HOUSTON, April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the appointment of David M. Spencer, Ph.D. to Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Spencer, a co-founder of Bellicum, joins the Company from Baylor College of Medicine where he was Vice Chairman of Pathology and Immunology.Dr. Spencer is the co-inventor of chemical induction of dimerization (CID), a technology used to control a wide range of biologic functions in cells, and applied in the Company's two lead product candidates.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120412/NY85667 )

"We're pleased to have David join Bellicum and bring with him a singularly unique knowledge of the science behind our products," commented Tom Farrell, CEO of Bellicum Pharmaceuticals. "I look forward to his many contributions as we evaluate two new potentially breakthrough product candidates."

Dr. Spencer received The Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., Excellence in Research Award from Baylor College of Medicine in 2007 for his work developing a novel immune therapy-based approach to treating cancer, which relies on a small-molecule, CID, to improve dendritic cell function. In one iteration, Dr. Spencer's team used CID technology, which he co-invented, to create a much more potent vaccine against poorly immunogenic self-peptides. Dr. Spencer also developed a series of state-of-the-art, non-immunogenic suicide genes for gene therapy, which utilize endogenous caspase family proteases and CID technology. These inducible caspases are likely to become increasingly important as a safety switch for retrovirus-based gene therapy and cellular therapies, in general. This technology is the basis of two Bellicum clinical programs, including CaspaCIDe for the management of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

Phase 1 results from an ongoing clinical trial of CaspaCIDe were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in November of last year. The study reported that the "suicide gene" effectively caused the rapid and complete reversal of GVHD in acute leukemia patients who underwent stem cell transplant.

Dr. Spencer earned his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed his postdoctoral degree at Stanford University.

About Bellicum Pharmaceuticals

Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is developing clinical applications of chemical induction of dimerization (CID), a drug-based remote control technology that extends the physician's reach beyond the point at which a treatment has been administered. Bellicum's mission is to leverage this smart technology to bring safe, effective, innovative cell therapies to market for patients with serious and life threatening diseases. The company's DeCIDe vaccines are designed to kill targeted cells by inducing a potent, durable, fully activated antigen-specific T cell immune response. Lead product BPX-101, an autologous DeCIDe vaccine, is in clinical development for patients with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). CaspaCIDe is a cell therapy safety switch, permitting the rapid elimination of cells in the event of toxicity. CaspaCIDe DLI is a donor lymphocyte infusion administered following a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, in which the safety switch may be activated to resolve graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). For more information, visit http://www.bellicum.com

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Bellicum Appoints Baylor College of Medicine's David M. Spencer as Chief Scientific Officer

Public release date: 26-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Tara Womersley tara.womersley@ed.ac.uk 44-131-650-9836 University of Edinburgh

A breakthrough using cutting-edge stem cell research could speed up the discovery of new treatments for motor neurone disease (MND).

The international research team has created motor neurones using skin cells from a patient with an inherited form of MND.

The study discovered that abnormalities of a protein called TDP-43, implicated in more than 90 per cent of cases of MND, resulted in the death of motor neurone cells.

This is the first time that scientists have been able to see the direct effect of abnormal TDP-43 on human motor neurons.

The study, led by the University of Edinburgh's Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research, was carried out in partnership with King's College London, Colombia University, New York and the University of San Francisco.

MND is a devastating, untreatable and ultimately fatal condition that results from progressive loss of the motor nerves motor neurones that control movement, speech and breathing.

Professor Siddharthan Chandran, of the University of Edinburgh, said: "Using patient stem cells to model MND in a dish offers untold possibilities for how we study the cause of this terrible disease as well as accelerating drug discovery by providing a cost-effective way to test many thousands of potential treatments."

The study, funded by the MND Association, is published in the journal PNAS

Original post:
Stem cell study aids quest for motor neurone disease therapies

Published on Mar 25, 2012

(KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - A joint research team from South Korea and Germany said on Friday they have created stem cells that have the potential to help treat people suffering from dementia and spinal cord trauma.

Scientists from Konkuk University and the Max Planck Institute said they have successfully used somatic cells from mice to create so-called induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) that can be cultivated for over a year under laboratory conditions.

The iNSCs have also been injected into the brains of mice and differentiated into various nerve cells without growing into malignant tumors.

'The discovery marks the first time ordinary somatic cells have been artificially engineered to become adult stem cells,' said Prof Han Dong Wook, a professor of stem cell biology at Konkuk, who led the research.

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Scientists develop stem cells that may help treat dementia

CHICAGO - Patients with advanced heart disease who received an experimental stem cell therapy showed slightly improved heart function, researchers said at a major U.S. cardiology conference on Saturday.

The clinical trial involved 92 patients, with an average age of 63, who were picked at random to get either a placebo or a series of injections of their own stem cells, taken from their bone marrow, into damaged areas of their hearts.

