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Translational Regenerative Medicine - new study showing you trends, R&D progress, and predicted revenues Where is the market for regenerative medicine heading? What are the commercial prospects for this market and related technologies? Visiongain's brand new report shows you potential revenues and other trends to 2025, discussing data, opportunities and prospects.

Visiongain's report lets you assess regenerative medicine: cell-based therapies that aim to restore function and regenerate diseased tissues. Our 260 page report provides 145 tables, charts, and graphs. Discover the most lucrative areas in the industry and the future market prospects. Our new study lets you assess forecasted sales at world market, submarket and national level. You will see financial results, interviews, trends, opportunities and revenue predictions.

Forecasts from 2015-2025 and other analyses show you commercial prospects Besides revenue forecasting to 2025, our new study provides you with recent results, growth rates, and market shares. There you will find original analyses, with business outlooks and developments. Discover qualitative analyses (including SWOT and Porter's Five Forces), company profiles and commercial developments. Read the full transcript of an exclusive expert opinion interview from industry specialists informing your understanding and allowing you to assess prospects for investments and sales: Dr Antonio SJ Lee, CEO and Managing Director, MEDIPOST America Inc.

You find prospects for key submarkets and products In addition to analyses of the overall world market, you see revenue forecasts for these three submarkets to 2025: Stem cell therapies Gene Therapies Tissue engineering products

Products that can significantly increase disease-free survival and improve patient tolerance will achieve success. In the long term, we forecast these curative therapies to be adopted by many healthcare systems globally.

Our investigation shows business research and analyses with individual revenue forecasts and discussions. You find dynamics of the industry and assess its potential sales, seeing agents likely to achieve the most success.

To see a report overview please email Sara Peerun on sara.peerun@visiongainglobal.com

See revenue forecasts for products How will leading products perform to 2025 at the world level? Our study forecasts sales of currently marketed and pipeline regenerative medicine products including these: Osteocel Plus Trinity ELITE and Trinity Evolution Prochymal Apligraf Dermagraft ReCell Neovasculgen Glybera Talimogene Laherparepvec (T-Vec)

Discover how high revenues can go. You will see what is happening, understanding trends, challenges and opportunities.

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Translational Regenerative Medicine: Market Prospects 2015-2025

February 25, 2015

Credit: Thinkstock

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com @BednarChuck

Scientists from the UK and Israel have demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to make human egg and sperm cells using skin from two adults of the same sex a breakthrough that may make it possible for same-sex couples to have children with shared DNA.

The research, which was funded by the Wellcome Trust, was completed at Cambridge University with the assistance of experts from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Cambridge News reported on Monday. They were able to use stem cell lines from embryos and from five different adults (a total of 10 different donor sources) to successfully create germ-cell lines.

According to CBS Atlanta, the experiment had previously been successful in creating live baby mice, but this new study marks the first time in which engineered human cells were found to be an identical match to aborted fetuses. It also marks the first time that human stem and skin cells were combined to form entirely new germ-cell lines.

[STORY: FDA reconsidering ban on homosexual, bisexual blood donors]

We have succeeded in the first and most important step of this process, which is to show we can make these very early human stem cells in a dish, Azim Surani, project leader at the Wellcome Trust and a professor of physiology and reproduction at Cambridge, told The Sunday Times.

Hope for those who cant conceive

The key to the process was SOX17, a master gene which typically works to direct stem cells to form whatever type of tissue or organ is required. Their new process works by manipulating this gene so that it becomes part of a primordial germ cell specification (causing it to create cells that will form an entire person), making it possible to create primordial germ cells in the lab.

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Sperm and egg created from skin cells of two same sex adults

Jeanne Loring holds a petri dish with induced pluripotent stem cells from a Parkinsons patient.

A nine-year legal challenge to human embryonic stem cell patents ended Tuesday, when the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

The decision means the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, or WARF, will get to keep its patent rights for the cells, which were discovered in 1998 by University of Wisconsin - Madison scientist James Thompson.

However, the challengers succeeded in preventing WARF from gaining rights over another important type of stem cells called induced pluripotent stem cells, said Jeanne Loring, a stem cell scientist at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla who was part of a coalition contesting the WARF patents.

IPS cells act much like human embryonic stem cells, and are being researched as an alternative for stem cell therapy. Loring is working with a group that seeks to use them to treat Parkinson's disease.

WARF maintains it has the right to license use of human embryonic stem cells, because Thompson developed the methods to isolate them from embryos, which had not been previously done. Loring said the derivation is an obvious extension of methods used to derive non-primate embryonic stem cells, and therefore not patentable.

Loring and two public interest groups, Consumer Watchdog and the Public Patent Foundation, challenged the patents in 2006, and in 2007 succeeded in narrowing WARF's claims to exclude the IPS cells. Loring and the groups continued the challenge on the grounds that as a product of nature, human embryonic stem cells are not patentable.

The U.S. Patent and Trade Office turned down that challenge, and the case reached the Supreme Court last year. By not hearing the case, the Supreme Court let that decision stand.

"They still own human embryonic stem cells," Loring said. "But the way their patents were originally written, they would have also been able to own IPS cells. If there's one success that I would point to, that was worth all the effort, it's that they can't. And the reason they can't is because we challenged the patent."

Calls and an email sent Tuesday to WARF headquarters in Madison, Wis., were not immediately returned.

