Posted: July 28, 2014 at 3:44 pm
What is Okyanos Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy?
Cardiac stem cell therapy is a promising new treatment option for advanced heart disease patients. This short video explores the procedure and benefits of adult stem cell therapy for severe...
By: Okyanos Heart Institute
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What is Okyanos Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy? - Video
Posted: July 28, 2014 at 3:44 pm
Kellie van Meurs, pictured with her husband Mark, died while undergoing stem cell treatment in Russia. Photo: Facebook
Supporters of a Brisbane mother-of-two who died while undergoing a controversial stem cell treatment in Russia say it did not cause her death, nor have others been discouraged from seeking it.
Kellie van Meurs suffered from a rare neurological disorder called stiff person syndrome, which causes progressive rigidity of the body and chronic pain.
She travelled to Moscow in late June to undergo an autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) under the care of Dr Denis Fedorenko from the National Pirogov Medical Surgical Centre.
Kellie van Meurs, pictured with family and supporters, died while undergoing stem cell treatment in Russia. Photo: Facebook
The transplant more commonly used for multiple sclerosis patients involves rebooting a patients immune system with their own stem cells after high-dose chemotherapy.
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Ms van Meurs was Dr Fedorenkos first SPS patient, and her husband Mark said she died of a heart attack on July 19.
I do know that Rosemary [Ms van Meurs' aunt and carer in Moscow] felt she received the best possible care, especially from Dr Fedorenko, he said.
Given her level of constant pain and overlapping auto-neuronal problems I still don't think we had a better option.
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Mum dies during stem cell therapy
Posted: July 28, 2014 at 3:44 pm
Tampa Bay, FL (PRWEB) July 28, 2014
Nearly 53 million Americans today are suffering with arthritis, with the majority of them diagnosed with osteoarthritis. (1) Osteoarthritis is a degeneration of joint cartilage and its underlying bone, causing significant pain and stiffness. While osteoarthritis has no cure, stem cell therapy has been demonstrated to induce profound healing in many forms of arthritis, according to the Stem Cell Institute. (2) Dr. Cynthia Elliott of Skinspirations, a center for cosmetic enhancement devoted to non-surgical aesthetics and now also specializing in administering regenerative medicine by stem cell, has made use of these services in a recent case study, which resulted in improved health in one of their clients.
Stem cells are unique from other cells for the following reasons:
(a)They can renew themselves through cell division; and (b)Under certain conditions, they can become tissue or organ-specific cells.
Stem cells are revered for their ability to make replacement tissues, as it relates to regenerative therapy. (3) Medical scientists and researchers are discovering the seemingly endless possibilities of what stem cells can treat, including brain damage, bone repair, kidney disease, etc. (4) This treatment is starting to boom in the medical world as a viable procedure, but Skinspirations has already had these practices in place, establishing them as progressive practitioners in the field.
Skinspirations is specifically studying the Stromal Vascular Fraction (SVF)another term for stem cell treatmentand how it affects knees with severe arthritis. According to Dr. Elliott, Stromal Vascular Fraction can help to repair, replace and restore any damaged cells within the bodyDr. Elliott performed the stem cell procedure on her uncle after first treating other patients during her training, and he experienced the following results:
Case in Point:
Joe Elliott, a 63-year-old male, had severe arthritis in one knee. Doctors advised him to get a knee replacement, but Joe was hoping to avoid surgery for as long as possible. After talking to Dr. Elliott about the treatment, he drove to Skinspirations from Missouri to go forward with the stem cell procedure.
Dr. Elliott performed the treatment with the following steps:
(1)Numbed his abdomen with anesthesia; (2)Removed about 100 cc of fat; (3)Processed the fat to isolate the SVF; (4)Numbed the arthritic knee; and (5)Injected the pellet of SVF into the joint of his arthritic knee.
