Category Archives: Stem Cells

TEL AVIV, Israel, Nov. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --Cellect Biotechnology Ltd. (NASDAQ: APOP), a developer of innovative technology which enables the functional selection of stem cells, today reported financial and operating results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019 and provided a corporate update.

Recent Highlights

"Our clinical and regulatory teams remained focused during the third quarter and the more recent positive developments position us to achieve our goals, both in the U.S. and Israel," commented Dr. Shai Yarkoni, Chief Executive Officer. "In the U.S., the IND approval is a significant achievement and represents our first-ever FDA IND in the U.S., with Washington University School of Medicine. In Israel, our Phase 1/2 clinical study of ApoGraft is progressing slowly and we expect to complete the recruitment around the end of the year."

"With our prudent use of cash during the third quarter and the anticipated cash usage needs over the coming quarters, we continue to believe we have the resources to execute our clinical and regulatory plans for the foreseeable future," said Eyal Leibovitz, Chief Financial Officer.

ThirdQuarter 2019 Financial Results:

*For the convenience of the reader, the amounts above have been translated from NIS into U.S. dollars, at the representative rate of exchange on September 30, 2019 (U.S. $1 = NIS 3.482).

Strategic Review Progress Update

On May 16, 2019, the Company disclosed that it commenced plans to explore strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value. Potential strategic alternatives that may be evaluated include, but are not limited to, an acquisition, merger, business combination, including in other business fields than the Company's in-licensing, or other strategic transaction involving the Company or its assets. The Company continues to evaluate business development opportunities and will keep investors informed as they mature or warrant investor disclosure.

About Cellect Biotechnology Ltd.

Cellect Biotechnology (APOP) has developed a breakthrough technology, for the selection of stem cells from any given tissue, that aims to improve a variety of stem cell-based therapies.

The Company's technology is expected to provide researchers, clinical community and pharma companies with the tools to rapidly isolate stem cells in quantity and quality allowing stem cell-based treatments and procedures in a wide variety of applications in regenerative medicine. The Company's current clinical trial is aimed at bone marrow transplantations in cancer treatment.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the Company's expectations, beliefs and intentions. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "believe", "expect", "intend", "plan", "may", "should", "could", "might", "seek", "target", "will", "project", "forecast", "continue" or "anticipate" or their negatives or variations of these words or other comparable words or by the fact that these statements do not relate strictly to historical matters. These forward-looking statements and their implications are based on the current expectations of the management of the Company only and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. In addition, historical results or conclusions from scientific research and clinical studies do not guarantee that future results would suggest similar conclusions or that historical results referred to herein would be interpreted similarly in light of additional research or otherwise. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements: the Company's history of losses and needs for additional capital to fund its operations and its inability to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms, or at all; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; or maintain its current operations; uncertainties involving any strategic transaction the Company may decide to enter into as the result of its current efforts to explore new strategic alternatives; uncertainties of cash flows and inability to meet working capital needs; the Company's ability to obtain regulatory approvals; the Company's ability to obtain favorable pre-clinical and clinical trial results; the Company's technology may not be validated and its methods may not be accepted by the scientific community; difficulties enrolling patients in the Company's clinical trials; the ability to timely source adequate supply of FasL; risks resulting from unforeseen side effects; the Company's ability to establish and maintain strategic partnerships and other corporate collaborations; the scope of protection the Company is able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights and its ability to operate its business without infringing the intellectual property rights of others; competitive companies, technologies and the Company's industry; unforeseen scientific difficulties may develop with the Company's technology; and the Company's ability to retain or attract key employees whose knowledge is essential to the development of its products. Any forward-looking statement in this press release speaks only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws. More detailed information about the risks and uncertainties affecting the Company is contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in Cellect Biotechnology Ltd.'s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, which is available on the SEC's website, http://www.sec.gov, and in the Company's periodic filings with the SEC.

Cellect Biotechnology Ltd

Consolidated Statement of Operation

Convenience

translation

Nine months

ended

Nine months ended

Three months ended

September 30,

September 30,

September 30,

2019

2019

2018

2019

2018

Unaudited

Unaudited

U.S. dollars

NIS

(In thousands, except share and per

share data)

Research and development expenses

2,743

9,551

9,473

2,465

4,125

General and administrative expenses

2,249

7,832

11,001

2,768

3,929

Operating loss

4,992

17,383

20,474

5,233

8,054

Financial expenses (income) due towarrants exercisable into shares

(2,303)

(8,020)

(2,935)

(910)

(1,320)

Other financial expenses (income), net

393

1,369

(1,177)

489

64

Total comprehensive loss

3,082

10,732

16,362

4,812

6,798

Loss per share:

Basic and diluted loss per share

0.015

0.051

0.127

0.021

0.052

Basic and diluted loss per ADS

0.30

1.02

2.54

0.42

1.04

Weighted average number of sharesoutstanding used to compute basic anddiluted loss per share

208,771,303

208,771,303

129,139,278

224,087,799

130,192,799

Cellect Biotechnology Ltd.