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Supreme Court rejects stem cell patent case

Figure 1. Stem CellRecruiting Hydrogels Based on Self-Assembling Peptides

The Materials for Biomaterials session Best Contribution Award presented by Steve Zinkle goes to Yongmee Jung, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, for the oral presentation Self-assembling peptide nanofiber coupled with neuropeptide substance P for stem cell recruitment.

As a winner of the above Materials Today Asia Contribution Award, Yongmee Jung and Soo Hyun Kim discuss their work with us.

Stem cellbased therapy in regenerative medicine may be one of the best approaches for wound healing and tissue regeneration. Many studies have shown that the trophic effects of transplanted stem cells enhance the treatment of lung, liver, and skin injuries, as well as myocardial infarction [1]. However, although stem cell transplantationincluding cell isolation and cell culture in vitroresults in a good prognosis, there are some limitations, such as high cost, invasiveness, the shortage of cell sources, and the risk of tumorigenesis [2]. To overcome these limitations, technologies for recruiting endogenous stem cells to the site of injury may provide another promising approach, mimicking in situ tissue regeneration by the bodys own wound healing process. Unlike cell-based therapies, this strategy does not need outside cell sources or in vitro cell manipulation. Host stem cells can be mobilized using granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), or stromal cellderived factor-1 alpha (SDF-1), each of which upregulates adhesion molecules and activates chemokine signaling [3]. It has been reported that substance P (SP), another candidate for recruitment of host stem cells, is an injury-inducible factor that acts early in the wound healing process to mobilize CD29+ stromal-like cells, and thus could be used for tissue regeneration [1].

To achieve effective delivery of SP for an extended period and improve the engraftment of recruited cells at the injured site, scaffolds can be constructed from hydrogels with microenvironments similar to the native tissue. Of particular interest are self-assembling peptide (SAP)based hydrogels, which are typically composed of alternating hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids organized into 510 nm fibers and assembled into three-dimensional nanofibrous structures under in vivo conditions [4]. The resulting structure resembles nanostructured environments such as collagen hierarchical structures that promote adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of cells. Furthermore, SAP is versatile enough to incorporate specific motifs based on the desired function with chemical coupling by peptide bond [5].

Recently, we designed bioactive peptide hydrogels that are able to recruit mesenchymal stem cells by coupling SAP to SP. The mixture of SAP and SP-coupled SAP can successfully maintain its nanofibrous structure and be assembled into a 3D scaffold at physiological conditions.

We confirmed the ability of this SP-coupled SAP to attract stem cells both by in vitro cell migration assay and by in vivo real-time cell tracking assay. In vitro, many cells migrated through the 8-m membrane pores and settled onto the lower surfaces of Transwell plates under the influence of SP-coupled SAP. In vivo, we injected the hydrogels into the subcutaneous tissue in nude mice and injected labeled human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) into the tail vein. The migration of the injected cells was tracked in real time using a multispectral imaging system, which demonstrated that the labeled hMSCs supplied via intravenous injection were recruited to the hydrogel-injected site (Figure) [6]. We then applied our bioactive peptide hydrogels, SAP coupled with SP, to several disease models to evaluate their stem cell recruitment abilities and treatment effects on injured tissues. We have studied the effects of these hydrogels on animal models of ischemic hind limb, calvarial defect, myocardial infarction, osteoarthritis, and skin wounds. We observed in each case that in the group treated with SP-coupled peptide hydrogels, many MSCs were recruited to the injured sites, and cell apoptosis and fibrosis of injured tissues were both conspicuously decreased. Moreover, the regeneration of site-specific tissues was enhanced with the injection of stem cellrecruiting peptide hydrogels in various defect models, and tissue functions were accordingly improved without cell transplantation [2, 5, 6]. In conclusion, we have developed injectable bioactive peptides that can recruit MSCs and have evaluated their therapeutic potential on animal defect models. By applying these peptide hydrogels, we were able to deliver SP over an extended period and provide 3D microenvironments to injured regions, allowing bioactive peptides to recruit MSCs successfully, prevent cell apoptosis, and promote tissue regeneration leading to a full recovery of defects. We expect that stem cellrecruiting hydrogels based on SAP could be one of the most powerful tools for tissue regeneration without cell transplantation through the recruitment of endogenous stem cells.

This work was supported by the KIST Institutional Program

1. H. S. Hong, et al., Nat. Med., 15 (2009), pp. 425435 2. J. H. Kim, et al., Biomaterials, 34 (2013), pp. 16571668 3. T. Lapidot, I. Petit, Exp. Hematol., 30 (2002), pp. 973981 4. S. Zhang, et al., Semin. Cancer Biol., 15 (5) (2005), pp. 413420 5. J. E. Kim, et al., Int. J. Nanomedicine, 9 (Suppl 1) (2014), pp. 141157 6. S. H. Kim, et al., Tissue Eng. Part A, E-Pub (2014)

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Stem cellrecruiting hydrogels based on self-assembling peptides for tissue regeneration

Stem Cell Therapy Using Fat Cells - Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Queens NY - Dr. Benjamin Bieber, MD
Regenerative Medicine - Dr. Benjamin Bieber, MD - Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Queens NY http://www.crossbaypmr.com Phone: (718) 835-0100 Stem Cell Therapy Using Fat Cells Dr. Benjamin...

