CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwired - August 28, 2014) - International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO) (www.internationalstemcell.com), a California-based biotechnology company developing novel stem cell based therapies and biomedical products, today announced that Executive Vice President Dr. Simon Craw will present a corporate overview of ISCO and its subsidiaries at two upcoming investment conferences.

Rodman and Renshaw 16th Annual Global Investment Conference:

Date:Wednesday, September 10, 2014 Time:11:40 a.m. ET Location:New York Palace Hotel, New York, NY Room:Kennedy I

Conference details:http://www.meetmax.com//sched/event_23003/~public/conference_home.html?event_id=23003

AEGIS CAPITAL Corp. 2014 Healthcare and Technology Conference:Date:Thursday, September 11, 2014 Time:10:45 a.m. PT Location:The Encore at Wynn, Las Vegas, NV

Conference details:http://www.meetmax.com/sched/event_25932/~public/conference_home.html?event_id=25932

Please contact the conference organizers if you have an interest in attending the conference or if you would like to arrange a meeting with International Stem Cell Corporation's management team.

About International Stem Cell Corporation

International Stem Cell Corporation is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs) hence avoiding ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial background with minimal immune rejection after transplantation. hpSCs offer the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology (www.lifelinecelltech.com), and stem cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care (www.lifelineskincare.com). More information is available atwww.internationalstemcell.com.

To receive ongoing corporate communications via email, visit: http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1468&to=ea&s=0.

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International Stem Cell Corporation to Present at Two Upcoming Investment Conferences

MANILA The head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines has a reminder to those taking the ice bucket challenge, which supports research efforts of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association (ALSA).

CBCP president Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said research on ALS involves the use of stem cells.

''ALS is a degenerative disorder and stem-cells apparently hold out the promise of reversing the death and degeneration of brain cells, in particular,'' Villegas said in a statement.

''Stem cells however are most readily harvested from embryos, and it is in this regard that this type of research is ethically problematic."

Citing the ''Instruction on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation,'' Villegas noted that ''human embryos obtained in vitro are human beings and subjects with rights."

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord, which eventually leads to paralysis.

Villegas said the ALS Association said in a statement that ''most stem-cell research in ALS is currently focused on iPS (induced pluripotent stem) cells, which are not burdened with ethical issues."

''We are told that iPS cells are 'induced pluripotent stem cells', stem cells created from skin cells. Such cells would indeed be pluripotent, but would not be embryonic cells,'' the CBCP chief said.

''As such, the ethical objection to the use of embryonic cells, whether harvested from embryos, or obtained through in vitro fertilization, would not arise."

The prelate, however, noted that the ALS Association also admitted that ''iPS cells are used in 'most stem-cell research.'''

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Catholics warned about ice bucket challenge

By Ciara Curtin

Jeanne Loring and her Scripps Research Institute colleagues transplanted a set of cells into the spinal cords of mice that had lost use of their hind limbs to multiple sclerosis. As the experimentalists expected, within a week, the mice rejected the cells. But after another week, the mice began to walk.

We thought that they wouldnt do anything, says Loring, who directs theCenter for Regenerative Medicineat Scripps. But as her lab has since shown numerous times, and published in Stem Cell Reports, something that these particular so-called neural precursor cells dobeforethe immune system kicks them out seems to make the mouse better.

The cells Lorings team used are derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, which are mature cells, such as skin cells, that have been coaxed with a combination of chemicals to return to an earlier stage of development.

Induced pluripotent cells, also known as iPS cells, pose a number of opportunities for medicine. For instance, Loring is using iPS cells from Parkinsons disease and multiple sclerosis patients to reconstitute cell types that may be damaged in people with those conditions. She is also using them to test how certain drugs or treatments may affect damaged cells in people with conditions such as autism spectrum disorders.

Loring (front row, center) with the Loring Lab Group at the Center for Regenerative Medicine

Loring says no viable long-term treatments exist for the diseases her team has been working on, including Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, and multiple sclerosis, Thats where the need is, she says.

The neural precursor cells that Loring has been using in the mice with MS are young cells that havent quite gotten to the point of being nerves yet. Only certain types of these cells have such a dramatic Lazarus-like effect on the affected mice, but Lorings team can readily identify them based on DNA analysis.

Even so, theyre not yet ready to treat human MS patients with the approach, she says. First, the researchers want to identify what the cells producea protein, perhaps, or a set of proteinsthat allows the mice to walk.

For other diseases, however, researchers are closer to being ready to transplant working versions of reprogrammed cells into sick people.

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Could Reprogrammed Cells Fight 'Untreatable' Diseases?

Stem cell technology pioneer,DefiniGEN Ltdhas joined the Pfizer-inspired European Bank for induced pluripotent stem cells (EBiSC) consortium.

The consortium comprises 26 partners, and has been newly-formed with support from the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).

DefiniGen, a Cambridge University spin-out that has raised millions, represents one of the first commercial opportunities to arise from the universitys expertise in stem cells and is based on the research of Dr Ludovic Vallier, Dr Tamir Rashid and Professor Roger Pedersen of the universitys Anne McLaren Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine.

