SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -INTELLiSTEM Technologies, a pioneering research company revolutionizing stem cell medicine, is helping to create an affordable future for cancer therapies. Currentcancer cell therapies likeCAR T Cells cost between$350k (USD) and $500k (USD.)INTELLiSTEM expects its Super SentinelCells(SSCs) treatment to be priced between$30-$50k USD. This represents a massive difference in price for hospitals and patients paying or co-paying for their own treatments.

"Older generations of cell therapies require harvesting the cells from the patients, processing them, manufacturing them and then injecting them back into the patient," said Dr. Riam Shammaa, MD Founder and CEO of INTELLiSTEM."Most of those cells can't be grown in large quantities and are very difficult to manufacture, driving the cost way up. Our solution is based on genetically engineering 'off-the-shelf cells 'ready to inject directly into patients. Our cells are easy to grow into billions of cells to treat multiple patients and this drops the cost substantially."

According to Shammaa, the highcurrent cost of cell therapies likeCAR T Cells and dendriticcellsis not only unsustainable(causinga heavy financialburdenfor hospitals acrossNorth America) but is also making life-saving cancer therapies financially inaccessible to millions of patients.

INTELLiSTEM Researchers have created genetically engineered Super Sentinel Cells(SSC's) to effectively target Cancer cells.The SSC's are showing an unprecedented 80% success rate in animal models.The current success rate for existing Cancer cell therapy treatments is 20-40%.

INTELLiSTEM is currently moving into phase one of human trials with the SSC's within the next 12 months.

"We could see practical cures for specific Cancers in as little as 5-7 years," added Shammaa.

See animated video of SSC'shere high-resolution Images also available.

How does the treatment work?

Cancer cells are very good at hiding from the immune system. Essentially, the Super Sentinel Cells are the next generation of antigen-presentingcells, theyshow the immune system where the Cancer cells are hiding in a host and allow the immune system to kick in and attack/kill them.

What Cancers could this effectively treat?

Super Sentinel Cells have the capacity to targethematological and solid cancersdue to their ability to learn the signals and antigens of each cancer. Due to the massive task at hand and to accelerate the progression of multiple Cancer cures, INTELLiSTEM started collaborating with cancer centers across the United States and is also looking to collaborate with research institutions around the world to accelerate the accessibility of the therapy to patients. The SSC's are expected to be effective on solid tumors such as Breast Cancer,Lung Cancer, Melanoma, Prostate Cancer and Lymphomas.

How many treatments are required?

Animal models are showing that 80% of the tested animals survive after one treatment compared to 20% using availablecell therapiesand 0% without treatment, but Shammaa believes that 100% can be achieved with a second injection/treatment of Super Sentinel Cells.

SOURCE INTELLiSTEM Technologies

https://www.intellistemtech.com/

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New Stem Cell Research Could Make Cancer Treatments affordable and Effective for Hospitals and Patients - PRNewswire

GAITHERSBURG, Md. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MaxCyte, the global cell-based therapies and life sciences company, and KSQ Therapeutics, a biotechnology company using its proprietary CRISPRomics discovery platform to achieve higher probabilities of success in drug development, announced today that the companies have entered into a new development and commercialization agreement. Under the agreement, KSQ gains rights to use MaxCyte's Flow Electroporation technology and ExPERT instruments for the advancement of KSQ's engineered tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (eTIL) programs, which the company is developing for the treatment of PD-1 refractory solid tumors.

Under the terms of the agreement, KSQ obtains non-exclusive clinical and commercial use rights to MaxCyte's cell engineering platform to develop multiple adoptive cell therapies. In return, MaxCyte is eligible to receive certain milestone payments in addition to other licensing fees.

"Adoptive cell therapies hold significant potential to improve outcomes for patients that are otherwise unresponsive to current treatments," said David Meeker, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of KSQ. "MaxCyte's technology will play an important role in enabling the further development of our eTIL programs as we work to bring best-in-class, cell-based medicines forward for difficult to treat solid tumors."

MaxCyte's ExPERT instrument family represents the next generation of leading, clinically validated, electroporation technology for complex and scalable cellular engineering. By delivering high transfection efficiency with enhanced functionality, the ExPERT platform delivers the high-end performance essential to enable the next wave of biological and cellular therapeutics.

"We are delighted to have signed this agreement with KSQ Therapeutics, a company that's forging an exciting path in the field of adoptive cell therapies with the potential to deliver significant benefits to patients. This is the fifth commercial license we have signed this year, demonstrating that MaxCyte is the partner of choice for leading technology companies, like KSQ, that are at the cutting edge of cell therapy and gene editing," said Doug Doerfler, President & CEO of MaxCyte, Inc.

