Astronauts are growing the beginnings of new organs on board the International Space Station.

The experiment is an attempt to grow human tissue by sending adult human stem cells into space, and allowing them to grow in space.

Eventually, it is hoped, the stem cells will develop into bone, cartilage and other organs. If that is successful, the discoveries could be used to try and grow organs for transplant, the scientists involved say.

The experiment uses weightlessness as a tool, according to Cara Thiel, one of the two researchers from the University of Zurich. The lack of gravity on board the ISS will be used to encourage the stem cells to grow into tissue in three dimensions, rather than the single-layer structures that form on Earth.

It is being conducted by the astronauts on board the ISS using a mobile mini-laboratory that was sent on a SpaceX rocket last week. The experiment will last for a month, during which scientists will watch to see how the stem cells grow.

If it is successful, they hope to switch from a small laboratory to bigger production. From there, they could use the process to generate tissue for transplants by taking cells from patients, or generating organ-like material, either ensuring that it works for a specific patients or reducing the number of animals used in experiments.

On Earth, tissue grows in monolayer cultures: generating flat, 2D tissue. But investigations both in space and Earth suggest that in microgravity, cells exhibit spatially unrestricted growth and assemble into complex 3D aggregates, said Oliver Ullrich, who is also leading the research.

Previous research has involved simulated ad real experiments, mostly using tumour cells, and placing real human stem cells into microgravity simulators. But for the next stage of the research there is no alternative to the ISS, he says, as 3D tissue formation of this kind requires several days or even weeks in microgravity.

After the month-long experiment, the scientists will get the samples back and expect to see successful formation of organoids smaller, more simple versions of organs inside the test tubes.

Scientists are still not sure why the conditions of the ISS lead to the assembly of complex 3D tissue structures. Scientists are still continuing to research how the gravitational force and the molecular machinery in the cell interact to create new and different kinds of tissue on Earth and in space.

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Made-in-space organs could soon be reality - ETHealthworld.com

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MENLO PARK, Calif. and NEW YORK, March 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forty Seven Inc. (Nasdaq: FTSV) and Rocket Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: RCKT) announced today that they have entered into a research collaboration to pursue clinical proof-of-concept for Forty Sevens novel antibody-based conditioning regimen, FSI-174 (anti-cKIT antibody) plus magrolimab (anti-CD47 antibody), with Rockets ex vivo lentiviral vector hematopoietic stem cell (LVV HSC) gene therapy, RP-L102. The initial collaboration will evaluate this treatment regimen in Fanconi Anemia (FA), a genetic disease that affects patients capacity to produce blood cells and is associated with an increased risk of leukemia and other neoplasms. RP-L102, Rockets gene therapy approach for FA, involves treatment with patients own gene-corrected blood forming stem cells (hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs).

Gene therapies for monogenic blood disorders have broad potential. One concern associated with these treatments is the toxicity of pre-therapy conditioning regimens that utilize cytotoxic chemotherapy and/or radiation to destroy existing HSCs and facilitate engraftment of gene-corrected HSCs. Forty Sevens all-antibody based conditioning regimen is designed to address the limitations of current pre-treatment conditioning therapies. These regimens are often associated with serious side effects, including severe infection, cognitive impairment, infertility, endocrine dysfunction, secondary malignancies and organ damage. These toxicities are especially difficult for pediatric patients and are particularly severe for patients with FA, who are more sensitive to the DNA-damaging effects of traditional conditioning agents. Preliminary data demonstrate that RP-L102 may confer efficacy without pre-treatment conditioning. The combination of RP-L102 with Forty Sevens all-antibody conditioning regimen may provide patients an alternate treatment option in situations where conditioning may be advantageous.

We are pleased to enter into this collaboration with Forty Seven, said Jonathan Schwartz, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Rocket. RP-L102 Process B is currently being evaluated in a registrational trial without the use of conditioning. In parallel, we are assessing incorporation of a non-genotoxic conditioning regimen as a part of Rockets life-cycle management strategy. Forty Sevens novelall-antibodyconditioning regimen could also beapplied to Rockets other lentiviral programs, in which conditioning is more integral to the gene therapy approach.

We are initiating our first in human healthy volunteer study of FSI-174 in the first quarter this year, and are excited to enter into a partnership with Rocket at this time. Rocket is at the forefront of developing gene therapies for high unmet-need diseases, and this collaboration will provide an opportunity to evaluate the benefit of Forty Sevens novel conditioning regimen with Rockets RP-L102 to help FA patients, says Jens-Peter Volkmer, VP of Research at Forty Seven.

This collaboration is in line with our strategy to study our anti-cKIT and anti-CD47, all-antibody conditioning regimen in combination with several different gene therapies, and to establish clinical proof-of-concept in a broad range of transplant indications, said Mukul Agarwal, VP of Corporate Development at Forty Seven.

Maria Grazia Roncarolo, M.D., Scientific Advisor to Forty Seven, commented, The goal of my lifes work is to bring pediatric patients transformative therapies for currently incurable diseases. We believe Rocket Pharmaceuticals commitment to devastating diseases, such as FA, addresses a critical unmet need and Forty Sevens antibody conditioning creates an alternative avenue to deliver this therapy to those patients. We look forward to seeing how this collaboration may help patients in need.

Under the terms of the agreement, Rocket will provide its ex vivo LVV HSC gene therapy platform and Forty Seven will contribute its innovative antibody-based conditioning regimen for the collaboration.

About FSI-174 and MagrolimabFSI-174 is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting cKIT, which is a receptor that is highly expressed on hematopoietic stem cells. Magrolimab is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting CD47, which is a dont eat me signal to macrophages and is expressed on all cells. Magrolimab is currently being investigated in Phase 2 clinical trials to treat cancer and has established clinical efficacy in four indications, including myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia, diffuse large B cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma, with a favorable safety profile in over 400 patients treated, including some patients treated continuously for over two years. When combined, FSI-174 sends a positive signal to macrophages to target blood forming stem cells for removal and magrolimab disengages inhibitory signals that block phagocytosis. Combination of these antibodies has shown efficient removal of blood forming stem cells, allowing for transplantation in pre-clinical models.

About Fanconi Anemia Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a rare pediatric disease characterized by bone marrow failure, malformations and cancer predisposition. The primary cause of death among patients with FA is bone marrow failure, which typically occurs during the first decade of life. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), when available, corrects the hematologic component of FA, but requires myeloablative conditioning. Graft-versus-host disease, a known complication of allogeneic HSCT, is associated with an increased risk of solid tumors, mainly squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region. Approximately 60-70% of patients with FA have aFANC-Agene mutation, which encodes for a protein essential for DNA repair. Mutation in theFANC-Agene leads to chromosomal breakage and increased sensitivity to oxidative and environmental stress. Chromosome fragility induced by DNA-alkylating agents such as mitomycin-C (MMC) or diepoxybutane (DEB) is the gold standard test for FA diagnosis. Somatic mosaicism occurs when there is a spontaneous correction of the mutated gene that can lead to stabilization or correction of a FA patients blood counts in the absence of any administered therapy. Somatic mosaicism, often referred to as natural gene therapy provides a strong rationale for the development of FA gene therapy because of the selective growth advantage of gene-corrected hematopoietic stem cells over FA cells1.

1Soulier, J.,et al. (2005) Detection of somatic mosaicism and classification of Fanconi anemia patients by analysis of the FA/BRCA pathway. Blood 105: 1329-1336

About Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RCKT) (Rocket) is advancing an integrated and sustainable pipeline of genetic therapies that correct the root cause of complex and rare childhood disorders. The companys platform-agnostic approach enables it to design the best therapy for each indication, creating potentially transformative options for patients contending with rare genetic diseases. Rocket's clinical programs using lentiviral vector (LVV)-based gene therapy are for the treatment of Fanconi Anemia (FA), a difficult to treat genetic disease that leads to bone marrow failure and potentially cancer, Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), a severe pediatric genetic disorder that causes recurrent and life-threatening infections which are frequently fatal, and Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD) a rare, monogenic red blood cell disorder resulting in increased red cell destruction and mild to life-threatening anemia. Rockets first clinical program using adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy is for Danon disease, a devastating, pediatric heart failure condition. Rockets pre-clinical pipeline program is for Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis (IMO), a bone marrow-derived disorder. For more information about Rocket, please visitwww.rocketpharma.com.

For more information, please visit http://www.rocketpharma.com or contact info@rocketpharma.com

About Forty Seven, Inc.Forty Seven, Inc.is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company that is developing therapies targeting cancer immune evasion pathways based on technology licensed fromStanford University. Forty Sevens lead program, magrolimab, is a monoclonal antibody against the CD47 receptor, a dont eat me signal that cancer cells commandeer to avoid being ingested by macrophages. This antibody is currently being evaluated in multiple clinical studies in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia, and non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

For more information, please visitwww.fortyseveninc.comor contactinfo@fortyseveninc.com.

Follow Forty Seven on social media:@FortySevenInc,LinkedIn

Rocket Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsVarious statements in this release concerning Rocket's future expectations, plans and prospects, including without limitation, Rocket's expectations regarding the safety, effectiveness and timing of product candidates that Rocket may develop, to treat Fanconi Anemia (FA), Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD), Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis (IMO) and Danon Disease, and the safety, effectiveness and timing of related pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, may constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions. You should not place reliance on these forward-looking statements, which often include words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "will give," "estimate," "seek," "will," "may," "suggest" or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of those terms. Although Rocket believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Rocket cannot guarantee such outcomes. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation, Rocket's ability to successfully demonstrate the efficacy and safety of such products and pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, its gene therapy programs, the preclinical and clinical results for its product candidates, which may not support further development and marketing approval, the potential advantages of Rocket's product candidates, actions of regulatory agencies, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials of its product candidates, Rocket's and its licensors ability to obtain, maintain and protect its and their respective intellectual property, the timing, cost or other aspects of a potential commercial launch of Rocket's product candidates, Rocket's ability to manage operating expenses, Rocket's ability to obtain additional funding to support its business activities and establish and maintain strategic business alliances and new business initiatives, Rocket's dependence on third parties for development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of product candidates, the outcome of litigation, and unexpected expenditures, as well as those risks more fully discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Rocket's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed March 6, 2020 with the SEC. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and Rocket undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Forty Seven Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsStatements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as will, may, assess, could, believe, and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions, or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include those related to the research and development plans for Rockets and Forty Sevens respective platforms and product candidates, the timing and success of Forty Sevens collaboration with Rocket, Forty Sevens plans to pursue clinical proof-of-concept for FSI-174 plus magrolimab with the LVV HSC gene therapy platform, the focus on diseases that have the potential to be corrected with the combination of RP-L102 and Forty Sevens all-antibody conditioning regimen, the tolerability and efficacy of RP-L102, FSI-174 and magrolimab, the timing and success of any future collaborations between Forty Seven and Rocket, Forty Sevens plans to continue development of FSI-174 plus magrolimab, as well as related timing for clinical trials of the same.

Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The product candidates that Forty Seven develops may not progress through clinical development or receive required regulatory approvals within expected timelines or at all.In addition, clinical trials may not confirm any safety, potency or other product characteristics described or assumed in this press release. Such product candidates may not be beneficial to patients or successfully commercialized. The failure to meet expectations with respect to any of the foregoing matters may have a negative effect on Forty Seven's stock price. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors affecting Forty Seven's business can be found in Forty Seven's periodic filings with theSecurities and Exchange Commissionatwww.sec.gov. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, Forty Seven disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

Forty SevenInvestors:Hannah Deresiewicz, (212) 362-1200hannah.deresiewicz@sternir.com

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Media:Sarah Plumridge, (312) 506-5218fortyseven@hdmz.com

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Forty Seven and Rocket Pharmaceuticals Announce Research Collaboration for Fanconi Anemia - BioSpace

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The College of Engineering for the first time has five faculty members who have been awarded National Science Foundations (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grants. Four of the recipients of the five-year grants, Lauren B. Andrews,Peter J. Beltramo,Jungwoo Leeand Sarah L. Perry, are assistant proferssors in chemical engineering, while Xian Duis an assistant professor in mechanical and industrial engineering.

Sanjay Raman, dean of the College of Engineering, welcomed news of the grants. These awards are a testimony to the remarkable potential of these early-career UMass engineering faculty, he says. They are also the product of strong faculty development programs at the college and university levels, and outstanding mentorship by colleagues across the college. We look forward to the impactful research and educational innovations of these rising stars in emerging areas such as therapeutics and vaccine development, tissue engineering, biomanufacturing, biosensors and flexible electronics.

Du is the principal investigator on a $571,655 grant that focuses on improvements in roll-to-roll soft lithography. He is establishing a learning-based modeling method that guides the design and control of continuous microcontact printing processes and investigates continuous pattern formation mechanisms.

Andrews, the Marvin and Eva Schlanger Faculty Fellow in chemical engineering, will do researchstudying how communities of bacteria can be engineered to have coordinated behaviors. This will have numerous applications in biomanufacturing, cell-based therapies, and medical diagnostics. Andrewss $589,060 grant will fund research into developing a new approach for effectively programming how cells in a bacterial community work together in a predictive and highly controllable way.

Beltramos $592,332 grant will support his work on understanding the interplay between lipid composition and biomolecule transport in biological membranes. This is fundamental research that could enable the development of such breakthroughs as advanced drug delivery systems, biosensors, and other biomimetic materials.

Lee says his $549,710 grant will fund research that could lead to a greater understanding through which bone remodeling and blood forming processes are functionally coupled in porus, or trabecular bone cavities, by creating tissue engineered stem cell bone marrow models.

Perrys $657,920 grant will fund a study of a groundbreaking new approach to protein stabilization based on nature-inspired strategies. Her research has the ultimate goal of boosting the accessibility of vaccines and other therapeutics, especially in developing countries, and extending the reach of temperature-stable proteins to sensing and catalysis applications.

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Five College of Engineering Faculty Win NSF CAREER Grants - UMass News and Media Relations

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PERTH, Australia Australian stem cell therapy company Mesoblast Ltd. plans to evaluate its allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) candidate, remestemcel-L, in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by coronavirus (COVID-19) in the U.S., Australia, China and Europe.

The company is in active discussions with various governments, regulatory authorities, medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies to implement these activities.

What people are dying of is acute respiratory distress syndrome, which is the bodys immune response to the virus in the lungs, and the immune system goes haywire, and in its battle with the virus it overreacts and causes severe damage to the lungs, Mesoblast CEO Silviu Itescu told BioWorld.

Were going to be evaluating whether an injection of our cells intravenously can tone down the immune system just enough so it gets rid of the virus but doesnt destroy your lungs at the same time.

Recently published results from an investigator-initiated clinical study conducted in China reported that allogeneic MSCs cured or significantly improved functional outcomes in all seven treated patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

We have now looked at our own data in lung disease in adults where half the patients had the same kind of inflammation in the lungs as you get with coronavirus, and our cells significantly reduced the inflammation and significantly improved lung function, Itescu said, noting that he is awaiting emergency use authorization to treat patients under a clinical trial protocol.

In a post-hoc analyses of a 60-patient randomized controlled study in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), remestemcel-L infusions were well-tolerated, significantly reduced inflammatory biomarkers, and significantly improved pulmonary function in those patients with elevated inflammatory biomarkers.

Since the same inflammatory biomarkers are also elevated in COVID-19, those data suggest that remestemcel-L could be useful in the treatment of patients with ARDS due to COVID-19. The COPD study results have been submitted for presentation at an international conference, with full results to be submitted for publication shortly.

Mortality in COVID-19-infected patients with the inflammatory lung condition is reported to approach 50% and is associated with older age, co-morbidities such as diabetes, higher disease severity, and elevated markers of inflammation.

Current therapeutic interventions do not appear to be improving in-hospital survival, and remestemcel-L has potential for use in the treatment of ARDS, which is the principal cause of death in COVID-19 infection.

Itescu said he didnt know of any other stem cell companies that were doing this. He said that other companies could try the approach from a research perspective but that Mesoblast has all the patents locked down.

The companys intellectual property portfolio encompasses more than 1,000 patents or patent applications in all major markets and includes the use of MSCs obtained from any source for patients with ARDS, and for inflammatory lung disease due to coronavirus (COVID-19), influenza and other viruses.

Remestemcel-L is being studied in numerous clinical trials across several inflammatory conditions, including in elderly patients with lung disease and adults and children with steroid-refractory acute graft-vs.-host disease (aGVHD).

Mesoblasts stem cell therapy is currently being reviewed by the FDA for potential approval in the treatment of children with steroid-refractory aGVHD. The company submitted the final module of a rolling BLA in January.

Remestemcel-L is being developed for rare pediatric and adult inflammatory conditions. It is an investigational therapy comprising culture-expanded MSCs derived from the bone marrow of an unrelated donor and is administered in a series of intravenous infusions.

The stem cell therapy is believed to have immunomodulatory properties to counteract the inflammatory processes that are implicated in several diseases by down-regulating the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, increasing production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, and enabling recruitment of naturally occurring anti-inflammatory cells to involved tissues, according to Mesoblast.

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Australia's Mesoblast plans to evaluate its stem cell therapy in patients infected with COVID-19 - BioWorld Online

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Drug Target Review explores five of the latest research developments in the field of spinal cord injury (SCI) repair.

MRIs of Lumbar & Thoracic spine showing how a fracture of thoracic spine gets worse over time.

Researchers have shown that increasing energy supply to injured spinal cord neurons can promote axon regrowth and motor function restoration after a spinal cord injury (SCI).

We are the first to show that spinal cord injury results in an energy crisis that is intrinsically linked to the limited ability of damaged axons to regenerate, said Dr Zu-Hang Sheng, study co-senior author, senior principal investigator at the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

According to the team, energy levels are damaged because the mitochondria that produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for neurons are located in the axons. When damaged, the mitochondria are unable to produce ATP at the same level.

Nerve repair requires a significant amount of energy, said Dr Sheng. Our hypothesis is that damage to mitochondria following injury severely limits the available ATP and this energy crisis is what prevents the regrowth and repair of injured axons.

The scientists suggest that this is compounded by the anchoring of mitochondria in adult cells alongside the axons, so once damaged they are hard to replace.

Using a murine model, called a Syntaphilin knockout, where mitochondria are free to move along the axons, the researchers showed that when mitochondria are more mobile, mice have significantly more axon regrowth across the site of SCI compared to control animals. The paper also demonstrated that newly-grown axons made appropriate connections beyond the injury site, leading to functional recovery of motor tasks.

They hypothesised that increasing mitochondrial transport and thus the available energy to the injury site could enable repair of damaged nerve fibres.

When fed creatine, a compound that enhances the formation of ATP, both the control and knockout mice had increased axon regrowth following injury, compared to mice fed saline instead. More robust nerve regrowth was seen in the knockout mice that received creatine.

We were very encouraged by these results, said Dr Sheng. The regeneration that we see in our knockout mice is very significant and these findings support our hypothesis that an energy deficiency is holding back the ability of both central and peripheral nervous systems to repair after injury.

Dr Sheng highlighted that despite the promising results of the study published in Cell Metabolism, genetic manipulation was required for the best regrowth as creatine produced only modest regeneration. He concluded that further research is required to develop therapeutic compounds that are more effective in entering the nervous system and increasing energy production for the treatment of SCI.

Experiments exploring the role of immune and glial cells in wound healing and neural repair has revealed that Plexin-B2, an axon guidance protein, is essential for their organisation after SCI.

The researchers suggest their findings could aid in the development of therapies that target axon guidance pathways for treatment of SCI.

An artists impression of a macrophage.

The paper published in Nature Neuroscience reveals that Plexin-B2 on macrophages and microglia is essential for the process of corralling, where microglia and macrophages are mobilised and form a protective barrier around the site of SCI, separating healthy and necrotic tissue. In this study, researchers found that corralling begins early in the healing process and requires the ability of Plexin-B2 to steer immune cells away from colliding cells.

When they deleted Plexin-B2 from the microglia and macrophages in tissues, it led to tissue damage, inflammatory spillover and hindered axonal regeneration.

The lead investigator Dr Hongyan Jenny Zou, Professor of Neurosurgery and Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, US, said the results were quite unexpected.

She concluded that understanding the signalling pathways and interactions of glial cells with each other and the injury environment is fundamental to improving neural repair after a traumatic brain or spinal cord injury.

Another studyexploring the interactions of macrophages and microglia has revealed that in the central nervous system (CNS), microglia interfere with macrophages preventing them from moving out of damaged regions of the CNS.

We expected the macrophages would be present in the area of injury, but what surprised us was that microglia actually encapsulated those macrophages and surrounded them almost like police at a riot. It seemed like the microglia were preventing them from dispersing into areas they should not be, said Jason Plemel, a medical researcher at Canadas University of Alberta and a member of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute.

