Multiple Myeloma Stem Cell Therapy mp4

By: Drmeena Shah

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In the early 1980s, when the transplant act was written, the process was more demanding, involving anesthesia and the use of large, hollow needles to extract marrow from a donors hip. But today, more than two-thirds of marrow donations are done via apheresis. Blood is taken from a donors arm, the bone-marrow stem cells are filtered out, and the blood is then returned to the donor through a needle in the other arm.

The Ninth Circuit panel held that these filtered stem cells are merely components of blood no different from blood-derived plasma, platelets and clotting factors, for which donor compensation is allowed.

The strongest opposition to compensation comes from the National Marrow Donor Program, the Minneapolis-based nonprofit that maintains the nations largest donor registry. Michael Boo, the programs chief strategy officer, says of reimbursement, Is that what we want people to be motivated by?

The problem with this logic is that altruism has proven insufficient to motivate enough people to give marrow and, as a result, people die.

HHS is presumably under pressure from the National Marrow Donor Program. The department does not otherwise explain its proposed rule except to claim that compensation runs afoul of the transplant acts intent to ban commodification of human stem cells and to curb opportunities for coercion and exploitation, encourage altruistic donation and decrease the likelihood of disease transmission.

But how could such concerns plausibly apply to marrow stem cells and not to blood plasma? The process of collecting plasma is safe: No serious infection has been transmitted in plasma-derived products in nearly two decades, according to the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association. Strenuous screening and testing in a robust regulatory environment, coupled with voluntary industry standards and sophisticated manufacturing processes, have created what has been called the safest blood product available today.

Constitutional violation

Outlawing compensation for stem blood cells but not mature blood cells might even violate the constitutional guarantee of equal protection of the law, according to Jeff Rowes, a lawyer at the Institute for Justice, which represented Flynn.

HHS should withdraw its proposal. Ideally, Congress should thwart future regulatory mischief by amending the National Organ Transplant Act to stipulate that marrow stem cells are not organs.

Each year, 2,000 to 3,000 Americans in need of marrow transplants die waiting for a match. Altruism is a virtue, but clearly it is not a dependable motive for marrow donation.

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Dr. Hans-Willem Snoeck and colleagues at Columbia University Medical Center reported the first successful development of functional human lung tissue from stem cells in the Dec. 1, 2013, edition of the journal Nature Biotechnology.

The development is an extension of Snoecks previous work in producing human induced pluripotent stem cells from skin cells. Human induced pluripotent stem cells perform exactly like human embryonic stem cells. The benefits of human induced pluripotent stem cells from include the avoidance of potential rejection and legal complications.

The researchers were able to create the six most necessary lung tissues from induced pluripotent stem cells. The work included the development of type 2 alveolar epithelial cells that are necessary to produce surfactants that facilitate the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs.

The development indicates that lung transplants from donors will eventually become a thing of the past as skin cells from a person with a lung disease can be turned into stem cells that can develop an entire new lung. This method avoids any chance of rejection because the lungs developed from the skin cells are the same as lung cells that a person was born with.

The development also will enable selected cell regeneration of lung cells to treat specific diseases that only involve certain parts of the lung.

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Finished heart switches stem cells off

Transcription factor Ajuba regulates stem cell activity in the heart during embryonic development

July 12, 2012

It is not unusual for babies to be born with congenital heart defects. This is because the development of the heart in the embryo is a process which is not only extremely complex, but also error-prone. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim have now identified a key molecule that plays a central role in regulating the function of stem cells in the heart. As a result, not only could congenital heart defects be avoided in future, but new ways of stimulating the regeneration of damaged hearts in adults may be opened up.

Cardiac development out of control: Absence of the transcription factor Ajuba during cardiac development, as is the case in the right-hand photo due to genetic intervention, disrupts development of the heart in the fish embryo. In addition to an increased number of cardiac muscle cells (green with red-stained nuclei), the heart is additionally deformed during development.

Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research

Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research

It's a long road from a cluster of cells to a finished heart. Cell division transforms what starts out as a collection of only a few cardiac stem cells into an ever-larger structure from which the various parts of the heart, such as ventricles, atria, valves and coronary vessels, develop. This involves the stem and precursor cells undergoing a complex process which, in addition to tightly regulated cell division, also includes cell migration, differentiation and specialisation. Once the heart is complete, the stem cells are finally switched off.