About KSQ TherapeuticsKSQ Therapeutics is advancing apipelineof tumor- and immune-focused drug candidates for the treatment of cancer, across multiple drug modalities including targeted therapies, adoptive cell therapies and immuno-therapies. KSQ's proprietaryCRISPRomicsdiscovery engine enables genome-scale,in vivovalidated, unbiased drug discovery across broad therapeutic areas. KSQ was founded by thought leaders in the field of functional genomics and pioneers of CRISPR screening technologies, and the company is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit the company's website atwww.ksqtx.com.

About MaxCyte MaxCyte is a clinical-stage global cell-based therapies and life sciences company applying its proprietary cell engineering platform to deliver the advances of cell-based medicine to patients with high unmet medical needs. MaxCyte is developing novel CARMA therapies for its own pipeline, with its first drug candidate in a Phase I clinical trial. CARMA is MaxCyte's mRNA-based proprietary therapeutic platform for autologous cell therapy for the treatment of solid cancers. In addition, through its life sciences business, MaxCyte leverages its Flow Electroporation Technology to enable its biopharmaceutical partners to advance the development of innovative medicines, particularly in cell therapy. MaxCyte has placed its flow electroporation instruments worldwide, including with all of the top ten global biopharmaceutical companies. The Company now has more than 80 partnered programme licenses in cell therapy with more than 45 licensed for clinical use. With its robust delivery technology platform, MaxCyte helps its partners to unlock the full potential of their products. For more information, visit http://www.maxcyte.com.

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MaxCyte and KSQ Therapeutics Announce Development and Commercialization Agreement to Enable the Advancement of KSQ's Adoptive Cell Therapy Programs -...

Yaoyao Tong,1,2 Kun Tong,1,2 Qinghong Zhu,1 Yuqin Wu,3 Yi Yang,4 Jicai Zhang,1 Pei Hu,1,5 Shirong Yan2

1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, Peoples Republic of China; 2Hubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese Medicine Research, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, Peoples Republic of China; 3Department of Central Operating Room, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, Peoples Republic of China; 4Reproductive Medicine Centre, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, Peoples Republic of China; 5Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, Peoples Republic of China

Correspondence: Shirong YanHubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese Medicine Research, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, No. 30, South Renmin Road, Maojian District, Shiyan City, Hubei Province, Peoples Republic of ChinaEmail graceyan@163.comPei HuDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, No. 32, South Renmin Road, Maojian District, Shiyan City, Hubei Province, Peoples Republic of ChinaEmail hupei2018@taihehospital.com

Purpose: To investigate the role of glypican-3 (GPC3) in cobalt chloride (CoCl2)-induced cell apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods: HepG2 cells were treated with CoCl2 in the absence or presence of GPC3 plasmid transfection. Cell viability and apoptosis were assessed by MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The expression of GPC3, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), c-myc, sp1, poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and caspase-3 was determined by real-time PCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence after the cells were treated with different concentrations of CoCl2 or siRNA targeting HIF-1.Results: CoCl2 significantly inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells and induced apoptosis. Additionally, the expression of GPC3 mRNA and protein was decreased, and overexpression of GPC3 attenuated the tumour inhibiting effects. Further studies showed that CoCl2 increased the expression of HIF-1 while reducing the expression of sp1 and c-myc; knockdown of HIF-1 elevated the expression of GPC3, sp1, and c-myc.Conclusion: CoCl2 inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells through downregulation of GPC3 expression via the HIF-1/c-myc axis.

Keywords: cobalt chloride, c-myc, glypican-3, hepatocellular carcinoma, hypoxia-inducible factor 1

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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Cobalt Chloride Induced Apoptosis by Inhibiting GPC3 Expression via th | OTT - Dove Medical Press

Futurist Ray Hammond talks to Stephen Hyamsabout revolutions in healthcare, the future of work and cryptocurrencies

05 DECEMBER 2019 | STEPHEN HYAMS

Ray Hammond has a long record of accurate foresight about the future, such as identifying the coming importance of the internet shortly after its launch.

How did he become a futurist?

It happened by accident, he says. After finishing with journalism, I wanted to become a writer. During a small book tour in San Diego, I met the well-respected futurist Alvin Toffler. We kept in touch and he encouraged me to broaden out beyond technology, which was then my focus, to understand the way that todays trends may shape reality in 10 to 20 years time.

The future of health

Hammond is excited by the current revolutions in healthcare, of which he expects digital health to havethe earliest impact. Within 10 to 15 years, perhaps30% of hospital inpatients will be at home in bed but monitored so thoroughly that its almost as if they were in the hospital, he says. A team of mobile nurses will take care of their physical needs. Its also going to have a profound impact on the way drugs are developed, because drug companies can use the data that flows back from digital devices to learn how were responding. Eventually, it will be as if every patient is taking part in a real-time clinical experiment.