A microglial cell stained with Rio Hortegas silver carbonate method under the microscope.

Plemel said that more research is required to ascertain why this is happening, but they found that both the immune cells that protect the CNS, microglia and the immune cells of the peripheral immune system, macrophages, are present early after demyelination and microglia continue to accumulate at the expense of macrophages.

When we removed the microglia to understand what their role was, the macrophages entered into uninjured tissue. This suggests that when there is injury, the microglia interfere with the macrophages in our CNS and act as a barrier preventing their movement.

The scientists said that this observation was only possible because they were able to distinguish between microglia and macrophages, which has historically not been possible. Using this technique, they established than one type of microglia responded to demyelination. The results were published in Science Advances.

The indication of at least two different populations of microglia is an exciting confirmation for us, said Plemel. We are continuing to study these populations and hopefully, in time, we can learn what makes them unique in terms of function. The more we know, the closer we get to understanding what is going on (or wrong) when there is neurodegeneration or injury and being able to hypothesise treatment and prevention strategies.

Researchers suggest subpially-injecting neural precursor cells (NSCs) may reduce the risk of further injury associated with current spinal cell delivery techniques.

NSCs have the potential to differentiate into many neural cell types depending on the environment and have been the subject of investigation in both the field of SCI repair and neurodegenerative disease therapies.

subpially-injected cells are likely to accelerate and improve treatment potency in cell-replacement therapies for several spinal neurodegenerative disorders

However, the senior author of this study Dr Martin Marsala, professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at University of California (UC) San Diego School of Medicine, US, explained the current delivery techniques involve direct needle injection into the spinal parenchyma the primary cord of nerve fibres running through the vertebral column, so there is an inherent risk of (further) spinal tissue injury or intraparenchymal bleeding.

The novel technique Dr Marsala proposed in a paper published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine, is to inject these cells into the spinal subpial space an area between the pial membrane and the superficial layers of the spinal cord.

This injection technique allows the delivery of high cell numbers from a single injection, Dr Marsala explained. Cells with proliferative properties, such as glial progenitors, then migrate into the spinal parenchyma and populate over time in multiple spinal segments as well as the brain stem. Injected cells acquire the functional properties consistent with surrounding host cells.

The research collaborators suggest that subpially-injected cells are likely to accelerate and improve treatment potency in cell-replacement therapies for several spinal neurodegenerative disorders. This may include spinal traumatic injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis, said study senior author Dr Joseph Ciacci, a neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health.

The team now intend to move their experiments from rats to larger pre-clinical animal models, more anatomically similar to humans. The goal is to define the optimal cell dosing and timing of cell delivery after spinal injury, which is associated with the best treatment effect, concluded Dr Marsala.

Dr Mohamad Khazaei is the recipient of the STEM CELLS Translational Medicines (SCTM) Young Investigator Award for his work on SCI.

The award recognises advancements in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine made by young researchers. The recipient is the principal author of an article published in SCTM that, over the course of a year, is deemed to have the most impact.

Dr Khazaeis work focuses on bringing cell-based strategies, such as NSC transplantation, into the therapeutic pipeline through generating and differentiating novel cell types using genetic and cell engineering approaches.

While we currently lack effective regenerative medicine treatment options for spinal cord injuries, Dr Khazaeis work to create a cell transplantation therapy utilising neural precursor cells is novel and provides a promising approach, said Dr Anthony Atala, Editor-in-Chief of SCTM and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

His winning paper details how Dr Khazaei and his team used neurons and oligodendrocytes to obtain better functional recovery after SCI.

Related topicsCell Regeneration, CNS, Disease research, Drug Delivery, Drug Discovery, Drug Targets, Neurons, Neurosciences, Regenerative Medicine, Research & Development, Therapeutics

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Exploring future spinal cord injury therapies - Drug Target Review

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Adam Castillejo revealed himself to be the London Patient. Photo: Courtesy Adam Castillejo/Facebook

A London man who still has undetectable virus 30 months after stopping antiretroviral treatment is likely the second person ever cured of HIV, according to a report presented this week at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.

Two days before the conference was set to open in Boston, organizers decided to make the meeting virtual due to concerns about the coronavirus. Researchers gave their presentations via webcasts.

At last year's CROI, Dr. Ravindra Gupta of University College London reported that the so-called London Patient, who received a bone marrow transplant using stem cells from a donor with natural resistance to HIV, had no detectable virus in his blood plasma or T cells 18 months after stopping treatment.

At this week's meeting, Gupta said that an additional year of more extensive testing had found no functional HIV in the man's blood, lymph nodes, semen, gut tissue or cerebrospinal fluid.

"After 2.5 years off antiretrovirals and lack of evidence for any active virus, this almost certainly represents cure," Gupta told the Bay Area Reporter.

A day before Gupta's presentation, the New York Times revealed that the man, Adam Castillejo, 40, had decided to go public as the London Patient. Castillejo, who grew up in Venezuela, moved to London in 2002 and was diagnosed with HIV a year later. He is now leading a healthy and active life.

"My message to everyone out there living and coping with HIV is to not give up hope," Castillejo told the B.A.R. "I do hope that me going public will give some encouragement and empower people to keep breaking the stigma associated with HIV."

Resistant T cellsLike former San Francisco resident Timothy Ray Brown, known as the Berlin Patient the only other person known to be cured of HIV Castillejo underwent a bone marrow transplant to treat advanced cancer. According to the Times story, he spoke with Brown repeatedly before deciding to reveal his identity.

In both cases, doctors searched an international registry to find donors with double copies of an uncommon genetic mutation known as CCR5-delta-32, which makes T cells resistant to most types of HIV.

Brown received two stem cell transplants to treat leukemia in 2006, first undergoing strong chemotherapy and radiation to kill off his cancerous immune cells. He stopped antiretroviral therapy at the time of his first transplant, but his viral load did not rebound as expected. Over years of testing, researchers have found no functional virus anywhere in his body. Brown has now been free of HIV for more than 13 years.

Castillejo was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2011. After five years of grueling treatment, he underwent a bone marrow transplant in May 2016. But he received less aggressive chemotherapy than Brown and was able to stay on antiretroviral therapy.

The transplant led to complete remission of his lymphoma. Post-transplant tests showed that most of his T cells now lacked the CCR5 receptors HIV uses to enter the cells. In September 2017, with no evidence of viable HIV in his blood, he stopped his antiretrovirals in a closely monitored analytic treatment interruption.

When Castillejo was last tested on March 4, his plasma viral load remained undetectable using an ultrasensitive assay. Viral load was also undetectable in his semen and cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Biopsies showed no evidence of functional HIV in a lymph node or in his large or small intestine. Some bits of HIV genetic material were detected in long-lived memory T cells, but Gupta said these are probably "fossils" that cannot trigger active viral replication.

If this does prove to be a second cure, experts caution that the high-risk procedure will not be an option for people with HIV who do not need the treatment for cancer. But researchers are working on ways to mimic the same effect using gene therapy to delete CCR5 receptors from T cells or stem cells that give rise to all immune cells.

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Online Extra: London case appears to be second HIV cure - Bay Area Reporter, America's highest circulation LGBT newspaper

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The world of Netflix's Altered Carbon is one where consciousness is no longer tethered to the physical body. It can be, and regularly is, uploaded into "cortical stacks," which are implanted at the base of the neck. In the event of death, a persons consciousness can be reloaded into a new body, known as a "sleeve." For those less fortunate, like protagonist Takeshi Kovacs, that might mean receiving a body thats not your own. In one particularly existential example from the series first episode, it might even mean a young child being uploaded into the body of an adult.

For those with means, however, the mind can be placed into a swiftly made, identical clone, allowing them to return to their lives with little interruption. We've covered what it might take to create a digital copy of a persons mind before (spoiler: it wouldnt be easy), but Altered Carbon's techno-immortality requires a second piece: the swift creation of replacement bodies.

One of the major hurdles that has kept real-world cloning from being the game changer everyone suspected it might be after the birth of Dolly, the first successfully cloned mammal, is the relatively slow development of human bodies. If you wanted to clone a 50-year-old human and get them back to the same stage of development, it would take you 50 years. That's a little too slow to make use of in the same way science fiction does.

We don't have the means to artificially age a body at a rapid pace, but what if we were able to shortcut these limitations to put it plainly, what would it take to build an adult body from scratch?

BONES

If you want to build a person from scratch, you must first make the universe. Carl Sagan said something like that, I think. Just after that, though, youll need a skeleton. Without bones, youll be left with little more than a Cronenbergian nightmare, cool in its own way, but not what were shooting for.

Today, if you have trouble with your bones, your options are limited. The first option, and in most cases the best one, is to let the bone heal itself. Your body is pretty resilient and capable of repairing most day-to-day injuries, even the ones accompanied by a sickening crack. If the injury is really bad, things get a little more medieval. Surgeons might use a series of metal plates and screws to hold your bones in place and give them time for your bodys healing processes to do their work. But those solutions only work for relatively minor injuries where the bone tissue is at least moderately intact.

When it comes to bone replacements, things are a little tougher.

Again, we can return to metal. Like the Wolverine, you might have part of your skeleton replaced or covered over with metal. This might be sufficient in specific cases, but it all feels a little crude.

Ramille Shah, Ph.D., headed a team out of Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering to create a new material capable of instigating rapid bone regeneration. The team used 3D printers (the invention that never stops giving) and a mixture of 90 percent hydroxyapatite, a natural element of human bones, and 10 percent medical polymer to build bone constructs.

The result is a bit of artificial bone modeled in whatever shape the patient needs. It is porous, allowing for blood vessels and other tissues to easily integrate. The elastibone (perhaps the worst superhero name, trademark pending) stimulates bone regeneration and degrades over time. The intent is for the artificial structure to dissipate, leaving actual bone in its place. A technology like this would go a long way to repairing complex bone defects in all manner of patients, but is particularly promising in pediatrics, where the patients are still growing.

But, in order to truly build a bone from scratch, well need something even better. Thats where Nina Tandon and EpiBone come in.

This technology would work by taking a sample of fatty tissue, something readily available if your plan is to build a copy of an existing person, and use it to extract stem cells. Those cells would then be applied to a 3D printed scaffold of a cows bone which has been scrubbed of all its living cells. Those undifferentiated stem cells would then be placed into a bioreactor (something which sounds made up but is very real) and coaxed into growing into a fully formed bone in just a few weeks. Given enough bioreactors, and enough cows (pour one out for our fallen bovine brethren) you could feasibly grow an entire skeleton in the time it takes for you to finally fold the laundry thats been sitting in the corner of your room.