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Stem Cell Therapy Using Fat Cells - Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Queens NY - Dr. Benjamin Bieber, MD - Video

(L-R) Taylor Shorten, Sam Kimura and Alex Kimura (photo courtesy of SAM)

With the support of Delete Blood Cancer DKMS, the two sisters and their best friend Taylor Shorten began their road trip in January to visit all 50 states at churches, colleges, concerts and everything in between to promote increased awareness of blood cancer and blood diseases, in addition to finding donors for Sam and thousands of others.

Despite a busy, sometimes exhausting tour driving across America in a van named Maggie, Sam was able to spend a few moments to talk more about their cause and how people can potentially save someones life.

Alex and I came up with the concept of Sharing Americas Marrow about a year ago. We had been doing bone marrow donor drives ever since my diagnosis of severe aplastic anemia in 2010, but we wanted to do something really big. We enjoyed registering donors and knowing that each person has the potential to be a life-saving match, we decided to create a campaign around that idea. SAM evolved into a 50-state tour around the country with our best friend, Taylor Shorten, to register 50,000 potential donors.

We are working with Delete Blood Cancer DKMS to register potential donors. Delete Blood Cancer provides us with registration supplies in addition to testing each donor kit in the lab for potential donors to be listed on the registry.

Related: Five Healthy Foods For Your Brain

A Donor Jam is what we call a bone marrow donor drive. Its an event where people fill out a registration form and complete a cheek swab to get listed as a potential donor on the national registry. Bone marrow donor drive can sound intense, so we wanted to lighten it up a little and make it sound more fun, because saving lives is just thatfun!

Other groups can absolutely host a Donor Jam with us. With the help of Delete Blood Cancer, we can supply people with registration materials, training on how to register donors, flyers/promotional items to get the word out, etc. so that people can host their very own SAM Donor Jam.

In most cases, the success of allogeneic transplantation depends in part on how well the HLA antigens of the donors stem cells match those of the recipients stem cells. The higher the number of matching HLA antigens, the greater the chance that the patients body will accept the donors stem cells. In general, patients are less likely to develop a complication known as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) if the stem cells of the donor and patient are closely matched. Thus, finding a perfect match (also known as a 10/10 match) for a patient drastically minimizes the risk that the patient will reject the transplant or develop post-transplant complications.

We just felt that the van had the essence of a Maggie. We didnt necessarily choose the name, the name chose us.

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The Story Of Sharing Americas Marrow

Dr Ellis hosts seminar on Stem Cell Therapy Facial Rejuvenation
Dr. Dan Eglinton of Asheville Biologics and Orthopaedics, Dr. Sean Whalen and Dr. Paul Mogannam of Flexogenics and Dr. Laura Ellis of medAge speak about Stem Cell Therapy and skin ...

By: Dr. Laura Ellis

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Dr Ellis hosts seminar on Stem Cell Therapy & Facial Rejuvenation - Video

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By Beth Miller

Newswise Restoring function after spinal cord injury, which damages the connections that carry messages from the brain to the body and back, depends on forming new connections between the surviving nerve cells. While there are some delicate surgical techniques that reconnect the nerves, researchers are also looking at ways to restore the connections themselves at a cellular level.

With a five-year, nearly $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis, is using novel methods to take a closer look at how these nerve cells grow and make new connections to reroute signals between the brain and the body that could restore function and movement in people with these debilitating injuries.

Sakiyama-Elbert, also associate chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, is widely known for her groundbreaking work in tissue engineering techniques. Her research expertly blends biology, chemistry and biomedical engineering to focus on developing biomaterials for drug delivery and cell transplantation to treat peripheral nerve and spinal cord injury.

In the new research, funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, she and her lab members want to understand how these nerve cells, or neurons, form connections and rewire after a spinal cord injury, looking closely at which particular cells, or interneurons, are forming these new connections.

There have been a lot of studies where researchers have shown recovery in partial spinal cord injury models, but no one understands at a cellular level which cells are responsible for rewiring or forming the new connections, Sakiyama-Elbert said. If we want to make regeneration more efficient and potentially translatable to humans where it is more challenging, we need to understand whats actually going on at a cellular level.

Once we determine which cells are making connections, we can determine how to transplant more of those cells or try to stimulate tissue-specific stem cells to make those types of neurons and form these types of connections, Sakiyama-Elbert said.

While much is known about motor neurons, less is known about these interneurons in culture or how to direct their connection with other neurons. Sakiyama-Elbert is developing new tools that will allow her to isolate very pure groups of different types of interneurons and then study what encourages them to grow and form new connections.

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NIH Grant Will Help Understanding How Connections Rewire After Spinal Cord Injury

DUBLIN, Feb .10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --Research and Markets

(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7zf9mz/cell_therapy) has announced the addition of Jain PharmaBiotech's new report "Cell Therapy - Technologies, Markets and Companies" to their offering.

This report describes and evaluates cell therapy technologies and methods, which have already started to play an important role in the practice of medicine. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is replacing the old fashioned bone marrow transplants. Role of cells in drug discovery is also described. Cell therapy is bound to become a part of medical practice.

Stem cells are discussed in detail in one chapter. Some light is thrown on the current controversy of embryonic sources of stem cells and comparison with adult sources. Other sources of stem cells such as the placenta, cord blood and fat removed by liposuction are also discussed. Stem cells can also be genetically modified prior to transplantation.

