LOS ANGELES (KABC) --

While Roeuy Garay was pregnant with her daughter Brook, she felt weak and an unusual back pain. Her doctors thought it was just part of the pregnancy. But a few weeks after her delivery, her fiance Joseph knew something was seriously wrong.

"I passed out and he took me to urgent care and said, 'Something is wrong with her. It's got to be her kidney or something. We need to do some blood tests,'" Roeuy said.

A bone biopsy and body scan revealed a diagnosis the 36-year-old Corona mother of four could not believe.

"They came in and said, 'Yeah, you have multiple myeloma, and it's about between 70 to 80 percent of your blood is cancer,'" she said.

Multiple myeloma, also called Kahler's disease, is a cancer of the plasma cells, which are in the blood stream. Her best chance at survival is a bone marrow transplant.

None of her siblings were a match and being of Cambodian descent, Roeuy's odds of finding a match are very slim. It's a fact that is hard to hide from her children.

There are 12 million people in the National Bone Marrow Registry, but only 7 percent are Asian and only a small fraction of that are Southeast Asian.

Dr. Elizabeth Budde with City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte said it only takes a cheek swab to be part of the registry and donating stem cells can be as easy as donating blood.

For now, Roeuy is in remission so she needs a match as soon as possible.

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Mother of 4 seeks bone marrow match

Miami, FL (PRWEB) April 06, 2015

Regenestem Network, a subsidiary of the Global Stem Cells Group, has announced plans to attend the 23rd Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine (a4m) at the Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood, Fla. Hosted by the American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine, the conference will be attended by physicians and medical practitioners from around the world.

Regenestem Network plans to showcase its upcoming stem cell training course, Adipose Derived and Bone Marrow Stem Cell course, with classes scheduled to be held May 9-10 and June 15-16, 2015 in Miami. The intensive, two-day course covers the latest technology and procedures in adipose and bone marrow stem cell therapies. Participants learn skills that can be used in their own practice and for career advancement.

A4m Conference Keynote speakers include Daniel G. Amen, MD, David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM, and Gary Small, MD. All three will focus on disease prevention and optimized health through a proactive treatment approach. These world-renown speakers are scheduled to deliver insightful presentations, the latest research and breakthrough therapies in anti-aging medicine.

To learn more about the 23rd Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine, visit the a4m website. For more information on the Regenestem Network, visit the website at regenestemnetwork.com. For more information on the stem cell training classes, visit the http://www.stemcelltraining.net website, email bnovas(at)regenestem(dot)com, or call 849.943.2988.

About Regenestem Network:

Regenestem Network, a division of the Global Stem Cells Group, Inc., is an international medical practice association committed to researching and producing comprehensive stem cell treatments for patients worldwide. Having assembled a highly qualified staff of medical specialistsprofessionals trained in the latest cutting-edge techniques in cellular medicineRegenestem continues to be a leader in delivering the latest protocols in the adult stem cell arena. Global Stem Cells Group and Regenestem Network are expanding the companys clinical presence worldwide by partnering with experienced and qualified regenerative medicine physicians to open new clinics licensed and developed under the Regenestem banner. In 2014, Global Stem Cells Group expanded the Regenestem Networks global presence to 20 countries.

Regenestem offers stem cell treatments to help treat a variety of diseases and conditions including arthritis, autism, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and pain due to injuries at various facilities worldwide. Regenestem Oaxaca will have an international staff experienced in administering the latest in cellular therapies.

Regenestem is certified for the medical tourism market, and staff physicians are board-certified or board-eligible. Regenestem clinics provide services in more than 10 specialties, attracting patients from the United States and around the world.

About the Global Stem Cell Group:

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Regenestem Network Announces Plans to Attend the 23rd Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine May 7-9, 2015

Degenerated/herniated lumbar discs 1 year after stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D.
Bill describes his result one year after bone marrow stem cell therapy by Dr. Harry Adelson for low back pain caused by a degenerated and herniated lumbar disc.

By: Harry Adelson, N.D.

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Degenerated/herniated lumbar discs 1 year after stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D. - Video

Damage to neural tissue is typically permanent and causes lasting disability in patients, but a new approach has recently been discovered that holds incredible potential to reconstruct neural tissue at high resolution in three dimensions. Research recently published in the Journal of Neural Engineering demonstrated a method for embedding scaffolding of patterned nanofibers within three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel structures, and it was shown that neurite outgrowth from neurons in the hydrogel followed the nanofiber scaffolding by tracking directly along the nanofibers, particularly when the nanofibers were coated with a type of cell adhesion molecule called laminin. It was also shown that the coated nanofibers significantly enhanced the length of growing neurites, and that the type of hydrogel could significantly affect the extent to which the neurites tracked the nanofibers.

"Neural stem cells hold incredible potential for restoring damaged cells in the nervous system, and 3D reconstruction of neural tissue is essential for replicating the complex anatomical structure and function of the brain and spinal cord," said Dr. McMurtrey, author of the study and director of the research institute that led this work. "So it was thought that the combination of induced neuronal cells with micropatterned biomaterials might enable unique advantages in 3D cultures, and this research showed that not only can neuronal cells be cultured in 3D conformations, but the direction and pattern of neurite outgrowth can be guided and controlled using relatively simple combinations of structural cues and biochemical signaling factors."

