Poway, CA (PRWEB) December 19, 2013

Amazing Grace Hamiltons banked stem cells from Vet-Stem, Inc. have recently helped her avoid hip surgery for the second time. Gracie is now nearly 12 years old and her owners noticed her activities had dramatically slowed in the last year. They turned to banked stem cells that Gracie had stored with Vet-Stem, Inc. in Poway, California to help with the discomfort and pain of arthritis that was slowing her down.

When Gracies owners brought her to Garden State Veterinary Specialists in Tinton Falls, New Jersey in October of this year the x-rays showed a severely deteriorated right hip. Dr. Thomas Scavelli and Dr. Michael Hoelzler were very concerned and recommended hip replacement. Gracies owners wanted to try stem cell therapy first, since it had given them such positive results five years before.

We needed to give the stem cells a try before going to the more invasive surgical approach, Mrs. Hamilton said. At the time of the procedure Dr. Hoelzler told me that Gracies hips were the worst he had seen, but in just a couple of days after the stem cell therapy we began to see a difference. Just shy of two weeks after the procedure I took her back to Dr. Hoelzler and he was very impressed. She was walking comfortably.

At three years Gracie had been diagnosed with hip dysplasia. By six years of age she had slowed to the point of great concern as her owners described it. The pain caused by arthritis from the hip dysplasia was beginning to interfere with her life.

Gracie was no longer running and jumping, and certain activities had become difficult (like climbing onto my husbands sailboat). She also had a noticeable limp, Mrs. Hamilton remembered the signs of pain and discomfort that prompted Gracies first stem cell therapy five years before.

Gracie was brought to Dr. Scavelli in 2008 with painful symptoms, and stem cell therapy for pets was the latest, cutting edge treatment. Gracies owners understood that without stem cell therapy Gracie would have faced hip surgery at the time.

We are grateful for stem cell therapy which has restored Gracies ability to enjoy her morning walks again, Mrs. Hamilton shared, She enjoys wrestling with us and playing with her toys. She looks forward to visiting her friends, and prances around like a puppy. Gracie is a happy dog and we are happy owners because she does not appear to be in pain anymore!

About Vet-Stem, Inc.

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

See the original post:
Stem Cell Therapy by Vet-Stem, a Surprising Alternative to Hip Surgery for a New Jersey Chocolate Labrador Retriever

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

5-Dec-2013

Contact: Jennifer Nachbur jennifer.nachbur@uvm.edu 802-656-7875 University of Vermont

New research by University of Vermont Associate Professor of Medicine Jeffrey Spees, Ph.D., and colleagues has identified a new tool that could help facilitate future stem cell therapy for the more than 700,000 Americans who suffer a heart attack each year. The study appeared online in Stem Cells Express.

Stem cells, which can come from embryos, fetal tissue and adult tissues, have the potential to develop into a variety of cell types in the body, such as muscle cells, brain cells and red blood cells. These cells also possess the ability to repair human tissues. The field of regenerative medicine which explores the viability of using embryonic, fetal and adult stem cells to repair and regenerate tissues and organs has struggled to successfully graft cells from culture back into injured tissue.

"Many grafts simply didn't take; the cells wouldn't stick or would die," explains Spees. So he and his research team set out to develop ways to enhance graft success.

They focused on a type of bone marrow-derived progenitor cell that forms stromal cells. Stromal cells form connective tissue and also support the creation of blood cells. The researchers were aware of that these cells secrete a diverse array of molecules called ligands that protect injured tissue, promote tissue repair and support stem and progenitor cells in culture. Different ligands interact with specific receptors on the surface of a stem or progenitor cell, transmitting signals that can instruct the cell to adhere, to divide, or to differentiate into a mature functional cell.

To confirm whether or not these types of ligands would protect a cardiac progenitor cell and help it graft, the group isolated a conditioned medium from human bone marrow-derived progenitor cells. They found that the medium contained Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF) and the hormone insulin.

"Both CTGF and insulin are protective," says Spees. "Together, they have a synergistic effect."

In the study, Spees and colleagues compared the impact of sending a cardiac stem cell "naked" into a rodent heart with infarction (heart attack) to a cell that instead wore a "backpack" of protective ligands, created by incubating about 125,000 cardiac cells in a "cocktail" of CTGF and insulin on ice for 30 minutes. The team grafted the cells sub-epicardially between the outer layer and the muscle tissue of the heart and found that their priming cocktail resulted in improved graft success.

Follow this link:
Priming 'cocktail' shows promise as cardiac stem cell grafting ...