The patients all had chronic heart disease, along with either heart failure or angina, and their left ventricles were pumping at less than 45 per cent of capacity.

All the participants in the study were ineligible for revascularization surgery, such as coronary bypass to restore blood flow, because their heart disease was so advanced.

Those who received the stem cell therapy saw a small but significant boost in the heart's ability to pump blood, measuring the increase from the heart's main pumping chamber at 2.7 per cent more than placebo patients.

Study authors described the trial as the largest to date to examine stem cell therapy as a route to repairing the heart in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and left ventricular dysfunction.

"This is the kind of information we need in order to move forward with the clinical use of stem cell therapy," said lead investigator Emerson Perin, director of clinical research for cardiovascular medicine at the Texas Heart Institute.

Perin's research, which was conducted between 2009 and 2011 across five U.S sites, was presented at the annual American College of Cardiology Conference in Chicago.

The technique involved taking bone marrow samples from the patients and processing the marrow to extract stem cells. Doctors then injected the cells via catheter into the heart's left ventricle.

The injections, comprising some 100 million stem cells in all, were specifically targeted at damaged areas, identified by real-time electromechanical mapping of the heart.

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Stem cell treatment could repair heart damage

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SanBio Inc. today announced the successful enrollment of the first dose cohort of patients in its Phase 1/2a clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of a novel allogeneic stem cell therapy product, SB623, in patients suffering from chronic deficits resulting from previous stroke injuries. The first 6 patients, of a total of 18, have been successfully administered SB623. The trial is being conducted at Stanford University and the University of Pittsburgh. No safety concerns have been reported. For details regarding this clinical trial, please refer to http://www.strokeclinicaltrial.org.

SB623 is derived from adult bone marrow and has shown safety and efficacy in rodent models of chronic stroke. "This represents a major milestone in the human clinical testing of this important new approach for regenerative medicine", said Keita Mori, SanBio CEO. "We are pleased to learn that the initial dose level was well tolerated."

SB623 is being delivered to the damaged region of the brains of patients who have suffered an ischemic stroke. Product safety is the primary focus of the study but various measurements of efficacy are also being tested.

"The successful completion of the initial dose cohort is a major step in any first-in-human study", said Dr. Ernest Yankee, SanBio's Vice President of Development. "We are looking forward to initiating the next two dose cohorts and wrapping up the study. The safety findings thus far are very encouraging"

About SB623: SB623 is a proprietary cell therapy product consisting of cells derived from genetically engineered bone marrow stromal cells obtained from healthy adult donors. SB623 is administered adjacent to the area damaged by stroke and functions by producing proteins that aid the regenerative process.

About SanBio: SanBio is a privately held San Francisco Bay Area biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of new regenerative cell therapy products.

For more information: http://www.san-bio.com

Excerpt from:
SanBio Announces Enrollment of First Cohort of Patients in Its Clinical Trial of Stem Cell Therapy for Chronic Stroke

LOS ANGELES (AP) The creation of California's stem cell agency in 2004 was greeted by scientists and patients as a turning point in a field mired in debates about the destruction of embryos and hampered by federal research restrictions.

The taxpayer-funded institute wielded the extraordinary power to dole out $3 billion in bond proceeds to fund embryonic stem cell work with an eye toward treatments for a host of crippling diseases. Midway through its mission, with several high-tech labs constructed, but little to show on the medicine front beyond basic research, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine faces an uncertain future.

Is it still relevant nearly eight years later? And will it still exist when the money dries up?

The answers could depend once again on voters and whether they're willing to extend the life of the agency.

Several camps that support stem cell research think taxpayers should not pay another cent given the state's budget woes.

"It would be so wrong to ask Californians to pony up more money," said Marcy Darnovsky of the Center for Genetics and Society, a pro-stem cell research group that opposed Proposition 71, the state ballot initiative that formed CIRM.

Last December, CIRM's former chairman, Robert Klein, who used his fortune and political connections to create Prop 71, floated the possibility of another referendum.

CIRM leaders have shelved the idea of going back to voters for now, but may consider it down the road. The institute recently submitted a transition plan to Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature that assumes it will no longer be taxpayer-supported after the bond money runs out. CIRM is exploring creating a nonprofit version of itself and tapping other players to carry on its work.

"The goal is to keep the momentum going," board Chairman Jonathan Thomas said in an interview.

So far, CIRM has spent some $1.3 billion on infrastructure and research. At the current pace, it will earmark the last grants in 2016 or 2017. Since most are multi-year awards, it is expected to stay in business until 2021.

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California's stem cell agency ponders its future

OTTAWA A team of Canadian researchers has been awarded $442,000 to test the world's first experimental stem-cell therapy aimed at patients who suffer from septic shock, a runaway infection of the bloodstream that's notoriously difficult to treat.