The EBiSC iPS cell bank will act as a central storage and distribution facility for human iPS cells, to be used by researchers across academia and industry in the study of disease and the development of new therapeutics. DefiniGENs role will be to validate EBiSC iPS cell lines by generating liver hepatocyte cells for toxicology, disease modelling, and regenerative medicine applications.

Dr Marcus Yeo, CEO of DefiniGEN, said: We are delighted to be a part of this ground-breaking consortium which will provide a crucial platform resource to enable the realisation of the full potential of iPS technology.

Conceptualised and coordinated by Pfizer Ltd in Cambridge, UK and managed by Roslin Cells Ltd in Edinburgh, the EBiSC bank aims to become the European go to resource for high quality research grade human iPS cells.

Today, iPS cells are being created in an increasing number of research programmes underway in Europe, but are not being systematically catalogued and distributed at the necessary scale to keep pace with their generation, nor to meet future demand.

The 35 million project will support the initial build of a robust, reliable supply chain from the generation of customised cell lines, the specification to internationally accepted quality criteria and their distribution to any global qualified user, ensuring accessibility to consistent, high quality tools for new medicines development.

Ruth McKernan, CSO of Pfizers Neusentis research unit in Cambridge, said: We are excited to be a part of this precompetitive collaboration to build a sustainable repository of high quality human iPS cell lines.

For many areas of research in academia and in industry, understanding the biological basis of disease heterogeneity is the next horizon. A bank of well-characterised iPS lines with strong relevance to the entire research community will help us all in our mission to bring therapies to patients.

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Pfizer buys into Cambridge life science innovation

Scientists who hoped to replicate the results of potentially groundbreaking stem-cell research have been unsuccessful to date, researchers at the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan, said Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. Detailed in two papers published in the journal Nature in January, the research was initially heralded as a breakthrough in the field of stem-cell biology, but was later met with skepticism after other institutions attempts to mirror its results failed. The authors of the papers and Nature retracted them in June.

Now, the center behind the papers says its recent efforts to confirm certain aspects of the research have failed. Researchers have conducted 22 experiments thus far, but we could not confirm the emergence of cells in the conditions described in [lead researcher Haruko Obokatas] papers, Riken said in a statement cited by Agence France-Presse. The center anticipates it will continue trying to confirm certain aspects of the research until next March, AP said.

The two papers published in Nature described a simple process for producing stem cells using an acid-based solution. Researchers said they successfully created pluripotent embryonic stem cells -- cells that can be grown into any kind of cell, including human organ tissue -- from mature skin cells. However, it was later revealed that researchers had misrepresented some of their data.

The controversy surrounding the research team who published the papers took an unexpected turn this month when one of the papers authors, Yoshiki Sasai, committed suicide at the Riken institute.

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Stem Cell Research Scandal: Japan Lab Could Not Confirm Results Of Controversial Experiment

Stem cells heal pooches in pain MIKE MATHER

NICK REED/Fairfax NZ

HAPPY HOUND: Shiloh with owner Adele Holland. She is a different dog since having stem cell injections to relieve arthritis pain, Holland says.

Three years ago australian shepherd dog Shiloh was diagnosed with a severe case of degenerative arthritis that left her limping slowly towards her deathbed.

As time went on, and to the dismay of her Horotiu family, Shiloh became increasingly stiff, was soon no longer able to jump, could barely walk without pain, and eventually had to be carried outside to the toilet.

But, remarkably, the 10-year-old pet is not only still alive today, she is walking and jumping without a trace of pain.

It's a physical improvement her owner Adele Holland describes as "nothing short of a miracle".

Shiloh's recovery is something dozens of arthritic Waikato dogs have now experienced after stem cell injections, a treatment technique adopted by Hamilton veterinarian practice CareVets.

Veterinarian Ivan Aleksic said Shiloh was the first dog to receive stem cells. His practice had successfully repeated the $2600 treatment on more than 40 dogs with arthritis. He described stem cells as "the body's own repair cells".

"They have the ability to divide and differentiate into many different types of cells based on where they are needed throughout the body. They can divide and turn into tissues such as skin, fat, muscle, bone, cartilage and nerve to name a few.

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Stem cell treatment helps arthritic dogs

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Stem Cell Skin Care Reviews presents expert & user reviews and analysis of the best (& worst) products in leading edge anti-aging skin care science. Here are the 5 top ranked products as rated by expert reviewers, who are dermatologists, biologists, estheticians, physicians, and product formulators. Click on a stem cell skin care product name or image to view detailed information, or visitthe all reviewssection to examine a larger selection of stem cell skin care products and to search by name, category, or key word.

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The editors and reviewers here are all science nerds and our passionate pursuit of the best stem cell skin creams on the planet separates us fromneurotypicals andputs us somewhere on the spectrum. That being said, we think this whole subject is critically important to survival of the home sapiens species. Especially to skin care aficionados (many of whom also qualify for nerddom). So our desire here is to find a way to communicate all this arcane knowledge into human-usable information. We might not get it right the first time around, so feel free to ask questions or just say say what??? whenever we obfuscate. We have gathered together a knowledge base which we hope will be helpful.

