MIAMI (PRWEB) June 04, 2014

GlobalStemCellsGroup.com, its subsidiary Stem Cell Training, Inc. and Bioheart, Inc. have announced a new 16 CME online credit course for physicians. Working at their own pace from the privacy of home or office, physicians can learn how to implement regenerative medicine techniques in their own practices.

Taught by stem cell and regenerative medicine expert Kristin Comella, the online course provides didactic lectures on regenerative medicine and scientifically validated protocols. Lecture topics include:

Included in the online coursework are training videos, training booklets, detailed protocols and power point presentations with instructions and images for:

Medical professionals can also choose to combine the online coursework with one-on-one training with a regenerative medicine specialist.

For more information, visit the Global Stem Cells website,, email bnovas(at)regenestem(dot)com, or call 305-224-1858.

About the Global Stem Cells Group:

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions.

With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.

Global Stem Cells Groups corporate mission is to make the promise of stem cell medicine a reality for patients around the world. With each of GSCGs six operating companies focused on a separate research-based mission, the result is a global network of state-of-the-art stem cell treatments.

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Global Stem Cells Group Announces Accredited Online Stem Cell Training Course

New York, NY (PRWEB) June 04, 2014

The Animal Medical Center of New York is offering stem cell therapy provided through Vet-Stem and long-term management in a clinical trial for qualifying cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The ultimate goal of this study is to investigate the use of stem cells (obtained from the patients own fat) in aiding the enhancement of renal (kidney) function by their regenerative capabilities, with the goal of improving survival in cats with CKD.

Currently there are no therapeutic options for cats with CKD other than renal transplantation, which is not typically an option for most owners. Most efforts aim at improving uremic signs with food, dietary supplements, and antacids, but there are no current methods for improving function of the kidney directly. CKD is the leading cause of death in older cats, and 35% of cats will develop CKD at some point.

Since renal failure is so common in cats and renal cell death is the ultimate result, improving the health and environment of the cells that remain could improve the overall function of the kidneys and ultimately improve the survival times and quality of life in patients. The aim is to use the cats own adipose (fat) derived stem cells to improve renal function directly, as stem cells are thought to improve, repair, and aid in the growth of damaged tissue.

The potential health benefits of using stem cells to combat CKD include renal regeneration, anti-fibrotic effects, a decrease in proteinuria (also called urine albumin or an abnormal amount of protein in the urine), and an improvement in the Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR used to help measure kidney function). AMC is offering free fat collection, isolation of the stem cells from the fat, and intra-arterial injection for qualifying cats, as well as free follow-up for three years. Qualifying cats must be diagnosed with IRIS Stage 3 CKD that have had no other experimental therapies. Potential candidates must undergo a full workup and have no history of urinary tract stone disease or the presence of other concurrent, unrelated disease.

Allyson Berent, DVM, DACVIM and Catherine E. Langston, DVM, DACVIM will be leading the three year study, and invite owners with a cat that has been diagnosed with CKD to call 212.329.8763 for more information on qualifying for the clinic trial. To learn more about the study go to http://www.amcny.org/clinicaltrials. To watch a short special interest film about one cats success go to http://www.vet-stem.com/pr_detail.php?id=49.

The Animal Medical Center in New York City is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit veterinary center that has been a national leader in animal care since 1910. As an academic veterinary hospital, The AMC promotes the health and well-being of companion animals through advanced treatment, research and education. Stem Cell Therapy through Vet-Stem has been offered at AMC since 2008 to treat pain associated with chronic osteoarthritis. To find out more about AMC and their stem cell therapy services for osteoarthritis go to http://www.amcny.org/surgery/neurosurgery/stem-cell-therapy.

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

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Animal Medical Center of New York Seeks Candidates for Clinical Trial for Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease to Receive ...

A Littlestown resident went through a five-day procedure to give bone marrow stem cells to a man living in France

By Adam Michael

amichael@GameTimePA.com

@goodoletwonames on Twitter

John Sibirtzeff will never meet the man who used his stem cells to heal. He'll never know exactly what his affliction was, and he's OK with that.

A month ago, Sibirtzeff spent five days in Washington D.C. donating bone marrow stem cells that would be used to heal a 69-year-old man living in France.

"I'll never know who the recipient was," he said. "I'll never know if he was American or French, military or non."

When Sibirtzeff, of Littlestown, was in Navy boot camp in 2007, he opted into the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program. Naval doctors drew a vial of his blood and stored it after identifying his type. In 2011, Sibirtzeff finished his tour of duty, but his name remained on the donor list.

This past January, the program contacted Sibirtzeff requesting that he return for testing, as he was a potential match for a 69-year-old man living in France.