The federal grant will allow researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute to use mesenchymal stem cells, found in the bone marrow of healthy adults, to treat as many as 15 patients with septic shock.

The deadly infection occurs when toxic bacteria spreads rapidly throughout the body and over-activates the immune system, leading to multiple organ failure and death in up to 40 per cent of cases.

One in five patients admitted to intensive-care units suffers from septic shock, making it the most common illness among a hospital's sickest of the sick.

Existing treatments focus on early diagnosis and intervention before organs start to fail. Patients with septic shock require aggressive resuscitation measures, large doses of intravenous antibiotics and, often, ventilators to help them breathe.

Yet because the infection can creep up on patients rapidly and cause unpredictable complications, death from septic shock remains relatively common.

The experimental therapy aims to use donor stem cells, grown and purified at the Ottawa laboratory, to dial down the body's hyperactive immune response and reduce the cascade of inflammation that leads to organ failure.

Early results from animal studies even raise the possibility that mesenchymal cells could eliminate the bacteria that causes septic shock, although the impact on humans is not yet known.

"It's a unique feature of the stem cells," said Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre, the intensive-care physician who is leading the trial. "Certainly no other therapy in the past, other than antibiotics, has impacted the bacterial load in the system."

As with other stem cells, mesenchymal cells can turn into a variety of more specialized cells and tissues that help repair and regenerate damaged organs. And because mesenchymal cells are derived from adults, they sidestep the ethical issues arising from the destruction of human embryos needed to make embryonic stem cells.

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Canadian researchers receive grant to test stem-cell therapy for septic shock

Public release date: 15-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jennifer Ganton jganton@ohri.ca 613-798-5555 x73325 Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

A team of researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) has been awarded $367,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and $75,000 from the Stem Cell Network to lead the first clinical trial in the world of a stem cell therapy for septic shock. This deadly condition occurs when an infection spreads throughout the body and over-activates the immune system, resulting in severe organ damage and death in 30 to 40 per cent of cases. Septic shock accounts for 20 per cent of all Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admissions in Canada and costs $4 billion annually. Under the leadership of Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre, this new "Phase I" trial will test the experimental therapy in up to 15 patients with septic shock at The Ottawa Hospital's ICU.

The treatment involves mesenchymal stem cells, also called mesenchymal stromal cells or MSCs. Like other stem cells, they can give rise to a variety of more specialized cells and tissues and can help repair and regenerate damaged organs. They also have a unique ability to modify the body's immune response and enhance the clearance of infectious organisms. They can be found in adult bone marrow and other tissues, as well as umbilical cord blood, and they seem to be easily transplantable between people, because they are more able to avoid immune rejection.

There has been a great deal of interest in using MSCs to treat disease, with most research so far focused on heart disease, stroke, inflammatory bowel disease and blood cancers. Hundreds of patients with these diseases have already been treated with MSCs through clinical trials, with results suggesting that these cells are safe in these patients, and have promising signs of effectiveness. MSCs are still considered experimental however, and have not been approved by Health Canada as a standard therapy for any disease.

In recent years, a number of animal studies have suggested that MSCs may also be able to help treat septic shock. For example, a recent study by Dr. Duncan Stewart, CEO and Scientific Director of OHRI (and also a co-investigator on the new clinical trial) showed that treatment with these cells can triple survival in a mouse model of this condition.

"Mesenchymal stem cell therapy appears promising in animal studies, but it will require many years of clinical trials involving hundreds of patients to know if it is safe and effective," said Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre, a Scientist at the OHRI, ICU Physician at The Ottawa Hospital, Assistant Professor of Medicine at uOttawa and a New Investigator with CIHR and Canadian Blood Services. "This trial is a first step, but it is a very exciting first step."

As with all "Phase I" trials, the main goal of this study is to evaluate the safety of the therapy and determine the best dose for future studies. The 15 patients in the treatment group will receive standard treatments (such as fluids, antibiotics and blood pressure control), plus a planned intravenous dose of 0.3 to 3 million MSCs per kg of body weight. The MSCs will be obtained from the bone marrow of healthy donors and purified in the OHRI's Good Manufacturing Practice Laboratory in the Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research. The researchers also plan to evaluate 24 similar septic shock patients who will receive standard treatments only (no MSCs). All patients will be rigorously monitored for side effects, and blood samples will be taken at specific time points to monitor the cells and their activity. This trial will not be randomized or blinded and it will not include enough patients to reliably determine if the therapy is effective. It will be conducted under the supervision of Health Canada and the Ottawa Hospital Research Ethics Board, and will have to be approved by both of these organizations before commencing.