Cell therapy technologies overlap with those of gene therapy, cancer vaccines, drug delivery, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Pharmaceutical applications of stem cells including those in drug discovery are also described. Various types of cells used, methods of preparation and culture, encapsulation and genetic engineering of cells are discussed. Sources of cells, both human and animal (xenotransplantation) are discussed. Methods of delivery of cell therapy range from injections to surgical implantation using special devices.

Cell therapy has applications in a large number of disorders. The most important are diseases of the nervous system and cancer which are the topics for separate chapters. Other applications include cardiac disorders (myocardial infarction and heart failure), diabetes mellitus, diseases of bones and joints, genetic disorders, and wounds of the skin and soft tissues.

Regulatory and ethical issues involving cell therapy are important and are discussed. Current political debate on the use of stem cells from embryonic sources (hESCs) is also presented. Safety is an essential consideration of any new therapy and regulations for cell therapy are those for biological preparations.

The cell-based markets was analyzed for 2014, and projected to 2024.The markets are analyzed according to therapeutic categories, technologies and geographical areas. The largest expansion will be in diseases of the central nervous system, cancer and cardiovascular disorders. Skin and soft tissue repair as well as diabetes mellitus will be other major markets.

The number of companies involved in cell therapy has increased remarkably during the past few years. More than 500 companies have been identified to be involved in cell therapy and 294 of these are profiled in part II of the report along with tabulation of 285 alliances. Of these companies, 160 are involved in stem cells. Profiles of 72 academic institutions in the US involved in cell therapy are also included in part II along with their commercial collaborations. The text is supplemented with 61 Tables and 16 Figures. The bibliography contains 1,200 selected references, which are cited in the text.

Key Topics Covered:

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Cell Therapy Report 2014-2020 - Technologies, Markets and Companies

Biotechs may be flush with cash, thanks to the ol bullish IPO market and an uptick in venture funding. But startups remainon the lookout for alternative funding models with crowdsourcing front and center.

This makes British biotech startup Cell Therapyparticularly interesting,itjustraised 689,246 or a bit over$1 million to launch a stem cell therapy for heart failure. This is one of the highest life sciences-related crowdfunding efforts topped only by Scanadu, whose handheld consumer diagnostic tool raised $1.6 million in Indiegogo.

Cell Therapy, which was founded by 2007 Nobel Prize winner Martin Evans, raised the funding on thesite Crowdcube exceeding its goal of 250,000 with backing from nearly 300 investors. It ceded a mere 0.39% in equity to the backers thatinclude investment bankers, hedge fund employees and scientists, CEO Ajan Reginald said.

It was very fast and very efficient, Reginaldtold Reuters. We have spent 5 percent of our time on fundraising, which enables me to spend 95 percent of my time on the business.

Crowdfunding is increasingly becoming an option for early stage biotechs that want to sidestep the traditional venture-backed approach. On one hand, its a relatively simple means to raise a large amount of seed capital but on the other, there are many more (potentially irate) investors to answer to when a companys in its nascence.

New York-based Poliwoggs entire premise is on bringing crowdfunding to healthcare with aims to help companies raise fundsfrom accredited investors beyond the seed stage, with rounds ranging from $2 million to $10 million mark.Notably, ithas its own regenerative medicine fund.

Part of the idea here is that people want to invest in the things they care about, but they havent always had the opportunity to invest in them, CEO Greg Simon told MedCity News.Were giving people the opportunity to put their money where their passion is.

Thats all fine and good to have a passion for a cause, but the traditional accredited investor whos enmeshed in a crowdfunding effort may still not understand the intricacies of what it takes to get results or a return in a tricky field like regenerative medicine.

John Carroll over atFierce Biotechopined that crowdfunding wont make a significant dent in the approach to life sciences crowdfunding. Stem cell therapy, after all, generated tons of media pomp and flair a decade ago, but has yet to deliver on many of its curative promises from back then. VCs are often burnt and reticent, and investors on crowdfunding sites will likely be, as well. Carroll says:

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Cell Therapy may have just raised $1M, but will crowdfunding have a lasting place in biotech?

Cell Therapy, which is based in the Welsh capital Cardiff, says the medicine has the potential to reduce scarring of the heart muscle caused by a heart attack or failure.

Chief executive Ajan Reginald, who was previously at Roche, said crowd funding was a quick way to raise money for final stage trials or commercial launches.

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"It was very fast and very efficient," he said. "We have spent five per cent of our time on fundraising, which enables me to spend 95 per cent of my time on the business."

The company's founder Martin Evans shared the 2007 Nobel Prize for medicine for groundbreaking stem cell research.

Cell Therapy used website Crowdcube to raise nearly three times its original target from more than 300 investors.

Mr Reginald said the backers included investment bankers, hedge fund employees and scientists.

"Crowd funding allows investors to look in detail at a company in their own time," he said, adding that some 10,000 investors had seen the pitch.

The company plans to publish data from clinical trials of the drug, called Heartcel, next month, before final stage trials with a view to a launch in 2016.

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Biotech firm Cell Therapy claims crowdfunding record with heart drug

The Human Genome Unlocked
The Aspen Health Forum, 2009. With the mapping of the human genome complete, scientists are hoping to use stem cell therapy and related interventions to alleviate or even cure diseases. What...

By: The Aspen Institute

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The Human Genome Unlocked - Video

Rev Diabet Stud. 2009 Winter; 6(4): 260270.

