Thanks to a study with monkeys, the idea of using stem cells to accomplish heart repair on a clinical scale seems more realistic. Stem cells have shown promise in small-animal models, that is, in mice and rats. Still, it was unclear whether human embryonic-stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) could be produced in adequate numbers, and cryopreserved with sufficient viability, to even approach human application.

In a step up from small-animal models, scientists at the University of Washington used a monkey model of myocardial infarction to test how well hESC-CMs could replace damaged tissue with new heart cells and restore failing hearts to normal function. The scientists injected 1 billion heart muscle cells derived from hESC-CMs into the infarcted muscle of pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina). This was 10 times more of these types of cells than researchers have ever been able to generate before.

The researchers found that over subsequent weeks, the stem-cell derived heart muscle cells infiltrated into the damaged heart tissue, then matured, assembled into muscle fibers, and began to beat in synchrony with the macaque heart cells. After three months, the cells appeared to have fully integrated into the macaque heart muscle.

Before this study, it was not known if it is possible to produce sufficient numbers of these cells and successfully use them to remuscularize damaged hearts in a large animal whose heart size and physiology is similar to that of the human heart, said Charles Murry, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pathology and bioengineering, who led the research team that conducted the experiment.

The research team published its results April 30 in Nature, in an article entitled Human embryonic-stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes regenerate non-human primate hearts. In this article, the authors indicated that their work demonstrated that hESCs can be grown, differentiated into cardiomyocytes, and cryopreserved at a scale sufficient to treat a large-animal model of myocardial infarction.

With further refinements in manufacturing, the scale up to trials in human patients seems feasible, the researchers wrote. Large-animal models are important forerunners to human trials, because they impart real-world rigor to issues such as cell production, delivery, and end-point analyses, while permitting mechanistic studies not possible in patients.

On average, the transplanted stem cells regenerated 40% of the damaged heart tissue. Ultrasound studies of the macaques hearts showed that the ejection fraction, an indication of the hearts ability to pump blood, improved in some of the treated animals but not all. The researchers also found that arteries and veins from the macaques hearts grew into the new heart tissue, the first time it has been shown that blood vessels from a host animal will grow into and nurture a large stem-cell derived graft of this type.

The most concerning complications were arrhythmias that occurred in the weeks after the macaques received the stem cell injections, Dr. Murry said. None of the macaques, however, appeared to have symptoms during these episodes, which disappeared after two to three weeks as the stem cells matured and became more electrically stable.

The researchers also cautioned that in their macaque model, the infarcts they had induced were smaller than the clinically severe infarcts that might benefit most from hESC-CM therapy. The researchers added that larger infarcts, in human hearts, might manifest more arrhythmias.

Because ventricular arrhythmias can be life threatening, they need to be understood mechanistically and managed en route to safe clinical translation, the authors noted. Nevertheless, the extent of remuscularization and electromechanical coupling seen here encourages further development of human cardiomyocyte transplantation as a clinical therapy for heart failure.

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GEN | News Highlights:Human Stem Cells Repair Heart Damage ...

(MENAFN - Arab News) The king abdullah international medical research center (kaimrc) recently joined a conference on stem cell research and its application science and medicine the saudi press agency reported.

the conference which was organized by the health affairs at the national guard unveiled the latest discoveries and findings made by researchers at the stem cell and regenerative medicine unit at kaimrc the agency said.

the conference was attended by several experts on stem cell research representing saudi arabia the united states britain france sweden italy australia and new zealand.

ahmed al-askar ceo of kaimrc said stem cell research is a broad topic that sheds light on how to best exploit human cells to treat diseases for certain organs such as the liver kidney or nerves.

he said the current use of stem cells is centered on plantation for the treatment of certain types of leukemia cancer and genetic diseases.

since its inception three years ago the center has transplanted 200 cells following the creation of a program for transplanting stem cells in children and adults he said.

saudi arabia has the sole stem cell donation registry in arab countries compared with 60 cells donation registries globally he said.