According to the program's website, salutetolife.org, 70 percent of patients are unable to find a match within their families. Sibirtzeff's receiver was among them.

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Everyday Hero: Littlestown man donates bone marrow stem cells to stranger

stem cell therapy - treatment for mr with delayed milestones by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india
after stem cell therapy treatment for mental retardation with delayed milestones by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india. Stem Cell Therapy done date 18/02/2013 Aft...

By: Neurogen Brain and Spine Institute

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stem cell therapy - treatment for mr with delayed milestones by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india - Video

Miami (PRWEB) May 31, 2014

Global Stem Cells Group and the Servet CordnVida Stem Cell Bank Clinic of Chile will be teaming up to organize the First International Symposium on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine in Santiago, Chile Sept. 26, 27 and 28. The three-day symposium will be followed by an intensive hands-on training course at the Servet Clinic for medical practitioners interested in learning techniques for harvesting stem cells for in-office medical therapies.

Symposium organizers plan to initiate a dialogue between researchers and practitioners to bridge the gap between bench scienceresearch science that is exclusively conducted in a lab settingand stem cell therapies delivered in the physicians office.

The first-of-its-kind conference will host some of the worlds leading experts on stem cell research and therapies. Servet CordnVida General Manager Mauricio Cortes, Ph.D. says that Santiago is the perfect launching pad for the event, as awareness and increasing demand for stem cell services has swept the South American countrys healthcare market over the past decade.

The use of human stem cells in medical therapies has attracted major scientific and public attention because stem cells are pluripotent, meaning they have the ability to differentiate into all body tissues, Cortes says. Knowing this, the possibilities for regenerating damaged or diseased tissue where no effective treatments existed before opens a new world of possibilities to patients and healthcare providers.

Were very excited to participate in this important conference.

Servet CordnVida is a private umbilical cord blood bank that harvests and stores the hematopoietic-rich blood stem cells found in all newborns umbilical cords after birth. The hematopoietic tissue is responsible for the renewal of all components of the blood (hematopoiesis) and has the ability to regenerate bone marrow and restore depressed immune systems.

Umbilical (UCB) stem cells offer a wealth of therapeutic potential because they are up to 10 times more concentrated than bone marrow stem cells. In addition, UCB cells have a generous proliferative capacity with therapeutic potential that is very similar to embryonic stem cells, without the ethical debate associated with embryonic stem cell research and use.

Perhaps most significant is the fact that UCB cells are the purest adult stem cells available, coming from newborns who have not been exposed to disease or external damage. Many parents today are utilizing cord banks like Servet CordnVida to store their newborns UCB cells safely for future medicinal use if the need arises.

Thanks to advances in stem cell science, we can preserve an infants stem cells at birth and store them safely for his or her future, says CordnVida Director Javier Sez. Hopefully, this symposium will be the first of many like it in the future of regenerative medicine, because the more we discuss what we know about the power of stem cells to heal, the closer we get to sparing our patients from needless suffering when the cure is right before us.

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Global Stem Cells Group Teams With CordnVida Servet Stem Cell Bank and Clinic to Organize the First International ...

The gap between stem cell research and regenerative medicine just became a lot narrower, thanks to a new technique that coaxes stem cells, with potential to become any tissue type, to take the first step to specialization. It is the first time this critical step has been demonstrated in a laboratory.

University of Illinois researchers, in collaboration with scientists at Notre Dame University and the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China, published their results in the journal Nature Communications.

"Everybody knows that for an embryo to form, somehow a single cell has a way to self-organize into multiple cells, but the in vivo microenvironment is not well understood," said study leader Ning Wang, a professor of mechanical science and engineering at the U. of I. "We want to know how they develop into organized structures and organs. It doesn't happen by random chance. There are biological rules that we don't yet understand."

During fetal development, all the specialized tissues and organs of the body form out of a small ball of stem cells. First, the ball of generalized cells separates into three different cell lines, called germ layers, which will become different systems of the body. This crucial first step has eluded researchers in the lab. No one has yet been able to induce the cells to form the three distinct germ layers, in the correct order -- endoderm on the inside, mesoderm in the middle and ectoderm on the outside. This represents a major hurdle in the application of stem cells to regenerative medicine, since researchers need to understand how tissues develop before they can reliably recreate the process.

"It's very hard to generate tissues or organs, and the reason is that we don't know how they form in vivo," Wang said. "The problem, fundamentally, is that the biological process is not clear. What is the biological environment that controls this, so they can become more organized and specialized?"