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Released: 19-Aug-2014 11:30 AM EDT Embargo expired: 21-Aug-2014 12:00 PM EDT Source Newsroom: Johns Hopkins Medicine Contact Information

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Newswise Johns Hopkins stem cell biologists have found a way to reprogram a patients skin cells into cells that mimic and display many biological features of a rare genetic disorder called familial dysautonomia. The process requires growing the skin cells in a bath of proteins and chemical additives while turning on a gene to produce neural crest cells, which give rise to several adult cell types. The researchers say their work substantially expedites the creation of neural crest cells from any patient with a neural crest-related disorder, a tool that lets physicians and scientists study each patients disorder at the cellular level.

Previously, the same research team produced customized neural crest cells by first reprogramming patient skin cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are similar to embryonic stem cells in their ability to become any of a broad array of cell types.

Now we can circumvent the iPS cells step, saving seven to nine months of time and labor and producing neural crest cells that are more similar to the familial dysautonomia patients cells, says Gabsang Lee, Ph.D., an assistant professor of neurology at the Institute for Cell Engineering and the studys senior author. A summary of the study will be published online in the journal Cell Stem Cell on Aug. 21.

Neural crest cells appear early in human and other animal prenatal development, and they give rise to many important structures, including most of the nervous system (apart from the brain and spinal cord), the bones of the skull and jaws, and pigment-producing skin cells. Dysfunctional neural crest cells cause familial dysautonomia, which is incurable and can affect nerves ability to regulate emotions, blood pressure and bowel movements. Less than 500 patients worldwide suffer from familial dysautonomia, but dysfunctional neural crest cells can cause other disorders, such as facial malformations and an inability to feel pain.

The challenge for scientists has been the fact that by the time a person is born, very few neural crest cells remain, making it hard to study how they cause the various disorders.

To make patient-specific neural crest cells, the team began with laboratory-grown skin cells that had been genetically modified to respond to the presence of the chemical doxycycline by glowing green and turning on the gene Sox10, which guides cells toward maturation as a neural crest cell.

Testing various combinations of molecular signals and watching for telltale green cells, the team found a regimen that turned 2 percent of the cells green. That combination involved turning on Sox10 while growing the cells on a layer of two different proteins and giving them three chemical additives to rewind their genetic memory and stimulate a protein network important for development.

Analyzing the green cells at the single cell level, the researchers found that they showed gene activity similar to that of other neural crest cells. Moreover, they discovered that 40 percent were quad-potent, or able to become the four cell types typically derived from neural crest cells, while 35 percent were tri-potent and could become three of the four. The cells also migrated to the appropriate locations in chick embryos when implanted early in development.

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Biologists Reprogram Skin Cells to Mimic Rare Disease

Durham, NC (PRWEB) August 22, 2014

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have great potential in the field of regenerative medicine because they can be coaxed to turn into specific cells; however, the new cells dont always act as anticipated. They sometimes mutate, develop into tumors or produce other negative side effects. But in a new study recently published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, researchers appear to have found a way around this, simply by removing the material used to reprogram the stem cell after they have differentiated into the desired cells.

The study, by Ken Igawa, M.D., Ph.D., and his colleagues at Tokyo Medical and Dental University along with a team from Osaka University, could have significant implications both in the clinic and in the lab.

Scientists induce (differentiate) the stem cells to become the desired cells, such as those that make up heart muscle, in the laboratory using a reprogramming transgene that is, a gene taken from one organism and introduced into another using artificial techniques.

We generated hiPSC lines from normal human skin cells using reprogramming transgenes, then we removed the reprogramming material. When we compared the transgene-free cells with those that had residual transgenes, both appeared quite similar, Dr. Igawa explained. However, after the cells differentiation into skin cells, clear differences were observed.

Several types of analyses revealed that the keratinocytes cells that make up 90 percent of the outermost skin layer that emerged from the transgene-free hiPSC lines were more like normal human cells than those coming from the hiPSCs that still contained some reprogramming material.

These results suggest that transgene-free hiPSC lines should be chosen for therapeutic purposes, Dr. Igawa concluded.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines have potential for therapeutics because of the customized cells and organs that can potentially be induced from such cells, Anthony Atala, M.D., editor of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. This study illustrates a potentially powerful approach for creating hiPSCs for clinical use.

-#-

The full article, Removal of Reprogramming Transgenes Improves the Tissue Reconstitution Potential of Keratinocytes Generated From Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, can be accessed at http://stemcellstm.alphamedpress.org/content/early/2014/07/14/sctm.2013-0179.abstract.

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Removing Programming Material After Inducing Stem Cells Could Improve Their Regeneration Ability

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Newswise A genetic variation linked to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression wreaks havoc on connections among neurons in the developing brain, a team of researchers reports. The study, led by Guo-li Ming, M.D., Ph.D., and Hongjun Song, Ph.D., of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and described online Aug. 17 in the journal Nature, used stem cells generated from people with and without mental illness to observe the effects of a rare and pernicious genetic variation on young brain cells. The results add to evidence that several major mental illnesses have common roots in faulty wiring during early brain development.

