The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB) in Stuttgart, Germany, has developed a technique to analyze living cells quickly and accurately based on Raman spectroscopy. The non-invasive optical procedure, which can identify the molecular fingerprint of different materials, has primarily been employed in quality control for medications and pharmaceutical substances.

Now biomedical researchers can also use this technology thanks to the research at IGB involving joint projects with universities, industrial partners, and the State of Baden-Wrttemberg. The tmethod is suited to investigating living cells without requiring invasive techniques or altering them with dyes.

In order to characterize stem cells or identify changes to tissues that are caused by tumors, inflammations, fungi, or bacteria, for example, it is now sufficient to determine the individual cells Raman spectrum which is a specialized energy spectrum having particular analytical capability.

Prof. Katja Schenke-Layland from IGB commented, We have developed comprehensive know-how in this area and have advanced the technology from use in pure research to industrial implementation. We can now investigate not just individual cells, but entire tissue structures and organs. Next we want to further refine the technology and develop more applications.

Cell biologists at IGB use a specially developed Raman spectroscope jointly designed and built with physicists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques (IPM) in Freiburg. The device is compact and can be conveniently used to investigate a wide range of scientific problems. The scientists are accumulating the spectra they have recorded into a database.

Cancer testing

Schenke-Layland added, Each cell has a unique, unmistakable Raman spectrum. Doctors can compare the sample from their patients cells with our database and complete their diagnoses more quickly. The technology is already being employed on a practical basis by industrial partners. The scientists are working at present on a rapid test for cancer diagnosis.

Doctors using mobile Raman spectroscopes during an operation could unambiguously say whether a patient has cancer or not simply by comparing the cell sample with the data base.

Conventional cancer diagnoses are still complicated and prolonged. After excising the tissue for biopsy, it first must be prepared for further analysis for example by suitably sectioning or dying it to identify biomarkers. But this always requires intervention in the specimen and manipulating it in some way, she said.

Diverse applications

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Raman method analyzes live cells quickly and accurately

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Newswise CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (May 15, 2014) By studying nerve and liver cells grown from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), Whitehead Institute researchers have identified a potential dual-pronged approach to treating Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease, a rare but devastating genetic disorder.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), approximately 1 in 150,000 children born are afflicted with NPC, the most common variant of Niemann-Pick. Children with NPC experience abnormal accumulation of cholesterol in their liver and nerve cells, leading to liver failure, neurodegeneration, andultimatelydeath, often before age 10.

Although there is currently no effective treatment for NPC disease, a clinical trial examining potential cholesterol-lowering effects of the drug cyclodextrin in NPC patients is ongoing. However, research in Whitehead Founding Member Rudolf Jaenischs lab led by Dorothea Matezel along with Sovan Sarkar suggests that the high doses may actually be harmful. This and other findings are reported this week in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

At those levels of cyclodextrin (in the clinical trial), Maetzel and her coauthors show that cells encounter a further block in autophagy that could be detrimental, says Jaenisch, who is also a professor of biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But when they use it at a lower dose in combination with another small molecule, carbamazepine, which stimulates autophagy, then it significantly improves the survival of the cells. Such an approach lowers cholesterol levels and restores the autophagy defects at the same time. This could be a new type of treatment for NPC disease.

To clarify what is amiss in NPC and identify potential therapeutics that could correct these problems, Maetzel generated iPSCs from patients with the most common genetic mutation that causes NPC. She created the iPSCs by pushing skin cells donated by the patients back to an embryonic stem cell-like state. These iPSCs were differentiated into liver and neuronal cells, the cell types most affected in NPC. Along with Haoyi Wang, a postdoctoral researcher in the Jaenisch lab, she then corrected one copy of the causal mutation, in the NPC1 gene, to create control cells whose genomes differ only at the single edited gene copy.

When Maetzel and Sarkar analyzed the cellular functions in the NPC1-mutant and control cell lines, they determined that although cholesterol does build up in the NPC1-mutant cells, a more significant problem is defective autophagya basic cellular function that degrades and recycles unneeded or faulty molecules, components, or organelles in a cell. The impaired autophagy prevents normal elimination of its cargo, such as damaged organelles or other substrates like p62, which then accumulates and damages the cells. The finding confirms previous work from the Jaenisch lab linking the NPC1 mutation to defective autophagy in mouse cells.

Autophagy dysfunction has major implications in several neurodegenerative and certain liver conditions, and therefore autophagy modulators have tremendous biomedical relevance, says Sarkar. We wanted to screen for compounds stimulating autophagy in human disease-relevant cells and show the beneficial effects of such an approach in the context of a lipid/lysosomal storage disorder.

Maetzel and Sarkar used the two types of human disease-affected cells to screen for compounds known to improve autophagy but not impacting on the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, which has critical cellular functions and also controls autophagy. They found only one capable of jumpstarting autophagy independently of mTOR in both liver and nerve cells. When this drug, carbamazepine, which is a mood stabilizer prescribed for bipolar disorder, was added in combination with low doses of cyclodextrin, both cholesterol accumulation and autophagy defects were rescued in the NPC-mutated cells.