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim have now discovered how major parts of this development process are regulated. Their search initially focused on finding binding partners for transcription factor Isl1. Isl1 is characteristic of a specific group of cardiac stem cells which are consequently also known as Isl1+ cells. During their search, the researchers came across Ajuba, a transcription factor from the group of LIM proteins. "We then took a closer a look at the interaction between these two molecules and came to the conclusion that Ajuba must be an important switch", says Gergana Dobreva, head of the "Origin of Cardiac Cell Lineages" Research Group at the Bad Nauheim-based Max Planck Institute.

Using an animal model, the scientists then investigated the effects of a defective switch on cardiac development. Embryonic development can be investigated particularly effectively in the zebrafish. The Bad Nauheim-based researchers therefore produced a genetically modified fish that lacked a functioning Ajuba protein. Cardiac development in these fishes was in fact severely disrupted. In addition to deformation of the heart, caused by twisting of the cardiac axis, what particularly struck the researchers was a difference in size in comparison with control animals. "In almost all the investigated fish we observed a dramatic enlargement of the heart. If Ajuba is absent, there is clearly no other switch that finally silences the Isl1-controlled part of cardiac development", says Dobreva.

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Scientists have developed a breakthrough technique to grow artificial skin - using stem cells taken from the umbilical cord. The new method means major burn patients could benefit from faster skin grafting, the researchers say, as the artificial skin can be stored and used when needed.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were approximately 410,000 burn injuries in the US in 2008, of which around 40,000 required hospitalization.

Patients who have suffered severe burns may require skin grafts. At present, this involves the growth of artificial skin using healthy skin from the patients' own bodies. But the researchers note this process can take weeks.

"Creating this new type of skin using stem cells, which can be stored in tissue banks, means that it can be used instantly when injuries are caused, and which would bring the application of artificial skin forward many weeks," says study author Antonio Campos, professor of histology at the University of Granada in Spain.

To create the new technique, details of which are published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine, the scientists used Wharton jelly mesenschymal stem cells from the human umbilical cord.

Previous research from the team had already led them to believe that stem cells from the umbilical cord could be turned into epithelia cells (tissue cells).

The investigators note that the stem cells are "excellent candidates" for tissue engineering due to their "proliferation and differentiation capabilities," but that their potential to turn into epithelial cells had not been explored, until now.

The scientists combined the umbilical cord stem cells with a biomaterial made of fibrin - a protein found in the clotting of blood - and agarose - a polymer usually extracted from seaweed.

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Other common name(s): cellular therapy, fresh cell therapy, live cell therapy, glandular therapy, xenotransplant therapy

Scientific/medical name(s): none

In cell therapy, processed tissue from the organs, embryos, or fetuses of animals such as sheep or cows is injected into patients. Cell therapy is promoted as an alternative form of cancer treatment.

Available scientific evidence does not support claims that cell therapy is effective in treating cancer or any other disease. Serious side effects can result from cell therapy. It may in fact be lethalseveral deaths have been reported. It is important to distinguish between this alternative method involving animal cells and mainstream cancer treatments that use human cells, such as bone marrow transplantation.

In cell therapy, live or freeze-dried cells or pieces of cells from the healthy organs, fetuses, or embryos of animals such as sheep or cows are injected into patients. This is supposed to repair cellular damage and heal sick or failing organs. Cell therapy is promoted as an alternative therapy for cancer, arthritis, heart disease, Down syndrome, and Parkinson disease.

Cell therapy is also marketed to counter the effects of aging, reverse degenerative diseases, improve general health, increase vitality and stamina, and enhance sexual function. Some practitioners have proposed using cell therapy to treat AIDS patients.

The theory behind cell therapy is that the healthy animal cells injected into the body can find their way to weak or damaged organs of the same type and stimulate the body's own healing process. The choice of the type of cells to use depends on which organ is having the problem. For instance, a patient with a diseased liver may receive injections of animal liver cells. Most cell therapists today use cells taken from taken from the tissue of animal embryos.

Supporters assert that after the cells are injected into the body, they are transported directly to where they are most needed. They claim that embryonic and fetal animal tissue contains therapeutic agents that can repair damage and stimulate the immune system, thereby helping cells in the body heal.

