Category Archives: Stem Cells

May 30, 2013

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online

Damage caused to insulin-producing cells by the immune systems of type 1 diabetes patients could be more damaging than previously believed, but a University of Missouri scientist believes that their new discovery could lead to the development of a potential cure for the condition.

Individuals suffering from type 1 diabetes rely upon their daily insulin injections in order to survive, and without those shots their bodys defense system would attack the very cells that they were designed to protect.

Now, Dr. Habib Zaghouani of the MU School of Medicine reports that these types of attacks can be more harmful than scientists had realized, and that this research could lead to improved treatment options featuring a combination of a promising new diabetes drug and adult stem cells.

We discovered that type 1 diabetes destroys not only insulin-producing cells but also blood vessels that support them, Dr. Zaghouani, who details his findings in the current online edition of the journal Diabetes, said in a statement.

When we realized how important the blood vessels were to insulin production, we developed a cure that combines a drug we created with adult stem cells from bone marrow, he added. The drug stops the immune system attack, and the stem cells generate new blood vessels that help insulin-producing cells to multiply and thrive.

Dr. Zaghouani has spent the last dozen years studying autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, which is also known as juvenile diabetes and can result in cardiovascular disease, kidney and nerve damage, osteoporosis and other complications. This form of diabetes attacks the pancreas, an organ which houses cell clusters known as islets which themselves contain beta cells, the researchers explained.

In most people, those beta cells make insulin, a substance which controls blood sugar levels, but in those with type 1 diabetes, they no longer do so because they have been attacked by the bodys immune system, they noted. When the immune system attacks those beta cells, the capillaries that help transport blood to and from the islets are also damaged, and it is this discovery that has inspired the Missouri researchers to work on a potential new cure.

Previously, Dr. Zaghouani and his colleagues developed Ig-GAD2, a new type of medicine used to help treat type 1 diabetes. They discovered that treatment with this drug helps prevent the immune system from attacking the beta cells. However, too few of the beta cells survived the attack to reverse the disease. Based on their new findings, he and his associates used Ig-GAD2 and then injected adult stem cells from bone marrow into the pancreas, hoping that those stem cells would ultimately evolve into replacement beta cells.

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Using Stem Cells Could Help Cure Type 1 Diabetes

The world's first human trials of synthetic blood could take place in Scotland, it has been reported.

Researchers from the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine (SCRM) in Edinburgh have been granted a licence to make blood from stem cells which could be tested on humans, The Scotsman has reported.

The licence from the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will allow scientists at SCRM to attempt to manufacture blood on an industrial scale which will help to tackle shortages and stop the transfer of infections from blood donors, according to the paper.

Trials on humans, if approved, would be the first stage in establishing more large-scale clinical trials and could result in regular use of synthetic blood.

Researchers will use stem cells from adult donors - known as induced pluripotent stem cells - as part of this project instead of the more controversial embryotic ones.

Project leader Marc Turner said: "In the first part of the project we used human embryonic stem cell lines and one of the problems with using those lines is you can't choose what the blood group is going to be.

"Over the last few years there has been a lot of work on induced pluripotent stem cells and with those an adult can donate a small piece of skin or a blood sample and the technology allows for stem-cell lines to be derived from that sample.

"This makes our life a lot easier in some ways because that means we can identify a person with the specific blood type we want and get them to donate a sample from which we could manufacture the cell lines."

With the licence scientists will also be able to work on stem cell products used to help patients with Parkinson's disease, diabetes, cancer or those who have suffered a stroke.

Prof Turner hopes that the preparations to begin human testing will be completed in the next two to three years, the paper reported.

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Stem cells blood trial licensed

Christian Jüngst 3D live cell imaging of the adipogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells

By: Andor Technology

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Christian Jüngst 3D live cell imaging of the adipogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells - Video

Washington, May 28 (ANI): A new research has found that human foetal stem cell grafts improve both motor and sensory functions in rats suffering from a spinal cord injury.

This cell replacement therapy also improves the structural integrity of the spine, providing a functional relay through the injury site.

The research gives hope for the treatment of spinal cord injuries in humans.

Grafting human neural stem cells into the spine is a promising approach to promote the recovery of function after spinal injury.

Sebastian van Gorp, from the University of California San Diego, and team's work looks specifically at the effect of intraspinal grafting of human foetal spinal cord-derived neural stem cells on the recovery of neurological function in rats with acute lumbar compression injuries.

A total of 42 three month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats, with spinal compression injuries, were allocated to one of three groups. The rats in the first group received a spinal injection with the stem cells, those in the second group received a placebo injection, while those in the third group received no injection.

Treatment effectiveness was assessed by a combination of measures, including motor and sensory function tests, presence of muscle spasticity and rigidity that causes stiffness and limits residual movement. The team also evaluated of how well the grafted cells had integrated into the rodents' spines.

Gorp and colleagues found that, compared to rats who received either the placebo injection or no injection, those who received the stem cell grafts showed a progressive and significant improvement in gait/paw placement, reduced muscle spasticity as well as improved sensitivity to both mechanical and thermal stimuli. In addition to these behavioural benefits, the researchers observed long-term improvements in the structural integrity of previously injured spinal cord segments.

"Importantly, spinal cavity formation and muscle spasticity are frequently observed in human patients with high-speed, high-impact induced spinal cord injuries. Our findings demonstrate that human foetal spinal cord-derived neural stem cells, with an already established favorable clinical safety profile, represent a potential cell candidate for cell replacement therapy in patients with traumatic spinal injuries," the researchers added.