A new study appearing in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM) demonstrates the potential of a subset of stem cell called CD34+ in treating hard to heal bone fractures.

Durham, NC (PRWEB) December 04, 2013

A new study appearing in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM) demonstrates the potential of a subset of stem cell called CD34+ in treating hard to heal bone fractures.

While most patients recover from broken bones with little or no complication, up to 10 percent experience fractures that wont heal. This can lead to a number of debilitating side effects, from infection to bone loss, and it can require extensive treatment involving multiple operations and prolonged hospitalization as well as long-term disability.

Regenerating broken bone using stem cells could offer an answer. Adult human peripheral blood CD34+ cells have been shown to contain an abundance of a type of stem cell called endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) as well as hematopoietic stem cells, which give rise to all types of blood cells. As such, they could be good candidates for this therapy.

However, while other types of stem cells had been tested for their bone regeneration potential, the ability of CD34+ to do so had never been reported on before the phase I/II clinical study was published in the current SCTM. It was conducted by researchers at Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, led by Tomoyuki Matsumoto, M.D., and Ryosuke Kuroda, M.D., members of the universitys department of orthopedic surgery and its Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation (IBRI).

The study was designed to evaluate the safety, feasibility and efficacy of autologous and G-CSF-mobilized CD34+ cells in patients with non-healing breaks, breaks that had not healed in nine months, in their legs. (G-CSF is a drug that releases stem cells from the bone marrow into the blood.) Seven patients were treated with the stem cells after receiving bone grafts.

Bone union was successfully achieved in every case, confirmed as early as 16.4 weeks on average after treatment, Dr. Kuroda said.

Dr. Matsumoto added, Neither deaths nor life-threatening adverse events were observed during the one year follow-up after the cell therapy. These results suggest feasibility, safety and potential effectiveness of CD34+ cell therapy in patients with nonunion.

Atsuhiko Kawamoto, MD, Ph.D., a collaborator in IBRI, said, "Our team has been conducting translational research of CD34+ cell-based vascular regeneration therapy mainly in cardiovascular diseases. This promising outcome in bone fracture opens a new gate of the bone marrow-derived stem cell application to other fields of medicine."

Follow this link:
Hard to heal bone fractures could benefit from CD34+ stem cell ...

Oct. 17, 2013

A Waisman Biomanufacturing specialist examines cells in a culture in the cell therapy clean room. The UW-Madison Waisman Center opened Waisman Biomanufacturing to ease the research and development of biological products and drugs.

Photo: Waisman Biomanufacturing

Developing a new drug takes enormous amounts of time, money and skill, but the bar is even higher for a promising stem-cell therapy. Many types of cells derived from these ultra-flexible parent cells are moving toward the market, but the very quality that makes stem cells so valuable also makes them a difficult source of therapeutics.

"The ability to form many types of specialized cells is at the essence of why we are so interested in stem cells, but this pluripotency is not always good," says Derek Hei, director of Waisman Biomanufacturing, a facility in the Waisman Center at UW-Madison.

"The cells we can make from stem cells cells for the heart, brain and liver have amazing potential, but you can also end up with the wrong type of cell. If the cells are not fully differentiated, they can end up differentiating into the wrong cell type," Hei says.

Derek Hei

Just like drugs, stem cells for clinical trials must be produced under a demanding regulatory regime called "good manufacturing practice," he says. That capacity is rare in labs in private business and universities, and this is the only one at UWMadison.

Read the rest here:
Biomanufacturing center takes central role in developing stem ...

What are stem cells?

Stem cells are cells that have the potential to develop into many different or specialized cell types. Stem cells can be thought of as primitive, "unspecialized" cells that are able to divide and become specialized cells of the body such as liver cells, muscle cells, blood cells, and other cells with specific functions. Stem cells are referred to as "undifferentiated" cells because they have not yet committed to a developmental path that will form a specific tissue or organ. The process of changing into a specific cell type is known as differentiation. In some areas of the body, stem cells divide regularly to renew and repair the existing tissue. The bone marrow and gastrointestinal tract are examples areas in which stem cells function to renew and repair tissue.