The next step will be replicating more complex structures using a patient's own induced stem cells to reconstruct damaged or diseased sites in the nervous system. These 3D reconstructions can then be used to implant into the damaged areas of neural tissue to help reconstruct specific neuroanatomical structures and integrate with the proper neural circuitry in order to restore function. Successful restoration of function would require training of the new neural circuitry over time, but by selecting the proper neurons and forming them into native architecture, implanted neural stem cells would have a much higher chance of providing successful outcomes. The scaffolding and hydrogel materials are biocompatible and biodegradable, and the hydrogels can also help to maintain the microstructure of implanted cells and prevent them from washing away in the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.

McMurtrey also noted that by making these site-specific reconstructions of neural tissue, not only can neural architecture be rebuilt, but researchers can also make models for studying disease mechanisms and developmental processes just by using skin cells that are induced into pluripotent stem cells and into neurons from patients with a variety of diseases and conditions. "The 3D constructs enable a realistic replication of the innate cellular environment and also enable study of diseased human neurons without needing to biopsy neurons from affected patients and without needing to make animal models that can fail to replicate the full array of features seen in humans," said McMurtrey.

The ability to engineer neural tissue from stem cells and biomaterials holds great potential for regenerative medicine. The combination of stem cells, functionalized hydrogel architecture, and patterned and functionalized nanofiber scaffolding enables the formation of unique 3D tissue constructs, and these engineered constructs offer important applications in brain and spinal cord tissue that has been damaged by trauma, stroke, or degeneration. In particular, this work may one day help in the restoration of functional neuroanatomical pathways and structures at sites of spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, tumor resection, stroke, or neurodegenerative diseases of Parkinson's, Huntington's, Alzheimer's, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

###

The work was carried out at the University of Oxford and the Institute of Neural Regeneration & Tissue Engineering, a non-profit charitable research organization.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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3-D neural structure guided with biocompatible nanofiber scaffolds and hydrogels

That's the promise of a high-end new facial treatment.

In a tiny room inside an Upper East Side dermatologist's office, I'm attempting to regain my youth. Or, at the very least, look better. I've come to try the HydraFacial, a multistep treatment that promises to erase wrinkles, reverse sun damage, lighten dark spots, and prevent acne. All of these transformations come from one key innovation using stem cells from an infant's foreskin to trick skin into behaving young again.

Why foreskin? Dr. Gail Naughton, a leader in regenerative science she developed technology to growhuman tissues and organs outside the body explains it this way: When we're born, our skin is in its best shape. Our cells naturally secrete proteins known as growth factors "that keep the cells healthy and stimulate them to divide," Naughton says. As we age, our cells divide at a slower rate, which contribute to the telltale signs of aging, like wrinkles and loss of firmness and luminosity. Growth factors captured from the donated foreskin of a baby (just one can generate over a million treatments) are at their peak ability in promoting rapid cell turnover. Applied topically, they spur adult skin cells to regenerate. This is said to have a smoothing effect on the skin.

I'm here to see if the process actually works specifically, on my nasolabial folds, the hereditary creases that stretch from my nose to my mouth. I'm told that three HydraFacial treatments will smooth the creases into near invisibility.

There are five parts to the HydraFacial. My skin is first wiped clean with a cleanser and then treated with a salicylic-and-glycolic-acid peel using a giant machine that looks like a cousin of R2D2. This is the HydraFacial machine, a fully equipped device with tiny suction tubes as arms and bottles of facial-treatment mixtures attached at the belly.

The salicylicand glycolic acids, like micro sandblasters, sweep away dead cells lingering on the surface of skin. The chemicals are a lightweight goop that feels cool on my face. Zahra, my esthetician, keeps asking me if I feel any tingling on my skin. I don't but she tells me that most people feel a slight burning sensation at this point. Must be my thick skin.

Next up is the extraction step. The tube that deposited the peel now works in reverse and becomes a micro vacuum cleaner. Blackheads and flaky skin are swept up in what feel (and looks) like the suction tube from a dentist's chair. It's an odd but not unpleasant feeling. I can actually see tiny deposits of my skin now swirling around in the extraction cup. Gross, but also kind of cool.

After my pores are cleared, a blend of skin-nourishing antioxidants and hydrating hyaluronic acid is smeared over my face. Here's where the foreskin extracts come in they're smeared on, too. The growth factors from the foreskin stem cells don't feel different than any other serum as the esthetician applies them to my face.

The final step of the facial is a quick, light therapy session, where a blue and red LED light targets oily skin, fine lines, and hyperpigmentation. In all, the entire facial lasts 30 minutes and induces not the faintest trace of redness or irritation.

Of course when it comes to facials, the proof is in the mirror. My skin glows in a way that I thought only Jennifer Lopez could glow. Fresh from the facial, I saunter into a photo shoot wearing no makeup because my confidence is at Beyonc levels. My nasolabial folds are still visible, although a bit less pronounced now. (Presumably, two more treatments would help even more.) And a part of me feels like a Disney evil queen, draining youth from a newborn for a few weeks of a restored complexion. Is this the future of facials? And if so, is it wrong that I want more?