Now that youve got a skeleton, youre going to need some

ORGANS

For a long time, there weren't many ways to get a new organ if you needed one. The most commonly used method (we hope) was to get your name on a list and wait for a donor. The unfortunate reality of organ donation is that there are more people who need organs than there are organs available. Even when an organ does become available, the odds are against you that theyll match your bodys preferences, and even if you get a match, theres always the threat of rejection.

Organ transplants are a veritable miracle procedure and, while we sometimes take them for granted, they are evidence of our living in truly wizardly times in medical science. But science is never content with the status quo and humanity is forever wondering if we can further laugh in the face of nature. The preferred solution would be to develop a way to craft bespoke organs, made from the recipients' own cells.

Growing cells in a petri dish is old hat. Weve been doing that for longer than many of us have been alive. The trouble is, you can take a heart cell and induce it to multiply in a dish, but all you end up with is a dish-shaped collection of heart cells. That might be good for studying cellular biology, not so good for pumping blood through a person.

A collection of cells does not an organ make. You need something more a scaffold. Each of your organs is a complex collection of various cell types clinging to a protein structure. You can think of that structure as the framing around which the rest of a house is built. Without it, you've got little more than some insulation and drywall tossed into a haphazard stack. You need that scaffold.

There are hopes that one day well be able to build them via (drum roll please) 3D printing, but were not there yet. The level of minute detail involved is beyond our current ability. So, we have to borrow from nature.

Scientists are able to take an existing organ and strip it of its surface cells by pumping detergent through it (good for removing pesky stains and unwanted biological material). Whats left is a ghostly protein structure ready for seeding.

All that's left is to take tissue samples from the recipient and seed them onto the structure, pop it into one of those handy bioreactors, and let the cells get to work. Eventually, youll end up with an organ made of the patients own tissues. Current tests are pretty impressive, but were still a ways off from having a functioning process. The number of different tissue types involved in complex organs is a barrier and the complexity of small structures like circulatory vessels is another. Still, the technology is promising and would not only allow us to build any and all organs in record time, it would solve the organ transplant shortage and save countless lives.

So, now youve got a rigid skeleton filled with juicy oozing organs. Your neighbors are starting to wonder about the smell coming from your garage and youre grateful this abominable creature is not yet sentient because it would very likely go running for the hills. At least it would if it had

MUSCLES

Look, we all know its been a while since youve been to the gym. You bought a membership for the new year and you went a few times. You really meant well but life happened and, somehow, it all got away from you. We get it. It happens to the best of us.

While you might not have the muscle mass you wish you had, you still have quite a lot. The average persons body is comprised of somewhere between 35 and 40 percent muscle, give or take. Thats a lot. Even after all of your efforts with bioreactors, youve only managed to make 60 percent of a person. Its nothing to be scoffed at, but you arent done yet.

In order to complete next steps, youre going to need more tissue samples and a few friends from Duke University.

Using human cells that were no longer stem cells but not yet muscle cells, Nenad Bursac and Lauran Madden, an associate professor of biomedical engineering and a postdoctoral researcher, respectively, were able to successfully create functioning muscle tissues in a lab.

They grew the tissue samples and, using a 3D scaffold and a nutritive gel, ended up with working muscle fibers. These bundles of muscle fibers included receptors capable of taking in external stimuli and contracted when acted on by electricity.

For their part, the intent is not to build novel muscular structures, but to test the efficacy of drugs to treat diseases. According to Bursac, drug tests in the laboratory matched results seen in living patients. Those patients with muscular ailments could provide a tissue sample, that sample could then be grown into fiber bundles and used to test various drug treatments, ex vivo, to find a workable treatment without all the trial and error usually required.

Thanks to Bursac and the team at Duke, youve now built almost all of Takeshi Kovacs. Hes twitching and moving around on the table. He might be screaming a little, thanks to those vat-grown lungs and hes still oozing a bit. Most of all, hes embarrassed by his nakedness. A lots changed in the intervening centuries, but not the need for

SKIN

Youve got your terrible Frankensteinian gift all put together, all thats left is the wrapping. Here, too, is an area were moderately familiar with. When a patient loses skin through injury, a graft can be taken from elsewhere and used to replace the damaged tissue. It gets the job done, some skin is better than no skin of course, but theres still room for improvement.

More recently, bioengineers have had some success in growing sheets of epithelial tissue for implantation but they lacked oil and sweat glands. Again, close, but not quite. Until

A study undertaken at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, led by Takashi Tsuji took cells from the gums of mice and used chemicals to revert them to a stem-cell-like state. The cells were used to grow complex skin tissues.

Once the tissues were ready, they were transplanted onto living mice and were found to develop normally. Not only did those tissues function as a protective barrier, the primary function of skin, but they also succeeded in developing hair follicles and sweat glands. Even more importantly, they successfully integrated with surrounding tissue systems like muscle groups and nerves.

There are, of course, other tissue types weve not covered, each of them important to the successful functioning of a body, but if these emerging technologies are any indication, were well on our way in those areas as well.

So, youve done it. Youve made a full-grown human from scratch in months rather than decades. All thats left is to upload a mind and youre well on your way to cyberpunk chicanery. Go forth, Kovacs, we're rooting for you. And dont mess up this body, please. It was really hard to make. Thanks.

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How to build a body from scratch, Altered Carbon-style - SYFY WIRE

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I'm just going to come out and say it: Everyone has been complimenting my skin lately. My co-workers, random peopleat the grocery store, my friends and familyeveryone. While I've never dealt with any major skin woes like acne, I still never considered myself to be someone with particularly good skin (whatever that means). My skin has always been on thedry side, and like many women of color, I've dealt with my fair share of stubborn hyperpigmentation. The sudden influx of complimentshasn't just been a nice little boost to my newly 30-year-old ego but also a testament to my current skincare routine, which I've tweaked to perfectionover the course of several months.

As a beauty editor, I have access to every product under the sun. But ever since last fall, I felt like my skin had just lost something. When I think back, it makes sense, as there was lot was happening at the time. I had moved, turned 30, gotten engaged, andmade a major professional moveall in a matter of months, and while each of these life developments was exciting and positive, I found myself overwhelmed with stress. I wasn't sleeping well, I wasn't eating properly, my skincare routine had fallen by the wayside, and all of that was showing up on my face. I was getting pimples, my skin tone was blotchy and uneven, and my skin texture was less than smooth.

But then, something started to happen around January: Every time I posted a photo of my mug on Instagram, a sea of adulation would flood into my comments. I started catching glimpses of my makeup-free face and being truly happy with what I saw staring back at me. Maybe it was the newfound self-love I'd been practicing in therapy, or maybe it was my skincare regimen, whichhadadmittedly reached an all-time level of bougie, even for me. Now, I'm at a place where I'llfreely leave the house without makeup on and am genuinely pleased with how healthy and smooth my skin looks. I'm not perfect, by any means, but Iamgenuinely happy, and I have to believe that my fresh, smooth skin has something to do with it. So here it goes: the exact skincare routine thatdelivered smooth, glowing skin in a month's time and continues to do so to this day. Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think.

Klur Gentle Matter ($22)

I thoroughly cleanse my skin at night, so I don't always use a cleanser in the morning. Most days, I find that warm water is enough. When I do feel the need to cleanse in the morning, though,this gel cleanser is the onlyone I'll reach for. It's so gentle and actually adds moisture and nutrients like green tea, dandelion, and olive oil into my skin instead ofjust pulling everything out.

SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic ($166)

Vitamin C is probably the most important component of my skincare routine right now. While there's a lot of debate around L-ascorbic acid and whether or not its potency is actually good for the skin (jury's still out on that one), I find thatmy skin responds really well to it. Vitamin E and ferulic acid round out this formula with extra skin lipid and antioxidant protection. I can alwaystell when I've gotten lazy with my vitamin C regimen because marks from old blemishes will start to deepen, and my skin will lose some of the glow and refinement that earns me an insane amount of compliments.

Bioderma Sensibio Eye Contour Gel ($20)

I'll admit that I didn't take eye cream seriously until about a year ago, and this non-intimidating tube is to thank for that change of heart. The cream inside is lightweight and easy to lightly tap into my eye area. When I'm using eye cream consistently, I notice that any fine lines in the area soften over time, giving me that smooth, even texture I'm always after.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream ($32)

This moisturizer has been an on-again, off-again staple on my vanity for years now. It's unscented, lightweight, and super effective. If I'm feeling extra dry, I'll even add afew small drops of marula oil to give it an extra hit of moisture.

Victoria Beckham by Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer ($145)

This moisturizing primer is basically like a blurring filter for your skin. It has tiny sparkly particles and theproprietary TFC-8 technology found in Augustinus Bader's other famous creams (more on those later). It makes my skin look way smoother, even when I don't layer any makeup on top.

Elta MD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 ($28)

Say it with me: SPF, all the time, no matter what. UV protection is important for so many reasons, but for me, it's all about mitigating hyperpigmentation and making sure any scars or blemishes on my face aren't getting exposed to the sun. This sunscreen by Elta MD is a dermatologist favorite, and it's one of my favorites, too. It doesn't irritate my skin or leave an unsightly white cast.

Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm ($34)

I'm a makeup wearer, so my nighttime cleansing ritual has always been serious. I need every stitch ofgunk off of my face before I can relax for the evening. This cleansing balm melts even the most stubborn eye makeup with ease. I usually massage it into the rest of my face for about 30 seconds before concentrating on my eyes. After just a few seconds of gentle rubbing, any makeup is melted down to an inky oil that rinses away without leaving any residue behind.

Reflekt Daily Exfoliating Wash ($48)

This exfoliator is said to be gentle enough for daily use, and I've found that to be true for me. Although I've backed off from using it every single day, I still love how clean and soft my face feels after use. The multitasking jojoba beads are small and smooth, so they aren't at all harsh on the skin and also meltdown to impart moisture instead of stripping the skin.

IS Clinical Cleansing Complex ($44)

This slippery cleanser clings to every trace of grime to remove it while also retexturizing. When I want a flat wash at night instead of a gritty, exfoliating one, this is the cleanser for the job. I used to have a serious attitude about paying more than $20 for cleanser (come on, it's literally money down the drain), but this is the one that taught me the power of investing in a high-quality cleanser.