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Combination Therapy a Potential Strategy for Treating Niemann Pick Disease

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

15-May-2014

Contact: Mika Ono mikaono@scripps.ed 858-784-2052 Scripps Research Institute

LA JOLLA, CAMay 15, 2014Mice crippled by an autoimmune disease similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) regained the ability to walk and run after a team of researchers led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), University of Utah and University of California (UC), Irvine implanted human stem cells into their injured spinal cords.

Remarkably, the mice recovered even after their bodies rejected the human stem cells. "When we implanted the human cells into mice that were paralyzed, they got up and started walking a couple of weeks later, and they completely recovered over the next several months," said study co-leader Jeanne Loring, a professor of developmental neurobiology at TSRI.

Thomas Lane, an immunologist at the University of Utah who co-led the study with Loring, said he had never seen anything like it. "We've been studying mouse stem cells for a long time, but we never saw the clinical improvement that occurred with the human cells that Dr. Loring's lab provided," said Lane, who began the study at UC Irvine.

The mice's dramatic recovery, which is reported online ahead of print by the journal Stem Cell Reports, could lead to new ways to treat multiple sclerosis in humans.

"This is a great step forward in the development of new therapies for stopping disease progression and promoting repair for MS patients," said co-author Craig Walsh, a UC Irvine immunologist.

Stem Cell Therapy for MS

MS is an autoimmune disease of the brain and spinal cord that affects more than a half-million people in North America and Europe, and more than two million worldwide. In MS, immune cells known as T cells invade the upper spinal cord and brain, causing inflammation and ultimately the loss of an insulating coating on nerve fibers called myelin. Affected nerve fibers lose their ability to transmit electrical signals efficiently, and this can eventually lead to symptoms such as limb weakness, numbness and tingling, fatigue, vision problems, slurred speech, memory difficulties and depression.

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Stem cell therapy shows promise for MS in mouse model

Bone Marrow Stem Cells

Dr. Steenblock performing a bone marrow stem cell treatment

The latest discovery in the world of natural medical therapies is STEM CELLS!

You have within you a powerful set of tools to repair your body and keep you healthy. The future of medicine is NOT better drugs but better use and application of your bodys own stem cells. As of now stem cell-rich tissue can be extracted from your hip with virtually no discomfort and used to help restore your body. This opens up an exciting new horizon in terms of preventing and treating disease and tackling the symptoms of aging if not aging itself. Already, patients are returning to Dr. Steenblock for additional bone marrow treatments because they are seeing that their gray or white hair is turning back to its original color. Their skin not infrequently looks younger too and they report having more energy and less arthritic aches and pains!

Over the past six years, Dr. Steenblock and his medical team have done over 2,000 bone marrow procedures with much success. Contrary to the conventional painful methods used, he and his colleagues have developed an almost painless approach to extract bone marrow and the hidden trove of stem cells contained within. Using the patients own bone marrow rather than someone elses has totally eliminated the risk of graft versus host disease and the need for toxic chemotherapy to suppress the immune system. Since Dr. Steenblock is merely transferring stem cells from a persons bones into their blood stream there is never an allergic or rejection type of reaction since these are the patients own cells. The results have at times been phenomenal especially for those under 40 and for those who are really physically fit and walk or run a lot every day. The stronger an individuals bones are the better the bone marrow stem cells are. Even children that are paralyzed and who do not put weight on their legs are generally not going to have good results unless add another facet is added to their treatment. For those people who do not walk much, are not physically fit and who are older than 40, Dr. Steenblock generally recommends that they undergo five successive daily injections of a natural bone marrow mobilizer called Neupogen (Filgrastim) beginning 19 days before they come to his office for their bone marrow treatment(s). The ideal treatment for anyone with a complicated health issue is to first have certain tests done to determine if they have any problems that could interfere with the treatments success. These tests include standard blood tests for anemia, hormones, metabolism, infections, autoimmunity, inflammation and special tests for heavy metal poisons and intestinal infections and infestations. If problems are discovered with these tests then the underlying problem should be corrected before beginning the process of using the Neupogen and the scheduling of the bone marrow treatment(s). The word marrows is pleural intentionally because a person in general has a better result if more stem cells are given. By having two bone marrow procedures on successive days an individual will double the number of stem cells they receive. For example, if a 60 year old sedentary person comes in and does only one bone marrow treatment Dr. Steenblock will generally extract about 400 milliliters of stem cell-rich bone marrow (buffy coat after centrifugation) which is put directly back into the blood stream by intravenous means. The number of active, healthy stem cells in this simple procedure may only be 100 million and these in general will not be as healthy or as active as they will be if the patient first has any known or potential impediments to their post-infusion activity eliminated and they are given the 5 daily injections of Neupogen. When a person comes to the clinic 14 days after their last Neupogen injection, that same 400 ml of bone marrow will have somewhere between 500 and 1000 million stem cells and then if they repeat the process the next day they will get another 500-1000 million stem cells. By this combination of eradicating infections, correcting other problems discovered using our testing, and then using Neupogen followed by two bone marrow treatments patients will be receiving well over a billion stem cells.