The best and most readily understood example of a stem cell in humans is that of the fertilized egg, or zygote. A zygote is a single cell that is formed by the union of a sperm and ovum. The sperm and the ovum each carry half of the genetic material required to form a new individual. Once that single cell or zygote starts dividing, it is known as an embryo. One cell becomes two, two become four, four become eight, eight to sixteen, and so on; doubling rapidly until it ultimately creates the entire sophisticated organism. That organism, a person, is an immensely complicated structure consisting of many, many, billions of cells with functions as diverse as those of your eyes, your heart, your immune system, the color of your skin, your brain, etc. All of the specialized cells that make up these body systems are descendants of the original zygote, a stem cell with the potential to ultimately develop into all kinds of body cells. The cells of a zygote are totipotent, meaning that they have the capacity to develop into any type of cell in the body.

The process by which stem cells commit to become differentiated, or specialized, cells is complex and involves the regulation of gene expression. Research is ongoing to further understand the molecular events and controls necessary for stem cells to become specialized cell types.

Stem Cells - Experience Question: Please describe your experience with stem cells.

Stem Cells - Umbilical Cord Question: Have you had your child's umbilical cord blood banked? Please share your experience.

Stem Cells - Available Therapies Question: Did you or someone you know have stem cell therapy? Please discuss your experience.

Medical Author:

Melissa Conrad Stppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

Medical Editor:

See the rest here:
Stem Cells - Types, Uses, and Therapies - MedicineNet

1. Introduction

Neuromuscular disease is a very broad term that encompasses many diseases and aliments that either directly, via intrinsic muscle pathology, or indirectly, via nerve pathology, impair the functioning of the muscles. Neuromuscular diseases affect the muscles and/or their nervous control and lead to problems with movement. Many are genetic; sometimes, an immune system disorder can cause them. As they have no cure, the aim of clinical treatment is to improve symptoms, increase mobility and lengthen life. Some of them affect the anterior horn cell, and are classified as acquired (e.g. poliomyelitis) and hereditary (e.g. spinal muscular atrophy) diseases. SMA is a genetic disease that attacks nerve cells, called motor neurons, in the spinal cord. As a consequence of the lost of the neurons, muscles weakness becomes to be evident, affecting walking, crawling, breathing, swallowing and head and neck control. Neuropathies affect the peripheral nerve and are divided into demyelinating (e.g. leucodystrophies) and axonal (e.g. porphyria) diseases. Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is the most frequent hereditary form among the neuropathies and its characterized by a wide range of symptoms so that CMT-1a is classified as demyelinating and CMT-2 as axonal (Marchesi & Pareyson, 2010). Defects in neuromuscular junctions cause infantile and non-infantile Botulism and Myasthenia Gravis (MG). MG is a antibody-mediated autoimmune disorder of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) (Drachman, 1994; Meriggioli & Sanders, 2009). In most cases, it is caused by pathogenic autoantibodies directed towards the skeletal muscle acetylcholine receptor (AChR) (Patrick & Lindstrom, 1973) while in others, non-AChR components of the postsynaptic muscle endplate, such as the muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase (MUSK), might serve as targets for the autoimmune attack (Hoch et al., 2001). Although the precise origin of the autoimmune response in MG is not known, genetic predisposition and abnormalities of the thymus gland such as hyperplasia and neoplasia could have an important role in the onset of the disease (Berrih et al., 1984; Roxanis et al., 2001).

Several diseases affect muscles: they are classified as acquired (e.g. dermatomyositis and polymyositis) and hereditary (e.g. myotonic disorders and myopaties) forms. Among the myopaties, muscular dystrophies are characterized by the primary wasting of skeletal muscle, caused by mutations in the proteins that form the link between the cytoskeleton and the basal lamina (Cossu & Sampaolesi, 2007). Mutations in the dystrophin gene cause severe form of hereditary muscular diseases; the most common are Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD). DMD patients suffer for complete lack of dystrophin that causes progressive degeneration, muscle wasting and death into the second/third decade of life. Beside, BMD patients show a very mild phenotype, often asymptomatic primarily due to the expression of shorter dystrophin mRNA transcripts that maintain the coding reading frame. DMD patients muscles show absence of dystrophin and presence of endomysial fibrosis, small fibers rounded and muscle fiber degeneration/regeneration. Untreated, boys with DMD become progressively weak during their childhood and stop ambulation at a mean age of 9 years, later with corticosteroid treatment (12/13 yrs). Proximal weakness affects symmetrically the lower (such as quadriceps and gluteus) before the upper extremities, with progression to the point of wheelchair dependence. Eventually distal lower and then upper limb weakness occurs. Weakness of neck flexors is often present at the beginning, and most patients with DMD have never been able to jump. Wrist and hand muscles are involved later, allowing the patients to keep their autonomy in transfers using a joystick to guide their wheelchair. Musculoskeletal contractures (ankle, knees and hips) and learning difficulties can complicate the clinical expression of the disease. Besides this weakness distribution in the same patient, a deep variability among patients does exist. They could express a mild phenotype, between Becker and Duchenne dystrophy, or a really severe form, with the loss of deambulation at 7-8 years. Confinement to a wheelchair is followed by the development of scoliosis, respiratory failure and cardiomyopathy. In 90% of people death is directly related to chronic respiratory insufficiency (Rideau et al., 1983). The identification and characterization of dystrophin gene led to the development of potential treatments for this disorder (Bertoni, 2008). Even if only corticosteroids were proven to be effective on DMD patient (Hyser and Mendell, 1988), different therapeutic approaches were attempted, as described in detail below (see section 7).