'the saudi stem cell donation center is meant to attract potential donors from arab countries" he said. 'we have had 5000 donors so far."

he said some 400 scientists and experts are working at the center while another 40 physicians have been dispatched on scholarships to acquire training and specialization.

al-askar expressed optimism over the future of stem cell use and its contribution to the treatment of a variety of diseases such as diabetes cancer pulmonary and hepatic fibrosis and neurological and cardiovascular disorders.

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Saudi- Conference to shed light on latest stem cell applications

Bjarki Johannesson, NYSCF

This colony of embryonic stem cells, created from a type 1 diabetes patient, is one of the first to be cloned from an adult human.

Two research groups have independently produced human embryonic stem-cell lines from embryos cloned from adult cells. Their success could reinvigorate efforts to use such cells to make patient-specific replacement tissues for degenerative diseases, for example to replace pancreatic cells in patients with type 1 diabetes. But further studies will be needed before such cells can be tested as therapies.

The first stem-cell lines from cloned human embryos were reported in May last year by a team led by reproductive biology specialist Shoukhrat Mitalipov of the Oregon Health & Science University in Beaverton (see 'Human stem cells created by cloning'). Those cells carried genomes taken from fetal cells or from cells of an eight-month-old baby1, and it was unclear whether this would be possible using cells from older individuals. (Errors were found in Mitalipov's paper, but were not deemed to affect the validity of its results.)

Now two teams have independently announced success. On 17 April, researchers led by Young Gie Chung and Dong Ryul Lee at the CHA University in Seoul reported inCell Stem Cell that they had cloned embryonic stem-cell (ES cell) lines made using nuclei from two healthy men, aged 35 and 752. And in a paper published on Nature's website today, a team led by regenerative medicine specialist Dieter Egli at the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute describes ES cells derived from a cloned embryo containing the DNA from a 32-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes. The researchers also succeeded in differentiating these ES cells into insulin-producing cells3.

To produce the cloned embryos, all three groups used an optimized version of the laboratory technique called somatic-cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), where the nucleus from a patient's cell is placed into an unfertilized human egg which has been stripped of its own nucleus. This reprograms the cell into an embryonic state. SCNT was the technique used to create the first mammal cloned from an adult cell, Dolly the sheep, in 1996.

The studies show that the technique works for adult cells and in multiple labs, marking a major step. It's important for several reasons, says Robin Lovell-Badge, a stem-cell biologist at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research in London.

At present, studies to test potential cell therapies derived from ES cells are more likely to gain regulatory approval than those testing therapies derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are made by adding genes to adult cells to reprogram them to an embryonic-like state. Compared with iPS cells, ES cells are less variable, says Lovell-Badge. Therapies for spinal-cord injury and eye disease using non-cloned ES cells have already been tested in human trials. But while many ES cell lines have been made using embryos left over from fertility treatments, stem cells made from cloned adult cells are genetically matched to patients and so are at less risk of being rejected when transplanted.

Lovell-Badge says cloned embryos could also be useful in other ways, in particular to improve techniques for reprogramming adult cells and to study cell types unique to early-stage embryos, such as those that go on to form the placenta.

Few, however, expect a huge influx of researchers making stem cells from cloned human embryos. The technique is expensive, technically difficult and ethically fraught. It creates an embryo only for the purpose of harvesting its cells. Obtaining human eggs also requires regulatory clearance to perform an invasive procedure on healthy young women, who are paid for their time and discomfort.

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Stem cells made by cloning adult humans

SAN FRANCISCO, April 28 (UPI) -- An international team of researchers developed skin grown from human stem cells that may eliminate using animals for drug and cosmetics testing and help develop news therapies for skin disorders.

The team led by Kings College London and the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center developed the first laboratory-grown epidermis -- the outer layer of skin -- similar to real skin.

"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, such as ichthyosis (dry, flaky skin) or atopic dermatitis, (eczema)," Dr. Theodora Mauro, leader of the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center team, said in a statement.

"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."

The new skin is grown from human pluripotent stem cells -- stem cells that have the potential to differentiate into almost any cell in the body. Under the right circumstances, the stem cell can produce almost all of the cells in the body.

