Category Archives: Stem Cells

Newly-crowned Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka on Monday cautioned that stem cells could still spur sharp debate, despite his achievement in creating cells that are not derived from embryos.

The Japanese scientist was interviewed on a trip to Paris after co-winning the 2012 Nobel Prize for Medicine last month alongside Britain's John Gurdon.

Yamanaka was lauded for "reprogramming" mature cells so that they return to a versatile primitive state, called stem cells.

Researchers hope that stem cells may one day provide lab-grown tissue to replenish organs damaged by accident or disease.

Only the very first steps have been taken along this road, but the mission has been boosted by Yamanaka's work, for it implies that stem cells culled from embryos -- until now the most potent but also a highly controversial source -- may no longer be needed.

But Yamanaka warned that his induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) are unlikely to escape a storm touching on the creation of life.

"Now we can avoid the use of human embryos, so it's good. However, we are facing new ethical issues," he told AFP.

The question, he said, lies with the creation of so-called germ cells -- cells that give rise to sperm or eggs.

"Can we make sperm from blood and can we fertilise these oocytes (eggs)?" he asked. "We really need discussion in society about how much we can do about this new technology."

Yamanaka said scientists in Kobe had already applied to the Japanese authorities for permission to carry out the world's first iPS trial on humans, using cells on patients suffering from retinal disease.

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Ethics debate unstilled by stemcell success: Nobel laureate

Adisave, a pioneer in Bio-Insurance, is the only adipose (fat)-derived stem cell banking facility of its kind in

TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2012 /CNW/ - Adisave, Canada's first and only provider of adipose (fat)-derived stem cell banking, offers patients a service to collect and preserve stem cells for future use. Adisave has quickly emerged as a pioneer in the area of Bio-Insurance, combining world-class technology and expert medical and scientific professionals with a state-of-the-art facility in Toronto, Canada.

Adisave has developed a rigidly monitored system of collecting, isolating and preserving stem cells that are normally discarded during cosmetic procedures. Generally, adipose-derived stem cells are collected from fat tissue removed during liposuction - however, they can be collected through a number of procedures, without imposing additional risks. Only adult stem cells are collected and preserved - eliminating the controversy associated with embryonic stem cells - and because the cells are the patient's own, there is no risk of rejection. Stem cells may alleviate the harmful effects of heart disease, spinal injury and muscle disorders as well as cancer, arthritis, autoimmune diseases and sports injuries, to name just a few.

"For nearly half a decade, it has been my vision to expand the use of stem cells in medical treatments. We've moved beyond collecting adipose-derived stem cells from liposuction patients and can now offer our services to patients undergoing a number of procedures. Our team was thrilled to successfully launch Adisave - patient and physician interest and feedback have been amazing - the excitement parallels our enthusiasm and commitment to expand our research to help pave the way for the future of medicine," said Dr. Sliwin, Plastic Surgeon and Medical Director of Adisave.

Adisave will be performing two groundbreaking clinical trials. The first involves the use of adipose-derived stem cells to regenerate and repair soft tissue defects and scars, and the second assesses the use of adipose-derived stem cells in the knee joint to regenerate and repair tissue damaged as a result of osteoarthritis. These trials will be performed in strict accordance with Health Canada guidelines and with the methodologies optimized by Adisave's medical and scientific experts. Future applications for adipose-derived stem cells are virtually limitless and banking early provides an insurance policy for years to come.