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Can Cells From a Babys Foreskin Give You Youthful Skin?

Madison-based stem cell company Cellular Dynamics InternationalInc. is being acquired by Tokyo-based Fujifilm Holdings Corp., the companies announced in a news release Monday.

The deal was described as "an all-cash tender offer to be followed by a second step merger," with Fujifilm buying all shares of CDI stock for $16.50 per share, valuing the deal at about $307 million.

The offer is a premium of 108 percent to to CDI's closing stock price on Friday.

When the deal is completed, CDI will continue to run its operations in Madison and Novato, California as a consolidated subsidiary of Fujifilm. CDI had 155 employees at the end of 2014.

The deal, which is expected to close during the second quarter, has been approved by the boards of both companies.

"CDI has become a leader in the development and manufacture of fully functioning human cells in industrial quantities to precise specifications,"Robert J. Palay, Chairman and CEO of CDI, said in the release. "CDI and Fujifilm share a common strategic vision for achieving leadership in the field of regenerative medicine. The combination of CDI's technology with Fujifilm's technologies, know-how, and resources brings us ever closer to realizing the promise of discovering better, safer medicines and developing new cell therapies based on iPSCs."

CDI was founded in 2004 and listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange in July 2013. The company had global revenues of $16.7 million in the year ended Dec. 31, 2014.

Fujifilm has successfully transformed its business structure for growth by expanding from traditional photographic film to other priority business fields. Positioning the healthcare business as one of its key growth areas, Fujifilm is seeking to cover "prevention, diagnosis, and treatment" comprehensively.

CDI's technology platform enables the production of high-quality fully functioning human cells, including induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), on an industrial scale. Customers use CDI's products, among other purposes, for drug discovery and screening, to test the safety and efficacy of their small molecule and biological drug candidates, for stem cell banking, and in the research and development of cellular therapeutics. CDI's proprietary iCell product catalogue encompasses 12 different iPSC based cell types, including iCell Cardomyocytes, iCell Hepatocytes, and iCell Neurons. During 2014 CDI sold to 18 of 20 top biopharmaceutical companies.

Tapping into technologies and know-how accumulated as a result of leading the field of photographic films, Fujifilm has developed highly-biocompatible recombinant peptides6 that can be shaped into a variety of forms for use as a cellular scaffold7 in regenerative medicine8 in conjunction with CDI's products. Fujifilm has been strengthening its presence in the regenerative medicine field over several years, including by acquiring a majority of shares of Japan Tissue Engineering Co., Ltd. (J-TEC) in December 2014.

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Stem cell firm Cellular Dynamics being acquired by Japanese company for $307 million

Delray Beach, FL (PRWEB) March 27, 2015

Inspired by the latest advances in skin aging, BABORs Research and Innovation Center has developed a groundbreaking new skincare innovation: the anti-aging collection ReVersive, with the ultra-effective RE-YOUTH COMPLEX.

ReVersive is unique, as it contains a high-performance formula with four active ingredients that interact in perfect synergy. Designed as a complete anti-aging system, ReVersive restores youthful radiance and luminosity, leaving the complexion looking firmer and smoother with a beautifully even appearance.

VISIBLE EFFECTS FOR TIMELESSLY BEAUTIFUL SKIN

In a recent study conducted by the independent research organization, Derma Consult, the ReVersive collection showed impressive results. Testing was conducted on 100 women, aged 35 to 67, and in just 4 weeks time users reported the following exciting results:

99% MORE YOUTHFUL APPEARANCE 87% ENHANCED RADIANCE 90% FIRMER SKIN

THE RE-YOUTH COMPLEX

Telovitin: Keeps cells younger for longer Telovitin, an active ingredient based on Nobel Prize-winning research, combats skin aging at its source: cell activity. It protects the telomeres (the ends of the chromosomes) and thus extends the life cycle of the skin cells.

Agicyl: Activates defenses against skin aging This multifunctional active ingredient, which is extracted from the stem cells of the Alpine plant Globularia cordifolia, prevents the break down of the collagen fibers so that the skin retains its elasticity. It also neutralizes free radicals and environmental aggressors.

Lumicol: Creates luminosity and radiance The active radiance-boosting ingredient Lumicol, which is extracted from microalgae, can activate a protein that destroys these dark pigmentation and age spots to ensure an even-looking complexion and restore radiance.