The human induced pluripotent stem cells can produce an unlimited supply of pure keratinocytes, the predominant cell type in the outermost layer of skin that closely match keratinocytes generated from human embryonic stem cells.

The artificial skin forms a protective barrier between the body and the environment keeping out microbes and toxins, while not allowing water from escaping the body.

The findings were published in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

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Researchers create artificial skin using stem cells

Purtier Deer Placenta - Stem Cell Therapy
Increasingly hectic lifestyles, bad dietary habits, stress and pollution take a toll on our bodies. As we age, metabolic syndromes and cardiovascular diseases will surface. High blood pressure,...

By: Purtier International

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Purtier Deer Placenta - Stem Cell Therapy - Video

Gold River, CA (PRWEB) April 27, 2014

SkinStore.com, the nations leading e-commerce specialty retailer with over 9000 products for healing and maintaining healthy skin, has added Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio Repair to its assortment of premium products.

Using state-of-the-art breakthrough stem cell technology, Peter Thomas Roth blended five rose stem cells with four rose extracts to create luxurious, effective anti-aging products. The Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel Mask is a cooling, revitalizing gel designed to promote cell turnover. Strengthening and rejuvenating the skin, the soothing mask improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well as dullness and dehydration, leaving skin radiant. Cleansing is a vital part of any skin care regimen, but a cleanser can do more than just remove makeup and environmental impurities. Glycolic acid combined with rose water, rose hip seed and other extracts plus rose stem cells make Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Cleansing Gel highly effective at sweeping away dead skin surface cells to reveal fresh, young-looking skin.

Christina Bertolino, Senior Buying Manager at SkinStore.com, said, Peter Thomas Roth is known industry-wide for effective products that produce clinically-proven results. With their cutting-edge plant stem cell technology theyve created a breakthrough in anti-aging.

About SkinStore.com. Physician-founded in 1997, SkinStore carries over 300 premium brands of skin care, cosmetics, hair care, beauty tools and fragrances from around the world. With over 9,000 products to choose from, SkinStore is a leading online resource for clinical and dermatologist-recommended skin care products. Customers receive free shipping on all U.S. orders over $49, and an esthetician-staffed call center is available Monday through Friday to answer questions and offer product recommendations. The company is headquartered in Gold River (Sacramento), California with operations in Sydney, Australia and an affiliate in Hangzhou, China. For more information visit SkinStore.com, SkincareStore.com.au, or SkinStorechina.com

Contact Information Denise McDonald, Content & Production Manager SkinStore http://www.skinstore.com 916-475-1427

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SkinStore.com Announces the Addition of Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Products

Scientists able to produce one centimetre-wide fragments of epidermis Outer layer of skin created in a laboratory using stem cells Experts say the lab-grown skin could be used for testing lotions or creams Team from King's College London worked with scientists from the US

By Lucy Crossley

Published: 14:31 EST, 24 April 2014 | Updated: 14:42 EST, 24 April 2014

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Breakthrough: Scientists in the UK and US have been able to grow artificial skin which could replace animals in drug and cosmetics testing in a laboratory (file photo)

Artificial skin which could replace animals in drug and cosmetics testing has been grown in a laboratory for the first time.

Scientists in the UK and US were able to produce one centimetre-wide fragments of epidermis - the outermost skin layer - from stem cells with the same properties as real skin.

The epidermis forms a protective barrier between the body and external environment, preventing water from escaping while keeping out microbes and toxins.

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Artificial skin grown in laboratory for first time

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

23-Apr-2014

Contact: Robert Miranda cogcomm@aol.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair

Putnam Valley, NY. (Apr. 23, 2014) People who have had a stroke, often suffer motor deficits with little potential to restore neurological function. However, a study conducted in Taiwan, that will be published in a future issue of Cell Transplantation, but is currently freely available on-line as an unedited early e-pub at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/content-ct1168Chen, has found that when one group of stroke victims had their own peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) injected directly into the brain and a similar group did not, those who received the PBSCs experienced some "improvement in stroke scales and functional outcome." Those in the PBSC-injected group also received injections of the growth factor granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), known to be potentially neuroprotective.