DNA-based and stem cell medicine will also play a significant role during the next five to 10 years. For privacy reasons, it will take a while for people to accept having their DNA stored., says Hammond. For many people, DNA stands for do not ask. Once the benefits of DNA analysis are understood fully, the word will spread and, with full consideration for privacy and data protection, DNA-based medicine will be an enormously powerful tool. He cites the detection of genetic abnormalities in the earliest stages of embryonic development during pregnancy as an example.

Its early days for stem cell medicine, but Hammond predicts that it will become very important within 10 years. It seems to have so many applications, a bit like penicillin, and promises to deal with lots of diseases that are currently intractable. Using stem cells from ones own body avoids the risk of rejection. Im certain that in 10 years time we will be taking organs off the shelf, or theyll be grown to order for us.

Hammond believes two other healthcare revolutions will have longer-term implications. The first is nanoscale medicine, which he believes will have a huge impact, but not for another 20 years. Manipulating molecules at the nanoscale level will enable the production of drugs designed to produce specific proteins that are tailored for certain illnesses. Nanoparticles are currently being developed for the targeted delivery of drugs, while there is some research involving nanoparticles that seeks to develop a vaccine for influenza. Hammond believes the other healthcare revolution will be in gene editing to enable removal of damaging pieces of DNA from a patients tissue but care is needed to avoid it affecting the germline, for fear of unintended consequences.

Healthcare outlook

What will be the collective impact of these developments? During the next 20 to 30 years they will transform healthcare, and I think it is likely we will see a return to higher rates of mortality improvements in the UK, following the period of lower rates seen during the past few years.

Hammond is excited by two recent pieces of research into anti-ageing, one of which removes senescent cells from the body. These cells are widely believed to contribute to ageing. The other work involves therapyto reprogram genes to reverse the ageing process.

In human trials, there have been some startling achievements in a single year, 70% to 80% of the patients had their biological clock reversed by two and a half years, he says. The results were so stunning that the researchers have easily been able to raise the money to carry out much wider trials. Until a year ago, I was highly sceptical about rejuvenation and life extension, but not any longer. By 2030 or 2040 I think we could see some patients extending their lives as healthy centenarians. Within the next 20-30 years, Hammond also thinks that most types of cancer will be controllable, as opposed to being cured.

How can we meet the cost of healthcare for an ageing population? During the next 10 years it will be a problem, but there are indications that things will improve significantly, mostly thanks to digital technology, says Hammond. The key is 5G networks, which will be super-fast and reliable, with instant, real-time responses and no bandwidth problems. This will facilitate distributed care, in which many patients are monitored from their homes, thereby taking the pressure off hospital space. The healthcare revolutions will mean fewer people in hospital, and for less time.

The collection and analysis of healthcare data is developing fast, and it must remain secure for people to remain comfortable in providing it. Could insurers seek to use the data for underwriting purposes? There are currently legal barriers to the discriminatory use by insurers of DNA information, while they are also no longer allowed to ask the catch-all question of whether there is any other information that would be relevant.

Digital monitoring devices will not be for everyone, while those who do use them will need clear instructions explaining that they are not fully accurate and no substitute for proper medical advice.

Robotics will have developed to the point where most of the non-medical tasks in a hospital are handled by machines, Hammond says. For example, a robot nurse in triage could perform standard tests before passing the patient to a doctor, if necessary. Remote robotic surgery will also become very efficient oneeye specialist in London might be treating people anywhere in the UK, or around the world. Another interesting development is the growing use of virtual reality as an alternative to conventional anaesthetic.

Technology and work

Will robotics and automation put jobs at risk? During the next 15 years, there will be a lot of disruption in the workplace, says Hammond. Peoples roles will change, and retraining will be needed, but there will still be a lot of demand for human employment. After that period, Im not so sure; by the mid-2030s I think robots will be so ubiquitous, powerful and capable that a lot of human endeavour will not be needed. Robots will be increasing productivity to such an extent that society will have enough money to give to people who are not employed.

Such a fundamental change brings challenges, though. For many people, work is part of their identity, and when theyre denied it an important part of their life disappears, Hammond says. I dont have the answerto that, but Im worried.

Part of the solution is to recognise and pay for carers in the family, and Hammond predicts there will still be plenty of demand here. Robots will empathise and form attachments, but when real help or comfort is needed,I think well want a human for the foreseeable future.

I ask about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI)on replacing human work. Today AI is, at best, as intelligent as a rodent. I think it will be at least 30 years before AI is a threat to humanity in terms of its decision-making capabilities.

Cryptocurrencies and cash

Hammond expects blockchain technology, invented for the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, to have a huge and wide-ranging impact. Blockchain will be everywhere for example, managing patients in hospitals, or the assets and policies of an insurance company. The biggest drawback is its high energy demand, but there have been recent breakthroughs in that respect.

Cryptocurrencies do not need an issuing bank or government to authenticate them, as they are self-authenticating, so this poses a threat to the conventional banking industry and national sovereignty over finance, he continues. I dont see it happening on a big scale within 10 years, but in the longer term, if political will allows, there is no doubt that cryptocurrencies will replace fiat currencies.

