Category Archives: Stem Cells

Steven Cherry: Hi, this is Steven Cherry for IEEE Spectrums Techwise Conversations.

3-D printing is being used for all sorts of things, from small plastic parts and microprocessors to a titanium jawbone for transplantation, from wedding cakes, as well be describing in an article in our June issue, to an entire car body, as well be hearing about in a podcast next month. Everything from computer chips to chocolate chips, in other words.

But the most unusual and potentially one of the most beneficial uses has to be that of human embryonic stem cells.

This is a pretty new thing. Researchers have done this with the stem cells of other animals, but it was only last month that a team at Heriot-Watt University, in Scotland, announced the 3-D printing of human stem cells. The work was published in the journal Biofabrication. My guest today is one of the coauthors of the study.

Will [Wenmiao] Shu is at the School of Engineering & Physical Sciences; Biochemistry, Biophysics & Bioengineering at Heriot-Watt University. He joins me by phone from there.

Will, welcome to the podcast.

Will Shu: Hello. Hi, thank you for inviting me.

Steven Cherry: The title of your paper is Development of a Valve-Based Cell Printer for the Formation of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Spheroid Aggregates. Thats certainly a mouthful, so lets take it in parts. What you did here was actually build a printer.

Will Shu: Okay, so there are two key components of the 3-D bioprinter. One is the printing nozzle, which determines what kind of materials you can print and also how much quantity of the material you can print at a particular spot, okay. So the valve-based printing nozzle we developed is basically, are solenoid microvalves, which we found is very gentle in printing stem cells, human embryonic stem cells.

So the printed human embryonic stem cells intend very high cell viability. And also, importantly, after printing out, we found the stem cells kept their key biological function, which is their potencytheir ability to be turned into any other type of cells in the body. And the other key component of the printer is basically their motion control. And similar to other types of 3-D printers, which you can print plastics [unintelligible] three-dimensional motion of the printing head, basically how well you can print, and thats quite similar to other types of 3-D printing technology.

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A 3-D Printer for Human Embryonic Stem Cells

CHUBBUCK, Idaho -

One local animal hospital performed southeast Idaho's first stem cell procedure Monday.

For the first time, the Alpine Animal Hospital in Chubbuck helped two animals ease their arthritis pain using a procedure that takes stem cells from the animals' own fat tissue.

Karen Vargas noticed her 9-year old dog, Sadie, growing older and more effected by arthritis in her joints.

She has arthritis in her front paws and her front legs and so I thought this is a wonderful time to have it done, Vargas said. So I called and I said, 'Hey, let me have the first dog being done here in Pocatello,' and I was so excited.

Sadie is a therapy dog who has helped comfort people since the new Portneuf Medical Center was built two years ago. Since then, Sadie would tote around a backpack full of chocolate to cheer-up those around her.

But now, Sadie herself is going under the knife herself.

It's pretty exciting for us here at the Alpine Animal Hospital to be groundbreaking and heading in this direction with stem cells, veterinarian Dr. Steven Haymore said. I think it's going to be something we see in the future for veterinary medicine pretty routinely, if not in human medicine.

Once the fat tissue from Sadie's abdomen had been harvested, it was placed in test tubes. Once in the lab, the test tubes were mixed with various solutions and spun into a liquid before being digested down a centrifuge that separates the fat cells from the clean, stem cells.

Haymore said fat tissues are used in this process because, although there are stem cells located throughout the whole body, there are greater concentrations of them in the fat itself. As a matter of fact, in one test tube alone, there are up to billions of stem cells ready to be processed and injected back into the body.

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Stem cells : local animal hospital leading the way in SE Idaho

World Stem Cells, LLC facilitates Stem Cell Therapies at a just completed state of the art clinic in beautiful Cancun. The clinic is headed by Dr. Ernesto Gutierrez and staffed by top specialist in the field of stem cell implants and a new laboratory to support the stem cell treatments given.