"The OHRI is rapidly becoming known as a leader in conducting world-first clinical trials with innovative therapies such as stem cells," said Dr. Duncan Stewart, CEO and Scientific Director of OHRI, Vice-President of Research at The Ottawa Hospital and Professor of Medicine at uOttawa. "This research is truly pushing the boundaries of medical science forward, and is providing the citizens of Ottawa with access to promising new therapies."

"The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is very pleased to support this clinical trial," said Dr. Jean Rouleau, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health. "The work of Dr. McIntyre and her colleagues will not only add to our growing knowledge of the benefits of stem-cell therapies, but will hopefully lead to treatments that can help save the lives of patients where currently, our treatment options are less than optimal."

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Ottawa researchers to lead world-first clinical trial of stem cell therapy for septic shock

Public release date: 13-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: David Sampson ajpmedia@elsevier.com 215-239-3171 Elsevier Health Sciences

Philadelphia, PA, March 13, 2012 A new study suggests that administering FTY720, an oral drug that has shown promise in trials for human multiple sclerosis, significantly improves locomotor recovery in mice with spinal cord injury (SCI). The research suggests a possible new avenue to counteract the degeneration of the spinal cord in human SCI. The study will be published in the April 2012 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

Beyond the initial tissue damage, much of the degradation of the spinal cord in SCI is due to a cascade of secondary injuries, including neuronal and glial apoptosis, inflammation, glial scar formation, local edema and ischemia, and oxidative stress. The aim of current SCI treatment is to counteract the mechanisms of secondary injury and prevent their pathological consequences, because central nervous system (CNS) neurons have very limited capacity to self-repair and regenerate.

Researchers from the Jichi Medical University School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Tokyo had previously shown that the concentration of the lysophospholipid mediator, sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), was significantly increased in the location of a contusion injury, triggering the migration of neural progenitor/stem cells to the site of the injury. They hypothesized that targeting S1P receptors may become a candidate therapy for various refractory central nervous system disorders, including SCI.

FTY720 acts as a broad S1P receptor modulator. Its efficacy in central nervous system disorders is believed to derive from immunomodulation. Researchers found that orally administering FTY720 to mice shortly after contusion SCI significantly improved motor function recovery. Importantly, they found that the therapeutic effects of FTY720 were not solely dependent on immune modulation. The administration of FTY720 induced lymphopenia, clearing lymphocytes from the blood, and reduced T-cell infiltration in the spinal cord. But it did not affect the early infiltration of neutrophils and activation of microglia, and it did not reduce plasma levels and mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines in the spinal cord. Tests in mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID mice) with SCI found that FTY720 significantly improved recovery of hind limb motor function.

"These data clearly indicate the importance of immune-independent functions of FTY720 in the amelioration of functional deficits after SCI in mice," explains lead investigator Yoichi Sakata, MD, PhD, Research Division of Cell and Molecular Medicine, Center for Molecular Medicine, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine.

Dr. Sakata notes that S1P receptors exist in many types of cells and play a role in many cellular processes. "We observed that FTY720 decreased vascular permeability and astrocyte accumulation in injured spinal cord. These changes were also noted in SCID mice, suggesting they are not dependent on lymphocyte function. Increased vascular permeability can lead to destruction of the blood-brain barrier in spinal cord, and astrocyte accumulation is the main cellular component of glial scar after CNS injury. FTY720 might counteract these secondary injuries and thereby prevent their pathological consequences."

"Our data suggest that targeting S1P receptors with FTY720 is an attractive therapeutic approach for SCI," Dr. Sakata concludes. "However, further evaluation utilizing larger animals such as non-human primates will be necessary to confirm its efficacy in treating SCI. Further, strategies targeted at modulating the SIP concentration in injured CNS may lead to new therapeutic approaches towards repairing various CNS disorders."

###

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Research suggests new therapeutic approach for spinal cord injury

12-03-2012 21:11 by:www.medicaltourism.hk

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Chia medical tourism--stroke--stem cell therapy 3.flv - Video

Public release date: 11-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Karin Eskenazi ket2116@columbia.edu 212-342-0508 Columbia University Medical Center

NEW YORK, NY -- A study by Columbia researchers suggests that cells in the patient's intestine could be coaxed into making insulin, circumventing the need for a stem cell transplant. Until now, stem cell transplants have been seen by many researchers as the ideal way to replace cells lost in type I diabetes and to free patients from insulin injections.

The researchconducted in micewas published 11 March 2012 in the journal Nature Genetics.

Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The pancreas cannot replace these cells, so once they are lost, people with type I diabetes must inject themselves with insulin to control their blood glucose. Blood glucose that is too high or too low can be life threatening, and patients must monitor their glucose several times a day.

A longstanding goal of type I diabetes research is to replace lost cells with new cells that release insulin into the bloodstream as needed. Though researchers can make insulin-producing cells in the laboratory from embryonic stem cells, such cells are not yet appropriate for transplant because they do not release insulin appropriately in response to glucose levels. If these cells were introduced into a patient, insulin would be secreted when not needed, potentially causing fatal hypoglycemia.