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data

ASSETS

Link:
Cellect Biotechnology Reports Third Quarter 2019 Financial and Operating Results - BioSpace

DetailsCategory: More NewsPublished on Tuesday, 19 November 2019 12:39Hits: 258

-Molecular Templates to receive $38 million upfront payment, including equity investment, with potential for additional milestone and royalty payments on future sales-

BOSTON, MA and AUSTIN, TX, USA I November 18, 2019 I Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) and Molecular Templates, Inc. (Nasdaq: MTEM; Molecular Templates or MTEM) today announced that the two companies have entered into a strategic research collaboration to discover and develop novel targeted conditioning regimens that may enhance the hematopoietic stem cell transplant process, including transplants conducted as part of treatment with ex vivo CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing therapies such as CTX001. CTX001 is currently being evaluated in two ongoing Phase 1/2 studies in patients with transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia and severe sickle cell disease, where a hematopoietic stem cell transplant is required as part of treatment with CTX001. The collaboration will seek to discover a new conditioning regimen utilizing MTEMs engineered toxin body (ETB) platform, which is designed to specifically target and remove specific cells to enable successful engraftment of new cells.

We believe that gene editing holds significant promise in the treatment of severe hemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia, and Molecular Templates unique technology platform could play an important role in creating a targeted conditioning regimen that could replace chemotherapy currently required in conditioning regimens and thus enhance the overall future treatment experience for patients, said David Altshuler M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Vertex.

Vertex has a proven history of employing novel technologies to develop innovative medicines for diseases with high unmet medical needs, making them an ideal partner to expand the use of MTEMs ETB platform for therapeutics outside of oncology, said Eric Poma, Ph.D., Molecular Templates Chief Executive and Scientific Officer. MTEM is excited to be working with Vertex to focus on discovering and developing the next generation of targeted conditioning agents. This collaboration further validates the potential of our ETB platform and provides meaningful capital to support continued advancement of our own product pipeline.

Under the collaboration, MTEM will conduct research activities for the use of ETBs for up to two targets selected by Vertex. The initial research will be focused on discovering a novel conditioning regimen using MTEMs ETB technology platform. In addition, Vertex has an option to select a second target as part of the collaboration. Upon designation of a clinical development candidate that emerges from the research efforts, Vertex has the option to exclusively license molecules against the designated target. Vertex will have exclusive rights to develop molecules that emerge from the research program for any indication.

Vertex will make an up-front payment of $38 million to MTEM, including an equity investment. MTEM is also eligible to receive future development, regulatory and sales milestones and option payments of up to $522 million (across two targets) and tiered royalty payments on future sales.

About Molecular TemplatesMolecular Templates is a clinical-stage oncology company focused on the discovery and development of differentiated, targeted, biologic therapeutics for cancer. We believe our proprietary biologic drug platform technology, referred to as engineered toxin bodies, or ETBs, provides a differentiated mechanism of action that may address some of the limitations associated with currently available cancer therapeutics. ETBs utilize a genetically engineered form of Shiga-like Toxin A subunit, or SLTA, a ribosome inactivating bacterial protein, that can be targeted to specifically destroy cancer cells. Additional information about Molecular Templates can be obtained at http://www.mtem.com.

About VertexVertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases. The company has four approved medicines that treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF) a rare, life-threatening genetic disease and has several ongoing clinical and research programs in CF. Beyond CF, Vertex has a robust pipeline of investigational medicines in other serious diseases where it has deep insight into causal human biology, such as sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia, pain, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and APOL1-mediated kidney diseases.

Founded in 1989 inCambridge, Mass., Vertex's global headquarters is now located inBoston's Innovation Districtand its international headquarters is inLondon, UK. Additionally, the company has research and development sites and commercial offices inNorth America,Europe,AustraliaandLatin America. Vertex is consistently recognized as one of the industry's top places to work, including 10 consecutive years onSciencemagazine's Top Employers list and top five on the 2019 Best Employers for Diversity list byForbes. For company updates and to learn more about Vertex's history of innovation, visitwww.vrtx.comor follow us onFacebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,YouTubeand Instagram.

SOURCE: Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Continued here:
Vertex and Molecular Templates Establish Collaboration to Discover and Develop Novel Targeted Conditioning Regimens to Enhance Hematopoietic Stem Cell...