U Beauty Resurfacing Compound ($148)

I've been using the U Beauty Resurfacing Compound pretty consistently since it launched last winter, and I can honestly say that it's ascended to my skincare top five. It's so good. If smooth skin is your goal, you need to try this stuff. It's patent-pending siren capsules are designed to carry active ingredients wherever your skin needs them and bypass the healthy skin cells that don't. That's why you won't experience any redness, irritation, or peeling that typically arises when starting a retinoid. This has definitely been the hero product in my smooth-skin journey.

Moon Juice Beauty Shroom Plumping Jelly Serum ($58)

It was love at first pump with this magical, hyaluronic acid and mushroom-packed elixir. There aren't many products that make a big difference in your skin's texture after just one use, but this one does. Every time I use it, my skin instantly looks plumped and smoother.

IS Clinical Youth Eye Complex ($105)

This eye cream plumps and moisturizes my delicate under-eye skin before bed. It has a little retinol in it, which honestly freaked me out at first, but over time has resulted in major refinement of fine lines.

Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream ($170)

Are you sick of editors telling you how much they love this cream? Well, I'm sorry to tell you that I'm about to do it, too. When I'm running on fumes and can only manage to get my makeup off and slap one product on my face before bed, this is the indispensable one I can't ever skip. Maybe it's the stem cellstimulating TFC-8 technology, maybe it's some sort of sorcery, but all I know is my skin has legitimately changed in texture since I started using this cream. Real talk: It's worth every penny.

Dr. Dennis Gross Clinical Grade Resurfacing Liquid Peel ($95)

I love a good resurfacing peel, but I have to admit that I've calmed way down on the acids. I found my skin becoming more sensitized and reactive, and while I can't say for sure that my nightly resurfacing toners were to blame, I'm way better off since scaling back. Now, once a week, I'll do a pass of this two-step, clinical-grade lactic and glycolic acid peel, and it immediately makes my skin look smooth, bright, and alive. As with any super-potent acid compound, it's a good idea to patch test this one to make sure your skin doesn't have an adverse reaction.

Goldfaden MD Facial Detox ($65)

I love this clean detox mask because it's cooling and tingly on the skin but doesn't dry down so hard that it makes my face feel dry or depleted. Rinsing off the sulfur-infused paste feels like taking the biggest breath of fresh air.

Dr. Dennis Gross Hyaluronic Marine Hydrating Modeling Mask ($48)

If you know me at all, then you already know how obsessed I am with this modeling mask. I firmly believe that I could stay awake for three days straight, not drink any water the whole time, and still look fresh as a daisy after 20 minutes with this goop slopped on my face.

Klorane Smoothing and Relaxing Patches ($24)

Whether I'm prepping for a photo shoot, getting ready for a night out, or just looking to minimize puffy eyes after a couple of glasses of wine, these cornflower eye patches by Klorane get the job done like no other. The soothing hydrogeleye masks actually stay put so I can move around without them slipping off, which is a huge plus.

Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil ($44)

Not only is this fatty acidrich rose-hip oil an ultra-luxe finishing touch to my nighttime routine, but it also helps to get rid of imperfections caused by an imbalance in my skin's pH. I know that using oil to treat breakouts sounds counterintuitive, but this oil does just as much to calm and soothe the skin as it does to moisturize it.

Osea Malibu Blemish Balm ($48)

Speaking of soothing salves, this coolingbalmfeels so good on top of congested skin. Whenever I notice a pimple or that my pores are looking rough, I'll spot-treat with this clean cream and let it penetrate into my skin tocalmany inflammation that's plaguing me. I'll work it in as the first step in my routine whenever I need it, and it really sets the tone for the entire day.

Up next, the 25 best products to keep your skin right and tight well past your 20s.

This article originally appeared on Who What Wear

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My Skin Is Kind of Perfect Right Now Thanks to This Exact 30-Day Routine - Yahoo Lifestyle

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Dublin, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Cell Therapy - Technologies, Markets and Companies" report from Jain PharmaBiotech has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The cell-based markets was analyzed for 2018, and projected to 2028. The markets are analyzed according to therapeutic categories, technologies and geographical areas. The largest expansion will be in diseases of the central nervous system, cancer and cardiovascular disorders. Skin and soft tissue repair as well as diabetes mellitus will be other major markets.

The number of companies involved in cell therapy has increased remarkably during the past few years. More than 500 companies have been identified to be involved in cell therapy and 309 of these are profiled in part II of the report along with tabulation of 302 alliances. Of these companies, 170 are involved in stem cells.

Profiles of 72 academic institutions in the US involved in cell therapy are also included in part II along with their commercial collaborations. The text is supplemented with 67 Tables and 25 Figures. The bibliography contains 1,200 selected references, which are cited in the text.

This report contains information on the following:

The report describes and evaluates cell therapy technologies and methods, which have already started to play an important role in the practice of medicine. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is replacing the old fashioned bone marrow transplants. Role of cells in drug discovery is also described. Cell therapy is bound to become a part of medical practice.

Stem cells are discussed in detail in one chapter. Some light is thrown on the current controversy of embryonic sources of stem cells and comparison with adult sources. Other sources of stem cells such as the placenta, cord blood and fat removed by liposuction are also discussed. Stem cells can also be genetically modified prior to transplantation.

Cell therapy technologies overlap with those of gene therapy, cancer vaccines, drug delivery, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Pharmaceutical applications of stem cells including those in drug discovery are also described. Various types of cells used, methods of preparation and culture, encapsulation and genetic engineering of cells are discussed. Sources of cells, both human and animal (xenotransplantation) are discussed. Methods of delivery of cell therapy range from injections to surgical implantation using special devices.

Cell therapy has applications in a large number of disorders. The most important are diseases of the nervous system and cancer which are the topics for separate chapters. Other applications include cardiac disorders (myocardial infarction and heart failure), diabetes mellitus, diseases of bones and joints, genetic disorders, and wounds of the skin and soft tissues.

Regulatory and ethical issues involving cell therapy are important and are discussed. Current political debate on the use of stem cells from embryonic sources (hESCs) is also presented. Safety is an essential consideration of any new therapy and regulations for cell therapy are those for biological preparations.

Key Topics Covered

Part I: Technologies, Ethics & RegulationsExecutive Summary 1. Introduction to Cell Therapy2. Cell Therapy Technologies3. Stem Cells4. Clinical Applications of Cell Therapy5. Cell Therapy for Cardiovascular Disorders6. Cell Therapy for Cancer7. Cell Therapy for Neurological Disorders8. Ethical, Legal and Political Aspects of Cell therapy9. Safety and Regulatory Aspects of Cell Therapy

Part II: Markets, Companies & Academic Institutions10. Markets and Future Prospects for Cell Therapy11. Companies Involved in Cell Therapy12. Academic Institutions13. References

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bzimne

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

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Cell Therapy Insights Report, 2018-2028: Markets, Technologies, Ethics, Regulations, Companies & Academic Institutions - Benzinga

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SAN DIEGO (CNN) There are only two northern white rhinos left on the planet, and theyre both female. Unless scientists can make a dramatic breakthrough, the entire species will die with those two individuals.

In a nondescript building just north of San Diego, the fight to save the northern white rhino is coming down to the wire. However, the battleground here looks less like a scene from a wildlife documentary and more akin to something out of a science fiction novel.

At the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, an army of scientists armed with liquid nitrogen, microscopes, and ultrasound machines is working around the clock to create an unprecedented first in the conservation world: they are looking to turn frozen rhino skin cells into baby rhinos.

Its not just the science that is groundbreaking, but also the team looking to save this species. Composed mostly of women, the lab is a rarity in a field traditionally dominated by men.

The first step in this conservation effort began more than four and a half decades ago in 1975 when scientists established the institutes Frozen Zoo. In a small room measuring no more than 36 square meters the skin cells of more than 10,000 individuals across 1,100 species sit in giant steel tanks suspended in time, frozen in liquid nitrogen.

Among the collection are the skin samples of 12 northern white rhinos. These are vital to the groups efforts because there is such a small gene pool of living northern whites.

The population has been decimated by poachers, who target rhinos because of the belief in parts of Asia that their horns can cure various ailments. The two surviving females both live under guard at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Even thoughembryos have been producedin an Italian lab using eggs extracted from the pair, any future descendants from this kind of embryo would carry the genes of those two females.

That may not be enough genetic diversity to maintain a stable population. The hope is that the skin samples of those 12 individuals at the Frozen Zoo contain enough diversity to sustain the northern white species long-term.

The arduous task for these scientists is to create a rhino population from those samples.

Marlys Houck is curator of the Frozen Zoo. She graduated high school in 1979, the same year the Frozen Zoo froze its very first northern white rhino skin cell. She later joined the institute to work on the rhino project.

I was hired specifically to try to make the cells of the rhinos grow better because they were one of the most difficult to grow cell lines, she told CNN.

Since then, shes figured out how to successfully grow and freeze the skin cells of the northern white.

The impact of this work is not lost on her. Were losing species so rapidly, she said. One of the things we can do is save the living cells of these animals before its too late.

Were at the forefront of science today, she added. If we do everything right these cells should be here 50 years from now being used for purposes that we cant even imagine today.

Marisa Korody is one of the four scientists tasked with turning these frozen cells into new life. They have to reprogram the frozen skin cells into pluripotent stem cells. In laymans terms, Korody explains that stem cells can become any cell type in the body if theyre given the right signals.

Read: Former war zones turn into wildlife paradise

The aim is to ultimately turn the stem cells into sperm and eggs. The ambitious feat has only been achieved in animals by Japanese scientists. While Korody and her team have looked to that research as a road map, she admits that doing the same with rhinos is uncharted territory. We dont really know what twists and turns we need to take in order to get from A to B, she said.

They havent even figured out how to do this in humans, she added. We have as much information as we possibly can about humans. We have a fraction of that for rhinos.

Korody says being at the forefront of this kind of science has been a dream job. This was really the first project thats trying to apply this type of science to conservation as a whole, she said.

She may spend most of her time at work looking through the lens of a microscope, but her mind is always on the final goal for the rhinos: We want to be able to put them back into the wild one day and have them living free.

Because the remaining two female northern white rhinos cant carry a pregnancy, even if the team can create embryos, the last obstacle is finding rhinos who can carry them to term.

The woman tasked with that job is Barbara Durrant. As the director of reproductive sciences, shes spent four years studying the reproductive systems of six female southern white rhinos at the institutes sister facility, the Nikita Kahn Rhino Rescue Center.

Though the rhinos at the center are a different species, Durrant says they are the closest relative to the northern white. The aim is to eventually have them be surrogates for northern white embryos.