The study, conducted by Chutima Talchai, PhD, and Domenico Accili, MD, professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, shows that certain progenitor cells in the intestine of mice have the surprising ability to make insulin-producing cells. Dr. Talchai is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Accili's lab.

The gastrointestinal progenitor cells are normally responsible for producing a wide range of cells, including cells that produce serotonin, gastric inhibitory peptide, and other hormones secreted into the GI tract and bloodstream.

Drs. Talchai and Accili found that when they turned off a gene known to play a role in cell fate decisionsFoxo1the progenitor cells also generated insulin-producing cells. More cells were generated when Foxo1 was turned off early in development, but insulin-producing cells were also generated when the gene was turned off after the mice had reached adulthood.

"Our results show that it could be possible to regrow insulin-producing cells in the GI tracts of our pediatric and adult patients," Dr. Accili says.

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A new approach to treating type I diabetes? Gut cells transformed into insulin factories

ScienceDaily (Mar. 11, 2012) A study by Columbia researchers suggests that cells in the patient's intestine could be coaxed into making insulin, circumventing the need for a stem cell transplant. Until now, stem cell transplants have been seen by many researchers as the ideal way to replace cells lost in type I diabetes and to free patients from insulin injections.

The research -- conducted in mice -- was published 11 March 2012 in the journal Nature Genetics.

Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The pancreas cannot replace these cells, so once they are lost, people with type I diabetes must inject themselves with insulin to control their blood glucose. Blood glucose that is too high or too low can be life threatening, and patients must monitor their glucose several times a day.

A longstanding goal of type I diabetes research is to replace lost cells with new cells that release insulin into the bloodstream as needed. Though researchers can make insulin-producing cells in the laboratory from embryonic stem cells, such cells are not yet appropriate for transplant because they do not release insulin appropriately in response to glucose levels. If these cells were introduced into a patient, insulin would be secreted when not needed, potentially causing fatal hypoglycemia.

The study, conducted by Chutima Talchai, PhD, and Domenico Accili, MD, professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, shows that certain progenitor cells in the intestine of mice have the surprising ability to make insulin-producing cells. Dr. Talchai is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Accili's lab.

The gastrointestinal progenitor cells are normally responsible for producing a wide range of cells, including cells that produce serotonin, gastric inhibitory peptide, and other hormones secreted into the GI tract and bloodstream.

Drs. Talchai and Accili found that when they turned off a gene known to play a role in cell fate decisions -- Foxo1 -- the progenitor cells also generated insulin-producing cells. More cells were generated when Foxo1 was turned off early in development, but insulin-producing cells were also generated when the gene was turned off after the mice had reached adulthood. "Our results show that it could be possible to regrow insulin-producing cells in the GI tracts of our pediatric and adult patients," Dr. Accili says.

"Nobody would have predicted this result," Dr. Accili adds. "Many things could have happened after we knocked out Foxo1. In the pancreas, when we knock out Foxo1, nothing happens. So why does something happen in the gut? Why don't we get a cell that produces some other hormone? We don't yet know."

Insulin-producing cells in the gut would be hazardous if they did not release insulin in response to blood glucose levels. But the researchers say that the new intestinal cells have glucose-sensing receptors and do exactly that.

The insulin made by the gut cells also was released into the bloodstream, worked as well as normal insulin, and was made in sufficient quantity to nearly normalize blood glucose levels in otherwise diabetic mice.

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New approach to treating type 1 diabetes? Transforming gut cells into insulin factories

by Maggie Ruper

WHAS11.com

Posted on March 7, 2012 at 11:50 PM

Updated yesterday at 12:01 AM

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- New research published Wed. in the journal Science Translation Medicine, shows organ transplant recipients may not require anti-rejection medication after surgery.

The study, authored by University of Louisville professor Suzanne Ildstad, M.D., suggests bone marrow stem cells are able to trick the recipients immune system into thinking the donated organ is part of the patients natural self. It therefore eliminates the need for patients to take dozens of daily anti-rejection drugs.

Normally, if I have to transplant a kidney into a patient they have to take immunosuppression drugs for their lifetime and that's about 15 to 25 pills a day, said Ildstad.

Louisville native and father of four, Rob Waddell underwent the procedure in 2009 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He suffered from Polycystic Kidney Disease since he was 11 years old. His new kidney and the stem cells were donated to him by his next door neighbor.

It was a match and the rest is history. He's what I call my guardian angel," said Wadell.

The results were considered important because the technique worked for patients who did not have well-matched or related donors.

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UofL Professor’s study: Stem cells eliminate need for anti-rejection drugs

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An experimental technique seems to be freeing some kidney transplant patients from having to take anti-rejection drugs.