The identification and characterization of the genes whose mutations caused the most common neuromuscular diseases led to the development of potential treatments for those disorders. Gene therapy for neuromuscular disorders embraced several concepts, including replacing and repairing a defective gene or modifying or enhancing cellular performance, using gene that is not directly related to the underlying defect (Shavlakadze et al., 2004). As an example, the finding that DMD pathology was caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene allowed the rising of different therapeutic approaches including growth-modulating agents that increase muscle regeneration and delay muscle fibrosis (Tinsley et al., 1998), powerful antisense oligonucleotides with exon-skipping capacity (Mc Clorey et al., 2006), anti-inflammatory or second-messenger signal-modulating agents that affect immune responses (Biggar et al., 2006), agents designed to suppress stop codon mutations (Hamed, 2006). Viral and non-viral vectors were used to deliver the full-length - or restricted versions - of the dystrophin gene into stem cells; alternatively, specific antisense oligonucleotides were designed to mask the putative splicing sites of exons in the mutated region of the primary RNA transcript whose removal would re-establish a correct reading frame. In parallel, the biology of stem cells and their role in regeneration were the subject of intensive and extensive research in many laboratories around the world because of the promise of stem cells as therapeutic agents to regenerate tissues damaged by disease or injury (Fuchs and Segre, 2000; Weissman, 2000). This research constituted a significant part of the rapidly developing field of regenerative biology and medicine, and the combination of gene and cell therapy arose as one of the most suitable possibility to treat degenerative disorders. Several works were published in which stem cell were genetically modified by ex vivo introduction of corrective genes and then transplanted in donor dystrophic animal models.

Stem cells received much attention because of their potential use in cell-based therapies for human disease such as leukaemia (Owonikoko et al., 2007), Parkinsons disease (Singh et al., 2007), and neuromuscular disorders (Endo, 2007; Nowak and Davies, 2004). The main advantage of stem cells rather than the other cells of the body is that they can replenish their numbers for long periods through cell division and, they can produce a progeny that can differentiate into multiple cell lineages with specific functions (Bertoni, 2008). The candidate stem cell had to be easy to extract, maintaining the capacity of myogenic conversion when transplanted into the host muscle and also the survival and the subsequent migration from the site of injection to the compromise muscles of the body (Price et al., 2007). With the advent of more sensitive markers, stem cell populations suitable for clinical experiments were found to derive from multiple region of the body at various stage of development. Numerous studies showed that the regenerative capacity of stem cells resided in the environmental microniche and its regulation. This way, it could be important to better elucidate the molecular composition cytokines, growth factors, cell adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix molecules - and interactions of the different microniches that regulate stem cell development (Stocum, 2001).

Several groups published different works concerning adult stem cells such as muscle-derived stem cells (Qu-Petersen et al., 2002), mesoangioblasts (Cossu and Bianco, 2003), blood- (Gavina et al., 2006) and muscle (Benchaouir et al., 2007)-derived CD133+ stem cells. Although some of them are able to migrate through the vasculature (Benchaouir et al., 2007; Galvez et al., 2006; Gavina et al., 2006) and efforts were done to increase their migratory ability (Lafreniere et al., 2006; Torrente et al., 2003a), poor results were obtained.

Embryonic and adult stem cells differ significantly in regard to their differentiation potential and in vitro expansion capability. While adult stem cells constitute a reservoir for tissue regeneration throughout the adult life, they are tissue-specific and possess limited capacity to be expanded ex vivo. Embryonic Stem (ES) cells are derived from the inner cell mass of blastocyst embryos and, by definition, are capable of unlimited in vitro self-renewal and have the ability to differentiate into any cell type of the body (Darabi et al., 2008b). ES cells, together with recently identified iPS cells, are now broadly and extensively studied for their applications in clinical studies.

Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells derived from the early embryo that are characterized by the ability to proliferate over prolonged periods of culture remaining undifferentiated and maintaining a stable karyotype (Amit and Itskovitz-Eldor, 2002; Carpenter et al., 2003; Hoffman and Carpenter, 2005). They are capable of differentiating into cells present in all 3 embryonic germ layers, namely ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm, and are characterized by self-renewal, immortality, and pluripotency (Strulovici et al., 2007).

hESCs are derived by microsurgical removal of cells from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst stage embryo (Fig. 1). The ES cells can be also obtained from single blastomeres. This technique creates ES cells from a single blastomere directly removed from the embryo bypassing the ethical issue of embryo destruction (Klimanskaya et al., 2006). Although maintaining the viability of the embryo, it has to be determined whether embryonic stem cell lines derived from a single blastomere that does not compromise the embryo can be considered for clinical studies. Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT): Nuclear transfer, also referred to as nuclear cloning, denotes the introduction of a nucleus from an adult donor cell into an enucleated oocyte to generate a cloned embryo (Wilmut et al., 2002).

ESCs differentiation. Differentiation potentiality of human embryonic stem cell lines. Human embryonic stem cell pluripotency is evaluated by the ability of the cells to differentiate into different cell types.

Original post:
Stem Cell Therapy for Neuromuscular Diseases | InTechOpen

MedRebels: A Quick ACL Recovery due to Adult Stem Cell Therapy [Storm Dunworth]
Storm Dunworth, a highschool athlete, uses adult stem cells to help with the recovery from an ACL injury. Hear her story. More information at http://medrebel...

By: Med Rebels

Continue reading here:
MedRebels: A Quick ACL Recovery due to Adult Stem Cell Therapy [Storm Dunworth] - Video

Mallory Family Wellness - Autologous Stem Cell Therapy
Mallory Family Wellness - Autologous Stem Cell Therapy.

By: Robin Mildrum

See the original post here:
Mallory Family Wellness - Autologous Stem Cell Therapy - Video

New Cancer Treatment: Stem Cell Therapy
Writing 160 Project #2.

By: Emily Kaschner

Follow this link:
New Cancer Treatment: Stem Cell Therapy - Video

A bone marrow transplant is a procedure to replace damaged or destroyed bone marrow with healthy bone marrow stem cells.

Bone marrow is the soft, fatty tissue inside your bones. Stem cells are immature cells in the bone marrow that give rise to all of your blood cells.

There are three kinds of bone marrow transplants:

Before the transplant, chemotherapy, radiation, or both may be given. This may be done in two ways:

A stem cell transplant is done after chemotherapy and radiation is complete. The stem cells are delivered into your bloodstream usually through a tube called a central venous catheter. The process is similar to getting a blood transfusion. The stem cells travel through the blood into the bone marrow. Most times, no surgery is needed.

Donor stem cells can be collected in two ways:

A bone marrow transplant replaces bone marrow that either is not working properly or has been destroyed (ablated) by chemotherapy or radiation.

Your doctor may recommend a bone marrow transplant if you have:

A bone marrow transplant may cause the following symptoms:

Possible complications of a bone marrow transplant depend on many things, including:

Go here to read the rest:
Bone marrow transplant: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

Stem cell therapy for heart disease has demonstrated safety and efficacy in clinical trials, but a key for better clinical outcomes is to determine the optimal stem cell type best suited for cardiac regeneration, Steven B. Houser, from Temple University (Pennsylvania, USA), and colleagues report that cortical bone-derived stem cells (CBSCs) may be superior to cardiac stem cells, for the regeneration of heart tissue. The researchers collected CBSCs from mouse tibias. The particular mice used had been engineered with green fluorescent protein (GFP), which meant that the CBSCs carried a green marker to allow for their later identification. The cells were then expanded in petri dishes in the laboratory before being injected directly into the hearts of non-GFP mice that had suffered heart attacks. Some mice received cardiac stem cells instead of CBSCs. In the following weeks, as the team monitored the progress of the mice, they found that the youthfulness of the CBSCs had prevailed. The cells had triggered the growth of new blood vessels in the injured tissue, and six weeks after injection, they had differentiated, or matured, into heart muscle cells. While generally smaller than native heart cells, the new cells had the same functional capabilities, and overall they had improved survival and heart function. The study authors submit that: CBSCs improve survival, cardiac function, and attenuate remodeling through the following 2 mechanisms: (1) secretion of proangiogenic factors that stimulate endogenous neovascularization, and (2) differentiation into functional adult myocytes and vascular cells.