On the morning of April 25, 2018, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Omarion Jordan came into the world ten-fingers-and-toes perfect. His mother, Kristin Simpson, brought her dark-haired newborn home to a mostly empty apartment in Kendallville, about 30 miles to the north. Shed just moved in and hadnt had time to decorate. Her son, however, had everything he needed: a nursery full of toys, a crib, a bassinet and a blue octopus blanket.

Still, within his first couple of months, he was plagued by three different infections that required intravenous treatments. Doctors thought he had eczema and cradle cap. They said he was allergic to his mothers milk and told her to stop breastfeeding. Then, not long after he received a round of standard infant vaccinations, his scalp was bleeding and covered with green goop, recalled the first-time mother, who was then in her late teens. She took him to the hospital emergency room, where, again, caregivers seemed puzzled by the babys bizarre symptoms, which didnt make any sense until physicians, finally, ordered the right blood test.

What they learned was that Omarion was born with a rare genetic disorder called X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), better known as the bubble boy disease. Caused by a mutated gene on the X chromosome, and almost always limited to males, a baby born with X-linked SCID, or SCID-X1, lacks a working immune system (hence the unusual reaction to vaccination). The bubble boy name is a reference to David Vetter, a Texas child born with SCID-X1 in 1971, who lived in a plastic bubble and ventured out in a NASA-designed suit. He died at 12, but his highly publicized life inspired a 1976 TV movie starring John Travolta.

Today, technological advances in hospitals provide a kind of bubble, protecting SCID-X1 patients with controlled circulation of filtered air. Such safeguards are necessary because a patient exposed to even the most innocuous germs can acquire infections that turn deadly. As soon as Omarion tested positive for the disorder, an ambulance carried him to Cincinnati Childrens Hospital in nearby Ohio and placed him in isolation, where he remained for the next few months. I had no idea what would happen to him, his mother recalled.

Approximately one in 40,000 to 100,000 infants is born with SCID, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only about 20 to 50 new cases of the SCID-X1 mutationwhich accounts for about half of all SCID casesappear in the United States each year. For years, the best treatments for SCID-X1 have been bone marrow or blood stem cell transplantations from a matched sibling donor. But fewer than 20 percent of patients have had this option. And Omarion, an only child, was not among them.

As it happened, medical scientists at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, were then developing a bold new procedure. The strategy: introduce a normal copy of the faulty gene, designated IL2RG, into a patients own stem cells, which then go on to produce the immune system components needed to fight infection. Simpson enrolled Omarion in the clinical study and Cincinnati Childrens Hospital arranged a private jet to transport her and her son to the research hospital, where they stayed for five months.

St. Jude wasnt the first to try gene therapy for SCID-X1. Nearly 20 years ago, researchers in France reported successfully reconditioning immune systems in SCID-X1 patients using a particular virus to deliver the correct gene to cells. But when a quarter of the patients in that study developed leukemia, because the modified virus also disrupted the functioning of normal genes, the study was halted and scientists interested in gene therapy for the disorder hit the brakes.

At St. Jude, experts led by the late Brian Sorrentino, a hematologist and gene therapy researcher, set out to engineer a virus delivery vehicle that wouldnt have side effects. They started with a modified HIV vector emptied of the virus and its original contents, and filled it with a normal copy of the IL2RG gene. They engineered this vector to include insulators to prevent the vector from disturbing other genes once it integrated into the human genome. The goal was to insert the gene into stem cells that had come from the patients own bone marrow, and those cells would then go on to produce working immune system cells. It was crucial for the viral vector to not deliver the gene to other kinds of cellsand thats what the researchers observed. After gene therapy, for example, brain cells do not have a correct copy of the gene, explained Stephen Gottschalk, who chairs St. Judes Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.

In the experimental treatment, infants received their re-engineered stem cells just 12 days after some of their bone marrow was obtained. They went through a two-day, low-dose course of chemotherapy, which made room for the engineered cells to grow. Within four months, some of the babies were able to fight infections on their own. All eight of the initial research subjects left the hospital with a healthy immune system. The remarkably positive results made news headlines after being published this past April in the New England Journal of Medicine. Experimental gene therapy frees bubble boy babies from life of isolation, the journal Nature trumpeted.

So far, the children who participated in that study are thriving, and so are several other babies who received the treatmentincluding Omarion. As a physician and a mom, I couldnt ask for anything better, said Ewelina Mamcarz, lead author of the journal article and first-time mother to a toddler nearly the same age as Omarion. The children in the study are now playing outside and attending day care, reaching milestones just like my daughter, Mamcarz says. Theyre no different. Mamcarz, who is from Poland, came to the United States to train as a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and joined St. Jude six years ago.

