Angie the chimp undergoes revolutionary stem cell treatment

Chimp receives stem cells 25-year-old chimp received treatments for a torn ...

Photo by Eric Hasert

ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS Dr. Darrell Nazareth, of the Florida Veterinary League in Vero Beach (background) injects chimpanzee stem cells with the help of veterinarian Dr. Jocelyn Bezner, of Save the Chimps, into the knee of Angie, a 25-year-old female chimp suffering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, at the Save The Chimps Sanctuary in Fort Pierce. The surgery was performed inside the sanctuary's mobile surgical unit, which involved extraction of fat and blood cells that were transported to the Florida Veterinary League in Vero Beach to extract approximately 2.3 billion stem cells, then returning to the chimp sanctuary to finish the one-day procedure. "It feels wonderful, I can't wait to see the results two to three weeks out," Nazareth said about performing the procedure.

Photo by Eric Hasert

ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS Nicole Devlin, a laboratory technician at the Florida Veterinary League in Vero Beach, works on a procedure to remove stem cells from blood and fat removed from Angie, a female chimp at Save The Chimps Sanctuary in Fort Pierce. After the stem cells were isolated, they were transported back to the chimp sanctuary in Fort Pierce to be injected back into Angie.

FORT PIERCE A 25-year-old female chimpanzee at the Save-the-Chimps sanctuary in Fort Pierce may be able to run again, thanks to a revolutionary stem cell treatment performed on Wednesday.

Angie, one of the 271 chimpanzees that live at the 150-acre sanctuary, received the cutting-edge treatment for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee, thanks to its Florida developer, Stemlogix LLC in Weston, and the Florida Veterinary League in Vero Beach.

The procedure, which normally would cost about $2,000, uses an animal's own fat to obtain adult stem cells, which are then injected into the problem area to stimulate growth of healthy cells.

Save-the-Chimps Veterinarian Dr. Linda Gregard handled the stem cell recovery procedures. Under anesthesia, fat was removed from chimp's abdomen Wednesday morning and transported to Dr. Darrell Nazareth at the Florida Veterinary League. Nazareth then isolated stem and regenerative cells from the fat, suspended them in platelet-rich plasma and transported the stem cells back to the sanctuary for the chimp's treatment.

"Hopefully, it stops the inflammation and encourages the injury to heal," said Nazareth, who has performed a similar treatment on 15 dogs and cats from his practice. He estimates that within two to three weeks, improvement will be seen in both the chimp's mobility and pain level.

See the original post:
Angie the chimp undergoes revolutionary stem cell treatment

Stem cell sparing radiotherapy for head and neck cancer may avoid salivary gland damage

Public release date: 9-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Emma Mason wordmason@mac.om European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO)

Barcelona, Spain: Researchers believe they may have found a way to avoid damaging salivary glands during radiotherapy treatment for head and neck cancer a discovery that could improve the quality of life of 500,000 patients a year worldwide with the disease.

Presenting their findings to the 31st conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO31) [1], the researchers said that they had discovered that the stem cells essential for regenerating the parotid gland (the largest pair of salivary glands) were located mainly in its major ducts, and that these could easily be avoided during radiotherapy or given a minimal radiation dose. "This would significantly reduce complications arising from radiotherapy for head and neck cancer," said Dr Peter van Luijk, a research associate at the University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands.

Around 40% of patients treated for head and neck cancer suffer from the distressing side-effects of dry mouth syndrome a condition that can occur when the parotid gland stops working properly after radiation damage. This causes problems with eating, sleeping, speech, tooth loss and oral hygiene, leading to diminished quality of life, social isolation and difficulty in continuing work. Attempts to treat dry mouth syndrome and its consequences can cost hundreds or even thousands of Euros per patient per year and are mostly insufficient.

Dr van Luijk said: "Parotid gland dysfunction after radiotherapy for head and neck cancer was, and still is, a major clinical problem. During radiotherapy, attempts to minimise the risk of this complication have been aimed at reducing the average dose to the salivary gland, on the assumption that it would not make a difference where in the gland the radiation dose was reduced. However, this does not seem logical according to the anatomy of the salivary gland and, in previous work, we discovered that reductions in the radiotherapy dose to some parts of the gland allowed the parotid gland to regenerate, whereas a dose to other parts did not. Therefore, we decided to investigate the reason for these regional differences. We hypothesised that our observations could be explained by a non-uniform distribution of stem cells necessary for the long-term maintenance of organ function and affected by irradiation."