Lutz, Florida (PRWEB) April 01, 2013

The laboratory http://worldstemcells.com/stem-cell-laboratory construction is complete and operations were transferred to our new facility. This facility provides Cancun, and patient around the world, a state of the art cGTP laboratory to support their stem cell treatments in a beautiful, and positive environment. The lab was designed and constructed to provide one ISO7 lab, one wet lab along with a treatment area. This will allow stem cell retrieval, testing, culturing, selection, counting, analyses and sorting along with cryopreservation, without removal from the lab. This all in house capability reduces the possibility of contamination and errors. Dr. Ernesto Gutierrez will operate the Lab under cGTP guidelines and use the state of the art facility to provide quality care to her stem cell transplant patients. Our strict adherence to these established guidelines and policies guarantees the highest quality of clinical care and stem cell treatment safety for you.

Our clinic and laboratory and clinic headed by Dr. Ernesto Gutierrez and his team were designed, built and are operated under the stringent guidelines as established by The International Cellular Medical Society (ICMS) and the US Federal Drug Administrations Good Tissue Practice (cGTP)regulations for pharmaceutical, biologics and clinical laboratories. Working under the guidelines set forth by ICMS world stem cells, LLC ( http://worldstemcells.com/ ) provides stem cell treatment for Ankylosing Spondylitis, Autism, Anti-Aging, Cerebral Palsy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT), Crohns Diseases, COPD, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Hashimotos Thryroiditis, ITP, Kidney Diseases, Myasthenia Gravis, Macular Degeneration, Lupus (SLE), Multiple Sclerosis, PAD, Psoriatic Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Parkinsons disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Scleroderma, Stroke, Ulcerative Colitis

The laboratory and clinic will be engaged in private clinical trials, IRBs and joint studies with US companies, Mexican Educational Institutes, US universities and doctors to better understand the benefits and precaution to be taken in the stem cell treatment process

Colleen Powers World Stem Cells, LLC (800)234-1693 Email Information

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World Stem Cells , LLC Facilitates Stem Cell Treatments In Cancun at World Stem Cells Clinic

Whether its destroyed by a bullet, disease, or a bad infection, doctors now have a new way to rebuild bone in the face. Stem cells might hold the key to the future.

Traditionally, to rebuild bone in the face, you have to take bone from the hip or leg and surgically implant it. A new procedure means a shorter hospital stay and less recovery time.

Dr. Robert Marx, an oral surgeon and professor of surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, examined Ramsey Hasans new mouth after the procedure.

"A wisdom tooth extraction went bad. I lost a significant portion of my jaw," said Hasan, who had to have part of his jaw removed.

Marx used a surgical technique, called In-Situ tissue engineering, to grow Hasan a new jaw.

Stem cells are harvested from the hip bone during reconstructive surgery. Cadaver bone and a special protein called BMP help those stem cells grow bone. The components are then secured with a titanium plate, Marx said.

In six months, the bone is absolutely normal. Any of the cadaver bone is dissolved and replaced by the patients own bone, stimulated by the BMP, and actually produced by the bone marrow," explained Marx.

Now, Hasan is healed and happy with the results.

"I now have a healthy gum, a healthy jaw, which is most important, and some fake teeth that dont feel fake, Hasan said.

Marx helped pioneer the stem cell procedure at the University of Miami. Right now, he is the only one performing it, but he's currently teaching the technique to other doctors around the country.

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Health Beat: Mending mouths: Rebuilding jawbones with stem cells

Public release date: 27-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jordi Morato comunicacio@idibell.cat IDIBELL-Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute

The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) has signed a licensing agreement with the Spanish biotech company Histocell to make use of a patent for the treatment of acute pulmonary diseases with mesenchymal stem cells. These cells, administered intravenously, have the ability to go directly to the damaged lungs, acting as a "smart drug".

To enhance the effect, researchers have modified this cells by genetic engineering. The studies have been developed by a team led by Josep Maria Aran, researcher at the Human Molecular Genetics group of IDIBELL, in collaboration with researchers of the Pneumology group at Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and the Biomedical Research Network Centre for Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES). The outcomes of the research have supposed an international patent application managed by the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at IDIBELL.

The researchers use adult mesenchymal stem cells extracted from adipose tissue obtained from liposuction. These cells are capable of enhancing the regeneration of the damaged lung tissue and secrete inflammatory proteins therein when injected into the blood.