Wang's team demonstrated that not only is it possible for mouse embryonic stem cells to form three distinct germ layers in the lab, but also that achieving the separation requires a careful combination of correct timing, chemical factors and mechanical environment. The team uses cell lines that fluoresce in different colors when they become part of a germ layer, which allows the researchers to monitor the process dynamically.

The researchers deposited the stem cells in a very soft gel matrix, attempting to recreate the properties of the womb. They found that several mechanical forces played a role in how the cells organized and differentiated -- the stiffness of the gel, the forces each cell exerts on its neighbors, and the matrix of proteins that the cells themselves deposit as a scaffolding to give the developing embryo structure.

By adjusting the mechanical environment, the researchers were able to observe how the forces affected the developing cells, and found the particular combination that yielded the three germ layers. They also found that they could direct layer development by changing the mechanics, even creating an environment that caused the layers to form in reverse order.

Now, Wang's group is working to improve their technique for greater efficiency. He hopes that other researchers will be able to use the technique to bridge the gap between stem cells and tissue engineering.

"It's the first time we've had the correct three-germ-layer organization in mammalian cells," Wang said. "The potential is huge. Now we can push it even further and generate specific organs and tissues. It opens the door for regenerative medicine."

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Researchers see stem cells take key step toward development: A first

Patients do not have an automatic right to a compassionate therapy for which there is no scientific evidence of efficacy, according to a landmark ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

The 28 May ruling referred to the case of Nivio Durisotto, whose daughter suffers a degenerative brain disease. He wished her to be treated with a controversial stem cell-based therapy offered by the Stamina Foundation, based in Brescia, Italy.

But more generally, it will guide any judge facing requests from desperate patients for access to unproved therapies promoted from outside the regulated medical sector.

The judgement is yet another blow for the Stamina Foundation, whose president, Davide Vannoni, is now facing charges of fraudulently obtaining public money to support his therapy.

The Italian Medicines Agency had closed down the Stamina operations in August 2012 on safety grounds (see Leaked files slam stem-cell therapy). In March 2013, the government issued a decree allowing patients to continue Stamina treatment if they had already begun.

Then on 11 September, 2013 an expert committee appointed by the health ministry to examine the Stamina method concluded that there was no evidence to indicate that it might be efficacious (see Advisers declare Italian stem-cell therapy unscientific). The committee further warned that it could be dangerous.

With encouragement from Vannoni, some patients appealed to courts for the right to treatment with the Stamina method. Some judges ruled that the treatment should be given on compassionate grounds, while others including the judge in the Durisotto case ruled that compassionate therapy was not justified because there was no scientific evidence of efficacy.

Durisotto brought his appeal to the European Court of Human Rights on 28 September, 2013 a month after losing his case in Italy.

The European Court dismissed Durisottos claim, saying that the Italian courts ruling had pursued the legitimate aim of protecting health and was proportionate to that aim. It further said that the Italian courts decision had been properly reasoned and was not arbitrary, and that the therapeutic value of the Stamina method had, to date, not yet been proven scientifically. Because the case had been appropriately reasoned, it said, Durisottos daughter had not been discriminated against even if some other national courts had allowed the therapy for similar medical conditions.

Munich-based patent lawyer Clara Sattler de Sousa e Brito, an expert in biomedical laws, says that this clear ruling that scientific proof is necessary will help avoid the use of unproven therapies for so-called compassionate purposes in the future.

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Human rights court rules that evidence must support compassionate therapy

Ranking among the X-Men probably isn't all that it's cracked up to be, but who wouldn't want their uncanny ability to regenerate lost bone or tissue? New research into tooth repair and stem cell biology, from a cross-institution team led by David Mooney of Harvard's Wyss Institute, may bring such regeneration one step closer to reality or at the very least, give us hope that we can throw away those nasty dentures.

The researchers employed a low-power laser to trigger human dental stem cells to form dentin, a hard bone-like tissue that is one of four major components of teeth (the others being enamel, pulp, and cementum). This kind of low-level light therapy has previously been used to remove or stimulate hair growth and to rejuvenate skin cells, but the mechanisms were not well understood, results varied, and evidence of its efficacy was largely anecdotal.

The new work is the first to document the molecular mechanism involved, thus laying the foundations for controlled treatment protocols in not only restorative dentistry but also avenues like bone regeneration and wound healing. "The scientific community is actively exploring a host of approaches to using stem cells for tissue regeneration efforts," said Wyss Institute Founding Director Don Ingber. "Dave [Mooney] and his team have added an innovative, noninvasive, and remarkably simple but powerful tool to the toolbox."

To test the team's hypothesis, Praveen Arany, an assistant clinical investigator at the National Institutes of Health, drilled holes in the molars of rats and mice, then treated them with low-dose lasers and temporary caps. Around 12 weeks later, tests confirmed that the laser treatments triggered enhanced dentin formation.