Duran JM, Makarewich CA, Sharp TE, Starosta T, Zhu F, Hoffman NE, Houser SR, et al. Bone-derived stem cells repair the heart after myocardial infarction through transdifferentiation and paracrine signaling mechanisms. Circ Res. 2013 Aug 16;113(5):539-52.

Found abundantly in berries, polyphenols, an antioxidant compound, may reduce the risk of death.

Moderate exercise helps to reduce the risks of low back pain, among people who are overweight/obese.

hollywood-celebrities-salute-progress-anti-aging-m

Sleeping less than 5 hours a day, as well as 9 or more hours a day, associates with poor physical and mental health.

International Osteoporosis Foundation urges for immediate action to safeguard the quality of life among postmenopausal women.

Blood pressure is effectively lowered by mindfulness-based stress reduction, a technique combining meditation and yoga.

With only 2% of retired Americans having dental insurance, Oral Health America warns of an impending epidemic of poor periodontal health among older Americans.

Biotech-based detection of pathogenic microorganisms can cut the diagnostic time by two-thirds.

Continued here:
Bone-Derived Stem Cells for Heart Repair | Worldhealth.net Anti ...

Stem cells - Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde: Hans Clevers at TEDxAmsterdam
Produced by: http://www.fellermedia.com Camera Crew: http://www.hoens.tv Stem cells are the foundation of all mammalian life, including that of man. Every ...

By: TEDxTalks

Continue reading here:
Stem cells - Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde: Hans Clevers at TEDxAmsterdam - Video

The skin

In humans and other mammals, the skin has three parts - the epidermis, the dermis and the subcutis (or hypodermis). The epidermis forms the surface of the skin. It is made up of several layers of cells called keratinocytes. The dermis lies underneath the epidermis and contains skin appendages: hair follicles, sebaceous (oil) glands and sweat glands. The subcutis contains fat cells and some sweat glands.

The skin and its structure: The skin has three main layers - the epidermis, dermis and subcutis. The epidermis contains layers of cells called keratinocytes. BL = basal layer; SL = spinous layer; GL = granular layer; SC= stratum corneum. Image adapted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: Nature Reviews Genetics 3, 199-209 (March 2002), Getting under the skin of epidermal morphogenesis, Elaine Fuchs & Srikala Raghavan; doi:10.1038/nrg758; Copyright 2002.

In everyday life your skin has to cope with a lot of wear and tear. For example, it is exposed to chemicals like soap and to physical stresses such as friction with your clothes or exposure to sunlight. The epidermis and skin appendages need to be renewed constantly to keep your skin in good condition. Whats more, if you cut or damage your skin, it has to be able to repair itself efficiently to keep doing its job protecting your body from the outside world.

Skin stem cells make all this possible. They are responsible for constant renewal (regeneration) of your skin, and for healing wounds. So far, scientists have identified several different types of skin stem cell:

Some studies have also suggested that another type of stem cell, known as mesenchymal stem cells, can be found in the dermis and hypodermis. This remains controversial amongst scientists and further studies are needed to determine whether these cells are truly mesenchymal stem cells and what their role is in the skin.

Epidermal stem cells are one of the few types of stem cell already used to treat patients. Thanks to a discovery made in 1970 by Professor Howard Green in the USA, epidermal stem cells can be taken from a patient, multiplied and used to grow sheets of epidermis in the lab. The new epidermis can then be transplanted back onto the patient as a skin graft. This technique is mainly used to save the lives of patients who have third degree burns over very large areas of their bodies. Only a few clinical centres are able to carry out the treatment successfully, and it is an expensive process. It is also not a perfect solution. Only the epidermis can be replaced with this method; the new skin has no hair follicles, sweat glands or sebaceous glands.

One of the current challenges for stem cell researchers is to understand how all the skin appendages are regenerated. This could lead to improved treatments for burn patients, or others with severe skin damage.

Researchers are also working to identify new ways to grow skin cells in the lab. Epidermal stem cells are currently cultivated on a layer of cells from rodents, called murine cells. These cell culture conditions have been proved safe, but it would be preferable to avoid using animal products when cultivating cells that will be transplanted into patients. So, researchers are searching for effective cell culture conditions that will not require the use of murine cells.