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BABOR Launches Innovative Anti-Aging Collection ReVersive

Beneath several blankets and a stuffed giraffe in her UC San Francisco hospital bed, 11-year-old Myla Cunanan is resting after a morning of dialysis to treat a kidney-related complication from her bone marrow transplant last year.Myla is sedated and tired, but not enough to silence her spritely personality.Mom, you put the cover on backwards! she exclaimed, disassembling her iPhone from its case and flipping it around as her mother, Leyna Cunanan, laughed and lovingly stroked the hand of her youngest daughter.She makes us all brave around her, Leyna said of her daughter. She knows that there is a purpose for her for being here. Tuesday marked one year to the day since Myla was diagnosed with myeloid sarcoma, a rare cancer in which a solid collection of leukemic cells occur outside of the bone marrow. The last year also thrust Myla into the spotlight as she and her family sought to find a bone marrow donor, a mission that turned out to be impossible due to a severe lack of Asian donors worldwide.Myla is Filipino-American, and when doctors told her after three rounds of chemotherapy in spring 2014 that she urgently needed a bone marrow transplant, her family learned just how difficult it is to find a match.In fact, Asians comprise just 6 percent of donors with Be The Match Registry, the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world.The rarer your ethnic subtype is, at least in the U.S., the less likely we are to find you a good donor, said Dr. Christopher Dvorack, who has treated Myla since last year and is an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics in the Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Blood and Marrow Transplant at UC San Francisco.Last summer, her family registered about 300 donors through drives at their church, Mylas school and local shopping centers, and shared Mylas plight on social media with a photo of Myla holding a sign that reads, Will you marrow me?But a match was not found, and by August, doctors told Mylas family they would need to use a half-match donor, which was Mylas father.There are two main ways to donate bone marrow. The first is to have needles inserted into hip bones to extract a small amount of bone marrow. The second requires four days of injections of medicine designed to stimulate bone marrow and cause it to release stem cells from the bone marrow into the blood.The problem with half-match donors is the patients immune system can reject the donated bone marrow, which is what happened to Myla, Dvorack explained.She initially did well, she then later developed a complication that has kept her in the hospital, he said.The complication, thrombotic microangiopathy with renal involvement, means Mylas kidneys function less than 15 percent. She was subsequently diagnosed as chronic kidney disease Stage 5, and has been receiving hemodialysis several times a week.But her family remain advocates for the need for more bone marrow donors, particularly among ethnic minorities.We didnt find a match for Myla ... but we would like to continue to [hold] drives for other patients, her mother said.Ruby Law, a recruitment director for the Asian American Donor Program based in Alameda, worked with Myla and her family last year to seek a donor and said their efforts have extended beyond simply finding a match.Mylas family is very passionate about raising awareness of marrow and blood stem cell donation, Law said.Since Mylas most recent hospitalization, which began a week before Thanksgiving, her mother has lived with her at UCSF. Myla was among the 126 patients transferred from the UCSF Parnassus Campus to the new complex at Mission Bay on Feb. 1.Recently, Myla has been writing a book to help other kids going through similar journeys.When you read this book, I want you to think positive always, the last line of the opening letter states.And that pretty much sums up Mylas attitude, according to her doctor and family. Despite having been hospitalized for the majority of the past year, Myla insists she has plenty to be thankful for. While hospitalized, Myla has held book, bracelet and band-aid drives.There are days, of course, when she doesnt feel good, her mother said. But she always thinks about other people. She likes to give.To sign up as a donor, visit http://www.aadp.org or call (510) 568-3700.

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One year after cancer diagnosis, Bay Area girl continues to highlight need for Asian bone marrow donors

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Newswise LA JOLLA, CA March 23, 2015 Stem cells can generate any type of cell in the body, but they are inactive most of the timeand for good reason. When stem cells become too active and divide too often, they risk acquiring cell damage and mutations. In the case of blood stem cells (also called hematopoietic stem cells or HSCs), this can lead to blood cancers, a loss of blood cells and an impaired ability to fight disease.

Now scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found that a particular enzyme in HSCs is key to maintaining healthy periods of inactivity. Their findings, published recently in the journal Blood, show that animal models without this enzyme experience dangerous HSC activation and ultimately succumb to lethal anemia.

These HSCs remain active too long and then disappear, said TSRI Associate Professor Karsten Sauer, senior author of the new study. "As a consequence, the mice lose their red blood cells and die."

With this new understanding of the enzyme, called Inositol trisphosphate 3-kinase B (ItpkB), scientists are closer to improving therapies for diseases such as bone marrow failure syndrome, anemia, leukemia, lymphoma and immunodeficiencies.

Stem Cells Need Rest

HSCs are a type of adult stem cell that live in little niches in the bone marrow. They are normally inactive, or quiescent, and only divide to self-renew about every two months.

However, when mature blood cells are lost, for example through severe bleeding or during infections, HSCs become activated to generate new progenitor cellsthe cells that replenish the blood supply and produce immune cells to fight disease. Once the blood cells have been replenished, the HSCs become quiescent again.

The balance between inactivity and activity is important because HSC activation generates side products that harm HSCs. In addition, every division introduces a risk of mutation, sometimes leading to cancer. Its like a car wearing down its own engine while it is doing its work, said Sauer. "Like people, HSCs need long periods of rest to remain healthy and work well."

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TSRI Team Discovers Enzyme that Keeps Blood Stem Cells Functional to Prevent Anemia

Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 24, 2015

The opening keynote address presented by Asymmetrex, LLC to an assembled audience of about 100 international experts in stem cell science, medicine, and engineering challenged attendees to consider whether the past 10 years of rapid growth of heterologous stem cell transplantation trials was the best path to achieving effective regenerative medicines. Among the participants there were a number of clinical and industry experts who pursued heterologous stem cell treatments. To a large extent, heterologous stem cell transplantation treatments involve evaluating bone marrow-derived or fat-derived cells as possible therapies for illnesses and disorders in other organs and tissues. Sherley suggested that such clinical trials were motivated primarily by the easier access and greater availability of these types of cell preparations instead of good biological rationale. This intentional provocation got the conference off to energetic discussion that continued throughout the day.

