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."

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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.

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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

The Dr Hadwen Trust awarded 135,078 to Dr Catherine Wright, a lecturer at the Department of Life Sciences at Glasgow Caledonian University and a member of the Institute for Applied Health Research's Diabetes and Biomedical Sciences research group.

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The grant will fund a three-year research programme which will allow the university's skin tissue bank to continue providing human skin tissue and cells that can be used for studies related to diabetes research.

This includes issues such as wound healing, as well as the development of human stem cells - which would help to replace the need for animal experimentation.

Dr Wright said: "The funding will allow us to employ a full-time member of staff to assist the academics to run the tissue bank and develop new types of human cell models that can replace animal experiments."

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Diabetes project is given funding boost

Brain cells that were grafted into the brains of mice have become fully functionally integrated after six months. The successful neuron transplant could pave the way for therapies to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's.

A team of stem cell researchers at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine created the grafted neurons -- induced neuronal stem cells -- in a petri dish out of the host's reprogrammed skin cells. This technique dramatically improved the compatibility of the implanted cells.

Six months after the brain cells were implanted into the hippocampus and cortex regions of the brain, the neurons were fully integrated with the original brain cells via newly formed synapses (the contact points between neurons). The induced neuronal stem cells had changed into different types of brain cells -- neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes -- over time within the host brain. Functional integration with the existing network of cells is absolutely critical for long-term survival of the new brain tissue. The new brain cells exhibited normal activity in tests and the mice showed no adverse side effects.

The plan for researchers is now to explore replacing the type of neurons that tend to die off in the brain of Parkinson's patients -- those neurons found in the substantia nigra that produce dopamine. It may, in the future, be possible to implant neurons to produce the diminished dopamine, which could prove to be an effective treatment for the disease.

Of course, it's a bit leap from the current research to human trials. "Successes in human therapy are still a long way off, but I am sure successful cell replacement therapies will exist in future," says team leader and stem cell researcher Jens Schwamborn. "Our research results have taken us a step further in this direction."

The study has been published in Stem Cell Reports and is available to read for free.

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Implanted brain cells integrate fully with mouse brain tissue

Scientists at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg have grafted neurons reprogrammed from skin cells into the brains of mice for the first time with long-term stability. Six months after implantation, the neurons had become fully functionally integrated into the brain. This successful, lastingly stable, implantation of neurons raises hope for future therapies that will replace sick neurons with healthy ones in the brains of Parkinson's disease patients, for example.

The Luxembourg researchers published their results in the current issue of Stem Cell Reports.

The LCSB research group around Prof. Dr. Jens Schwamborn and Kathrin Hemmer is working continuously to bring cell replacement therapy to maturity as a treatment for neurodegenerative diseases. Sick and dead neurons in the brain can be replaced with new cells. This could one day cure disorders such as Parkinson's disease. The path towards successful therapy in humans, however, is long. "Successes in human therapy are still a long way off, but I am sure successful cell replacement therapies will exist in future. Our research results have taken us a step further in this direction," declares stem cell researcher Prof. Schwamborn, who heads a group of 15 scientists at LCSB.

In their latest tests, the research group and colleagues from the Max Planck Institute and the University Hospital Mnster and the University of Bielefeld succeeded in creating stable nerve tissue in the brain from neurons that had been reprogrammed from skin cells. The stem cell researchers' technique of producing neurons, or more specifically induced neuronal stem cells (iNSC), in a petri dish from the host's own skin cells considerably improves the compatibility of the implanted cells. The treated mice showed no adverse side effects even six months after implantation into the hippocampus and cortex regions of the brain. In fact it was quite the opposite -- the implanted neurons were fully integrated into the complex network of the brain. The neurons exhibited normal activity and were connected to the original brain cells via newly formed synapses, the contact points between nerve cells.

The tests demonstrate that the scientists are continually gaining a better understanding of how to treat such cells in order to successfully replace damaged or dead tissue. "Building upon the current insights, we will now be looking specifically at the type of neurons that die off in the brain of Parkinson's patients -- namely the dopamine-producing neurons," Schwamborn reports. In future, implanted neurons could produce the lacking dopamine directly in the patient's brain and transport it to the appropriate sites. This could result in an actual cure, as has so far been impossible. The first trials in mice are in progress at the LCSB laboratories on the university campus Belval.

