A genetic tweak can make light work of some nervous disorders. Using flashes of light to stimulate modified neurons can restore movement to paralysed muscles. A study demonstrating this, carried out in mice, lays the path for using such "optogenetic" approaches to treat nerve disorders ranging from spinal cord injury to epilepsy and motor neuron disease.

Optogenetics has been hailed as one of the most significant recent developments in neuroscience. It involves genetically modifying neurons so they produce a light-sensitive protein, which makes them "fire", sending an electrical signal, when exposed to light.

So far optogenetics has mainly been used to explore how the brain works, but some groups are exploring using it as therapy. One stumbling block has been fears about irreversibly genetically manipulating the brain.

In the latest study, a team led by Linda Greensmith of University College London altered mouse stem cells in the lab before transplanting them into nerves in the leg this means they would be easier to remove if something went wrong.

"It's a very exciting approach that has a lot of potential," says Ziv Williams of Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Greensmith's team inserted an algal gene that codes for a light-responsive protein into mouse embryonic stem cells. They then added signalling molecules to make the stem cells develop into motor neurons, the cells that carry signals to and from the spinal cord to the rest of the body. They implanted these into the sciatic nerve which runs from the spinal cord to the lower limbs of mice whose original nerves had been cut.

After waiting five weeks for the implanted neurons to integrate with the muscle, Greensmith's team anaesthetised the mice, cut open their skin and shone pulses of blue light on the nerve. The leg muscles contracted in response. "We were surprised at how well this worked," says Greensmith.

Most current approaches being investigated to help people who are paralysed involve electrically stimulating their nerves or muscles. But this can be painful because they may still have working pain neurons. Plus, the electricity makes the muscles contract too forcefully, making them tire quickly.

Using the optogenetic approach, however, allows the muscle fibres to be stimulated more gently, because the light level can be increased with each pulse. "It gives a very smooth contraction," says Greensmith.

To make the technique practical for use in people, the researchers are developing a light-emitting diode in the form of a cuff that would go around the nerve, which could be connected to a miniature battery pack under the skin.

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Muscle paralysis eased by light-sensitive stem cells

Introduction to Stem Cell Therapy
Dr. Michael Belich of Integrative Medical Clinics talks about Stem Cell Therapy basics. For more detailed information go to http://www.integrativemc.com.au.

By: Integrative Medical Clinics

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Introduction to Stem Cell Therapy - Video

Researchers report they can generate human motor neurons from stem cells much more quickly and efficiently than previous methods allowed. The finding, described in Nature Communications, will aid efforts to model human motor neuron development, and to understand and treat spinal cord injuries and motor neuron diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The new method involves adding critical signaling molecules to precursor cells a few days earlier than previous methods specified. This increases the proportion of healthy motor neurons derived from stem cells (from 30 to 70 percent) and cuts in half the time required to do so.

"We would argue that whatever happens in the human body is going to be quite efficient, quite rapid," said University of Illinois cell and developmental biology professor Fei Wang, who led the study with visiting scholar Qiuhao Qu and materials science and engineering professor Jianjun Cheng. "Previous approaches took 40 to 50 days, and then the efficiency was very low -- 20 to 30 percent. So it's unlikely that those methods recreate human motor neuron development."

Qu's method produced a much larger population of mature, functional motor neurons in 20 days.

The new approach will allow scientists to induce mature human motor neuron development in cell culture, and to identify the factors that are vital to that process, Wang said.

Stem cells are unique in that they can adopt the shape and function of a variety of cell types. Generating neurons from stem cells (either embryonic stem cells or those "induced" to revert back to an embryo-like state) requires adding signaling molecules to the cells at critical moments in their development.

Wang and other colleagues previously discovered a molecule (called compound C) that converts stem cells into "neural progenitor cells," an early stage in the cells' development into neurons. But further coaxing these cells to become motor neurons presented unusual challenges.

Previous studies added two important signaling molecules at Day 6 (six days after exposure to compound C), but with limited success in generating motor neurons. In the new study, Qu discovered that adding the signaling molecules at Day 3 worked much better: The neural progenitor cells quickly and efficiently differentiated into motor neurons.

This indicates that Day 3 represents a previously unrecognized neural progenitor cell stage, Wang said.

The new approach has immediate applications in the lab. Watching how stem cells (derived from ALS patients' own skin cells, for example) develop into motor neurons will offer new insights into disease processes, and any method that improves the speed and efficiency of generating the motor neurons will aid scientists. The cells can also be used to screen for drugs to treat motor neuron diseases, and may one day be used therapeutically to restore lost function.

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Better way to grow motor neurons from stem cells

Patients with severe ischemic heart disease and heart failure can benefit from a new treatment in which stem cells found in bone marrow are injected directly into the heart muscle, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.

"Our results show that this stem cell treatment is safe and it improves heart function when compared to placebo," said Anders Bruun Mathiasen, M.D., research fellow in the Cardiac Catherization Lab at Rigshospitalet University Hospital Copenhagen, and lead investigator of the study. "This represents an exciting development that has the potential to benefit many people who suffer from this common and deadly disease."