Performing dentistry on rat teeth takes extreme precision and is actually harder than the same procedure on human teeth (Image: ames Weaver, Harvard's Wyss Institute)

Further experiments were conducted on microbial cultures in the laboratory, where they found that a regulatory cell protein called transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-1) was activated in a chemical domino effect that in turn caused the stem cells to form dentin. The good news there is that TGF-1 is more or less ubiquitous, with key roles in many biological processes such as immune response, wound healing, development, and malignancies.

This means we could one day see the technique used to do far more than help repair teeth. But first it needs to clear planned human clinical trials, so for now you'll have to make do with dentures, canes and all manner of other prosthetics while the likes of Wolverine prance around with self-healing bodies.

A paper on the research was recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Source: Wyss Institute at Harvard

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Low-power laser triggers stem cells to repair teeth

Disabled mice regained the ability to walk less than two weeks after receiving human neural stem cells (Photo: Shutterstock)

When scientists at the University of Utah injected human stem cells into mice disabled by a condition similar to multiple sclerosis, they expected the cells to be rejected by the animals' bodies. It turned out that the cells were indeed rejected, but not before they got the mice walking again. The unexpected finding could have major implications for human MS sufferers.

In multiple sclerosis, the body's immune system attacks the myelin sheath that covers and insulates nerve fibers in the spinal cord, brain and optic nerve. With that insulation gone, the nerves short-circuit and malfunction, often compromising the patient's ability to walk among other things.

In the U Utah study (which was begun at the University of California, Irvine) human neural stem cells were grown in a Petri dish, then injected into the afflicted mice. The cells were grown under less crowded conditions than is usual, which reportedly resulted in their being "extremely potent."

As early as one week after being injected, there was no sign of the cells in the animals' bodies evidence that they had been rejected, as was assumed would happen. Within 10 to 14 days, however, the mice were walking and running. After six months, they still hadn't regressed.

This was reportedly due to the fact that the stem cells emitted chemical signals that instructed the rodents' own cells to repair the damaged myelin. Stem cells grown under the same conditions have since been shown to produce similar results, in tests performed by different laboratories.

Additional mouse trials are now planned to assess the safety and durability of the treatment, with hopes for human clinical trials down the road. "We want to try to move as quickly and carefully as possible," said Dr. Tom Lane, who led the study along with Dr. Jeanne Loring from the Center for Regenerative Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute. "I would love to see something that could promote repair and ease the burden that patients with MS have."

A paper on the research was recently published in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

Source: University of Utah

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Poway, California (PRWEB) May 22, 2014

Zeke was in pain from arthritis caused by an old injury and was facing possible surgery on both knees. Christine Ponsness-Wetzel, DVM, at Pend Oreille Veterinary Service determined that Zeke was a good candidate for stem cell therapy by Vet-Stem, Inc. as an alternative, and just a few months later, he now has a bounce back in his step.

Zeke is a 125-pound Leonberger who lives in Idaho and enjoys going on back country ski trips. Zekes hobbies came to a halt two years ago when he was diagnosed with a partial cruciate ligament tear. He had gone lame and two weeks of rest was recommended, but his owners did not see improvement. After a month of rest, x-rays revealed arthritis had developed in one of Zekes knees.

After a year of pain medications to control the discomfort and pain, Zeke started having more difficulties. He had a delayed ability to comfortably bend his leg, often needed help getting up from a laying position, and would whimper in pain. This time, x-rays would reveal arthritis in both knees. After a few months of increased pain medications and only mild improvement, Zekes owners opted for stem cell therapy with Dr. Ponsness-Wetzel.

Zeke was still quite active and happy, so the thought of double knee surgery and the long recovery time was not in my books, so we opted for stem cell therapy, Zekes owner explains. It has been four months since the stem cell injections (both knees and an IV dose) and Zeke has definitely improved. He no longer needs help getting up. He does not whimper in pain. His delay in bending his knee is non-existent, and his pain medication has been reduced by about 80%. Hikes are no longer sheer drudgery and he has a bounce in his step that I forgot existed.

Pend Oreille Veterinary Services celebrates its 50th anniversary in the Bonner County, providing basic health care services to small animals and reptiles, as well as cutting edge therapies such as acupuncture, laser, and stem cells. Pend Oreille Veterinary Services also offers boarding and grooming to the cities around their two locations in Ponderay and Bonners Ferry. To find out more about Pend Oreille Veterinary Service and Vet-Stem Cell Therapy with Dr. Ponsness-Wetzel, visit http://www.sandpointvets.com.