Researchers transplanted certain cells from the kidney donor's bone marrow along with the new organ. Five of eight transplant recipients who tried the method so far were off immune-suppressing medication up to 2 years later, the researchers reported Wednesday.

The preliminary results were considered important enough to be published in the journal Science Translational Medicine even though the study still is under way, because the technique worked for patients who didn't have well-matched or related donors.

The idea is that if a sort of twin immune system takes root and lasts, it can allow the patient's body to accept the foreign organ and not attack it, said study co-author Dr. Suzanne Ildstad of the University of Lousville. Scientists call it chimerism.

"The most reliable indicator of really being successful at taking someone off immune-suppressing drugs is durable chimerism," says Ildstad, who teamed with doctors at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital for the research.

Transplant recipients usually must take multiple immune-suppressing pills for life to prevent rejection of their new organ. Those drugs cause lots of side effects, such as raising the risk of cancer and kidney damage.

Other scientists are attempting to tap bone marrow to induce immune tolerance, with varying success.

Ildstad's approach transfuses a special mix of bone marrow cells including blood-producing stem cells and another type named "facilitating cells" that are thought vital for a successful transplant. She filters out still other cells that can become too aggressive and cause a life-threatening disorder named graft-versus-host disease.

Transplant recipients had radiation and chemotherapy, not destroying their own bone marrow but tamping it down to make space for the donated cells, explained study co-author Dr. Joseph Leventhal, a Northwestern transplant surgeon. Five patients who had the dual immunity a year later were weaned off all drugs. Two others whose hybrid immunity faded are faring well using a low dose of one anti-rejection drug. One patient needed a repeat transplant after an infection and didn't get to try weaning.

Much more study is needed to find the best approach but "the results are striking," Dr. Tatsuo Kawai of Massachusetts General Hospital wrote in an accompanying editorial. He is part of a team that in 2008 reported the only other success with a small number of mismatched transplants.

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Cells may spare kidney transplant rejection drugs

WATSON - Jeff DeBacker of Watson is fighting for his life in a battle against cancer, the second time around.

DeBacker, 58, underwent a bone marrow transplant last Thursday and is now waiting to see if the process was successful.

Nearly three years ago, DeBacker was diagnosed with a blood disease known as mantle cell lymphoma. After treating the stage 4 disease with chemotherapy, he was cleared of the cancer for about two years.

Last fall, the cancer returned. He underwent more chemotherapy at Marquette General Hospital and is now undergoing a new cancer treatment procedure at a downstate hospital.

In mid-February, DeBacker was admitted to the Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University in Detroit for a stem cell bone marrow transplant. His donor is his sister, Debbie Chase of Gladstone, who underwent the blood collection process at the cancer center and is now home.

Prior to Thursday's transplant, DeBacker had seven days of chemotherapy to completely destroy his own bone marrow. His sister's stem cells were transplanted into his bone marrow along with antibiotics.

"That went really well," Chase said Tuesday. "Right now we're waiting to see if it works. We should know by Saturday." She said her brother's doctors are really pleased with how well the transplant went.

His doctors considered him a good candidate for the transplant because of his stage 1 cancer, his age, and his current health condition, DeBacker said during an interview at his home last month.

"There's a 50-percent chance of creating non-cancerous bone marrow," he said. "I'm kind of excited. I want to see this behind me so I can enjoy the summer."

DeBacker will be in isolation at the hospital for one month. The following two months, he must reside within 60 miles from the medical center.

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Boar rancher fights cancer, regulations

Repeated injections of human umbilical cord blood cells improved motor neuron survival, delayed disease progression and increased lifespan

Oldsmar, FL (PRWEB) March 06, 2012

Dr. Julie G. Allickson, PhD. Vice President of Laboratory Operations and R&D, stated This groundbreaking study demonstrates the amazing capacity of cord blood stem cells to potentially treat a devastating neurodegenerative disease through the secretion of trophic factors that resulted in neuroprotection in the ALS mouse model. The data certainly justifies additional pre-clinical investigations using umbilical cord blood stem cells. This source of cells has mainly been used in hematopoietic and immune diseases in more than 25,000 transplants to date.

Cryo- Cell is excited about the results of the research Saneron CCEL Therapeutics has completed and proud of the progress Saneron has made in the treatment for ALS. The investment community does not appreciate the value of Cryo-Cells holdings in Saneron and its world-class research initiatives, commented David Portnoy, Cryo-Cells Chairman and CEO.

Given the delay between the onset of symptoms and the actual diagnosis of ALS, the data obtained from this study was critically important to show that multiple low-doses of cord blood cells started after the symptomatic disease stage in the ALS mouse model could benefit disease outcomes, said co-author Nicole Kuzmin-Nichols, President and COO of Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc. Our continuing studies are aimed at translating the preclinical data into future clinical studies.