This was the next best thing to going back in time to see what happened while a person was in the womb to later cause mental illness, says Ming. We found the most convincing evidence yet that the answer lies in the synapses that connect brain cells to one another.

Previous evidence for the relationship came from autopsies and from studies suggesting that some genetic variants that affect synapses also increase the chance of mental illness. But those studies could not show a direct cause-and-effect relationship, Ming says.

One difficulty in studying the genetics of common mental illnesses is that they are generally caused by environmental factors in combination with multiple gene variants, any one of which usually could not by itself cause disease. A rare exception is the gene known as disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1), in which some mutations have a strong effect. Two families have been found in which many members with the DISC1 mutations have mental illness.

To find out how a DISC1 variation with a few deleted DNA letters affects the developing brain, the research team collected skin cells from a mother and daughter in one of these families who have neither the variation nor mental illness, as well as the father, who has the variation and severe depression, and another daughter, who carries the variation and has schizophrenia. For comparison, they also collected samples from an unrelated healthy person. Postdoctoral fellow Zhexing Wen, Ph.D., coaxed the skin cells to form five lines of stem cells and to mature into very pure populations of synapse-forming neurons.

After growing the neurons in a dish for six weeks, collaborators at Pennsylvania State University measured their electrical activity and found that neurons with the DISC1 variation had about half the number of synapses as those without the variation. To make sure that the differences were really due to the DISC1 variation and not to other genetic differences, graduate student Ha Nam Nguyen spent two years making targeted genetic changes to three of the stem cell lines.

In one of the cell lines with the variation, he swapped out the DISC1 gene for a healthy version. He also inserted the disease-causing variation into one healthy cell line from a family member, as well as the cell line from the unrelated control. Sure enough, the researchers report, the cells without the variation now grew the normal amount of synapses, while those with the inserted mutation had half as many.

We had our definitive answer to whether this DISC1 variation is responsible for the reduced synapse growth, Ming says.

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Stem Cells Reveal How Illness-Linked Genetic Variation Affects Neurons

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Newswise Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) give rise to all other blood cell types, but their development and how their fate is determined has long remained a mystery. In a paper published online this week in Nature, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine elaborate upon a crucial signaling pathway and the role of key proteins, which may help clear the way to generate HSCs from human pluripotent precursors, similar to advances with other kinds of tissue stem cells.

Principal investigator David Traver, PhD, professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and colleagues focused on the Notch signaling pathway, a system found in all animals and known to be critical to the generation of HSCs in vertebrates. Notch signaling between emitting and receiving cells is key to establishing HSC fate during development, said Traver. What has not been known is where, when and how Notch signal transduction is mediated.

Traver and colleagues discovered that the Notch signal is transduced into HSC precursor cells from signal emitting cells in the somite embryologic tissues that eventually contribute to development of major body structures, such as skeleton, muscle and connective tissues much earlier in the process than previously anticipated.

More specifically, they found that JAM proteins, best known for helping maintain tight junctions between endothelial cells to prevent vascular leakage, were key mediators of Notch signaling. When the researchers caused loss of function in JAM proteins in a zebrafish model, Notch signaling and HSCs were also lost. When they enforced Notch signaling through other means, HSC development was rescued.

To date, it has not been possible to generate HSCs de novo from human pluripotent precursors, like induced pluripotent stem cells, said Traver. This has been due in part to a lack of understanding of the complete set of factors that the embryo uses to make HSCs in vivo. It has also likely been due to not knowing in what order each required factor is needed.

Our studies demonstrate that Notch signaling is required much earlier than previously thought. In fact, it may be one of the earliest determinants of HSC fate. This finding strongly suggests that in vitro approaches to instruct HSC fate from induced pluripotent stem cells must focus on the Notch pathway at early time-points in the process. Our findings have also shown that JAM proteins serve as a sort of co-receptor for Notch signaling in that they are required to maintain close contact between signal-emitting and signal-receiving cells to permit strong activation of Notch in the precursors of HSCs.

The findings may have far-reaching implications for eventual development of hematopoietic stem cell-based therapies for diseases like leukemia and congenital blood disorders. Currently, it is not possible to create HSCs from differentiation of embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells pluripotent cells artificially derived from non-pluripotent cells, such as skin cells that are being used in other therapeutic research efforts.

Co-authors include Isao Kobayashi, Jingjing Kobayashi-Sun, Albert D. Kim and Claire Pouget, UC San Diego Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine; Naonobu Fujita, UC San Diego Section of Cell and Developmental Biology; and Toshio Suda, Keio University, Japan.

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New Blood: Tracing the Beginnings of Hematopoietic Stem Cells

TO SOME people, the term stem cell may seem kind of taboo. I personally would not want something from animals injected into my system. But Im okay with non-invasive treatments, so I was interested to try out a plant-based stem cell facial.

After cleansing and toning, cotton pads moistened with a clear solution were laid on my eyelids to protect them from a three-minute steaming session. This was followed by a special tool called a scrubber that kind of looks like a computer mouse, but helps to remove dead skin cells and unblock pores without using the rather painful pricking tool.

