Posted: October 15, 2014 at 6:46 pm
Did Scientists Just Cure Type 1 Diabetes?
The Telegraph #39;s Sarah Knapton reports that scientists at Harvard University have discovered how to use stem-cells to manufacture insulin-producing cells, pav...
By: Secular Talk
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Did Scientists Just Cure Type 1 Diabetes? - Video
Posted: October 15, 2014 at 6:44 pm
Dr. Deepak Srivastava, a leading biomedical research policy expert, will discuss "Stem Cells, Regenerative Medicine and Policy Impediments to the New Future" at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy Oct. 21. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Who: Dr. Deepak Srivastava, the Baker Institute's nonresident scholar for biomedical research policy and the Younger Family Director and senior investigator at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease.
Neal Lane, the Malcolm Gillis University Professor, senior fellow in science and technology policy at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy and a professor of physics and astronomy, will give introductory remarks.
Stem cells and regenerative medicine are exciting and emerging fields of biomedical research, according to event organizers. Proposed applications include treating conditions such as blindness, diabetes and heart disease. Regenerative medicine could also help heal failing organ systems and replace damaged tissue. While these fields hold great promise for medicine, external factors limit and, in some cases, stall research, organizers said. Ethical controversies surrounding human embryonic stem cells, policy issues affecting federal and state funding and regulation, and economic pressures all play a role in determining the future of research.
In his presentation, Srivastava will explore the current and future potential of stem cells and regenerative medicine. Following the presentation, he will discuss policy challenges and opportunities with Lane.
The event is sponsored by the Baker Institute's Science and Technology Policy Program and the Health Policy Forum.
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Stem cell, regenerative medicine policies to be discussed at Rice's Baker Institute
Posted: October 15, 2014 at 6:43 pm
Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2014, 7:00 PM
TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new study is the first to show the long-term safety of embryonic stem cell transplants to treat human disease.
The research involved 18 people who received the transplants to treat forms of macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss.
The transplants, which restored some sight in more than half of the patients, appeared safe up to three years after the procedure.
The study, funded by a U.S.-based company called Advanced Cell Technology, was published Oct. 14 in The Lancet.
"Embryonic stem cells have the potential to become any cell type in the body, but transplantation has been complicated by problems," lead author Dr. Robert Lanza, chief scientific officer at Advanced Cell Technology, said in a journal news release. Those problems include the rejection of the transplanted cells by the patient's immune system, as well as the danger that the cells might spur certain types of cancers called teratomas.
A teratoma is a type of cancer that occurs when stem cells develop into multiple types of cells and form incompatible tissues that can include teeth and hair.
As Lanza explained, because of these issues, scientists interested in embryonic stem cell therapy have tended to focused on sites in the body that typically do not produce a strong immune response. The eye is one such spot.
In the new study, human embryonic stem cells were first prompted to develop into eye cells called retinal pigment epithelial cells. They were then transplanted into nine people with Stargardt's macular dystrophy, and another nine with dry atrophic age-related macular degeneration.
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Embryonic Stem Cell Therapy Shows Long-Term Effectiveness, Safety
Posted: October 15, 2014 at 5:57 am
Elderly people who received treatment had their vision improved, study says Children who suffer from common form of blindness in young also benefited Some can now do things like read their watch and also work on a computer Expert said even small improvements are 'huge difference to quality of life' Critics say it's wrong to plunder unborn child for spare parts for science
By Fiona Macrae Science Correspondent
Published: 18:28 EST, 14 October 2014 | Updated: 02:30 EST, 15 October 2014
A revolutionary stem cell jab has restored the gift of sight, research suggests.
Men and women with severe age-related macular degeneration, the most common form of blindness in the elderly, are able to see better after having tens of thousands of embryonic stem cells injected into the back of their eye.
Children with Stargardts disease, the main cause of blindness in the young, have also benefited.
Researcher Robert Lanza said that one patient who underwent the trial even 'went to the mall for the first time' (file photo)
Some can now do things most of us take for granted like reading their watch or working on a computer. But one man is able to ride horses again and one of the patients has gone to a shopping mall for the first time.
Researcher Robert Lanza, a world-leading stem cell expert, said that even seemingly small improvements have made a huge difference to quality of life. Others described his work as a major accomplishment.