Ischemic heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, is the number one cause of death for both men and women in the United States. It results from a gradual buildup of plaque in the heart's coronary arteries and can lead to chest pain, heart attack and heart failure.

The study is the largest placebo-controlled double-blind randomized trial to treat patients with chronic ischemic heart failure by injecting a type of stem cell known as mesenchymal stromal cells directly into the heart muscle.

Six months after treatment, patients who received stem cell injections had improved heart pump function compared to patients receiving a placebo. Treated patients showed an 8.2-milliliter decrease in the study's primary endpoint, end systolic volume, which indicates the lowest volume of blood in the heart during the pumping cycle and is a key measure of the heart's ability to pump effectively. The placebo group showed an increase of 6 milliliters in end systolic volume.

The study included 59 patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and severe heart failure. Each patient first underwent a procedure to extract a small amount of bone marrow. Researchers then isolated from the marrow a small number of mesenchymal stromal cells and induced the cells to self-replicate. Patients then received an injection of either saline placebo or their own cultured mesenchymal stromal cells into the heart muscle through a catheter inserted in the groin.

"Isolating and culturing the stem cells is a relatively straightforward process, and the procedure to inject the stem cells into the heart requires only local anesthesia, so it appears to be all-in-all a promising treatment for patients who have no other options," Mathiasen said.

Although there are other therapies available for patients with ischemic heart disease, these therapies do not help all patients and many patients continue to face fatigue, shortness of breath and accumulation of fluid in the lungs and legs.

Previous studies have shown mesenchymal stromal cells can stimulate repair and regeneration in a variety of tissues, including heart muscle. Mathiasen said in the case of ischemic heart failure, the treatment likely works by facilitating the growth of new blood vessels and new heart muscle.

The study also supports findings from previous, smaller studies, which showed reduced scar tissue in the hearts of patients who received the stem cell treatment, offering additional confirmation that the treatment stimulates the growth of new heart muscle cells.

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New human trial shows stem cells are effective for failing hearts: Bone marrow-derived stem cells injected directly ...

Aventura Hospital and Medical Center - Stem Cell Therapy
In this video Dr. Coy discusses how he is studying stem cells in the heart. Steam Cell Therapy is an exciting technology that is now harvesting cells that ar...

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Aventura Hospital and Medical Center - Stem Cell Therapy - Video

Brother describes pulling mudslide victim's body from car

By Jonathan Kaminsky DARRINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - Days after risking his own life and defying arrest by joining the search for Washington state mudslide victims in a vast, mucky debris field near Oso, Dayn Brunner retrieved the body of the No. 1 person he had been looking for - his sister. Brunner, 42, recounted the tragic coincidence in an interview with Reuters on Friday, two days after it unfolded on the enormous mound of mud and rubble left by last Saturday's disaster, which has claimed at least 26 lives and left 90 people still missing. Brunner said he was on the mud pile on Wednesday afternoon when other rescue workers found a blue object and called him over to the spot. It was the same color as the car his sister, Summer Raffo, 36, was known to have been driving through the area when the slide struck.

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Study Shows Neuralstem Cells Transplanted Into Brain Significantly Improve Post-Stroke Symptoms in Rats

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Ryan Manansala, 29, of San Joseis being treated in Houston for leukemia and awaiting a bone marrow transplant that may save his life. (Courtesy Quan Nguyen)

SAN JOSE -- Ryan Manansala spent much of his 29 years helping others, whether it was aiding autistic children or mentoring kids as a Big Brother. Now battling cancer, he's devoting his energy to promoting bone marrow drives that can help him and others find donor matches that can save their lives.

"Yeah, you could say I'm the poster boy right now," the 29-year-old San Jose resident said from a cancer center in Houston. "I personally don't like it, but there is an obligation to others. I don't want to see people have to wait and wait on the list and then die."

He learned two years ago he had acute myeloid leukemia, a form of blood cancer. He needs a bone-marrow transplant and he needs it now. Talking on his cellphone from the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Manansala said he was there for special chemotherapy treatment to buy him some time.

While a local bone marrow registration drive is named after him, Operation Save Ryan is not only for him. The drives will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Great Mall in Milpitas, on Saturday night at the San Jose Earthquakes soccer game in Santa Clara and on April 15 and 16 at UC Santa Cruz, his alma mater. Donors should be 18 to 44 years old.

"If they find a match for me, fine," Manansala said. "But it's really about getting more people to register for the benefit of everyone on the transplant list."

Not that his case can be pushed aside. Chemotherapy worked for him early, but then the leukemia came back with a vengeance. Along the way, the illness cost the Yerba Buena High graduate his job working with disabled children. Then his father lost his job. Although his mother continued to work, the Manansala family lost its house in East San Jose.

"It's been a roller coaster in the extreme," he said. But looking on the bright side, "My father losing his job allowed him to become my full-time caregiver."

For severely afflicted AML patients, bone marrow transplants are often the last hope. In the procedure, healthy stem cells from a compatible donor are inserted into the bone marrow of leukemia patients to create normal blood cells.