Next, a rejuvenating gel was applied, followed by the plant-derived stem cell formula. A unique cooling machine was used to massage it into the skin for 10 minutes. Using this machine for cold electrophoresis helps the skin absorb serums and vitamins, without having to use injections. This was great for someone like me, who is wary of invasive treatments. The cooling machine feels like having an ice-cold metal ball massaged on the face; very invigorating, indeed.

Just when I thought my skin already got a lot of pampering, the stem cell was followed by a face mask full of natural vitamins. While it penetrated into my skin, I was given an arm and foot massage, which was nice for further relaxation.

With my combination skin, I looked pretty greasy right afterwards. When I woke up the next day, I didnt see a visible difference in my skin, but it was very smooth and supple to the touch. You may not see instant results with a treatment like this, but its a good treatment to maintain radiance, softness and hydration from beneath the surface of the skin.

This type of facial is not recommended for those with oily or acne-prone skin because the added oiliness may exacerbate problems, but it is ideal for those with dry or mature skin, as it is deeply nourishing and moisturizing. After the first treatment or over time, depending on the condition of your skin, stem cell diminishes fine lines, prevents wrinkles, and promotes cell renewal (a process that slows with age) to give that glowing look that signifies healthy, youthful skin.

I tried out the stem cell facial at Lohas skin and slimming center on Paseo Saturnino, Banilad. Its a more upscale experience here with your own room, as opposed to being in one large room with dividers, in case privacy is an issue for you. All of their machines and products are brought in from Korea and their staff, like my therapist Jennylyn, are highly knowledgeable and know just how much pressure to apply during the treatment. The service, facilities and products used add up to a luxurious treatment session that makes one feel very pampered.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on August 15, 2014.

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Trying out a stem cell facial

Aug 13, 2014 Growing stem cells in conditions free of animal material makes them safe for use in humans. Credit: Eraxion/iStock/Thinkstock

Human stem cells produced through genetic reprogramming are beset by safety concerns because current techniques alter the DNA of the stem cells and use material from animals to grow them. Now, A*STAR researchers have developed an efficient approach that produces safe, patient-specific human stem cells.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells have the potential to treat a number of diseases without the ethical issues associated with embryonic stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells can be produced from adult cells by introducing genes that reprogram them. Typically, the stem cells are grown on a layer of mouse cells in solutions (known as media) that contain animal proteinsand therefore, potentially may also carry disease. For such stem cells to be safe for use in humans, they need to be grown in 'xeno-free' conditions, which are devoid of material from other animals.

Andrew Wan and Hong Fang Lu at the A*STAR Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore and colleagues set out to develop a new xeno-free system. The researchers carried out the genetic reprogramming of cells on an artificially produced protein substrate rather than mouse cells. They also used media that contained no animal components. The result was more efficient reprogramming than seen with conventional approaches.

"A xeno-free system will eliminate the risk of disease transmission from other species, which is important for regulatory approval," explains Wan. "Yet there have been few studies on cell reprogramming under totally xeno-free conditions."

The researchers went one step further by addressing the problem of cells acquiring alterations to their DNA during reprogramming.

"Incorporation of transgenes into the genome of the cell poses another safety issue, risking unwanted genetic alterations," explains Lu. "In our work, the transgenes were introduced to initiate the reprogramming, but after this they were removed from the cell, leading to transgene-free stem cells."

The researchers demonstrated that after genetic reprogramming and the removal of the added genes, the stem cells could still develop into different cells types. They were even able to induce them to form dopaminergic neurons, the type that degenerates in Parkinson's disease. The conditions in which the stem cells were grown mean that they are suitable for clinical use and can be derived from a patient's own cells, ensuring complete compatibility.

"Regulatory approval for clinical application of stem cells largely depends on the conditions in which the stem cells are derived," says Wan. "We present a workable protocol for the reprogramming of fibroblasts to stem cells that minimizes any potential safety risks."

Explore further: Discovery may make it easier to develop life-saving stem cells

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Animal-free reprogramming of adult cells improves safety

HOT SPRINGS | A new proposal to not only save but also enhance the Veterans Affairs hospital in Hot Springs surfaced Monday, and would add not only a medical college but also a medical research component involving the use of stem cells to the facility.

The idea, put forward by an Iowa-based, non-profit corporation, would also be built around treating patients with regenerative therapy, which helps skin grow back.

Bob Krause, president of Veterans National Recover Center, was joined by surgeon Don Swift in Hot Springs to presented the proposal at a press conference Monday morning. Their multi-pronged plan has been submitted for consideration to the VA Black Hills Health Care Systems Environmental Impact Statement.

Our proposal has three main areas, Krause told the small audience that attended the press conference. First, the creation of Battle Mountain College, for the training of doctors in the discipline of osteopathic medicine. Krause noted that by having the additional training, a major first hurdle in the BHHCS proposal to close the Hot Springsan inability to draw doctors to the area would be addressed.

We would also build the Battle Mountain Research Institute, for further research into the regenerative therapies, along with the Battle Mountain Clinic to treat those veterans and others who require this cutting-edge treatment, Krause said.