Improvements

The novelty patented by IDIBELL and VHIR researchers has been the insertion of improvements through genetic engineering that can significantly enhance the anti-inflammatory and regenerative power of the mesenchymal cells. Specifically, researchers have modified the antagonist to secrete interleukin 33, a regulatory protein (cytokine) that has a fundamental role in the inflammatory process.

The treatment has proven to be very effective given intravenously, although it could be considered the option of administering it by inhalation.

In the administered dose, these stem cells do not involve immune rejection, because the body removes them after their function is performed. This makes them particularly useful for treating acute diseases.

Good results

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IDIBELL licenses Histocell, a patent for acute respiratory diseases with stem cells

A study led by a Great Ormond Street doctor has shown that amniotic fluid stem cells can reverse intestinal damage in rats caused by necrotising enterocolitis -- an often fatal disorder that afflicts premature babies.

Expert in regenerative medicine Paolo De Coppi had already proved that amniotic fluid could be reprogrammed in a similar way to how we reprogram embryonic stem cells, and without introducing potentially damaging genes to instigate the transformation (how adult cells are made pluripotent). Though not quite as versatile as the embryonic version, De Coppi showed that they could be converted into liver, bone and nerve cells.

What's interesting about this latest study is that the stem cells calmed the intestinal inflammation, healed and reversed damage done to the gut far better than bone marrow stem cells (used in a rate control group), and in an unexpected way. After being injected, the cells travelled to the tiny villi that line the intestinal walls and absorb nutrients, where it then released an unknown substance that triggered progenitor cells to calm the inflammation and instigate tissue and villi regrowth. The team is unsure exactly how it released a growth factor to kick the progenitor cells into action, but it's hoping further studies could clear this up -- that knowledge could then be used to develop drugs that replicate the same action.

In the meantime, De Coppi says, "we hope that stem cells found in amniotic fluid will be used more widely in therapies and in research, particularly for the treatment of congenital malformations".

Necrotising enterocolitis is common in premature babies, with inflammation rapidly leading to tissue death and a perforated intestine if antibiotics have no effect. At that point, an operation is the only option and these have a 70 percent survival rate due to related risks of surgery at such a young age, and can leave infants with a shortened intestine and trouble eating for the rest of their lives. This latest study gives hope for an injectable, non-invasive solution.

Stem cells have already been shown to have some incredible properties for regenerative medicine -- most recently baboon embryonic stem cells were used to repair damaged arteries. However, due the ethical grey area embryonic experiments reside in, progress has inevitably been slower, with the first official human trials only recently beginning to take place. Stem cells derived from amniotic fluid have huge potential, but would mainly still rely on donors given the impracticalities of storing fluid from every birth. Nevertheless, according to estimates published in a 2005 study, just 150 donors would provide a match for 38 percent of the population.

De Coppi, who in 2010 made headlines when he built an 11-year-old boy a trachea replacement from his own bone marrow stem cells, is currently raising funding for his research into building rejection-free transplants from stem cells.

Image: Shutterstock

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Amniotic stem cells heal intestinal disorder that afflicts premature babies

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Researchers studying stem cells removed from amniotic fluid have found a possible role the cells have on healing damage caused by necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a severe inflammation that can destroy tissues in the gut and lead to major organ failure.

The findings, published in the journal Gut, are based on early animal tests that reveal healing and an increase in survival. The researchers say the evidence could lead to a new form of cell therapy for premature babies, but cautioned that more research is needed first.

The study was funded by Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) Childrens Charity and led by University College Londons (UCL) Institute of Child Health (ICH). The researchers investigated how the stem cells work in relation to NEC, which is the most common gastrointestinal surgical emergency in newborns, with mortality rates or around 15 to 30 percent in the UK.

While breast milk and probiotics are known to offer some level of protection against NEC, there are currently no medical treatments available other than emergency surgery. Surgical removal, however, shortens the bowel and can lead to intestinal failure, with some babies needing ongoing intravenous nutrition or intestinal transplant.

