Category Archives: Stem Cells

Stem cells: protectors of the brain | Tamir Ben-Hur | TEDxJaffa
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Stem cells: protectors of the brain | Tamir Ben-Hur | TEDxJaffa - Video

Researchers have identified a new class of lab-engineered stem cells -- cells capable of transforming into nearly all forms of tissue -- and have dubbed them F-class cells because they cluster together in "fuzzy-looking" colonies.

The discovery, which was described in a series of five papers published Wednesday in the journals Nature and Nature Communications, sheds new light on the process of cell reprogramming and may point the way to more efficient methods of creating stem cells, researchers say.

Due to their extraordinary shape-shifting abilities, so-called pluripotent cells have enormous value to medical researchers. They allow scientists to study the effects of drugs and disease on human cells when experiments on actual people would be impossible, and they have given rise to the field of regenerative medicine, which seeks to restore lost or damaged organs and tissues.

The F-class cells were created using genetically engineered mouse cells, and may not occur naturally outside the lab, according to senior author Andras Nagy, a stem cell researcher at Torontos Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital.

However, the find suggests that there may be other classes of pluripotent cells -- or a spectrum of reprogrammed cells -- yet to be discovered, authors say.

We think that if we have time, and money and hands to do it, we might find additional novel cell lines, Nagy said.

Until now, stem cells have been either obtained from embryos or produced in the lab through a painstaking process called induced pluripotency, whereby a virus is used to alter an adult cells genetic information and return the cell to a pliable, embryonic state.

That process, which was pioneered by Dr. Shinya Yamanaka and recognized with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012, is extremely inefficient, yielding embryonic-stem-cell-like cells just 1% of the time.

Nagy and his colleagues, a consortium of international researchers called Project Grandiose, began their research by looking more closely at the castoffs of that process, or those cells that did not closely match the description of embryonic stem cells.

We looked at it in an unbiased way, Nagy said. Instead of ignoring or discarding those cells that dont look like embryonic stem cells, we thought we might find more than just one alternative cell type.

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Researchers discover new class of stem cells

Lab-grown blood would take enormous pressure off the transfusion service Photograph: Ab Still Ltd/ AB Still Ltd/Science Photo Library/Corbis

In 2007, a team of researchers from the UK and Irish Blood services responded to an oddly specific call from the US military. They wanted scientists to help them build a machine, no bigger than two and a half washing machines, that could be dropped from a helicopter on to a battle field and generate stem-cell-derived blood for injured soldiers.

The teams application was not successful, but they refocused their efforts and set off on a more utopian mission to develop a similar technology to create a limitless supply of clean, laboratory-grown blood for use in clinics around the world. Using blood made from stem cells would unshackle blood services from the limits of human supply, and any risk of infection would be removed.

Theyve been working with embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells, which, given the right culture conditions, can differentiate into any type of cells. Still at least a year from human testing, the team have tweaked their protocol to select only red blood cells.

Because we make them from human cells they are as nature intended, says Joanne Mountford, of the University of Glasgow, who leads the project along with Marc Turner, the medical director of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service.

Its the same thing your body makes but were just doing it in a lab.

Lab-grown blood has advantages over blood from a donor. If I take a bag of blood from your arm, some cells would be brand new, she explains.

But some of them would be 110 or 120 days old and about to die. These cells wont do you much good. Using engineered red blood cells from a single batch, the team proposes, will ensure that recipients receive younger, fresher, and potentially more effective blood.

Another advantage is that they are making type-O blood, which can be given to practically all patients including those with rare AB-negative blood. A limitless supply of this type of blood would remove the logistical headache of juggling different types of blood, simplifying global distribution logistics, and allowing the blood to flow more freely to where it is needed.

Ted Bianco, director of Innovations at the Wellcome Trust, which funds the project, speaks excitedly about its potential, but says that challenges exist in translating such research to clinical practice, especially when trying to replace human blood donors as the source of supply for lifesaving transfusions.

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Blood grown from stem cells could transform transfusions

Irvine, California (PRWEB) December 08, 2014

The Ageless Derma skin care company has added a moisturizing product to their line that provides continuous hydration to skin throughout the day. The Swiss Apple Stem Cell Oil-Free Continuous Moisturizer uses rare Swiss apple stem cells in combination with other natural substances to aid in skins retention of moisture for a lessening of fine lines and a silky, more comfortable feeling.