Does this signal the end of cash? In my 1983 book Computers and Your Child I predicted there would be no cash in society by the year 2000, Hammond says.I was looking at the technology, and in that respect my prediction could have been correct, but I was forgetting human psychology. People like to feel they hold cash.I think cash will still be around in 10-15 years, but very much reduced.

I conclude by asking Hammond what his biggest concern for the future is. Climate change, with the extreme weather events that are going to become more frequent and severe and continue for at least the next30-40 years.

What excites him the most? The continuing improvement in human health. I love the idea of looking to a future where most serious illness is eradicated, with far less human suffering.

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Interview: Shaping the future - The Actuary

London, UK, 4 December 2019:The first UK clinical trial site for the treatment of diabetic patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLI) using a novel patient-specific regenerative therapy has opened for patient recruitment at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. The site will be evaluating Rexgeneros REX-001 in two Phase III trials, codenamed the SALAMANDER trials. The trials are being led by Mr Ian Williams, a Consultant Vascular Surgeon and the Principal Investigator at the site.

The University Hospital of Wales is participating in the trials through a consortium, the Midlands-Wales Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (MW-ATTC), part of the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre Network (ATTC) which aims to bring pioneering advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) to patients. THE MW-ATTC has been working in collaboration with the Cardiff & Vale University Health Board to progress the initiation of the two SALAMANDER trials and is planning to activate new clinical trial sites in the Midlands in England shortly.

CLI is a chronic disease and the most serious form of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a common condition in which a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries reduces the blood flow to the legs and feet. CLI is characterized by chronic ischemic at-rest pain, ulcers or gangrene in one or both legs. CLI is a common condition in Europe and the United States affecting 1-1.5% of the population aged over 401. It represents an area of high unmet medical need as there are currently no approved therapies that successfully treat the CLI patient population. Patients with CLI have a very negative prognosis. A year after initial diagnosis, around 12% of patients have had an amputation. Five years after diagnosis the situation is even worse with mortality at 50%, rising to 70% after ten years2.

REX-001 represents a new class of regenerative medicines. It is an autologous cell therapy manufactured using the patients own bone marrow and consists of immune cells (lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes) and progenitor cells involved in immune modulation and tissue regeneration. It is administered as a single dose within 4 days after collection of bone marrow cells.

Ian Williams, Consultant Vascular Surgeon and Principal Investigator commented,Chronic limb-threatening ischemia is a serious disease with severe consequences and limited treatment options. There is a high unmet need for novel and innovative therapiessuch as REX-001that have the potential to be a highly effective treatment and to reduce amputation and mortality rates amongst the patient population.

Chris Fegan, Consultant Haematologist, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said, We have brought together many highly specialized teams from diabetes, surgery, radiology and stem cell transplantation to participate in the pioneering SALAMANDER study here at Cardiff and Vale, which we hope will revolutionize treatment options for patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia.

Rexgenero, the company pioneering the development of REX-001, says that the experimental product has already demonstrated efficacy in Phase I/II studies. In the Phase II clinical trial, 82% of patients with non-healing ischemic ulcers were healed within the first 12 months after a single administration dose of REX-001.

Joe Dupere, CEO of Rexgenero added, Treating our first patient with REX-001 in the UK will be an important milestone for our Phase III program in diabetic patients with chronic-limb threatening ischemia, a severe condition with high unmet need. With clinical trial sites and manufacturing bases now open across multiple countries in Europe, we are one step closer to completion of the Phase III studies and potential regulatory and market approval for an innovative and much-needed product.

Rexgenero is planning to treat a total of 60 patients with CLI and rest pain and 78 patients with CLI and non-healing ischemic ulcers in two independent Phase III SALAMANDER trials in approximately 25 hospitals across Europe.In addition to the trial sites in the UK, Rexgenero is also recruiting patients for both trials at sites inSpain, Austria, Portugal, Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

For more information about the REX-001 Phase III SALAMANDER trials, and how to participate, please visit theclinical trial website.

References

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

At Rexgenero

For media enquiries (Rexgenero)

Joe Dupere, CEO+44 (0)20 3700 7480info@rexgenero.com

Instinctif PartnersAshley Tapp+44 (0)20 7866 7923Rexgenero@instinctif.com

At the University Hospital of Wales

Cardiff and University Health BoardCommunications Team+44 (0)29 2074 6381news@wales.nhs.uk

About Rexgenero

Rexgenero is a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company developing innovative cell-based therapies targeting serious diseases with unmet medical needs.

