Stem Cell Clinic

Di'Anno Wants Former Iron Maiden Bandmate To Undergo Stem Cell Therapy

By Uncategorized

05/24/2012 . (Classic Rock) Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno wants his ex-bandmate Clive Burr to undergo stem cell therapy, despite the costs and risks associated with the procedure.

Burr, the drummer with Maiden from 1979 until 1982, has been in a wheelchair as a result of multiple sclerosis, which has been attacking his nervous system since before he was diagnosed in 2002.

MS reduces the ability of the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other, resulting in a wide range of potentially severe symptoms. The cause is unknown and there is no cure; but in 2009 researchers made the first breakthrough in reversing symptoms through stem cell therapy.

Di'Anno tells Talking Metal Pirate Radio Burr's condition is "not very good at all." He had a lot to say, read it here.

Classic Rock Magazine is an official news provider for antiMusic.com. Copyright Classic Rock Magazine- Excerpted here with permission.

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Di'Anno Wants Former Iron Maiden Bandmate To Undergo Stem Cell Therapy

Stem-cell-growing surface enables bone repair

By Stem Cell Treatment

ScienceDaily (May 23, 2012) University of Michigan researchers have proven that a special surface, free of biological contaminants, allows adult-derived stem cells to thrive and transform into multiple cell types. Their success brings stem cell therapies another step closer. To prove the cells' regenerative powers, bone cells grown on this surface were then transplanted into holes in the skulls of mice, producing four times as much new bone growth as in the mice without the extra bone cells.

An embryo's cells really can be anything they want to be when they grow up: organs, nerves, skin, bone, any type of human cell. Adult-derived "induced" stem cells can do this and better. Because the source cells can come from the patient, they are perfectly compatible for medical treatments.

In order to make them, Paul Krebsbach, a professor of biological and materials sciences in the School of Dentistry, said, "We turn back the clock, in a way. We're taking a specialized adult cell and genetically reprogramming it, so it behaves like a more primitive cell."

Specifically, they turn human skin cells into stem cells. Less than five years after the discovery of this method, researchers still don't know precisely how it works, but the process involves adding proteins that can turn genes on and off to the adult cells.

Before stem cells can be used to make repairs in the body, they must be grown and directed into becoming the desired cell type. Researchers typically use surfaces of animal cells and proteins for stem cell habitats, but these gels are expensive to make, and batches vary depending on the individual animal.

"You don't really know what's in there," said Joerg Lahann, an associate professor of chemical engineering and biomedical engineering. For example, he said that human cells are often grown over mouse cells, but they can go a little native, beginning to produce some mouse proteins that may invite an attack by a patient's immune system.

The polymer gel created by Lahann and his colleagues in 2010 avoids these problems because researchers are able to control all of the gel's ingredients and how they combine. "It's basically the ease of a plastic dish," said Lahann. "There is no biological contamination that could potentially influence your human stem cells."

Lahann and colleagues had shown that these surfaces could grow embryonic stem cells. Now, Lahann has teamed up with Krebsbach's team to show that the polymer surface can also support the growth of the more medically-promising induced stem cells, keeping them in their high-potential state. To prove that the cells could transform into different types, the team turned them into fat, cartilage, and bone cells.

They then tested whether these cells could help the body to make repairs. Specifically, they attempted to repair 5-millimeter holes in the skulls of mice. The weak immune systems of the mice didn't attack the human bone cells, allowing the cells to help fill in the hole.

After eight weeks, the mice that had received the bone cells had 4.2 times as much new bone, as well as the beginnings of marrow cavities. The team could prove that the extra bone growth came from the added cells because it was human bone.

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Stem-cell-growing surface enables bone repair

Stem cell treatment for heart failure takes small step forward

By Stem Cell Treatment

Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, reported Tuesday that they had removed skin cells from two patents with heart failure, returned those cells to an embryonic state, and then transformed them into beating heart cells that could communicate with the patients existing heart tissue.

We have shown that it is possible to take skin cells from an elderly patient with advanced heart failure and end up with his own beating cells in a laboratory dish that are healthy and young the equivalent to this stage of his heart cells when he was just born, study leader Dr. Lior Gepstein said in a statement.

