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Category Archives: Stem Cells

Vitamin C Influences Gene Activity In Stem Cells

Posted: July 3, 2013 at 1:47 am

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Stem Cell Research Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;Fertility;Cancer / Oncology Article Date: 02 Jul 2013 - 3:00 PDT

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Senior author and stem-cell scientist Miguel Ramalho-Santos of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and colleagues write about their findings in a June 30th online issue of Nature. In cells, not all genes are active all the time. There is a regulated pattern of gene expression that switches genes on and off. This is held in the epigenome, the set of instructions that get passed on with DNA about how to control the DNA.

One of the mechanisms the epigenome uses to regulate gene expression is DNA methylation. In DNA methylation, the epigenome adds a methyl group to a selected point on the genome to stop certain genes from being expressed.

What Ramalho-Santos and colleagues discovered is that vitamin C plays a crucial role in helping to release the brakes that stop certain genes from being expressed in stem cells in embryos soon after fertilization when the sperm fuses with the egg.

The team came across the result while comparing different types of nutrient for growing mouse embryonic stem cells in the lab.

In a statement, Ramalho-Santos explains that they didn't set out to find what they discovered, "We bumped into this result," he adds.

He and his colleagues wanted to find out how different ingredients in the growth medium affected gene activity in the stem cells. They found adding vitamin C increased the enzyme activity that releases the brakes that normally hold back certain gene expressions.

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Vitamin C Influences Gene Activity In Stem Cells

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Stem Cells Heal Hearts

Posted: July 3, 2013 at 1:47 am

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.

About 5.8 million Americans have heart failure, a condition that occurs when the heart can no longer pump enough blood to meet the bodys needs. Now, researchers say a special type of stem cell may be the key to repairing these hearts.

Golf has always been a big part of Ron Signorellis life.

I started when I was ten, Ron told Ivanhoe.

However, Rons congestive heart failure was keeping him away from his favorite pastime.

I was in the hospital over 20 times, Ron said.

Rons heart pumped only 15 percent of blood. He needed help fast.

Theres a large number of patients out there that are really in this situation where theyre gone past what normal medical therapy can do, but yet theyre not sick enough or dont qualify for a heart transplant, Timothy D. Henry, MD, Director of Research Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, told Ivanhoe.

Now, a new approach can help patients like Ron. First, doctors extract bone marrow stem cells from the patient. Then, they grow the cells to enhance their healing ability. Those cells are then injected directly into the patients heart.

Our hopes are we improve the quality of their life, as well as the length of their life, Dr. Henry said.

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Stem Cells Heal Hearts

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ResearchMoz.us: Stem Cells Market (Adult, Human Embryonic, Induced Pluripotent, Rat-Neural, Umbilical Cord, Cell …

Posted: July 3, 2013 at 1:47 am

ALBANY, New York, July 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

New Report Added in ResearchMoz Reports Database 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

ResearchMoz announces that it has published a new study Stem Cells Market (Adult, Human Embryonic, Induced Pluripotent, Rat-Neural, Umbilical Cord, Cell Production, Cell Acquisition, Expansion, Sub-Culture)

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells which are capable of differentiating into any type of cell that make-up the human body and thus, are capable of producing non-regenerative cells such as neural and myocardial cells. This report estimates the market for global stem cells in terms of revenue (USD billion) for the period 2012 - 2018, keeping 2011 as the base year. The global stem cells market is mainly segmented into four major sub-types namely market by products, market by technology, market by applications and market by geography.

To Browse Full TOC, Tables & Figures visit:http://www.researchmoz.us/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-report.html

The market by products is segmented into three sub-types, namely adult stem cells, human embryonic stem cells and other type of stem cells. Adult stem cells are further segmented into hematopoietic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, neuronal stem cells, dental stem cells and umbilical cord stem cells. The other types of stem cells include induced pluripotent stem cells, natural rosette cells and very small embryonic like stem cells.

The global stem cells market by technology is segmented into four sub-types, namely cell acquisition, cell production, cryopreservation and expansion and sub-culture. Cell acquisition is further segmented into three sub-types, namely bone marrow harvest, apheresis and umbilical cord blood. Cell production is further segmented into therapeutic cloning, in vitro fertilization, isolation and cell culture.