About Adisave: Adisave is the only adipose-derived stem cell banking facility of this kind in Canada and is a pioneer in the area of Bio-Insurance. Adisave's team is headed by Dr. Sammy Sliwin, MD, FRCSC, Plastic Surgeon and Medical Director Dr. Sliwin's mission, vision and ground-breaking theories are brought to life by Adisave's talented team of internationally recognized experts, which includes its Scientific Director, Dr. Maryam Niapour, and Scientist, Dr. Ilana Platt. For a list of physicians in Adisave's network and for more information, please visit adisave.com

Image with caption: "Adisave, a pioneer in Bio-Insurance, is the only adipose (fat)-derived stem cell banking facility of its kind in Canada, combining world-class technology and expert medical professionals with a state-of-the-art facility in Toronto, Canada. (CNW Group/Adisave)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20121113_C7465_PHOTO_EN_20551.jpg

SOURCE: Adisave

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Adisave Emerges as a Canadian Pioneer in Bio-insurance

Washington, November 14(ANI): A gel-based sponge that can be molded to any shape, loaded with drugs or stem cells, compressed to a fraction of its size, and delivered via injection has been developed by Harvard bioengineers.

Once inside the body, it pops back to its original shape and gradually releases its cargo, before safely degrading.

The biocompatible technology amounts to a prefabricated healing kit for a range of minimally invasive therapeutic applications, including regenerative medicine.

"What we've created is a three-dimensional structure that you could use to influence the cells in the tissue surrounding it and perhaps promote tissue formation," explained principal investigator David J. Mooney, Robert P. Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard.

"The simplest application is when you want bulking. If you want to introduce some material into the body to replace tissue that's been lost or that is deficient, this would be ideal. In other situations, you could use it to transplant stem cells if you're trying to promote tissue regeneration, or you might want to transplant immune cells, if you're looking at immunotherapy," Mooney said.

Consisting primarily of alginate, a seaweed-based jelly, the injectable sponge contains networks of large pores, which allow liquids and large molecules to easily flow through it.

Mooney and his research team demonstrated that live cells can be attached to the walls of this network and delivered intact along with the sponge, through a small-bore needle. Mooney's team also demonstrated that the sponge could hold large and small proteins and drugs within the alginate jelly itself, which are gradually released as the biocompatible matrix starts to break down inside the body.

Normally, a scaffold like this would have to be implanted surgically. Gels can also be injected, but until now those gels would not have carried any inherent structure; they would simply flow to fill whatever space was available.

"Our scaffolds can be designed in any size and shape, and injected in situ as a safe, preformed, fully characterized, sterile, and controlled delivery device for cells and drugs," said lead author Sidi Bencherif, a postdoctoral research associate in Mooney's lab at SEAS and at the Wyss Institute.

The spongelike gel is formed through a freezing process called cryogelation. As the water in the alginate solution starts to freeze, pure ice crystals form, which makes the surrounding gel more concentrated as it sets.

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Now, injectable sponge to deliver drugs and cells inside body

Published: Nov. 12, 2012 at 4:35 PM

MIAMI, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Stem cells taken from patients or donors to treat those with enlarged hearts were both effective and safe, U.S. researchers found.

Study author Dr. Joshua Hare of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine said the 13-month study compared mesenchymal stem cells from adult bone marrow from donors and from patients themselves.

Thirty patients with chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy received various doses of mesenchymal stem cells -- half from their own cells, while the other half received donor cells.

Regenerating new heart muscle with mesenchymal stem cells requires growing large numbers of the stem cells, which takes six to eight weeks, but using already-prepared donor cells might avoid this delay to treatment, Hare said.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions, found heart failure improved in 28 percent of those receiving donor cells, and in 50 percent of those receiving their own cells.

"Because antibodies don't attack mesenchymal stem cells, donor cells can be prepared in advance and stored until needed," Hare said in a statement. "Perhaps using donor cells is the more feasible approach."

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Donor stems cells may help heart failure

MD Stem Cells is pleased to announce the first treatment in the United States of a patient with eye disease using the new injection technique for stem cells they helped pioneer. Dr Steven Levy, President of MD Stem Cells, http://www.mdstemcells.com, indicated the procedure went very smoothly. The patient is anticipating a positive response within the next few months.

Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) November 14, 2012

"We have helped a number of eye patients utilize Bone Marrow Derived Stem Cells or BMSC for retinal and optic nerve diseases and have observed macular degeneration, myopic degeneration, hereditary retinopathies, optic nerve and glaucoma patients, among others, have visual improvements following treatment. Our retinal surgeon has used both subretinal surgery and different injection techniques in the past for the placement of BMSC in ocular disease. We collaboratively developed a dual injection technique that we believe takes advantage of the recently identified active vascular expulsion mechanism of cell transmigration and are very excited about our ability to deliver the BMSC to the RPE, retina and optic nerve. Dr Levy mentioned that the new technique has already been used by the retinal surgeon for a number of patients in Europe and after careful preparation is now being performed in the United States.

It was a worthwhile effort to arrange for the board certified physicians and operating rooms for the new procedure to be performed in the United States. We are extremely pleased to see this high level of adult stem cell treatment come to Florida.

The Europeans have had extensive experience using BMSC in a number of different diseases and believe their effectiveness to be significantly superior to adipose derived stem cells. It is their preferred source of adult stem cells. Certainly patients with ophthalmology disease have been treated with BMSC successfully.

The new dual injection approach appears to be resulting in a faster and more vigorous response for the eye patients exclaimed Dr Levy. The retinal surgeon has been surprised regarding the tissue regrowth and rapidity of visual improvement in several patients.

With respect to BMSC, better outcomes may depend on how well the health and viability of the stem cells is maintained as well as the quality of the surgery in placing the cells. With the MD Stem Cell providers, the autologous BMSC come directly from the patient themselves, undergo minimal manipulation during the isolation process and never leave the operating room so they can be reinjected almost immediately.

This delicate approach, coupled with the precise dual placement our experienced retinal surgeon provides, may be the explanation for the results we are seeing. Most ophthalmology patients will have a stem cell procedure only once and it makes sense to choose an approach that will give the best opportunity for improvement, opined Dr Levy.

Dr Levy indicated this particular patient suffered from optic nerve disease and that other scheduled patients will include AMD or macular degeneration, myopic degeneration and other diseases of the retina and optic nerve that can be expected to potentially benefit. We believe strongly that regenerative medicine is evolving and will expand in many directions over the next few years. We are excited to help bring access to this advanced stem cell technology to the USA for ophthalmology.

MD Stem Cells is a practice management and development organization working closely with adult stem cell providers globally. Inquires may be made directly to stevenlevy(at)mdstemcells(dot)com or visit our website http://www.mdstemcells.com.

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MD Stem Cells Announces First Eye Patient Treated With Stem Cells in Florida Using New Technique

ANAHEIM, Calif., Nov. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --A step ahead of the colossal skincare market, Ageless Derma, an innovative, anti-aging skincare company, leads its competition as the first to integrate the latest technology, PhytoCellTec. This cutting-edge technology cultivates stem cells from a rare apple and when incorporated into the Ageless Derma Stem Cell and Peptide Anti-Wrinkle cream, has proven to diminish wrinkles with exceptional results.

Patent pending, PhytoCellTec Malus Domestica is a liposomal preparation of apple stem cells designed to protect skin stem cells. Known for minimal shriveling and extended longevity, the Uttwiler Spalauber apple is rich in proteins, phytonutrients, and long-living cells. PhytoCellTec Malus Domestica is a scientifically proven breakthrough that effectively combats skin aging.

"We were excited to find new, revolutionary stem cell technology," said Dr. Farid Mostamand, owner and founder of the Ageless Derma skincare line. "This extraordinary process is a leap forward. Our customers want non-surgical options to fight wrinkles and sagging skin and PhytoCellTec technology provides exactly that. This has produced remarkable results for eliminating wrinkles so we integrated it into our Ageless Derma anti-wrinkle cream."