The discovery marks a small step toward a long-sought goal: using stem cells to regrow the cardiac tissue that is damaged in heart attacks. (The Times reported on the quest in February, 2011.) But it doesnt mean that patients with heart failure are likely to get shiny new hearts through stem cell treatments anytime soon.

Several hurdles stand in the way of using induced pluripotent stem cells, as the skin-derived cells are called, to reverse heart attack damage. The Israeli researchers acknowledged several. Such cells are known to spin out of control and cause cancer. Stem cell-derived cardiac cells have also had problems coordinating with normal heart rhythms. The team will need to be able to generate larger numbers of the cells before it can test the treatment, and will need to perfect transplant methods.

And if all those hurdles are crossed, scientists still wont know if the technology will work in people. What we produce in an animal model or in a petri dish is hardly what happens in a human. This is a first step. It will take five, 10, 15, maybe 20 years to reach fruition at the soonest, said Dr. Shephal Doshi, director of electrophysiology and pacing at Saint Johns Health Center in Santa Monica.

Most patients will have to wait to take advantage of other types of stem cell cures for heart failure as well including treatments that use cells derived from bone marrow to stimulate heart regeneration, treatments that use cardiac stem cells removed from the heart to build heart tissue and insert it back into the diseased organ and treatments that attempt to stimulate cardiac stem cells in place in the heart into action to rebuild tissues. These technologies are in varying stages of testing and development.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information about heart failure in the U.S.

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Stem cell treatment for heart failure takes small step forward

Cellectis stem cells today proudly announces the launch of the world’s very first human iPS cell-derived hepatocyte …

By Stem Cell Medicine

GOTHENBURG, Sweden--(BUSINESSWIRE)--

Regulatory News:

Cellectis stem cells, a Business Unit of Cellectis Group (Alternext: ALCLS), a premier provider of stem cell derived products and technologies, today announces the launch of a human iPS derived hepatocyte product, hiPS-HEPTM.

The hiPS-HEPTM demonstrate high reproducibility, homogeneity and a long life span of stable CYP activity, making them the ideal platform for various in vitro applications including drug discovery, toxicity testing and vaccine development. The hiPS-HEP are human hepatocyte-like cells derived from human induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells under strict quality controlled and ethically approved procedures.

"Due to their high relevance in various industrial applications it makes the hiPS-HEP a really promising system for research and development," said Johan Hyllner, CSO of Cellectis stem cells. "The pharmaceutical industry has a great need for better and more clinically relevant models early in the drug development process to predict hepatotoxicity, find new drug targets and develop new vaccines."

"This novel product is the fruition of Cellectis strategy to become the global market leader for stem cell-based in vitro models and related technologies. It illustrates our ambitions and the momentum of our future development in this field," said Andr Choulika, Chairman and CEO of Cellectis.

About Cellectis stem cells:

Cellectis stem cells, is a business unit within the Cellectis group and is a global leader in stem cell technology. Cellectis stem cells, created in November 2011 from Cellartis AB and Ectycell SAS, possesses broad expertise in pluripotent stem cells, including iPS cell technology, genetic engineering and specialised cells. Cellectis stem cells is developing stem cell derived products and related services for drug discovery, toxicity testing and regenerative medicine applications.

For more information visit http://www.cellartis.com and http://www.cellectis.com

About Cellectis

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Cellectis stem cells today proudly announces the launch of the world’s very first human iPS cell-derived hepatocyte ...

Growth Factor in Stem Cells May Spur Recovery From MS

By Stem Cell Clinic

Newswise A substance in human mesenchymal stem cells that promotes growth appears to spur restoration of nerves and their function in rodent models of multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have found.

Their study is embargoed until published in the online version of Nature Neuroscience at 1 p.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, May 20.

In animals injected with hepatocyte growth factor, inflammation declined and neural cells grew. Perhaps most important, the myelin sheath, which protects nerves and their ability to gather and send information, regrew, covering lesions caused by the disease.

The importance of this work is we think weve identified the driver of the recovery, said Robert H. Miller, professor of neurosciences at the School of Medicine and vice president for research at Case Western Reserve University.

Miller, neurosciences instructor Lianhua Bai and biology professor Arnold I. Caplan, designed the study. They worked with Project Manager Anne DeChant, and research assistants Jordan Hecker, Janet Kranso and Anita Zaremba, from the School of Medicine; and Donald P. Lennon, a research assistant from the universitys Skeletal Research Center.