Benefits of Bone Marrow Stem Cells

What is the secret behind the successes Dr. Steenblock has seen with the bone marrow treatments? While bone marrow transplants have been done for the past 50 years for cancer patients and those with blood disorders, the whole bone marrow procedure done by Dr. Steenblock is different because it is so SIMPLE! He uses a persons own bone marrow and instead of isolating one type of stem cell, he takes and uses the whole raw bone marrow which contains a rich variety of stem and progenitor cells. In fact, bone marrow is rich in two different types of stem cells: One type turns into blood cells, blood vessels, and cells of the immune system and are called hematopoietic stem cells (heme meaning blood-related). The other type of stem cell is the support (stromal or mesenchymal) stem cell that produces bone, fat, tendons, skin, muscles and connective tissue. Recent research shows that these hematopoietic and the support stem cells are also able to divide into all types of brain cells, including glial cells (white matter) and neurons (gray matter). The bone marrow also contains retinal progenitor cells and several patients have actually commented on how their vision improved as a side benefit of their bone marrow procedure. These two type of stem cells work better together in a ratio of one hematopoietic to 4 to 8 support (stromal or mesenchymal) stem cells which is the ratio found normally in most peoples bone marrow.

In regard to its anti-aging effects, the bone marrow contains primitive progenitor cells that are associated with the early development of the fetus. These primitive cells reside dormant deep inside each of our bones and sport a virginal profile from early development in that these stem cells are generally resting and not active. This inactivity protects them from chemicals or stresses that induce mutations such as occurs in those bone marrow stem cells that are located in the more superficial areas of the bone which are constantly making red and white blood cells. When these primitive, more pure cells are released into a persons system, there can be a revitalization of the body that physiologically sets the clock back in-a-way since these stem cells get into all parts of the body and produce more growth factors than would otherwise be possible. It is this increase in growth factors that induces the regenerative processes. For those that can afford it Dr. Steenblock uses growth factors oriented toward improving the organs that are diseased. For example, if a patients chief problem is their lungs then he may suggest some lung growth factors to be taken right along with the Neupogen and then continued for 6 weeks to help push the stem cells into becoming more like lung tissue cells.

Bottom line: Bone marrow stem cells have the potential to repair damaged tissues and organs. Whether a person wants an anti-aging treatment or needs the procedure to repair damage in joints, liver, kidneys, heart or brain, bone marrow transplants is an efficient and sure way to flood their body with stem cells.

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Bone Marrow Stem Cells - Dr. Steenblock- Regenerative Medicine

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) May 13, 2014

Neil Riordan, PhD will Present Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) in the Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases at the 22nd Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging, Regenerative and Aesthetic Medicine at the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Orlando, Florida as part of the Specialty Workshop: Stem Cells in Anti-Aging Medicine: An Update.

The primary focus of this workshop is to teach medical professionals how to successfully incorporate stem cell treatments into their practices. Expert faculty will cover stem cell theory and clinical trial research for all aspects of regenerative medicine as well as stem cell treatment marketing.

Dr. Riordan will discuss: Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells mechanisms of immune modulating activities; the importance of MSC placement for clinical effect; human clinical trials demonstrating efficacy; alternative routes of MSC delivery; dose and frequency; and clinical safety of MSC.

The conference will be held from May 15 17, 2014 at the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Orlando, Florida. For more information, please visit http://www.a4m.com/anti-aging-conference-orlando-2014-may.html.

About Neil Riordan PhD

Dr. Riordan is the founder and chairman of Medistem Panama, Inc., (MPI) a leading stem cell laboratory and research facility located in the Technology Park at the prestigious City of Knowledge in Panama City, Panama. Founded in 2007, MPI stands at the forefront of applied research on adult stem cells for several chronic diseases. MPI's stem cell laboratory is ISO 9001 certified and fully licensed by the Panamanian Ministry of Health. Dr. Riordan is the founder of Stem Cell Institute (SCI) in Panama City, Panama (est. 2007).

Under the umbrella of MPI subsidiary Translational Biosciences, MPI and SCI are currently conducting five IRB-approved clinical trials in Panama for multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis using human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells, mesenchymal trophic factors and stromal vascular fraction. Additional trials for spinal cord injury, autism and cerebral palsy are slated to commence in 2014 upon IRB approval.

Dr. Riordan is an accomplished inventor listed on more than 25 patent families, including 11 issued patents. He is credited with a number of novel discoveries in the field of cancer research since the mid-1990s when he collaborated with his father Dr. Hugh Riordan on the effects of high-dose intravenous vitamin C on cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment. This pioneering study on vitamin Cs preferential toxicity to cancer cells notably led to a 1997 patent grant for the treatment of cancer with vitamin C. In 2010, Dr. Riordan received another patent for a new cellular cancer vaccine.

Dr. Riordan is also the founder of Aidan Products, which provides health care professionals with quality nutraceuticals including Stem-Kine, the only nutritional supplement that is clinically proven to increase the amount of circulating stem cells in the body for an extended period of time. Stem-Kine is currently sold in 35 countries.

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Neil Riordan, PhD Presents at American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine's 22nd Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging ...