The research was published this week in BioMed Central's open access journal Stem Cell Research and Therapy. (ANI)

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Spine function improves after cell replacement therapy with human fetal stem cells

May 28, 2013

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

For years, stem-cell based therapies have been described as a potential way to treat spinal cord injuries in humans, and a new study published in the journal Stem Cell Research and Therapy describes an exciting step forward in that pursuit.

According to the report, a single injection of human stem cells was able to induce neuronal regeneration and improved mobility in rats that were afflicted with a severe spinal cord injury.

This is exciting, especially because, historically, there has been very little to offer patients with acute spinal cord injury, said co-author Dr. Joseph Ciacci, chief of neurosurgery for the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System.

The research team observed as the injected rats regained motor skills and experienced a loss of the uncontrollable muscle spasms typically associated with traumatic spinal cord injury.The stem cell therapy also improved the integrity of the spine, allowing for signals to pass through the injury location.

The primary benefits were improvement in the positioning and control of paws during walking tests and suppression of muscle spasticity, said Dr. Martin Marsala, a medical doctor and professor at the University of California, San Diego and a specialist in treating spinal injury-related disorders.

In the study, the researchers sorted 42 three-month-old female rats with recently induced spinal compression injuries into one of three groups. The first group received a stem cell injection, the second group received a placebo injection, and the third group was left alone.

Weekly assessments were performed on the three groups over eight weeks following the treatment using a combination of tests. The rats motor and sensory functions, presence of muscle spasticity and rigidity were all tested. Using MRI images, visual inspections, and staining techniques, the team also assessed how well the grafted cells had integrated into the rat spines.

The team found that the stem-cell treated mice experienced a progressive improvement in their walking ability, a reduction in muscle spasticity, and improved sensitivity to mechanical and thermal stimuli. The researchers also saw lasting improvements in the structural reliability of previously injured spinal cord sections.

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Breakthrough In Use Of Stem Cells To Treat Spinal Cord Injuries

Tucson, AZ and San Juan Capistrano, CA (PRWEB) May 29, 2013

Liposuction.com, the largest website dedicated to liposuction education, and AdiCyte, the nations leading cryobank for adipose [fat] derived tissue and stem cells, have partnered to educate consumers about StemCellLipo and the value of banking adipose tissue and stem cells following liposuction.

StemCellLipo is a new add-on procedure that enables liposuction patients to collect and preserve their youngest stem cells for use in the future in regenerative medicine or tissue engineering.

Oddly, fat is the largest source of mesenchymal stem cells [MSC] in the human body. These stem cells can replicate into other types of cells such as bone, nerve, cartilage and muscle.

Doctors have already successfully regenerated knee cartilage in arthritic patients, and engineered new blood vessels and whole organs such as a bladder, using a patients own MSCs. Since regenerative medicine with MSCs is the focus of over 100 clinical trials for things like recovery after a heart attack and spinal disc regeneration, banking the cells has been referred to as a type of biological insurance in case of future need.

We think http://www.liposuction.com is the quintessential online resource for patients interested in liposuction and every single one of those patients should make an informed decision about their adipose stem cells. We will now have the opportunity to educate a million consumers each year on the benefit of preserving their unique stem cells following their liposuction procedure," said Scott Edelman, CEO and co-founder of AdiCyte.

AdiCytes laboratory, located at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center in Tucson, is under the direction of Dr. David Harris, a world-renowned expert on stem cell cryopreservation and their use in regenerative medicine. Harris started the first stem cell bank in 1992, preserving stem cells from umbilical cord blood. Today, approximately 1,000,000 individuals have their stem cells banked.

This is an important and valuable advancement that our visitors need to know about when they come to us for information on liposuction, said Rob Belo, Global Relations Manager at http://www.liposuction.com.

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StemCellLipo is exclusively offered by AdiCyte, Inc. AdiCyte is the leader in cryobanking of adipose tissue for use in cosmetic, surgical, reconstructive and regenerative medical treatments. MSCs derived from adipose tissue are pluripotent stem cells that can differentiate into other specialized types of cells like bone cells, nerve cells and liver cells. The companys laboratory and processing facility is FDA registered and located in Tucson, Arizona. More information is available at http://www.adicyte.com.

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Industry Leaders Team Up to Educate Patients on StemCellLipoâ„¢ Cryopreservation of Stem Cells after Liposuction

May 28, 2013

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

By reengineering skin cells from individuals with Down syndrome, scientists at the University of Wisconsin, Madison were able to learn how stem cells develop into dysfunctional brain cells when they contain an extra copy of chromosome 21, the genetic cause of the disorder.

Even though Down syndrome is very common, its surprising how little we know about what goes wrong in the brain, said Anita Bhattacharyya, a stem cell researcher and co-author of a paper based on the research that appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

These new cells provide a way to look at early brain development, she added.

The Wisconsin researchers began by transforming two Down syndrome patients skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, which can then be converted into brain cells.

Bhattacharyya said she noticed something unique about the neurons as they were developing.

They communicate less, are quieter, she said. This is new, but it fits with what little we know about the Down syndrome brain.

The team found that developing neurons in the study had only about 60 percent of the usual number of synapses compared to healthy brain cells. Synapses are the junctures where nerve cells connect with each other and which allow for communication via the transmission of electrical signals.

This is enough to make a difference, Bhattacharyya said. Even if they recovered these synapses later on, you have missed this critical window of time during early development.

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Stem Cells Help Explore Brain Development In Down Syndrome Patients