The alternative treatment cell therapy is very different from some forms of proven therapy that use live human cells. Bone marrow transplants infuse blood stem cellsfrom the patient or a carefully matched donorafter the patients own bone marrow cells have been destroyed. Studies have shown that bone marrow transplants are effective in helping to treat several types of cancer. In another accepted procedure, damaged knee cartilage can be repaired by taking cartilage cells from the patient's knee, carefully growing them in the laboratory, and then injecting them back into the joint. Approaches involving transplants of other types of human stem cells are being studied as a possible way to replace damaged nerve or heart muscle cells, but these approaches are still experimental.

First, healthy live cells are harvested from the organs of juvenile or adult live animals, animal embryos, or animal fetuses. These cells may be taken from the brain, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, thymus gland, liver, kidney, pancreas, spleen, heart, ovaries, testicles, or even from whole embryos. Patients might receive one or several types of animal cells. Some cell therapists inject fresh cells into their patients. Others freeze them first, which kills the cells, and they may filter out some of the cell components. Frozen cell extracts have a longer "shelf life" and can be screened for disease. Fresh cells cannot be screened. A course of cell therapy to address a specific disease might require several injections over a short period of time, whereas cell therapy designed to treat the effects of aging and "increase vitality" may involve injections received over many months.

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Cell Therapy - American Cancer Society

http://www.CLINICell.com "ACL TEAR alternative with PRP and Stem Cell Therapy"

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A bone marrow transplant is when special cells (called stem cells) that are normally found in the bone marrow are taken out, filtered, and given back either to the same person or to another person.

In diseases such as leukemia and aplastic anemia, the bone marrow is unhealthy. The purpose of a bone marrow transplant is to replace unhealthy stem cells withhealthy ones. This can treat or even cure the disease.

If a family member does not match the recipient, the National Marrow Donor Program Registry database can be searched for an unrelated individual whose tissue type is a close match. It is more likely that a donor who comes from the same racial or ethnic group as the recipient will have the same tissue traits. The chances of a minority person in the United States finding a registry match are lower than that of a white person (see article, Marrow Matches For Minorities Are Harder to Find).

If stem cells are collected by bone marrow harvest (much less likely), the donor will go to the operating room and while asleep under anesthesia, a needle will be inserted into either the hip or the breastbone to take out some bone marrow. After awakening, he/she may feel some pain where the needle was inserted.

Serious problems can occur during the time that the bone marrow is gone or very low. Infections are common, as is anemia, and low platelets in the blood can cause dangerous bleeding internally. Recipients often receive blood transfusions to treat these problems while they are waiting for the new stem cells to start growing.

When a person volunteers to be a donor, his/her particular blood tissue traits, as determined by a special blood test (histocompatibility antigen test), are recorded in the Registry. This "tissue typing" is different than a person's A, B, or O blood type. The Registry record also contains contact information for the donor, should a tissue type match be made.

Note: The author has been a registered donor since 1993.

Source:

"The Donation Procedure." Donor Information. Oct 2005. National Marrow Donor Program. 25 Jul 2007.

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Bone Marrow Transplants - How They Work - About.com Rare Diseases

When pluripotent stem cells are made from a patients own cells, it may be also be possible to replace the faulty gene that caused their disease with a normal, healthy copy. The repaired stem cells could then be directed to form the tissue type needed, introduced into the body, allowed to divide, and used to reconstitute the diseased tissue. It's a treatment that should last a lifetime.

Boston Childrens Hospital researcher George Q. Daley, MD, PhD, then at the Whitehead Institute, was the first to demonstrate, in 2002, that pluripotent stem cells could successfully treat a disease. Working with mice that possess a genetic defect caused by an immune deficiency, the research team created genetically-matched embryonic stem cells through nuclear transfer, introduced corrective genes, then derived healthy blood stem cells and infused them into the mice, partially restoring their immune function. Daley, Director of Stem Cell Transplantation at Childrens, would like to do the same for his patients with blood diseases.

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Adult Stem Cells - Elaine Fuchs (Rockefeller/HHMI)
Adult stem cells regenerate a specific set of cells such as skin or blood. Fuchs focuses on skin stem cells and the success of using epidermal cells grown in vitro to treat burn patients.