The Companys lead candidate, REX-001, is a highly innovative autologous cell therapy that is being studied in a Phase III clinical programme in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLI) with diabetes, a poorly treated disease with a high risk of amputation and death. REX-001 has been shown to be effective in Phase I/II and Phase II trials, alleviating CLI in the majority of patients, offering the potential to increase the quality of life of CLI patients by reducing pain, alleviating ulcers, increasing mobility, improving sleep and reducing the need for amputation. Rexgenero is developing REX-001 in a range of indications and, pending approval, intends to launch and market this specialty product in major territories.

Rexgenero is a privately-owned company, which draws on an exceptional understanding of the fundamental science of cell therapies developed by the Andalusian Health Authority (Servicio Andaluz de Salud) and Andalusian Initiative of Advanced Therapies.

The Company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in London (UK) with R&D and manufacturing operations in Seville (Spain) and Frankfurt (Germany).

For more information, please visit:www.rexgenero.com

Connect with us: Twitter:@_Rexgenero; LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/rexgenero-limited/

About the REX-001 Phase III SALAMANDER Trials

REX-001 has shown efficacy in 70% of patients in Phase I and I/II studies and is currently progressing through two Phase III SALAMANDER trials in Europe being conducted at approximately 30 sites, with plans to enrol a total of 138 patients. The trials are given the name SALAMANDER in reference to the amphibians ability to regenerate its tail and limbs.

ThePhase III studyin patients with Rutherford stage 4 CLI will assess the efficacy and safety of REX-001 with a primary endpoint of complete relief of ischemic rest pain.

ThePhase III studyin patients with Rutherford stage 5 CLI will assess the efficacy and safety with a primary endpoint of complete ulcer healing.

Amputation-free survival is included as a secondary endpoint in both studies. The trials are expected to produce interim analysis in early 2021 with full results expected later that year; all dependent on the speed of patient recruitment.

For more information about the REX-001 Phase III SALAMANDER trials, please visit:https://www.cli-treatment.com

About the Midlands and Wales Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (MW-ATTC)

The Midlands and Wales Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (MW-ATTC) consists of a large regional network with the necessary commercial and NHS infrastructure required to facilitate the delivery of advanced therapy treatments to patients. The centre includes a wide range of specialists in advanced therapy manufacturing including academic and commercial partners, logistics companies, specialists in clinical trial delivery and teams focussed on IT solutions and health economics.

For more information, please visit:https://www.theattcnetwork.co.uk/centres/midlands-wales

The ATTC Network Programme is a world-first, UK system of Advanced Therapy Treatment Centres (ATTC) operating within the NHS framework and coordinated by the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult to address the unique and complex challenges of bringing pioneering advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) to patients. The centres include Innovate Manchester Advanced Therapy Centre Hub (iMATCH), Midlands-Wales Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (MW-ATTC, comprising Birmingham, Wales and Nottingham) and Northern Alliance Advanced Therapies Treatment Centre (NA-ATTC, comprising Scotland, Newcastle and Leeds).

The network is initially supported by the Industrial Challenge Strategy Fund with the aim to develop first-of-a-kind technologies for the manufacture of innovative medicines across areas including blindness, cancer, heart failure, liver disease, neurological conditions and rare paediatric diseases.

For more information, please visit:https://www.theattcnetwork.co.uk/

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First UK Clinical Trial Site Open for Recruitment of Diabetic Patients with Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia Using Novel Patient-Specific...

Mount Sinai Medical Center has joined withBrainStorm Cell Therapeutics to explore the safety and efficacy of NurOwn as a potential treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in an ongoing Phase 2 trial.

The New York center is the fourth clinical site participating in the trial, in addition to Keck School of Medicine of The University of Southern California (USC), Stanford University School of Medicine, and the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

Mount Sinai is ready to start enrolling patients under the supervision of neurologistFred Lublin, MD, and his clinical team at The Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis.

We are happy to be a part of this exciting study to determine if neurally-directed stem cells can be a therapeutic approach to treating MS, Lublin said in a press release.

NurOwn is a cell-based therapy that uses the patients own bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to promote and support the repair of nerve cells.

Patients MSCs are modified in the lab to secrete growth factors that are believed to protect nerve cells from damage, to promote the repair of the protective myelin sheath in nerve cells (which is destroyed in MS), and potentially slow or halt disease progression.

The open-label Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT03799718) will enroll and treat up to 20 adults with either primary progressive MS (PPMS) or secondary progressive MS (SPMS).

All participants will undergo a bone marrow biopsy to collect MSCs, which will later on be injected back to the patient through three intrathecal administrations injected directly into the cerebrospinal fluid over 16 weeks.

During this time, and for the following 12 weeks, researchers will evaluate the safety of the procedure, as well as the neuromodulatory effect of the modified MSCs.

To confirm that NurOwn cells are delivering neurotrophic factors and immunomodulatory signaling molecules as expected, the research team will look for an increase in the amount and type of these biomarkers in patients cerebrospinal fluid following the cell transplants.