Dr van Luijk and his colleagues investigated the location of stem cells and the effects of radiotherapy to particular regions of the gland first in mouse and rat models, and then in parotid and salivary gland tissue taken from patients (after informed consent) undergoing a neck dissection for head and neck cancer.

They found that in mouse, rat and human tissue, the stem cells were predominately located in the major ducts of the parotid gland. "We have found in previous work that these stem cells are capable of regenerating a parotid gland when they have been transplanted after irradiation," said Dr van Luijk.

Dissection of the rat parotid gland and culturing of the different parts of the gland in Petri dishes showed that a greater concentration of stem cells capable of regenerating the gland were located in the centre, where the largest ducts are located. The researchers then directed high-precision irradiation at this centre part in living rats and found that it resulted in excessive reduction of saliva production, in contrast to the minimal effects observed after irradiating other parts of the gland.

Dr van Luijk explained: "The position of the stem cells in rats corresponds to the cranio-ventral extension of the gland in humans, where the excretory duct leaves the gland on the ventral, or outward-facing side. So even though the glands have different shapes in rats and humans, the stem cells are in the exact same anatomical structure."

See more here:
Stem cell sparing radiotherapy for head and neck cancer may avoid salivary gland damage

Successful stem cell differentiation requires DNA compaction, study finds

ScienceDaily (May 11, 2012) New research findings show that embryonic stem cells unable to fully compact the DNA inside them cannot complete their primary task: differentiation into specific cell types that give rise to the various types of tissues and structures in the body.

Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University found that chromatin compaction is required for proper embryonic stem cell differentiation to occur. Chromatin, which is composed of histone proteins and DNA, packages DNA into a smaller volume so that it fits inside a cell.

A study published on May 10, 2012 in the journal PLoS Genetics found that embryonic stem cells lacking several histone H1 subtypes and exhibiting reduced chromatin compaction suffered from impaired differentiation under multiple scenarios and demonstrated inefficiency in silencing genes that must be suppressed to induce differentiation.

"While researchers have observed that embryonic stem cells exhibit a relaxed, open chromatin structure and differentiated cells exhibit a compact chromatin structure, our study is the first to show that this compaction is not a mere consequence of the differentiation process but is instead a necessity for differentiation to proceed normally," said Yuhong Fan, an assistant professor in the Georgia Tech School of Biology.

Fan and Todd McDevitt, an associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, led the study with assistance from Georgia Tech graduate students Yunzhe Zhang and Kaixiang Cao, research technician Marissa Cooke, and postdoctoral fellow Shiraj Panjwani.

The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), the National Science Foundation, a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scholar Award, and a Johnson & Johnson/Georgia Tech Healthcare Innovation Award.

To investigate the impact of linker histones and chromatin folding on stem cell differentiation, the researchers used embryonic stem cells that lacked three subtypes of linker histone H1 -- H1c, H1d and H1e -- which is the structural protein that facilitates the folding of chromatin into a higher-order structure. They found that the expression levels of these H1 subtypes increased during embryonic stem cell differentiation, and embryonic stem cells lacking these H1s resisted spontaneous differentiation for a prolonged time, showed impairment during embryoid body differentiation and were unsuccessful in forming a high-quality network of neural cells.

"This study has uncovered a new, regulatory function for histone H1, a protein known mostly for its role as a structural component of chromosomes," said Anthony Carter, who oversees epigenetics grants at NIGMS. "By showing that H1 plays a part in controlling genes that direct embryonic stem cell differentiation, the study expands our understanding of H1's function and offers valuable new insights into the cellular processes that induce stem cells to change into specific cell types."

During spontaneous differentiation, the majority of the H1 triple-knockout embryonic stem cells studied by the researchers retained a tightly packed colony structure typical of undifferentiated cells and expressed high levels of Oct4 for a prolonged time. Oct4 is a pluripotency gene that maintains an embryonic stem cell's ability to self-renew and must be suppressed to induce differentiation.

"H1 depletion impaired the suppression of the Oct4 and Nanog pluripotency genes, suggesting a novel mechanistic link by which H1 and chromatin compaction may mediate pluripotent stem cell differentiation by contributing to the epigenetic silencing of pluripotency genes," explained Fan. "While a significant reduction in H1 levels does not interfere with embryonic stem cell self-renewal, it appears to impair differentiation."