1Tissue Engineering and Banking Laboratory, National Center for Cell Science, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune MH 411007, India

2Division of Animal Sciences, Agharkar Research Institute, Agarkar Road, Pune, MH 411004, India

3Stem Cells and Diabetes Section, National Center for Cell Science, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune MH 411007, India

4Stempeutics Research Pvt. Ltd., 9th Floor, Manipal Hospital, HAL Airport Road, Bangalore 560017, India

Received October 2, 2009; Revised December 5, 2009; Accepted December 11, 2009.

Cellular microenvironment is known to play a critical role in the maintenance of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs). It was uncertain whether BM-MSCs obtained from a 'diabetic milieu' (dBM-MSCs) offer the same regenerative potential as those obtained from healthy (non-diabetic) individuals (hBM-MSCs). To investigate the effect of diabetic microenvironment on human BM-MSCs, we isolated and characterized these cells from diabetic patients (dBM-MSCs). We found that dBM-MSCs expressed mesenchymal markers such as vimentin, smooth muscle actin, nestin, fibronectin, CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, and CD105. These cells also exhibited multilineage differentiation potential, as evident from the generation of adipocytes, osteocytes, and chondrocytes when exposed to lineage specific differentiation media. Although the cells were similar to hBM-MSCs, 6% (3/54) of dBM-MSCs expressed proinsulin/C-peptide. Emanating from the diabetic microenvironmental milieu, we analyzed whether in vitro reprogramming could afford the maturation of the islet-like clusters (ICAs) derived from dBM-MSCs. Upon mimicking the diabetic hyperglycemic niche and the supplementation of fetal pancreatic extract, to differentiate dBM-MSCs into pancreatic lineage in vitro, we observed rapid differentiation and maturation of dBM-MSCs into islet-like cell aggregates. Thus, our study demonstrated that diabetic hyperglycemic microenvironmental milieu plays a major role in inducing the differentiation of human BM-MSCs in vivo and in vitro.

Keywords: diabetes, beta-cell, stem cell, differentiation, bone marrow, NGN3, NKX6.1, PAX6

Abbreviations: -MEM - -modified Eagle's medium (used for cell culture); AGE - advanced glycation end-product; ALL - acute lymphoblastic leukemia; ALS - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; AML - acute myeloid leukemia; BM-MSC - bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell; BRN4 - Brain 4 (transcription factor expressed in the brain and glucagon-expressing cells in the pancreas, also known as POU3F4); C-peptide - connecting peptide; Ct - cycle threshold; CXCR4 - alpha-chemokine receptor (also called fusin) specific for stromal-derived-factor-1 (SDF-1, also called CXCL12), a molecule endowed with potent chemotactic activity for lymphocytes; dBM-MSC - human diabetic BM-MSC; DME meduim - Dulbecco's modified Eagles medium; E-cadherin - epithelial cadherin (CDh1); EDTA - ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (used as chelating agent that binds to calcium and prevents joining of cadher-ins between cells; it also prevents clumping of cells grown in liquid suspension, and is able to detach adherent cells for passaging); EGFP - enhanced green fluorescence protein; F(ab)2 - antigen-binding fragment of an antibody; FACS - fluorescence-activated cell sorting; GATA6 - binding protein that binds (A/T/C)GAT(A/T)(A) of the binding sequence; Glut2 - glucose transporter 2 (also known as solute carrier family 2 member 2 SLC2A2); GCG - glucagons gene; hBM-MSC - normal human BM-MSC; HD - Hodgkin disease; ICA - islet-like cell aggregate; ICAM-5 - intercellular adhesion molecule 5 (also known as telencephalin, CD# not yet assigned); ISL1 - insulin gene enhancer protein gene 1; NCAM-1 - neural cell adhesion molecule 1 (CD56); NDS - normal donkey serum; NGN-3 - neurogenin-3 (controls islet cell fate specification in pancreatic progenitor cells); NHL - non-Hodgkin lymphoma; NKX6-1 - NK6 homeobox 1 (transcription factor required for the development of beta-cells); Oil-Red-O - Solvent Red 27 (fat-soluble dye used for stain-ing of triglycerides and lipids); PBS - phosphate-buffered saline; PECAM-1 - platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (CD31); PE - phycoerythrin (fluorescent dye for labeling antibodies); Pdx1 - pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 (transcription factor necessary for pancreatic development and beta-cell maturation); PFA - paraformaldehyde (used to fix cells); POU - class of genes that produce transcription factors; POU3F4 - POU class 3 homeobox 4 gene or gene product (also known as BRN4); RNA - ribonucleic acid; RPE - rat pancreatic extract; RT-PCR - reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction; TPVG - trypsin phosphate versene glucose; UCBS - human umbilical cord blood serum

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are able to differentiate into many cell types, and to proliferate ex vivo. These attributes makes them a potential therapeutic tool for cell replacement therapy in diabetes and other diseases. Stem cell differentiation is controlled by extracellular cues, the environment, and intrinsic genetic programs within stem cells [1, 2]. The fate of stem cell differentiation is influenced by both soluble and insoluble factors from the surrounding microenvironment. Several signaling cascades mediate the balance response of the stem cell to the need of the organism. Pathological conditions induced by dysregulation result in aberrant functions of stem cells or other targets [3-6].

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Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Bone Marrow of ...

TORONTO Two Canadian research centres are gearing up for a clinical trial to determine if a type of stem cell can help alleviate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

Researchers at the Ottawa Hospital and Winnipegs Health Sciences Centre will each recruit 20 MS patients for the trial that will test whether mesenchymal stem cells can reduce inflammation and even help repair damage already caused by the disease.

MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease that creates inflammation in the central nervous system, resulting in injury to myelin, the protective sheath that covers nerves. This damage can create a host of symptoms, leading to varying degrees of physical disability and cognitive impairment.

Mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in bone marrow, fat, skin tissue and umbilical cord blood, have the ability to modify the immune system and reduce inflammation, said neurologist Dr. Mark Freedman of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, who is leading the clinical trial.

Freedman said researchers want to determine if these stem cells can demonstrate anti-inflammatory properties in patients with MS.

But thats not why were doing it, he said of the study, called MESCAMS (MEsenchymal Stem cell therapy for CAnadian MS patients). We have lots of drugs that can control inflammation in multiple sclerosis thats what all the new medicines do.

The ultimate hope is that we will be able to exploit some of their other very important biological properties, which is to promote repair.

The two research centres are ready to begin enrolling patients for the trial, which has specific acceptance criteria. While most of those accepted will likely have the relapsing-remitting form of the disease, Freedman said some people with more severe primary- or secondary-progressive MS may also be eligible if they fit the criteria.

The study protocol can be accessed at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02239393. It will later be posted on the website of the MS Society of Canada, which along with the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation has provided a $4.2-million grant for the study.

To conduct the trial, half the patients will be randomly assigned to receive their own mesenchymal stem cells within weeks of them being extracted from the bone marrow and grown in the lab; the remainder of the participants will instead be infused with a mock stem-cell solution, and wont receive their actual stem cells for about six months. The two groups will then be compared.

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Trial to test stem cells in MS patients

MIAMI (PRWEB) January 29, 2015

Regenestem Network, the worlds largest membership network of regenerative medicine practitioners, has announced the launch of a new stem cell clinic in Oaxaca, Mexico. The new facility, offering the most advanced cellular medicine protocols and techniques available is in partnership with Ulises Cervera, M.D. a neurologist coming from the Children's Hospital of Morelia, Mexico.

The new Oaxaca facility will offer the most advanced protocols and techniques available in stem cell medicine to patients from across Mexico and around the world.

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.

The Global Stem Cells Group and Regenestem are committed to the highest of standards in service and technology, expert and compassionate care, and a philosophy of exceeding the expectations of their international patients.

For more information, visit the Regenestem Network website, email info(at)regenstem(dot)com, or call 305-224-1858.

About Regenestem: 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.

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Global Stem Cells Group and Regenestem Network Announce Launch of New Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Clinic in ...

The International Society for Stem Cell Research's McEwen Award recipient Hans Clevers extends breakthrough work

CHICAGO -- The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) has awarded Dr. Hans Clevers, senior author on two important papers published recently in the scientific journal Cell, the society's McEwen Award for Innovation. The papers describe the development of a culturing system for human liver stem cells, as well as stem cells from pancreatic cancer, discoveries with the potential to revolutionize liver transplantation and aid in the fight against pancreatic cancer, respectively.

Clevers is a professor at the Hubrecht Institute and president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. He shares the McEwen Award for Innovation with Dr. Irving Weissman, Stanford School of Medicine, for the identification, prospective purification and characterization of somatic (adult) tissue-associated stem cells and advancement of this research toward clinical applications.

"These new discoveries by Hans Clevers extend the work for which he was awarded the McEwen Award, the ISSCR's most prestigious award," Dr. Rudolf Jaenisch, ISSCR president, said. "The innovative approach Dr. Clevers took in the gut has borne fruit and proven the basis of these significant advances in the liver and pancreas, which hold great promise for the study of and treatments for diseases impacting these organs."

Organoids

Until recently, it appeared impossible to keep healthy or diseased tissue from patients alive under laboratory conditions, let alone multiply it. However, in 2009, the research group headed by Clevers described a revolutionary culturing method that allowed the culturing of mini-guts from single mouse intestine stem cells. These organoids are functional miniature organs that can grow in tissue culture. The same research group now adds a culturing system for liver stem cells and stem cells from pancreatic cancer to their record. In the future, cultured stem cells could conceivably replace donor organs for transplantation. They also offer prospects for personalized medicine, the development of treatments specifically geared to individual patients.

Cultured Liver Stem Cells

The technology described in Cell can be used for the long-term replication in the laboratory of minute amounts of tissue harvested from a healthy or diseased liver. Over a period of four months, the equivalent of a full-grown liver can be cultured from a single liver stem cell. All analyses show that this cultured tissue is genetically the same as healthy liver tissue and is very stable.

The cultured human mini-livers have already been successfully transplanted in mice with liver damage. This is the first step toward using this cultured liver tissue to replace donor livers for transplantation. As such, this technology could solve the worldwide shortage of donor livers. Moreover, this technology offers future potential for personalized medicine. Organoids could, for instance, be grown from the tissue of patients suffering from genetic liver diseases, so that drugs could be tested on this patient material first, before being administered to the patients themselves. Examples of such diseases are alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and Alagille Syndrome.

Pancreatic Stem Cells

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Scientists announce revolutionary culturing technique for liver and pancreas

The face of health care keeps on getting a makeover with each passing day, the result being the availability of newer solutions to the problems that have nagged mankind for centuries. Stem cell research as regards the condition of pregnancy in women has yielded some special results in the recent past. Stem cells have been pretty aptly named, as these are the holding blocks of human life. These cells build the human body and play an important role in the treatment of ravaging diseases like childhood leukemia and some cancer conditions. Apart from this, stem cells have been the center of attraction as far as contemporary pregnancy related medical research is concerned, with conclusive evidence for scientists to believe that stem cells can also be employed in successfully tackling several diseases in the distant future of a human life.