"In this phase 2 study, we provide the first evidence that intracerebral injection of autologous (self-donated) PBSCs can improve motor function in those who have suffered a stroke and have motor deficits as a result," said study corresponding Dr. Woei-Cheng Shyu of the Center for Neuropsychiatry, Graduate Institute of Immunology and Translational Medicine Research Center, China Medical University in Taiwan. "Our study demonstrated that this therapeutic strategy was feasible and safe in stroke patients who suffered a prior stroke, but within five years from the onset of symptoms."

According to the authors, there has been little advance made in restoring neurological function following ischemic stroke. However, since neuronal death is the primary mechanism that limits functional recovery, stem cell therapy is emerging as a potentially effective regenerative approach. Once more PBSCs are being increasingly used as a self-donated source for cell therapies for regenerating skeletal muscle, heart and neurons. The PBSCs may need to be "amplified" with G-CSF, speculated the researchers.

All of the patients in the trial had suffered a stroke in the past, as long as five years prior to this study. At the end of a 12 month follow-up, the group of 15 patients with neurological deficits who received injections of PBSCs experienced neurological and functional improvement based on a number of clinical outcomes measures. The control group of 15 patients with neurological deficits that did not receive the PBSC injections did not experience the same beneficial outcomes.

The researchers reported that nine of the 15 patients undergoing PBSC transplantation experienced "positive motor evoked potentials" (MEPs) after transcranial magnetic stimulation, but why MEPs appeared in some of the transplanted group, but not all, was unclear.

"Despite this success, it should be noted that this was a preliminary study and, due to the small number of patients, are tentative," concluded the researchers. "In the future we plan to conduct a multi-center, large-scale, double blind, placebo-controlled randomized studies to better evaluate the effect of PBSC implantation in patients suffering from the effects of past stroke."

"This phase II study offers pilot clinical evidence supporting the use of autologous stem cell-based treatment for stroke" said Dr. Cesar V. Borlongan, Prof. of Neurosurgery and Director of the Center of Excellence for Aging & Brain Repair at the University of South Florida. "Clarification of the impact of G-CSF on the cells and whether other factors are necessary to maximize the benefit of cell transplantation, as well as further studies with a larger number of patients are necessary to determine equivocal safety and efficacy of this treatment".

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Autologous stem cell therapy improves motor function in chronic stroke victims

Overview Spinal Cord Injury - Stem Cell Treatment in India In 1995, actor Christopher Reeve fell off a horse and severely damaged his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. From then until his death in 2004, the silver screen Superman became the most famous face of spinal cord injury.

Most spinal cord injury causes permanent disability or loss of movement (paralysis) and sensation below the site of the injury. Paralysis that involves the majority of the body, including the arms and legs, is called quadriplegia or tetraplegia. When a spinal cord injury affects only the lower body, the condition is called paraplegia.

Christopher Reeve's celebrity and advocacy raised national interest, awareness and research funding for spinal cord injury. Many scientists are optimistic that important advances will occur to make the repair of injured spinal cords a reachable goal. In the meantime, treatments and rehabilitation allow many people with spinal cord injury to lead productive, independent lives.

A complete spinal cord injury is defined by total or near-total loss of motor function and sensation below the area of injury. However, even in a complete injury, the spinal cord is almost never completely cut in half. Doctors use the term "complete" to describe a large amount of damage to the spinal cord. It's a key distinction because many people with partial spinal cord injuries are able to experience significant recovery, while those with complete injuries are not.

Together, your spinal cord and your brain make up your central nervous system, which controls most of the functions of your body. Your spinal cord runs approximately 15 to 17 inches from the base of your brain to your waist and is composed of long nerve fibers that carry messages to and from your brain.

These nerve fibers feed into nerve roots that emerge between your vertebrae - the 33 bones that surround your spinal cord and make up your backbone. There, the nerve fibers organize into peripheral nerves that extend to the rest of your body.