Scientists are also working to treat genetic diseases affecting the skin. Since skin stem cells can be cultivated in laboratories, researchers can genetically modify the cells, for example by inserting a missing gene. The correctly modified cells can be selected, grown and multiplied in the lab, then transplanted back onto the patient. Epidermolysis Bullosa is one example of a genetic skin disease that might benefit from this approach. Work is underway to test the technique.

The rest is here:
Skin stem cells: where do they live and what can they do? | Europe ...

PURTIER Placenta Live Stem Cell Therapy (ENGLISH)
If you have other enquiries, please contact us at +65 8200 8227 Email: TrueStemCell@gmail.com PURTIER Placenta Live Stem Cell Therapy has been effective for the following conditions: General...

By: Kim Purtier Placenta

Read the original here:
PURTIER Placenta Live Stem Cell Therapy (ENGLISH) - Video

When injury occurs to the spinal cord, the connections between the brain and the body are hampered or broken, which results in some level of impairment and a certain degree of paralysis. Symptoms may include movement disability, loss of sensation, impaired control of urination and defecation, cramps, pain and depression.

Conventional treatments for spinal cord injury are focused on prevention of secondary damage and providing rehabilitation.

Background information on this condition

With the advancement of stem cell treatments in China now you have a novel treatment option for Spinal Cord Injury. Stem cell therapy can support the natural regeneration processes of the body by stimulating the repair of damaged tissues. It goes beyond symptomatic treatment and may potentially help you to improve or regain some of the impaired functions.

Cell death occurs when cells are injured. However, these dead cells are surrounded by damaged and healthy cells. Stem cells have the potential to stimulate the healing of these injured cells by the secretion of cytokines, such as nerve growth factor to promote the bodys self-repair mechanisms.

Stem cells are injected by an innovative procedure known as a CT-guided intraspinal injection technique and this is supplemented by further stem cell transplantation via lumbar punctures or IV injections.

We are proud to be the pioneers of the CT-guided intraspinal stem cell transplantation surgical procedure, which is a landmark in the field of stem cell therapy for Spinal Cord Injury. To date, CT-guided intraspinal stem cell transplantation is only available at our hospital in China. CT guidance enables the neurosurgeon to target the stem cells precisely, administering the stem cells inside healthy spinal cord tissue adjacent to the lesion. This technique avoids open surgery of the spine. Thus pain, risks, and healing time are all minimized.

Our doctors understand that a variety of factors may influence decisions regarding your treatment. Our team is dedicated to patient education and collaboration so that you are clearly aware of your condition and treatment options. The hospital offers a wide range of treatments and related services. Therefore we advise you to consult with one of our specialists for personalized treatment information before you arrive to China.

We also encourage you to carefully study our CT Guided Transplantation Method and our stem cell treatment schedule.

Read more here:
Stem Cell Treatment for Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) with CT Guidance

Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells, that can differentiate into specialized cells and can divide (through mitosis) to produce more stem cells. They are found in multicellular organisms. In mammals, there are two broad types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells, which are isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocysts, and adult stem cells, which are found in various tissues. In adult organisms, stem cells and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing adult tissues. In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all the specialized cellsectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm (see induced pluripotent stem cells)but also maintain the normal turnover of regenerative organs, such as blood, skin, or intestinal tissues.

There are three accessible sources of autologous adult stem cells in humans:

Stem cells can also be taken from umbilical cord blood just after birth. Of all stem cell types, autologous harvesting involves the least risk. By definition, autologous cells are obtained from one's own body, just as one may bank his or her own blood for elective surgical procedures.

Highly plastic adult stem cells are routinely used in medical therapies, for example in bone marrow transplantation. Stem cells can now be artificially grown and transformed (differentiated) into specialized cell types with characteristics consistent with cells of various tissues such as muscles or nerves through cell culture. Embryonic cell lines and autologous embryonic stem cells generated through therapeutic cloning have also been proposed as promising candidates for future therapies.[1] Research into stem cells grew out of findings by Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till at the University of Toronto in the 1960s.[2][3]

The classical definition of a stem cell requires that it possess two properties:

Two mechanisms exist to ensure that a stem cell population is maintained:

Potency specifies the differentiation potential (the potential to differentiate into different cell types) of the stem cell.[4]

The practical definition of a stem cell is the functional definitiona cell that has the potential to regenerate tissue over a lifetime. For example, the defining test for a bone marrow or hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) is the ability to transplant one cell and save an individual without HSCs. In this case, a stem cell must be able to produce new blood cells and immune cells over a long term, demonstrating potency. It should also be possible to isolate stem cells from the transplanted individual, which can themselves be transplanted into another individual without HSCs, demonstrating that the stem cell was able to self-renew.