The relation between stem cells and pregnancy is pretty evident from the fact that in just a matter of nine months, stem cells let the embryo progress into a grown baby! These stem cells are mostly found in appreciable counts in the blood flowing through the umbilical cord. The contribution to disease treatment results from the practice of harvesting stem cells at the time of the birth of the baby, separating them from the blood samples, deep storing them for periods as long as two decades and then using these stored stem cells as and when the concerned person falls prey to a disease through the course of his/her lifetime.

During the pregnancy when a woman is 10 weeks pregnant and especially in the last stages of pregnancy, they have some blood tests conducted on them so that the medical experts can determine whether the babys stem cells would be healthy enough to be stored. Also, the medical examiners and analysts have to determine whether there would be chances of cross contamination of blood samples and decide thereafter. Generally, these tests are conducted around a month before the expected delivery date of the child. If the doctors opine that storage of the stem cells of the baby would be fine, then the stem cell storage company you pick sends in a sterile collection kit. Your midwife uses this kit to collect blood from the umbilical cord. This sample is sent over to the laboratory where the stem cells are separated from the blood, frozen and stored as per the established guidelines.

Pregnant ladies find a lot of comfort in the thought that a little consideration at the time of pregnancy could help them guard their babies against the possibilities of being afflicted by serious diseases in the future. Naturally, stem cell storage banks are required to store the babys stem cells for such a long period. The fact that the few cells taken from the babys cord blood can possibly save the life of the baby, a sibling and even the parents at some point in time in the future means that stem cell banks are flourishing. Among the diseases that stored stem cells can work against are acute leukemias, autoimmune diseases, chronic leukemias, congenital immune system disorders and histiocrytic disorders.

Stem cells hold much promise in bringing about medical breakthroughs in form of treatment for previously incurable diseases and conditions like cancer, Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease or paralysis. These blank cells are capable of self-rejuvenation and also transforming into a functional cell; it is these attributes of a stem cell that make them invaluable to scientists. However, to experiment on the stem cells, they must at first be obtained and the mode of collection is where the controversy originates. There are two main types of stem cells, embryonic and adult stem cells. In order to collect the pluripotent embryonic stem cells, the human embryo must be killed as it can only be extracted from the innermost cellular layers of the blastocyst after just four days of fertilization. It is therefore not hard to understand as why killing a human embryo, which could have otherwise been borne as a human baby, is considered equivalent to murder by a lot of people. Even people who would not go as far as calling it murder, usually admit to the procedure being disturbing in terms of ethics at least.

Adult stem cells come from various sources and contrary to what the name may suggest, it does not only come from fully grown human beings. It is just that they are comparatively grown and different than the embryonic stem cells. The placenta and the umbilical cord blood are both rich sources of adult stem cells, the former being even richer than the latter. Our bone marrow contains multipotent stem cells and it is possible to extract these cells clinically, but the procedure is immensely painful for the donor and may even be considered risky. Unlike the extraction of the embryonic stem cells, extracting adult stem cells is not controversial. Ethicists do not support the killing of an embryo for the sake of medical progress, however bright the future may seem, but bio ethicists do understand the importance of stem cell experimentation and thus do not consider extraction of adult stem cells from various sources to be unethical as long as it is agreed upon voluntarily by the donor or the guardian of the concerned source.

If the question is read as an inquiry to the origin and the natural location of stem cells, then the answer would be that it comes from various tissues of the human body. Stem cells in an adult human being are found in the heart, blood, bone marrow, skeletal muscles, skin and fat as well. After a baby is born, the placenta and the umbilical cord are also found to be rich in stem cells. The placenta however, is much richer in stem cell count than the umbilical cord blood. Embryonic stem cells are among the first cells to develop because it is these that construct all the other tissues and thus the organs, bones, nerves and everything else in our body eventually, by converting into specifically functional cells.

The key factor about stem cells is that they are capable of constant rejuvenation through mitotic cell division and since they are not functional cells, they can transform into any specific type of functional cell, depending on the requirement of the body. Studies related to the possible uses of stem cells in various medical procedures is achieving greater importance with every passing year as scientists keep publishing journals on how the progress is going to improve treatment facilities dramatically. From the ability to repair almost any damaged organ to eliminating previously incurable diseases like cancer or Parkinsons disease, it all seems to be in our reach in the near future. In order for the experiments to be successful, scientists must collect necessary amounts of stem cells from various sources. Embryonic stem cells are collected directly from the inside of the blastocyst, roughly a week or so after the egg cell is fertilized, and it is for that reason it is called unethical and have given rise to controversies regarding the extraction of embryonic stem cells. The germline tissues of the abandoned fetus are also a source of stem cell collection. Umbilical cord blood and placenta are the two other sources for collecting adult stem cells. Although not as pluripotent as the stem cells inside an embryo, the adult stem cells are also extracted by scientists from tissues and bone marrow of individuals for different purposes.