All of those who took part in the landmark trial had advanced eye disease and were blind in one eye. However, Dr Lanzas goal is to treat people early in the disease process to stop them from ever going blind.
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Could stem cell jab help elderly blind see again?
Posted: October 15, 2014 at 5:55 am
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Newswise (New York, NY Oct. 14, 2014) A Mount Sinai-led research team has discovered a new kind of stem cell that can become either a liver cell or a cell that lines liver blood vessels, according to a study published today in the journal Stem Cell Reports. The existence of such a cell type contradicts current theory on how organs arise from cell layers in the embryo, and may hold clues to origins of, and future treatment for, liver cancer.
Thanks to stem cells, humans develop from a single cell into a complex being made up of more than 200 cell types. The original, single human stem cell, the fertilized embryo, has the potential to develop into every kind of human cell. Stem cells multiply (proliferate) and specialize (differentiate) until millions of functional cells result, including liver cells (hepatocytes), blood vessel cells (endothelial cells), muscle cells, bone cells, etc.
In the womb, the human embryo early on becomes three germ layers of stem cells the endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm. The long-held consensus was that the endoderm goes on to form the liver and other gut organs; the mesoderm the heart, muscles and blood cells; and the ectoderm the brain and skin. Researchers have sought to determine the germ layer that yields each organ because these origins hold clues to healthy function and disease mechanisms in adults.
We found a stem cell that can become either a liver cell, which is thought to originate in the endoderm, or an endothelial cell that helps to from a blood vessel, which was thought to derive from the mesoderm, said Valerie Gouon-Evans, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology and Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and lead author for the study. Our results go against traditional germ layer theory, which holds that a stem cell can only go on to become cell types in line with the germ layer that stem cell came from. Endothelial cells may arise from both the endoderm and mesoderm.
Cell Growth Plusses and Minuses Beyond the womb, many human organs contain pools of partially differentiated stem cells, which are ready to differentiate into specific replacement cells as needed. Among these are stem cells that know they are liver cells, but have enough stemness to become more than one cell type.
By advancing the understanding of stem cell processes in the liver, the study offers insights into mechanisms that drive liver cancer. The rapid growth seen in cells as the fetal liver develops is similar in some ways to the growth seen in tumors. Among the factors that make both possible is the building of blood vessels that supply nutrients and oxygen.
The research teams newfound, liver-based stem cell type has the ability to become part of newly formed blood vessels. Thus, a detailed understanding of it may have a decisive impact on understanding liver cancer progression, said Dr. Gouon-Evans. If similar bi-potential progenitor cells are found in liver cancers, they may be ideal targets for drugs that eradicate not only their descendant liver cancer cells but also the formation of blood vessels that feed tumors.
The new study also has implications for the field of liver regeneration. Many labs seek to understand how the liver repairs itself when damaged, and many clinical trials to determine whether injecting healthy liver cells into damaged livers can repair them.
Posted: October 15, 2014 at 5:54 am
This is a invite to attend the Onrec ExhibitionFREE OF CHARGE - email stuart@onrec.com to book your place! Each delegate will receive a copy of the 2014 Onrec Yearbook
Our exhibition hall will offer a platform for suppliers to the industry to showcase their products and services to HR professionals, job boards, recruitment advertising executives, and all those involved in the online recruitment industry.
We are delighted to have the Anthony Nolan Trust as our conference charity. Their impressive ability to match donors to people needing transplants has great synergy with online recruitment industry, matching candidates to jobs.
Recruiting technology has always been about innovation the promise of sourcing and hiring great talent before the next guy. If, like us, you believe that hiring the best talent is of the utmost importance, then you should expect technology with a laser focus on helping you find today's greatest candidates.Delivering on the promise of innovation moves Jobvite forward every day.What started in 2003 as a unique way to supercharge employee referrals and spread job opportunities across social networks is now a recruiting platformused by the most-demanding customers, those who expect ceaseless recruiting innovation and social connection.Jobvite serves companies with the highest expectations of recruiting technology and candidate quality. Companies that value an easy-to-use applicant tracking system, social grown employee referrals, and positive candidate experiences choose Jobvite.
iCIMS, Inc. is an American software company founded in 1999. It is a leading provider of software-as-a-service (SaaS) talent acquisition software solutions for growing businesses. iCIMS' flagship product, the Talent Platform, supports clients from a wide range of industries. iCIMS is headquartered in central New Jersey, with offices in London, Beijing, New York, San Diego, Denver, Tampa, Portland (ME) Portland (OR), Dallas, and Vancouver.