He added that the proposal stipulated that it is to be considered in its entirety and that if the VA medical center should close, everything is off the table. This proposal is not mutually exclusive of the one presented by Save the VA, he said of the Hot Springs-area group that is fighting to save the hospital from closure by the federal government.

Krause and Swift said that the technology, which was created in Switzerland by the military and is awaiting FDA approval in the United States, utilizes regenerative or restorative cells created from fetal stem cells to jump-start a patients ability to regenerate skin tissue. After the patients own skin begins to grow, the regenerative cells die, Krause said.

He said that submitting the new proposal through the EIS process was important, since the research would need to be conducted on federal property because South Dakota law does not allow stem cell research at this time.

Swift noted that an important part to the regenerative therapy process was access to mineral water to help hydrate the tissue and fight infection. Such water can be found in Hot Springs.

In response to a question, Krause said that he understands that there is a question involving fetal stem cell research. But what is the greater good? he asked. Do we overlook a veteran who has experienced having all of his skin burned away by an [explosion], instead of developing that single cell that could help? Are you going to walk away from that cell?

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New idea for VA would bring an educational focus

17 hours ago The red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) is native to the southeastern United States. This species is a popular model organism for studies of the nervous system, and has been used to study fundamental mechanisms involved in the production of new neurons in the adult brain. Credit: Jeanne Benton

Researchers have strived for years to determine how neurons are produced and integrated into the brain throughout adult life. In an intriguing twist, scientists reporting in the August 11 issue of the Cell Press journal Developmental Cell provide evidence that adult-born neurons are derived from a special type of circulating blood cell produced by the immune system. The findingswhich were made in crayfishsuggest that the immune system may contribute to the development of the unknown role of certain brain diseases in the development of brain and other tissues.

In many adult organisms, including humans, neurons in some parts of the brain are continually replenished. While this process is critical for ongoing health, dysfunctions in the production of new neurons may also contribute to several neurological diseases, including clinical depression and some neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Barbara Beltz of Wellesley College and her colleagues studied crayfish to understand how new neurons are made in adult organisms. When they marked the cells of one crayfish and used this animal as a blood donor for transfusions into another crayfish, the researchers found that the donor blood cells could generate neurons in the recipient.

"These blood cellscalled hemocyteshave functions similar to certain white blood cells in mammals and are produced by the immune system in a blood-forming organ that is functionally analogous to bone marrow," explains Dr. Beltz. "When these cells are released into the circulation, they are attracted to a specialized region in the brain where stem cells divide, and their descendants develop into functional neurons."

The current work demonstrates that the immune system can produce cells with stem cell properties that can give rise to different types of cells, including both hemocytes and nerve cells. "Our findings in crayfish indicate that the immune system is intimately tied to mechanisms of adult neurogenesis, suggesting a much closer relationship between the immune system and nervous system than has been previously appreciated," says co-author Dr. Irene Sderhll, of Uppsala University in Sweden. The flexibility of these immune cells in producing neurons in adult animals raises the intriguing possibility of the presence of similar types of flexibility in other animals. If further studies demonstrated a similar relationship between the immune system and brain in mammals, the findings would stimulate a new area of research into immune therapies to target neurological diseases.

Explore further: New discovery on early immune system development

More information: Developmental Cell, Benton et al.: "Cells from the immune system generate adult-born neurons in crayfish." http://www.cell.com/developmental-cel 1534-5807(14)00405-5

Journal reference: Developmental Cell

Provided by Cell Press

Researchers at Lund University have shed light on how and when the immune system is formed, raising hope of better understanding various diseases in children, such as leukaemia.

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Blood cells are new, unexpected source of neurons in crayfish

By Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Aug. 7, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- In a step toward using stem cells to treat paralysis, scientists were able to use cells from an elderly man's skin to regrow nerve connections in rats with damaged spinal cords.

Reporting in the Aug. 7 online issue of Neuron, researchers say the human stem cells triggered the growth of numerous axons -- the fibers that extend from the body of a neuron (nerve cell) to send electrical impulses to other cells.

Some axons even reached the animals' brains, according to the team led by Dr. Mark Tuszynski, a professor of neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego.

"This degree of growth in axons has not been appreciated before," Tuszynski said. But he cautioned that there is still much to be learned about how the new nerve fibers behave in laboratory animals.

Tuszynski likened the potential for stem-cell-induced axon growth to nuclear fusion. If it's contained, you get energy; if it's not contained, you get an explosion.

"Too much axon growth into the wrong places would be a bad thing," Tuszynski said.

For years, researchers have studied the potential for stem cells to restore functioning nerve connections in people with spinal cord injuries. Stem cells are primitive cells that have the capacity to develop into various types of body tissue. Stem cells can come from embryos or be generated from cells taken from a person.

For their study, Tuszynski's team used so-called induced pluripotent stem cells. They took skin cells from a healthy 86-year-old man and genetically reprogrammed them to become similar to embryonic stem cells.