Magnetic stem cells are one of the latest breakthroughs in the field of medical science as they are believed to hold the potential for next generation cell-level treatment procedures. Stem cells would soon be injected into the patients blood stream to treat and cure heart diseases and vascular problems and the theory is to deliver the special stem cells to the area of the injury or disease by guiding them from outside. The magnetism of the cells is what will allow the experts to control the movement of the reparative cells with the help of magnets, once they are injected into the patients body. Scientists have already been successful at directing the magnetized stem cells to the exact area of damage in animals, but the technology is yet to be tried on human beings.

The first part of the procedure involves applying sufficient magnetic nanoparticles on the stem cells to magnetize them, and thus make them controllable. Secondly, these special stem cells are now inserted into the blood stream of the subject with the help of an injection. The final and the most important part of the medical procedure begins next as experts now try to control the direction of the injected magnetic stem cells with the help of a magnet in order to lead them towards the accurate area of the heart damage or anywhere else inside the vascular system for recovery. MRI scans in the USA make use of the same nanomagnets to attain better results already. It is to be noted that the use of magnetic stem cells has a very broad spectrum as far as medical prowess is concerned. From cell therapy to targeting cancerous growths, the scope of using the nanomagnets on stem cells is plenty for repairing the diseased and the injured tissues from inside the body.

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Stem cells, bone marrow: News and research | Chxa.com

People who donate their stem cells are like gold-dust, according to a father-of-two desperate to find a bone marrow match.

Jaso Manokaranfell ill last October, experiencing severe pain in his bones and a fever-like temperature.

After being rushed to A&E again and again, doctors ordered a bone biopsy which revealed the 29-year-old had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

He said: I thought it was a viral infection, I didnt expect it to be cancer at all. When my consultant said I had leukaemia, I was crying like a river. I couldnt really hear what he was saying, I was so worried.

While undergoing chemotherapy, Jaso was told that he needed a bone marrow transplant but he has no siblings who could be a match and is a Sri Lankan Tamil, which means he has onlya 20.5 per cent chance of finding a match on the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register.

He added: It felt like a double dose of bad news. I had no idea what a transplant was, I had so many questions: How will I get it? Where will I get it? How will I find a match? I was so worried.

Now its not in my hands, I cant run around and get it myself - I need a stranger to save my life. Anyone who signs up to the register is priceless, not only to me but to everyone waiting for a transplant. These people are so selfless and special, theyre like gold-dust.

Mr Manokaran's wife Jasmini started the Help Save Jaso campaignto recruit more people to the register - especially people from Tamil and Sri Lankan communities in the hope of finding a match for her husband.

She said: Its been a scary time for all of us but I was so inspired to get going for Jaso. I have found that many people from my community dont know how to sign up to the register and many myths around donating have come up.

Some people think its a big operation or involves lengthy surgery because of the word bone but this is not true - now the process is usually just like giving blood.

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Young Dad searching for gold-dust' bone marrow match

Shin splints/muscle atrophy three months after stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D.
Angela is a life-long triathlete. Ten years ago she developed severe shin splints in her left leg that resulted in atrophy of her lower leg muscles. Here, sh...

By: Harry Adelson, N.D.

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Shin splints/muscle atrophy three months after stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D. - Video

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered the stem cell in mice that gives rise to bone, cartilage and a key part of bone marrow called the stroma.

In addition, the researchers have charted the chemical signals that can create skeletal stem cells and steer their development into each of these specific tissues. The discovery sets the stage for a wide range of potential therapies for skeletal disorders such as bone fractures, brittle bones, osteosarcoma or damaged cartilage.

A paper describing the findings will be published Jan. 15 in Cell.

"Millions of times a year, orthopedic surgeons see torn cartilage in a joint and have to take it out because cartilage doesn't heal well, but that lack of cartilage predisposes the patient to arthritis down the road," said Michael Longaker, MD, a professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Stanford and a senior author of the paper. "This research raises the possibility that we can create new skeletal stem cells from patients' own tissues and use them to grow new cartilage." Longaker is also co-director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.

An intensive search

The researchers started by focusing on groups of cells that divide rapidly at the ends of mouse bones, and then showed that these collections of cells could form all parts of bone: the bone itself, cartilage and the stroma -- the spongy tissue at the center of bones that helps hematopoietic stem cells turn into blood and immune cells. Through extensive effort, they then identified a single type of cell that could, by itself, form all these elements of the skeleton.

The scientists then went much further, mapping the developmental tree of skeletal stem cells to track exactly how they changed into intermediate progenitor cells and eventually each type of skeletal tissue.

"Mapping the tree led to an in-depth understanding of all the genetic switches that have to be flipped in order to give rise to more specific progenitors and eventually highly specialized cells," said postdoctoral scholar Charles Chan, PhD, who shares lead authorship of the paper with postdoctoral scholar David Lo, MD, graduate student James Chen and research assistant Elly Eun Young Seo. With that information, the researchers were able to find factors that, when provided in the right amount and at the right time, would steer the development of skeletal stem cells into bone, cartilage or stromal cells.

"If this is translated into humans, we then have a way to isolate skeletal stem cells and rescue cartilage from wear and tear or aging, repair bones that have nonhealing fractures and renew the bone marrow niche in those who have had it damaged in one way or another," said Irving Weissman, MD, professor of pathology and of developmental biology, who directs the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. Weissman, the other senior author of the paper, also holds the Virginia and Daniel K. Ludwig Professorship in Clinical Investigation in Cancer Research.

Reprogramming fat cells

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Stanford researchers isolate stem cell that gives rise to bones, cartilage in mice