Pioneered by Mibelle BioChemistry Group, the founding company hosts scientific studies to substantiate claims that PhytoCellTec Malus Domestica provides revolutionary skin rejuvenation. Honored with the BSB Innovation Award in 2008 for best ingredient, Mibelle BioChemistry Group developed PhytoCellTec technology to enable plant stem cells to grow in considerable numbers. In comprehensive studies the company was able to prove PhytoCellTecMalus Domestica, the dynamic ingredient derived from the apple stem cells, supports longevity and vitality of skin stem cells.

In a study of volunteers ranging in age from 37 to 64, 100% of the subjects showed significant decreases in wrinkle depth. The volunteers applied a concentration of 2% PhytoCellTec Malus Domestica twice daily for 28 days to "crow's feet," or wrinkles near the eyes, to diminish wrinkles.

PhytoCellTec enables the cultivation of stem cells by using the same repair methods plant cells use. The PhytoCellTec process selects a diminutive piece of plant material which is then damaged to result in callus formation. The formations are incubated and harvested in order to obtain stem cells.

"Along with this miraculous stem cell factor, our anti-aging creams have other effective, safe ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, and peptides. Peptides also play a big role in our anti-wrinkle creams as they stimulate collagen growth to keep skin looking young," said Dr. Mostamand.

About Ageless Derma:

Ageless Derma is accredited with the Better Business Bureau and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Ageless Derma products are available at Focus Medical Spa in Anaheim, CA, through the website http://www.agelessderma.com, or toll-free (877) 777-1940. For more information on Ageless Derma, please contact Dr. Farid Mostamand at mostamand5@gmail.com or call (877) 777-1940.

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Ageless Derma Formulates Apple Stem Cells into Anti-Wrinkle Cream with PhytoCellTec Technology

ScienceDaily (Nov. 13, 2012) A University of Cincinnati (UC) Cancer Institute lung cancer research team reports that lung cancer stem cells can be isolated -- and then grown -- in a preclinical model, offering a new avenue for investigating immunotherapy treatment options that specifically target stem cells.

John C. Morris, MD, and his colleagues report their findings in the Nov. 13, 2012, issue of PLoS One, a peer-reviewed online publication.

Stem cells are unique cells that can divide and differentiate into specialized cells types -- for example cardiac muscle or liver tissue. These cells also have the ability to self-renew and produce more stem cells.

"Increasing evidence supports the idea that cancerous tumors have a population of stem cells, also called cancer-initiating cells, that continually regenerate and fuel cancer growth," explains Morris, senior author of the study and professor at the UC College of Medicine. "These cancer stem cells may also have the highest potential to spread to other organs."

Current models used to study cancer stem cells provide limited information on the interaction between cancer stem cells with the immune system, making the study of new therapies that utilize the body's immune system to fight off cancer virtually impossible.

In this study, the UC team set out to find a viable, consistent way to isolate lung cancer stem cells that could be used in a mouse model with full immune system function. The team was able to achieve this using a functional laboratory test known as "tumorsphere" assay.

The test -- which shows how cells grow in culture -- allowed them to enrich for cancer stem cells.

"Studying these unique cells could greatly improve our understanding of lung cancer's origins and lead to the novel therapeutics targeting these cells and help to more effectively eradicate this disease," adds Morris. "Immunotherapy is the future of cancer treatment. We are hopeful that this new method will accelerate our investigation of immunotherapies to specifically target cancer stem cells."

The team is working to characterize how cancer stem cells escape the body's immune system in order to develop more effective therapies that target stem cells.

"One of the hypotheses behind why cancer therapies fail is that the drug only kills cells deemed to be 'bad' (because of certain molecular characteristics), but leaves behind stem cells to repopulate the tumor," adds Morris. "Stem cells are not frequently dividing, so they are much less sensitive to existing chemotherapies used to eliminate cells deemed abnormal."