Properties of stem cells can be illustrated in vitro, using methods such as clonogenic assays, in which single cells are assessed for their ability to differentiate and self-renew.[7][8] Stem cells can also be isolated by their possession of a distinctive set of cell surface markers. However, in vitro culture conditions can alter the behavior of cells, making it unclear whether the cells will behave in a similar manner in vivo. There is considerable debate as to whether some proposed adult cell populations are truly stem cells.

Embryonic stem (ES) cell lines are cultures of cells derived from the epiblast tissue of the inner cell mass (ICM) of a blastocyst or earlier morula stage embryos.[9] A blastocyst is an early stage embryoapproximately four to five days old in humans and consisting of 50150 cells. ES cells are pluripotent and give rise during development to all derivatives of the three primary germ layers: ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm. In other words, they can develop into each of the more than 200 cell types of the adult body when given sufficient and necessary stimulation for a specific cell type. They do not contribute to the extra-embryonic membranes or the placenta. The endoderm is composed of the entire gut tube and the lungs, the ectoderm gives rise to the nervous system and skin, and the mesoderm gives rise to muscle, bone, bloodin essence, everything else that connects the endoderm to the ectoderm.

View original post here:
Stem cell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Journal of Stem cells and Regenerative Medicine (JSRM) is a fully free access exclusive Online Journal covering areas of Basic Research, Translational work and Clinical studies in the specialty of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine including allied specialities such as Biomaterials and Nano technology relevant to the core subject. This has also been endorsed by the German Society for Stem Cell Research(GSZ).

The JSRM issues are published regularly and articles pertaining to Stem cells and Regenerative Medicine as well as related fields of research are considered for publication

This Online Journal conceived and run by Clinicians and Scientists, originally started for the student community with reputed members in the advisory/editorial boards, has now been accepted to be the official organ of GSZ is reaching millions of Researchers, Cliniciansand Students all over the world, as it is a FREE Journal

Current activities of JSRM

1. Journal issues: will be published online and to subscribers (FREE) extracts will be sent by email 2. Weekly updates on happenings in the Stem Cell World with email updates to subscribers.

NEWS

View post:
Journal of Stem cells & Regenerative Medicine; JSRM- ISSN Number ...

SIKESTON, MO (KFVS) -

Stem cell therapycan bea very controversial issue, but now some veterinarians are using new techniques to harvest those cells.

The cutting edge procedure helps fight degenerative diseases and has only been performed a few times in Missouri.

Experts say regenerative medicine using stem cells is a less invasive and more cost effective alternative for dogs suffering from osteoarthritis and cartilage injuries.

Googus is an 8 year old Boxer mix diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy.

This terminal disease affects the spinal cord causing loss of control in the hind legs.

"Even though they're unable to use their back legs they're still normal in their brain and they just don't understand why they can't walk," said Dr. Stephen Williams, Animal Health Center. "There's just not a good connection and transmission from the nerves to the back legs."

But new technology could slow, if not stop, its progression. Dr. Williams is using stem cell therapy to counteract this and other degenerative diseases in dogs.

"The stem cells from the patient are the ones that are going to benefit that same patient versus trying to take stem cells from a different dog and putting them in this dog," said Dr. Williams. "By harvesting the stem cells from the fat versus people have heard of stem cells from umbilical cords and stuff like that we're taking it from the fat tissue and harvesting those and actually activating with a fluorescent light."

Once the fat is extracted it's a two hour process to prepare the new stem cells. Those are then injected back into the patient along with platelets that work with the immune system to fight the disorder.

View post:
Stem cell therapy used locally in dogs

Purtier Placenta Live Stem Cell Therapy Miracle - Mr Lee Kay Hoy - Osteoporosis, Sensitive Nose
Purtier Placenta Live Stem Cell Therapy Miracle - Mr Lee Kay Hoy - Osteoporosis, Sensitive Nose For more information please email us with your contact number...

By: Purtier Placenta Singapore Original

Read more here:
Purtier Placenta Live Stem Cell Therapy Miracle - Mr Lee Kay Hoy - Osteoporosis, Sensitive Nose - Video

Stem Cell therapy in India for ischemic heart disease (ISD)
ISD can be treated with stem cell therapy at StemRx Bioscience Solutions. In case of above patient we have seen drastic improvement is heart functioning.

By: StemRx BioScience

Follow this link:
Stem Cell therapy in India for ischemic heart disease (ISD) - Video