Category Archives: Stem Cells

Melissa Dribben, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Sunday, August 3, 2014, 8:51 AM

At 2:11 p.m. on July 23, Michael Kuttler drew his first breath and belted out an exultant scream. Seconds later, he participated in his first act of altruism - trying to save a stranger's life.

His afterbirth was placed in a bin and handed to a woman who rushed down the hall in Lankenau Medical Center to a utility room. Working quickly, she swaddled the placenta in a cone of paper pads, pulled the rubbery umbilical cord through the bottom, then, using a syringe, plastic tubing, and gravity, spent the next 20 minutes collecting biological gold.

Stem cells from cord blood are an increasingly vital public-health resource with the potential to treat or cure scores of life-threatening diseases. Yet every day in delivery rooms, nearly all cord blood is thrown away.

The decision to donate her baby's cord blood was "a no-brainer," said Michael's mother, Megan Kuttler of West Conshohocken. "If it could help somebody else, of course I wanted to."

Most expectant parents in the Philadelphia region do not have that opportunity.

"Women want to donate, but we can't afford to collect it," said Dennis Todd, CEO at Community Blood Services in Montvale, N.J. The agency - one of only 21 public cord-blood banks in the nation that provide units for transplants - receives an average of five calls or e-mails a week from expectant parents asking how they can contribute their baby's cord blood for the greater good.

The answer is almost always, "Sorry, but you can't."

"It's tough to do a good deed," said Frances Verter, director of the nonprofit Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation.

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Umbilical-cord stem cells valuable, but usually wasted

Stem Cells, Fat Social Media: The August 2014 Issue of PRS with Rod J. Rohrich, MD
Rod J. Rohrich, MD, Editor-in-Chief of "Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery" discusses 3 articles on the trending topics of stem cells, fat transfers and soci...

By: PRSJournal

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Stem Cells, Fat & Social Media: The August 2014 Issue of PRS with Rod J. Rohrich, MD - Video

Inside each of our hard, calcified teeth is a small population of living stem cells that can differentiate into many types of tissue. The origin of those stem cells has long been unknown, but scientists may now have a completely surprising answer: Cells of the nervous system can migrate into the middle of a tooth and actually turn back into stem cells. If verified, this could be a possible new source for stem cells.

Teeth are connected to nerves, as anyone who's had the misfortune of a toothache would know. Igor Adameyko of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and his team were studying glial cells, which support and protect neurons, in mice. By fluorescently labeling these glial cells, they could track the fate of these cells over time.

What they found was entirely surprising. Glial cells from nerves in the gums actually migrated into teeth, where they turned into mesenchymal stem cells and eventually into tooth cells. Stem cells differentiating into specific cells is to be expected, but glial cells turning into stem cells is the exact opposite of what we thought we knew.

The study published in Nature is definitely exciting, but it will of course need to be confirmed with follow-up studies. It's possible we may have a new source for stem cellsright in our mouths. [Science]

Top image: Dmitry G/Wikimedia Commons

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There Are Cells Inside Teeth That Can Turn Back Into Stem Cells

Waterloo, ON (PRWEB) August 01, 2014

Testing the mechanical properties of microtissues by researchers has led to a better understanding embryonic development. How and why embryonic stem cells differentiate and reorganize into structurally and functionally distinct tissues is important because abnormalities can lead to devastating physical defects. Prof. Todd McDevitt, Melissa Kinney, and Rabbia Saeed worked from the premise that biophysical signals interact with biochemical cues to control many aspects of embryo development. In their recent study published in Nature Scientific Reports (http://www.nature.com/srep/2014/140306/srep04290/full/srep04290.html?WT.ec_id=SREP-631-20140311), the team assessed the mechanical changes in 3D stem cell microtissues and linked these changes with cell differentiation and tissue morphology changes.

The team used the CellScale MicroSquisher (http://www.cellscale.com/products/microsquisher) to perform mechanical testing of the 3D tissues, which were 200-500m in size. The unique ability of the MicroSquisher to resolve small forces was critical for this application, where the peak forces were less than 20N.

This data will enable a better understanding of embryonic development, which is critical developing strategies to prevent many birth defects. The data will also enable the development of new approaches to direct the differentiation and patterning of 3D microtissues for further research in drug development and tissue repair.