The Swiss Apple Stem Cell Oil-Free Continuous Moisturizer contains stem cells from the exotic Malus Domestica, a rare apple from Switzerland known for its long shelf life and its ability to stay fresh without shriveling. This apple species had a flavor that consumers found too acidic, making farmers reluctant to grow it. The Malus Domestica, however, was discovered to have interesting scientific advantages due to its ability to live a long, healthy life without the usual shriveling that accompanies fruit as it ages. The same idea has been transferred to Ageless Dermas latest moisturizer with its incorporation of these stem cell extracts for a renewed and rejuvenated facial complexion. The stem cells help with not only apple longevity, but also with repairing human skin cells. This results in the ultimate reduction of fine lines and wrinkles with regular use.

Other ingredients are added to the Swiss Apple Stem Cell Oil-Free Continuous Moisturizer to make this moisturizer a workhorse of anti-aging and hydrating skin renewal. Ceramides and essential fatty acids account for maximum skin hydration and strengthening of the skin barrier function. Capric Triglycerides silken skin, glycerin keeps moisturization and hydration in balance, and Ceramides 3, 611, and 1 (all lipids) stop moisture from escaping and hold the skin barrier intact. Swiss Apple Stem Cell Oil-Free Continuous Moisturizer also has sodium hyaluronate to attract and keep moisture in. The hyaluronate also aids in blood microcirculation and the smoothing of wrinkles.

The developers at Ageless Derma Skin Care know they are making something extraordinary happen. Their line of physician-grade skin care products incorporates an important philosophy: supporting overall skin health by delivering the most cutting-edge biotechnology and pure, natural ingredients to all of the skin's layers. This attitude continues to resonate to this day with the companys founder, Dr. Farid Mostamand, who nearly ten years ago began his journey to deliver the best skin care alternatives for people who want to have healthy and beautiful looking skin at any age. About this latest Ageless Derma product, Dr. Mostamand says, The Swiss Apple Stem Cell Oil-Free Continuous Moisturizer is a multi-beneficial product that protects skin and works to smooth lines and wrinkles as it keeps moisture in, working throughout the entire day. Without the correct distribution of moisture, skin becomes dry and susceptible to wrinkling. This product is oil-free and can be used for any skin type.

Ageless Derma products are formulated in FDA-approved Labs. All ingredients are inspired by nature and enhanced by science. Ageless Derma products do not contain parabens or any other harsh additives, and they are never tested on animals. The company has developed five unique lines of products to address any skin type or condition.

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Ageless Derma Launches Its Latest Moisturizing Product Featuring Exotic Apple Stem Cells

San Diego, California (PRWEB) December 06, 2014

Tragara Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that a poster on TG02, the Company's unique oral multi-kinase inhibitor, will be presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2014 Annual Meeting (December 6-9, 2014) in San Francisco.

Researchers from the Weill Medical College of Cornell University will present a poster entitled In Vivo Treatment With TG02 Results in Increased Mobilization and Sensitization of Leukemia Stem Cells to Chemotherapeutic Agents. In acute leukemia, leukemic stem cells comprise a largely quiescent, highly chemotherapy-resistant cell population that contributes to the initiation, propagation and relapse of the disease. The data show that TG02 induces an effect on leukemic stem cells, or their niche, that results in their mobilization to the periphery. Furthermore, the addition of cytarabine to TG02 produced a significant decrease in both marrow and peripheral blood leukemia cells, suggesting that treatment with TG02 may sensitize these typically chemotherapy-resistant cells to chemotherapy. The poster (#3765) will be shown on Monday, December 8, 2014, from 6:00PM - 8:00PM in the North Hall of Building E of the Moscone Center.

Based on the results of this research, the Company is in discussions with MD Anderson Cancer to design a clinical study to evaluate the activity of TG02 in combination with a hypomethylating agent in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. The study will be conducted by MD Anderson with support from Tragara.

The difficulty of eliminating quiescent leukemic stems cells with existing cancer agents has been a significant obstacle in the advancement of treatment options for acute leukemia patients, said Elias Jabbour, M.D. Associate Professor, Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The preclinical data observed with TG02 is very encouraging and I am eager to see this research duplicated in the clinic.