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Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside some of your bones, such as your hip and thigh bones. It contains immature cells, called stem cells. The stem cells can develop into the red blood cells that carry oxygen through your body, the white blood cells that fight infections, and the platelets that help with blood clotting.

If you have a bone marrow disease, there are problems with the stem cells or how they develop.Leukemiais a cancer in which the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells. Withaplastic anemia, the bone marrow doesnt make red blood cells. Other diseases, such aslymphoma, can spread into the bone marrow and affect the production of blood cells. Other causes of bone marrow disorders include your genetic makeup and environmental factors.

Symptoms of bone marrow diseases vary. Treatments depend on the disorder and how severe it is. They might involve medicines, blood transfusions or abone marrow transplant.

Bone marrow tests check whether your bone marrow is healthy. These tests also show whether your bone marrow is making normal amounts of blood cells.

Bone marrow is a sponge-like tissue inside the bones. It contains stem cells that develop into the three types of blood cells that the body needs:

Another type of stem cell, called an embryonic (em-bre-ON-ik) stem cell, can develop into any type of cell in the body. These cells arent found in bone marrow.

Doctors use bone marrow tests to diagnose blood and bone marrow diseases and conditions, including:

Bone marrow tests also help doctors figure out how severe cancer is and how much it has spread in the body. The tests also are used to diagnose fevers and infections.

The two bone marrow tests are aspiration (as-pih-RA-shun) and biopsy.

Bone marrow aspiration usually is done first. For this test, your doctor removes a small sample of fluid bone marrow through a needle. He or she may have some idea of what the problem is, and the sample gives him or her useful information about the cells in the marrow.

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For years we have seen immobilized rats walking after getting an injection of stem cells for their spinal cord injuries. The good thing is that along the way, stem cells have started to be used in studies and experimental therapies to attempt to get SCI patients walking again. While the results for humans have not been nearly as miraculous as for mice, many patients have reported, and some studies have shown, that these early treatments do bring back some sensory ability and improved motor function. Most importantly, a good percentage of patients who have received stem cell transplantsfeel that the treatment has helped not only to improve their quality of life but also that of their caretaker.

Clinical trials and studies using stem cell treatment for spinal cord injuries have been done in Argentina, China, Portugal and are now starting in the United States. The signs are quite positive that within ten to fifteen years, stem cell treatment will be widely available to the general public. The stem cells that being tested in clinical trials today in the west will be approved for medical use for the public in ten years. For patients who dont want to wait for this process, Beike provides an option chosen by over 1000 patients since 2003 making it one of the most established experimental therapies available today.

Stem cell treatment, using Beikes cord mensenchymal stem cells and protocols for spinal cord injuries, is available at various hospitals in China and one in Thailand. Generally, many patients have reported improvements soon after treatment, and continue to notice more improvements for up to 12 months following the stem cell transplants.

Patients who report that they do benefit from the procedure, most always report that those improvements are retained permanently, without regression. Reported improvements differ from patient to patient (depending on the severity of their injury and specifics of their case) - some patients may experience mild increases in sensation, while some regain muscle control and strength where there was little or none before. Many of the patients who see the greatest benefits from the treatment focus heavily on rehabilitation after their stem cell transplant. Like any medical procedure or medicine, there are some patients who report no improvement.

To learn first hand from other patients who have had the treatment, contact us and we will do our best to put you in touch with past patients with similar spinal cord injuries (including those who saw good results and those with no results) who were treated with Beikes stem cell treatment.

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Spinal Cord Injury Treatment (Adult Stem Cell Therapy)

Stem Cell Stories trailer - Stem Cell Therapy Europe
Stem Cell Stories trailer - Stem Cell Therapy Europe.

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In 2006, Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan was the first to disprove the previous notion that reversible cell differentiation of mammals was impossible. He reprogrammed a fully differentiated mouse cell into a pluripotent stem cell by introducing four genes, Oct-4, SOX2, KLF4, and Myc, into the mouse fibroblast through gene-carrying viruses. With this method, he and his coworkers created induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), the key component in this experiment.[1] Scientists have been able to conduct experiments that show the ability of iPS cells to treat and even cure diseases. In this experiment, tests were run on mice with inherited sickle cell anemia.Skin cells were turned into cells containing genes that transformed the cells into iPS cells. These replaced the diseased sickled cells, curing the test mice. The reprogramming of the pluripotent stem cells in mice was successfully duplicated with human pluripotent stem cells within about a year of the experiment on the mice.

