Category Archives: Stem Cells

Public release date: 14-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Andrea Slesinski aslesinski@hematology.org American Society of Hematology

(WASHINGTON)-Transplants of blood-forming stem cells from umbilical cord blood may be an effective alternative to transplants of matched donor bone marrow stem cells to treat children with a rare, debilitating disease known as Hurler's syndrome (HS), according to results of a study published online today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

HS is an inherited metabolic disease characterized by the lack of a critical metabolic enzyme (lysosomal -L-iduronidase) that breaks down long chains of sugar molecules in the body. In the absence of the enzyme, the sugar chains build up in the body and damage vital organs. Children with the disease, who can be diagnosed at birth or as late as age 8, typically have a poor prognosis; serious complications such as deafness, halted growth, joint disease, or heart valve problems can rapidly develop after diagnosis and can lead to death. Recently, hematopoietic cell transplants (HCT) have become a valuable treatment for HS, as transplanted cells can generate new, healthy, enzyme producing blood cells to replace the diseased cells. These donor cells will deliver enzymes to all organs, including the brain, and can prevent disease progression. However, clinicians remain challenged to determine the optimal cell source and appropriate conditioning regimens to prepare patients for transplant that will maximize survival and minimize transplant-related morbidity and mortality.

"Cord blood has been proposed as an alternative stem cell source for children with HS since it has been suggested that cord blood may increase their levels of lysosomal -L-iduronidase, which consequently may allow them to live longer with fewer complications," said lead study author Jaap Jan Boelens, MD, PhD, of the University Medical Center Utrecht, in Utrecht, Netherlands. "However, until now, no studies have compared the safety and efficacy of different stem cell and donor sources among a large group of patients to determine which may be the ideal transplant source."

With this aim, Dr. Boelens and a team of investigators conducted a retrospective analysis analyzing outcomes of HS patients treated with HCT in centers affiliated with the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), Eurocord, and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR). A total of 258 infants and children with HS (ranging from 2 months to 18 years, with a median age of 16 months at transplant) who received an HCT between 1995 and 2007 were selected for analysis based upon certain criteria: a confirmed diagnosis of HS; a transplant of cells from a matched sibling donor (MSD), a matched or mismatched unrelated donor (UD), or cells from a single, unrelated cord blood (UCB) unit; and pre-transplant treatment containing a high dose of chemotherapy to help prevent their immune systems from rejecting donated cells.

Nearly half of the children evaluated in the study (45%) had received transplants of unrelated cord blood (81% of which was from mismatched donors) with the others receiving transplants of bone marrow stem cells from unrelated donors or matched sibling donors. All the patients received pre-transplant high-dose chemotherapy, and 19 percent had previously received intravenous enzyme replacement therapy with lysosomal -L-iduronidase. Taking into consideration stem cell source and pre-transplant conditioning, the team compared the rates of overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), engraftment (the degree to which transplanted donor cells were able to reproduce into new cells) or graft failure, or death.

The team noted encouraging survival rates among the children with HS who had received an HCT, regardless of source, with 5-year estimated OS and EFS at 74 percent and 63 percent, respectively. Importantly, EFS rates were similarly high for children who had received donations of matched sibling cells or fully matched unrelated umbilical cord blood (MSD or UCB, 81%), compared to EFS rates for patients transplanted with cells from matched unrelated donors (66%) or unmatched unrelated cord blood donors (68%). EFS rates were highest among infants who received transplants at age 16 months or younger, indicating the importance of transplantation as early as possible after diagnosis for these children, when treatment may help prevent further disease burden or damage.

Within two months of undergoing transplants, nearly all patients (91%) showed evidence of donor cell recovery (as noted by increasing levels of white blood cells in the blood). Only 12 percent of children experienced secondary graft failure (when the body rejects donor cells).

As is common in patients receiving stem cell transplants, investigators observed reports of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD, which occurs when the donated immune cells attack the patient's cells as foreign tissue) among the patient sample. At 100 days post-transplant, roughly one-fourth of transplant recipients experienced moderate to severe acute GVHD, and only 16 percent experienced chronic GVHD (remaining at five years post-transplant).

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Cord blood effective alternative to matched donor stem cells for kids with rare disorder

PROTEINS, carbohydrates and vitamins are all on the menu for a breastfed baby. Now it seems you can add stem cells to that list. Evidence is piling up that both breast milk and breast tissue contain embryonic-like stem cells.

That might mean we will soon have access to a source of stem cells without destroying embryos. This would be a boon as stem cells can turn into any type of human tissue, making them useful for treating degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's or for regrowing damaged heart muscle.