About Cryo-Cell International, Inc.

Cryo-Cell International, Inc. was founded in 1989 and was the worlds first private cord blood bank to separate and store stem cells in 1992. Today, Cryo-Cell has over 240,000 clients worldwide from 87 countries. Cryo-Cells mission is to provide our clients with the premier stem cell cryopreservation service and to support the advancement of regenerative medicine.

Cryo-Cell operates in a state-of-the-art Good Manufacturing Practice and Good Tissue Practice (cGMP/cGTP)-compliant facility, is ISO 9001:2008 certified and accredited by the AABB. Cryo-Cell is a publicly traded company. OTC:QB Markets Group Symbol: CCEL. Expectant parents or healthcare professionals may call 1-800-STOR-CELL (1-800-786-7235) or visit http://www.cryo-cell.com.

About Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc.

Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc. is a biotechnology R&D company, focused on neurological and cardiac cell therapy for the early intervention and treatment of several devastating or deadly diseases, which lack adequate treatment options. Saneron, a University of South Florida spin-out company is located at the Tampa Bay Technology Incubator. An affiliate of Cryo-Cell International, Inc., Saneron is committed to providing readily available, noncontroversial stem cells for cellular therapies and has patented and patent-pending technology relating to our platform technology of umbilical cord blood and Sertoli cells.

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Cryo-Cell's Affiliate, Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Releases Pre-clinical Data Indicating That Cord Blood Stem Cells ...

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -03/05/12)- February was a challenging month for stem cell stocks. TickerSpy's Stem Cell Stocks Index (RXSTM) has slipped nearly 13 percent over the last month -- underperforming the S&P 500 by close to 17 percent over that time frame. Despite the drop in investor optimism, new and promising research continues to propel the industry forward. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Biotechnology industry and provides equity research on BioTime, Inc. (AMEX: BTX - News) and Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTM - News). Access to the full company reports can be found at:

http://www.fivestarequities.com/BTX

http://www.fivestarequities.com/ASTM

A new study at Johns Hopkins University has shown that stem cells from patients' own cardiac tissue can be used to heal scarred tissue after a heart attack. "This has never been accomplished before, despite a decade of cell therapy trials for patients with heart attacks. Now we have done it," Eduardo Marban, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and one of the study's co-authors, said in a statement. "The effects are substantial."

In another study, researchers led by Jonathan Tilly, director of the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital, argue they've discovered the ovaries of young women harbor very rare stem cells capable of producing new eggs.

Five Star Equities releases regular market updates on the biotechnology industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us free at http://www.fivestarequities.com and get exclusive access to our numerous stock reports and industry newsletters.

Aastrom Biosciences, Inc., a regenerative medicine company, engages in developing autologous cell therapies for the treatment of severe and chronic cardiovascular diseases.

BioTime, Inc. primarily focuses on regenerative medicine, which refers to therapies based on human embryonic stem (hES) cell and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology designed to rebuild cell and tissue function lost due to degenerative disease or injury. The company recently elected to market progenitors of muscle stem cells bearing hereditary diseases. BioTime will produce the products from five human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines from Reproductive Genetics Institute (RGI) of Chicago, Illinois.

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BioTime and Aastrom Biosciences -- Stem Cell Research Making Breakthroughs

Cardiac cellular therapies are undergoing global clinical trials with "encouraging early results" and these economical options will soon be available in India which could bring relief to patients who cannot afford the currently available expensive surgical treatments, says Indian American cardiac surgeon Dr Mukesh Hariawala.

Delivering a special invited plenary lecture on the "Novel Cellular Therapies for Heart Disease" at the recently concluded Healthcare India 2012 convention in New Delhi, the renowned cardiac surgeon asserted that the new developments in cardiac cellular therapies would bring down the alarming healthcare costs globally.

Dr Hariawala is internationally acclaimed as a pioneer of cardiovascular surgical techniques using Therapeutic Angiogenesis. He said Therapeutic Angiogenesis is a fast emerging science of stimulating growth of new blood vessels in the heart which acts as natural bypasses to areas lacking in blood supply.

Dr Hariawala demonstrated angiogenesis along with bypass surgery, lasers and stem cell injections as a novel "Combo Therapy."

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The laser energy acts by creating channels in the diseased heart muscle which also triggers Angiogenesis. Stem cells are then injected directly into coronary arteries feeding the diseased territory or in the stimulated lasered muscle during the open heart surgery. This option could be very helpful in Indian patients with diffused distal small caliber coronary arteries and diabetes, who are not amicable to routinely offered current interventions, he said.

Dr Hariawala acknowledged that only a combination of these four therapies could give it the "Therapeutic Threshold Power" and bring about optimum results and relief of patients symptoms. Standalone, each of these therapies is weak to treat a large muscular pumping organ like the heart.

