Category Archives: Stem Cells

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (WSVN) -- South Florida vets are conducting potentially life-changing surgery on a dog desperately in need, and the technique they used was innovative.

Brando, an 8-year-old German Shepherd, was suffering from a skin infection that already paralyzed his legs, and it was going after his lungs, so doctors tried a different kind of animal aid to save him: stem cells.

Brando is back at his Coral Gables home and wheeling it after a medical first. Vets hope it will eventually put this German Shepherd back on all four paws. Dr. Manuel Bouza, Brando's owner, said, "If you tickle him, he'll wiggle his foot, but that's about all he does. He doesn't know where to put his feet. His feet just dangle there."

Back in January, a rare skin infection paralyzed Brando from the middle of his back, down to his hind legs, then spread to his lungs. But doctors are now hopeful they can get him walking again after a unique surgery.

On Wednesday, Brando underwent a delicate, two-part stem cell surgery at Paradise Animal Clinic in Hialeah. It's the first such surgery to be performed in Florida.

A similar surgery had already been performed in the U.K. "This hasn't been done in the U.S. In the United kingdom it seems to have been successful," said Bouza.

Here's how the team did it: Doctors took tissue from Brando's stomach, processed out the stem cells then injected them into his spine. They hope the tissue in his spine will regenerate and Brando, named after the actor Marlon Brando, can get back on his feet again. "As long as your brain and feet don't connect, he won't be able to walk," said Bouza. "That's the hope: that he'll walk again. It will take a few months."

In about a month, Brando will get another injection of stem cells into his spine. Doctors said that process will continue until, hopefully, he is fully healed.

(Copyright 2013 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Stem cells used to help heal paralyzed dog

The use of stem cells to treat illness is new but exploding as scientists discover innovative treatments.

Some parents save their childrens cord blood because it contains embryonic stem cells, an opportunity older Americans did not have when they were born.

But now there may be a way for adults to bank their own stem cells through liposuction.

Kevin Joseph is undergoing liposuction not because he wants to lose inches, although that is a nice side benefit.

I exercise, I eat right. I never considered liposuction, he said.

The main reason hes doing this is because he thinks someday it may save his life. Scientists have discovered that human fat contains more stem cells than any other tissue in the body.

And not just any ordinary stem cells.

As UCLA researchers recently discovered, fat contains embryonic stem cells -- the most versatile stem cells of all.

You can, in the future, make that cell into any tissue in your body, at least thats the potential, said Dr. John Joseph, at the Clinical Testing Center of Beverly Hills. They literally should be able to grow kidney any part of your body because its embryonic.

Those stem cells in fat can now be stored for future use.

Original post:
Liposuction Lets Adults Save Their Stem Cells

Posted Friday, June 07, 2013-9:45 am

Researchers from UCLAs Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology have isolated a new population of primitive, stress-resistant human pluripotent stem cells easily derived from fat tissue able to differentiate into virtually every cell type in the human body without genetic modification.

The cells, called Multi-lineage Stress-Enduring (Muse-AT) stem cells from fat, or adipose, tissue, were discovered by scientific accident when a piece of equipment failed in the lab, killing all the stem cells in the experiment except for the Muse-AT ones. The research team further discovered that not only are Muse-AT cells able to survive severe stress, they may even be activated by it, said study senior author Gregorio Chazenbalk, an associate researcher with UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology.

These pluripotent cells, isolated from fat tissue removed during liposuction, expressed many embryonic stem cell markers and were able to differentiate into muscle, bone, fat, cardiac, neuronal and liver cells. An examination of genetic characteristics confirmed their specialized functions, as well as a capacity to regenerate tissue when transplanted back into the body following their awakening.

This population of cells lies dormant in the fat tissue until subjected to very harsh conditions. These cells can survive in conditions in which usually only cancer cells can live, Chazenbalk said. Upon further investigation and clinical trials, these cells could prove a revolutionary treatment option for numerous diseases, including heart disease, stroke and for tissue damage and neural regeneration.

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UCLA Scientists Isolate Stress-Resistant Stem Cells In Fat Tissue

June 5, 2013 Researchers from the UCLA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology have isolated a new population of primitive, stress-resistant human pluripotent stem cells easily derived from fat tissue that are able to differentiate into virtually every cell type in the human body without genetic modification.