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A leukemia patient from San Jose becomes a reluctant crusader for bone marrow drives

San Jose, California (PRWEB) March 25, 2014

Follow us on LinkedIn High prevalence of cancer worldwide and growing number of related casualties is creating an immediate need for effective diagnosis and therapy. Despite continuous research and the development of novel drugs, cancer remains unbeatable in most cases. The discovery of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) and Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) and their molecular mechanism is forecast to play an indispensable role in the future of cancer diagnostics and treatment. CTCs are cells dispersed from the primary tumor and found in peripheral blood circulation. The detection of CTCs and their numbers present important clues on the presence of cancer and the extent of its spread within the body. Clinical applications of CTC diagnostics are currently limited with high cost being the primary limiting factor. Unmet medical needs in the field of effective screening is however expected result in continuous flow of R&D investments in CTCs and CSCs. CTC based diagnostics involve a simple blood test and is increasingly being preferred over painful bone marrow aspirations and surgical biopsies to diagnose and analyze cancer metastasis.

CTC quantification and analyses based on molecular research also provides the potential to develop personalized cancer treatment regimens, which is garnering interest among scientific communities. Better, faster, and more user-friendly methods to detect and characterize CTCs will witness increased demand in the coming years. PCR-based (nucleic acid-based) identification methods are the most effective and sensitive for CTC genetic profiling, scoring over immunocytometric (protein-based) methods for molecular characterization of CTCs. RT-PCR and qPCR are highly specific techniques that are widely used to identify and amplify CTCs. CellSearch is the only FDA-approved automated system that offer combined enrichment, staining, and scanning of CTCs.

Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) are the bulk cells within a tumor carrying its proliferative capability. CSCs remain unaffected by cancer treatment strategies, including chemotherapy and cause tumor relapse or re-occurrence thereby creating the need for new therapeutic drugs that destroy CSCs. The technology is still under extensive research. Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are increasingly shifting focus to anti-cancer therapeutics that target cancer stem cells and their regenerative mechanisms.

As stated by the new market research report on Circulating Tumor Cells and Cancer Stem Cells Technologies, the United States and Europe are the largest markets worldwide. The United States remains the undisputed leader in CTC diagnostics. Asia-Pacific is forecast to emerge as the fastest growing market driven by developing healthcare infrastructure, growing patient awareness, increasing per capita healthcare spends, focus on quality healthcare services, and the urgent need for advanced cancer diagnostics.

Key players covered in the report for CTC diagnostics include Adnagen GmbH, ApoCell Inc., Biocep LTD, Biocept Inc., Biofluidica Microtechnologies LLC, Celltrafix Inc., Clearbridge Biomedics, Creatv Microtech Inc., Cynvenio Biosystems Inc., Ikonisys Inc., IVDiagnostics Inc., Janssen Diagnostics LLC, Epic Biosciences Inc., Rarecells SAS, Screencell, Stemcell Technologies Inc. Market participants in CSC research include Alchemia Limited, Amgen Inc., Exelixis Inc., Formula Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Geron Corp, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Kalobios Pharmaceuticals Inc., Novartis AG, OncoMed Pharmaceuticals Inc., Roche Diagnostics, and Verastem Inc., among others.

The research report titled Circulating Tumor Cells and Cancer Stem Cells Technologies: A Global Strategic Business Report announced by Global Industry Analysts Inc., provides a comprehensive review of market trends, drivers, key issues and challenges. The study also provides insights into CTC biology and CTC detection technologies, including CellSearch, ISET, CTC Chip, FAST, FISH, etc. The report provides market estimates and projections for CTC Diagnostics for all major geographic markets including the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe (France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia, and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World. Exclusive coverage is presented on Cancer Stem Cells biology, Surface Markers, Signaling Pathways, and Pipeline drugs.

For more details about this comprehensive market research report, please visit http://www.strategyr.com/Circulating_Tumor_Cells_CTCs_and_Cancer_Stem_Cells_CSCs_Technologies_Market_Report.asp

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA) is a leading publisher of off-the-shelf market research. Founded in 1987, the company currently employs over 800 people worldwide. Annually, GIA publishes more than 1300 full-scale research reports and analyzes 40,000+ market and technology trends while monitoring more than 126,000 Companies worldwide. Serving over 9500 clients in 27 countries, GIA is recognized today, as one of the world's largest and reputed market research firms.

Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Telephone: 408-528-9966 Fax: 408-528-9977 Email: press(at)StrategyR(dot)com Web Site: http://www.StrategyR.com/

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Need for Advanced Cancer Diagnostics Drives Demand for Circulating Tumor Cells & Cancer Stem Cells Technologies ...

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

24-Mar-2014

Contact: Susan Gammon Ph.D. sgammon@sanfordburnham.org 858-795-5012 Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute

LA JOLLA, Calif., March 25, 2014 Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) and UC San Diego School of Medicine scientists have shown that by encapsulating immature pancreatic cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESC), and implanting them under the skin in animal models of diabetes, sufficient insulin is produced to maintain glucose levels without unwanted potential trade-offs of the technology. The research suggests that encapsulated hESC-derived insulin-producing cells hold great promise as an effective and safe cell-replacement therapy for insulin-dependent diabetes.