Using new stem cell technology, scientists at the Salk Institute have shown that neurons generated from the skin cells of people with schizophrenia behave strangely in early developmental stages, providing a hint as to ways to detect and potentially treat the disease early.

The findings of the study, published online in April's Molecular Psychiatry, support the theory that the neurological dysfunction that eventually causes schizophrenia may begin in the brains of babies still in the womb.

"This study aims to investigate the earliest detectable changes in the brain that lead to schizophrenia," says Fred H. Gage, Salk professor of genetics. "We were surprised at how early in the developmental process that defects in neural function could be detected."

Currently, over 1.1 percent of the world's population has schizophrenia, with an estimated three million cases in the United States alone. The economic cost is high: in 2002, Americans spent nearly $63 billion on treatment and managing disability. The emotional cost is higher still: 10 percent of those with schizophrenia are driven to commit suicide by the burden of coping with the disease.

Although schizophrenia is a devastating disease, scientists still know very little about its underlying causes, and it is still unknown which cells in the brain are affected and how. Previously, scientists had only been able to study schizophrenia by examining the brains of patients after death, but age, stress, medication or drug abuse had often altered or damaged the brains of these patients, making it difficult to pinpoint the disease's origins.

The Salk scientists were able to avoid this hurdle by using stem cell technologies. They took skin cells from patients, coaxed the cells to revert back to an earlier stem cell form and then prompted them to grow into very early-stage neurons (dubbed neural progenitor cells or NPCs). These NPCs are similar to the cells in the brain of a developing fetus.

The researchers generated NPCs from the skin cells of four patients with schizophrenia and six people without the disease. They tested the cells in two types of assays: in one test, they looked at how far the cells moved and interacted with particular surfaces; in the other test, they looked at stress in the cells by imaging mitochondria, which are tiny organelles that generate energy for the cells.

On both tests, the Salk team found that NPCs from people with schizophrenia differed in significant ways from those taken from unaffected people.

In particular, cells predisposed to schizophrenia showed unusual activity in two major classes of proteins: those involved in adhesion and connectivity, and those involved in oxidative stress. Neural cells from patients with schizophrenia tended to have aberrant migration (which may result in the poor connectivity seen later in the brain) and increased levels of oxidative stress (which can lead to cell death).

These findings are consistent with a prevailing theory that events occurring during pregnancy can contribute to schizophrenia, even though the disease doesn't manifest until early adulthood. Past studies suggest that mothers who experience infection, malnutrition or extreme stress during pregnancy are at a higher risk of having children with schizophrenia. The reason for this is unknown, but both genetic and environmental factors likely play a role.

Excerpt from:
Stem cell technology points to early indicators of schizophrenia

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A child with a life threatening disease is heart wrenching for parents. Suddenly they are faced with no easy way to get a match for stem cells that could save their child.

With cell therapy, there is a way to do that but it starts in the delivery room.

Delanie Rinne's fourth child, Ezekial, was born earlier this year and even though he'll get older; proof of that day is being stored at Core23 BioBank in Springfield.

"We decided to look into banking the cord blood because we know that this is probably our last biological child," says Rinne.

Core23 stores your child's blood, plasma or tissue from the umbilical cord to help treat 81 different diseases.

"If I had a child that has Leukemia and I was pregnant then that would be a treatment option."

Emily and Michael Perry opened the private cord bank as another option for parents.

"We see that cell therapy is surpassing bone marrow, we truly believe that it is the medicine of the future."

"Cell therapy is taking a healthy, viable cell and putting it into somebody's body to treat a disease or a condition."

The process starts in the delivery room and ends in a hydrogen tank in their lab.

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Cord Banking, Cell Therapy Helps Treat Deadly Diseases

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

11-May-2014

Contact: Joseph Caputo joseph_caputo@harvard.edu 617-496-1491 Harvard University

Cambridge, MAHarvard scientists have merged stem cell and 'organ-on-a-chip' technologies to grow, for the first time, functioning human heart tissue carrying an inherited cardiovascular disease. The research appears to be a big step forward for personalized medicine, as it is working proof that a chunk of tissue containing a patient's specific genetic disorder can be replicated in the laboratory.

The work, published in Nature Medicine, is the result of a collaborative effort bringing together scientists from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Boston Children's Hospital, the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Harvard Medical School. It combines the 'organs-on-chips' expertise of Kevin Kit Parker, PhD, and stem cell and clinical insights by William Pu, MD.

Using their interdisciplinary approach, the investigators modeled the cardiovascular disease Barth syndrome, a rare X-linked cardiac disorder caused by mutation of a single gene called Tafazzin, or TAZ. The disorder, which is currently untreatable, primarily appears in boys, and is associated with a number of symptoms affecting heart and skeletal muscle function.

The researchers took skin cells from two Barth syndrome patients, and manipulated the cells to become stem cells that carried these patients' TAZ mutations. Instead of using the stem cells to generate single heart cells in a dish, the cells were grown on chips lined with human extracellular matrix proteins that mimic their natural environment, tricking the cells into joining together as they would if they were forming a diseased human heart. The engineered diseased tissue contracted very weakly, as would the heart muscle seen in Barth syndrome patients.