Go here to read the rest:
Successful stem cell differentiation requires DNA compaction, study finds

Stem cell shield may protect body from chemotherapy side effects

A new study suggests stem cells may be able to act as a shield to protect the body from the harmful side effects of chemotherapy, the BBC News reported.

As chemotherapy drugs attempt to kill cancer drugs, they can also affect the bone marrow and other healthy tissues.

In a new study, however, researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle were able to use genetically modified stem cells to protect the bone marrow.

The bone marrow is very susceptible to chemotherapy, and in response to the treatment, produces less blood cells. This leaves the body more prone to infection and fatigue.

Stem cell shielding appeared to stave off some of these negative side effects. Researchers took bone marrow from patients with brain cancer and isolated the stem cells. They infected the cells with a virus which carried a gene to protect the cells against a chemotherapy drug, and then re-implanted the cells into the patients.

"We found that patients were able to tolerate the chemotherapy better, and without negative side effects, after transplantation of the gene-modified stem cells than patients in previous studies who received the same type of chemotherapy without a transplant of gene-modified stem cells, Professor Hans-Peter Kiem told the BBC News.

All three patients lived longer than the average survival time of 12 months. One patient was still alive 34 months after treatment, according to the BBC.

Click here to read more from the BBC News.

Link:
Stem cell shield may protect body from chemotherapy side effects

NY medical schools chart progress with stem cells

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Almost halfway through a $600 million state program supporting stem cell research, eight medical schools around New York are reporting progress on projects such as replicating liver cells and eradicating leukemia cells.

A new report from Associated Medical Schools of New York updates work at the institutions where hundreds of researchers are starting to unravel causes and potential treatments for conditions ranging from autism to heart disease and cancer. Stem cells are self-renewing and have the ability to develop into other types of cells.

The Mount Sinai School of Medicine reported finding a method to transform human skin cells into stem cells and turned differentiated human stem cells into heart cells. Those findings are expected to result in better understanding of how heart disease develops and allow initial testing of new treatments on stem cells before they are used on human subjects.

Dr. Ihor Lemischka, director of the Black Family Stem Cell Institute at Mount Sinai, said recreating heart cells in a dish from a patient with LEOPARD Syndrome, a disease caused by a genetic mutation, has opened ongoing avenues for researching the disease and screening potential drugs.

"It was a major achievement," Lemischka said. The initial work was reported in June 2010 in the journal Nature.

The shared research facility at Mount Sinai supports the work at 80 different labs, Lemischka said.

The Empire State Stem Cell Program was intended to fund projects in early stages, including those that initially have been unable to get federal or private funding. Grants have also been used for capital projects like renovating labs and establishing new stem cell centers.

The Albert Einstein College of Medicine reported replicating liver cells that could help reduce the need for liver transplants using live donors and cadavers.

Dr. Allen Spiegel said 12 new researchers have been hired with state funding at the Bronx school, which also lists anemia, brain disorders, heart disease and obesity among its stem cell research subjects.

"It offers tremendous potential for understanding the causes of and developing better treatments for diseases like cancer, type 1 diabetes and Parkinson's," he said.

Originally posted here:
NY medical schools chart progress with stem cells

Neuralstem Updates ALS Stem Cell Trial Progress

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Neuralstem, Inc. (CUR) announced that the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the return of three patients from earlier cohorts in its ongoing Phase I safety trial to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) with its spinal cord stem cells (HSSC's). These patients will be permitted to return to the trial for second treatments as the next cohort of patients, provided they meet inclusion requirements at the scheduled time. They will be the first to receive stem cell transplantation along the length of the spinal cord.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061221/DCTH007LOGO )

The first twelve patients in the trial, which is taking place at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, received stem cell transplants in the lumbar (lower back) region of the spinal cord only. Thelast cohort of three, completed in April, received transplants in the cervical (upper back) region of the spinal cord, where stem cell transplantation could help support breathing, a key function that is lost as ALS progresses. The next cohort of three patients is designed to receive 10 HSSC injections in the lumbar region and 5 in the cervical, for a total of 15 injections along the length of the spinal cord. In the case of the returning patients, who have already received 10 lumbar injections, they will receive five cervical injections. These patients are between 15-17 months out from their first dosing and appear to have tolerated the first procedure well.