Elevate Direct combines innovative technology with experienced recruitment professionals in order to help our clients source, hire and manage the right workers at the right time for their businesses. By taking this approach organisations both large and small can save time and money when sourcing their contractors.
Pulse is a UK based Umbrella Company and Accountancy for contractors, freelancers and small businesses. We offer award winning customer service, innovative and cutting edge technology, backed up by a super friendly team of experts and helpers. All of our services ensure maximum take home pay whilst providing complete peace of mind regarding tax and compliance. All for one low monthly fee with no hidden extras. At Pulse, we've been making people happy since 2009 so we've learned a thing or two along the way.
Every day, we match incredible individuals willing to donate their blood stem cells or bone marrow to people with blood cancer and blood disorders who desperately need lifesaving transplants. It all began in 1974. With her three-year-old son Anthony in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant, Shirley Nolan set up the world's first register to match donors with people in desperate need. Now, we help three people each day find that lifesaving match.
We have over fourteen years experience in the field of communication planning, consulting services and software development. Since 2006, we have been gamifying dozens of HR and marketing processes. Our solutions motivated, educated, and entertained close to 450.000 users. Our dreams and ideas generate continuous innovations for a more colorful and interesting show.
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The Onrec Online Recruitment Exhibition - 21st October 2014, London - Free to attend
Posted: October 15, 2014 at 5:53 am
PARIS Embryonic stem cells transplanted into 18 patients with deteriorating eyesight restored some vision in more than half of the volunteers, researchers in the longest study into the fledgling technology reported Tuesday.
Stem cells derived from embryos could provide a potentially safe new source of cells for the treatment of various unmet medical disorders requiring tissue repair or replacement, its authors said.
The study marks a new chapter in the long story of embryonic stem cells, which after their discovery in the 1990s were hailed as a miracle cure but then ran into problems.
Published in The Lancet, the paper looked at a U.S. trial of stem cells among 18 patients suffering from two degenerative diseases of the retina.
Nine had a condition called Stargardts macular dystrophy, a leading cause of juvenile blindness, and nine had dry atrophic age-related macular degeneration, which occurs among the middle-aged and elderly.
There is no conventional treatment for either condition, which eventually leads to complete blindness as the retinas light-receiving cells die out.
The participants were injected with one of three doses of retinal cells derived from early-stage embryos 50,000, 100,000 or 150,000 cells.
The transplants were placed in a space under the retina of the worst-affected eye.
The patients were monitored for up to 37 months, for an average of 22 months.
Out of the 18 treated eyes, 10 showed substantial improvements in vision, as measured by the ability to read letters on a board. Of these, eight patients were able to read 15 additional letters in the first year after transplant.
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107.23 /$ (5 p.m.)
Posted: October 15, 2014 at 5:52 am
Stem cell treatments are a type of cell therapy that introduce new cells into damaged tissue in order to treat a disease or injury. Many medical researchers believe that stem cell treatments have the potential to change the face of human disease and alleviate suffering. The ability of stem cells to self-renew and give rise to subsequent generations that can differentiate [1] offers a large potential to culture tissues that can replace diseased and damaged tissues in the body, without the risk of rejection.
A number of stem cell treatments exist, although most are still experimental and/or costly, with the notable exception of bone marrow transplantation. Medical researchers anticipate one day being able to use technologies derived from adult and embryonic stem cell research to treat cancer, Type 1 diabetes mellitus, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, cardiac failure, muscle damage and neurological disorders, along with many others.
More research is needed concerning both stem cell behavior and the mechanisms of the diseases they could be used to treat before most of these experimental treatments become realities.
- wikipedia
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Stem Cell Therapy KY - Be Medispa
Posted: October 15, 2014 at 5:51 am
Jason Meyer, Ph.D., assistant professor of Biology
Research led by a biology professor in the School of Science at IUPUI has uncovered a method to produce retinal cells from regenerative human stem cells without the use of animal products, proteins or other foreign substances, which historically have limited the application of stem cells to treat disease and other human developmental disorders.