CellScale is an industry leader in providing researchers with precision biomaterial and mechanobiology test systems. Currently, you can find our products being used by world class academic and commercial organizations across the globe.

Our mechanical test systems are specifically designed for analyzing and characterizing the material properties of natural and artificial biomaterials.

Our mechanobiology technology helps advance research by providing insights into the response of cells to mechanical stimulation a key factor in the pursuit of the next revolution in medical treatments.

Caleb Horst, Director of Business Development CellScale Biomaterials Testing 519-342-6870

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Study Links Biomechanics and Gene Expression in Stem Cells

Ben Sings "Stem Cells Clones"
A zany, creative contemporary science-meets-science fiction song cleverly composed by lead guitarist Dr. Dave. Sung with gusto, humor and skill by Ben Philli...

By: Mark Brendan Hussey

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Ben Sings "Stem Cells & Clones" - Video

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

30-Jul-2014

Contact: Meng Zhao eic@nrren.org 86-138-049-98773 Neural Regeneration Research

Adult mesenchymal stem cells, specifically adipose-derived stem cells have self-renewal and multiple differentiation potentials and have shown to be the ideal candidate for therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine, particularly in peripheral nerve regeneration. Adipose-derived stem cells are easily harvested, although they may show the effects of aging, hence their potential in nerve repair may be limited by cellular senescence or donor age. Cellular senescence is a complex process whereby stem cells grow old as consequence of intrinsic events (e.g., DNA damage) or environmental cues (e.g., stressful stimuli or diseases), which determine a permanent growth arrest. Prof. Magnaghi and his team from University of Milan in Italy reported some of the most important factors modulating the senescence process, which can influence adipose-derived stem cell morphology and function, and compromise their clinical application for peripheral nerve regenerative cell therapy. These findings, published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 1, 2014).

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Article: " Senescence in adipose-derived stem cells and its implications in nerve regeneration " by Cristina Mantovani1 , Giorgio Terenghi2, Valerio Magnaghi1 (1 Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Universit degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy 2 Blond McIndoe Laboratories, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK)

Mantovani C, Terenghi G, Magnaghi V. Senescence in adipose-derived stem cells and its implications in nerve regeneration. Neural Regen Res. 2014;9(1):10-15.

Contact: Meng Zhao eic@nrren.org 86-138-049-98773 Neural Regeneration Research http://www.nrronline.org/

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

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Senescence in adipose-derived stem cells and its implications in nerve regeneration

Embryonic stem cells can develop into a multitude of cells types. Researchers would like to understand how to channel that development into the specific types of mature cells that make up the organs and other structures of living organisms.

One key seems to be long chains of sugars that dangle from proteins on surfaces of cells.

Kamil Godula's group at the University of California, San Diego, has created synthetic molecules that can stand in for the natural sugars, but can be more easily manipulated to direct the process, they report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

A variety of growth factors influence the fate of embryonic stem cells. All bind to specific receptors on the surface of the cell, but many must also bind to these sugars to exert their influence.

The natural sugar structures are difficult to manage, so Godula's group strung small sugar fragments together to create synthetic versions. They used these 'glycopolymers' to figure out how specific growth factors recognize sugars on the surface of cells.

By tagging individual glycopolymers, they were able to identify sugar substructures with the greatest affinity for fibroblast growth factor 2, one of the growth factors involved in neural development.

To test their mimetic molecules in a living system, they slipped successful versions into the into membranes of mouse embryonic stem cells that lack the natural form of the sugar. Six days later, these cells transformed into 'neural rosettes,' precursors of many types of mature neural cells. Untreated cells didn't.

Godula's group is working on a number of similar molecular mimics to explore a variety of developmental pathways.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of California - San Diego. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Sugar mimics guide stem cells toward neural fate

People are making all kinds of wacky claims.

If you poke around on the internet, it isn't hard to find cosmetic products touting the benefits of their stem cells. But buyer beware: An article in theAugust issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery highlights just how zany some of these claims have gotten and just how little hard science is actually behind them."Stem cells offer tremendous potential, but the marketplace is saturated with unsubstantiated and sometimes fraudulent claims that may place patients at risk," explains author Michael T. Longaker in the EurekAlert! press release.