Additionally, Neuralstem has submitted a trial amendment to the FDA to increase both the number of patients treated as well as the dose in future cohorts. The amendment would also expand the trial to include certain efficacy endpoints. The trial was initially designed as a safety trial to treat 18 patients.

"The return of these patients to the trial for second treatments is a continuing validation of the trial's safety. Typically, Phase I trials do not bring study subjects back, as that could increase their exposure to potentially harmful treatments," said Karl Johe, PhD, Neuralstem Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer. "Treating these patients who have already received injections in one part of their spine allows us to both increase the overall dosage for each patient as well as transplant them in regions of the spine where they have not been treated," Dr. Johe continued. "Thisnext cohort of patients will be the first in the world to receive stem cell transplants in both cervical and lumbar regions of their spinal cord. With cervical injections of the lumbar patients, for example, we could also potentially support their breathing function, which is vital for preserving quality of life."

"Patients 10-12, who might return to the trial, were among those studied in a paper examining the first safety data from the trial, published online in STEM CELLS last month," said Eva Feldman, MD, PhD, Director of the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute and Director of Research of the ALS Clinic at the University of Michigan Health System. "As the paper showed, we believe that the cells and the route of administration are safe. It is a further validation of the safety profile to be able to bring patients back for additional dosing several months past the period which was reported on in the journal." Dr. Feldman is also principal investigator (PI) of the ALS trial and an unpaid Neuralstem consultant.

The FDA-approved amendment to the protocol requires approval of the Emory Institutional Review Board before it can be implemented.

About the Study

The ongoing Phase I study is designed to assess the safety of Neuralstem's spinal cord stem cells (HSSC's) and transplantation technique in up to 18 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease).

The first twelve patients were all transplanted in the lumbar (lower back) region of the spine. Of these, the initial six (Cohort A) were all non-ambulatory with permanent paralysis. The first patient was treated on January 20, 2010. Successive surgeries have followed at the rate of one every one-to-two months. The first three patients (Cohort A1) were each treated with five unilateral HSSC injections in L2-L4 lumbar segments, while the next three patients (Cohort A2) received ten bilateral injections (5 on each side) in the same region. The next six patients (Cohort B and C) were all ambulatory. Of these, the first three (Cohort B) received five unilateral injections in the L2-L4 region. The last three patients (Cohort C) in this study group received ten bilateral injections in the same region.

Continued here:
Neuralstem Updates ALS Stem Cell Trial Progress

A single stem cell mutation triggers fibroid tumors: Mutated stem cell 'goes wild' in frenzied tumor expansion

ScienceDaily (May 4, 2012) Fibroid uterine tumors affect an estimated 15 million women in the United States, causing irregular bleeding, anemia, pain and infertility. Despite the high prevalence of the tumors, which occur in 60 percent of women by age 45, the molecular cause has been unknown.

New Northwestern Medicine preclinical research has for the first time identified the molecular trigger of the tumor -- a single stem cell that develops a mutation, starts to grow uncontrollably and activates other cells to join its frenzied expansion.

"It loses its way and goes wild," said Serdar Bulun, M.D., the chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "No one knew how these came about before. The stem cells make up only 1 percent of the cells in the tumor, yet they are the essential drivers of its growth."

The paper is published in the journal PLoS ONE. Masanori Ono, M.D., a post-doctoral student in Bulun's lab, is the lead author.

The stem cell initiating the tumor carries a mutation called MED12. Recently, mutations in the MED12 gene have been reported in the majority of uterine fibroid tissues. Once the mutation kicks off the abnormal expansion, the tumors grow in response to steroid hormones, particularly progesterone.

For the study, researchers examined the behavior of human fibroid stem cells when grafted into a mouse, a novel model initiated by Northwestern scientist Takeshi Kurita, a research associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology. The most important characteristic of fibroid stem cells is their ability to generate tumors. Tumors originating from the fibroid stem cell population grew 10 times larger compared to tumors initiated with the main cell population, suggesting a key role of these tumor stem cells is to initiate and sustain tumor growth.

"Understanding how this mutation directs the tumor growth gives us a new direction to develop therapies," said Bulun, also the George H. Gardner Professor of Clinical Gynecology.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

See more here:
A single stem cell mutation triggers fibroid tumors: Mutated stem cell 'goes wild' in frenzied tumor expansion

Stem cell therapy to battle HIV?