The investigators then used genome editinga technique pioneered by Harvard collaborator George Church, PhDto mutate TAZ in normal cells, confirming that this mutation is sufficient to cause weak contraction in the engineered tissue. On the other hand, delivering the TAZ gene product to diseased tissue in the laboratory corrected the contractile defect, creating the first tissue-based model of correction of a genetic heart disease.

"You don't really understand the meaning of a single cell's genetic mutation until you build a huge chunk of organ and see how it functions or doesn't function," said Parker, who has spent over a decade working on 'organs-on-chips' technology. "In the case of the cells grown out of patients with Barth syndrome, we saw much weaker contractions and irregular tissue assembly. Being able to model the disease from a single cell all the way up to heart tissue, I think that's a big advance."

Furthermore, the scientists discovered that the TAZ mutation works in such a way to disrupt the normal activity of mitochondria, often called the power plants of the cell for their role in making energy. However, the mutation didn't seem to affect overall energy supply of the cells. In what could be a newly identified function for mitochondria, the researchers describe a direct link between mitochondrial function and a heart cell's ability to build itself in a way that allows it to contract.

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Patient stem cells used to make 'heart disease-on-a-chip'

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

6-May-2014

Contact: Sally Stewart sally.stewart@cshs.org 310-248-6566 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

LOS ANGELES (EMBARGOED UNTIL NOON ET ON MAY 6, 2014) Investigators at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute whose previous research showed that cardiac stem cell therapy reduces scarring and regenerates healthy tissue after a heart attack in humans have identified components of those stem cells responsible for the beneficial effects.

In a series of laboratory and lab animal studies, Heart Institute researchers found that exosomes, tiny membrane-enclosed "bubbles" involved in cell-to-cell communication, convey messages that reduce cell death, promote growth of new heart muscle cells and encourage the development of healthy blood vessels.

"Exosomes were first described in the mid-1980s, but we only now are beginning to appreciate their potential as therapeutic agents. We have found that exosomes and the cargo they contain are crucial mediators of stem cell-based heart regeneration, and we believe this might lead to an even more refined therapy using the 'active ingredient' instead of the entire stem cell," said Eduardo Marbn, MD, PhD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and a pioneer in developing investigational cardiac stem cell treatments.

"The concept of exosome therapy is interesting because it could potentially shift our strategy from living-cell transplantation to the use of a non-living agent," he added. "Stem cells must be carefully preserved to keep them alive and functioning until the time of transplant, and there are some risks involved in cell transplantation. In contrast, exosome therapy may be safer and simpler and based on a product with a longer shelf life."

In lab experiments, the researchers isolated exosomes from specialized human cardiac stem cells and found that exosomes alone had the same beneficial effects as stem cells. Exosomes also produced the same post-heart attack benefits in mice, decreasing scar size, increasing healthy heart tissue and reducing levels of chemicals that lead to inflammation. Even when exosomes were injected in mice after heart attack scars were well-established, and traditionally viewed as "irreversible," they brought about multiple structural and functional benefits.

Exosomes transport small pieces of genetic material, called microRNAs, that enable cells to communicate with neighboring cells to change their behavior. The researchers pinpointed one such microRNA one that is especially plentiful in cardiac stem cell exosomes as responsible for some of the benefits. It is likely, they believe, that this and other microRNAs in the exosomes work together to produce the regenerative effects.

"The exosomes appear to contain the signaling information needed to regenerate healthy heart tissue, they are naturally able to permeate cells, and they have a coating that protects their payloads from degradation as they shuttle from cell to cell," said Marbn, senior author of an article in the May 6, 2014 Stem Cell Reports. "Injecting exosomes derived from specialized cardiac stem cells may be an attractive alternative to the transplantation of living cells."

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Cedars-Sinai researchers identify how heart stem cells orchestrate regeneration

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -

Hemorrhagic stroke is responsible for more than 30 percent of all stroke deaths. It happens when a weakened blood vessel ruptures and bleeds into the brain.

Its something Jon Galvan experienced five years ago when he almost died from a hemorrhagic stroke while at work.

"I was typing away and I felt a pop in my head," Galvan said.

He was able to recover, but Dr. Abba Zubair, medical director of transfusion medicine and stem cell therapy at Mayo Clinic, Florida, said not everyone is as fortunate.

"If it happens, you either recover completely or die," Zubair said. "Thats what killed my mother."

Zubair said he wants to send bone marrow derived stem cells to the international space station.

"Based on our experience with bone marrow transplant, you need about 200 to 500 million cells," Zubair said.

But conventionally grown stem cells take a month. Experiments on earth have shown that stem cells will grow faster in less gravity.

"Five to ten times faster, but it could be more," Zubair said.

Original post:
Health Beat: Growing stem cells in space: Medicine's next big thing?

Hip and knee arthritis 5 months after stem cell therapy by Dr Harry Adelson
Richard describes his outcome 5 months after stem cell therapy by Dr Harry Adelson for his hip and knee arthritis http://www.docereclinics.com.

By: Harry Adelson, N.D.