"The article was prompted by 'worrying advertisements' claiming benefits of stem cell procedures for facelifts, breast augmentation even 'stem cell vaginal rejuvenation,'" notes the release. "These ads claim benefits from procedures that have not undergone rigorous scientific evaluation including potential risks related to stem cell and tissue processing and the effects of aging on stem cells."

What's going on here is similar to brain-scan-credulousness disorder (yes, I just made that up) the idea that people find scientific arguments more compelling when they're accompanied by an image of a brain scan. Just as people find neuroimaging captivating even when they don't fully understand the process and limitations behind it (which explains quackish firms popping up with unsupported claims), since stem cells are something of a mystery to most of us, it makes it easier for the snake-oil salespeople to get in our door.

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Dont Pay for Cosmetic Procedures With Stem Cells

Next time you come across an advertisement offering cosmetic stem cell procedures not only to give your skin a glowing look but also to stop it from growing old, beware.

Most of such ads claim benefits from procedures that have not undergone rigorous scientific evaluation - including potential risks related to stem cell and tissue processing and the effects of ageing on stem cells, a new research warns.

"Stem cells offer tremendous potential but the marketplace is saturated with unsubstantiated and sometimes fraudulent claims that may place patients at risk," warned Michael T. Longaker from Stanford University's Medical Center.

The procedures marketed as "stem cell facelifts" are often just "lipofilling" procedures, "an established fat injection technique with no prolonged anti-ageing effect", Longaker added.

To gain insight into these claims, researchers performed a Google search for cosmetic stem cell treatments, the most common of which was "stem cell facelift".

Most procedures used "stem cells" isolated from fat.

However, the websites provided little information on the quality of the stem cells used.

Without advanced cell-sorting procedures, the products used in these procedures likely contain many other types of cells besides fat-derived stem cells.

To date, just one stem cell procedure for cosmetic purpose has received the approval from the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

That product, designed to treat fine facial wrinkles, is undergoing extensive post-approval surveillance.

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'Most stem cell-based cosmetic surgeries fake'

Converting stem cell data into sounds could enable GPs to make instant, non-invasive cancer diagnoses during a routine check-up.

With waiting times for cancer tests at a six-year high, this could significantly reduce the agonising and potentially life-threatening wait for patients and improve U.K. government waiting time targets.* A recent study shows how data sonification (where data is conveyed as audio signals as opposed to visual illustrations such as graphs) can improve standard techniques currently used in spectroscopy stem cell analysis. What could this mean for cancer diagnostics?

Traditional diagnosis might involve taking a biopsy, sending it to the lab and waiting for the results. It is invasive and can take weeks. In the future, GPs could use audio feedback devices to diagnose certain types of cancer on the spot by scanning a patient to detect specific sound signals. With instant medical feedback, a GP can make a fast, more confident diagnosis and react immediately.

When removing cancerous tissues, even a small amount left behind can be dangerous. By listening to data in a patient's body via an audio diagnostic tool or probe, a surgeon is more likely to spot remaining cancerous cells than by visual inspection alone. This provides another layer of assistance and leaves the surgeon's eyes free to focus on the operation. This is likely to reduce surgery time and improve the probability of all cancerous tissue being removed.

Current spectroscopy methods involve firing light from a laser into cells and observing how it reacts. However, analysing the results and determining healthy cells from cancer cells typically involves the use of computational pattern analysis and assigning the cell type by eye, which is time consuming and allows no real-time feedback.

By classifying this data into audio signals, it is easier to differentiate between different types of cell, improving accuracy and allowing researchers to search through large volumes of data very quickly.

The preliminary study was launched recently at the 20th International Conference on Auditory Display. It is a collaboration between GANT, the pan-European research and education network; Birmingham City University and the University of Central Lancashire.

Ryan Stables, a researcher for the School of Digital Media Technology in Birmingham who lead the study said: "This method of identifying cancerous cells is similar to that of using a metal detector. It allows you to identify the characteristics of cancer in real-time, which we hope could have life-changing implications for patients through the development of better diagnostic tools.

We are now looking at using different types of data and are hopeful the research could be used for treating other physical diseases, not just cancer."

Domenico Vicinanza, Product Manager at GANT was responsible for the sonification, a process which often requires the use of high-speed networks to distribute large volumes of data between research teams and computing resources. He said:

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Do your stem cells sound like cancer? While-you-wait, non-invasive cancer diagnosis by converting stem cell data into ...