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Implanted neurons become part of the brain, mouse study shows

04.08.2014 - (idw) Universitt Luxemburg - Universit du Luxembourg

Scientists at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg have grafted neurons reprogrammed from skin cells into the brains of mice for the first time with long-term stability. Six months after implantation, the neurons had become fully functionally integrated into the brain. This successful, because lastingly stable, implantation of neurons raises hope for future therapies that will replace sick neurons with healthy ones in the brains of Parkinsons disease patients, for example. The Luxembourg researchers published their results in the current issue of Stem Cell Reports. The LCSB research group around Prof. Dr. Jens Schwamborn and Kathrin Hemmer is working continuously to bring cell replacement therapy to maturity as a treatment for neurodegenerative diseases. Sick and dead neurons in the brain can be replaced with new cells. This could one day cure disorders such as Parkinsons disease. The path towards successful therapy in humans, however, is long. Successes in human therapy are still a long way off, but I am sure successful cell replacement therapies will exist in future. Our research results have taken us a step further in this direction, declares stem cell researcher Prof. Schwamborn, who heads a group of 15 scientists at LCSB.

In their latest tests, the research group and colleagues from the Max Planck Institute and the University Hospital Mnster and the University of Bielefeld succeeded in creating stable nerve tissue in the brain from neurons that had been reprogrammed from skin cells.

The tests demonstrate that the scientists are continually gaining a better understanding of how to treat such cells in order to successfully replace damaged or dead tissue. Building upon the current insights, we will now be looking specifically at the type of neurons that die off in the brain of Parkinsons patients namely the dopamine-producing neurons, Schwamborn reports. In future, implanted neurons could produce the lacking dopamine directly in the patients brain and transport it to the appropriate sites. This could result in an actual cure, as has so far been impossible. The first trials in mice are in progress at the LCSB laboratories on the university campus Belval. Weitere Informationen:http://www.cell.com/stem-cell-reports/abstract/S2213-6711%2814%2900203-3 - Link to the scientific paperhttp://www.uni.lu/lcsb - link to the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine

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Implanted Neurons become Part of the Brain

Gold River, CA (PRWEB) August 05, 2014

SkinStore.com, the nations leading e-commerce specialty retailer providing scientifically sound solutions for healing and maintaining healthy skin, has reintroduced DermaQuest to its assortment of premium products.

As the leader in botanical stem cell technology since 1999, DermaQuest is at the edge of innovation in advanced skincare. The luxurious formulas are rich in vitamins, peptides, plant stem cells and essential ingredients that hydrate, protect and actually rejuvenate the skin. Through specialized collections for every skin concern, and specific layering sequences to ensure maximum effectiveness and product absorption, DermaQuests formulas are able to realize the desires of any skin type. Their strict quality control and use of only superior ingredients has become unparalleled, results-oriented skincare: If they arent doing it, it simply cant be done yet.

The notable DermaQuest Stem Cell 3D Complex is powered by advanced Biotech Marine and botanical stem cells, peptides and potent antioxidants. The rich, silky formula was formulated to be a wonder tonic, a cure-all for the myriad signs of aging, such as fine lines, wrinkles, skin texture and tone.

Christina Bertolino, Senior, Buying Manager at SkinStore.com, said, DermaQuest offers the best of both worlds: luxury and proven results. The science behind the line is unparalleled and the visible effects speak for themselves.

About SkinStore.com. Physician-founded in 1997, SkinStore carries over 300 premium brands of skin care, cosmetics, hair care, beauty tools and fragrances from around the world, including high quality products normally found in luxury spas, fine department stores and dermatologist offices. An esthetician-staffed call center is available Monday through Friday to answer customer questions and help shoppers choose products best-suited for their skin type. The company is headquartered in Gold River (Sacramento), California. For more information visit SkinStore.com, SkincareStore.com.au or SkinStoreChina.com.

Contact Information Denise McDonald, Content & Production Manager SkinStore http://www.skinstore.com 916-475-1427

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Luxury Skin Care: SkinStore.com Adds Reformulated, Repackaged DermaQuest

A major hurdle in gene therapy is the efficient integration of a corrected gene into a patient's genome without mutating off-target sites. In a paper published today in Genome Research, scientists have used CRISPR/Cas genome editing technology to seamlessly and efficiently correct disease-causing mutations in cells from patients with -thalassemia.

-thalassemia results from inherited DNA mutations in the hemoglobin beta (HBB) gene, resulting in reduced HBB expression in red blood cells and, in the most severe forms, anemia. The only established curative treatment is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; however, this treatment requires a matched donor. Gene therapy, which delivers a corrected copy of a gene into patient cells, could bypass the need for a donor. Previous attempts using a virus to randomly insert a normal gene into the genome has been successful in one -thalassemia patient, but the long-term effect of viral insertion is not yet known.

To correct HBB mutations directly in a patient's genome, researchers first generated induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs, from skin cells of patients. The real breakthrough came when they applied CRISPR/Cas9 to precisely engineer a double strand DNA break at the HBB locus in these cells, allowing a donor plasmid with the corrected sites to be efficiently integrated, thus replacing the mutated sites. The donor plasmid also contained selectable markers to identify cells with corrected copies of the gene. These selectable markers were subsequently removed with transposase and a second round of selection, generating a seamless, corrected version of HBB in the patient's genome.