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Scientists aim to regrow teeth using stem cells- How 3D printing can build new bones

Posted: July 3, 2013 at 1:47 am

Could the days of the root canal, for decades the symbol of the most excruciating kind of minor surgery, finally be numbered?

Scientists have made advances in treating tooth decay that they hope will let them restore tooth tissueand avoid the painful dental procedure. Several recent studies have demonstrated in animals that procedures involving tooth stem cells appear to regrow the critical, living tooth tissue known as pulp.

Treatments that prompt the body to regrow its own tissues and organs are known broadly as regenerative medicine. There is significant interest in figuring out how to implement this knowledge to help the many people with cavities and disease that lead to tooth loss.

In the U.S., half of kids have had at least one cavity by the time they are 15 years old and a quarter of adults over the age of 65 have lost all of their teeth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An estimated $108 billion was spent on dental services in 2010, including elective and out-of-pocket care, according to the CDC.

Tooth decay arises when bacteria or infections overwhelm a tooth's natural repair process. If the culprit isn't reduced or eliminated, the damage can continue. If it erodes the hard, outer enamel and penetrates down inside the tooth, the infection eventually can kill the soft pulp tissue inside, prompting the need for either a root canal or removal of the tooth. Pulp is necessary to detecting sensation, including heat, cold and pressure, and contains the stem cellsundifferentiated cells that turn into specialized onesthat can regenerate tooth tissue.

Researchers from South Korea and Japan to the U.S. and United Kingdom have been working on how to coax stem cells into regenerating pulp. The process is still in its early stages, but if successful, it could mean a reduction or even elimination of the need for painful root canals.

While much of the work has shown promise in the lab and in early work in animals, including dogs, there have only been a few reports of experiments in humans.

The root-canal procedure involves cleaning out the infected and dead tissue in the root canal of the tooth, disinfecting the area and adding an impermeable seal to try to prevent further infection.

But the seal does not always prevent new infection. While the affected tooth remains in the mouth, it is essentially dead, which could impact functions like chewing. That also means no living nerves remain in the tooth to detect further decay or infection. Infection could subsequently spread to surrounding tissue without detection. An estimated 15.1 million root canals are performed in the U.S. annually, according to a 2005-06 survey by the American Dental Association, the most recent data available.

"The whole concept of going for pulp regeneration is that you will try and retain a vital tooth, a tooth that is alive," says Tony Smith, a professor in oral biology at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. "That means the tooth's natural defense mechanisms will still be there.

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Research and Markets: Stem Cells Market – Global Industry Analysis: 2012 – 2018 Report Highlights the Market Shares of …

Posted: July 3, 2013 at 1:47 am

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9ccw77/stem_cells_market) has announced the addition of the "Stem Cells Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends And Forecast, 2012 - 2018" report to their offering.

The global stem cells market by application is segmented into regenerative medicines and drug discovery and development. Regenerative medicines are further segmented into ten sub-types, namely neurological disorders, orthopedics, cancer, hematological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, injuries, diabetes, liver disorders, incontinence and other disorders like Crohn's disease, infertility, immunodeficiency disorders and organ transplants.

The global stem cells market is also segmented on the basis of geography into North America, Europe, Asia and rest of the world (RoW) regions and the market in terms of USD billion is provided in this report.

Companies Mentioned

- Advanced Cell Technology

- Angel Biotechnology

- Bioheart

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California Legislation, Human Egg Sales and Profits

Posted: July 1, 2013 at 10:56 am

California legislation to allow women
to be paid for their eggs for scientific research is sailing toward
final passage literally swaddled in motherhood and apple pie
arguments. Missing from the debate is a key reason behind
the bill – building profits for what some call the “baby
business.”

The legislation is touted as providing
equal treatment for women, permitting them to be paid for supplying
eggs for stem cell and other research, much as men are paid for
sperm. It also would put women who sell their eggs for research on an
equal economic footing with women who sell their eggs for fertility
treatments, which is currently permitted under state law. Payments to
those women range from an average of $9,000 to as much as $50,000,
according to a legislative analysis of the bill.