In MS, the immune system attacks myelin, risking injury to exposed nerves intricate wiring. When damaged, nerve signals can be interrupted, causing loss of balance and coordination, cognitive ability and other functions. Over time, intermittent losses may become permanent.

Miller and Caplan reported in 2009 that when they injected human mesenchymal stem cells into rodent models of MS, the animals recovered from the damage wrought by the disease. Based on their work, a clinical trial is underway in which MS patients are injected with their own stem cells.

In this study, the researchers first wanted to test whether the presence of stem cells or something cells produce promotes recovery. They injected mice with the medium in which mesenchymal stem cells, culled from bone marrow, grew.

All 11 animals, which have a version of MS, showed a rapid reduction in functional deficits.

Analysis showed that the disease remained on course unless the molecules injected were of a certain size; that is, the molecular weight ranged between 50 and 100 kiloDaltons. Research by others and results of their own work indicated hepatocyte growth factor, which is secreted by mesenchymal stem cells, was a likely instigator.

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Growth Factor in Stem Cells May Spur Recovery From MS

BioTime Completes Merger of XenneX, Inc. into LifeMap Sciences, Inc.

By Stem Cell Clinic

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX) and its subsidiary LifeMap Sciences, Inc. today announced that they have completed the acquisition of XenneX, Inc. through a merger of XenneX into LifeMap Sciences. The definitive merger agreement was previously announced on April 20, 2012.

The need for the LifeMap database is a reflection of the growth of the field of regenerative medicine

LifeMap Sciences now holds the exclusive, worldwide licenses to market GeneCards and PanDaTox from Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd, the technology transfer arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Developed by a leading bioinformatics team at the Weizmann Institute of Science, GeneCards is an online database that provides concise genomic, transcriptomic, genetic, proteomic, functional and disease-related information on all known and predicted human genes. With over 12 million page visits per year from hundreds of thousands of unique users worldwide, GeneCards is used by academia, research hospitals, patent offices, and leading biotech and pharma companies. PanDaTox is a recently developed, searchable database that can aid in the discovery of new antibiotics and biotechnologically beneficial products.

LifeMap Sciences goal is to be the leading resource for the emerging field of regenerative medicine, by providing access to GeneCards, and its LifeMap database of embryonic development and stem cells, and by also marketing research products manufactured by BioTime, including ACTCellerateTM cell lines, HyStem hydrogels, and cell culture media.

LifeMap scientists will also utilize its databases to aid in the development of BioTimes proprietary ACTCelleratehuman progenitor cell lines into products for the treatment of human diseases, especially degenerative diseases that might be treatable by cell replacement therapies.

Since 2003, XenneX has been commercializing GeneCards worldwide. Its customers include biotechnology, pharmaceutical and other life sciences companies, as well as organizations dealing with biotechnology intellectual property.

Through the merger, XenneX stockholders received 1,362,589 shares of LifeMap Sciences common stock, which represents approximately 13% of the LifeMap Sciences common stock now outstanding. XenneX shareholders also received 448,431 BioTime common shares as part of the transaction.

The need for the LifeMap database is a reflection of the growth of the field of regenerative medicine, said Michael D. West, Ph.D., BioTimes Chief Executive Officer. And the pace of this research is currently exponential, not linear. As a result, the scientific community today is very dependent on such relational databases. The LifeMap team is dedicated to building a quality resource in order to speed stem cell-based therapies to the clinic.

David Warshawsky, Ph.D., LifeMap Sciences Chief Executive Officer, who also founded XenneX, Inc. in 2003, stated By marketing GeneCards and PanDaTox, and the newly licensed MalaCards human disease database, alongside its LifeMap stem cell database and discovery platform, LifeMap Sciences will be the leading source of online database research tools for genetic, biological, and stem cell research and development. We are confident that our products will enhance research and provide life-saving cures in the future.

About LifeMap Sciences, Inc.

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BioTime Completes Merger of XenneX, Inc. into LifeMap Sciences, Inc.

Bentsen Stroke Center Awards Grants for Regenerative Medicine Research

By Uncategorized

Newswise Every year, approximately 795,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke and the late U.S. Senator and Democratic Party vice presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen was one of them. As the senator and his wife, B. A., dealt with the challenges of stroke, they developed the idea for a stroke research center.