Importantly, the researchers could differentiate the corrected iPSCs into mature blood cells, and these blood cells showed restored expression of hemoglobin. However, much work is needed before these cells could be transplanted back into a patient for treating -thalassemia. "Although we and others are able to differentiate iPSCs into blood cell progenitors as well as mature blood cells, the transplantation of the progenitors into mouse models to test them has so far proven very difficult," said senior author Yuet Wai Kan from the University of California, San Francisco. "I believe it will take quite a few more years before we can apply it in a clinical setting."

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Seamless gene correction of beta-thalassemia mutations in patient-specific cells

A.B.Series Apple Stem Cell Serum
A.B.Series Apple Stem Cell Serum A natural way to rejuvenate and revitalize your skin for a younger you. Apple Stem Cell Serum is formulated from Switzerland based on the Uttwiler Spatlauber...

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A.B.Series Apple Stem Cell Serum - Video

Next time you come across an advertisement offering cosmetic stem cell procedures not only to give your skin a glowing look but also to stop it from growing old, beware.

Most of such ads claim benefits from procedures that have not undergone rigorous scientific evaluation - including potential risks related to stem cell and tissue processing and the effects of ageing on stem cells, a new research warns.

"Stem cells offer tremendous potential but the marketplace is saturated with unsubstantiated and sometimes fraudulent claims that may place patients at risk," warned Michael T. Longaker from Stanford University's Medical Center.

The procedures marketed as "stem cell facelifts" are often just "lipofilling" procedures, "an established fat injection technique with no prolonged anti-ageing effect", Longaker added.

To gain insight into these claims, researchers performed a Google search for cosmetic stem cell treatments, the most common of which was "stem cell facelift".

Most procedures used "stem cells" isolated from fat.

However, the websites provided little information on the quality of the stem cells used.

Without advanced cell-sorting procedures, the products used in these procedures likely contain many other types of cells besides fat-derived stem cells.

To date, just one stem cell procedure for cosmetic purpose has received the approval from the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

That product, designed to treat fine facial wrinkles, is undergoing extensive post-approval surveillance.

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'Most stem cell-based cosmetic surgeries fake'

Published at Retail Investor 360: Monday, 28 July 2014 20:02 by Doctor Hung V. Tran, MD, MS

Disclosure: I am long on MNKD.

Due to its capacity to self-renew and give rise to cells of various lineage, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have generated a great amount of enthusiasm over the past decade as a novel therapeutic paradigm for a variety of diseases. The leading, integrated stem cell company Osiris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:OSIR) thus indeed has captured and gained a significant impact in this unique market since infancy with its capabilities in groundbreaking research, development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of stem cell products to treat unmet medical conditions in orthopedic, sport medicine and specifically wound care markets.

Source: Stem Cell

Giving the diabetes mellitus market is growing at a rapid rate globally; roughly 25 million or 8.3% of the U.S. population suffer from this condition. With its FDA approved super rapid acting insulin, Afrezza, that could mimic the actions of healthy pancreas, Mannkind Corporation (NASDAQ: MNKD) is already positioned it self to become the new leader in this huge insulin market. Diabetic complications such as diabetic foot ulceration, infection, and gangrene are significant complications and the leading causes of hospitalization in patients with diabetes mellitus. We believed that Afrezza's disruptive technology to deliver Technosphere insulin via a small whistle-like device Dreamboat enabling patient's with convenience, ease of use, hence, removing barriers leading to the aforementioned complication. Regardless of Afrezza's superiority or any other potential drugs, a sizeable number of patients, not having access to care due to poverty, transportation, or rural setting would not be able to optimally control their blood sugar, thus, succumb to diabetes complications. These complications often precede lower-extremity amputation. Prompt and aggressive treatments of diabetic foot ulcers are essential to prevent exacerbation of the problem and eliminate the potential for amputation. Osiris, thus, successfully tapped into this market and established a new standard in diabetic wound care, as well as proven the tremendous impact of stem cell can have in medicine.

Key Factors Involved in the Development of Diabetic Foot Problems

Diabetic foot ulcer is among the most common complications of diabetes, accounting for as many as 20% of all hospitalizations in diabetic patients at an annual cost of $200 to $350 million. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), 15% of diabetic patients experience significant foot ulcer during their lifetime.

Approximately 71,000 lower-extremity amputations, often sequelae of uncontrolled infection, are performed each year on diabetic patients; this represents up to 70% of all nontraumatic amputations in the United States. Also, approximately 20% of diabetics will undergo additional surgery or amputation of a second limb within 12 months of the initial amputation.