"Our study critically evaluates some of the potential pitfalls of using stem cells to treat insulin-dependent diabetes," said Pamela Itkin-Ansari, Ph.D., adjunct assistant professor in the Development, Aging, and Regenerative Program at Sanford-Burnham, with a joint appointment at UC San Diego.

"We have shown that encapsulated hESC-derived pancreatic cells are able to produce insulin in response to elevated glucose without an increase in the mass or their escape from the capsule. These results are important because it means that the encapsulated cells are both fully functional and retrievable," said Itkin-Ansari.

In the study, published online in Stem Cell Research, Itkin-Ansari and her team used bioluminescent imaging to see if encapsulated cells stay in the capsule after implantation.

Previous attempts to replace insulin-producing cells, called beta cells, have met with significant challenges. For example, researchers have tried treating diabetics with mature beta cells, but because mature cells are fragile and scarce, the method is fraught with problems. Moreover, since the cells come from organ donors, they may be recognized as foreign by the recipient's immune systemrequiring patients to take immunosuppressive drugs to prevent their immune system from attacking the donor's cells, ultimately leaving patients vulnerable to infections, tumors, and other adverse events.

Encapsulation technology was developed to protect donor cells from exposure to the immune systemand has proven extremely successful in preclinical studies.

Itkin-Ansari and her research team previously made an important contribution to the encapsulation approach by showing that pancreatic islet progenitor cells are an optimal cell type for encapsulation. They found that progenitor cells were more robust than mature beta cells to encapsulate, and while encapsulated, they matured into insulin-producing cells, which secreted insulin only when needed.

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Replacing insulin through stem cell-derived pancreatic cells under the skin

For the first time, scientists have succeeded in coaxing laboratory cultures of human stem cells to develop into the specialized, unique cells needed to repair a patient's defective or diseased bladder.

The breakthrough, developed at the UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures and published today in the scientific journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine, is significant because it provides a pathway to regenerate replacement bladder tissue for patients whose bladders are too small or do not function properly, such as children with spina bifida and adults with spinal cord injuries or bladder cancer.

"Our goal is to use human stem cells to regenerate tissue in the lab that can be transplanted into patients to augment or replace their malfunctioning bladders," said Eric Kurzrock, professor and chief of the division of pediatric urologic surgery at UC Davis Children's Hospital and lead scientist of the study, which is titled "Induction of Human Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells into Urothelium."

To develop the bladder cells, Kurzrock and his UC Davis colleagues investigated two categories of human stem cells. In their key experiments, they used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), which were derived from lab cultures of human skin cells and umbilical blood cells that had been genetically reprogrammed to convert to an embryonic stem cell-like state.

If additional research demonstrates that grafts of bladder tissue grown from human stem cells will be safe and effective for patient care, Kurzrock said that the source of the grafts would be iPS cells derived from a patient's own skin or umbilical cord blood cells. This type of tissue would be optimal, he said, because it lowers the risk of immunological rejection that typifies most transplants.

In their investigation, Kurzrock and his colleagues developed a protocol to prod the pluripotent cells into becoming bladder cells. Their procedure was efficient and, most importantly, the cells proliferated over a long period of time -- a critical element in any tissue engineering application.

"What's exciting about this discovery is that it also opens up an array of opportunities using pluripotent cells," said Jan Nolta, professor and director of the UC Davis Stem Cell program and a co-author on the new study. "When we can reliably direct and differentiate pluripotent stem cells, we have more options to develop new and effective regenerative medicine therapies. The protocols we used to create bladder tissue also provide insight into other types of tissue regeneration."

UC Davis researchers first used human embryonic stem cells obtained from the National Institutes of Health's repository of human stem cells. Embryonic stem cells can become any cell type in the body (i.e., they are pluripotent), and the team successfully coaxed these embryonic stem cells into bladder cells. They then used the same protocol to coax iPS cells made from skin and umbilical cord blood into bladder cells, called urothelium, that line the inside of the bladder. The cells expressed a very unique protein and marker of bladder cells called uroplakin, which makes the bladder impermeable to toxins in the urine.

The UC Davis researchers adjusted the culture system in which the stem cells were developing to encourage the cells to proliferate, differentiate and express the bladder protein without depending upon signals from other human cells, said Kurzrock. In future research, Kurzrock and his colleagues plan to modify the laboratory cultures so that they will not need animal and human products, which will allow use of the cells in patients.

Kurzrock's primary focus as a physician is with children suffering from spina bifida and other pediatric congenital disorders. Currently, when he surgically reconstructs a child's defective bladder, he must use a segment of their own intestine. Because the function of intestine, which absorbs food, is almost the opposite of bladder, bladder reconstruction with intestinal tissue may lead to serious complications, including urinary stone formation, electrolyte abnormalities and cancer. Developing a stem cell alternative not only will be less invasive, but should prove to be more effective, too, he said.