Other medical centers are pursuing the treatment. The University of California, San Francisco Benioff Childrens Hospital is currently treating infant patients, and Seattle Childrens Hospital is poised to do the same. Moreover, the National Institutes of Health has seen success in applying the gene therapy to older patients, ages 3 to 37. Those participants had previously received bone marrow transplants from partially matched donors, but theyd been living with complications.

In the highly technical world of medicine today, it takes teamwork to achieve a breakthrough, and as many as 150 peoplephysicians, nurses, regulators, researchers, transplant coordinators and othersplayed a role in this one.

Sorrentino died in November 2018, but hed lived long enough to celebrate the trial results. In the early 90s, we thought gene therapy would revolutionize medicine, but it was kind of too early, said Gottschalk, who began his career in Germany. Now, nearly 30 years later, we understand the technology better, and its really starting to have a great impact. We can now develop very precise medicine, with very limited side effects. Gottschalk, who arrived at St. Jude a month before Sorrentinos diagnosis, now oversees the hospitals SCID-X1 research. Its very, very gratifying to be involved, he said.

For now the SCID-X1 gene therapy remains experimental. But with additional trials and continued monitoring of patients, St. Jude hopes that the therapy will earn Food and Drug Administration approval as a treatment within five years.

Simpson, for her part, is already convinced that the therapy can work wonders: Her son doesnt live in a bubble or, for that matter, in a hospital. He can play barefoot in the dirt with other kids, whatever he wants, because his immune system is normal like any other kid, she said. I wish there were better words than thank you.

See the original post here:
These Scientists May Have Found a Cure for 'Bubble Boy' Disease - Smithsonian.com

Bone marrow is soft, spongy tissue within some bones, including those in the hips and thighs. People with certain blood-related conditions benefit from a transplant that replaces damaged cells with healthy cells, possibly from a donor.

Bone marrow transplants can be lifesaving for people with conditions such as lymphoma or leukemia, or when intensive cancer treatment has damaged blood cells.

This type of transplant can be an intensive procedure, and recovery can take a long time.

Here, we provide an overview of bone marrow transplants, including their uses, risks, and recovery.

Bone marrow contains stem cells. In healthy people, stem cells in bone marrow help create:

If a medical condition such as one that damages the blood or immune system prevents the body from creating healthy blood cells, a person may need a bone marrow transplant.

A person with any of the following conditions may be a candidate for a bone marrow transplant:

There are three types of bone marrow transplant, based on where the healthy bone marrow cells come from.

In many cases, the donor is a close family member, such as a sibling or parent. The medical name for this is an allogenic transplant.

Transplants are more likely to be effective if the donated stem cells have a similar genetic makeup to the person's own stem cells.

If a close family member is not available, the doctor will search a registry of donors to find the closest match. While an exact match is best, advances in transplant procedures are making it possible to use donors who are not an exact match.

In a procedure called an autologous transplant, the doctor will take healthy blood stem cells from the person being treated and replace these cells later, after removing any damaged cells in the sample.

In an umbilical cord transplant, also called a cord transplant, doctors use immature stem cells from the umbilical cord following a baby's birth. Unlike cells from an adult donor, the cells from an umbilical cord do not need to be as close a genetic match.

Before a bone marrow transplant, the doctor will run tests to determine the best type of procedure. They will then locate an appropriate donor, if necessary.

If they can use the person's own cells, they will collect the cells in advance and store them safely in a freezer until the transplant.

The person will then undergo other treatment, which may involve chemotherapy, radiation, or a combination of the two.

These procedures typically destroy bone marrow cells as well as cancer cells. Chemotherapy and radiation also suppress the immune system, helping to prevent it from rejecting a bone marrow transplant.

While preparing for the transplant, the person may need to stay in the hospital for 12 weeks. During this time, a healthcare professional will insert a small tube into one of the person's larger veins.

Through the tube, the person will receive medication that destroys any abnormal stem cells and weakens the immune system to prevent it from rejecting the healthy transplanted cells.

Before entering the hospital, it is a good idea to arrange:

A bone marrow transplant is not surgery. It is similar to a blood transfusion.

If a donor is involved, they will provide the stem cells well in advance of the procedure. If the transplant involves the person's own cells, the healthcare facility will keep the cells in storage.

The transplant typically takes place in several sessions over several days. Staggering the introduction of cells in this way gives them the best chance of integrating with the body.

The healthcare team may also use the tube to introduce liquids such as blood, nutrients, and medications to help fight infection or encourage the growth of bone marrow. The combination depends on the body's response to treatment.