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Hip and knee arthritis 5 months after stem cell therapy by Dr Harry Adelson - Video

A new development in fertility treatment scientists have successfully produced early-stage sperm cells from the skin cells of infertile men.

According to the study, Stanford University researchers took skin cells from infertile men, turned them into stem cells known as induced pluripotent stem cellsand then implanted those cells in the tubules of mice testes. (Via Flickr / 7715592@N03,33852688@N08)

Before we move forward, you might be wondering how scientists turned skin cells back into stem cells. This video from Stem Cell Network sums up the process.

"If some adult cell types are taken, grown in plastic dishes and given specific genetic instructions, over time a small number of these cells will reverse from their differentiated state and develop the ability to redifferentiate."(Via Vimeo /Stem Cell Network)

Researchers discovered the stem cells developed into germ cells, the precursor to sperm cells. (Via YouTube / CreekValleyCritters)

But while this new development seemingly bodes well for future fertility treatment, a writer for The Guardian points out one major concern.

"The cells that lodged in the tubules developed into early-stage sperm cells, but others turned into small tumours. The danger of causing cancer in the men is one of the major risks that scientists need to overcome." (Via The Guardian)

And LiveScience reports the research is still in its infancy, noting even though the stem cells produced germ cells, they "did not go on to form mature sperm in the mice."The head researcher for the study told LiveScience this is likely because of the "evolutionary differences between humans and mice."

Despite concerns, Nature World News says this research has potential, because there are various uses for the treatment. "There is also the possibility of using cells from endangered species to help boost their reproduction."

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, about 12 percentof adults suffer from infertility. The study has been published in the journal Cell Reports.

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Human skin cells used to create sperm cells

Here is a new development in fertility treatment: Scientists have successfully produced early-stage sperm cells from the skin cells of infertile men.

According to thestudy, Stanford University researchers took skin cells from infertile men, turned them into stem cells known as induced pluripotent stem cells, and then implanted those cells in the tubules of mice testes. (ViaFlickr / 7715592@N03,33852688@N08)

Before we move forward, you might be wondering how scientists turned skin cells back into stem cells. Stem Cell Networksummed up the process: "If some adult cell types are taken, grown in plastic dishes and given specific genetic instructions, over time a small number of these cells will reverse from their differentiated state and develop the ability to redifferentiate."(ViaVimeo /Stem Cell Network)

>> Read more trending stories

Researchers discovered the stem cells developed into germ cells, the precursor to sperm cells. (ViaYouTube /CreekValleyCritters)

But while this new development seemingly bodes well for future fertility treatment, a writer forThe Guardianpoints out one major concern: "The cells that lodged in the (mice) tubules developed into early-stage sperm cells, but others turned into small tumors. The danger of causing cancer in the men is one of the major risks that scientists need to overcome."(ViaThe Guardian)

Despite concerns,Nature World Newssays this research has potential, because there are various uses for the treatment."There is also the possibility of using cells from endangered species to help boost their reproduction," the organization reported.

According to theAmerican Society for Reproductive Medicine, about 12 percentof adults suffer from infertility. The study has been published in the journal Cell Reports.

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Scientists use human skin to create sperm cells

(PRWEB) May 02, 2014

The report Stem Cell Therapy Market by Treatment Mode (Autologous & Allogeneic), Therapeutic Applications (CNS, CVS, GIT, Wound Healing, Musculoskeletal, Eye, & Immune System) - Regulatory Landscape, Pipeline Analysis & Global Forecasts to 2020 analyzes and studies the major market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges in North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Rest of the World (RoW).

Browse 57 market data tables 32 figures spread through 196 Slides and in-depth TOC on Stem Cell Therapy Market http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/stem-cell-technologies-and-global-market-48.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on report.

This report studies the global stem cell therapy market over the forecast period of 2015 to 2020.The market is poised to grow at a CAGR of 39.5% from 2015 to 2020, to reach $330million by 2020.

Download Free PDF Download @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=48

The global stem cell therapy market on the basis of the mode of treatment is segmented into allogeneic and autologous stem cell therapy. In addition, based on the therapeutic applications, the global stem cell therapy market is segmented into eye diseases, metabolic diseases, GIT diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, immune system diseases, CNS diseases, CVS diseases, wounds and injuries, and others.

Inquire Before Buying @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=48

A number of factors such as the increasing funding from various government and private organizations, growing industry focus on stem cell research, and increasing global awareness about stem cell therapies through various organizations are stimulating the research activities for stem cell therapies. Developing markets, emergence of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells as an alternative to embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and evolution of new stem cell therapies represent high growth opportunities for market players.

In 2015, North America will hold the largest share of the global stem cell therapy market. This large share is primarily attributed to the extensive government funding and increasing fast-track approval for stem cell therapeutics by the FDA. Moreover, development of advanced genomic methods for stem cell analysis and high number of ongoing research activities are further fueling the growth of the stem cell therapy market in North America. However, the Asia-Pacific stem cell therapy market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR in the forecast period, owing to factors such as increasing regulatory support through favorable government policies, strong product pipelines, and increasing licensing activities in this region.