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Stem cell findings may offer answers for some bladder defects, disease

12 hours ago Levels of the regulatory protein GtaC, tagged with green fluorescent protein, increase in the nucleus every six minutes. GtaC turns on genes that prepare cells to move. The image is a compilation of eight photos, taken at 3.5 minute intervals, showing GtaC's location in a single cell as it moves. Credit: Huaqing Cai

Johns Hopkins biologists have discovered that when biological signals hit cells in rhythmic waves, the magnitude of the cells' response can depend on the number of signaling cyclesnot their strength or duration. Because such so-called "oscillating signaling cycles" are common in many biological systems, the scientists expect their findings in single-celled organisms to help explain the molecular workings of phenomena such as tissue and organ formation and fundamental forms of learning.

In a report to be published online in the journal Science on March 21, the investigators say their experiments in amoebae show how repeated pulses of a signal cause short bursts of specific gene activity, the products of which linger and build with each new pulse. The cumulative amount of these gene products ultimately affects changes in cell fate.

"The mechanism we discovered here illustrates how a single cell can keep track of the number of times it has received a signal," says Peter Devreotes, Ph.D., professor and director of the Department of Cell Biology. "In most signaling systems, the cellular response depends on the strength or duration of the signal. This system allows the cells to count."

The Devreotes team says they figured out this signaling system in the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, a single-celled organism that can cluster to form a multi-celled structure that helps it survive when resources are scarce. At the heart of this process, they say, is a communication molecule called cAMP, a chemical released by starving cells in periodic spurtsevery six minutesthat is sensed by other cells nearby. The signal triggers a series of steps needed for the cells to join together and form specialized types of cells within the group makeup.

Devreotes says, "We have known since the 1970s that the cAMP signals achieve their best effect when they arrive every six minutesnot more and not lessbut we had no idea why."

To find out, the Johns Hopkins team focused on the behavior of a regulatory protein called GtaC, which is similar to the human GATA genes known to control stem cell fate in many tissues. Amoebae that lack GtaC can't activate the genes that enable the initially similar cells to cluster and to become the specialized cell types of the multicellular structure.

When the researchers attached GtaC to a protein that glows green, they saw that it entered the amoeba cell nucleus, left the nucleus and then entered again at a pace like the six-minute pulses of cAMP. If the researchers gave the cells a continuous supply of cAMP, GtaC would leave the nucleus after a brief lag and remain outside of it for as long as cAMP was present. When they removed cAMP, GtaC would re-enter the nucleus.

The researchers then engineered GtaC to stay put in the nucleus and found that the cells began to come together and specialize prematurely. However, in cells that lacked cAMP, the team found that these processes were not turned on even with GtaC in the nucleus.

To better understand the role of GtaC, the researchers used a protein that can glow to show when GtaC turned on a particular gene. What they found was another rhythmic, six-minute pattern of activity: The glowing spots indicating gene activity peaked in intensity approximately every six minutes and lagged about three minutes behind the peak of GtaC accumulation in the nucleus. According to Devreotes, this three-minute lag is likely due to the time it takes for the gene to be turned on and seen.

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Cellular 'counting' of rhythmic signals synchronizes changes in cell fate

Leo Olarte, M.D., PMA president. PHOTO from http://www.philippinemedicalassociation.org

MANILA, Philippines Politics over stem cell treatment may be behind the move to slap an ethics case against him for allegedly falsifying signatures, the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) president said.

In an interview over Inquirer Radio 990 AM on Monday, Dr. Leo Olarte said he found it suspicious that Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Chair Teresita Manzala announced the ethics case against him on the day of the elections for the next PMA president.

He claimed Manzala slapped the ethics case before the PRC to ruin his chances of being re-elected in the countrys largest doctors association.

Olarte said Manzala has connections to doctors who are against stem cell medicine. Olarte is a supporter of stem cell treatment.

Manzala released the statement on the day of our elections specifically to destroy my name Manzala (also) has connections to doctors who are against stem cell. I am pro-stem cell treatment while my rival (for president) is not, Olarte said in Filipino.

In a Philippine Daily Inquirer report on Sunday, Olarte and his four predecessors were charged with fraud in the registration of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM) in the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Olarte and the four others Bu Castro, Rey Melchor Santos, Oscar Tinio and Jose Sabili were accused of forging Manzalas signature in an endorsement for the incorporation of the PSSCM.

But Olarte blamed a syndicate behind the alleged forgery.

He said the PMA paid a private trading company to process the PSSCMs incorporation with the SEC. The doctor did not name the company.

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Stem cell politics behind forgery chargesPMA president

PRC: Stem cell group submitted fake SEC registration. At a press conference in Manila on Monday, March 17, Professional Regulation Commission chairperson Teresita Manzala said the PRC endorsement documents allegedly submitted by the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM) to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) were fabricated and have her tampered signature. The SEC previously revoked the corporate registration of the PSSCM. Danny Pata

In a statement, Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) chair Teresita Manzala said she has asked the Professional Regulatory Board of Medicine (PRBOM) to initiate, investigate and file charges against doctors Leo Olarte, Bu Castro, Rey Melchor Santos, Oscar Tinio and Jose Asa Sabili before the PRCs legal division.