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

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Stem Cell Therapy Provided by Pend Oreille Veterinary Service Helps Local Leonberger Get the Bounce Back in His Step ...

Freeport, The Bahamas (PRWEB) May 20, 2014

Okyanos Heart Institute has announced the addition of Dr. Todd Malan to their executive medical team as Chief Cell Therapy Officer and General Surgeon. He will perform and oversee the liposuction step of Okyanos treatment, removing a small amount of fat from patients from which their own stem cells are isolated. Cardiac cell therapy is intended for no-option heart patients who have exhausted the currently available standards of care for their condition, of which there are about 2 million in the United States alone.

Dr. Malan is founder of the Innovative Cosmetic Surgery Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, specializing in advanced liposuction and fat transfer procedures. A pioneer in adipose- (fat) derived stem cell research and fellow of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, Dr. Malan became the first physician in the United States to utilize adult stem cells from fat tissue for soft tissue reconstruction. He has co-authored two medical textbooks on fat-derived stem cell therapies and has served as principal investigator on two Institutional Review Board- (IRB) approved adult stem cell trials.

As an active member of the adipose stem cell research community, Dr. Malan is very familiar with the therapeutic benefits of adult stem cells for cardiac, as demonstrated in clinical trials, said Dr. Howard Walpole, chief medical officer at Okyanos. He lends his experience and integrated knowledge of both innovative cosmetic surgery and stem cell therapy to our medical leadership team, he added.

"It is truly gratifying to see the gathering of like-minded researchers, clinicians, and administrators who see the remarkable value of developing evidence-based protocols for effective stem cell therapies, said Dr. Malan. He added, This project is a culmination of years of experience between industry leaders who are dedicated to making Okyanos a premier cell therapy center in the world. The work we do today will define the future of medicine for years to come."

Okyanos cardiac cell therapy is the first stem cell-based procedure for heart failure available to patients outside of clinical trials, wherein the patients own adipose-derived stem cells are infused directly into the damaged part of the heart via catheter. Okyanos will begin treating advanced heart disease patients in Freeport, The Bahamas, in the summer of 2014.

ABOUT OKYANOS HEART INSTITUTE: [Oh key AH nos] Based in Freeport, The Bahamas, Okyanos Heart Institutes mission is to bring a new standard of care and a better quality of life to patients with coronary artery disease using cardiac stem cell therapy. Okyanos adheres to U.S. surgical center standards and is led by founder and CEO Matt Feshbach, as well as Chief Medical Officer Howard T. Walpole Jr., M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I. Okyanos Treatment utilizes a unique blend of stem and regenerative cells derived from ones own adipose (fat) tissue. The cells, when placed into the heart via a minimally-invasive procedure, can stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. Angiogenesis facilitates blood flow in the heart, which supports intake and use of oxygen (as demonstrated in rigorous clinical trials such as the PRECISE trial). The literary name Okyanos, the Greek god of rivers, symbolizes restoration of blood flow.

For more information, please visit http://www.okyanos.com/.

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Dr. Todd Malan Named Chief Cell Therapy Officer at Okyanos Heart Institute

In this image, the top row shows the stem cells transplanted into the mouse spinal cord. The lower row shows a close-up of the stem cells (brown). By day 7 post-transplant, the stem cells are no longer detectable. Within this short period of time, the stem cells have sent chemical signals to the mouses own cells, enabling them to repair the nerve damage caused by MS. (image: Lu Chen)

For patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), current treatment options only address early-stage symptoms of the debilitating disease. Now, new research has found a potential treatment that could both stop disease progression and repair existing damage.

In a study published in Stem Cell Reports, researchers utilized a group of paralyzed mice genetically engineered to have an MS-like condition. Initially, the researchers set out to study the mechanisms of stem cell rejection in the mice. However, two weeks after injecting the mice with human neural stem cells, the researchers made the unexpected discovery that the mice had regained their ability to walk.

This had a lot of luck to do with it; right place, right time co-senior author Jeanne Loring, director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, told FoxNews.com. [co-senior author Tom Lane] called me up and said, Youre not going to believe this. He sent me a video, and it showed the mice running around the cages. I said, Are you sure these are the same mice?

Loring, whose lab specializes in turning human stem cells into neural precursor cells, or pluripotent cells, collaborated with Tom Lane, a professor of pathology at the University of Utah whose focus is on neuroinflammatory diseases of the central nervous system. The team was interested in stem cell rejection in MS models in order to understand the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms contributing to rejection of potential stem cell therapies for the disease.

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide. For people with MS, the immune system misguidedly attacks the bodys myelin, the insulating coating on nerve fibers.