On any given day, Durrant can be found conducting ultrasounds to help her understand each rhinos distinct reproductive cycle. In 2019, two of the centers females gave birth to southern white babies. Both were conceived via artificial insemination, giving Durrant and the teams working on the rhino project hope for the future.

Durrant believes one reason the project works so well is because there are so many women involved. Women are naturally collaborative with each other, she said. Because we have so many obstacles along the way and challenges and setbacks, we support each other and we have sympathy for each other.

Read: Rare bird brought back from extinction in the wild

Houck says women tend to be naturally nurturing. The cells are living little organisms that were growing and tending almost every day, and I think women are drawn to taking care of something and growing it into something more.

Its wonderful leading a team of women, and I really think theyre changing the world, she added. People are going to look back and see it was this amazing group of women who quietly, unrecognized, work at this and just get better and better.

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Only 2 northern white rhinos left, and both are female these women are trying to save the species - KSNF/KODE - FourStatesHomepage.com

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Only 2 northern white rhinos left, and both are female these women are trying to save the species – KSNF/KODE – FourStatesHomepage.com | March 12th, 2020

Cosmetic Skin Care Market 2018: Global Industry Insights by Global Players, Regional Segmentation, Growth, Applications, Major Drivers, Value and Foreseen till 2024

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Cosmetic Skin Care Market Research Insights 2019 Global Industry Outlook Shared in Detailed Report, Forecast to 2027 - News Times

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DetailsCategory: DNA RNA and CellsPublished on Wednesday, 11 March 2020 09:50Hits: 179

-Cooperation in Product Development for Innovative Cardiac Regenerative Medicine-

March 10, 2020 I Tokyo-based Heartseed Inc. (Heartseed), a Keio University-originated biotechnology company developing induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiac regenerative medicine, and MEDIPAL HOLDINGS CORPORATION (MEDIPAL) today announced that they have entered into a capital and business alliance.

In conjunction with the alliance, MEDIPAL will acquire an equity stake in Heartseed. In addition, MEDIPAL and its wholly owned subsidiary SPLine Corporation (SPLine) will begin collaborative research with Heartseed on the logistics of Heartseeds clinical trial supplies.

Purpose of the Alliance

Heartseed is developing HS-001, allogeneic iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte spheroids for severe heart failure, which currently has no effective treatment other than heart transplantation. In preparation for the initiation of its clinical trial, Heartseed will outsource its manufacturing to Nikon CeLL innovation Co., Ltd., and are discussing transport of the cardiomyocyte spheroids with MEDIPAL.

MEDIPAL has established a distribution system in compliance with Japanese Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidelines. MEDIPAL is a pioneer in logistics services in the growing field of regenerative medicine, and has an extensive track record to support development of regenerative medicine products and to build a logistics system for them using its ultra-low temperature transport system.

In this alliance, MEDIPAL will contribute to the improvement of patient care by promoting development of Heartseeds innovative products from the clinical trial stage with its experience and expertise in the distribution of regenerative medicine products.

Comment from Heartseed CEO Keiichi Fukuda, MD, PhD, FACC

The iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte spheroids we are developing are unique in the mechanism that cardiomyocytes are strengthened by turning them into microtissues. The spheroids will be retained and engrafted with the ventricular myocardium for a long-term and are expected to contribute sustained direct ventricular contraction (remuscularization). It is completely

different from conventional treatment methods. To deliver the treatment to patients, logistical considerations are also important, and we are pleased to partner with MEDIPAL, which has an extensive track record in distribution of cellular medicines.

Comment from MEDIPAL Representative Director, President and CEO Shuichi

Watanabe

Their investigational agent has the potential to be an innovative treatment option for patients with severe heart failure. Promoting the development and stable supply of specialty pharmaceuticals is our mission, based on MEDIPALs management philosophy of

contributing to peoples health and the advancement of society through the creation of value in distribution. In this alliance, SPLine, which performs logistical planning for specialty pharmaceuticals, will be involved from the clinical trial stage, and will also work with us in creating a distribution system to ensure safe and reliable delivery of the product to patients after its launch.

Development of HS-001

Heartseed has allogeneic iPSC-derived highly purified ventricular-specific cardiomyocyte spheroids (HS-001) as its lead pipeline candidate, and is conducting research and development for the early commercialization of cardiac regenerative medicine using iPSCs supplied by the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University. HS-001 is the produced by differentiating into ventricular-specific cardiomyocytes from iPSCs with the most frequent human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type1 in Japanese people, and removing undifferentiated iPSCs and non-cardiomyocytes to achieve high purity. To improve the engraftment rate, these cardiomyocytes are formed into spheroids in which approximately 1,000 cardiomyocytes are aggregated.

Since 2016, Heartseed has had more than 10 meetings with the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA), with discussions mainly focused on details of nonclinical safety studies, manufacturing processes, and quality management that are required for initiating clinical trials. Heartseed is currently conducting the nonclinical safety studies under Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)2 standards under the agreement of the PMDA on their designs.

Prior to the company-sponsored clinical trials, investigator-initiated clinical trial plan of HS-001 at Keio University had been under review by the Keio University Certified Special Committee for Regenerative Medicine since May 2019 and was approved in February 2020. This plan will be submitted to the Health Science Council of Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare after going through established procedures in Keio University Hospital. For 90 days from its submission to the Council, the plan will be examined for conformance with the regenerative medicine provision standards. If conformance is verified, Keio University will be notified and may then begin clinical research.

1. HLA type:White blood cell type, immune rejection is less likely when the HLA type matches.

2. GLP(Good Laboratory Practice):Standards for conducting studies to assess drug safety. These standards should be followed when conducting safety studies using animals in the preclinical stage.

Summary of HS-001

Severe heart failure, particularly heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

About Heartseed Inc.

About MEDIPAL HOLDINGS CORPORATION

As a holding company, MEDIPAL controls, administers and supports the operating activities of companies in which it holds shares in the Prescription Pharmaceutical Wholesale Business; the Cosmetics, Daily Necessities and

OTC Pharmaceutical Wholesale Business; and the Animal Health Products and

Food Processing Raw Materials Wholesale Business, and conducts business development for the MEDIPAL Group.

About SPLine Corporation

3.ALC: Area Logistics Center

4. FLC: Front Logistics Center

SOURCE: Heartseed

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Notice of Capital and Business Alliance between Heartseed and MEDIPAL HOLDINGS | DNA RNA and Cells | News Channels - PipelineReview.com

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on Notice of Capital and Business Alliance between Heartseed and MEDIPAL HOLDINGS | DNA RNA and Cells | News Channels – PipelineReview.com | March 11th, 2020

Global 3D Cardiac Mapping Systems Market: Overview

Cardiac mapping is a special type of technique which helps in gathering and displaying the information from cardiac electrograms. Such technique is mainly used in the diagnosis of heart rhythms. Therefore, cardiac mapping technique has gained immense popularity in case of arrhythmia. The cardiac mapping procedure involves the percutaneous insertion of catheter into the heart chamber and recording the cardiac electrograms sequentially. Such procedure helps in correlating the cardiac anatomy with the electrograms. The latest 3D cardiac mapping systems provide the three dimensional model of hearts chamber, which further helps in tracking the exact location of the catheter. Such advantages are majorly driving the global 3D cardiac mapping systems market.

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From the perspective of technology, the global 3D cardiac mapping systems market is segmented into basket catheter mapping, electroanatomical mapping, and real-time positional management (Cardiac pathways) EP system. Among these segments, electroanatomical mapping segment accounts for the maximum share in the global 3D cardiac mapping systems market. This mapping are extensively used in several healthcare industry due to its potential in increasing the safety, accuracy, and efficiency of catheter. A research report by TMR Research (TMR) thoroughly explains the new growth opportunities in the global 3D cardiac mapping systems market. Additionally, the report also provides a comprehensive analysis of the markets competitive landscape.

Global 3D Cardiac Mapping Systems Market: Notable Developments

Some of the recent developments are contouring the shape of the global 3D cardiac mapping systems market in a big way:

Key players operating in the global 3D cardiac mapping systems market include BioScience Webster, Boston Scientific Corporation, and Abbott.

Global 3D Cardiac Mapping Systems Market: Key Growth Drivers

Rising Number of Patients with Cardiac Disorders and Arrhythmia Fillips Market

The global 3D cardiac mapping systems market has grown steadily over the years, owing to the convenience it provides to the patients with heart problem. Growing number of people with cardiovascular diseases and rising cases of arrhythmia are the major factors fueling growth in the global 3D cardiac mapping systems market. Along with this, increasing pressure for reducing diagnosis errors and rapidly rising healthcare expenditure are also responsible for boosting the global 3D cardiac mapping systems market. However, above all such factors, the global 3D cardiac mapping systems market is majorly fueled by the accuracy and patient safety provided through real-time monitoring. Such 3D cardiac mapping systems are mainly designed to improve the resolution. This system also helps in gaining prompt of cardiac activation maps. All such advantages are also providing impetus to the growth of the global 3D cardiac mapping systems market.

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Furthermore, rising ageing population who are prone to heart-attack and several chronic heart disorders and increasing diagnosis rate of cardiac illness are the factors stoking demand in the global 3D cardiac mapping systems market. Moreover, this 3D cardiac mapping helps in reducing the diagnosis time. Such factor is also contributing to the growth of the global 3D cardiac mapping systems market.

Global 3D Cardiac Mapping Systems Market: Regional Outlook

On the regional front, North America is leading the global 3D cardiac mapping systems market as the region has seen rapid growth in healthcare industry. Along with this, increasing prevalence of heart attacks, rising healthcare expenditure, and burgeoning population is also responsible for fueling growth in the 3D cardiac mapping systems market in this region.

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TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.

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3D Cardiac Mapping Systems Market Key Vendors, Analysis by Growth and Revolutionary Opportunities by 2028 - 3rd Watch News

Cardiac Stem Cells Comments Off on 3D Cardiac Mapping Systems Market Key Vendors, Analysis by Growth and Revolutionary Opportunities by 2028 – 3rd Watch News | March 11th, 2020

I feel like a sacrificial lamb, or an acceptable casualty. When a politician or scientist or couch expert says, Its only the old and ill that die, they are talking about me. The coronavirus threat has changed my identity from that of a father, husband, son, friend, pastor, alcoholic with two years sobriety and a slew of chips to prove it, to that of a comforting statistic. My new identity may soon be summed up on the news when they say, Its OK. He had underlying health problems.