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Skinspirations Study Supports Medical Findings: Stem Cell Treatment Triggers Tissue Regeneration
Posted: July 28, 2014 at 9:40 am
Stem Cells to Renew the Health and Lives of People - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Chennai
Stem Cells to Renew the Health and Lives of People - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Chennai - RedPix 24x7 #AishwaryaRai #AishwaryaRaiBachchan #StemCells #LifeCell LifeCell is India #39;s first and...
By: Red Pix 24x7
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Stem Cells to Renew the Health and Lives of People - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Chennai - Video
Posted: July 27, 2014 at 2:50 pm
Details Published on Saturday, 26 July 2014 21:02
A study found that stem cells injected into mice helped shorten muscle repair time. Picture courtesy of Shutterstock.com NEW YORK: Research conducted on exercising mice at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign could open new doors in the field of muscle repair using stem cells.
Scientists injected stem cells prior to encouraging mice to perform exercises considered the rough equivalent of human lengthening contractions performed as part of resistance training.
They found the time of muscle repair was shortened and they achieved considerable development of the mices muscles.
We have an interest in understanding how muscle responds to exercise, and which cellular components contribute to the increase in repair and growth with exercise, says study author and University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Marni Boppart.
Boppart says the research is important in treating atrophy and age-related degradation in both the structure and the function of muscles.
But the primary goal of our lab really is to have some understanding of how we can rejuvenate the aged muscle to prevent the physical disability that occurs with age, and to increase quality of life in general as well, she continued.
The types of stem cells used in the experiment are called mesenchymal (mezz-EN-chem-uhl) stem cells (MSCs) and they occur naturally in the body as part of the tissue that connects organs.
Boppart and her team selected MCSs for use on the mice knowing that MSCs emit growth factors.
Their experiment indicates that MCS cells stimulate muscle progenitor cells, which have the ability to differentiate within skeletal musclewhat Boppart refers to as a very complex organ that is highly innervated and vascularized.
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Stem Cells Could Hold Key To Muscle Repair, Says Study
Posted: July 27, 2014 at 2:43 pm
Autism Protocol
Current investigative therapies for autism attempt to reverse these abnormalities through administration of antibiotics, antiinflammatory agents, and hyperbaric oxygen. Unfortunately, none of these approaches address the root causes of oxygen deprivation and intestinal inflammation.
Mesenchymal stem cells can regulate the immune system. It is thought that they may help to reverse inflammatory conditions and is currently in the final stages of clinical trials in the US for Crohns disease, a condition resembling the gut inflammation in autistic children.
Through administration of mesenchymal stem cells, we have observed improvement in subjects to whom weve administered stem cells at our facilities. The biological basis for our scientists appears in a peer-reviewed publication Journal of Translational Medicine: Stem Cell Therapy for Autism.
The adult stem cells used in the autism clinical investigation at the Stem Cell Institute come from human umbilical cord tissue (allogeneic mesenchymal). These stem cells are recovered from donated umbilical cords. Before they are approved for use, all umbilical cord-derived stem cells are screened for viruses and bacteria to International Blood Bank Standards. In some cases, we also utilize stem cells harvested from the subjects own bone marrow. Umbilical cord-derived stem cells are ideal for the autism protocol because they allow our physicians to administer uniform doses and they do not require any stem cell collection from the subject, which for autistic children and their parents, can be an arduous process. Because they are collected right after (normal) birth, umbilical cord-derived cells are much more potent than their older counterparts like bone marrow-derived cells for instance. Cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells pose no rejection risk because the body does not recognize them as foreign.
Because HUCT stem cells are less mature than other cells, the bodys immune system is unable to recognize them as foreign and therefore they are not rejected. Weve performed thousands of procedures with umbilical cord stem cells and there has never been a single instance of rejection. HUCT stem cells also proliferate/differentiate more efficiently than older cells, such as those found in the bone marrow and therefore, they are considered to be more potent.
The umbilical cord-derived stem cells are administered intravenously by a licensed physician.
Below is an example of a typical autism schedule. Our investigational clinical protocol for autism (www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT02192749) has been approved by the National Institutional Review Board for Clinical Protocols.