BrainStorm looks forward to partnering with and supporting Dr. Lublin and the dedicated clinical trial team at the Mount Sinai Hospital to quickly advance the Phase 2 progressive MS clinical trial, said Ralph Kern, MD, MHSc, BrainStorms chief operating officer and chief medical officer.

For more information about the trial, including its sites and contacts, please visit this link.

NurOwn has been tested in animal models for various neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), where it showed a good safety profile and promising efficacy signs.

An ongoing Phase 3 trial (NCT03280056) testing NurOwn in people with ALS is expected to conclude in December 2020.

Total Posts: 1,053

Patrcia holds her PhD in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases from the Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden, The Netherlands. She has studied Applied Biology at Universidade do Minho and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Instituto de Medicina Molecular in Lisbon, Portugal. Her work has been focused on molecular genetic traits of infectious agents such as viruses and parasites.

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Mount Sinai Joins Progressive MS Trial of NurOwn Cell Therapy - Multiple Sclerosis News Today

R3 Ultrasound Injection Training Course - All Attendees Receive a FREE Exosome Procedure! (844) 438-7836

LAS VEGAS (PRWEB) December 05, 2019

The nations leader in regenerative medicine training, R3 Stem Cell, announced that it has opened registration for its new musculoskeletal ultrasound injection training course January 26, 2020 at the M Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Providers will learn the most modern techniques for both diagnostic evaluation and injections for all types of joints in the body.

The ultrasound injection training course is being held at the M Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The instructors have over 40 years of combined experience in ultrasound training. Several types of ultrasound machines will be utilized at the training, so providers can get a feel for what they like to use.

The R3 Ultrasound Course is different than most, as providers get to work on real patients along with other attendees (not cadavers). In addition, each provider receives a free regenerative injection with exosomes too. The course is exceptional for MD, DO, NP, NMD, PA and RNs as well.

Ultrasound is a very convenient option for image guidance and a great way to ensure accuracy for joint injections. Ultrasound machines do not take up a lot of space, are cost effective, and patients appreciate it being used. Most providers perform injections blindly and often miss the target, leading to suboptimal outcomes.

According to R3 CEO David Greene, MD, MBA, Ultrasound for injections is much more convenient than a huge C-Arm, but it takes practice. This course is completely hands on with real patients receiving real biologics, and each provider gets to receive a procedure with exosomes too!

Registration is limited and will fill up fast, so it is recommended for providers to secure their spot asap. Signups for the Las Vegas Ultrasound course can be completed at http://stemcelltrainingcourse.org/ultrasound or by calling (844) GET-STEM.

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R3 Stem Cell Announces Comprehensive Ultrasound Injection Training Course January 26, 2020 - PR Web

Results of a new study in mice suggest that the body may be able to defeat the influenza virus if a person has the right sort of diet a ketogenic, or keto, diet.

Infection with the influenza virus, better known as the flu, has accounted for 12,00061,000 deaths every year since 2010 in the United States, with an annual economic burden of $87.1 billion.

The introduction of the flu vaccine has greatly improved infection and morbidity rates. However, there is still currently no cure for the illness.

Healthcare professionals and scientists alike are continuing the search for novel therapeutics to combat the flu, yet the key may lie within the body's own immune system. Moreover, it may be activated by the keto diet.

Following the keto diet involves eating foods that are high in fat and low in carbohydrates. Meals tend to consist of a variety of meat, fish, poultry, and non-starchy vegetables.

According to the findings of a new study, appearing in the journal Science Immunology, when mice fed a keto diet were injected with the flu virus, their survival rates were much higher than those of mice fed a diet high in carbohydrates.

The main reason for this, the researchers believe, is that a keto diet blocks the formation of inflammasomes, which are multiunit protein complexes that the immune system activates.

Inflammasomes can also cause harmful immune system responses in the host. This triggers the release of gamma delta T cells.

Gamma delta T cells are responsible for producing mucus in the linings of the lungs, which helps the body get rid of infectious agents. The mucus is then wafted up the airways and coughed out.

The joint senior authors of the study are Prof. Akiko Iwasaki and Prof. Vishwa Deep Dixit, both of the department of immunobiology at the Yale School of Medicine, in New Haven, CT.

The objective of the study was to determine how the keto diet affects host defense against a lethal flu virus infection.

The researchers randomly assigned the mice to diet groups 1 week before they induced the infection. Next, they monitored the rodents for signs of infection and assessed their immune responses.

The team found that keto diet feeding confers protection against the flu virus in mice by increasing the number of gamma delta T cells in the airways.

This response occurred relatively late after the infection in the mice, due to their dependence on T cell receptors on other cells. But in humans, this response is much quicker, as gamma delta T cells can expand independently.

In addition, previous research in mice has shown that a specific subset of gamma delta T cells can efficiently induce the cytolytic killing of flu-infected airway cells.

In the current study, the expansion of gamma delta T cells resulted in lower viral titer measurements in the mice that had received a ketogenic diet.