About TG02 TG02 is a unique, oral multi-kinase inhibitor which combines the benefits of inhibiting important cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) equipotently with JAK2, FLT3, and ERK5 inhibition. TG02 exerts its antitumor activity primarily via its potent CDK9 inhibition, which leads to the depletion of key survival proteins, such as Mcl-1, resulting in p53-independent apoptosis of a wide range of tumor cells. TG02 development will initially focus on the treatment of hematologic malignancies, including multiple myeloma (MM) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), based on the consistent anti-tumor activity that has been observed across a broad spectrum of hematologic cancer models, including those resistant to currently available therapies. In these models, TG02 demonstrated both single agent activity and synergy when administered with current standard of care therapies. Subsequent development will focus on an important group of solid tumors with unmet medical need, such as small cell lung cancer, triple negative breast cancer, and melanoma, which will also benefit from this mechanism of action, complemented with the benefits of inhibiting both JAK2 and ERK5, and depleting other CDK9-dependent proteins such as c-MYC and VEGF. These pathways affect disease progression and survival in hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

TG02 is currently being evaluated in two separate phase I clinical trials in patients with MM and CLL in the United States.

About Tragara Tragara Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held pharmaceutical company based in San Diego, California. The company is focused on the clinical and commercial development of proprietary medicines for the treatment of cancer. TG02 is a unique, oral multi-kinase inhibitor which combines the benefits of inhibiting important cyclin dependent kinases equipotently with JAK2, FLT3, and ERK5 inhibition. TG02 exerts its antitumor activity via its potent CDK9 inhibition, which leads to the depletion of key survival proteins, such as Mcl-1, resulting in p53-independent apoptosis of a wide range of tumor cells. Tragara is managed by a team of entrepreneurs with both Big Pharma and Biotech experience in the development and commercialization of oncology therapeutics. Its investors include: Domain Associates, Mitsubishi International Corporation, Morgenthaler Ventures, ProQuest Investments and RusnanoMedInvest.

Tragara strives to provide much-needed therapies that will contribute to patient health through better survival and an increase in the quality of life. For more information, visit http://www.tragarapharma.com.

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New Preclinical Data of Tragaras TG02 in Acute Leukemia to be Presented at ASH 2014 Annual Meeting

Durham, NC (PRWEB) December 05, 2014

Scientists have for the first time used adult human stem cells to cure rats with Parkinsons disease, a neurodegenerative illness that currently has no cure. The study, published in the current issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, details how a team of researchers working in Germany at the University of Bielefeld (UB) and Dresden University of Technology were able to produce mature neurons using inferior turbinate stem cells (ITSCs).

ITSCs are stem cells taken from tissue that would generally be discarded after an adult patient undergoes sinus surgery.

The team then tested how the ITSCs would behave when transplanted into a group of rats with Parkinsons disease. Prior to transplantation, the animals showed severe motor and behavioral deficiencies. However, 12 weeks after receiving the ITSCs, the cells had migrated into the animals brains and functional ability was not only fully restored, but significant behavioral recovery was witnessed, too. In another positive sign, no tumors were found in any of the animals after the transplantations, something that also has been a concern in stem cell therapy.

Due to their easy accessibility and the resulting possibility of an autologous transplantation approach, ITSCs represent a promising cell source for regenerative medicine, said UBs Barbara Kaltschmidt, Ph.D., who led the study along with Alexander Storch, M.D., and Christiana Ossig, M.D., both of Dresden University. The lack of ethical concerns associated with human embryonic stem cells is a plus, too.

In contrast to fighting the symptoms of Parkinsons disease with medications and devices, this research is focused on restoring the dopamine-producing brain cells that are lost during the disease, said Anthony Atala, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. "These cells are easy to access and isolate from nasal tissue, even in older patients, which adds to their attraction as a potential therapeutic tool.

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The full article, Intrastriatal transplantation of adult human neural crest-derived stem cells improves functional outcome in Parkinsonian rats can be accessed at http://www.StemCellsTM.com.

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Stem Cells from Adult Nose Tissue Used to Cure Parkinsons Disease in Rats

High costs keep patients from using stem cells harvested from umbilical cords

Scientists are studying ways to treat HIV, cerebral palsy and other diseases using umbilical cord blood, although little of the collected blood will actually be used. Credit:Banc de Sang via flickr

Youd think doctors and patients would be clamoring for cells so versatile they could help reboot a body suffering from everything from leukemia to diabetes. But a new report shows that an important source of these stem cellsdiscarded umbilical cordsis rarely used because of high costs and the risk of failure.