The procedure will temporarily compromise the person's immune system, making them very susceptible to infection. Most hospitals have a dedicated, isolated space for people undergoing bone marrow transplants to help reduce their risk of infection.

After the last session, the doctor will continue to check the blood each day to determine how well the transplant has worked. They will test whether new cells are beginning to grow in bone marrow.

If a person's white blood cell count starts to rise, it indicates that the body is starting to create its own blood, indicating that the transplant has been successful.

The amount of time that it takes for the body to recover depends on:

Many other factors can affect recovery, including:

Some people are able to leave the hospital soon after the transplant, while others need to stay for several weeks or months.

The medical team will continue to monitor the person's recovery for up to 1 year. Some people find that effects of the transplant remain for life.

A bone marrow transplant is a major medical procedure. There is a high risk of complications during and after it.

The likelihood of developing complications depends on various factors, including:

Below are some of the more common complications that people who receive bone marrow transplants experience:

Some people die as a result of complications from bone marrow transplants.

A person who receives a bone marrow transplant may also experience reactions that can follow any medical procedure, including:

The body's response to a bone marrow transplant varies greatly from person to person. Factors such as age, overall health, and the reason for the transplant can all affect a person's long term outlook.

If a person receives a bone marrow transplant to treat cancer, their outlook depends, in part, on how far the cancer has spread. Cancer that has spread far from its origin, for example, responds less well to treatment.

According to the National Marrow Donor Program, the 1-year survival rate among people who have received transplants from unrelated donors increased from 42% to 60% over about the past 5 years.

A bone marrow transplant is a major medical procedure that requires preparation. This involves determining the best type of transplant, finding a donor, if necessary, and preparing for a lengthy hospital stay.

The time that it takes for the body to recover from a transplant varies, depending on factors such as a person's age and overall health and the reason for the transplant.

The rest is here:
Bone marrow transplant: What it is, uses, risks, and recovery - Medical News Today

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Newswise Three researchers at theEli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLAhave received awards totaling more than $18 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the states stem cell agency.

The recipients are Dr. Sophie Deng, professor of ophthalmology at the UCLA Stein Eye Institute;Yvonne Chen, a UCLA associate professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics; and Dr. Caroline Kuo, a UCLA assistant clinical professor of pediatrics. The awards were announced at a CIRM meeting today.

Dengs four-year, $10.3 million award will fund a clinical trial for a blinding eye condition called limbal stem cell deficiency. Limbal stem cells are specialized stem cells in eye tissue that help maintain the health of the cornea. Because of genetic defects or injuries caused by infections, burns, surgeries or other factors, some people do not have enough limbal stem cells, which results in pain, corneal scarring and blindness.

The approach she is testing involves extracting a small number of limbal stem cells from a persons eye, multiplying them in a lab, and then transplanting them back into the eye, where they could regenerate the cornea and restore vision. The research will be conducted in collaboration with theUCLAUCI Alpha Stem Cell Clinic, a partnership between UCLA and UC Irvine.

The grants awarded to Chen and Kuo are for projects that are heading toward the FDAs investigational new drug application process, which is required by the agency before a phase 1 clinical trial the stage of testing that focuses on a treatments safety.

Chens two-year, $3.2 million award will fund efforts to create a more effectiveCAR T cell therapyfor multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that affects white blood cells. The research will evaluate a specialized form of CAR T therapy that simultaneously targets two markers, BCMA and CS1, commonly found on multiple myeloma cells. CAR T therapies that target BCMA alone have been effective in clinical trials, but the presence of BCMA on multiple myeloma cells is not uniform.

Previous research has shown that the marker CS1 is present in around 90% of multiple myeloma cells. A CAR T therapy that targets both markers could potentially help more patients and reduce the likelihood of a cancer relapse.

Kuos 2 1/2-year, $4.9 million award, will support the development of a stem cell gene therapy for a deadly immunodeficiency called X-linked hyper IgM syndrome, or XHIM.

The syndrome, which is caused by a mutation in the CD40LG gene, results in invasive infections of the liver, gastrointestinal tract and lungs. Currently, the only potential cure is a bone marrow transplant from a matched donor, which carries life-threatening risks and is often less effective for XHIM patients than patients with other forms of immune deficiency. Even with current treatments, only 30% of people with the syndrome live to age 30.

Kuo will evaluate a stem cell gene therapy that corrects the genetic mutation that causes XHIM. After removing blood-forming stem cells from a person with the syndrome, the therapy would use a genetic engineering technique called CRISPR to insert a correct copy of the affected gene into the DNA of the stem cells. The corrected blood-forming stem cells would be infused back into the patient, where they could regenerate a healthy immune system.

