London (PRWEB UK) 3 January 2014

Research on how to harness the potential use of stem cells for common conditions is a worldwide subject of scientific discovery spanning over 3 decades. Incredible results in laboratory experiments have been recorded in 2013 for areas such as tissue regeneration for coronary disease, diabetes, cancer, Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease. All stem cells, whether gathered from an early embryo, a foetus or an adult, have two key properties.

Stem cells have the ability to replicate themselves as needed and can generate any specialised cells that make up the tissues and organs of the body with proper direction. This opens up an exciting potential for the generation of therapies for repair and replacement of damaged and diseased tissues and organs, as models for the testing of new drugs and helping us to understand at a cellular level what goes wrong in many conditions. 1

Stem cells derived from bone marrow or fat has been found to improve recovery from stroke in experiments using rats. This study was published in BioMed Central's open access journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy early last year. Treatment with stem cells improved the amount of brain and nerve repair and the ability of the animals to complete behavioural tasks. Using stem cell therapy holds promise for patients but there are still many questions which need to be answered, regarding treatment protocols and which cell types to use. 2

Other areas in which stem cell transplants are already being successfully used in the clinic trials are for treatment for spinal lesions and the regeneration of epidermal surfaces and in leukaemia, where stem cells are replaced during stem cell-containing bone marrow transplants. 3 These treatments demonstrate the potential of stem cells and intensive research is being performed all over the world to improve our understanding of stem cells and how these can be used therapeutically for PD.

Recently published research by a team of scientists in Wales has shown early signs of being able to regenerate damaged heart tissue. By experimenting at Cardiff and Swansea university laboratories, a team of scientists working in the private sector hopes to develop new treatments for heart failure over the next five years.

In a statement for the research team Ajan Reginald said, "We've identified what we think is a very potent type of stem cell which is heart specific. The interim analysis looks very positive and very fortunately the study does show some signs of early regeneration. What the therapy does is reproduce more cells in large numbers to regenerate the part of the heart that is damaged. The first stage of clinical trial is now completed which was focused on safety. 4

Further research during the next five years will produce more alternative solutions to diseases which currently have treatment but no permanent cures for. 5

References

1.http://www.hta.gov.uk/_db/_documents/stem_cell_pack_200806170144.pdf 2.http://www.parkinsonsnsw.org.au/assets/attachments/research/Stem-Cells.pdf 3.http://stemcellres.com/content/4/1/11 4.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-25560547 5.http://www.cell.com/stem-cell-reports/abstract/S2213-6711(13)00126-4#Summary

Here is the original post:
Chemist Direct reports continued benefits of stem cell research for potential tissue regeneration

Human embryonic stem cells have the capacity to differentiate into a variety of cell types, making them a valuable source of transplantable tissue for the treatment of numerous diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and diabetes.

But theres one major issue: Embryonic stem cells are often rejected by the human immune system.

Now, researchers from the University of California San Diego may have found an effective way to prevent this rejection in humans. Utilizing a novel humanized mouse model, the scientists have revealed a unique combination of immune suppressing molecules that stop the immune system from attacking the injected stem cells without shutting the system down completely.

This discovery could ultimately help resolve some of the major problems currently limiting the use of embryonic stem cells for certain conditions, paving the way for the development of more effective human stem cell therapies.

This is a generic way of immune suppression, so it could potentially be applied not just for stem cells therapies, but for organ transplants as well, Yang Xu, a professor of biology at UC San Diego and lead author of the study, told FoxNews.com. It can be very broad.

Embryonic stem cells are different from the other cells in a patients body, making them allogenic. This means the immune system will recognize them as foreign agents and attack them.

One way of overcoming this rejection problem is to give patients immunosuppressant drugs, which suppress the entire immune system. While short term use of immunosuppressants has been successful for many organ transplants, embryonic stem cell therapies for chronic diseases require long term use of these drugs which can often be very toxic and increase the risk of cancer.

In order for the patient to really use this therapy, they have to decide: Do they want a lifelong use of immunosuppressant drugs, or are they willing to live with the symptoms of their disease, Xu said.

To figure out a way of bypassing this issue, researchers needed a relevant model that could closely mimic the human immune systems response to embryonic stem cell transplantation. To do this, they took immune deficient lab mice and grafted them with human fetal thymus tissues and hematopoietic stem cells derived from the fetal liver.

Essentially, this created a highly specialized mouse model with very robust T cells capable of effectively rejecting foreign embryonic stem cells just like human T cells.

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Stem cell therapy breakthrough

Poway, CA (PRWEB) January 02, 2014

Phizer is a seven year old black lab belonging to Ohio Task Force 1 that recently had stem cell therapy by Vet-Stem, Inc. Phizer was brought to Cleveland Road Animal Hospital for a limp in his right hind. Dr. Chad Bailey recommended stem cell therapy. Both Vet-Stem and Cleveland Road Animal Hospital value the working dog and offered their services pro-bono in hopes that Phizers stem cell therapy would permit him to continue to provide search and rescue service.

Phizer is one of only five search and rescue canines owned by Ohio Task Force 1, one of 28 Task Forces across the US that make up the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue System. Phizer is trained to find living victims who may be trapped under collapsed buildings. He is unique because he is certified to work with more than one handler meaning that he can be used on more missions. If one of his handlers is not available the other may be. Phizer is trained to cover obstacles and treacherous terrain, climb metal ladders and investigate acres of terrain quickly and efficiently. These skills came in handy when Phizer was assigned to a mission recovering victims from hurricane Sandy.

Handlers Maureen May and Deana Hudgins noticed an intermittent limp in Phizers right rear leg when he first started moving, but got better with exercise. Although the limp was not preventing Phizer from his job, he was started on pain medicine, joint supplements and taken for exams to the local veterinarian. His radiology report showed signs consistent with mild degenerative joint disease in addition to another injury. Deana and Dr. Bailey started Phizer on injectable treatments, laser therapy, and discussed stem cells.

Since Phizers stem cell therapy used his own stem cells, a small portion of fat was collected and sent to Vet-Stems lab in California. Within 48 hrs the doses of stem cells were ready for injection by Dr. Bailey. Stem cells are regenerative cells that can differentiate into many tissue types and reduce pain and inflammation thus helping to restore range of motion and regenerate tendon, ligament and joint tissues (http://www.vet-stem.com/science). For Phizer this means that all of the issues identified in his exams may be helped with one therapy.

About Vet-Stem, Inc. Vet-Stem, Inc. was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the veterinary profession. The privately held company is working to develop therapies in veterinary medicine that apply regenerative technologies while utilizing the natural healing properties inherent in all animals. As the first company in the United States to provide an adipose-derived stem cell service to veterinarians for their patients, Vet-Stem, Inc. pioneered the use of regenerative stem cells in veterinary medicine. The company holds exclusive licenses to over 50 patents including world-wide veterinary rights for use of adipose derived stem cells. In the last decade over 10,000 animals have been treated using Vet-Stem, Inc.s services, and Vet-Stem is actively investigating stem cell therapy for immune-mediated and inflammatory disease, as well as organ disease and failure. For more on Vet-Stem, Inc. and Veterinary Regenerative Medicine visit http://www.vet-stem.com or call 858-748-2004.

Here is the original post:
FEMA Search and Rescue Canine Receives Stem Cell Therapy So He Can Continue to Save Lives