Sickle cell anemia is a disease in which the body produces abnormally shaped red blood cells. Red blood cells are flexible and round, moving easily through the blood vessels. Infected cells are shaped like a crescent or sickle (the namesake of the disease). As a result of this disorder the hemoglobin protein in red blood cells is faulty. Normal hemoglobin bonds to oxygen, then releases it into cells that need it. The blood cell retains its original form and is cycled back to the lungs and re-oxygenated.

Sickle cell hemoglobin, however, after giving up oxygen, cling together and make the red blood cell stiff. The sickle shape also makes it difficult for the red blood cell to navigate arteries and causes blockages.[2] This can cause intense pain and organ damage. The sickled red blood cells are fragile and prone to rupture. When the number of red blood cells decreases from rupture (hemolysis), anemia is the result. Sickle cells also die in 1020 days as opposed to the traditional 120-day lifespan of a normal red blood cell.

Sickle cell anemia is inherited as an autosomal (meaning that the gene is not linked to a sex chromosome) recessive condition.[2] This means that the gene can be passed on from a carrier to his or her children. In order for sickle cell anemia to affect a person, the gene must be inherited from both the mother and the father, so that the child has two recessive sickle cell genes (a homozygous inheritance). People who inherit one sickle cell gene from one parent and one normal gene from the other parent, i.e. heterozygous patients, have a condition called sickle cell trait. Their bodies make both sickle hemoglobin and normal hemoglobin. They may pass the trait on to their children.

The effects of sickle cell anemia vary from person to person. People who have the disease suffer from varying degrees of chronic pain and fatigue. With proper care and treatment, the quality of health of most patients will improve. Doctors have learned a great deal about sickle cell anemia since its discovery in 1979. They know its causes, its effects on the body, and possible treatments for complications. Sickle cell anemia has no widely available cure. A bone marrow transplant is the only treatment method currently recognized to be able to cure the disease, though it does not work for every patient. Finding a donor is difficult and the procedure could potentially do more harm than good. Treatments for sickle cell anemia are generally aimed at avoiding crises, relieving symptoms, and preventing complications. Such treatments may include medications, blood transfusions, and supplemental oxygen.

During the first step of the experiment, skin cells (also known as fibroblasts) were collected from infected test mice and put in a culture. The fibroblasts were reprogrammed by infecting them with retroviruses that contained genes common to embryonic stem cells. These genes were the same four used by Yamanaka (Oct-4, SOX2, KLF4, and Myc) in his earlier study. The investigators were trying to produce cells with the potential to differentiate into any type of cell needed (i.e. pluripotent stem cells). As the experiment continued, the fibroblasts multiplied into identical copies of iPS cells. The cells were then treated to form the mutation needed to reverse the anemia in the mice. This was accomplished by restructuring the DNA containing the defective globin gene into DNA with the normal gene through the process of homologous recombination. The iPS cells then differentiated into blood stem cells, or hematopoietic stem cells. The hematopoietic cells were injected back into the infected mice, where they proliferate and differentiate into normal blood cells, curing the mice of the disease.[3][4][verification needed]

To determine whether the mice were cured from the disease, the scientists checked for the usual symptoms of sickle cell disease. They examined the blood for mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and red cell distribution width (RDW) and urine concentration defects. They also checked for sickled red blood cells. They examined the DNA through gel electrophoresis, checking for bands that display an allele that causes sickling. Compared to the untreated mice with the disease, which they used as a control, the treated animals had marked increases in RBC counts, healthy hemoglobin, and packed cell volume levels.[5]

Researchers examined the urine concentration defect, which results from RBC sickling in renal tubules and consequent reduction in renal medullary blood flow, and the general deteriorated systemic condition reflected by lower body weight and increased breathing.[5] They were able to see that these parts of the body of the mice had healed or improved. This indicated that all hematological and systemic parameters of sickle cell anemia improved substantially and were comparable to those in control mice.[5] They cannot say if this will work in humans because a safe way to inject the genes for the induced pluripotent cells is still needed.[citation needed]

The reprogramming of the induced pluripotent stem cells in mice was successfully duplicated in humans within a year of the successful experiment on the mice. This reprogramming was done in several labs and it was shown that the iPS cells in humans were almost identical to original embryonic stem cells (ES cells) that are responsible for the creation of all structures in a fetus.[1] An important feature of iPS cells is that they can be generated with cells taken from an adult, which would circumvent many of the ethical problems associated with working with ES cells. These iPS cells also have potential in creating and examining new disease models and developing more efficient drug treatments.[6] Another feature of these cells is that they provide researchers with a human cell sample, as opposed to simply using an animal with similar DNA, for drug testing.