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Stem Cell Therapy Market (Autologous & Allogeneic) Worth $330 Million in 2020 - New Report by MarketsandMarkets

The future of the University of Minnesotas regenerative medicine research program is looking brighter than ever.

State and federal leaders in the past have denied funding for the Universitys Office of Regenerative Medicine, which includes the Stem Cell Institute, because some had ethical disagreements with stem cell research.

But this legislative session, with a DFL majority and an overall shift in public opinion, researchers and legislators are confident funding will come through this year.

The current House bill sets aside $450,000 for the Office of Regenerative Medicine, while the Senate version outlines a $5 million increase each year from 2015-17. The bills texts dont specify how funds should be used and how they would be divided between the University and the Mayo Clinic, its research partner.

The Senates bill mandates that anadvisory task force comprised of members from the University, the Mayo Clinic and private industry, as well as two other regenerative medicine experts, recommend how to spend the state funding.

Dayton didnt include funds for the research in his original budget proposal this year, but Sen. Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka, said there seems to be a general consensus among legislators to work together and decide on a funding amount.

I have not heard many naysayers, she said.

Changing perceptions

The state plays a major role in moving the institutes research forward.

These days, legislators are more open to it than they were in the past, said Dr. Andre Terzic, director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine.

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Legislature could boost U stem cell research

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

1-May-2014

Contact: Krista Conger kristac@stanford.edu 650-725-5371 Stanford University Medical Center

STANFORD, Calif. Stem cells made from the skin of adult, infertile men yield primordial germ cells cells that normally become sperm when transplanted into the reproductive system of mice, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Montana State University.

The infertile men in the study each had a type of genetic mutation that prevented them from making mature sperm a condition called azoospermia. The research suggests that the men with azoospermia may have had germ cells at some point in their early lives, but lost them as they matured to adulthood.

Although the researchers were able to create primordial germ cells from the infertile men, their stem cells made far fewer of these sperm progenitors than did stem cells from men without the mutations. The research provides a useful, much-needed model to study the earliest steps of human reproduction.

"We saw better germ-cell differentiation in this transplantation model than we've ever seen," said Renee Reijo Pera, PhD, former director of Stanford's Center for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Education. "We were amazed by the efficiency. Our dream is to use this model to make a genetic map of human germ-cell differentiation, including some of the very earliest stages."

Unlike many other cellular and physiological processes, human reproduction varies in significant ways from that of common laboratory animals like mice or fruit flies. Furthermore, many key steps, like the development and migration of primordial germ cells to the gonads, happen within days or weeks of conception. These challenges have made the process difficult to study.

Reijo Pera, who is now a professor of cell biology and neurosciences at Montana State University, is the senior author of a paper describing the research, which will be published May 1 in Cell Reports. The experiments in the study were conducted at Stanford, and Stanford postdoctoral scholar Cyril Ramathal, PhD, is the lead author of the paper.

The research used skin samples from five men to create what are known as induced pluripotent stem cells, which closely resemble embryonic stem cells in their ability to become nearly any tissue in the body. Three of the men carried a type of mutation on their Y chromosome known to prevent the production of sperm; the other two were fertile.

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Stem cells from some infertile men form germ cells when transplanted into mice, study finds

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 29, 2014

The Stem Cell Institute located in Panama City, Panama, welcomes special guest speaker Roberta F. Shapiro, DO, FAAPM&R to its public seminar on umbilical cord stem cell therapy on Saturday, May 17, 2014 in New York City at the New York Hilton Midtown from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Dr. Shapiro will discuss A New York Doctors Path to Panama.

Dr. Shapiro operates a private practice for physical medicine and rehabilitation in New York City. Her primary professional activities include outpatient practice focused on comprehensive treatment of acute and chronic musculoskeletal and myofascial pain syndromes using manipulation techniques, trigger point injections, tendon injections, bursae injections, nerve and motor point blocks. Secondary work at her practice focuses on the management of pediatric onset disability.

She is the founder and president of the Dayniah Fund, a non-profit charitable foundation formed to support persons with progressive debilitating diseases who are faced with catastrophic events such as surgery or illness. The Dayniah Fund educates the public about the challenges of people with disabilities and supports research on reducing the pain and suffering caused by disabling diseases and conditions.

Dr. Shapiro serves as assistant clinical professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center.

Stem Cell Institute 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

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department IPS Cell Therapy IPS Cell Therapy

Written by Lidia Dinkova on April 30, 2014

After 15 years of University of Miami research on a unique adult bone marrow-derived stem cell and on a process that leaves the cell in a relatively pure form, the university and its tissue bank have partnered with a Marietta, GA, biomedical company to make the stem cell called the MIAMI cell commercially available in July.

Vivex Biomedical Inc. invested in the research and development of the cell and licensed the technology from UM for orthopedic use, said company President and CEO Tracy S. Anderson. Vivex has contracted with the universitys tissue bank to develop the cell for commercial use. The company will pay an undisclosed royalty to UM from sales.

Dr. H. Thomas Temple, professor of orthopedics, vice chair of orthopedic surgery and director of the University of Miami Tissue Bank, said South Florida is a viable market for the MIAMI cell.