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Stem cell finding could advance immunotherapy for lung cancer

umbilical cord | How Much Does Banking Cord Blood Cost?
http://www.cordbloodrecommendation.com To get these stem cells, your doctor will draw blood from the umbilical cord at the time of your baby #39;s birth. Donated cord blood is available for public use and research, and has proven to save many lives. Preserving this blood can be very useful not only for the baby, but also for her siblings and other members of the family, especially when it comes to the treatment of certain medical conditions and diseases, such as diabetes, Parkinson #39;s, multiple sclerosis and leukemia. This is an opportunity for you to bank your child #39;s umbilical cord blood. The surface of the umbilical cord is disinfected and a vein is punctured. Amongst all, banking the baby #39;s cord blood is one major decision that parents need to make. In order to keep it sterilized, it is then cryogenically stored either in a public or private bank until it is needed for transplant. The scientific community is optimistically hopeful that these cells will be able to allow regeneration of organs in the human body. The umbilical cord is a cord that connects the fetus to the mother #39;s body and this is where all the essential nutrients and blood travel through to the fetus. The stem cells from your baby #39;s blood may be capable to cure definite diseases or circumstances of a blood relation or relatives. It can be taken using either a syringe to remove the blood (syringe method) from the vein or by allowing it to drain by gravity into a collection bag (bag method). They do not charge any ...From:LosHotelesEnBogotaViews:0 0ratingsTime:01:18More inScience Technology

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umbilical cord | How Much Does Banking Cord Blood Cost? - Video

stem cell banking | Cord Blood
http://www.cordbloodrecommendation.com ""There are several advantages to cord blood banking. Advantages Of Cord Blood Banking1. 2. There are many diseases that can be treated with stem cells, so if your child ever needs stem cells later in his/her life, you will not have to look for a new donor. Placental and cord blood banking may become even more valuable in the future with exciting research under way to find new medical uses in areas such as: diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, muscular dystrophy, Alzheimer #39;s disease, Parkinson #39;s disease, stroke, and even spinal cord injury. However, in the event that you actually need the cord blood, I am sure there is no price too high for a parent to be willing to pay. Sometimes people cannot use their own because it still may carry a genetic disorder. Thomas, who will not have access to a close relative #39;s stem cells. It is always wise to preserve this waste blood of the baby which is otherwise thrown away. In this case, it will be better to bank the cord blood for possible future need. Usually, cord blood stem cell banking comes with a payment package that sum up fees for enrollment information, collection kits, courier charges, banks laboratory, sample typing, processing, storing and maintenance of the cord blood units. In the future, researchers might be able to examine cord blood from babies with lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis and develop better treatments. Nowadays, there is a bank which provides you a service for storing ...From:Aldana LuisViews:0 0ratingsTime:01:18More inScience Technology

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stem cell banking | Cord Blood - Video

stem cells | Cord Blood - Why So Important?
http://www.cordbloodrecommendation.com Private banks are often sought for families as a type of insurance, in the event of future illness, accident or medical emergency. The blood that remains when the umbilical cord is separated from the newborn infant contains vital components of blood and is a necessity when it comes to treating fatal diseases of the human blood. It may not occur immediately after the transplant. Not any more, as such blood has been found to be a very important and rich source of stem cells, and stem cells is mankind #39;s latest hope in its battle against age-old fatal diseases. Lately, it has become increasingly clear that the cord , placenta as well as the surrounding tissue of the umbilical cord are an additional source of stem cells. The slow engraftment due to the restricted amount of hematopoietic stem cell present in one unit of umbilical blood can cause high peritransplant death and restrict the success of umbilical cord blood transplant, particularly in adults. This conversion of cells offers physicians with a technique to treat leukemia and some hereditary illnesses. Public Cord Blood Banking services are free. One of the final pros would be the benefit of the entire family. With the use of cells, the body can be induced to produce healthy blood cells which can then fight off the cancer. Brother, sister, mom or dad. It is indicated by the decline of muscle function, motor skills, and speech patterns. The baby suffers no debit or hurt through this ...From:fivespanishViews:1 0ratingsTime:01:18More inScience Technology

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stem cells | Cord Blood - Why So Important? - Video