The team also investigated the potential for changes in the levels of genetic activity using RNA sequencing, a technique that can measure the levels of transcription across the genome.

This showed that although a keto diet could impact the expansion of gamma delta T cells, this was not associated with any changes in the activity of genes involved with cytotoxicity.

Interestingly, when mice were bred without the gene that encodes for gamma delta T cells, the keto diet provided no protection against the flu virus.

Commenting on this result, Prof. Iwasaki says, "This was a totally unexpected finding."

"This study shows that the way the body burns fat to produce ketone bodies from the food we eat can fuel the immune system to fight flu infection."

Prof. Vishwa Deep Dixit

How do gamma delta T cells protect the host in response to a keto diet? As the researchers report, the current theory is that the expansion of these cells in response to ketogenic feeding leads to more efficient killing of the flu virus.

This, in turn, results in much lower viral titers and better preservation of the cells lining the airways.

Experts believe that the gamma delta T cells induced by the keto diet may enhance the barrier and innate defense systems of airway-lining cells at baseline, thereby allowing for a better response to the flu virus.

These results demonstrate that the answer to combatting the flu virus does not necessarily lie in producing drugs to relieve flu symptoms and that changing the diet can have a dramatic effect on how the body responds to infection.

The results also suggest that if the flu can be tackled in this way, there is the potential for changes in diet to help the body more effectively fight other viral infections.

This type of research is in its infancy, and much more will be needed to elucidate exactly how the keto diet may help combat the flu.

Read more:
Can the keto diet help beat the flu? - Medical News Today

Emerging medical research and cutting-edge technology will dramatically increase human life expectancy and quality of life in the near future, according to a recent fireside chat titled How Do We Make 100 Years Old Our New 60? hosted by Bob Reby, Ambassador of the Fairfield- Westchester Chapter of Singularity University and CEO of Reby Advisors, with special guest Sam Gandy, MD, Ph.D., a prominent internationally recognized expert in neurology and psychology.

Anyone interested in learning more about these medical breakthroughs may watch a video of the event for free on the Reby Advisors website: http://www.rebyadvisors.com/live-events-videos

Dr. Gandy, Chairman Emeritus of the National Medical and Scientific Advisory Council of the Alzheimer's

Association shared new research on human stem cells, genetic codes and the complex hereditary nature of Alzheimers Disease, among other topics.

With regard to stem cell research, Dr. Gandy explained, Its possible now to restore sight and hearing in certain conditions. This was not possible before. These are people who were deaf and blind, doomed to being deaf and blind lifelong.

He continued, Stem cells are the primordial type of cell that can ultimately be differentiated or specialized to form any type of cell in the body. If you have a stem cell from someone, you can then recreate the heart cells or lung cells or brain cells that a particular person has. It can really [lead to] person-based medicine.

Reby also brought up the topic of CRYSPR Genome Editing, and the potential of this research to be used for both good and harm.

CRYSPR is basically gene editing, which means that you can go into the DNA and make changes, edits. If you want to eradicate genetic diseases, it's possible to use this technology to go into an egg, or a sperm, and correct the mutation. So, you could edit out a hereditary disease.

As futuristic as these advancements in medical technology and genetic engineering may be, finding the cure for some complex diseases, like Alzheimers, remains a major challenge.

Most people with Alzheimer's Disease, it's not that simple. The challenge is to find an intervention that we can use beginning in midlife that is safe and will prevent Alzheimer's. Some of the ways that we have of intervening now are not perfectly safe and would not be things that you'd want to give people for 50 years.

The fireside chat was the first event for the Fairfield-Westchester Chapter of Singularity University, a global learning and innovation community using exponential technologies to tack the worlds biggest challenges and build a better future for all.

According to Reby, future events will focus on artificial intelligence, robotics and other exponential technologies. He explained, The reason I like [Singularity University] is their faculty is made up of a lot of business owners, so theyre not just talking about it. Theyre doing it as well.

Community leaders, business owners and technology enthusiasts are encouraged to contact Reby

Advisors if they would like to participate in the Fairfield-Westchester Chapter of Singularity University.

To watch the video of this first event, go to: http://www.rebyadvisors.com/live-events-videos

Link:
Will We Live to Age 120? International Expert Weighs in at Danbury Event - HamletHub

We have a mutualistic but complicated relationship with the collection of microbes in our gut, known as the intestinal microbiome. This complex community of bacteria breaks down different food components, and releases nutrients such as vitamins and a plethora of other factors that control functions in tissues way beyond the intestinal tract. However, the sheer numbers of microbes also present a threat as they can trigger inflammation, which is thought to be at the root of many intestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, radiation-induced intestinal injury, and some cancers.