The couples efforts led to the 2009 opening of the Senator Lloyd and B.A. Bentsen Center for Stroke Research at The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM), a part of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). Sen. Bentsen died prior to the centers opening.

In April at the IMM, B.A. Bentsen and one of the couples sons, Lan, got updates on six projects funded by the stroke center. The center was launched with a generous gift from the Bentsen family and the center distributes up to $1 million annually for research.

The primary focus of the Bentsen Stroke Center is to develop cell-based therapeutics, including the use of certain populations of stem cells, to reduce secondary brain injury and enhance recovery, said Brian R. Davis, Ph.D., interim director of Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at the IMM, which is the academic and administrative home of the Bentsen Stroke Center. Davis is the Annie and Bob Graham Distinguished Chair in Stem Cell Biology at UTHealth.

In 2011 and 2012, Bentsen Stroke Center grants were awarded to UTHealth Medical School faculty members Jaroslaw Aronowski, Ph.D., Qi Lin Cao, Ph.D., Charles Cox Jr., M.D., Pramod Dash, Ph.D., Ying Liu, M.D., Ph.D., Sean Savitz, M.D. and Jiaqian Wu, Ph.D. They are the principal investigators for the studies.

Lessen injury progression

When a blood vessel in the brain ruptures, pooling blood accumulates in brain matter and can cause additional if not more serious problems. Aronowski, professor of neurology and director of cerebrovascular (stroke) research, is exploring a natural way to speed up blood cleanup to prevent further brain injury.

This cleanup is normally done by specialized cells called phagocytes. Unfortunately, this process takes weeks, thus allowing blood, which is now outside of the vessel to continue to damage the brain. Aronowski proposes to speed up the process by modifying the phagocytes. We identified components of machinery phagocytes used to scavenge and clean up blood debris. Now, we will isolate them from blood, modify their function and reinject them back to see if they do a better cleanup job, Aronowski said. He plans to conduct a preclinical trial.

Replace damaged nerve cells

When a person suffers a stroke, nerve cells or neurons can begin to die. Regenerative medicine researchers would like to create replacement cells. Cao, associate professor at The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, is conducting a preclinical study to select the best neural cell types to treat stroke.

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Bentsen Stroke Center Awards Grants for Regenerative Medicine Research

Frozen cord could save a life

By Uncategorized

Tim and Padma Vellaichamy of Parramatta have had their new born child's umbilical cord stored cryogenically for future treatment. Pictured with their as yet unnamed three week old daughter. Picture: Adam Ward Source: The Daily Telegraph

IT'S current preservation for future regeneration - and now umbilical cord tissue is going on ice in Australia for the first time.

Usually discarded after birth, umbilical tissue from newborn babies is being collected and cryogenically frozen to be used one day for regenerative and stem cell medicine. And it doesn't just have potential for the babies involved, either. Experts say stem cells could also be used for family members who are genetically compatible.

It is hoped the cells will eventually be able to be used to repair damaged tissues and organs, with researchers investigating its uses for treating diseases like multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and diabetes, as well as for bone and cartilage repair.

Although cord blood storage has been available for many years, Cell Care Australia has added cord tissue storage in anticipation of new discoveries in the regenerative medicine field.

Cell Care Australia medical director associate professor Mark Kirkland said the storage process - already popular in the US, Europe and Southeast Asia - was long overdue for Australian shores.

"The science is developing around the world and we're really behind the rest of the world in providing parents the option to store these cells and we thought it was about time it was brought here," he said.

"It's finding a way to take what would otherwise be waste tissue and turning it into something of potential future value for not only your child but also potentially for other family members.'

Parramatta couple Tim and Padma Vellaichamy are among the first to use the service in Australia.

Mr Vellaichamy, 31, said he heard of the technology while working as a dentist in India and decided to store their daughter's cord cell tissue after birth three weeks ago.

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Frozen cord could save a life

Neuralstem CEO to Present at the World Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Congress in London

By Uncategorized

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE MKT: CUR) announced that Richard Garr, CEO and President, will present at the World Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine Congress in London (http://www.terrapinn.com/2012/stemcells/index.stm) on Tuesday, May 22nd at 12:30 PM. Mr. Garr's presentation, "Stem Cell Applications for Neurodegenerative Disorders," will review Neuralstem's cellular therapy trial in ALS, its neurogenic small molecule trial in major depressive disorder (MDD), and provide an overview on plans to expand the cellular therapy program.