The cells, called Multi-lineage Stress-Enduring (Muse-AT) stem cells from fat, or adipose, tissue, were discovered by "scientific accident" when a piece of equipment failed in the lab, killing all the stem cells in the experiment except for the Muse-AT cells. The research team further discovered that not only are Muse-AT cells able to survive severe stress, they may even be activated by it, said study senior author Gregorio Chazenbalk, an associate researcher with UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology.

These pluripotent cells, isolated from fat tissue removed during liposuction, expressed many embryonic stem cell markers and were able to differentiate into muscle, bone, fat, cardiac, neuronal and liver cells. An examination of their genetic characteristics confirmed their specialized functions, as well as their capacity to regenerate tissue when transplanted back into the body following their "awakening."

"This population of cells lies dormant in the fat tissue until it is subjected to very harsh conditions. These cells can survive in conditions in which usually only cancer cells can live," Chazenbalk said. "Upon further investigation and clinical trials, these cells could prove a revolutionary treatment option for numerous diseases, including heart disease, stroke and for tissue damage and neural regeneration."

The results of the two-year study are published June 5, 2013 in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE.

Purifying and isolating Muse-AT cells does not require the use of a cell sorter or other specialized, high-tech devices. They are able to grow either in suspension, forming cell spheres, or as adherent cells, forming cell aggregates very similar to human embryonic stem cell-derived embryoid bodies.

"We have been able to isolate these cells using a simple and efficient method that takes about six hours from the time the fat tissue is harvested," said Chazenbalk,a scientist with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research. "This research offers a new and exciting source of fat stem cells with pluripotent characteristics, as well as a new method for quickly isolating them. These cells also appear to be more primitive than the average fat stem cells, making them potentially superior sources for regenerative medicine."

Currently, embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells -- skin cells turned into embryonic-like cells -- are the two main sources of pluripotent cells. However, both types can exhibit an uncontrolled capacity for differentiation and proliferation, leading to the formation of unwanted teratoma, or tumors. Little progress has been made in resolving that defect, Chazenbalk said.

Muse cells originally were discovered by a research group at Tokohu University in Japan and were derived from bone marrow and skin, rather than fat. That research group showed that Muse cells did not produce teratomas in animal models. Further research on the Muse-AT cells isolated at UCLA will need to be done to determine whether that cell population avoids production of teratomas.

In addition to providing a potential source of cells for regenerative medicine, Chazenbalk said the Muse-AT cells may provide a better understanding of cancer cells, the only other cells known to display such stress resistance.

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Scientists unexpectedly discover stress-resistant stem cells in fat tissue removed during liposuction

By Brian Alexander, NBC News Contributor

Researchers based at the University of California, Los Angeles announced today that theyve found an abundant, cheap, easy-to-obtain source of stem cells that could prove to be ideal for regenerating all the basic tissue types of the human body.

That source is adipose tissue, or fat.

Stem cells were discovered in human fat in 2001, and called adipose stem cells (ASTs). The cells described by the UCLA scientists, led by Gregorio Chazenbalk, in the journal PLOS One, are different.

Unlike ASTs, these cells, dubbed MUSE by Mari Dezawa, leader of the Japanese team that first discovered them in bone marrow, appear to be pluripotent, more like embryonic stem cells rather than so-called adult stem cells. That means they can develop into any kind of tissue in the body.

MUSE stands for Multilineage-differentiating Stress-Enduring cells, and their ability endure stress is how Chazenbalk found them in fat, by accident.

I was doing ASC isolation, he said in an NBCNews.com interview, late at night when a critical machine stopped working. Because it was late, Chazenbalk couldnt borrow a machine from another lab. So his cells received no nutrients, hardly any oxygen, and most died. Then, instead of throwing them all away, I decided to see if some survived.

Some did, and eventually formed what looked like clusters of cells typical of embryonic stem cells. These turned out to be MUSE cells.

Chazenbalk then obtained several liters of fat from plastic surgeons who had sucked it out of Los Angeles-area women during liposuction procedures, and created a formula for teasing MUSE cells out of the fat.

Chazenbalks team winnowed the collection of adipose cells by exposing them to stressful chemicals, low oxygen and low nutrition. The survivors were MUSE cells.

Continued here:
New source for regenerative stem cells? Your fat, study suggests

A donor egg is held by a pipette prior to nuclear extraction.

Scientists have found a new source of potentially useful stem cells in liposuctioned fat tissue.