The study of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) has been pursued vigorously since they were first discovered in 2007 due to their ability to be manipulated into specific cell types. Scientists believe these cells hold considerable potential for cell replacement, disease modeling and pharmacological testing. However, clinical applications have been hindered by the fact that, to date, the cells have required animal products and proteins to grow and differentiate.
A research team led by Jason S. Meyer, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, successfully differentiated hiPSCs in a lab environmentcompletely through chemical methodsto form neural retinal cell types (including photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells). Tests have shown the cells function and grow just as efficiently as those cells produced through traditional methods.
Not only were we able to develop these (hiPSC) cells into retinal cells, but we were able to do so in a system devoid of any animal cells and proteins, Meyer said. Since these kinds of stem cells can be generated from a patients own cells, there will be nothing the body will recognize as foreign.
In addition, this research should allow scientists to better reproduce these cells because they know exactly what components were included to spur growth and minimize or eliminate any variations, Meyer said. Furthermore, the cells function in a very similar fashion to human embryonic stem cells, but without controversial or immune rejection issues because they are derived from individual patients.
This method could have a considerable impact on the treatment of retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and forms of blindness with hereditary factors, Meyer said. We hope this will help us understand what goes wrong when diseases arise and that we can use this method as platform for the development of new treatments or drug therapies.
Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells possess numerous characteristics of native RPE cells when examined by immunocytochemistry.
Were talking about bringing stem cells a significant step closer to clinical use, Meyer added.
Meyer, along with two graduate students, have worked for two years on this research with the help of an Indiana University Collaborative Research Grant and funding from the School of Science at IUPUI and the American Health Assistance Foundation.
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IUPUI Stem Cell Research Could Expand Clinical Use of ...
Posted: October 15, 2014 at 5:45 am
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
14-Oct-2014
Contact: Greg Williams newsmedia@mssm.edu 212-241-9200 The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine @mountsinainyc
A Mount Sinai-led research team has discovered a new kind of stem cell that can become either a liver cell or a cell that lines liver blood vessels, according to a study published today in the journal Stem Cell Reports. The existence of such a cell type contradicts current theory on how organs arise from cell layers in the embryo, and may hold clues to origins of, and future treatment for, liver cancer.
Thanks to stem cells, humans develop from a single cell into a complex being made up of more than 200 cell types. The original, single human stem cell, the fertilized embryo, has the potential to develop into every kind of human cell. Stem cells multiply (proliferate) and specialize (differentiate) until millions of functional cells result, including liver cells (hepatocytes), blood vessel cells (endothelial cells), muscle cells, bone cells, etc.
In the womb, the human embryo early on becomes three "germ" layers of stem cells the endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm. The long-held consensus was that the endoderm goes on to form the liver and other gut organs; the mesoderm the heart, muscles and blood cells; and the ectoderm the brain and skin. Researchers have sought to determine the germ layer that yields each organ because these origins hold clues to healthy function and disease mechanisms in adults.
"We found a stem cell that can become either a liver cell, which is thought to originate in the endoderm, or an endothelial cell that helps to from a blood vessel, which was thought to derive from the mesoderm," said Valerie Gouon-Evans, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology and Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and lead author for the study. "Our results go against traditional germ layer theory, which holds that a stem cell can only go on to become cell types in line with the germ layer that stem cell came from. Endothelial cells may arise from both the endoderm and mesoderm."
Cell Growth Plusses and Minuses
Beyond the womb, many human organs contain pools of partially differentiated stem cells, which are ready to differentiate into specific replacement cells as needed. Among these are stem cells that "know" they are liver cells, but have enough "stemness" to become more than one cell type.
By advancing the understanding of stem cell processes in the liver, the study offers insights into mechanisms that drive liver cancer. The rapid growth seen in cells as the fetal liver develops is similar in some ways to the growth seen in tumors. Among the factors that make both possible is the building of blood vessels that supply nutrients and oxygen.
Read more:
Stem cell discovery challenges dogma on how fetus develops; holds insights for liver cancer and reg