In a nutshell, its the rubber sheath that protects the electrical wire; the axon that extends from the nerves cell body is insulated by myelin, Lane, who began the study while at the University of California, Irvine, told FoxNews.com

Once the myelin has been lost, nerve fibers are unable to transmit electric signals efficiently, leading to symptoms such as vision and motor skill problems, fatigue, slurred speech, memory difficulties and depression.

The researchers inadvertent treatment appeared to work in two ways. First, there was a decrease of inflammation within the central nervous system of the mice, preventing the disease from progressing. Secondly, the injected cells released proteins that signaled cells to regenerate myelin and repair existing damage.

While the stem cells were rejected in the mice after 10 days, researchers were able to see improvements for up to six months after initial implantation.

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Stem cell therapy shows promise for multiple sclerosis

Mice have been poked, prodded, injected and dissected in the name of science. But there are limits to what mice can teach us especially when it comes to stem cell therapies. For the first time, researchers haveturned skin cells into bone in a creature more closely related to humans: monkeys.

In a study published Thursday in the journal Cell Reports, scientists report that they regrew bone in 25rhesus macaques using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) taken from the creatures skin. Since macaques are more closely related to humans, their discovery could help push stem cell therapies into early clinical trials in humans.

While this is the good news, the bad news is that iPSCs can also seed tumors in monkeys; however, the tumors grew at a far slower rate than in previous studies in mice. This finding further emphasizes the key role primates likely will play in testing the safety of potential stem cell therapies.

Repairing Bone

Researchers used a common procedure to reprogram macaque skin cells, and coaxed them into pluripotent cells that were capable of building bone. They seeded these cells into ceramic scaffolds, which are already used by surgeons used to reconstruct bone. The cells took, and the monkeys successfully grew new bone.

In some experiments, the monkeys formed teratomas nasty tumors that can contain teeth and hair when they were injected with undifferentiated iPSCs, or cells that have the potential to change into any kind of cell. However, the tumors grew 20 times slower than in mice, highlighting an important difference between mice and monkeys.

Fortunately, tumors did not form in monkeys that were injected with differentiated iPSCs, or cells that were programmed to createbone cells.

Advancing Research

Researchers say their successful procedure proves that monkeys willplay an important rolein research on therapies using iPSCs. These monkeys will help scientists test and analyze risks associated with the therapies and improve their safety.

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Succssful Stem Cell Therapy in Monkeys is First of Its Kind

Stem cell therapy can be defined as a part of a group of new techniques, or technologies that rely on replacing diseased or dysfunctional cells with healthy, functioning ones. These new techniques are being applied experimentally to a wide range of human disorders, including many types of cancer, neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease and ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), spinal cord injuries, and diabetes.

Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) is comprised of nationally-recognized patient organizations, universities, scientific societies, foundations, and individuals with life-threatening illnesses and disorders, advocating for the advancement of breakthrough research and technologies in regenerative medicine - including stem cell research and somatic cell nuclear transfer - in order to cure disease and alleviate suffering.

Portraits of Hope Volunteer group of patients and their families and friends who believe that stem cell research has the potential to save the lives of those afflicted by many medical conditions, including spinal cord injury. Purpose is to show the faces and recount the stories of people who have such illnesses and present these "portraits" to federal and state legislators in request for government support.

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Stem Cells & Spinal Cord Injuries

Beverly Hills, California (PRWEB) May 12, 2014

The top Beverly Hills pain management doctors at BZ Pain are now offering stem cell procedures for those with joint arthritis and pain. The outpatient regenerative medicine procedures are typically able to relieve pain and help patients avoid the need for joint replacement surgery of the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle. Call (310) 626-1526 for more information and scheduling.

Over a million joint replacement procedures are performed each year in America. These procedures should be considered an absolute last resort, since the implants are not meant to last forever. There are potential complications with joint replacement.

Therefore, stem cell procedures are an excellent option. They often help repair and regenerate damaged tissue, which is very different than what occurs with steroid injections. The stem cell procedures include options derived from amniotic fluid, fat tissue, or one's bone marrow.

Initial studies are showing the benefits of stem cell procedures for degenerative arthritis. With exceptionally low risk, there is a significant upside with the stem cell pain management therapies.

Dr. Zarrini at BZ Pain is a Double Board Certified Los Angeles pain management doctor, and is able to provide both medical and interventional therapies. The procedures do not involve any fetal tissue or embryonic stem cells. The procedures may help degenerative disease symptoms in the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle to name a few joints.

For those interested in stem cell therapy Los Angeles and Beverly Hills trusts, call BZ Pain today at (310) 626-1526.

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Top Beverly Hills Pain Management Doctors at BZ Pain Now Offering Stem Cell Procedures for Joint Arthritis for Pain ...