Olarte is the current president of the PMA.

The five doctors are all incorporators of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM,) which was able to obtain an SEC certificate despite previously being denied corporate registration. They were able to do this, said the statement, by submitting false PRC endorsements to the commission.

The PRBOM eventually got hold of a copy of the SEC Registration. On examination of the supposed PRC Endorsement, it was noted that the reference regulatory law used was the Philippine Veterinary Law of 2004, instead of Republic Act 2382, otherwise known as the Medical Act of 1959, and there appeared a signature of the PRC Chairperson, the PRC statement said.

Manzala said complaints were filed against the doctors for unprofessional, dishonorable and unethical conduct.

According to the statement, the incorporators later denied participation in obtaining the SEC registration, instead naming a Dr. Mike Aragon as the person who obtained the certification.

In a notarized affidavit submitted to the PRBOM, 'Dr. Mike Aragon' declared that he was the person authorized to register a corporation to be called 'Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine' and admitted paying 15,000 pesos to a trading company for them to file the necessary documents for incorporation of the PSSCM, the PRC statement said.

But Aragon claimed to have had no participation whatsoever in the actual processing of the SEC papers for incorporating the PSSCM. Patricia Denise Chiu/BM, GMA News

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5 doctors charged with falsifying papers to get certificate for stem cell group

By: Jet Villa, InterAksyon.com March 17, 2014 7:45 AM

FILE PHOTO

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

MANILA - Five doctor-incorporators of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM) face charges and may have their medical licenses revoked for submitting a fabricated endorsement from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Among them are chairman of the Philippine Medical Association Leo Olarte, PSSCM treasurer and legal counsel; Bu Castro, secretary; Rey Melchor Santos, president; Oscar Tinio, vice president; and Jose Asa Sabili, chairman.

In a statement, PRC Chairperson Teresita Manzala on Sunday said she directed the Professional Regulatory Board of Medicine (PRBOM) to initiate, investigate, and file charges against the five doctors before the PRCs legal division for unprofessional, dishonorable, and unethical conduct.

Earlier on 10 January 2014, the SEC cancelled the registration of the PSSCM for submitting a fabricated document. In an order signed by SEC Acting Director Ferdinand Sales, the commission said the PSSCM had committed fraud in procuring its Certificate of Incorporation for its application for corporate registration.

Wherefore, premises considered, the Certificate of Registration of Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine with SEC Registration No. CN201303986, approved on March 6, 2013 is hereby revoked, the order reads.

Falsified endorsement

SEC said PSSCM submitted a 2ndPRC Indorsement, dated 20 February 2013, supposedly from Manzala. But on14 August 2014, SEC received a letter-complaint from Manzala informing the commission that the signature appearing in the alleged favorable indorsement from PRC was not hers and, thus, falsified.

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DINUKTOR | 5 stem cell society doctors face raps for submitting falsified PRC endorsement to SEC

Stem Cell Therapy for NFL Knee / ACL Injuries Sports Medicine - Dr Rodney Dade
WASHINGTONIAN Mag Top Doctor and Regenerative Medicine and Pain Management physician Dr Rodney Dade at StemCell ARTS discusses the tragic uptick in NFL knee ...

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Stem Cell Therapy for NFL Knee / ACL Injuries & Sports Medicine - Dr Rodney Dade - Video

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

13-Mar-2014

Contact: Toni Baker tbaker@gru.edu 706-721-4421 Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University

Augusta, Ga. Researchers want to know whether patients with debilitating heart failure can benefit by having their own stem cells injected into their ailing heart muscle.

The severe condition is ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, a currently incurable condition resulting from significantly compromised blood flow to the heart muscle as well as heart attacks, which leave the muscle bulky and inefficient and patients unable to carry out routine activities.

"We want to know if stem cell therapy is an option for patients who have essentially run out of options," said Dr. Adam Berman, electrophysiologist at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University and Director of Cardiac Arrhythmia Ablation Services at Georgia Regents Health System. "It's a very exciting potential therapy, and these studies are designed to see if it works to help these patients."

Berman is a Principal Investigator on the multi-site study in which stem cells are removed from the bone marrow, their numbers significantly increased by technology developed by Aastrom Biosciences, then injected into multiple weak points in the heart. At GR Health System, the procedure is performed in the Electrophysiology Lab where Berman threads a catheter into an artery from the groin into the heart. Three-dimensional maps of the heart are created to provide a clear picture of its natural geography as well as major sites of damage.

"Everyone's heart is different, their scar burden is different, everything is different," Berman said. From that vantage point, small needles - similar in size to those used for skin testing - are used to make about 12 to 20 strategic injections of mesenchymal stem cells, which can differentiate into a variety of cell types. In this case, researchers hope the cells will improve blood flow and function of the heart.