As the co-chair of the conferences first-days focus on stem cell medical engineering, Sherley shared with attendees Asymmetrexs essential technological basis, which is the asymmetric self-renewal of adult tissue stem cells. Sherley related how all Asymmetrexs innovative technologies for advancing stem cell medicine were derivative of the companys superior research position on asymmetric self-renewal, which is the unique property of adult tissue stem cells that defines their function in the body. Adult tissue stem cells multiply to continuously replenish expired mature tissue cells without losing their own stem cell identity. Because embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells do not have asymmetric self-renewal, they are incapable of providing lasting cellular therapies.

Sherley described how each of Asymmetrexs patented technologies for stem cell medicine was based on asymmetric self-renewal. Asymmetrex holds patents for the only method described for routine production of natural human tissue stem cells that retain their normal function. The company also holds patents for biomarkers that can be used to count tissue stem cells for the first time. The companys most recently developed technology was invented with computer-simulation leader, AlphaSTAR Corporation. In partnership, the two companies created a first-of-its-kind method for monitoring adult tissue stem cell number and function for any human tissue that can be cultured. This advance is the basis for the two companies AlphaSTEM technology for detecting adult tissue stem cell-toxic drug candidates before conventional preclinical testing in animals or clinical trials. Asymmetrex and AlphaSTAR plan to market the new technology to pharmaceutical companies. The implementation of AlphaSTEM technology would accelerate drug development and reduce adverse drug events for volunteers and patients. At full capacity use, AlphaSTEM could reduce U.S. drug development costs by $4-5 billion each year.

About Asymmetrex (http://asymmetrex.com/)

Asymmetrex, LLC is a Massachusetts life sciences company with a focus on developing technologies to advance stem cell medicine. Asymmetrexs founder and director, James L. Sherley, M.D., Ph.D. is an internationally recognized expert on the unique properties of adult tissue stem cells. The companys patent portfolio contains biotechnologies that solve the two main technical problems production and quantification that have stood in the way of successful commercialization of human adult tissue stem cells for regenerative medicine and drug development. In addition, the portfolio includes novel technologies for isolating cancer stem cells and producing induced pluripotent stem cells for disease research purposes. Currently, Asymmetrexs focus is employing its technological advantages to develop facile methods for monitoring adult stem cell number and function in clinically important human tissues.

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Asymmetrex Opens Up 5th World Congress on Cell and Stem Cell Research in Chicago with a Focus on Its New Technologies ...

COMPARE CORD BLOOD BANKS

Choosing the right stem cell bank for your family is rarely a quick decision. But when you review the facts, you may find it much easier than you expected. Keep Reading >

1. The collection of cord blood can only take place at the time of delivery, and advanced arrangements must be made.

Cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord immediately after a babys birth, but generally before the placenta has been delivered. The moment of delivery is the only opportunity to harvest a newborns stem cells.

2. There is no risk and no pain for the mother or the baby.

The cord blood is taken from the cord once it has been clamped and cut. Collection is safe for both vaginal and cesarean deliveries. 3. The body often accepts cord blood stem cells better than those from bone marrow.

Cord blood stem cells have a high rate of engraftment, are more tolerant of HLA mismatches, result in a reduced rate of graft-versus-host disease, and are rarely contaminated with latent viruses.

4. Banked cord blood is readily accessible, and there when you need it.

Matched stem cells, which are necessary for transplant, are difficult to obtain due to strict matching requirements. If your childs cord blood is banked, no time is wasted in the search and matching process required when a transplant is needed. 5. Cells taken from your newborn are collected just once, and last for his or her lifetime.

For example, in the event your child contracts a disease, which must be treated with chemotherapy or radiation, there is a probability of a negative impact on the immune system. While an autologous (self) transplant may not be appropriate for every disease, there could be a benefit in using the preserved stem cells to bolster and repopulate your childs blood and immune system as a result of complications from other treatments.

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Stem Cell Research - Stem Cell Treatments - Treatments ...

Arthritis of low back, knees, and shoulder 2 years after stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson ND
Jim describes his results two years after bone marrow stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson ND for treatment of his arthritic low back, knees, and shoulder http://www.docereclinics.com.

By: Harry Adelson, N.D.

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Arthritis of low back, knees, and shoulder 2 years after stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson ND - Video

GERMANTOWN, Md., March 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE MKT: CUR) (the "Company" or "Neuralstem") today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2014.