Im not complaining about those who are young and healthy. When I consider my children and my wife, I, like many of you, thank God for their health. Three months ago, I would have said the same thing about my health. Unfortunately, that changed in January when I finally decided to go to the doctor and have the little red spots that had formed all over my skin, along with the new bruises that showed up daily, looked at. I found out that the blood platelets that keep all of us from bleeding to death had decided to take a vacation from my body. Most people have anywhere from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. Mine were at 4,000, and there was a danger of blood seeping into my brain, ending my life.

The first time I was in the hospital, I was there for eight days. They ran tests and stuck me with needles, capping it all off with a bone-marrow biopsy. I was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called aplastic anemia. To put it simply, my stem cells are under siege, making it difficult for my body to produce platelets, as well as red and white blood cells. I have been hospitalized around 45 days since that diagnosis. Im actually writing this article from a hospital room. Theres a truly stunning view of the hospital roof outside my window. With no white blood cells, my immune system is completely compromised, and every little infection that normal people fight off without even noticing brings me back to the hospital again.

The only cure for me is to have a bone-marrow transplant. The problem is, even though there are several matches for my transplant, in order for the transplant to go as well as possible I have to be free of infections, viruses and other diseases. Only then can I be admitted to the University of Minnesotas Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Center. Last month this didnt bother me. Now, though, the coronavirus is coming up behind me, daring me to wait longer.

If all goes well, Ill be discharged from the hospital and self-quarantined to my house with a bag full of antibiotics and other drugs. Sadly, Ive been told that the other things I need to stay healthy and get to my transplant are gone. The hand sanitizer, the antibacterial wipes, the masks that my family should be wearing, and the N95 respirators that I need to wear are nowhere to be found someone actually stole a box of masks from outside my hospital room. Many of these items have been snatched up by the same folks who thank God they are not me.

Again, dont get me wrong. I am grateful for those who are young and healthy. They should be thankful, for they are blessed. I just pray that when they give that thanks, they remember those of us who are terrified by what is coming. We are not simply a means to calm peoples fears; we are people who deserve compassion, mercy and dignity. I ask simply that you pray for the old and sick that they might get through this, that you leave a little hand sanitizer on the shelves for us, and for goodness sake, dont take the N95 respirators from my hospital room. I need them because my family, who knows that I am more than a comforting statistic, needs me. They need the man who loves them dearly and desperately wants to continue to be their father and husband.

Howard Baird lives in Maple Grove.

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OPINION EXCHANGE | Amid the coronavirus threat: A plea on behalf of the old and sick - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on OPINION EXCHANGE | Amid the coronavirus threat: A plea on behalf of the old and sick – Minneapolis Star Tribune | March 11th, 2020

derma aesthetics are proud to announce the launch of the Australasian Academy of Corneotherapy in Australia and New Zealand. The academy has been established to provide cutting edge Corneotherapy and skin education to all skin therapists, with the aim of advancing the level of in-depth skin health knowledge amongst the local industry.

Simone Vescio, Founder of the Australasian Academy of Corneotherapy says, Over the past eight years we have pioneered the awareness and education of corneotherapy across Australia and New Zealand, and were thrilled to be opening up our education to the aesthetics industry in Australasia!

Throughout 2020, the AAC will be holding series of Skin Extension Education Classes with the first classes having already opened their doors and been held in Sydney and Auckland in February.

From 2020 we are opening up our educational classes, training and access to the latest information on corneotherapy to all therapists, no matter what their brand of choice may currently be. There was a lack of non-product aligned education in our local industries, and were proud to be filling this gap, said Simone.

AAC Skin Extension Education 2020 - Class Schedule:Tuesday, 17 March 2020 PerthMonday, 30 March 2020 MelbourneMonday, 18 May 2020 AlburyMonday, 27 July 2020 BrisbaneMonday, 2 November 2020 Christchurch

The AAC Skin Extension Education classes have been designed to deliver comprehensive education on some of the most important and complex subjects and skin conditions. Plus, there will also be time for Q&A and further learning from your peers and educator during the day, said Simone.

Topics covered in each class include:

The rest is here:
Press Release: Introducing the Australasian Academy of Corneotherapy - PRWire

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Press Release: Introducing the Australasian Academy of Corneotherapy – PRWire | March 11th, 2020

There are only two northern white rhinos left on the planet, and theyre both female. Unless scientists can make a dramatic breakthrough, the entire species will die with those two individuals.

In a nondescript building just north of San Diego, California, the fight to save the northern white rhino is coming down to the wire. However, the battleground here looks less like a scene from a wildlife documentary and more akin to something out of a science fiction novel.

At the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, an army of scientists armed with liquid nitrogen, microscopes, and ultrasound machines is working around the clock to create an unprecedented first in the conservation world: they are looking to turn frozen rhino skin cells into baby rhinos.

Its not just the science that is groundbreaking, but also the team looking to save this species. Composed mostly of women, the lab is a rarity in a field traditionally dominated by men.

Find out more about Call to Earth and the extraordinary people working for a more sustainable future

The first step in this conservation effort began more than four and a half decades ago in 1975 when scientists established the institutes Frozen Zoo. In a small room measuring no more than 36 square meters the skin cells of more than 10,000 individuals across 1,100 species sit in giant steel tanks suspended in time, frozen in liquid nitrogen.

Among the collection are the skin samples of 12 northern white rhinos. These are vital to the groups efforts because there is such a small gene pool of living northern whites.

The population has been decimated by poachers, who target rhinos because of the belief in parts of Asia that their horns can cure various ailments. The two surviving females both live under guard at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Even thoughembryos have been producedin an Italian lab using eggs extracted from the pair, any future descendants from this kind of embryo would carry the genes of those two females.

That may not be enough genetic diversity to maintain a stable population. The hope is that the skin samples of those 12 individuals at the Frozen Zoo contain enough diversity to sustain the northern white species long-term.

The arduous task for these scientists is to create a rhino population from those samples.

Marlys Houck is curator of the Frozen Zoo. She graduated high school in 1979, the same year the Frozen Zoo froze its very first northern white rhino skin cell. She later joined the institute to work on the rhino project.

I was hired specifically to try to make the cells of the rhinos grow better because they were one of the most difficult to grow cell lines, she told CNN.

Since then, shes figured out how to successfully grow and freeze the skin cells of the northern white.

The impact of this work is not lost on her. Were losing species so rapidly, she said. One of the things we can do is save the living cells of these animals before its too late.

Were at the forefront of science today, she added. If we do everything right these cells should be here 50 years from now being used for purposes that we cant even imagine today.

Marisa Korody is one of the four scientists tasked with turning these frozen cells into new life. They have to reprogram the frozen skin cells into pluripotent stem cells. In laymans terms, Korody explains that stem cells can become any cell type in the body if theyre given the right signals.

The aim is to ultimately turn the stem cells into sperm and eggs. The ambitious feat has only been achieved in animals by Japanese scientists. While Korody and her team have looked to that research as a road map, she admits that doing the same with rhinos is uncharted territory. We dont really know what twists and turns we need to take in order to get from A to B, she said.

They havent even figured out how to do this in humans, she added. We have as much information as we possibly can about humans. We have a fraction of that for rhinos.

Korody says being at the forefront of this kind of science has been a dream job. This was really the first project thats trying to apply this type of science to conservation as a whole, she said.

She may spend most of her time at work looking through the lens of a microscope, but her mind is always on the final goal for the rhinos: We want to be able to put them back into the wild one day and have them living free.

Because the remaining two female northern white rhinos cant carry a pregnancy, even if the team can create embryos, the last obstacle is finding rhinos who can carry them to term.

The woman tasked with that job is Barbara Durrant. As the director of reproductive sciences, shes spent four years studying the reproductive systems of six female southern white rhinos at the institutes sister facility, the Nikita Kahn Rhino Rescue Center.

Though the rhinos at the center are a different species, Durrant says they are the closest relative to the northern white. The aim is to eventually have them be surrogates for northern white embryos.

On any given day, Durrant can be found conducting ultrasounds to help her understand each rhinos distinct reproductive cycle. In 2019, two of the centers females gave birth to southern white babies. Both were conceived via artificial insemination, giving Durrant and the teams working on the rhino project hope for the future.

Durrant believes one reason the project works so well is because there are so many women involved. Women are naturally collaborative with each other, she said. Because we have so many obstacles along the way and challenges and setbacks, we support each other and we have sympathy for each other.

Read: Rare bird brought back from extinction in the wild

Houck says women tend to be naturally nurturing. The cells are living little organisms that were growing and tending almost every day, and I think women are drawn to taking care of something and growing it into something more.

Its wonderful leading a team of women, and I really think theyre changing the world, she added. People are going to look back and see it was this amazing group of women who quietly, unrecognized, work at this and just get better and better.

Read more:
Meet the women racing to save the northern white rhino from extinction in San Diego - KTLA

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on Meet the women racing to save the northern white rhino from extinction in San Diego – KTLA | March 11th, 2020

In 2020, the National Eye Institute is launching a clinical trial to test the safety of a patient-specific stem cell therapy to treat geographic atrophy, the advanced dry form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The protocol is the first of its kind in the United States to replace a patients eye tissue with tissue derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells engineered from a patients own blood.

If successful, this new approach to AMD treatment could prevent millions of Americans from going blind. AMD is a leading cause of vision loss in people age 65 and older. By 2050, the estimated number of people with AMD is expected to more than double from 2.07 million to 5.44 million.

The first symptoms of age-related macular degeneration are dark spots in ones central vision, which is used for daily activities such as reading, seeing faces and driving. But as the disease progresses, the spots grow larger and increase in number, which can lead to significant loss of the central vision.

There are two kinds of AMD: the neovascular, or wet, form and the geographic atrophy, or dry form. Remarkable progress has been made in the ability to prevent vision loss from the neovascular form. In particular, anti-VEGF therapy has been shown to preserve vision required for driving among about half of patients who take it for five years.

By contrast, no therapies exist for treating geographic atrophy. Should this NEI-led study, and future studies, confirm the safety and efficacy of iPS cell-derived RPE-replacement therapy, it would likely be the first therapy approved for the treatment of geographic atrophy.

To produce the therapy, we isolate cells from a patients blood and, in a lab, convert them into iPS cells. These iPS cells are theoretically capable of becoming any cell type of the body.

The iPS cells are then programmed to become retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). RPE cells are crucial for eye health because they nourish and support photoreceptors, the light-sensing cells in the retina. In geographic atrophy, RPE cells die, leading to the death of photoreceptors and blindness. The goal of the iPS cell-based therapy is to protect the health of the remaining photoreceptors by replacing dying RPE tissue with healthy iPS cell-derived RPE tissue.