Assemblywoman Susan Bonillla,
D-Concord, author of the bill(AB926), says,

“It is time to let women, just as any
other research subject, make an informed decision as to
participation, and justly compensate them for doing so.”

She also says that the ban on payments
has had serious impact on fertility research. In a legislative bill analysis, she says,

“It has led to a de facto prohibition
on women’s reproductive research in California, adversely
impacting the same women that the ban intended to protect. With few
oocytes donated, fertility research and fertility preservation
research has been at a standstill. This greatly affects women
suffering from fertility issues and women facing cancer who would
like to preserve their oocytes.”

Bonilla is carrying the measure on
behalf of an industry group, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine of Alabama. The fertility or baby business, which is largely
unregulated, brings in about $5 billion annually in the United
States from something like 500 clinics. It has grown rapidly over the
last couple of decades, but is likely heading for a soft spot.

Little public information is available
on the Internet discussing the industry's economic challenges.
However, demographic studies show that the size of the key market
for fertility services is stagnating. A 2012 report by the federal
government projects that the number of women in the 35 to 44 age
group, prime consumers of fertility services, is likely to grow only
0.5 percent from 2010 to 2020. And since that forecast was made, the
Census Bureau has downgraded its projections for total population
growth.

Bonilla's legislation effectively adds
a new, potential revenue stream for the industry. Fertility clinics
would be able to buy the eggs and then resell them to researchers,
adding premiums for eggs from women with special characteristics. The bill would also add a tool for bringing down the cost of fertility
treatments, which can run as much as $12,000 to $17,000 a round or
more and require several rounds, according to the NIH. Clinics could discount those prices for some women, bringing in
new customers, if they agree to authorize the use of excess eggs for
scientific research.

None of this appears necessarily
pernicious. What is pernicious is the absence of discussion of the
economics of the legislation. Without a full understanding of all
that is at stake, including economic issues and motivations,
legislators, the governor and the public are hard-pressed to make
good decisions about a significant change in California law.

Opponents of the legislation have
raised serious questions about the treatment of women by fertility
clinics, noting that the bill would turn egg providers into “vendors”
– not patients of the clinics. The Center for Genetics and Society
in Berkeley has captured the arguments in opposition including
testimony before a Senate committee hearing early in June.

Jennifer Schneider, a physician who
lost a 31-year-old daughter to cancer seven years after the younger
woman sold her eggs three times, told lawmakers,

“Unlike infertile women who are
considered patients, egg donors are treated as vendors( (her italics).
When they walk out of the IVF clinic, no one keeps track of them.
My daughter’s death was not reported. The long-term risks of egg
donation are unknown."

Sindy Wei, a former egg provider and
now a physician with a Ph.D. in biology, testified that she wound up
in an intensive care unit after 60 eggs were extracted from her in
2001. She said,

“I fear that cases like mine are
buried deep by fertility centers concerned about their image. An
industry thriving on profits and reputation has little incentive to
report adverse events, or protect the health and medical rights of
donors.”

Where is the $3 billion California stem
cell agency on all this? The agency has not taken a position on the
bill nor have any major research organizations. The measure does not
change the law affecting agency-funded research, which bans the use of
compensation for eggs in its research. Enactment of the law, however, would
create a two-tier stem cell research standard in California, one for
scientists not constrained by the payment ban and another for those
who could use the full range of research tools. Some stem cell
researchers may well think that they have become disadvantaged as a
result.

(Editor's note: An earlier version of this article said the IVF business generated $4 billion in revenues annually. More recent estimates place it at $5 billion.)

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/0ke5iLQwGdA/california-legislation-human-egg-sales.html

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Cost of a Stem Cell Therapy? An Estimated $512,000

Posted: June 30, 2013 at 3:01 am

The likely costs of potential stem cell therapies
and cures receive almost no attention in the media as well as
publicly from scientists and the biotech firms.

Usually any public discussion is
obliquely framed in the context of “reimbursement,” as if
industry is owed something instead of making a business decision
about what will make a profit. Euphemisms and jargon cloak unpleasant realities such as astronomical patient costs. But what reimbursement really involves are, in fact, pricing decisions and profit margins along with
lobbying campaigns for inclusion of
therapies in normal coverage of health insurance and Medicare.