She will collaborate with Dr. Donald Kohn, a UCLA distinguished professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics who has successfully treated two other immune deficiencies bubble baby disease and X-linked chronic granulomatous disease with a similar therapy.

Read more:
Three UCLA scientists receive grants totaling more than $18 million - Newswise

(Photo : Stem cell research and hair transplants how far have we come?)

We all know that hair loss is a major problem, particularly for men around the world. While men who have enough hair left can have hair transplant procedures such as the FUT, FUE or DHI, done, this is not always possible.

It is always a smart move to consult with a hair loss specialist regardless of your situation because they may still be able to suggest something if you still have some hair. Only the specialist can tell assess what your situation is and what options are available. You can, for example, always contact a specialist at the Vera Clinic in Turkey to get evaluated.

In fact, men who are already very bald and have lost most of the hair found in the donor areas such as the back of the head may be out of luck when it comes to being able to have transplant surgery. This is a reason that scientists have been conducting experiments using stem cells. Some types of stem cells can be used to regenerate other types of cells and tissues in the body, so it is only natural that the idea came about to use stem cells to grow new hair follicles.

Stem cell research

There is often a lot of controversy regarding stem cell research because many people, including politicians, think that only human fetuses have stem cells and thus they argue that it is an unethical area of research. However, everybody has stem cells, not just fetuses, and it is a person's own stem cells that hold the potential to make new tissues. This is also partly why PRP therapy has been so successful, because the plasma actually contains many stem cells which trigger growth and repair of tissues.

Researchers have been able to grow some human hair follicles in the laboratory using stem cells. These same hairs were then transplanted into a mouse. Human testing cannot begin until animal testing is completed and many countries have rigorous processes in place when it comes to scientific investigations in humans.

This means that we can expect it to be some time yet before any human trials can take place using stem cells and hair transplants from follicles that are grown in the lab. The other problem which the scientists have noted is that it is more complicated than it seems since even though hair was transplanted into the mice, the outcome was not good and the hair was found to grow at odd angles. This could have been because it was a transplant between different species, but the reality is that hair transplantation is not as simple as it seem.

Stem cells may, however, be the last chance for people who have lost most of their hair. Scientists think that autologous hair transplants based on growing hair from a person's own stem cells may be something that becomes a reality in the future. At the moment, more studies need to be undertaken and the best advice is to seek treatment for hair loss before it reaches a point where nothing can be done.

Continued here:
Stem Cell Research and Hair Transplants How Far Have We Come? - Science Times

R3 Stem Cell, the nation's leader in regenerative medicine training, is now including exosome procedures in its regenerative aesthetics courses. There are still spots remaining for the November 15-16th, 2019 course in Scottsdale, Arizona.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 31, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --R3 Stem Cell, the nation's leader in regenerative medicine training, is now including exosome procedures in its regenerative aesthetics courses. There are still spots remaining for the November 15-16th, 2019 course in Scottsdale, Arizona. Visit https://stemcelltrainingcourse.org/aesthetics or call (844) GET-STEM to register.

Exosomes are a huge buzzword in regenerative medicine and with good reason. Scientists and clinicians have found them to be extremely powerful at harnessing the body's repair processes.

At the R3 Stem Cell Regenerative Aesthetics Course, providers learn leading techniques for hair restoration, facial rejuvenation and ED. The training is hands on, including real patients and real biologics such as PRP therapy, stem cells and exosomes as well.

According to R3 CEO David Greene, MD, MBA, "Exosome therapy has been a very exciting addition to regenerative medicine. At our courses providers get hands on experience using them and also having procedures performed on them. That's the key in becoming the local leader in regenerative aesthetics!"

R3 Stem Cell has first rate trainers who have performed thousands of regenerative cases for hair restoration, facial rejuvenation and sexual health. In conjunction with fillers and PDO Threadlifts, the procedures have been amazing for patients looking and feeling younger.

Added Dr. Greene, "Compared with a surgery such as tummy tuck, facelift or hair grafting, these procedures involve no downtime, minimal risk and are much more cost effective. But they do require hands on training, and our courses provide a first rate experience!"

For the past eight years, R3's network of practices nationally have performed over 12,000 stem cell procedures and over 50,000 PRP therapies. The training courses have incorporated the best practice protocols and first rate biologics so providers receive training that immediately translates into practice.

There are presentations on sales and marketing along with "need to know" information on stem cells, exosomes and PRP biologics and how they work. Everything necessary to acquire patients, convert them to procedures and perform them is taught.