Those stem cells were then used to create primitive neurons, which the researchers embedded into a special scaffold created with the help of proteins called growth factors. From there, the human neurons were grafted into lab rats with spinal cord injuries.

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Scientists Inch Closer Toward Using Stem Cells for Spinal Injuries

For the first time, scientists have uncovered new information on how stem cells in the human bowel behave, revealing vital clues about the earliest stages in bowel cancer development and how we may begin to prevent it.

The study, led by Queen May University of London (QMUL) and published today in the journal Cell Reports, discovered how many stem cells exist within the human bowel and how they behave and evolve over time. It was revealed that within a healthy bowel, stem cells are in constant competition with each other for survival and only a certain number of stem cells can exist within one area at a time (referred to as the 'stem cell niche'). However, when investigating stem cells in early tumours, the researchers saw increased numbers of stem cells within each area as well as intensified competition for survival, suggesting a link between stem cell activity and bowel cancer development.

The study involved studying stem cells directly within the human body using a specially developed 'toolkit'. The toolkit worked by measuring random mutations that naturally accrue in aging stem cells. The random mutations recorded how the stem cells had behaved, similarly to how the rings on a tree trunk record how a tree grew over time. The techniques used were unique in that scientists were able to study the human stem cells within their natural environment, giving a much more accurate picture of their behaviour.

Until this research, the stem cell biology of the human bowel has remained largely a mystery. This is because most stem cell research is carried out in mice, and it was uncertain how research findings in mice could be applied to humans. However, the scientists in fact found the stem cell biology of human bowels to have significant similarities to mice bowels. This means researchers can continue investigating stem cell activity within mice with the knowledge it is representative of humans -- hopefully speeding up bowel cancer research.

Importantly, these new research methods can also now be applied to investigate stem cells in other parts of the human body such as skin, prostate, lung and breast, with the aim of accelerating cancer research in these areas too.

Dr Trevor Graham, Lecturer in Tumour Biology and Study Author at Queen Mary University of London, comments: "Unearthing how stem cells behave within the human bowel is a big step forward for stem cell research. Until now, stem cell research was mostly conducted in mice or involved taking the stem cells out of their natural environment, thus distorting their usual behaviour. We now want to use the methods developed in this study to understand how stem cells behave inside bowel cancer, so we can increase our understanding of how bowel cancer grows. This will hopefully shed more light on how we can prevent bowel cancer -- the fourth most common cancer in the UK. We are positive this research lays important foundations for future bowel cancer prevention work, as well as prevention work in other cancers."

Dr Marnix Jansen, Histopathologist and Study Author at Queen Mary University of London, comments: "This study was made possible through the involvement of patients either diagnosed with bowel cancer or born with a tendency to develop bowel cancer. Only by investigating tissues taken directly from patients could we study how bowel cancers develop. Our work underlines the importance of patient involvement in scientific research if we are to tackle bowel cancer and help the greatest number of people."

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Queen Mary, University of London. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Stem cell behavior of human bowel discovered for first time

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

7-Aug-2014

Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary moleary@cell.com 617-397-2802 Cell Press

While neurons normally fail to regenerate after spinal cord injuries, neurons formed from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that were grafted into rats with such injuries displayed remarkable growth throughout the length of the animals' central nervous system. What's more, the iPSCs were derived from skin cells taken from an 86-year-old man. The results, described in the Cell Press journal Neuron, could open up new possibilities in stimulating neuron growth in humans with spinal cord injuries

"These findings indicate that intrinsic neuronal mechanisms readily overcome the barriers created by a spinal cord injury to extend many axons over very long distances and that these capabilities persist even in neurons reprogrammed from very aged human cells," said senior author Mark Tuszynski, MD, PhD, professor of neurosciences and director of the UC San Diego Center for Neural Repair.

After Dr. Tuszynski and his colleagues converted the skin cells into iPSCs, which can be coaxed to develop into nearly any other cell type, the team reprogrammed the cells to become neurons, embedded them in a matrix containing growth factors, and then grafted them into 2-week-old spinal cord injuries in rats.

Three months later, the team found mature neurons and extensive nerve fiber growth across long distances in the rats' spinal cords, including through the wound tissue and even extending into the brain. Despite numerous connections between the implanted neurons and existing rat neurons, functional recovery of the animals' limbs was not restored. The investigators noted that several iPSC grafts contained scars that may have blocked beneficial effects.

Dr. Tuszynski, along with lead author Paul Lu, PhD, of the UC San Diego Department of Neurosciences, and their collaborators are now working to identify the best way to translate neural stem cell therapies for patients with spinal cord injuries, using grafts derived from the patients' own cells.

###

Neuron, Lu et al.: "Long-Distance Axonal Growth from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells After Spinal Cord Injury."

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Human skin cells reprogrammed as neurons regrow in rats with spinal cord injuries

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

7-Aug-2014

Contact: Charli Scouller c.scouller@qmul.ac.uk 020-788-27943 Queen Mary, University of London

For the first time, scientists have uncovered new information on how stem cells in the human bowel behave, revealing vital clues about the earliest stages in bowel cancer development and how we may begin to prevent it.