And today a singular figure – $512,000
for one stem cell treatment – appeared in the Wall Street
Journal . The story by Kosaku Narioka and Phred Dvorak dealt
with what would be the first-ever human study of a treatment that
uses reprogrammed adult stem cells.

They reported that the study received
preliminary approval on Wednesday from a key panel of the Japan
Health Ministry. The treatment involves a form of age-related macular
degeneration, which has also been targeted by the California stem
cell agency with different approaches.

Buried deep in the Wall Street Journal
article, with little other discussion, was this sentence:

“One eventual obstacle, even if tests
go well, could be cost: (Masayuki) Yamato (of Tokyo Women's Medical
University) says initial estimates for the treatment run around ¥50
million ($512,000) per person."

The subject of costs for potential stem
cell treatments has rattled around in the background for years
without much deep public discussion. One reason is that high costs of
treatments are controversial and can trigger emotional debate.
Another reason is that it is very early in the therapy development
process and estimates are not likely to be entirely reliable.

A few years ago, however, the California stem
cell agency commissioned a study involving costs of stem cell therapies. The UC Berkeley report said,

“The cost impact of the therapy is
likely to be high, because of a therapy’s high cost per patient,
and the potentially large number of individuals who might benefit
from the therapy. This expense would put additional stress on
the Medicare and Medicaid budgets, cause private
insurance health premiums to increase, and create an incentive for
private plans to avoid covering individuals eligible for a therapy.”

The findings did not seem to be exactly
welcomed. The agency sat on the 2009 study for seven months until it
was uncovered by the California Stem Cell Report in April 2010. Then
the agency was careful to say that the study did not reflect the view
of CIRM management or board leadership.

Their wariness of being out in front on the issue could be well-advised. The pharmaceutical industry received some unpleasant attention this spring when more than 100 influential cancer specialists from more than 15 countries publicly denounced the cost of cancer drugs that exceed more than $100,000 a year.

Nonetheless pricing is critical
to both patient accessibility and therapy development. If companies
cannot make a profit on a possible therapy, it is virtually certain
not to appear in the marketplace.

While the subject remains in the
background, it does not mean there is a lack of interest. The copy of
the Berkeley stem cell cost study that was posted online by the California
Stem Cell Report has been read 11,701 times since it was made
available in April 2010 on scribd.com.

A copy of the study can be found below.

Stem Cell Therapy
Costs by DavidJensen

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/IObtHBtAe_E/cost-of-stem-cell-therapy-estimated.html

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Bluebird and Banking: Media Pluses for California Stem Cell Agency

Posted: June 30, 2013 at 3:01 am

The California stem cell agency scored
a couple of favorable publicity points last week as the result of a
successful stock offering by an award recipient and another piece
about creation of a stem cell bank in Northern California.

The IPO by bluebird bio (the company's
preferred spelling) of Massachusetts was a big winner for the
company, raising millions of dollars more than anticipated.

The Boston Globe wrote,

“Shares of the Cambridge life
sciences company bluebird bio Inc. soared almost 60 percent on their
first day of trading (last) Wednesday, an impressive debut for a
business that endured years of stagnation and another encouraging
sign for the biotechnology industry.

“The local gene therapy company
raised $101 million in an initial public offering priced at $17 per
share, higher than the $14 to $16 estimated by investment bankers.
Bluebird shares closed at $26.91 per share on Wednesday.”

The stock continues to trade around $25
a share at the time of this writing, which is good news generally for
the biotech industry.

The company received a $9.4 million
award last fall from the $3 billion stem cell agency. The company has yet to receive any actual cash from the agency as both parties work
out final details of an agreement, a spokesman for the agency said
last week.

The stem cell agency touted the
successful IPO in a blog item by that said,

“Bluebird Bio, one of the oldest
companies in the struggling gene therapy field, is having an
outstanding first day in the stock market today, and largely by
marrying its gene therapy technology with stem cell science. The
company’s financial milestone brings hope and excitement to both
fields.”

However, the news stories about the IPO
failed to mention the stem cell agency's involvement, which would
have been nice for the agency but was to be expected given the way
news is covered.