Stem cells have a therapeutic role and hold enormous promise for the future as they are harvested from the patient's own tissues. Currently, adult stem cell extraction is done from one's own hip bone and patients do not have to worry about rejection phenomenon occurring as they are native cells unlike transplanted from another donor. In the future, stem cell banks could proliferate allowing donors to freeze and store cells for family members who could be treated for many diseases, he added.

Harvard-trained Dr Hariawala's studies have been published in several scientific surgical journals and medical text books.

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Angiogenesis and Stem Cell Therapy Key to Treating Heart Patients: Dr Mukesh Hariawala

Scientists are growing living brain cells from skin samples which could help research into treatments for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh are growing the cells from skin samples taken from families known to carry faulty genes, which are believed to cause mental illness.

The project, which has received 1 million in funding from the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), aims to develop brain stem cells that could be used to test and screen drugs.

Scientists said it is not easy to understand the diseases using animal models and it is difficult to predict if possible new treatments will work.

They hope using cell-based systems derived from the skin or hair of affected patients will enable researchers to create tests that are more relevant to the disease in humans, and will reduce the dependence on animal models.

Andrew McIntosh, professor of biological psychiatry, said: "We are making different types of brain cells out of skin samples from people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

"Once we have grown these in the laboratory we can then study the cells' neurological function and see how they respond to standard psychiatric treatments. Following this, we hope to be able to screen new medicines."

In the past, researchers used brain tissue from people with schizophrenia and bipolar depression from deceased donors to gain insight into these brain conditions. Scientists said that access to the living brain cells is an exciting development in studying mental illness.

The university said that between 1% and 4% of the world's population is diagnosed with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, for which there are few highly effective treatments. Little is known about the causes of these conditions but a genetic component is involved as it can run in families.

Well over a million people in the UK are said to be affected by these conditions.

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Living brain cells used in research

Celltex hosts the largest stem-cell bank in the United States.

TYLER RUDICK

With Texas pouring millions of dollars into developing adult stem-cell treatments, doctors there are already injecting paying customers with unproven preparations, supplied by an ambitious new company.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any such stem-cell treatment for routine clinical use, although it does sanction them for patients enrolled in registered clinical trials. Some advocates of the treatments argue, however, that preparations based on a patient's own cells should not be classed as drugs, and should not therefore fall under the FDA's jurisdiction.

There are certainly plenty of people eager to have the treatments. Texas governor Rick Perry, for instance, has had stem-cell injections to treat a back complaint1, and has supported legislation to help create banks to store patients' harvested stem cells.

One company that has benefited from this buoyant climate is Celltex Therapeutics, which multiplies and banks stem cells derived from people's abdominal fat, according to chairman and chief executive David Eller. Its facility in Sugar Land, just outside Houston, opened in December 2011 and houses the largest stem-cell bank in the United States.

Celltex was founded by Eller and Stanley Jones, the orthopaedic surgeon who performed Perry's procedure, and it uses technology licensed from RNL Bio in Seoul. Because clinical use of adult-stem-cell treatments are illegal in South Korea, RNL has since 2006 sent more than 10,000 patients to clinics in Japan and China to receive injections.

Celltex says that although it processes and banks cells, it does not carry out stem-cell injections. It declined to answer Nature's questions about whether its cells have been used in patients. But there is evidence that the company is involved in the clinical use of the cells on US soil, which the FDA has viewed as illegal in other cases.

In addition to the publicity surrounding Perry's treatment, a woman named Debbie Bertrand has been blogging about her experiences during a five-injection treatment with cells prepared at Celltex. Her blog (http://debbiebertrand.blogspot.com) hosts photographs of herself alongside Jones; Jennifer Novak, a Celltex nurse; Jeong Chan Ra, chief executive of RNL Bio; and her doctor, Jamshid Lotfi, a neurologist who works for the United Neurology clinic in Houston. Another photo is captioned: My cells are being processed in here for my next infusion!!! A third shows Bertrand, Lotfi and a physician called Matthew Daneshmand, who is, according to the caption, injecting Bertrand's stem cells into an intravenous drip, ready for the infusion. Nature has been unable to contact Bertrand.

Lotfi says that he has administered cells processed by Celltex to more than 20 people. Five or six including Bertrand have multiple sclerosis and four or five have Parkinson's disease, he says. Lotfi explains that patients sign up for treatment by contacting Novak, and that cells are prepared by removing about five grams of fat containing roughly 100,000 mesenchymal stem cells from the patient's abdomen. Over a three-week period, the cells are cultured until they reach about 800 million cells. Lotfi says that patients get at least three injections of 200 million cells each, and that the cells do not take effect for a few months. According to Lotfi, Celltex charges US$7,000 per 200 million cells, and pays Lotfi $500 per injection.

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Stem-cell therapy takes off in Texas