"Neuralstem has progressed into a clinical development stage company focused on the central nervous system (CNS)," said Richard Garr, Neuralstem President and CEO. "During 2014 we added two established industry leaders as Independent Directors, Catherine Angell Sohn, Pharm.D. and Sandford Drexel Smith. Dr. Sohn is the former Senior Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Alliance, GSK Consumer Healthcare, at GlaxoSmithKline. Mr. Smith is the former Executive Vice President of Genzyme Corporation. The Company moved forward two lead clinical assets: our small molecule neurogenic drug candidate NSI-189 and our spinal derived neural stem cell therapeutic candidate NSI-566. We established and/or grew clinical research programs with leading investigators at Emory University, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), University of Michigan and Massachusetts General Hospital. Our investigators published and presented proof of principle data in both lead assets as highlighted below. In 2015, we plan to begin clinical development of our NSI-189 small molecule drug in a second indication for the treatment of cognitive deficit from schizophrenia, and we plan to initiate a Phase II clinical trial for the ongoing development program for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). The cell therapy programs in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), chronic spinal cord injury (cSCI) and stroke will also move forward. We expect this to be another important year continuing our development and progress across both platforms."

2014 Clinical Program and Business Highlights

Neurogenic Small Molecule Platform Clinical Development

Cell Therapy Platform Clinical Development

NSI-566 spinal cord-derived stem cell therapy under development for the treatment of ALS

NSI-566 spinal cord-derived cell therapy under development for the treatment of cSCI

NSI-566 spinal cord derived stem cell therapy under development for the treatment of motor deficits in stroke

NSI-532.IGF second generation gene engineered cell therapy

2014 Business Highlights

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Neuralstem Reports Fiscal 2014 Fourth Quarter Financial And Year-End Business Results

A TEENAGER'S quest to find a bone marrow match and beat his leukaemia has inspired school friends to go on to save the lives of two perfect strangers.

Jack Coen and Joe Rowbottom, both 18, were at Bradford Grammar School when fellow pupil Alex Anstess, now 16, was first diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in 2012.

After hearing a talk in school about registering on the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow register, they - and others - signed up and both of them have gone on to successfully donate stem cells.

Jack, from Ilkley, who donated in October last year after being found to be a perfect match for a patient needing a bone marrow transplant, said: I just thought if you have the opportunity to save someones life then why not? If I was in that position, Id want someone to do it for me.

"On the day, I thought about the other person receiving my stem cells and hoped I could give them more Christmases with their family. If I never make another good decision for the rest of my life, I have at least made one good and worthwhile decision by donating."

And Joe, from Yeadon, who donated his stem cells last month, said: It was so easy to spit in a tube and sign up. It was weird to think a stranger was dependent on me and yet its such a small thing to do. It was actually surprising something so simple could save someones life. Knowing Alex spurred me on to donate because I knew what the person was going through. Its great to see Alex back at school and proves the donor register does work.

Although Alex, of Cullingworth, had gone into remission after his 2012 diagnosis, the cancer returned in July last year and doctors broke the news that his life depended on a bone marrow transplant. It was The Anthony Nolan Trust that found him a perfect match and he had the procedure in September last year, helping him on the road to recovery.

His mum, Sue, said: I cannot describe the feeling of seeing that little bag of stem cells come in for Alex. We waited a long time for that moment and Ill never forget the relief we felt. Were so thankful to the donor who literally saved his life. Its absolutely brilliant that Jack and Joe have gone on to donate and help another family like ours."

Bradford Grammar headteacher Kevin Riley said: The school motto is Hoc Age which we usually translate as Just do it. What a wonderful example Jack and Joe are of that determination to help others. Im proud of them and the other students who have responded to the appeal.

If you are aged 16-30 and in good health you too can sign up to the Anthony Nolan register at anthonynolan.org. To find out more about the Register & Be a Lifesaver programme, email registerandbe@AnthonyNolan.org or call 0207 284 8213.

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Teenager's quest to beat leukaemia inspires school friends to donate stem cells to help people in need

Hip and shoulder arthritis six months after bone marrow stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson ND
Mareen describes her outcome six months after her bone marrow stem cell treatment by Harry Adelson ND for arthritis of her hip and shoulder http://www.docereclinics.com.

By: Harry Adelson, N.D.

Excerpt from:
Hip and shoulder arthritis six months after bone marrow stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson ND - Video

The growing number of biological structures being grown on chips in various laboratories around the world is rapidly replicating the entire gamut of major human organs. Now one of the most important of all a viable functioning heart has been added to that list by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley) who have taken adult stem cells and grown a lattice of pulsing human heart tissue on a silicon device.

Sourced from human-induced pluripotent stem cells able to be persuaded into forming many different types of tissue, the human heart device cells are not simply separate groups of cells existing in a petri dish, but a connected series of living cells molded into a structure that is able to beat and react just like the real thing.

"This system is not a simple cell culture where tissue is being bathed in a static bath of liquid," said study lead author Anurag Mathur, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley. "We designed this system so that it is dynamic; it replicates how tissue in our bodies actually gets exposed to nutrients and drugs."

Touted as a possible replacement for living animal hearts in drug-safety screening, the ability to easily access and rapidly analyze a heart equivalent in experiments presents appealing advantages.

"Ultimately, these chips could replace the use of animals to screen drugs for safety and efficacy," said professor of bioengineering at UC Berkeley, and leader of the research team, Kevin Healy.