One major problem with iPS cells is the way in which the cells are reprogrammed. Using gene-carrying viruses has the potential to cause iPS cells to develop into cancerous cells.[1] Also, an implant made using undifferentiated iPS cells, could cause a teratoma to form. Any implant that is generated from using these iPS cells would only be viable for transplant into the original subject that the cells were taken from. In order for these iPS cells to become viable in therapeutic use, there are still many steps that must be taken.[5][7]

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IPS Cell Therapy - Genetherapy

T he International Cellular Medicine Society (ICMS) is an international non-profit dedicated to patient safety through strict evaluation of protocols and rigorous oversight of clinics and facilities engaged in the translation of point-of-care cell-based treatments.As a Professional Medical Association, the ICMS represents Physiciansand Researchersfrom over 35 countries who share a mission to provide Scientifically Credible and Medically Appropriate Treatments to Informed Patients.Join the ICMS.

The ICMS Works Tirelessly for the Clincial Translation of Field of Cell-Based Point-of-Care Treatments through:

Comprehensive Medical Standards and Best Practice Guidelines for Cell Based Medicine,

Strict Evaluation and Rigerous Oversight of Stem Cell Clinics and Facilities through aGlobal Accreditation Process,

Physician Education through daily updates on the latest Research on Stem Cells, the monthly Currents In Stem Cell Medicine and the annual International Congress for Regenerative and Stem Cell Medicine.

Join the ICMSto receive the latest news and research from cell-based medicne, including the bi-monthly publication, Currents in Stem Cell Medicine.

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05/15/13Portland, Ore.

The breakthrough marks the first time human stem cells have been produced via nuclear transfer and follows several unsuccessful attempts by research groups worldwide

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells to become embryonic stem cells capable of transforming into any other cell type in the body. It is believed that stem cell therapies hold the promise of replacing cells damaged through injury or illness. Diseases or conditions that might be treated through stem cell therapy include Parkinsons disease, multiple sclerosis, cardiac disease and spinal cord injuries.

The research breakthrough, led by Shoukhrat Mitalipov, Ph.D., a senior scientist at ONPRC, follows previous success in transforming monkey skin cells into embryonic stem cells in 2007. This latest research will be published in the journal Cell online May 15 and in print June 6.

The technique used by Drs. Mitalipov, Paula Amato, M.D., and their colleagues in OHSUs Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, is a variation of a commonly used method called somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT. It involves transplanting the nucleus of one cell, containing an individuals DNA, into an egg cell that has had its genetic material removed. The unfertilized egg cell then develops and eventually produces stem cells.

A thorough examination of the stem cells derived through this technique demonstrated their ability to convert just like normal embryonic stem cells, into several different cell types, including nerve cells, liver cells and heart cells. Furthermore, because these reprogrammed cells can be generated with nuclear genetic material from a patient, there is no concern of transplant rejection, explained Dr. Mitalipov. While there is much work to be done in developing safe and effective stem cell treatments, we believe this is a significant step forward in developing the cells that could be used in regenerative medicine.

Another noteworthy aspect of this research is that it does not involve the use of fertilized embryos, a topic that has been the source of a significant ethical debate.

The Mitalipov teams success in reprogramming human skin cells came through a series of studies in both human and monkey cells. Previous unsuccessful attempts by several labs showed that human egg cells appear to be more fragile than eggs from other species. Therefore, known reprogramming methods stalled before stem cells were produced.

To solve this problem, the OHSU group studied various alternative approaches first developed in monkey cells and then applied to human cells. Through moving findings between monkey cells and human cells, the researchers were able to develop a successful method.