Injury may be traumatic or nontraumatic

A traumatic spinal cord injury may stem from a sudden, traumatic blow to your spine that fractures, dislocates, crushes or compresses one or more of your vertebrae. It may also result from a gunshot or knife wound that penetrates and cuts your spinal cord. Additional damage usually occurs over days or weeks because of bleeding, swelling, inflammation and fluid accumulation in and around your spinal cord.

Nontraumatic spinal cord injury may be caused by arthritis, cancer, blood vessel problems or bleeding, inflammation or infections, or disk degeneration of the spine.

Damage to nerve fibers

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Spinal Cord Injury,Stem Cell Therapy Spinal Cord Treatment ...

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Invasive bladder cancer (IBC), a malignant disease that currently affects more than 375,000 people worldwide, has been found to be caused by a single type of cell in the lining of the bladder, according to researchers with the Stanford University School of Medicine.

The researchers say this is the first study to pinpoint the normal cell type that can give rise to IBC. It is also the first study to show that most bladder cancers and their precancerous lesions arise from just one cell, which could also explain why many bladder cancers recur after therapy.

Weve learned that, at an intermediate stage during cancer progression, a single cancer stem cell and its progeny can quickly and completely replace the entire bladder lining, Philip Beachy, PhD, professor of biochemistry and of developmental biology, said in a statement. All of these cells have already taken several steps along the path to becoming an aggressive tumor. Thus, even when invasive carcinomas are successfully removed through surgery, this corrupted lining remains in place and has a high probability of progression.

Beachy and colleagues found that while cancer stem cells and the precancerous lesions they form express an important signaling protein known as sonic hedgehog, the cells of subsequent invasive cancers invariably do not a critical switch that appears vital for invasion and metastasis. This switch may explain certain confusing aspects of previous studies on the cellular origins of bladder cancer in humans. It also pinpoints a possible weak link in cancer progression that could be targeted by therapies.

This could be a game changer in terms of therapeutic and diagnostic approaches, said Michael Hsieh, MD, PhD, assistant professor of urology and a co-author of the study. Until now, its not been clear whether bladder cancers arise as the result of cancerous mutations in many cells in the bladder lining as the result of ongoing exposure to toxins excreted in the urine, or if its due instead to a defect in one cell or cell type. If we can better understand how bladder cancers begin and progress, we may be able to target the cancer stem cell, or to find molecular markers to enable earlier diagnosis and disease monitoring.

Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men and the ninth in women. There are two main types of bladder cancer: one that invades the muscle around the bladder and then metastasizes to other organs, and another that remains confined to the bladder lining. Unlike noninvasive cancers, most invasive bladder cancers are untreatable. Those that can be treated are expensive and difficult to cure, and with a high likelihood of recurrences, ongoing monitoring is required.

To determine what genes or cell types are at play in the formation of bladder cancer, the study team used a mouse model that closely mimicked what happens in humans. Usually, researchers rely on prior knowledge or guesses as to what genes are involved and often genetically alter cell types in animals to induce overexpression of a gene known to be involved in tumorigenesis or to block the expression of a gene that inhibits cancer development.

LINK TO SMOKING

Previous work by Beachy and his colleagues suggested that basal cells play a role in bladder cancer. However, the new study offered an unbiased approach.

Continued here:
Single Cell Type Found To Cause Most Invasive Bladder Cancers: Study

hide captionThis mouse egg (top) is being injected with genetic material from an adult cell to ultimately create an embryo and, eventually, embryonic stem cells. The process has been difficult to do with human cells.

Eighteen years ago, scientists in Scotland took the nuclear DNA from the cell of an adult sheep and put it into another sheep's egg cell that had been emptied of its own nucleus. The resulting egg was implanted in the womb of a third sheep, and the result was Dolly, the first clone of a mammal.

Dolly's birth set off a huge outpouring of ethical concern along with hope that the same techniques, applied to human cells, could be used to treat myriad diseases.

But Dolly's birth also triggered years of frustration. It's proved very difficult to do that same sort of DNA transfer into a human egg.

Last year, scientists in Oregon said they'd finally done it, using DNA taken from infants. Robert Lanza, chief scientific officer at Advanced Cell Technology, says that was an important step, but not ideal for medical purposes.