The cardiac microphysiological system, as the team calls its heart-on-a-chip, has been designed so that its silicon support structure is equivalent to the arrangement and positioning of conjoining tissue filaments in a human heart. To this supporting arrangement, the researchers loaded the engineered human heart cells into the priming tube, whose cone-shaped funnel assisted in aligning the cells in a number of layers and in one direction.

In this setup, the team created microfluidic channels on each side of the cell holding region to replicate blood vessels to imitate the interchange of nutrients and drugs by diffusion in human tissue. The researchers believe that this arrangement may also one day provide the ability to view and gauge the expulsion of metabolic waste from the cells in future experiments.

"Many cardiovascular drugs target those channels, so these differences often result in inefficient and costly experiments that do not provide accurate answers about the toxicity of a drug in humans," said Professor Healy. "It takes about US$5 billion on average to develop a drug, and 60 percent of that figure comes from upfront costs in the research and development phase. Using a well-designed model of a human organ could significantly cut the cost and time of bringing a new drug to market."

The use of animal organs to forecast human reactions to new drugs is problematic, the UC Berkeley researchers note, citing the fundamental differences between species as being responsible for high failure rates in using these models. One aspect responsible for this failure is to be found in the difference in the ion channel structure between human and other animals where heart cells conduct electrical currents at different rates and intensities. It is the standardized nature of using actual human heart cells that the team sees as the heart-on-a-chip's distinct advantage over animal models.

The UC Berkeley device is certainly not the first replication of an organ-on-a-chip, but potentially one of the first successful ones to integrate living cells and artificial structures in a single functioning unit. Harvard's spleen-on-a-chip, for example, replicates the operation of the spleen, but does so by using a set of circulatory tubes containing magnetic nanobeads.

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Heart-on-a-chip beats a steady rhythm

March 10, 2015

These are human blood cells grown in the lab from genetically edited stem cells. (Credit: Ying Wang/Johns Hopkins Medicine)

Provided by Shawna Williams, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have successfully corrected a genetic error in stem cells from patients with sickle cell disease, and then used those cells to grow mature red blood cells, they report. The study represents an important step toward more effectively treating certain patients with sickle cell disease who need frequent blood transfusions and currently have few options.

The results appear in an upcoming issue of the journalStem Cells.

In sickle cell disease, a genetic variant causes patients blood cells to take on a crescent, or sickle, shape, rather than the typical round shape. The crescent-shaped cells are sticky and can block blood flow through vessels, often causing great pain and fatigue. Getting a transplant of blood-making bone marrow can potentially cure the disease. But for patients who either cannot tolerate the transplant procedure, or whose transplants fail, the best option may be to receive regular blood transfusions from healthy donors with matched blood types.

[STORY: New injection helps stem traumatic blood loss]

The problem, says Linzhao Cheng, Ph.D. , the Edythe Harris Lucas and Clara Lucas Lynn Professor of Hematology and a member of the Institute for Cell Engineering, is that over time, patients bodies often begin to mount an immune response against the foreign blood. Their bodies quickly kill off the blood cells, so they have to get transfusions more and more frequently, he says.

A solution, Cheng and his colleagues thought, could be to grow blood cells in the lab that were matched to each patients own genetic material and thus could evade the immune system. His research group had already devised a way to use stem cells to make human blood cells. The problem for patients with sickle cell disease is that lab-grown stem cells with their genetic material would have the sickle cell defect.

To solve that problem, the researchers started with patients blood cells and reprogrammed them into so-called induced pluripotent stem cells, which can make any other cell in the body and grow indefinitely in the laboratory. They then used a relatively new genetic editing technique called CRISPR to snip out the sickle cell gene variant and replace it with the healthy version of the gene. The final step was to coax the stem cells to grow into mature blood cells. The edited stem cells generated blood cells just as efficiently as stem cells that hadnt been subjected to CRISPR, the researchers found.

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Building custom blood cells to battle sickle cell disease

A new stem-cell treatment that reboots the entire immune system is enabling multiple sclerosis sufferers to walk, run and even dance again, in results branded "miraculous" by doctors.

Patients who have been wheelchair-bound for 10 years have regained the use of their legs in the ground-breaking therapy, while others who were blind can now see again. The treatment is the first to reverse the symptoms of MS, which is incurable, and affects about 100,000 people in Britain.

The two dozen patients who are taking part in the trials at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, and Kings College Hospital, London, have effectively had their immune systems "rebooted". Although it is unclear what causes MS, some doctors believe it is the immune system itself that attacks the brain and spinal cord, leading to inflammation pain, disability and, in severe cases, death.

In the new treatment, specialists use a high dose of chemotherapy to knock out the immune system before rebuilding it with stem cells taken from the patient's own blood.

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"Since we started treating patients three years ago, some of the results we have seen have been miraculous," Prof Basil Sharrack, a consultant neurologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said.

"This is not a word I would use lightly, but we have seen profound neurological improvements."

Holly Drewry, 25, of Sheffield, was wheelchair bound after the birth of her daughter, Isla, two years ago. She claims the new treatment has transformed her life.