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Adult Stem Cell Enhancer by Dr. Riordan, Chinese subtitle.
Consistently Increase of 50-100% Bone Marrow stem cells. Dr. Riordan Introduces Adult Stem cell Enhancer From RBC Life #39;s Stem-Kine with Dr. Clinton Howard an...

By: Adam Kee

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Adult Stem Cell Enhancer by Dr. Riordan, Chinese subtitle. - Video

By Jeanette Jacknin M.D.

Dr Jacknin will be speaking about Cosmaceuticals at the upcoming 17th World Congress on Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine in Orlando, Florida, April 23-25, 2009.

Stem cells have recently become a huge buzzword in the skincare world. But what does this really mean? Skincare specialists are not using embryonic stem cells; it is impossible to incorporate live materials into a skincare product. Instead, companies are creating products with specialized peptides and enzymes or plant stem cells which, when applied topically on the surface, help protect the human skin stem cells from damage and deterioration or stimulate the skin's own stem cells. National Stem Cell was one of the few companies who actually incorporated into their skin care an enzyme secreted from human embryonic stem cells, but they are in the process of switching over to use non-embryonic stem cells from which to take the beneficial enzyme.

Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body. When a stem cell divides, it can remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a skin cell. There are two types of stem cells, embryonic and adult.

Embryonic stem cells are exogenous in that they are harvested from outside sources, namely, fertilized human eggs. Once harvested, these pluripotent stem cells are grown in cell cultures and manipulated to generate specific cell types so they can be used to treat injury or disease.

Unlike embryonic stem cells, adult or multipotent stem cells are endogenous. They are present within our bodies and serve to maintain and repair the tissues in which they are found. Adult stem cells are found in many organs and tissues, including the skin. In fact, human skin is the largest repository of adult stem cells in the body. Skin stem cells reside in the basal layer of the epidermis where they remain dormant until they are activated by tissue injury or disease. 1

There is controversy surrounding the use of stem cells, as some experts say that any product that claims to affect the growth of stem cells or the replication process is potentially dangerous, as it may lead to out-of-control replication or mutation. Others object to using embryonic stem cells from an ethical point of view. Some researchers believe that the use of stem cell technology for a topical, anti-aging cosmetic trivializes other, more important medical research in this field.

The skin stem cells are found near hair follicles and sweat glands and lie dormant until they "receive" signals from the body to begin the repair mode. In skincare, the use of topical products stimulates the stem cell to split into two types of cells: a new, similar stem cell and a "daughter" cell, which is able to create almost every kind of new cell in a specialized system. This means that the stem cell can receive the message to create proteins, carbohydrates and lipids to help repair fine lines, wrinkles and restore and maintain firmness and elasticity.1

First to the market in Britain in April 2007 and the U.S. was ReVive's Peau Magnifique, priced at a staggering 1,050. Manufacturers claim it uses an enzyme called telomerase to "convert resting adult stem cells to newly-minted skin cells' and 'effectively resets your skin's "ageing clock" by a minimum of five years'. The product claims long-term use 'will result in a generation of new skin cells, firmer skin with a 45 per cent reduction in wrinkles and increased long-term skin clarity'. Peau Magnifique is the latest in a line of products developed by Dr Gregory Bays Brown, a former plastic surgeon.

In the course of his research into healing burns victims, Dr Brown discovered a substance called Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) that is released in the body when there is an injury, and, when applied to burns or wounds, dramatically accelerates the healing process. He believed the same molecule could be used to regenerate ageing skin and went on to develop ReVive, a skincare range based around it. 2

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Stem cells in skin care...What does it really mean? | Worldhealth ...

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

22-Oct-2013

Contact: Eileen Leahy e.leahy@elsevier.com 732-238-3628 Elsevier Health Sciences

San Francisco, CA, October 22, 2013 A study performed at Children's Hospital Los Angeles found no evidence that stem cell therapy improves vision for children with optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH). Their results are reported in the Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS).

ONH, an underdevelopment of optic nerves that occurs during fetal development, may appear either as an isolated abnormality or as part of a group of disorders characterized by brain anomalies, developmental delay, and endocrine abnormalities. ONH is a leading cause of blindness in children in North America and Europe and is the only cause of childhood blindness that shows increasing prevalence. No treatments have been shown to improve vision in these children.