"There are many diseases, whether it's diabetes, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease, that usually increase with age," Lanza says. So ideally scientists would like to be able to extract DNA from the cells of older people not just cells from infants to create therapies for adult diseases.

Lanza's colleagues, including Young Gie Chung at the CHA Stem Cell Institute in Seoul, Korea (with labs in Los Angeles as well), now report success.

Writing in the journal Cell Stem Cell, they say they started with nuclear DNA extracted from the skin cells of a middle-age man and injected it into human eggs donated by four women. As with Dolly, the women's nuclear DNA had been removed from these eggs before the man's DNA was injected. They repeated the process this time starting with the genetic material extracted from the skin cells of a much older man.

hide captionDolly, the first mammal to be genetically cloned from adult cells, poses for the camera in 1997 at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Dolly, the first mammal to be genetically cloned from adult cells, poses for the camera in 1997 at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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First Embryonic Stem Cells Cloned From A Man's Skin

However a team at the Research Institute for Stem Cell Research at CHA Health Systems in Los Angeles and the University of Seoul said they had achieved the same result with two men, one aged 35 and one 75.

"The proportion of diseases you can treat with lab-made tissue increases with age. So if you cant do this with adult cells it is of limited value, said Robert Lanza, co-author of the research which published in the journal Cell Stem Cell

The technique works by removing the nucleus from an unfertilised egg and replacing it with the nucleus of a skin cell. An electric shock causes the cells to begin dividing until they form a blastocyst a small ball of a few hundred cells.

In IVF it is a blastocyst which is implanted into the womb, but with this technique the cells would be harvested to be used to create other organs or tissues.

However, the breakthrough is likely to reignite the debate about the ethics of creating human embryos for medical purposes and the possible use of the same technique to produce cloned babies which is illegal in Britain.

Although the embryos created may not give rise to a human clone even if implanted in a womb, the prospect is now scientifically closer.

However scientists have been trying for years to clone monkeys and have yet to succeed.

Dr Lanza admitted that without strong regulations, the early embryos produced in therapeutic cloning could also be used for human reproductive cloning, although this would be unsafe and grossly unethical.

However, he said it was important for the future of regenerative medicine that research into therapeutic cloning should continue.

Reproductive biologist Shoukhrat Mitalipov of Oregon Health and Science University, who developed the technique last year said: "The advance here is showing that (nuclear transfer) looks like it will work with people of all ages.

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Breakthrough in human cloning offers new transplant hope

For the first time, scientists have created early-stage embryos using cloned cells from adults.

A study from Advanced Cell Technology published Thursday in the journal Cell Stem Cell highlights how researchers were able to create embryos from the skin cells of two men, ages 35 and 75. Tissue from the embryos featured exact DNA matches with the donors.

Last year, scientists at Oregon Health and Science University made a major breakthrough with the first early-stage human clones derived from infant and fetal cells. However, the experiment drew criticism because early-stage human embryos are destroyed when cells are extracted from them.

This more recent experiment involving adult cells, funded by the South Korean government and performed in California, has large implications for advances in medical treatment. However, the success ratio was low: Scientists attempted 39 times to create stem cells but succeeded only once with each donor.

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Scientists Clone Stem Cells From Adults For The First Time

LONDON In a north London hospital, scientists are growing noses, ears and blood vessels in the laboratory in a bold attempt to make body parts using stem cells.

It is among several labs around the world, including in the US, that are working on the futuristic idea of growing custom-made organs in the lab.

While only a handful of patients have received the British lab-made organs so far including tear ducts, blood vessels and windpipes researchers hope they will soon be able to transplant more types of body parts into patients, including what would be the worlds first nose made partly from stem cells.

Its like making a cake, said Alexander Seifalian at University College London, the scientist leading the effort. We just use a different kind of oven.

Dr. Michelle Griffin, a plastic surgery research fellow, holds a synthetic polymer ear.Photo: AP

During a recent visit to his lab, Seifalian showed off a sophisticated machine used to make molds from a polymer material for various organs.