Jeanne Loring, stem cell researcher and astronomy buff, at home with one of her telescopes.

Few medical advances equal stem cells in their promise to treat conditions that currently have no cure. From Parkinsons disease to AIDS to spinal-cord injuries, scientists are getting ever closer to realizing that promise for hundreds of millions of patients.

Yet when Jeanne Loring began her research pursuits in the late 1970s, few people knew what stem cells were. These microscopic wonders, with their ability to turn into many different types of cells in the body, fascinated her. She has devoted her career to studying them and encouraging others to do likewise.

Loring, in short, is a stem-cell evangelist.

She commands respect worldwide not only because she was one of the first people to become proficient in producing human embryonic stem cells in the lab, but also because her collaborative spirit has been foundational in expanding the stem-cell field to new generations of scientists.

At the request of the National Institutes of Health, she co-wrote a manual on the subject to train other researchers. She also provided knowledge that was crucial in courtroom battles against a patent that had put a stranglehold on stem cell studies nationwide. And she helped establish a trailblazing training program for stem-cell scientists in Southern California.

Today, as a leading figure at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Loring is widely considered both a stem-cell pioneer and a key voice on the latest issues in the field.

Shes a board member of the institute that funds and coordinates much of the stem-cell research in California. She revels in teamwork with experts at other scholarly institutions, in industry and from patient-advocacy groups. And shes internationally renowned for her findings on how stem cells might treat neurological diseases.

But Loring is happy to be more of a behind-the-scenes player.

Sometimes you hear about scientists who are pie-in-the-sky crazy people, and youve got to lasso them back down to Earth. Thats not a problem with Jeanne. Shes got her feet planted firmly on the Earth, said Daniel Ravicher, an attorney with the Santa Monica-based group Consumer Watchdog and founder of the Public Patent Foundation.

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Spreading the stem cell gospel

Eczema is one of the most common skin conditions, affecting up to 30% of people in the US. Symptoms include dry, itchy skin and rashes. But according to new research, having eczema may not be all that bad; it could reduce the risk of skin cancer.

In a study published in the journal eLife, researchers from Kings College London in the UK say that eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, activates an immune response that sheds potentially cancerous cells from the skin, preventing tumor formation.

According to the research team, including Prof. Fiona Watt of the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine at Kings College, previous studies have suggested that eczema may reduce the risk of skin cancer.

However, they note that this association has proven difficult to confirm in human studies, as medication for eczema may influence cancer risk. Furthermore, symptoms of the condition vary in severity in each individual.

Eczema reduced tumor formation in mice models

For their study, the team genetically engineered mice to have skin defects commonly found in humans with eczema.

They did this by removing structural proteins in the outer layers of their skin, causing them to have an abnormal skin barrier.

The researchers then tested two cancer-causing chemicals in the genetically engineered mice, as well as in normal mice.

They found that the number of benign tumors in defected mice was six times lower than the number found in the normal mice.

Further investigation revealed that although both the defected and normal mice had equal susceptibility to mutations caused by the chemicals, the defected mice had an exaggerated inflammatory response that resulted in potentially cancerous cells being shed from the skin.

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Eczema may reduce skin cancer risk

Its much easier to defend the use of animal testing for medical research than for cosmetics testing. Yet many cosmetics companies continue to test on animals to ensure that their products dont produce negative outcomes for their human customers.

Even as medical researchers produce organs on a chip to help with drug testing, developing human skin for cosmetics testing has remained elusive. Simply cultivating skin cells in a petri dish doesnt work because the cells dont proliferate enough to be useful for many tests. And fabricating skin cells from stem cells has also fallen short, because the epidermal cells grown in a lab culture dont produce the same barrier that human skin uses to keep moisture in and toxins out.

Researchers at Kings College London and the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center report they have cleared those hurdles.

Our new method can be used to grow much greater quantities of lab-grown human epidermal equivalents, and thus could be scaled up for commercial testing of drugs and cosmetics, said Theodora Mauro, who led the San Francisco team.

Using both human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, they developed keratinocytes, the cells that make up the skins protective barrier. They positioned the cells into layers while gradually reducing the humidity in the cell culture, and ended up with a stratified epidermis with skin barrier properties similar to those of normal skin. (Essentially, different proteins dominated in each layer.)

The method could viably produce enough skin samples to be used commercially for drug and cosmetics testing, according to the researchers.

An added benefit: Making the skin from stem cells means that particular diseases could be intentionally produced for study, including common skin ailments like dermatitis in which a defective skin barrier means that toxins cannot be handily repelled and become irritants. Admittedly, these diseases are neither life-threatening nor medically exciting, but they are a big nuisance for those who suffer from them. Some, like atopic dermatitis, remain poorly understood.