We grow a single-cell layer of iPS cell-derived RPE on a biodegradable scaffold. That patch is then surgically placed next to the photoreceptors where, as we have seen in animal models, it integrates with cells of the retina and protects the photoreceptors from dying.

This years clinical trial is a phase I/IIa study, which means it will focus solely on assessing the safety and feasibility of this RPE replacement therapy. The dozen participants will have one eye treated. Importantly, everyone will already have substantial vision loss from very advanced disease, such that the therapy is not expected to be capable of significant vision restoration. Once safety is established, later study phases will involve individuals with earlier stage disease, for which we are hopeful that therapy will restore vision.

A safety concern with any stem cell-based therapy is its oncogenic potential: the ability for cells to multiply uncontrollably and form tumours. On this point, animal model studies are reassuring. When we genetically analysed the iPSC-derived RPE cells, we found no mutations linked to potential tumour growth.

Likewise, the risk of implant rejection is minimised by the fact that the therapy is derived from patient blood.

Several noteworthy innovations have occurred along the way to launching the trial. Artificial intelligence has been applied to ensure that iPS cell-derived RPE cells function similar to native RPE cells. In addition, Good Manufacturing Practices, have been developed to ensure quality control, which will be crucial for scaling up production of the therapy should it receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Furthermore, the iPS cell-derived RPE patch is being leveraged to develop more complex RPE/photoreceptor replacement therapies.

Potential breakthroughs in treatment cannot move forward without the support of patients willing to participate in clinical trial research. Patients who volunteer for trials such as this are the real heroes of this work because theyre doing it for altruistic reasons. The patients in this first trial are not likely to benefit, so they are doing it to help move the field forward for future patients.

Editor's Recommended Articles

Originally posted here:
Eye health: Testing the safety of stem cell therapy for age-related macular degeneration - Open Access Government

IPS Cell Therapy Comments Off on Eye health: Testing the safety of stem cell therapy for age-related macular degeneration – Open Access Government | March 10th, 2020

With fear and misinformation spreading alongside the new coronavirus, a scientist has explained why a humble bar of soap is one of the most important weapons in our arsenal against the bug which causes COVID-19.

Soap wipes out viruses including SARS-CoV-2the pathogen which causes the disease COVID-19 not to be confused with the SARS virusbecause it is able to dissolve its fat membrane, explained Palli Thordarson, a chemistry professor at the University of New South Wales.

In a Twitter thread, Thordarson said this causes the virus to fall apart "like a house of cards" and become inactive (but not die as they aren't technically alive). Water alone isn't enough, according to Thordarson, because it "'only' competes with the strong 'glue-like' interactions between the skin and virus via hydrogen bonds. They virus is quite sticky and may not budge."

"Soapy water is totally different," said Thordarson. "Soap contains fat-like substances knowns as amphiphiles, some structurally very similar to the lipids in the virus membrane. The soap molecules "compete" with the lipids in the virus membrane."

And as our hands are "quite rough and wrinkly," we need to rub and soak them to make sure the soap reaches every part of the skin, he said.

Thordarson went on to address why soap works better to deactivate viruses than other products. "Disinfectants, or liquids, wipes, gels and creams containing alcohol (and soap) have a similar effects but are not really quite as good as normal soap. Apart from the alcohol and soap, the 'antibacterial agents' in these products don't affect the virus structure much at all."

"Consequently, many antibacterial products are basically just an expensive version of soap in terms of how they act on viruses. Soap is the best but alcohol wipes are good when soap is not practical or handy (e.g. office receptions)," he said.

Donald Schaffner, distinguished professor at Rutgers University and an expert in topics including handwashing, told Newsweek soaps also work to remove viruses from the hands as they wash them down the drain, while hand sanitizers inactivate virus already on the hands. "For an added 'one-two' punch you can use both," he said.

Contrary to some recommendations that hot water must be used when handwashing, Schaffner said the level of heat doesn't matter and people should simply use a comfortable temperature.

"People should practice washing all the areas of their hands, and perhaps give special attention to places where microbes may get trapped in dirt such as under the fingernails," he said.

Schaffner added: "Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are very effective against this virus. There are some viruses like norovirus, where hand sanitizers don't work as well." That's not the case with SARS-CoV-2 because of its structure, he said.

"Of course it doesn't help that many store shelves are sold out, but I would recommend getting a bottle to have on hand the next time it's available," said Schaffner.

The advice is in line with that given by the World Health Organization, which last month urged the public to "never underestimate the power of the humble bar of soap!"

"Washing your hands regularlyeither with alcohol-based rub or ordinary soap and wateris one of the most effective ways to protect yourself and others from #COVID19 and many other diseases."

For more WHO advice of preventing the spread of COVID-19, scroll to the bottom of the piece.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people to sing the Happy Birthday song twice, which lasts about 20 seconds, while washing their hands to ensure they are doing so for long enough to rid their hands of germs.

After you've washed your hands, don't forget to moisturise, Dr. Sara Hogan, a dermatologist at UCLA Medical Center, told Slate. That's because the practice can disturb the outer layer of skin which is made up of dead cells and protects our skin from dirt and microbes, and locks in moisture.

Dr. Evan Rieder, a dermatologist at NYU Langone told the website "really greasy" moisturizers and emollients are best, followed by creams and lotions which contain more water and are therefore less hydrating.

All this can help to stem the spread of the COVID-19, which has killed over 3,800 people in 111,000 cases worldwide, with more than 62,300 people recovered, according to a tracker run by Johns Hopkins University.

Most deaths have occurred in Hubei, China, where the outbreak started in the province's capital of Wuhan in December 2019. As shown in the map below by Statista the virus has reached every continent except Antarctica.

Hygiene advice

Medical advice

Mask usage

This article has been updated with comment from Donald Schaffner.

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This Is Why Soap Is So Effective at Stopping Spread of Coronavirus - Newsweek

Skin Stem Cells Comments Off on This Is Why Soap Is So Effective at Stopping Spread of Coronavirus – Newsweek | March 10th, 2020

Graft-versus-host disease can occur any time after a transplant when donor bone marrow or stem cells attack the recipient

CytoDyn Inc (), a late-stage biotechnology company, said Wednesday that it has treated its first patient with its lead drug leronlimab (PRO 140), in its Phase 2 clinical trial for graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) under the modified trial protocol.

Graft-versus-host disease can occur at any time after a transplant. It is a rare condition that typically occurs when donor bone marrow or stem cells attack the recipient.

In a statement, the Vancouver, Washington-based company said the modified protocol now includes reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) patients and an open-label design under which all enrollees receive leronlimab. The modified protocol also provides for a 50% increase in the dose of leronlimab to more closely mimic preclinical dosing.

The next review of data by the independent data monitoring committee (IDMC) will occur after the enrollment of 10 patients under the amended protocol after each patient has been dosed for 30 days, said the company.

CytoDyn CEO Nader Pourhassan pointed out that GvHD is a life-threatening complication following bone marrow transplantation in patients with leukemia, who have compromised immune systems due to treatment with aggressive cancer therapies.

We selected GvHD as one of our immunology indications for leronlimab, as it targets and masks the CCR5 receptor on T cells. This receptor on T cells is an important mediator of inflammatory diseases including GvHD, especially in organ damage that is the most frequent cause of death in these patients, said Dr Pourhassan.

Based upon the compelling results in our preclinical studies, we are optimistic about the opportunities for leronlimab to provide a therapy for transplant patients to mitigate GvHD, he added.

A preclinical study by Dr Denis R Burger, CytoDyns former chief science officer, and Daniel Lindner, from the Department of Translational Hematology and Oncology Research, at The Cleveland Clinic, was published in the peer-reviewed journal called the Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

The US Food and Drug Administration earlier granted orphan drug designation to leronlimab for the prevention of GvHD. The designation provides CytoDyn with various incentives and benefits including seven years of US market exclusivity for leronlimab in GvHD, subject to FDA approval for use in this indication.

Leronlimab was earlier granted Fast Track status by the FDA for the treatment of HIV in combination with the cocktail known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), and for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, a rare variety which doesnt respond to some treatments.

Leronlimab has completed nine clinical trials and has been given to 800 patients in HIV treatment programs, without a single drug-related serious adverse event. CytoDyn is developing leronlimab to battle multiple diseases. The company has also filed an IND application and a Phase 2 clinical trial protocol with the FDA to treat patients with NASH - damage caused by a build-up of fat in the liver.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at[emailprotected]

Follow her onTwitter:@UttaraProactive

Read more here:
CytoDyn treats first patient with leronlimab in Phase 2 trial for GvHD under modified protocol - Proactive Investors USA & Canada

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Comments Off on CytoDyn treats first patient with leronlimab in Phase 2 trial for GvHD under modified protocol – Proactive Investors USA & Canada | March 10th, 2020

The second person ever to be cleared of HIV has revealed his identity, saying he wants to be an ambassador of hope to others with the condition.

Adam Castillejo, the so-called London patient, was declared free of HIV last year, 18 months after stopping antiretroviral therapy following a stem cell or bone marrow transplant to treat blood cancer.

Castillejo, 40, went public on Monday in an interview with the New York Times and revealed he had been living with HIV since 2003.

In 2012 he was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukaemia and subsequently underwent a stem cell transplant. Crucially, the medical team picked a donor whose stem cells had two copies of a mutation that meant the white blood cells they developed into were resistant to HIV.

Timothy Brown, known as the Berlin patient and the first person to be cleared of the virus, underwent a similar treatment. However, while Brown and Castillejo had chemotherapy, only Brown had radiotherapy as part of his cancer treatment.

Last year it emerged the procedure had not only successfully treated the cancer, but that Castillejo was in remission for HIV as well. However, he chose to remain anonymous at the time.

I was watching TV and its like, OK, theyre talking about me, he told the New York Times. It was very strange, a very weird place to be.

Now Castillejo has decided to reveal his identity because he wants his case to be a cause for optimism. This is a unique position to be in, a unique and very humbling position, Castillejo said. I want to be an ambassador of hope.

Stem cell transplants are not suitable for most people with HIV because they involve a serious and invasive procedure that carries risks.

However, drug advances mean people who are HIV positive can take a pill every day to reduce their levels of the virus, preventing transmission and helping them to live a long and active life.

Prof Ravindra Gupta, the first author of the new study from Cambridge University, said Castillejos case was important: It is a second case of cure,. It means the first one wasnt an anomaly or a fluke.

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Second person ever to be cleared of HIV reveals identity - The Guardian

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