Proper follow-up is an essential part of the autism clinical investigation process. Our primary goal is to ensure that your child is progressing safely. Regular follow-up also enables us to evaluate efficacy and improve our autism clinical protocols based on observed outcomes.
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Stem Cell Therapy for Autism || Treatment Information ...
Posted: July 27, 2014 at 2:42 pm
Scientists at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute are one step closer to creating a viable cell replacement therapy for multiple sclerosis from a patient's own cells.
For the first time, NYSCF scientists generated induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells lines from skin samples of patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis and further, they developed an accelerated protocol to induce these stem cells into becoming oligodendrocytes, the myelin-forming cells of the central nervous system implicated in multiple sclerosis and many other diseases.
Existing protocols for producing oligodendrocytes had taken almost half a year to produce, limiting the ability of researchers to conduct their research. This study has cut that time approximately in half, making the ability to utilize these cells in research much more feasible.
Stem cell lines and oligodendrocytes allow researchers to "turn back the clock" and observe how multiple sclerosis develops and progresses, potentially revealing the onset of the disease at a cellular level long before any symptoms are displayed. The improved protocol for deriving oligodendrocyte cells will also provide a platform for disease modeling, drug screening, and for replacing the damaged cells in the brain with healthy cells generated using this method.
"We are so close to finding new treatments and even cures for MS. The enhanced ability to derive the cells implicated in the disease will undoubtedly accelerate research for MS and many other diseases," said Susan L. Solomon, NYSCF Chief Executive Officer.
"We believe that this protocol will help the MS field and the larger scientific community to better understand human oligodendrocyte biology and the process of myelination. This is the first step towards very exciting studies: the ability to generate human oligodendrocytes in large amounts will serve as an unprecedented tool for developing remyelinating strategies and the study of patient-specific cells may shed light on intrinsic pathogenic mechanisms that lead to progressive MS." said Dr. Valentina Fossati, NYSCF -- Helmsley Investigator and senior author on the paper.
In multiple sclerosis, the protective covering of axons, called myelin, becomes damaged and lost. In this study, the scientists not only improved the protocol for making the myelin-forming cells but they showed that the oligodendrocytes derived from the skin of primary progressive patients are functional, and therefore able to form their own myelin when put into a mouse model. This is an initial step towards developing future autologous cell transplantation therapies in multiple sclerosis patients
This important advance opens up critical new avenues of research to study multiple sclerosis and other diseases. Oligodendrocytes are implicated in many different disorders, therefore this research not only moves multiple sclerosis research forward, it allows NYSCF and other scientists the ability to study all demyelinating and central nervous system disorders.
"Oligodendrocytes are increasingly recognized as having an absolutely essential role in the function of the normal nervous system, as well as in the setting of neurodegenerative diseases,such as multiple sclerosis. The new work from the NYSCF Research Institute will help to improve our understanding of these important cells. In addition, being able to generate large numbers of patient-specific oligodendrocytes will support both cell transplantation therapeutics for demyelinating diseases and the identification of new classes of drugs to treat such disorders," said Dr. Lee Rubin, NYSCF Scientific Advisor and Director of Translational Medicine at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, inflammatory, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, distinguished by recurrent episodes of demyelination and the consequent neurological symptoms. Primary progressive multiple sclerosis is the most severe form of multiple sclerosis, characterized by a steady neurological decline from the onset of the disease. Currently, there are no effective treatments or cures for primary progressive multiple sclerosis and treatments relies merely on symptom management.
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Cell therapy for multiple sclerosis patients: Closer than ever?
Posted: July 26, 2014 at 1:43 pm
stepping away from embryotic stem cells
stem cell research.