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

About Neuralstem

Neuralstem's patented technology enables the ability to produce neural stem cells of the human brain and spinal cord in commercial quantities, and the ability to control the differentiation of these cells constitutively into mature, physiologically relevant human neurons and glia. Neuralstem is in an FDA-approved Phase I safety clinical trial for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, and has been awarded orphan status designation by the FDA.

In addition to ALS, the company is also targeting major central nervous system conditions with its cell therapy platform, including spinal cord injury, ischemic spastic paraplegia and chronic stroke. The company has submitted an IND (Investigational New Drug) application to the FDA for a Phase I safety trial in chronic spinal cord injury.

Neuralstem also has the ability to generate stable human neural stem cell lines suitable for the systematic screening of large chemical libraries. Through this proprietary screening technology, Neuralstem has discovered and patented compounds that may stimulate the brain's capacity to generate new neurons, possibly reversing the pathologies of some central nervous system conditions. The company has received approval from the FDA to conduct a Phase Ib safety trial evaluating NSI-189, its first neurogenic small molecule compound, for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Additional indications could include CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), Alzheimer's disease, anxiety, and memory disorders.

For more information, please visit http://www.neuralstem.com or connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements in this press release regarding potential applications of Neuralstem's technologies constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, uncertainty of clinical trial results or regulatory approvals or clearances, need for future capital, dependence upon collaborators and maintenance of our intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in Neuralstem's periodic reports, including the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and the Form 10-Q for the period ended March 30, 2012.

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Neuralstem CEO to Present at the World Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Congress in London

UTHealth Pediatric Surgery Expands Regenerative Medicine Program

By Uncategorized

Newswise About 3 percent of the babies born in the United States have a birth defect. Children without a birth defect are also susceptible to injury or disease. At The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), regenerative medicine researchers are exploring innovative ways to treat these conditions.

The Department of Pediatric Surgery at the UTHealth Medical School operates a research program devoted to childhood conditions that is seeking to harness the bodys regenerative powers to repair malformed organs and to mitigate injury from illness or trauma. It is called the Childrens Regenerative Medicine Program.

Kevin Lally, M.D., chairman of the Department of Pediatric Surgery at the UTHealth Medical School and surgeon-in-chief at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, announced the recruitment of four stem cell scientists to the program. The researchers are associate professor Yong Li, M.D., Ph.D., and assistant professors Scott Olson, Ph.D., Fabio Triolo, M.Phil., D.d.R., Ph.D., and Pamela Wenzel, Ph.D.

We were able to recruit outstanding investigators thanks in part to the generous support of Mrs. Clare Glassell and Mrs. Evelyn Griffin, said Lally, who is the A.G. McNeese Chair in Pediatric Surgery and the Richard Andrassy, M.D., Endowed Distinguished Professor at UTHealth. Our program in regenerative medicine is committed to a collaborative environment in which clinicians work with basic researchers.

Lally has a special interest in the treatment of a potentially life-threatening condition known as congenital diaphragmatic hernia that occurs in as many as one in every 2,500 live births and is often treated surgically. The diaphragm is a muscle separating the chest cavity and belly and is important for breathing.

The core fundamental problem is infants born with structural problems that need to be repaired, said Lally, who believes doctors may be able to use stem cells to replace the diaphragm or repair defects in the abdominal wall.

Stem cells may also help children with traumatic brain injuries. Charles Cox Jr., M.D., professor of pediatric surgery, director of the Pediatric Trauma Program at the UTHealth Medical School/Childrens Memorial Hermann Hospital and The Childrens Fund Inc. Distinguished Professor in Pediatric Surgery, is leading clinical research on the use of these versatile cells to address this leading cause of death and lifelong disability among children.

Yong Li, M.D., Ph.D.

Li previously served as a tenure track assistant professor in the Stem Cell Research Center at Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, where his laboratory studied the regenerative power of newts and salamanders in the hope of applying this information to the care of people.

Newts are able to regenerate missing body parts including limbs, spine and heart. Li has studied growth factors that facilitate this regeneration process in some amphibians and how they could be used for stem cell population and tissue engineering.

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UTHealth Pediatric Surgery Expands Regenerative Medicine Program

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