The stem cells discovered in adipose, or fat tissue, are considered "pluripotent," meaning they can be differentiated into essentially any type of body cell, making them potentially useful for a variety of medical uses. Researchers believe that pluripotent stem cells will be used to treat neurological disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Diseases.

Until the most recent discovery, made by University of CaliforniaLos Angeles researcher Gregorio Chazenbalk and described in the journal PLOS ONE, the two main types of pluripotent stem cells were embryonic and induced pluripotent cells, which are made by re-engineering skin cells. Several years ago, scientists discovered stem cells in fat tissue that could not be differentiated into other types of cells. According to Chazenbalk, the newly-discovered pluripotent stem cells that exist in fat tissue are known as Muse-AT cells and are particularly stress-resistant, meaning they would be useful for treating traumatic injuries.

[READ: Stem Cell Therapy Cures Type 1 Diabetes in Mice]

"This population of cells lies dormant in the fat tissue until it is subjected to very harsh conditions. These cells can survive in conditions in which usually only cancer cells can live," he says. "When you have an injury, it's a harsh environment for cells there is inflammation and apoptosis (mass cellular death). Anything you put there has a low chance of survival. But these cells are already adapted to the stress, and when you put them in damaged tissue, they can survive at high rates."

That means stem cells from fat tissue could be harvested and frozen and used at a later date, such as when a person suffers an injury. Ideally, researchers would use a person's own stem cells for any sort of therapy, but Chazenbalk says the cells can potentially be reprogrammed, so cells donated from another person would not be rejected by a patient's immune system.

Chazenbalk says his colleagues at Tokohu University in Japan have begun preliminary trials to treat heart attacks in mice with tissue grown using Muse-AT cells.

[ALSO: Scientists Use Cloning Technique to Produce Human Stem Cells]

"When someone has a heart attack, these could be implanted to help regenerate tissue. It could also have use for regrowing skin cells when there is severe burning," he says.

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Scientists Find Stem Cells in Liposuctioned Fat

June 4, 2013 Cartilage injuries are difficult to repair. Current surgical options generally involve taking a piece from another part of the injured joint and patching over the damaged area, but this approach involves damaging healthy cartilage, and a person's cartilage may still deteriorate with age.

Bioengineers are interested in finding innovative ways to grow new cartilage from a patient's own stem cells, and, thanks to a new study from the University of Pennsylvania, such a treatment is a step closer to reality.

The research was conducted by associate professor Jason Burdick of the Department of Bioengineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and associate professor Robert Mauck of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in Penn's Perelman School of Medicine. Liming Bian and Murat Guvendiren, members of Burdick's lab, also took part.

It was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"The broad picture," Burdick said, "is trying to develop new therapies to replace cartilage tissue, starting with focal defects -- things like sports injuries -- and then hopefully moving toward surface replacement for cartilage degradation that comes with aging. Here, we're trying to figure out the right environment for adult stem cells to produce the best cartilage."

"As we age, the health and vitality of cartilage cells declines," Mauck said, "so the efficacy of any repair with adult chondrocytes is actually quite low. Stem cells, which retain this vital capacity, are therefore ideal."

Burdick and his colleagues have long studied mesenchymal stem cells, a kind of adult stem cell found in bone marrow that is capable of turning into bone, fat or cartilage cells. His group has been particularly interested in deducing the microenvironmental signals that tell these cells which way to differentiate. A recent paper from his group investigated conditions that can preferentially coax these stem cells into becoming either fat-like or bone-like cells while encapsulated in hydrogels, polymer networks that simulate some of the environmental conditions in which stem cells naturally grow.

The first step in growing new cartilage is initiating chondrogenesis, or convincing the mesenchymal stem cells to differentiate into chondrocytes, which in turn generate the spongy matrix of collagen and sugars that cushions joints. One challenge in prompting this differentiation is that, despite the low density of adult chondrocytes in tissues, the actual formation of cartilage begins with cells in close proximity.

"In typical hydrogels used in cartilage tissue engineering," Burdick said, "we're spacing cells apart, so they're losing that initial signal and interaction. That's when we started thinking about cadherins, which are molecules that these cells use to interact with each other, particularly at the point they first become chondrocytes."

To simulate that environment, the researchers used a peptide sequence that mimics these cadherin interactions, which they bound to the hydrogels used to encapsulate the mesenchymal stem cells.

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New way to improve stem cells' cartilage formation