In 2011 Foteini Hassiotou at the University of Western Australia in Crawley and colleagues found stem cells in lactating breast tissue and breast milk. When they grew the breast milk cells they turned into the three types of cells from which all tissues and organs develop just like human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) do.

Hassiotou has since found this "pluripotency" in many more breast milk samples and thinks that breast milk stem cells could one day replace those from embryos. In one study, her team looked at fresh breast milk from more than 70 healthy breastfeeding women. They found that BMSCs expressed several genes that are also found in hESCs and help them replicate. Cultured samples also grew into different tissues including bone, neuron, heart and pancreatic cells (Human Lactation, DOI: 10.1177/0890334413477242).

In some cases, the team found that 30 per cent of all cells in breast milk were stem cells. In studies with monkeys and mice the cells were shown to pass into the bloodstream.

"One can speculate wildly about what they do in the baby," says Hassiotou. But she thinks that breastfed infants could be getting a developmental head start, with stem cells from the mother contributing to organ development in the newborn.

However, BMSCs fail one widely accepted test for embryonic cells: when injected into mice, they don't form a type of tumour called a teratoma. For many this failure is a deal-breaker.

But BMSCs are not alone. Mari Dezawa at Tohuku University in Sendai, Japan, and colleagues have found pluripotent cells called MUSE cells in bone marrow and connective tissue that do not form teratomas.

"The best stem cells might not make tumours," says Hassiotou. Dezawa agrees, and says that MUSE and BMSCs could be superior if they turn into a wide variety of cells without the risk of forming tumours.

Thea Tlsty at the University of California in San Francisco says she can imagine that there are pluripotent cells that do not make tumours. Her team recently identified pluripotent stem cells in breast tissue from non-lactating women and men (PNAS, doi.org/krn). Although her cells do form tumours, she agrees that the standard test needs revisiting.

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Are breast milk stem cells the real deal for medicine?

Public release date: 15-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Ivanka Moerkerken i.moerkerken@uroweb.org 31-026-389-0680 European Association of Urology

Arnhem, 11 March 2013 - Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells cultivated on the surface of nanofibrous meshes could be a novel therapeutic strategy against post-prostatectomy erectile dysfunction (ED), conclude the authors of a study which is to be presented at the 28th Annual EAU Congress later this week.

The study was conducted by a group of Korean scientists and will be awarded 3rd prize for best abstract in non-oncology research on the opening day of the congress.

During their investigation, the group aimed to examine the differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells cultivated on the surface of nanofibrous meshes (nano-hMSCs) into neuron-like cells and repair of erectile dysfunction using their transplantation around the injured cavernous nerve (CN) of rats.

"The objectives of the study reflect a very pertinent need in today's urology practice," said the lead author of the investigation Prof. Y.S. Song of Soonchunhyang University School of Medicine in South Korea. "Post-prostatectomy erectile dysfunction results from injury to the cavernous nerve that provides the autonomic input to erectile tissue. It is a common complication after radical prostatectomy which decreases the patient's quality of life".

"Although advances in equipment and surgical techniques reduce this complication, patients still experience erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy," he explained.

Treatment of phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors shows insufficient effectiveness in the treatment of post-prostatectomy ED and it is believed that the transplantation of stem cells cultivated on the surface of nanofibrous meshes can promote cavernous neuronal regeneration and repair erectile dysfunction.

In the course of the study, the synthesised polymer was electrospun in a rotating drum to prepare nanofibrous meshes and hMSCs were prepared and confirmed. Eight week old male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups of 10 each, including sham operation (group 1), CN injury (group 2), hMSCs treatment after CN injury (group 3) and nano-hMSCs treatment after CN injury (group 4). Immediately after the CN injury in group 4, nano-hMSCs encircled the injured CN. Erectile response was assessed by CN stimulation at 2, 4 weeks. Thereafter, penile tissue samples were harvested and examined using morphological analysis and immuno-histochemical stain against nerves (nestin, tubulin III and map2), endothelium (CD31,vWF) and smooth muscle (smooth muscle actin).

The results of the study revealed that at 2, 4 weeks, transplantation of nano-hMSCs increased the expression levels of cavernous neuronal, endothelial and smooth muscle makers more than hMSCs alone.

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Stem cells transplantation technique has high potential as a novel therapeutic strategy for ED

Washington, March 13 (IANS) A new study has found that stem cells from the patient's own body fat could help seek out and destroy cancer cells in a type of brain tumour.