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- UC Davis Health System researchers are a step closer to launching human clinical trials involving the use of an innovative stem cell therapy to fight the virus that causes AIDS.

In a paper published in the May issue of the Journal of Virology, the UC Davis HIV team demonstrated both the safety and efficacy of transplanting anti-HIV stem cells into mice that represent models of infected patients. The technique, which involves replacing the immune system with stem cells engineered with a triple combination of HIV-resistant genes, proved capable of replicating a normally functioning human immune system by protecting and expanding HIV-resistant immune cells. The cells thrived and self-renewed even when challenged with an HIV viral load.

"We envision this as a potential functional cure for patients infected with HIV, giving them the ability to maintain a normal immune system through genetic resistance," said lead author Joseph Anderson, an assistant adjunct professor of internal medicine and a stem cell researcher at the UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures. "Ideally, it would be a one-time treatment through which stem cells express HIV-resistant genes, which in turn generate an entire HIV-resistant immune system."

To establish immunity in mice whose immune systems paralleled those of patients with HIV, Anderson and his team genetically modified human blood stem cells, which are responsible for producing the various types of immune cells in the body.

Building on work that members of the team have pursued over the last decade, they developed several anti-HIV genes that were inserted into blood stem cells using standard gene-therapy techniques and viral vectors (viruses that efficiently insert the genes they carry into host cells). The resulting combination vector contained:

These engineered blood stem cells, which could be differentiated into normal and functional human immune cells, were introduced into the mice. The goal was to validate whether this experimental treatment would result in an immune system that remained functional, even in the face of an HIV infection, and would halt or slow the progression toward AIDS.

The results were successful on all counts.

"After we challenged transplanted mice with live HIV, we demonstrated that the cells with HIV-resistant genes were protected from infection and survived in the face of a viral challenge, maintaining normal human CD4 levels," said Anderson. CD4+ T-cells are a type of specialized immune cell that HIV attacks and uses to make more copies of HIV.

"We actually saw an expansion of resistant cells after the viral challenge, because other cells which were not resistant were being killed off, and only the resistant cells remained, which took over the immune system and maintained normal CD4 levels," added Anderson.

The data provided from the study confirm the safety and efficacy of this combination anti-HIV lentiviral vector in a hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy setting for HIV and validated its potential application in future human clinical trials. The team has submitted a grant application for human clinical trials and is currently seeking regulatory approval, which is necessary to move on to clinical trials.

Go here to see the original:
Stem cell therapy to battle HIV?

VistaGen Licenses Breakthrough Stem Cell Culture Technology To Speed Development Of Drug Screening And Cell Therapy …

South San Francisco, CA (Marketwire) - VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCBB:VSTA) (OTCQB:VSTA), a biotechnology company applying stem cell technology for drug rescue and cell therapy, has licensed breakthrough stem cell culture technology from the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine located at the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, Canada.

VistaGen will be utilizing the licensed technology to develop hematopoietic precursor stem cells from human pluripotent stem cells, with the goal of developing drug screening and cell therapy applications for human blood system disorders. The breakthrough technology is included in a new United States patent application.

Hematopoietic precursor stem cells give rise to all red and white blood cells and platelets in the body. VistaGen will use the UHN invention to improve the cell culture methods used to efficiently produce hematopoietic stem cell populations.

"This technology dramatically advances our ability to produce and purify this important blood stem cell precursor for both in vitro drug screening and in vivo cell therapy applications," said H. Ralph Snodgrass, PhD, VistaGen's President and Chief Scientific Officer.

"In addition to defining new cell culture methods for our use, the technology describes the surface characteristics of stem cell-derived adult hematopoietic stem cells. Most groups study embryonic blood development from stem cells, but, for the first time, we are able to not only purify the stem cell-derived precursor of all adult hematopoietic cells, but also pinpoint the precise timing when adult blood cell differentiation takes place in these cultures," Snodgrass added. "It is our belief that these early cells will be the precursors of the ultimate adult, bone marrow-repopulating hematopoietic stem cells."