Spots are limited at the regenerative aesthetics training courses. Providers that will benefit from the training include MD, DO, RN, PA, NP and aesthetician injectors. Call (844) GET-STEM for registration, which is currently $1000 off.

See the original post:
Exosome Procedures Now Being Included With the R3 Stem Cell Regenerative Aesthetics Training Course - Yahoo Finance

MULTIPLE sclerosis campaigners have hailed a huge step forward for patients in Scotland after a stem cell therapy was recommended for use on the NHS for the first time.

Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been described as a game-changer for MS after an international clinical trial showed that it could reboot patients immune systems and halt the progress of the disease.

Some patients who had been in wheelchairs prior to treatment said their condition improved so dramatically it was like they had never been diagnosed with MS.

READ MORE: Scots MS patients 'missing out' on pioneering stem cell treatment available in England

The Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) said there is now sufficient evidence for it to recommend making HSCT available on the NHS in Scotland to MS patients who have the relapsing-remitting form of the disease, and who were not responding to drug treatments.

Iain Robertson, chairman of the SHTG, said: Our committee members were able to advise that this treatment should be considered for those with this particular type of MS who have not responded to treatment with disease-modifying therapies.

We hope that our advice will be of use in helping decide the best course of treatment for these patients.

The SHTG also stressed that patients must be made aware of the demands, risks and uncertainties of the treatment, which uses chemotherapy to wipe out patients' 'faulty' immune systems before replenishing it with a transplant of stem cells harvested from their own bone marrow.

It puts patients at high risk from infections, which can be fatal, but the theory is that the treatment works by enabling patients to 'reset' their immune system to stop it attacking the central nervous system as is the case in MS.

READ MORE: Anger of Scots MS patients travelling abroad for stem cell therapy available to some on NHS England

HSCT is not considered an effective treatment for patients with the progressive form of MS, however, as stem cells cannot regrow nerves or repair damaged myelin - the protective sheath which coats nerves.

It will also be unavailable to patients with relapsing-remitting MS who no longer show signs of inflammation on an MRI brain scan.

Scotland has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, but until now Scottish patients seeking HSCT have had to travel overseas to Mexico, Russia and Israel and bankroll their own private treatment at a cost of around 40-60,000.

It has also been available privately in London since 2017, but with a 100,000 price tag.

A small number of MS patients in England have been able to access the treatment on the NHS, however, because there are clinical trials into HSCT taking place at NHS hospitals in Sheffield and London.

Morna Simpkins, director of MS Society Scotland, said: The decision from SHTG to approve HSCT for the treatment of MS is good news and could help in the development of a clear pathway, for people who could potentially benefit, to access it.

We will push to ensure that this decision leads to real change for people with MS by continuing to engage with other groups to offer the treatments, including HSCT, which are right for them.

READ MORE: Stem cells help mother with MS make 'remarkable' recovery

The SHTG said eligible patients must have equal access to the procedures regardless of where they live, but it is unlikely all health boards will be able to provide it.

The MS Society wants a centre, or centres, of excellence set up where patients from across Scotland can be referred.

Lucy Clarke from the Scottish HSCT Network said the recommendation was "a huge step forward" for people in Scotland living with MS.

Ms Clarke underwent HSCT in Russia and credits it with substantially reversing her disability.

She added: This important decision supports HSCT as a treatment option where other treatments have failed. We will continue to push so that this treatment is available to people in Scotland who need it.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: We are grateful to the Scottish Health Technologies Group for this important work.

"NHS Boards are expected to consider their advice on technologies in the planning and provision of its services and clinicians are expected to follow their professional judgement, working within the management structure of their Board.

We will work closely with MS Society Scotland, other third sector bodies and the clinical community to consider what the Technologies Groups findings means for provision in Scotland, including the information that needs to be available to people about eligibility and risks.

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Stem cell therapy approved for MS patients in Scotland - HeraldScotland

The story so far: On Monday, October 21, at Neuroscience 2019, the Society for Neurosciences 49th annual meeting, held in Chicago, U.S., two neuroscientists warned the gathering that fellow scientists are perilously close to crossing the ethical red line of growing mini-brains or organoids in the laboratory that can perceive or feel things. In some cases, scientists have already transplanted such lab-grown brain organoid to adult animals. The transplanted organoid had integrated with the animal brain, grown new neuronal connections and responded to light. Similarly, lung organoid transplanted into mice was able to form branching airways and early alveolar structures. These are seen as a step towards potential humanisation of host animals.