By: minh hoang
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stepping away from embryotic stem cells - Video
Posted: July 26, 2014 at 7:45 am
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
24-Jul-2014
Contact: Kathryn Ruehle kruehle@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, July 24, 2014Malcolm K. Brenner, MD, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX) has devoted his career in basic and clinical research toward understanding how tumors are able to escape detection by the body's immune defense system, and developing genetically modified T cells that can effectively target tumors. In recognition of his scientific achievements and leadership in the field, Dr. Brenner is the recipient of a Pioneer Award from Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Human Gene Therapy is commemorating its 25th anniversary by bestowing this honor on the leading 12 Pioneers in the field of cell and gene therapy selected by a blue ribbon panel* and publishing a Pioneer Perspective by each of the award recipients. The Perspective by Dr. Brenner is available on the Human Gene Therapy website.
In "Gene Modified Cells for Stem Cell Transplantation and Cancer Therapy", Dr. Brenner recounts the highlights of his career to date. He describes the evolution of his research, which has contributed significantly to advancing the field of gene transfer using retroviral vectors in the development of both autologous (AUTO) and allogeneic (ALLO) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) approaches to cancer immunotherapy, and the strategy of using chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to modify T cells stimulating their activation, proliferation, and anti-tumor activity.
Dr. Brenner received a PhD in immunology and early in his career sought to understand how B cells interact with T cells to produce antibodies. After pursuing the development of cellular therapies to treat immune disorders, Dr. Brenner shifted the focus of his research to bone marrow transplantation, or what is now called HSCT. Together with colleagues he developed and tested an approach to improve patients' immune recovery after their T cells are depleted in preparation for a transplant. As Dr. Brenner explains, "This work was the forerunner of our later efforts to improve antiviral and antitumor immunity by adoptive transfer of T cells."
"Malcolm has been driving the field of cell-based gene therapy forward since its infancy. His contributions have been truly seminal," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Human Gene Therapy and Director of the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia.
*The blue ribbon panel of leaders in cell and gene therapy, led by Chair Mary Collins, PhD, MRC Centre for Medical Molecular Virology, University College London selected the Pioneer Award recipients. The Award Selection Committee selected scientists that had devoted much of their careers to cell and gene therapy research and had made a seminal contribution to the field--defined as a basic science or clinical advance that greatly influenced progress in translational research.
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About the Journal
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Malcolm K. Brenner receives Pioneer Award for advances in gene-modified T cells targeting cancer
Posted: July 26, 2014 at 7:42 am
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has continued in damage-control mode since the state agencys former president, Alan Trounson, joined the board of directors at StemCells Inc. this month, just seven days after leaving the agency.
Newark-based StemCells has been awarded nearly $20 million in CIRM funding, as part of a long relationship that, in the wake of Trounson's departure, has raised concern about potential conflict of interest.
The agency's new president, C. Randal Mills, said he was taking a strong stand on personal ethics, signing an agreement not to accept a job with any company funded by CIRM for at least one year after leaving his position at the state agency.
"We take even the appearance of conflicts of interest very seriously," Mills said in a statement this month.
But a scientist whose grant proposal was turned down even though it received a higher rating than the StemCells proposal called the relationship between the state agency and the company interesting.
In my opinion, Mr. Trounson and the CIRM staff were clearly antagonistic to us and strongly supportive of StemCells, Lon S. Schneider, a scientist at USCs Keck School of Medicine, told the California Stem Cell Report ,a blog that follows news related to the stem cell agency.
And Times columnist Michael Hiltzik pointed out that the agency has hired its own law firm to conduct the investigation, rather than a completely independent party.
The unanswered question burning a hole through CIRM's credibility is whether StemCells Inc. got its money because its research was promising, or because it knew the right people, Hiltzik wrote.
The stem cell agency has also voted to cut $5 million from a $70-million effort to create a series of statewide stem cell clinics, according to the California Stem Cell Report. And even though the board has 29 members, only eight could vote because of conflicts of interest among the others, according to the report.
Following a thorough review it is my opinion that the $70-million price tag is not clearly justified in terms of the benefits it will deliver to the people of California, Mills wrote in a memo to the agency's board.
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California stem cell agency head takes stand on 'personal ethics'