Last year, he and his team made a nose for a British man who lost his to cancer. Scientists added a salt and sugar solution to the mold of the nose to mimic the somewhat sponge-like texture of the real thing. Stem cells were taken from the patients fat and grown in the lab for two weeks before being used to cover the nose scaffold. Later, the nose was implanted into the mans forearm so that skin would grow to cover it.

Seifalian said he and his team are waiting for approval from regulatory authorities to transfer the nose onto the patients face but couldnt say when that might happen.

The potential applications of lab-made organs appear so promising, even the city of London is getting involved: Seifalians work is being showcased on Tuesday as Mayor Boris Johnson announces a new initiative to attract investment to Britains health and science sectors so spin-off companies can spur commercial development of the pioneering research.

The polymer material Seifalian uses for his organ scaffolds has been patented and hes also applied for patents for their blood vessels, tear ducts and windpipe. He and his team are creating other organs including coronary arteries and ears. Later this year, a trial is scheduled to start in India and London to test lab-made ears for people born without them.

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Sci-fi meets reality as stem cells are turned into noses, ears

The director of the agency's Center for Regenerative Medicine resigned on March 28 after just one clinical-trial award had been made

Therapies based on induced pluripotent stem cells, here differentiating into retinal cells on a scaffold, were the focus of the Center for Regenerative Medicine. Credit: NIH

Stem-cell researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have been left frustrated and confused following the demise of the agencys Center for Regenerative Medicine (CRM). The intramural programs director, stem-cell biologist Mahendra Rao, left the NIH, in Bethesda, Maryland, on 28March, and the centers website was taken down on 4 April. Although no official announcement had been made at the timeNaturewent to press, NIH officials say that they are rethinking how they will conduct in-house stem-cell research.

Researchers affiliated with the center say that they have been left in the dark. When contacted byNatureon 7April, George Daley, a stem-cell biologist at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of the centers external advisory board, said that he had not yet been told of Raos departure or the centers closure.

The CRM was established in 2010 to centralize the NIHs stem-cell program. Its goal was to develop useful therapies from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells adult cells that have been converted into embryonic-like stem cells and shepherd them towards clinical trials and regulatory approval. Its budget was intended to be $52million over seven years.

Rao took the helm in 2011. Relations seem to have soured last month owing to an NIH decision to award funding to only one project aiming to move iPS cells into a clinical trial. Rao says he resigned after this became clear. He says that he had hoped that five trials would be funded, especially because the center had already sorted out complex issues relating to tissue sources, patents and informed consent.

James Anderson, director of the NIHs Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, which administered the CRM, counters that only one application that made by Kapil Bharti of the National Eye Institute in Bethesda and his colleagues received a high enough score from an external review board to justify continued funding. The team aims to use iPS cells to treat age-related macular degeneration of the retina, and hopes to commence human trials within a few years. Several other proposals, which involved the treatment of cardiac disease, cancer and Parkinsons disease, will not receive funding to ready them for clinical trials. Anderson stresses that Bhartis trial will not be affected by the CRMs closure.

Other human iPS-cell trials are further along. For example, one on macular degeneration designed by Masayo Takahashi at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan, began recruiting patients last August.

Anderson says that the CRM will not continue in its current form. The field is moving so fast that we need to rethink. To that end, the NIH plans to hold a workshop in May to gather stem-cell researchers together and decide what to do with the program and its remaining budget. To me thats just smart science, he says. If somethings not on track you dont keep spending money on it.

One option could be to allow CRM projects to be absorbed by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, an NIH institute established in 2011 to translate basic research into therapies. But Anderson says that participants at the workshop will also discuss whether the NIH needs to replace the CRM with another dedicated stem-cell program.

Continued here:
NIH Stem-Cell Program Closes

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 09, 2014

The Stem Cell Institute, located in Panama City, Panama, will present an informational umbilical cord stem cell therapy seminar on Saturday, May 17, 2014 in New York City at the New York Hilton Midtown from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Speakers include:

Neil Riordan PhD Clinical Trials: Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Autism and Spinal Cord Injury

Dr. Riordan is the founder of the Stem Cell Institute and Medistem Panama Inc.