Stem cells drawn from newborns umbilical cord blood are sometimes used to treat medical conditions, especially bone and blood cancers like multiple myeloma or lymphoma by replacing dysfunctional blood-producing cells in bone marrow. Generally the diseased cells are destroyed with chemotherapy and irradiation. Then new stem cells are transplanted into the patient to restore function. Cord blood stem cells are an alternative to bone marrow transplants and peripheral blood transplants, in which stem cells are gathered from the blood stream. Cord blood tends to integrate better with the body and it is easier to find a suitable donor than the alternatives.

Yet less than 3 percent of cord blood collected in the U.S. is ever used whereas the rest sits uselessly in blood banks, according to a recent report in Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. Immunologist Enal Razvi is author of the report and managing director of Select Biosciences, a biotechnology consulting agency. Razvi found that public cord blood banks, which store donated frozen units for transplants as needed, have only a 1 to 3 percent turnover annually. Most of their inventory sits unused year after year. For example, at Community Blood Services in New Jersey, patients have only used 278 of its 13,000 cords since it opened in 1996, according to business development director Misty Marchioni. Usage is even lower at private cord blood banks, which charge clients thousands of dollars to store a cord in the event a family member one day needs it.

Unlike bone marrow, the main alternative stem cell source, cells transplanted from cord blood carry little risk of graft-versus-host disease, a deadly condition in which the body rejects a transplant. Scientists believe this is because a babys immune system is closer to a blank slate, so their stem cells can integrate with the patients body more easily. But cord blood transplants also take longer to start working, requiring longer hospital stays and upping the bill. Due to storage and testing costs, the cords themselves also get pricy. The cost of the cord is prohibitively high, Razvi explains. Each unit of cord blood costs between $35,000 and $40,000 and most adults require two units for a successful transplant. Insurance companies will generally pay a set amount for a stem cell transplant regardless of where the cells come from. The price tag on a cord blood transplant can run up to $300,000, which may not be fully covered.

Cord blood stem cell transplants also have a higher failure rate than other transplant methods. If the transplant fails, it leaves patients with a compromised immune system in addition to their original disease and medical bills. Because the preparation for transplant includes wiping out the patients original bone marrow, the entire body has to be repopulated with stem cells able to replace it. There are not many stem cells in each cord. Compared with bone marrow or peripheral blood there is a greater chance that there will not be enough stem cells that actually implant and begin producing blood and bone marrow. Its like spreading a small amount of seeds in a big garden, says Mitchell Horwitz, who teaches cell therapy at Duke University Medical Center. Sometimes it just doesnt take.

Martin Smithmyer, chief executive of the private bank Americord, claims that more clients will eventually use their cords, especially as more applications are found for cord blood stem cells. But some scientists disagree. Steven Joffe, a professor of medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, says that many treatments cannot be done with a patients own stem cells because genetic diseases would already be present in the cord blood and that bone marrow might be a better option for relatives. The likelihood they are ever going to use that product is vanishingly small, he says.

Despite the low usage, advocates say cord blood programs have been crucial in improving transplant options for racial minorities, because it can be hard to find a bone marrow match for some groups. Cord blood does not need to match the patient as perfectly as bone marrow. This has transformed the treatment of minority patients, says Andromachi Scaradavou, medical director of the National Cord Blood Program, a public bank based in New York City. In the past we didnt have good donors to offer them. Community Blood Servicess Marchioni also maintains that cord blood is a good emergency option, because finding a compatible bone marrow or peripheral blood donor can take months or years. If you need a transplant quickly, she says, its easy to get cord blood off of a shelf.

Still, experts are working on more efficient ways of ensuring widespread availability of cord blood without having so much of it sit forever unused. Researchers are also continuing to look for ways to improve transplant success and to increase the number of stem cells obtained from each cord, potentially bringing down costs and making cord blood transplants feasible for more patients. If the cost could be lowered, Scaradavou says, it would help a lot of patients get the treatment they need.

