using stem cells from a patients own body is desirable because it does not cause immune rejection, as can happen with tissues and organs from donors.

Currently, most scientists use a complicated process to engineer regular skin and blood cells into specific cell types. That's because there are few pure sources of master cells - apart from human embryos, whose use is quite controversial.

Researchers are now finding small numbers of stem cells in urine. Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said, The advantage with urine is that you are getting approximately 2 liters of urine out every day. So you dont have to keep going back and sticking the patient [with a needle] or doing biopsies on the patient.

Reporting in the journal Stem Cells, a team from Wake Forest described how urine samples from 17 healthy individuals ranging in age from 5 to 75 contained stem cells that could be isolated, then coaxed to become smooth muscle-type cells like those that line the inside of the urethra and bladder.

Potential shown

Next, they placed the differentiated cells onto biologically-active support structures called scaffolds, made from pig intestine, then implanted the engineered tissue into mice.

After one month, the urine-derived stem cells developed biological markers of connective tissue and blood vessels, suggesting that they also had the potential to become bone, muscle, nerve or fat cells.

While urine may be a plentiful and less invasive way to obtain stem cells, some experts are skeptical about its value as a source of stem cells. Chris Mason, a regenerative medicine researcher at University College London, said there are very few usable stem cells in the liquid waste.

But he said in a Skype interview that the unusual research into urine-derived stem cells needs further scientific exploration.

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Stem Cells From Urine May Treat Human Diseases