Just in bone [regeneration] alone theres an enormous market, and then if you take into consideration all the joint dysfunction that occurs with aging we have a significantly aged population, he said. If you think about the number of trauma cases we have down here where patients have open fractures, I think this has enormous potential.

Not a lot of companies, Dr. Temple said, are keen on investing in stem cells.

A lot of big companies dont want to take the risk on stem cells because they dont understand it, and theyre making a lot of money on other things, he said. The university doesnt have the financial resources to do the development work. They [UM] do a great job of investigating and researching these things, but the development side takes a lot of capital. In order to have a successful product, not only does it have to be really good, you have to have a successful market, so they [Vivex] bring in the distribution.

The marrow-isolated adult multi-lineage inducible cell, or MIAMI cell, is unique on two fronts. Its highly inducible and potent partially because it shares genes with embryonic stem cells, and the process used to isolate it allows for the infusion of a purer MIAMI cell concentration.

Generally in other processes, when stem cells are infused, they come with other cells that may be synergistic but more likely antagonistic, Dr. Temple said.

Its a small percentage of that actual layer that are actually stem cells. It may be effective, but this is different, he said. When we provide the cells, we can tell you that 95% of them are really MIAMI cells. Once theyre thawed, 97% to 98% of them are viable. Its really the process that makes them different.

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UM research lands stem cell deal

For the first time, cloning technologies have been used to generate stem cells that are genetically matched to adult patients.

Fear not: No legitimate scientist is in the business of cloning humans. But cloned embryos can be used as a source for stem cells that match a patient and can produce any cell type in that person.

Researchers in two studies published this month have created human embryos for this purpose. Usually an embryo forms when sperm fertilizes egg; in this case, scientists put the nucleus of an adult skin cell inside an egg, and that reconstructed egg went through the initial stages of embryonic development.

This is a dream that weve had for 15 years or so in the stem cell field, said John Gearhart, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Gearhart first proposed this approach for patient-specific stem cell generation in the 1990s but was not involved in the recent studies.

Stem cells have the potential to develop into any kind of tissue in the human body. From growing organs to treating diabetes, many future medical advances are hoped to arise from stem cells.

Scientists wrote in the journal Cell Stem Cell this month that they used skin cells from a man, 35, and another man, 75, to create stem cells from cloned embryos.

We reaffirmed that it is possible to produce patient-specific stem cells using a nuclear transfer technology regardless of the patients age, said co-lead author Young Gie Chung at the CHA Stem Cell Institute in Seoul, South Korea.

On Monday, an independent group led by scientists at the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute published results in Nature using a similar approach. They used skin cells from a 32-year-old woman with Type 1 diabetes to generate stem cells matched to her.

Both new reports follow the groundbreaking research published last year by Shoukhrat Mitalipov and colleagues at Oregon Health & Science University in the journal Cell. In that study, researchers produced cloned embryos and stem cells using skin cells from a fetus and an 8-month-old baby.

Its a remarkable process that gives us these master cells, these stems cells that are essentially the seeds for all of the tissues in our bodies, said George Daley, director of the Stem Cell Transplantation Program at Boston Childrens Hospital, who was not involved in the recent studies. Thats why its so important for medical research.

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Cloning used to make stem cells from adult humans

Scientists have used cloning technology to make stem cells from a woman with Type 1 diabetes that are genetically matched to her and to her disease.

They hope to someday use such cells as tailor-made transplants to treat or potentially even cure the disease, which affects millions and which now has few treatment options other than careful diet and regular use of insulin.

Its the second report his month of success in using cloning technology to make human embryonic stem cells the cells that eventually create a complete human being and that scientists hope to harness to treat diseases ranging from diabetes to Parkinsons and injuries that cause paralysis or organ damage.

I think this is going to become reality, Dr. Dieter Egli of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, whose report is published in the journal Nature on Monday, told reporters. It may be a bit in the future but it is going to happen.

The technique they use is called somatic cell nuclear transfer the same method used to make Dolly, the sheep who was the first mammal to be cloned, in 1996. Scientists remove the nucleus from a normal cell, clear the nucleus from a human egg cell, then inject the nucleus from the skin cell into the egg.

I think this is going to become reality."

Various chemical or electrical tricks can be used to start the egg growing as if it had been fertilized by sperm. In this case, they used DNA from a woman with Type 1 diabetes, and they said they used an improved method to trick the egg into developing.

It got to whats called a blastocyst a ball of cells that has not yet begun to differentiate into the different types of cells and tissues in the body, such as nerve cells, blood cells and bone cells. They removed individual cells and used various chemical baths to direct them to form into the desired cell type the beta cells in the pancreas that make insulin and that are destroyed in diabetes. These cells carry the patients own unique DNA, including whatever genetic mistakes led to her diabetes.

These stem cells could therefore be used to generate cells for therapeutic cell replacement, they wrote in their report.

Scientists have cloned sheep, pigs, mice and monkeys, but its been far harder to clone human beings. Its partly because of the controversy few people advocate cloning humans for the purpose of making babies, and many people object to destroying a human embryo, even one that only ever existed in a lab dish.

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Stem Cells Made From Cloning Diabetic Woman