Half of the study participants receive the stem cell treatment called ixmyelocel-T and the remainder a saline placebo. Patients go home the next day but researchers follow all participants for 12 months to assess heart function and quality of life. GR Health System plans to enroll a handful of patients in the clinical trial.

Treatment options for heart failure include frontline therapies such as diuretics to more extreme measures such as implantable ventricular assist devices and heart transplants.

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Stem cell therapy may help severe congestive heart failure

Each day is a gift for Chris Taylor and every phone call could be the one that saves his life.

Thats why the 36-year-old man with acute myeloid leukemia keeps his cellphone within reach, waiting to hear that a stem cell donor has been found and hell get the bone marrow transplant he needs.

Taylor, who was diagnosed in July 2012, has already had two false alarms but is confident a match will become available before its too late.

Getting the call is a miracle in itself. It comes after an online search of unrelated people by the Canadian Blood Services OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network. The registry has access to 22 million potential volunteer donors in 71 countries, strangers prepared to help those like Taylor.

Despite popular belief, family members are matches only 25 per cent of the time, said Mary-Lynn Pride, a patient transplant liaison specialist at OneMatch.

More than 800 Canadians currently await transplants. OneMatch has more than 333,000 registered Canadian donors.

Taylor signed up after a second round of chemotherapy last summer, when doctors at Princess Margaret Hospital advised he needed a bone marrow transplant.

Taylor received the first call last November. The timing was perfect because his cancer was in remission, the only time a transplant can be done.

Two days before he was to be admitted to hospital, Taylor got bad news. The procedure was cancelled because the donor had unspecified medical complications, he said. OneMatch does not say why donors decide to abandon the procedure.

The second call came last month, but the donor withdrew for reasons unknown to Taylor.

The rest is here:
Leukemia patient pins hopes on OneMatch stem cell donor registry

Course Description: Regenerative medicine focuses on harnessing the power of ones own stem cells and regenerative capabilities to restore function to damaged cells, tissues and organs. In April 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) implemented regulations governing the use of human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products (HCT/Ps) in humans including bone, ligament, skin, dura mater, stem cells, cartilage cells, and various other cellular and tissue-based products. Currently, there is an ongoing debate in the industry on how such therapies should be regulated by FDA or under the practice of medicine, under federal law or state law, and as drugs or simply biologics.

This 2-day interactive seminar on FDA regulations of regenerative medicine will cover:

-How FDA is currently regulating regenerative therapies and products intended for both human and veterinary use. -The distinction being made between human regenerative products and their regulation as drugs, biologics, devices, and combination products. -The New Drug Application (NDA) and the Biologic License Application (BLA) review and approval processes including a discussion of available options, application components, relevant meetings, timing, costs and approval requirements. -The option for obtaining designation and approval as Orphan Drug Product. -Designing and conducting appropriate clinical trials to support the approval of regenerative therapies. -FDAs regulation of some regenerative medicine products and accessories as Medical Devices. -The Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) and Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs) being applied by FDA to human regenerative products. -The labeling and marketing of regenerative products and therapies. -The potential for enforcement action and recommendations for mitigating that risk. -The current regulation of veterinary cellular treatments including autologous, allogeneic and xenogeneic cellular products in the United States.

Learning Objectives: Participants who attend this course on FDA regulation of regenerative medicines will leave with a comprehensive understanding of:

-How FDA regulates regenerative treatments and therapies? -The HCT/P Criteria and Minimal Manipulation Standard. -The Drug and Biological Approval Process. -Regenerative Products as Medical Devices. -How to Design Appropriate Clinical Trials? -Applicable cGMPs and cGLPs. -Marketing Exclusivity and Patent Restoration. -Product Labeling, Marketing and Advertising. -FDA and other Federal Agency Enforcement Action. -The Regulation of Veterinary Regenerative Medicine. -The New Animal Drug Application (NADA) Process. -Veterinary User Fees and Waivers.

Who will benefit: This course is designed for professionals in stem cell, biotech, pharmaceutical and animal drug companies, veterinary hospitals and clinics. The following personnel will find this session valuable:

-Senior quality managers -Quality professionals -Regulatory professionals -Compliance professionals -Production supervisors -Manufacturing engineers -Production engineers -Design engineers -Labelers and Private Labelers -Contract Manufacturers -Importers and Custom Agents -U.S. Agents of Foreign Corporations -Process owners -Quality engineers -Quality auditors -Document control specialists -Record retention specialists -Medical affairs -Legal Professionals -Financial Advisors and Institutional Investors -Consultants, Inspectors and cGMP Experts

Link:
FDA's Regulation of Regenerative Medicine including Stem Cell Treatments, Tissue Engineering, Etc.

Sarasota, FL (PRWEB) March 12, 2014

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the most commonly studied disorder when it comes to male sexual dysfunction. It is estimated that 18 million men in the US alone suffer from erectile dysfunction and that it appears to be affecting 1 in 4 males under age 40 according to a study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

While the emphasis of treatments for ED focuses on relieving the symptoms, they only provide a temporary solution rather than a cure or reversing the cause.