Bone marrow-derived hematopoietic stem cells are able to repopulate the blood and immune system when transplanted into patients prepared for bone marrow transplantation. These cells have important potential therapeutic applications for the restoration of healthy blood and immune systems in individuals undergoing transplantation therapies for cancer, organ grafts, HIV infections or for acquired or genetic blood and immune deficiencies.

About VistaGen Therapeutics VistaGen is a biotechnology company applying human pluripotent stem cell technology for drug rescue and cell therapy. VistaGen's drug rescue activities combine its human pluripotent stem cell technology platform, Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube, with modern medicinal chemistry to generate new chemical variants (Drug Rescue Variants) of once-promising small-molecule drug candidates. These are drug candidates discontinued due to heart toxicity after substantial development by pharmaceutical companies, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) or university laboratories. VistaGen uses its pluripotent stem cell technology to generate early indications, or predictions, of how humans will ultimately respond to new drug candidates before they are ever tested in humans, bringing human biology to the front end of the drug development process.

Additionally, VistaGen's small molecule drug candidate, AV-101, is in Phase 1b development for treatment of neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain, a serious and chronic condition causing pain after an injury or disease of the peripheral or central nervous system, affects approximately 1.8 million people in the U.S. alone. VistaGen is also exploring opportunities to leverage its current Phase 1 clinical program to enable additional Phase 2 clinical studies of AV-101 for epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and depression. To date, VistaGen has been awarded over $8.5 million from the NIH for development of AV-101.

Visit VistaGen athttp://www.VistaGen.com, follow VistaGen athttp://www.twitter.com/VistaGenor view VistaGen's Facebook page athttp://www.facebook.com/VistaGen

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements The statements in this press release that are not historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to regulatory approvals, the issuance and protection of patents and other intellectual property, the success of VistaGen's ongoing clinical studies, including the safety and efficacy of its drug candidate, AV-101, the failure of future drug rescue and pilot preclinical cell therapy programs related to VistaGen's stem cell technology-based Human Clinical Trial in a Test Tube platform, its ability to enter into drug rescue collaborations, risks and uncertainties relating to the availability of substantial additional capital to support VistaGen's research, development and commercialization activities, and the success of its research, development, regulatory approval, marketing and distribution plans and strategies, including those plans and strategies related to AV-101 and any drug rescue variants identified and developed by VistaGen. These and other risks and uncertainties are identified and described in more detail in VistaGen's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These filings are available on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. VistaGen undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

Read the original here:
VistaGen Licenses Breakthrough Stem Cell Culture Technology To Speed Development Of Drug Screening And Cell Therapy ...

Stem cell therapy for WCMS student has remarkable results

When Tyler was born, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, causing a lack of oxygen to his brain that led to Tyler suffering a stroke during delivery. The stroke caused damage to the back of Tylers brain. Tyler was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and his mother, Lisa Biermann, was told to expect the worst: a child who would never walk, talk, or have any chance at a normal life.

Lisa refused to give up hope. She tried everything she could to help Tyler. Tyler could not walk because his feet would not sit flat on the floor. She tried botox injections every three months, braces, casts and even ankle cord surgery. Nothing worked.

Lisa said Tyler could not communicate with her at all. She never knew when he was in pain because he was unable to tell her.

Tyler was considered to be blind, with a prescription that was over nine units nearsighted, and his eyes jumped around. Even with glasses, he could not focus his vision, and doctors did not believe he could see, or ever would see.

Until he was 8 years old, Lisa would carry Tyler from his classes at Woodland Park Elementary.

When Tyler was 8, he had a seizure. Dr. David Steenblock, who is based in California, heard about Tyler and offered to help him with umbilical cord stem cell therapy. Lisa said she thought hard about it, and because she had tried everything else and nothing had worked, she decided to try the stem cell therapy, which Dr. Steenblock told her had no side effects.

In December 2007, Lisa, Dr. Steenblock and his team took Tyler for the treatment, which had to be done in Tijuana, Mexico, because stem cells injection is currently not legal in the United States. Three months later, they went for a second injection.

The stem cells were given to Tyler intravenously for a period of approximately 45 minutes.

Lisa said within weeks, she saw monumental changes in Tyler. All the milestones he never reached as a baby, he began reaching.

Within three months Tyler could put his feet flat on the floor and could walk independently. At six months post-treatment, he no longer needed the painful braces that gave him bunions.

See the article here:
Stem cell therapy for WCMS student has remarkable results