Babies born prematurely often have guts that are ill-prepared to handle food, and about one in 10 preemies in neonatal intensive care go on to develop NEC. The inflammation can cause tissue death and lead to holes in the intestine which can lead to even more serious infections.

It is quite a problem and we think it is on the increase, said Dr. Simon Eaton, from UCLs Institute of Child Health.

Dr. Eaton, who was part of the research team investigating the role of amniotic stem cells in laboratory rats programmed to develop fatal NEC, said the injections of the stem cells appeared to increase the survival times of the rats.

Were able to prolong survival by quite a long way, he told the BBC. What appears to be happening is a direct effect on calming inflammation and also stimulating resident stem cells in the gut to be more efficient at repairing the intestines.

The researchers harvested amniotic fluid stem (AFS) cells from rodent amniotic fluid and injected them into rats with NEC. Other rats with the same condition were given bone marrow stem cells taken from their femurs, or were kept on normal nutrition with no treatment, to compare clinical outcomes.

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Stem Cells Heal Damaged Intestinal Tissue In Premature Babies

BACKGROUND: Maxillofacial bone grafting and bone harvesting developed to the scientific level during WWI. The development of radical surgery to treat oral cancers began close to 1906. That effort along with the increase in war-related maxillofacial defects began in 1914. The U.S. Army Medical Corps and the U.S. Army Dental Corps began with a block graft harvest from the lacteral tibia with a reported success rate of 64.5%. During 1918 and 1941, anesthesia became more reliable. The practice of bone harvesting, mostly from the ribs and iliac crest, was utilized in WWII related jaw reconstructions. During WWII one-piece iliac block grafts were used 81% of the time, ribs 15%, onepiece tibia grafts 2%, and chip grafts 1%. In 1944, iliac cancellous bone chips were introduced. After WWII, tumor and civilian trauma were the main indications for mandibular reconstruction and cancellous marrow grafts were the most common. This type of grafting has been popularized in the 1990s and early 2000. Now, free microvascular transfers of the fibula are often used today by nondental surgeons to reconstruct defects of the mandible. Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP) has shown significant bone regeneration capabilities in maxillofacial and oral bone defects. (Source: Marx, Robert E., Atlas of Oral and Extraoral Bone Harvesting)

HARVESTED BONE: When a bone graft is harvested, there is a period of time before it is placed into the recipient site. It is recommended to minimize the out of body time, but sometimes it can extend up to two hours. The principle of autogenous bone harvesting is to transplant viable osteocompetent cells along with a matrix that contains a signal for bone regeneration. It is necessary to maintain the viability of the grafts. Studies have shown that room-temperature saline preserves more than 95% of graft cell viability for at least four hours. Because autogenous osteocompetent cells and bone marrow stem cells are hardy, they will survive to regenerate bone in most cases unless they are destroyed during the time between harvest and placement. The most common cause of cell viability is contact with sterile distilled water. (Source: Marx, Robert E., Atlas of Oral and Extraoral Bone Harvesting)

NEW TECHNOLOGY: Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2/acellular collagen sponge was FDA approved for orthopedic lumbar spinal fusions, open tibial fractures, oral and maxillofacial sinus floor augmentations and alveolar ridge preservations. It is an alternative to autogenous bone grafting without the morbidity of bone harvesting. It regenerates new bone on its own. The bound BMP in the acellular collagen sponge is chemotactic to stem cells and preosteoblasts. These cells will migrate into the sponge and undergo proliferation and differentiation into osteoblasts, which will then synthesize osteoid. Once this process is complete, the osteoid will undergo the standard remodeling cycle of bone to a mature ossicle in six months. The production of rhBMP-2 begins with restricted enzymes, which is the BMP-2 gene from chromosome 20 in the human genome. This gene is transferred into a bacterial plasmid. Then it is transfected into a chromosome in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) and cultured to increase the numbers. The CHO cells will produce hamster proteins, but also one unique human protein called BMP-2. It is separated to produce a purely human protein free of bacteria or animal proteins and in high concentrations to regenerate bone in humans. (Source: Marx, Robert E., Atlas of Oral and Extraoral Bone Harvesting)

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Mending Mouths: Rebuilding Jawbones With Stem Cells