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have found the stem cells from body fat may have the potential to deliver new treatments directly into the brain after the surgical removal of a glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of brain tumour.

According to investigators, the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have an unexplained ability to seek out damaged cells, such as those involved in cancer, and may provide clinicians a new tool for accessing difficult-to-reach parts of the brain where cancer cells can hide and proliferate anew.

The researchers say harvesting MSCs from fat is less invasive and less expensive than getting them from bone marrow, a more commonly studied method, reports Science Daily.

Results of the Johns Hopkins proof-of-principle study are described online in the journal PLOS ONE.

"The biggest challenge in brain cancer is the migration of cancer cells. Even when we remove the tumour, some of the cells have already slipped away and are causing damage somewhere else," says study leader Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, professor of neurosurgery, oncology and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

"Building off our findings, we may be able to find a way to arm a patient's own healthy cells with the treatment needed to chase down those cancer cells and destroy them. It's truly personalised medicine," adds Quinones-Hinojosa.

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Stem cells from body fat can destroy tumour cells : Study

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT; OTCBB: ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that chief scientific officer Robert Lanza, M.D., is featured on the TOP 50 Global Stem Cell Influencers list from Terrapinns life sciences division, TotalBiopharma (World Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine Congress 2013). The list features the most influential people in the global stem cell and cell therapy field, including world renowned academics, industry players, and governmental officials.

Dr. Lanza was among the top four on the list, alongside the University of Wisconsins Dr. James Thomson, known as the first scientist to derive human embryonic stem cells (in 1998) and for his work with induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells; and Kyoto Universitys Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, co-winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work with iPS cells, and a winner of the inaugural $3 million Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences earlier this year.

Terrapinn, the global firm sponsoring the inaugural list, refers to it as being similar to the Forbes [Celebrity] 100, but for stem cells. It is the result of a global survey of the stem cell community, which yielded thousands of votes. The 50 personalities were picked based on their career achievements whether this was groundbreaking discovery and research, innovation, or lifetime dedication. More information is available here.

About Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., is a biotechnology company applying cellular technology in the field of regenerative medicine. For more information, visit http://www.advancedcell.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release regarding future financial and operating results, future growth in research and development programs, potential applications of our technology, opportunities for the company and any other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words will, believes, plans, anticipates, expects, estimates, and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: limited operating history, need for future capital, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, protection of our intellectual property, and economic conditions generally. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in the companys periodic reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the companys management at the time they are made, and the company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances should change. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the companys management at the time they are made, and the company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances should change. There can be no assurance that the Companys clinical trials will be successful.

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ACT’s Dr. Robert Lanza Voted Top 4 “Most Influential People on Stem Cells ”

SUNRISE, FL--(Marketwire - Mar 12, 2013) - Bioheart Inc. ( OTCQB : BHRT ) announced that Bioheart's Chief Science Officer, Kristin Comella was named to the 50 most influential people on stem cells.The World Stem Cell Regenerative Medicine Congress asked the international stem cell community to compile a comprehensive list of the top 50.These personalities were picked based on their career achievements and dedication to the field of regenerative medicine.Ms. Comella debuted at #24 on the list.

Bioheart's president and CEO, Mike Tomas, said, "Bioheart is honored to have Kristin Comella leading our exciting platform of regenerative medicine products.Her dedication and accomplishments in the field are justifiably recognized by her peers."

About Bioheart, Inc.

Bioheart is committed to maintaining its leading position within the cardiovascular sector of the cell technology industry delivering cell therapies and biologics that help address congestive heart failure, lower limb ischemia, chronic heart ischemia, acute myocardial infarctions and other issues.Bioheart's goals are to cause damaged tissue to be regenerated, when possible, and to improve a patient's quality of life and reduce health care costs and hospitalizations.

Specific to biotechnology, Bioheart is focused on the discovery, development and, subject to regulatory approval, commercialization of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage and peripheral vascular disease. Its leading product, MyoCell, is a clinical muscle-derived cell therapy designed to populate regions of scar tissue within a patient's heart with new living cells for the purpose of improving cardiac function in chronic heart failure patients. For more information on Bioheart, visit http://www.bioheartinc.com, or visit us on Facebook: Bioheart and Twitter @BioheartInc.