The DaSilva Institute is excited to announce the recruitment of males suffering from ED, in an IRB study, which will look at the safety, and efficacy of autologous, adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) in regenerating the causes of ED.

The evidence shows that ADSCs reverses the pathophysiological changes leading to ED, rather than treating the symptoms of ED. Not only is the data in the literature compelling, but our own, in-house, results on our patients have been phenomenal, states Dr. DaSilva.

The many underlying causes for ED that are being investigated range from those secondary to aging, to injury of the cavernous nerve secondary to injury, surgery and/or radiation of the prostate, to diabetic ED and Peyronies Disease to name a few. According to Dr. DaSilva, the possibilities for ADSCs in reversing ED are limitless.

Currently, there is an expansive and growing body of evidence in the medical literature strongly indicating that ADSCs might be a potential cure for ED, rather than merely symptom relief, which is indicative of the increasing interest in ADSC-regenerative options for sexual medicine over the past decade. The DaSilva Institutes goal is to take this from pre-clinical studies to the clinical world offering it to all males that suffer from intractable ED under an IRB approved protocol.

More information about Dr. DaSilva and the DaSilva Institute Guy DaSilva, MD is currently the medical director of the DaSilva Institute of Anti-Aging, Regenerative & Functional Medicine, located in Sarasota, Florida. Dr. DaSilvas enthusiasm for using autologous stem cells in regenerative medicine comes from his early days as a pathologist in New York City back in 1987 and later as a fellow in hematology in1990 following his residency in internal medicine.

He later brought his expertise in molecular and cellular medicine to the University of Kansas Medical Center where he served as chief of Hematology & Hematopathology. He later became the CEO and medical director of HemePath Institute, a diagnostic leader in diagnosing the most difficult cases of leukemia and lymphomas. Most recently, Dr. DaSilva teamed up with one of the most influential stem cell scientist in the world to bring the highest quality and viability of the harvested stem cells, bar none, to the DaSilva Institute.

Dr. DaSilva is board certified and fellowship trained in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. For more information about Dr. DaSilva or the DaSilva Institute go to http://www.dasilvainstitute.com.

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DaSilva Institute of Anti-Aging, Regenerative & Functional Medicine Offers Autologous Stem Cell Therapy for Men ...

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Newswise SAN DIEGO Elaine Fuchs, Ph.D., will receive the 2014 Pezcoller Foundation-American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) International Award for Cancer Research at the AACR Annual Meeting 2014, to be held in San Diego, Calif., April 5-9, in recognition of her seminal work contributing to the understanding of mammalian skin, skin stem cells, and skin-related diseases, particularly cancers, genetic diseases, and proinflammatory disorders.

Fuchs is the Rebecca C. Lancefield professor and head of the Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development at The Rockefeller University in New York, N.Y., and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She will give her lecture, Stem Cells in Silence, Action, and Cancer, Sunday, April 6, 4:30 p.m. PT, in Halls F-G in the San Diego Convention Center.

Dr. Fuchs is an exceptional scientist, and we are delighted to recognize her pioneering research on the biology of skin stem cells and how they go awry in human diseases of the skin, including cancer, said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (hon.), chief executive officer of the AACR. Her seminal studies have had a profound impact not only on the field of cancer research, but also on the research disciplines of genetics and dermatology.

Fuchs is highly regarded for her studies using reverse genetics to understand the biological basis of normal and abnormal skin development and function. Among her important research discoveries was the clarification of the molecular mechanisms underlying the ability of skin stem cells to produce the epidermis and its appendages, including hair follicles and sweat and oil glands. She has also defined how the normal biology of skin stem cells can be deregulated in skin cancers and other hyperproliferative disorders of the skin.

I'm honored, delighted, and humbled to receive this award from the AACR, said Fuchs. My students, postdocs, and staff, present and past, are the ones who truly merit recognition. My group has long had an interest in skin stem cells, how they make and repair tissues, and how this goes awry in cancers. As a basic scientist who studies the fundamental mechanisms underlying stem cell biology and cancer, it is particular pleasing to be recognized not only by basic cancer biologists, but also by physician scientists and clinicians. It is the diversity and breadth of the AACR that make this Society and this honor so special.

The Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award, now in its 17th year, recognizes an individual scientist of international renown who has made a major scientific discovery in basic or translational cancer research.

As recipient of this award, Fuchs will also present the Ninth Annual Stanley J. Korsmeyer Lecture at the Venetian Institute for Molecular Medicine in Padua, Italy, prior to the Pezcoller Foundations official award ceremony in Trento, Italy, May 2014.

Fuchs was named one of the inaugural Fellows of the AACR Academy last year. She has received many additional honors throughout her career, including the AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship, the National Medal of Science, the Albany Prize in Medicine, the Kligman-Frost Leadership Award from the Society of Investigative Dermatology, LOreal-Unesco Award, the March of Dimes Prize, and the Pasarow Award for Cancer Research. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the European National Academy of Sciences (EMBO).

The rest is here:
Pezcoller Foundation and American Association for Cancer Research Honor Outstanding Achievements of Dr. Elaine Fuchs