Organoids are a group of cells grown in laboratories into three-dimensional, miniature structures that mimic the cell arrangement of a fully-grown organ. They are tiny (typically the size of a pea) organ-like structures that do not achieve all the functional maturity of human organs but often resemble the early stages of a developing tissue. Most organoids contain only a subset of all the cells seen in a real organ, but lack blood vessels to make them fully functional. In the case of brain organoids, scientists have been able to develop neurons and even make specific brain regions such as the cerebral cortex that closely resemble the human brain. The largest brain organoids that have been grown in the laboratory are about 4 mm in diameter.

Organoids are grown in the lab using stem cells that can become any of the specialised cells seen in the human body, or stem cells taken from the organ or adults cells that have been induced to behave like stem cells, scientifically called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). Stem cells are provided with nutrients and other specific molecules to grow and become cells resembling a specific organ. The growing cells are capable of self-organising into cellular structures of a specific organ and can partly replicate complex functions of mature organs physiological processes to regeneration and being in a diseased state.

Organoids of the brain, small intestine, kidney, heart, stomach, eyes, liver, pancreas, prostate, salivary glands, and inner ear to name a few have already been developed in the laboratory.

Since the use of embryonic stem cells to grow organs of interest has been mired in controversy leading to a ban on such research, researchers have turned to generating organoids using stem cells. Researchers have been successful in generating organoids of increasing complexity and diversity. Since the organoids closely resemble mature tissues, it opens up new vistas. These include studying the complex arrangements of cells in three-dimension and their function in detail, and understanding how cells assemble into organs.

Organoids can be used to study the safety and efficacy of new drugs and also test the response of tissues to existing medicines. Organoids will bring precision medicine closer to reality by developing patient-specific treatment strategies by studying which drugs the patient is most sensitive to. Since the use of animals during drug development studies is becoming increasingly difficult, the focus has been on refining, reducing and replacing them. While scientists have been increasingly using human cell lines and other methods, such alternatives have some inherent limitations they cannot mimic the whole organ system. Organoids are a far superior alternative to cell lines.

Organoids offer new opportunities to studying proteins and genes that are critical for the development of an organ. This helps in knowing how a mutation in a specific gene causes a disease or disorder. In a study in Europe using intestinal organoids from six patients with an intestine disorder, it became possible to identify the mutation in a gene that prevented the formation of a healthy intestine. Researchers have used brain organoids to study how the Zika virus affects brain development in the embryo.

Scientists are already using stem cells taken from tumours to grow organoids that are poised to develop cancer. The ability to grow organoids using cancer stem cells allows researchers to study the genes, proteins and signalling pathways that cancer cells use to develop and grow. They are also using healthy organoids to identify and verify the gene mutations that cause cancer.

In an opinion piece in Nature, scientists argued that the largest brain that has been grown in the laboratory is only 4 mm in diameter and contains only 2-3 million cells. In comparison, an adult human brain measures 1,350 cubic centimetres, and has 86 billion neurons and another 86 billion non-neuronal cells and a similar number of non-neuronal cells. The authors argue that organoids do not have sensory inputs and sensory connections from the brain are limited. Isolated regions of the brain cannot communicate with other brain regions or generate motor signals. They wrote: Thus, the possibility of consciousness or other higher-order perceptive properties [such as the ability to feel distress] emerging seems extremely remote.

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Can organoids, derived from stem cells, be used in disease treatments? - The Hindu

Ezer Mizion, the worlds largest Jewish bone marrow registry, will host its Evening of Heroes for the Teaneck, Bergenfield, and New Milford communities on Saturday, November 9, at Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck.

The evening begins with a musical Havdalah and mini-concert by the chasidic superstar Shulem Lemmer, the first chasidic singer to sign with Universal Records. Then Ezer Mizion will introduce IDF heroes who defend the State of Israel and have saved lives with their stem cells.

A stem cell recipient will recount the day he received a call letting him know that Ezer Mizion had identified a stem cell match for him a match that saved his life. Bret Stephens, a New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, and Nachum Segal will give a fireside chat about innovations from Israel, including the export of more than 60 percent of Ezer Mizions stem cell transplants.

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There will be a swabbing station for people who meet the basic criteria for donations. Israeli wines and shuk foods will be served.

The program aims to bring awareness of the organizations role in saving hundreds of lives around the world every year with its growing bone marrow registry. It has more than 1 million potential stem cell donors, and more than 550,000 of these donors are from the IDF. There is no cost to attend the adults-only evening; RSVPs are requested. For more information, go to eveningofheroes.com; email Ezer Mizions national director of development, Ryan Hyman, at ryan@ezermizionusa.org or call him at (718) 853-8400, ext. 109.

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Ezer Mizion's Evening of Heroes is November 9 in Teaneck - The Jewish Standard