About Stemlogix, LLC

Stemlogix high quality stem cell therapy and other regenerative medicine therapies are impacting the lives of cats, dogs and horses around the U.S. and in other countries. The company has developed a scientifically validated method for harvesting stem cells from both fat tissue and bone marrow for therapeutic use. The Stemlogix stem cell isolation processes provide for consistent cellular products that are compliant with current regulatory guidelines. Stemlogix has a highly experienced management team with over 20 years combined experience in developing multiple stem cell therapeutics for both human and animal use. In all of its products and services, Stemlogix aims to provide the best cutting-edge regenerative medical solutions, and seeks to provide companion animals and horses with renewed health and vitality. The company has partnered with Butler Schein Animal Health, the leading companion animal health distribution company in the U.S., who are demonstrating the ease and effectiveness of the Stemlogix regenerative medicine treatments to veterinarians nationwide. To learn more about Stemlogix, LLC and its wide range of innovative regenerative medicine products please visit http://www.stemlogix.com, send an email to info@stemlogix.com or contact your local Butler Schein Animal Health representative.

Forward-Looking Statements: Except for historical matters contained herein, statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "may," "will," "to," "plan," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "would," "estimate," or "continue" or the negative other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent our management's beliefs and assumptions only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

The Company is subject to the risks and uncertainties described in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the section entitled "Risk Factors" in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2012.

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Bioheart's Kristin Comella Named to 50 Most Influential People on Stem Cells

Recently, an Elle Magazine highlighted the potential for stem cells to become a vital part of the cosmetics industry. Dr. Simon Ourian of Epione Beverly Hills believes that with further testing and research, stem cells could become a popular and effective ingredient in cosmetic treatments.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 12, 2013

Throughout the medical field, there are studies being performed using stem cells in an attempt to cure various physical ailments and degenerative conditions. The cosmetics industry is copying the trend, attempting to use stem cells to reduce the signs of aging or to improve one's general appearance.

As is often the case, publicity and buzz run far ahead of actual scientific fact, says Dr. Simon Ourian, Medical Director of Epione Beverly Hills. We are only at the beginning stages of research and development with stem cells and its too soon to tell what will ultimately turn out to be the most effective way to utilize stem cells for anti-aging products and procedures.

For consumers seeking youth in a jar, it is important to realize that actual stem cells will not be found in any over the counter lotions or skin care products. Research has not advanced far enough to keep stem cells alive in that medium. What is found in creams and lotions are the growth factors and proteins that are synthesized by the cells. In most cases these come from plant matter though there is at least one company working with donated, unfertilized human eggs.

As it mentions in the article, not many placebo-controlled studies have been done, concludes Dr. Ourian, so there remains a lot of work to be done and much information to be gleaned. Given the stakes and the players, I expect that a substantial amount of money will be poured into this research and Id be surprised if the science isnt significantly advanced over the next few years.

Dr. Ourian has been a pioneer in laser technology and non-invasive aesthetic procedures including Restylane, Juvderm, Radiesse and Sculptra. These treatments are used for the correction or reversal of a variety of conditions such as acne, acne scars, skin discoloration, wrinkles, stretch marks, varicose veins, cellulite, and others. More information about stem cell developments can be found on Epione's website.

Grace Russell Epione Medical Corporation (888) 951-3377 Email Information

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Skin Care – Do Stem Cells Really Work?

Mar. 12, 2013 In laboratory studies, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have found that stem cells from a patient's own fat may have the potential to deliver new treatments directly into the brain after the surgical removal of a glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of brain tumor.

The investigators say so-called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have an unexplained ability to seek out damaged cells, such as those involved in cancer, and may provide clinicians a new tool for accessing difficult-to-reach parts of the brain where cancer cells can hide and proliferate anew. The researchers say harvesting MSCs from fat is less invasive and less expensive than getting them from bone marrow, a more commonly studied method.

Results of the Johns Hopkins proof-of-principle study are described online in the journal PLOS ONE.

"The biggest challenge in brain cancer is the migration of cancer cells. Even when we remove the tumor, some of the cells have already slipped away and are causing damage somewhere else," says study leader Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, M.D., a professor of neurosurgery, oncology and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "Building off our findings, we may be able to find a way to arm a patient's own healthy cells with the treatment needed to chase down those cancer cells and destroy them. It's truly personalized medicine."

For their test-tube experiments, Quinones-Hinojosa and his colleagues bought human MSCs derived from both fat and bone marrow, and also isolated and grew their own stem cell lines from fat removed from two patients. Comparing the three cell lines, they discovered that all proliferated, migrated, stayed alive and kept their potential as stem cells equally well.

This was an important finding, Quinones-Hinojosa says, because it suggests that a patient's own fat cells might work as well as any to create cancer-fighting cells. The MSCs, with their ability to home in on cancer cells, might be able to act as a delivery mechanism, bringing drugs, nanoparticles or some other treatment directly to the cells. Quinones-Hinojosa cautions that while further studies are under way, it will be years before human trials of MSC delivery systems can begin.