The story about the stem cell bank
appeared on Xconomy, an Internet news service dealing with
technology. Written by Bernadette Tansey, a former San Francisco
Chronicle reporter, the piece dealt with the both business and science of stem cell banking. She wrote,

“One of the main goals of
California’s $3 billion stem cell research agency is to draw
companies into the state so they can vie for a share of the funding.

"With a recently funded $32 million
initiative, the California
Institute for Regenerative Medicine(CIRM) has attracted two of
the biggest US players in stem cell banking to Novato, CA, to form
one of the largest biobanks of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS
cells) in the world.”

The stem cell bank effort has become a
minor staple in recent news coverage of CIRM, surfacing in a number
of articles since the awards were approved. One of the reasons for that is that the project has a relatively straight-forward story line compared to many research efforts and the concept of "banking" is familiar to editors, writers and readers.

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/6WeU6kIIs6E/bluebird-and-banking-media-pluses-for.html

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Cryoport – World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Congress 2013 – Video

Posted: June 29, 2013 at 10:50 am

Cryoport - World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Congress 2013
We spoke with some of the sponsors at Europe #39;s largest stem cells and regenerative medicine industry conference. This is a three day congress that stages a s...

By: biopharmachannel

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Cryoport - World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Congress 2013 - Video

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Type 2 diabetes patients transplanted with own bone marrow stem cells reduces insulin use

Posted: June 29, 2013 at 10:50 am

Public release date: 28-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Robert Miranda cogcomm@aol.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair

Putnam Valley, NY. (June 28 2013) A study carried out in India examining the safety and efficacy of self-donated (autologous), transplanted bone marrow stem cells in patients with type 2 diabetes (TD2M), has found that patients receiving the transplants, when compared to a control group of TD2M patients who did not receive transplantation, required less insulin post-transplantation.

The study appears as an early e-publication for the journal Cell Transplantation, and is now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/ct0920bhansali.

"There is growing interest in the scientific community for cellular therapies that use bone marrow-derived cells for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and its complications," said study corresponding author Anil Bhansali, PhD professor and head of the Endocrinology Department at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education in Chandrigarh, India. "But the potential of stem cell therapy for this disease is yet to be fully explored."

While there is growing interest in using stem cell transplantation to treat TD2M, few studies have examined the utility of bone marrow-derived stem cells. By experimenting with bone marrow-derived stem cells, the researchers sought to exploit the rich source of stem cells in bone marrow.

Their study aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of autologous bone marrow-derived stem cell transplantation in patients with T2DM and who also had good glycemic control. Good glycemic control emerged as an important factor in the transplantation group and in the non-transplanted control group.

Cell transplantation had a significant impact on the patients in this study as those administered cells demonstrated a significant reduction in insulin requirement. A significantly smaller reduction in the insulin requirement of the control group was also observed but a "repeated emphasis on life style modification" was believed to be a contributing factor in this effect.

According to Dr. Bhansali, the strength of their study included the inclusion of a homogenous patient population with T2DM which exhibited good glycemic control, and the presence of a similar control group that did not get cell transplants.

"The efficacy and safety of stem cell therapy needs to be established in a greater number of patients and with a longer duration follow-up," concluded Bhansali and his co-authors. "The data available so far from animal and human studies is encouraging, however, it has enormous limitations."

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Type 2 diabetes patients transplanted with own bone marrow stem cells reduces insulin use

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Page 177«..10 20..176177178 179..190 200..»

Category Archives: Stem Cells

Vitamin C Influences Gene Activity In Stem Cells

Stem Cells Heal Hearts

ResearchMoz.us: Stem Cells Market (Adult, Human Embryonic, Induced Pluripotent, Rat-Neural, Umbilical Cord, Cell …

Scientists aim to regrow teeth using stem cells- How 3D printing can build new bones

Research and Markets: Stem Cells Market – Global Industry Analysis: 2012 – 2018 Report Highlights the Market Shares of …

California Legislation, Human Egg Sales and Profits

Cost of a Stem Cell Therapy? An Estimated $512,000

Bluebird and Banking: Media Pluses for California Stem Cell Agency

Cryoport – World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Congress 2013 – Video

Type 2 diabetes patients transplanted with own bone marrow stem cells reduces insulin use

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