The study, led by Queen May University of London (QMUL) and published today in the journal Cell Reports, discovered how many stem cells exist within the human bowel and how they behave and evolve over time. It was revealed that within a healthy bowel, stem cells are in constant competition with each other for survival and only a certain number of stem cells can exist within one area at a time (referred to as the 'stem cell niche'). However, when investigating stem cells in early tumours, the researchers saw increased numbers of stem cells within each area as well as intensified competition for survival, suggesting a link between stem cell activity and bowel cancer development.

The study involved studying stem cells directly within the human body using a specially developed 'toolkit'. The toolkit worked by measuring random mutations that naturally accrue in ageing stem cells. The random mutations recorded how the stem cells had behaved, similarly to how the rings on a tree trunk record how a tree grew over time. The techniques used were unique in that scientists were able to study the human stem cells within their natural environment, giving a much more accurate picture of their behaviour.

Until this research, the stem cell biology of the human bowel has remained largely a mystery. This is because most stem cell research is carried out in mice, and it was uncertain how research findings in mice could be applied to humans. However, the scientists in fact found the stem cell biology of human bowels to have significant similarities to mice bowels. This means researchers can continue investigating stem cell activity within mice with the knowledge it is representative of humans - hopefully speeding up bowel cancer research.

Importantly, these new research methods can also now be applied to investigate stem cells in other parts of the human body such as skin, prostate, lung and breast, with the aim of accelerating cancer research in these areas too.

Dr Trevor Graham, Lecturer in Tumour Biology and Study Author at Queen Mary University of London, comments: "Unearthing how stem cells behave within the human bowel is a big step forward for stem cell research. Until now, stem cell research was mostly conducted in mice or involved taking the stem cells out of their natural environment, thus distorting their usual behaviour. We now want to use the methods developed in this study to understand how stem cells behave inside bowel cancer, so we can increase our understanding of how bowel cancer grows. This will hopefully shed more light on how we can prevent bowel cancer the fourth most common cancer in the UK. We are positive this research lays important foundations for future bowel cancer prevention work, as well as prevention work in other cancers."

Dr Marnix Jansen, Histopathologist and Study Author at Queen Mary University of London, comments: "This study was made possible through the involvement of patients either diagnosed with bowel cancer or born with a tendency to develop bowel cancer. Only by investigating tissues taken directly from patients could we study how bowel cancers develop. Our work underlines the importance of patient involvement in scientific research if we are to tackle bowel cancer and help the greatest number of people."

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Scientists uncover stem cell behavior of human bowel for the first time

23 hours ago A bam mutant fruit fly ovary, known as the germanium, contains only adult stem cell-like cells (red) and spherical spectrosome (green). The accumulation of only adult stem cell-like cells indicates a mutation in the master differentiation factor bam completely blocks germline stem cell lineage differentiation. Credit: Ting Xie, Ph.D., Stowers Institute for Medical Research

Adult organisms ranging from fruit flies to humans harbor adult stem cells, some of which renew themselves through cell division while others differentiate into the specialized cells needed to replace worn-out or damaged organs and tissues.

Understanding the molecular mechanisms that control the balance between self-renewal and differentiation in adult stem cells is an important foundation for developing therapies to regenerate diseased, injured or aged tissue.

In the current issue of the journal Nature, scientists at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research report that competition between two proteins, Bam and COP9, balances the self-renewal and differentiation functions of ovarian germline stem cells (GSCs) in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster).

"Bam is the master differentiation factor in the Drosophila female GSC system," says Stowers Investigator Ting Xie, Ph.D., and senior author of the Nature paper. "In order to carry out the switch from self-renewal to differentiation, Bam must inactivate the functions of self-renewing factors as well as activate the functions of differentiation factors."

Bam, which is encoded by the gene with the unusual name of bag-of-marbles, is expressed at high levels in differentiating cells and very low levels in GSCs of fruit flies.

Among the self-renewing factors targeted by Bam is the COP9 signalosome (CSN), an evolutionarily conserved, multi-functional complex that contains eight protein sub-units (CSN1 to CSN8). Xie and his collaborators discovered that Bam and the COP9 sub-unit known as CSN4 have opposite functions in regulating the fate of GSCs in female fruit flies.

Bam can switch COP9 function from self-renewal to differentiation by sequestering and antagonizing CSN4, Xie says. "Bam directly binds to CSN4, preventing its association with the seven other COP9 components via protein competition," he adds. CSN4 is the only COP9 sub-unit that can interact with Bam.

"This study has offered a novel way for Bam to carry out the switch from self-renewal to differentiation," says Xie, whose lab uses a combination of genetic, molecular, genomic and cell biological approaches to investigate GSCs as well as somatic stem cells of fruit flies.

In the Nature paper, Xie's lab also reports that CSN4 is the only one of the eight sub-units that is not involved in the regulation of GSC differentiation of female fruit flies. "One possible explanation for the opposite effects of CSN4 and the other CSN proteins is that the sequestration of CSN4 by Bam allows the other CSN proteins to have differentiation-promoting functions," he says.

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Team reveals molecular competition drives adult stem cells to specialize