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Vast Majority of Life-Saving Cord Blood Sits Unused

MIAMI (PRWEB) December 04, 2014

After a successful first run in Spain last month, Global Stem Cells Group, has announced the decision to take the biotech companys hands-on stem cell training course to additional European cities in 2015. GSCG subsidiary Stem Cell Training, Inc. and Dr. J. Victor Garcia conducted the Adipose Derived Harvesting, Isolation and Re-integration Training Course for medical professionals in Barcelona Nov. 22-23, 2014.

The two-day, hands-on intensive training course was developed for physicians and high-level practitioners to learn techniques in harvesting and reintegrating stem cells derived from adipose tissue and bone marrow. The objective of the training is to bridge the gap between bench science in the laboratory and the doctors office by teaching effective, in-office regenerative medicine techniques.

Global Stem Cells Group will release a schedule of cities and dates for future training classes in upcoming weeks.

For more information, visit the Stem Cell Training, Inc. website, email info(at)stemcelltraining(dot)net, or call 305-224-1858.

About Global Stem Cells Group: Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions.

With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.

Global Stem Cells Groups corporate mission is to make the promise of stem cell medicine a reality for patients around the world. With each of GSCGs six operating companies focused on a separate research-based mission, the result is a global network of state-of-the-art stem cell treatments.

About Stem Cell Training, Inc.:

Stem Cell Training, Inc. is a multi-disciplinary company offering coursework and training in 35 cities worldwide. Coursework offered focuses on minimally invasive techniques for harvesting stem cells from adipose tissue, bone marrow and platelet-rich plasma. By equipping physicians with these techniques, the goal is to enable them to return to their practices, better able to apply these techniques in patient treatments.

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Global Stem Cells Group Hands-on Training Course in Barcelona Heading to Additional Euro Cities in 2015

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

3-Dec-2014

Contact: Veronica McGuire vmcguir@mcmaster.ca 90-552-591-402-2169 McMaster University @mcmasteru

Hamilton, ON (Dec. 3, 2014) - Scientists at McMaster University have discovered that human stem cells made from adult donor cells "remember" where they came from and that's what they prefer to become again.

This means the type of cell obtained from an individual patient to make pluripotent stem cells, determines what can be best done with them. For example, to repair the lung of a patient with lung disease, it is best to start off with a lung cell to make the therapeutic stem cells to treat the disease, or a breast cell for the regeneration of tissue for breast cancer patients.

Pluripotency is the ability stem cells have to turn into any one of the 226 cell types that make up the human body.The work challenges the previously accepted thought that any pluripotent human stem cell could be used to similarly to generate the same amount of mature tissue cells.

This finding, published today in the prestigious science journal Nature Communications, will be used to further drug development at McMaster, and potentially improve transplants using human stem cell sources.

The study was led by Mick Bhatia, director of the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute. He holds the Canada Research Chair in Human Stem Cell Biology and he is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

"It's like the stem cell we make wants to become a doctor like its grandpa or an artist like its great-grandma," said Bhatia.

"We've shown that human induced pluripotent stem cells, called iPSCs, have a memory that is engraved at the molecular/genetic level of the cell type used to make them, which increases their ability to differentiate to the parent tissue type after being put in various stem cell states.

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Not all induced pluripotent stem cells are made equal: McMaster researchers

New York, Dec 3 (IANS): Using DNA from stored blood samples, an Indian-origin scientist Dhruv Sareen have developed a novel method to re-create brain and intestinal stem cells from patients who died decades ago and long-ago volunteered their blood samples.

The research could lead to new therapies for people who suffer from aggressive motor-neuron and gut-related conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease.

"The potential implications of this research are vast," said the study's lead author Sareen from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.

By using a deceased patient's stored blood samples, the researchers found that they can develop stem cells known as iPSCs in a petri dish - essentially reanimating diseased cells from patients long after they have died.

This approach allows researchers to connect the dots between a deceased patient's symptoms, genetic information contained in DNA and the behaviour of stem cells in the lab.

This, in turn, enables investigators to study the biological mechanisms behind diseases and potentially design new therapies.

The technique also allows physicians to replace invasive biopsy procedures typically required of living patients to create iPSC cells.

"These novel developments allow us to create new lines of stem cells from literally millions of patient samples stored in large repositories," said Clive Svendsen from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The study was published in the journal STEM CELLS Translational Medicine.

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Stem cells from the dead to help health research