To allow the uptake of beneficial substances from the gut lumen, and at the same time prevent gut microbes from contacting the intestinal epithelial tissue surface, specialized cells called goblet cells continuously produce mucus, the slimy goo-like substance that coats the entire intestinal surface. Mucus thus far has been notoriously difficult to study: its structure quickly disintegrates in surgically removed sections of the gut, the system most often used to study mucus, and no in vitro culture system has been able to reconstitute an in vivo-like mucus layer with the natural structure seen in living intestine outside the human body. Adding to these difficulties, mucus also differs between humans and other species, different sections of the intestinal tract, and even different individuals.

Now, focusing on the large intestine or colon which houses the greatest number of commensal microbes and has the thickest mucus layer, a team of tissue engineers at Harvards Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering has developed a colon-on-a-chip (Colon Chip) microfluidic culture device lined by patient-derived colon cells that spontaneously accumulates a mucus layer with the thickness, bi-layered structure, and barrier functions typically found in normal human colon. The mucosal surface in their model also responds to the inflammatory mediator prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) by mounting a rapid swelling response. Their findings are published in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Our approach provides researchers with the opportunity to find answers to questions about normal and disease-associated mucus biology, such as its contributions to intestinal inflammatory diseases and cancers, and complex host-microbiome interactions, said Founding Director Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., who is the senior investigator on the study. Importantly, we use patient-derived cells to line these devices and so this represents an entirely new approach for personalized medicine where it can be possible to study how mucus functions or dysfunctions in a particular patient, and to tailor therapy accordingly.

Ingber is also the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and the Vascular Biology Program at Boston Childrens Hospital, as well as Professor of Bioengineering at Harvards John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. His team is part of a multi-institutional collaboration supported by a Cancer Research UK Grand Challenge grant in which his Wyss team investigates how inflammation-related changes contribute to formation of cancers, including colon cancers. The Grand Challenge is an ambitious international cancer research initiative, supporting world-leading teams of scientists to take on some of the toughest challenges in cancer, and giving them the freedom to try novel approaches at scale.

The teams approach starts out with patient-derived colon cells from colon resections and endoscopic biopsies that are first grown as organoids, tiny organized balls of colon tissue that contain mainly epithelial stem cells. After fragmenting the organoids, their cells are used to populate the upper of a two parallel channels of a microfluidic chip that are separated by a porous membrane. Simply by perfusing the channels continuously with nutrient medium, the colon stem cells grow into a continuous sheet and form highly functional goblet cells that secrete mucus.

Growing the cells on-chip under flow results in about 15% of epithelial cells spontaneously differentiating into goblet cells. Distributed throughout the epithelium, these produce an in vivo-like mucus layer, said first-author Alexandra Sontheimer-Phelps, a graduate student from the University of Freiburg, Germany, working in Ingbers group. At the same time, other epithelial cells that keep dividing also replenish the goblet cell population just like in living colon, which means that the chip can be maintained in steady-state conditions for more than two weeks, which makes it highly useful for longer-term studies.

The Wyss team showed that the colon epithelium in the chip is fully polarized with distinct markers restricted to its lumen-exposed, mucus-secreting side and its opposite membrane-binding side. Its goblet cells secrete the major mucus protein mucin 2 (MUC2), which when linked to complex chains of sugar molecules, assembles into multi-molecular network or gel that takes up water. Our approach actually produces the bi-layered structure of normal colon mucus with an inner dense layer that we show is impenetrable to bacteria-mimicking particles flowed through the intestinal channel, and a more loose outer layer that allows particles to enter. This has never been accomplished before in vitro, said Sontheimer-Phelps.

To investigate the functionality of the mucus, she and her co-workers exposed the chip to the inflammatory mediator PGE2. The mucus underwent rapid swelling within minutes and independent of any new mucus secretion, and this process of mucus accumulation can be visualized in living cultures by viewing the chips from the side with dark field illumination. This dynamic response could be blocked by inhibiting one particular ion channel, which pumps ions into the colon epithelium and passively allow water molecules to follow and apparently, this drives mucus swelling when stimulated by signals such as PGE2.

Mucus has long been thought to be a passive, host barrier, but it is becoming increasingly clear that microbial species affect its structure and function in addition to feeding on its carbohydrates as an energy source. Our in vitro system brings us one step closer to figuring out how individual bacterial species and more complex microbial communities can affect mucus and vice versa, as well as how this complex interplay impacts development of intestinal diseases. We also now have a testbed to discover new therapeutic drug and probiotic strategies that might prevent or reverse these diseases said Ingber.

Reference:Sontheimer-Phelps, A., Chou, D. B., Tovaglieri, A., Ferrante, T. C., Duckworth, T., Fadel, C., Ingber, D. E. (2019). Human colon-on-a-chip enables continuous in vitro analysis of colon mucus layer accumulation and physiology. Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcmgh.2019.11.008

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

Read more from the original source:
Investigating the Human Intestinal Mucus Barrier Up-close and Personal - Technology Networks