The ability to obtain an unlimited number of genetically identical units can be used to study a range of conditions where the skins barrier is defective due to mutations in genes involved in skin barrier formation. We can use this model to study how the skin barrier develops normally, how the barrier is impaired in different diseases and how we can stimulate its repair and recovery, Mauro said.

Use of stem cell-based proxies for specific human organs, both to study disease behavior and to test drugs, is a rapidly growing market. In many cases its benefits are so hypothetical eliminating negative outcomes that would, statistically, have happened if in vitro organ tissue hadnt been used that they go unheralded. It will be interesting if the benefits of lab-made skin potentially vastly reduced animal testing laboratories garner more attention for the technique.

Photos: Tania Zbrodko / Shutterstock.com, Petrovo, Mauro, Ilic et al, courtesy Stem Cell Reports

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Human Skin Grown From Stem Cells Replicates The Real Thing ...

7 hours ago Cells with activated Wnt can no longer be reprogrammed (in green) are located on the periphery; cells that can be reprogrammed are aggregated anad can be seen in the center of the image (in red) Credit: CRG

In 2012, John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamakana were awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for discovering that adult cells can be reprogrammed into pluripotent ones (iPS); the cells obtained are capable of behaving in a similar way to embryonic stem cells, and hence have enormous potential for regenerative medicine.

However, although there are many research groups around the world studying this process, it is still not completely understood, it is not totally efficient, and it is not safe enough to be used as the basis for a new cell therapy.

Now, researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona have taken a very important step towards understanding cell reprogramming and its efficiency: they have discovered the key role of the Wnt signalling pathway in transforming adult cells into iPS cells.

"Generally, transcription factors are used to try to increase or decrease the cell reprogramming process. We have discovered that we can increase the efficiency of the process by inhibiting the Wnt route", explains Francesco Aulicino, a PhD student in the Reprogramming and Regeneration group, led by Maria Pia Cosma and co-author of the study that has just been published in Stem Cell Reports.

The Wnt signaling pathway is a series of biochemical reactions that are produced in cells. In frogs or lizards, for example, these reactions are those that allow their extremities to regenerate if the animal suffers an injury. Although in general, humans and mammals have lost this regenerative capacity, the Wnt pathway is involved in numerous processes during embryonic development and cell fusion.

As it is in reprogramming. The researchers have studied how the Wnt route behaves throughout the entire process of transforming cells into iPS cells, which usually lasts two weeks. It is a very dynamic process that produces oscillations from the pathway, which is not active all the time. "We have seen that there are two phases and that in each one of them, Wnt fulfils a different function. And we have shown that by inhibiting it at the beginning of the process and activating it at the end we can increase the efficiency of reprogramming and obtain a larger number of pluripotent cells", indicates Ilda Theka, also a PhD student in Pia Cosma's group and a co-author of the article.

To artificially control the pathway, the group has employed a chemical molecule, Iwp2, which is a Wnt secretion inhibitor that does not permanently alter the cells, something which other research into reprogramming using different factors has still has not been able to acheive.

They have also seen that the exact moment when the Wnt pathway is activated is crucial. Doing it too early, makes the the cells begin to differentiate, for example into neurones or endodermal cells, and they are not reprogrammed.

"It is a very important and an innovative advance in the field of cell reprogramming, because until now this was a very inefficient process. There are many groups trying to understand the mechanism by which adult cells become pluripotent, and what blocks that process and makes only a small percentage of cells end up being reprogrammed. We are providing information on why it happens", says Theka.

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One step closer to cell reprogramming

May 2, 2014 7:02 pm by Stephanie Baum | 0 Comments MedCity News

In the latest stem cell innovation, a group of researchers from Stanford University successfully converted skin cells to stem cells to sperm cells, raising new questions about a potential path to treat infertility. The study was published in Cell Report.

The research used skin samples from five men with a genetic mutation calledazoospermia a genetic mutation that prevented them from making mature sperm.

According to a description of the study on NPRs website, researchers took skin cells from infertile men and transformed them into pluripotent stem cells, which can be converted into any cell in the body. The cells were inserted in mice testes and became immature human sperm cells.

The research is certainly at the early stage and experts caution it will take a lot more research to develop healthy sperm but it is already drawing mixed responses from the research world. Although its been called provocative, Dartmouth bioethicist Ronald Green got particularly dark and called attention to the downside. He speculated that it could lead to thefts of tissue samples or hair from the dead to recreate the dearly departed.

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Stem cell innovation study converts skin cells to sperm cells in potential infertility treatment