Ideally, he says, if MSCs work, a patient with a glioblastoma would have some adipose tissue (fat) removed -- from any number of locations in the body -- a short time before surgery. The MSCs in the fat would be drawn out and manipulated in the lab to carry drugs or other treatments. Then, after surgeons removed the brain tumor, they could deposit these treatment-armed cells into the brain in the hopes that they would seek out and destroy the cancer cells.

Currently, standard treatments for glioblastoma are chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, but even a combination of all three rarely leads to more than 18 months of survival after diagnosis. Glioblastoma tumor cells are particularly nimble, migrating across the entire brain and establishing new tumors. This migratory capability is thought to be a key reason for the low cure rate of this tumor type.

"Essentially these MSCs are like a 'smart' device that can track cancer cells," Quinones-Hinojosa says.

Quinones-Hinojosa says it's unclear why MSCs are attracted to glioblastoma cells, but they appear to have a natural affinity for sites of damage in the body, such as a wound. MSCs, whether derived from bone marrow or fat, have been studied in animal models to treat trauma, Parkinson's disease, ALS and other diseases.

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Using fat to fight brain cancer: Stem cells from human adipose tissue used to chase migrating cancer cells

Manila, Philippines The Department of Health (DOH) will soon ban the importation of imported stem cell preparations that were gathered from animals and even from fetal embryo.

The Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM) said these stem cell preparations are usually shipped from Germany and were gathered from sheep, rabbits and other animals but are sold as human stem cells. Dr. Rey Melchor Santos, PSSCM said the draft on the guidelines for the use of stem cell medicine in the country will soon be nalized by the DoH and this will include a ban on the use of imported stem cells including stem cells taken from aborted fetuses.

There are some preparations from other countries derived from fetal embryo which is unethical and is totally not allowed in the country, Melchor told reporters in a forum in Quezon City yesterday.

According to Melchor, administering stem cell treatment is a delicate matter as complications also occur. He said there are reports of stem cells causing cancer to patients who received it.

We have to be really careful where the stem cell is coming from because we dont know its complications. Incompatibility or rejections can kill the patient, the doctor warned.

The DoH allows the use of adult autologous stem cells or those that were sourced from the patient himself. Stem cells can be harvested from the bone marrow or from the adipose tissues (body fat). Incoming President of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) Dr. Leo Olarte said the guidelines would also limit the use of stem cell treatment among licensed facilities and trained medical personnel. (Jenny F. Manongdo)

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DoH vs imported stem cells

Bone marrow such as this being prepared for a transplant might be easier to extract with the help of aspirin-like drugs.

Tino Soriano/National Geographic Society/Corbis

Aspirin-like drugs could improve the success of stem-cell transplants for patients with blood or bone-marrow disorders, a study suggests. The compounds coax stem cells from bone marrow into the bloodstream where they can be harvested for use in transplantation and they do so with fewer side effects than drugs now in use.

For patients with blood disorders such as leukaemia, multiple myeloma or non-Hodgkins lymphoma, transplantation of haematopoietic stem cells precursor cells that reside in the bone marrow and give rise to all types of blood cell can be an effective treatment.

Previous work has shown that prostaglandin E2, or PGE2, a lipid known to regulate multiple bodily reactions including pain, fever and inflammation, also has a role in keeping stem cells in the bone marrow1, 2. In the latest study, researchers show that in mice, humans and baboons, inhibition of PGE2 with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) causes stem cells to leave the bone marrow.

Thea Cunningham interviews the lead researcher about improving therapies for blood disorders using painkillers.

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The team gave baboons and humans an NSAID called meloxicam. They saw a subsequent increase in the numbers of haematopoietic stem cells in the bloodstream.

The researchers think that the departure of stem cells is caused by the disturbance of a group of bone-forming cells called osteoblasts. These cells secrete a protein called osteopontin that hooks the stem cells to the bone marrow. Inhibiting PGE2 would disrupt the production of osteopontin.

At present, doctors use a drug called filgrastim to mobilize haematopoietic stem cells in donors or in patients undergoing autotransplantation (in which they receive their own stem cells). In patients with multiple myeloma or non-Hodgkins lymphoma, however, and in some donors, stem cells dont mobilize well with filgrastim and other drugs in its class. Using NSAIDs such as meloxicam could enhance filgrastims efficacy, says lead author Louis Pelus of the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. The study appears in Nature3.

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Painkillers mobilize blood stem cells