"It worked wonders," she said. "I remember being in the hospital ... after three weeks, I called my mum and said: 'I can stand'. We were all crying. I can run a little bit, I can dance. I love dancing, it is silly but I do."

However, specialists warn that patients need to be fit to benefit from the new treatment.

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'Miraculous' stem-cell treatment reverses symptoms of multiple sclerosis

Though it may not look at all like the muscle in your chest, this heart-on-a-chip can beat like the real thing. A blend of microfluidics and biological cells, the device will be used as a more efficient means of testing for drug toxicity.

Developed by a team of bioengineers form University of California, Berkeley, the device is designed to mimic the geometry of fibers in a human heart. Pluripotent stem cellsthe cells that can be nudged to become one of the many different types of tissue present in our bodiesare introduced to a channel which is specially designed to encourage cells to grow in multiple layers in one direction, like real cardiac tissue. Here, they grow in to heart cells.

This section is then perfused with blood from microfluidic channels which act as blood vessels. Within 24 hours of lining the structure with heart cells, the structure began to beat at rate of between 55 to 80 beats per minutejust like a real human heart. Anurag Mathur, one of the researchers, explains to PhysOrg:

"This system is not a simple cell culture where tissue is being bathed in a static bath of liquid. We designed this system so that it is dynamic; it replicates how tissue in our bodies actually gets exposed to nutrients and drugs."

The system has already been used to test established cardiovascular drugs such as isoproterenol, E-4031, verapamil and metoprolol. The team observed effects upon the heart-on-a-chip consistent with those brought about in real humanso, drugs intended to speed up heart rate did exactly that to the cells in the device. The findings are published in Scientific Reports.

It's hoped that the device will be used to screen drugs, model human genetic diseasesand perhaps even link up with other organs-on-a-chip to predict whole-body reactions too. [Scientific Reports via PhysOrg]

Originally posted here:
This Heart-on-a-Chip Beats Like the Real Thing

Since ancient times, humankind has been aware of how important blood is to life. Naturalists speculated for thousands of years on the source of the body's blood supply. For several centuries, the liver was believed to be the site where blood forms. In 1868, however, the German pathologist Ernst Neumann discovered immature precursor cells in bone marrow, which turned out to be the actual site of blood cell formation, also known as hematopoiesis. Blood formation was the first process for which scientists formulated and proved the theory that stem cells are the common origin that gives rise to various types of mature cells.

"However, a problem with almost all research on hematopoiesis in past decades is that it has been restricted to experiments in culture or using transplantation into mice," says Professor Hans-Reimer Rodewald from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ). "We have now developed the first model where we can observe the development of a stem cell into a mature blood cell in a living organism."

Dr. Katrin Busch from Rodewald's team developed genetically modified mice by introducing a protein into their blood stem cells that sends out a yellow fluorescent signal. This fluorescent marker can be turned on at any time by administering a specific reagent to the animal. Correspondingly, all daughter cells that arise from a cell containing the marker also send out a light signal.

When Busch turned on the marker in adult animals, it became visible that at least one third (approximately 5000 cells) of a mouse's hematopoietic stem cells produce differentiated progenitor cells. "This was the first surprise," says Busch. "Until now, scientists had believed that in the normal state, very few stem cells - only about ten - are actively involved in blood formation."

However, it takes a very long time for the fluorescent marker to spread evenly into peripheral blood cells, an amount of time that even exceeds the lifespan of a mouse. Systems biologist Prof. Thomas Hfer and colleagues (also of the DKFZ) performed mathematical analysis of these experimental data to provide additional insight into blood stem cell dynamics. Their analysis showed that, surprisingly, under normal conditions, the replenishment of blood cells is not accomplished by the stem cells themselves. Instead, they are actually supplied by first progenitor cells that develop during the following differentiation step. These cells are able to regenerate themselves for a long time - though not quite as long as stem cells do. To make sure that the population of this cell type never runs out, blood stem cells must occasionally produce a couple of new first progenitors.

During embryonic development of mice, however, the situation is different: To build up the system, all mature blood and immune cells develop much more rapidly and almost completely from stem cells.

The investigators were also able to accelerate this process in adult animals by artificially depleting their white blood cells. Under these conditions, blood stem cells increase the formation of first progenitor cells, which then immediately start supplying new, mature blood cells. In this process, several hundred times more cells of the so-called myeloid lineage (thrombocytes, erythrocytes, granulocytes, monocytes) form than long-lived lymphocytes (T cells, B cells, natural killer cells) do.

"When we transplanted our labeled blood stem cells from the bone marrow into other mice, only a few stem cells were active in the recipients, and many stem cells were lost," Rodewald explains. "Our new data therefore show that the findings obtained up until now using transplanted stem cells can surely not be reflective of normal hematopoiesis. On the contrary, transplantation is an exception [to the rule]. This shows how important it is that we actually follow hematopoiesis under normal conditions in a living organism."

The scientists in Rodewald's department, working together with Thomas Hfer, now also plan to use the new model to investigate the impact of pathogenic challenges to blood formation: for example, in cancer, cachexia or infection. This method would also enable them to follow potential aging processes that occur in blood stem cells in detail as they occur naturally in a living organism.

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Live assessment of blood formation