With no viable treatment options available to improve vision, ophthalmologists are becoming aware that families with children affected by ONH are travelling to China seeking stem cell therapy, despite lack of approval in the United States and Europe or evidence from controlled trials. The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus has also expressed its concern about these procedures. In response to this situation, pediatric neuro-ophthalmologist Mark Borchert, MD, Director of both the Eye Birth Defects and Eye Technology Institutes in The Vision Center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, realized that a controlled trial of sufficient size was needed to evaluate whether stem cell therapy is effective at improving optic nerve function in children with ONH. He agreed to conduct an independent study when asked by Beike Biotech, a company based in Shenzhen, China, that offers treatment for ONH using donor umbilical cord stem cells injected into the cerebral spinal fluid.

Beike Biotech agreed to identify 10 children with bilateral ONH (ages 7-17 years) who had volunteered to travel to China for stem cell therapy and who agreed to participate in the study; Children's Hospital was to find case matched controls from their clinic. However, only two case-controlled pairs were evaluated because Beike Biotech was only able to recruit two patients. Treatments consisted of six infusions over a 16-day period of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells and daily infusions of growth factors. Visual acuity, optic nerve size, and sensitivity to light were to be evaluated one month before stem cell therapy and three and nine months after treatment.

No therapeutic effect was found in the two case-control pairs that were enrolled. "The results of this study show that children greater than 7 years of age with ONH may have spontaneous improvement in vision from one examination to the next. This improvement occurs equally in children regardless of whether or not they received treatment. Other aspects of the eye examination included pupil responses to light and optic nerve size; these did not change following treatment. The results of this research do not support the use of stem cells in the treatment of ONH at this time," says lead author Cassandra Fink, MPH, program administrator at The Vision Center, Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Confounding the trial was that subjects received additional alternative therapies (acupuncture, functional electrical stimulation, and exercise) while receiving stem cell treatments, which was contrary to the trial protocol. The investigators could not determine the effect of these additional therapies.

"This study underscores the importance of scientifically testing these procedures to validate them and also to ensure their safety. Parents of afflicted children should be aware that the science behind the use of stem cell technology is unclear. This study takes a step toward testing this technology and finds no beneficial effect," says William V. Good, MD, Senior Associate Editor, Journal of AAPOS and Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology and Senior Scientist at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute.

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No evidence to support stem cell therapy for pediatric optic nerve hypoplasia

Oct. 10, 2013 Human skin must cope with UV radiation from the sun and other harmful environmental factors that fluctuate in a circadian manner. A study published by Cell Press on October 10th in the journal Cell Stem Cell has revealed that human skin stem cells deal with these cyclical threats by carrying out different functions depending on the time of day. By activating genes involved in UV protection during the day, these cells protect themselves against radiation-induced DNA damage. The findings could pave the way for new strategies to prevent premature aging and cancer in humans.

"Our study shows that human skin stem cells posses an internal clock that allows them to very accurately know the time of day and helps them know when it is best to perform the correct function," says study author Salvador Aznar Benitah an ICREA Research Professor who developed this project at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG, Barcelona), and who has recently moved his lab to the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona). "This is important because it seems that tissues need an accurate internal clock to remain healthy."

A variety of cells in our body have internal clocks that help them perform certain functions depending on the time of day, and skin cells as well as some stem cells exhibit circadian behaviors. Benitah and his collaborators previously found that animals lacking normal circadian rhythms in skin stem cells age prematurely, suggesting that these cyclical patterns can protect against cellular damage. But until now, it has not been clear how circadian rhythms affect the functions of human skin stem cells.

To address this question, Benitah teamed up with his collaborators Luis Serrano and Ben Lehner of the Centre for Genomic Regulation. They found that distinct sets of genes in human skin stem cells show peak activity at different times of day. Genes involved in UV protection become most active during the daytime to guard these cells while they proliferate -- that is, when they duplicate their DNA and are more susceptible to radiation-induced damage.

"We know that the clock is gradually disrupted in aged mice and humans, and we know that preventing stem cells from accurately knowing the time of the day reduces their regenerative capacity," Benitah says. "Our current efforts lie in trying to identify the causes underlying the disruption of the clock of human skin stem cells and hopefully find means to prevent or delay it."

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The above story is based on materials provided by Cell Press, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Circadian rhythms in skin stem cells protect us against UV rays