Jorge Paz-Rodriguez MD Stem Cell Therapy for Autoimmune Disease: MS, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus

Dr. Paz is the Medical Director at the Stem Cell Institute. He practiced internal medicine in the United States for over a decade before joining the Stem Cell Institute in Panama.

Light snacks will be served afterwards. Our speakers and stem cell therapy patients will also be on hand to share their personal experiences and answer questions.

Admission is free but space in limited and registration is required. For venue information and to register and reserve your tickets today, please visit: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/stem-cell-institute-seminar-tickets-11115112601 or call Cindy Cunningham, Patient Events Coordinator, at 1 (800) 980-7836.

About Stem Cell Institute Panama

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Stem Cell Institute Public Seminar on Adult Stem Cell Therapy Clinical Trials in New York City May 17th, 2014

Desiccated L4/5 disc five months after stem cell therapy by Dr Harry Adelson
A decorated war hero, Chris, discusses the stem cell injection into his L4/5 disc by Dr Harry Adelson http://www.docereclinics.com.

By: Harry Adelson, N.D.

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Desiccated L4/5 disc five months after stem cell therapy by Dr Harry Adelson - Video

Irvine, CA (PRWEB) April 03, 2014

DrSkinSpa.com is a top-tier skin care web-retail store. It places its primary focus on bringing clinically tested skin care creations that are manufactured using naturally derived ingredients. The company proudly markets an extensive line of natural and effective anti wrinkle cream skin products. Skin care rejuvenators are just one of the many categories of beauty products sold here and DrSkinSpa.com has just added Eminence Bamboo Firming Fluid, 1.2 oz. to its extensive line.

The organic skin care product that is Eminence Bamboo Firming Fluid, 1.2 oz., contains an abundance of plant ingredients, essential oils, and anti-aging Swiss Green Apple Stem Cells. When placed together in this anti aging products, wrinkles and lines are smoothed, hydrated, and the skin is firmed up for a younger appearance.

The key ingredients in Eminence Bamboo Firming Fluid, 1.2 oz. include bamboo, both coconut oil and water, a natural retinol alternative complex with chicory root and tara tree, Swiss Green Apple Stem Cells, and monoi, a fragrant and firming Tahitian oil.

Bamboo has both soluble and insoluble fiber, free-radical fighting antioxidants, proteins, skin-enriching vitamins and minerals to help firm and anti age skin. Coconut oil is included in Eminence Bamboo Firming Fluid, 1.2 oz., for its moisturizing effects, which also help restore skins natural moisture barrier. This oil also works as an antioxidant. The coconut water in this serum balances the skins pH, returning moisture to skin; it also tones the complexion. Coconut water has natural reserves of Vitamin C, electrolytes, calcium, potassium and phosphorous, all plusses for both skin and body.

The Natural Retinol Alternative Complex in Eminence Bamboo Firming Fluid, 1.2 oz., is a combination of chicory root natural sugars (oligosaccharides) and tara tree. The sugars from chicory root firm up loose and sagging skin with immediate activity. It also increases collagen synthesis. Tara tree provides long-lasting moisture.

Dr. Farid Mostamand, owner of DrSkinSpa.com, says, Eminence Bamboo Firming Fluid, 1.2 oz., contains the patented PhytoCellTec. These are the Swiss Green Apple Stem Cells concentrate formula that has been clinically shown to reduce and prevent signs of aging.

DrSkinSpa.com is doctor operated and owned. The company studies and choosesfor sale only the finest products, with clinically proven and natural ingredients. DrSkinSpa.com extends to customers a two-week money-back guarantee for every product sold on their web site. The site also provides customers with a 120% price protection warranty in addition to no cost shipping. Complimentaryaesthetician consultations are also available. DrSkinSpa.com is owned by Crescent Health Center and is based in Anaheim, California.

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DrSkinSpa.com Announces the Addition of Eminence Bamboo Firming Fluid, 1.2 oz.

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