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Osiris Stem Cells To Compliment Mannkind's Afrezza In Disrupting Diabetes Market

6 hours ago Induced pluripotent stem cellsknown as iPS cells, and which act very much like embryonic stem cellsare here growing into heart cells (blue) and nerve cells (green). Credit: Gladstone Institutes/Chris Goodfellow

A new stem-cell discovery might one day lead to a more streamlined process for obtaining stem cells, which in turn could be used in the development of replacement tissue for failing body parts, according to UC San Francisco scientists who reported the findings in the current edition of Cell.

The work builds on a strategy that involves reprogramming adult cells back to an embryonic state in which they again have the potential to become any type of cell.

The efficiency of this process may soon increase thanks to the scientists' identification of biochemical pathways that can inhibit the necessary reprogramming of gene activity in adult human cells. Removing these barriers increased the efficiency of stem-cell production, the researchers found.

"Our new work has important implications for both regenerative medicine and cancer research," said Miguel Ramalho-Santos, PhD, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences and a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF, who led the research, funded in part by a prestigious NIH Director's New Innovator Award.

The earlier discovery that it was possible to take specialized adult cells and reverse the developmental clock to strip the mature cells of their distinctive identities and characteristics and to make them immortal, reprogrammable cells that theoretically can be used to replace any tissue type led to a share of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine being awarded to UCSF, Gladstone Institutes and Kyoto University researcher Shinya Yamanaka, MD, in 2012.

Turning Back the Clock on Cellular Maturation

These induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are regarded as an alternative experimental approach to ongoing efforts to develop tissue from stem cells obtained from early-stage human embryos. However, despite the promise of iPS cells and the excitement surrounding iPS research, the percentage of adult cells successfully converted to iPS cells is typically low, and the resultant cells often retain traces of their earlier lives as specialized cells.

Researchers generate stem cells by forcing the activation within adult cells of pluripotency-inducing genesstarting with the so-called "Yamanaka factors" a process that turns back the clock on cellular maturation.

Yet, as Ramalho-Santos notes, "From the time of the discovery of iPS cells, it was appreciated that the specialized cells from which they are derived are not a blank slate. They express their own genes that may resist or counter reprogramming."

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Stem cell advance may increase efficiency of tissue regeneration

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Newswise BOSTON July 24, 2014 Japanese biologist Shinya Yamanaka won a Nobel Prize in 2012 for discovering how to create induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), cells derived from normal adult cells that have the ability to differentiate into almost any other kind of cells. Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center now have created the first iPSCs that offer a human model of insulin resistance, a key driver of type 2 diabetes.

This is one of the very first studies of human iPSC models for type 2 diabetes, and it points out the power of this technology to look at the nature of diabetes, which is complex and may be different in different individuals, says C. Ronald Kahn, MD, Joslins Chief Academic Officer and the Mary K. Iacocca Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Until now, scientists examining the causes and effects of insulin resistance have struggled with a general lack of human cell lines from tissues such as muscle, fat and liver that respond significantly to insulin, Kahn says. Studying insulin resistance as it progresses through pre-clinical stages of type 2 diabetes has been particularly challenging.

There have been no good human cell models to study insulin resistance, but such cells can now be made with iPSCs, says Kahn, co-senior author on a paper about the study published in the journal Diabetes.

Generation of iPSCs typically starts with fibroblasts (connective tissue cells) from skin samples. Kahn and his colleagues used fibroblasts from three patients with severe insulin resistance brought on by mutations in the gene for the insulin receptor (IR)a molecule that crosses the cell membrane and plays a key role in insulin signaling and glucose metabolism.

The Joslin researchers reprogrammed the fibroblasts into iPSCs by using viral procedures that activated four genes that together maintain cells in the iPSC state. The scientists then looked at gene activation in insulin signaling pathways for iPSCs and fibroblasts with IR mutations, and for corresponding cells derived from people without those mutations.

Among the study findings, IR mutations alter expression of many genes both in fibroblasts and iPSCs compared to normal cells, but the impact is very much dependent on the cell type, says Kahn. You see one type of expression pattern in the fibroblasts and a different type of pattern in the iPSCs.

Insulin is a key ingredient for the growth and proliferation of normal stem cells, and the study demonstrated that insulin resistance also reduces the ability of the iPSCs to grow and proliferate. That defect may represent a previously unrecognized mechanism that aids in developing diabetes, Kahn says, as well as helping to explain the problems in wound healing, tissue repair and even beta-cell growth that are common among people with diabetes.

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Joslin Scientists Create the First IPS Cells to Offer Human Model of Insulin Resistance

Denver, CO (PRWEB) July 23, 2014

Daily Face & Body is excited to announce that they have released a cheaper and safer alternative to Botox called Stem Cell Technology Facial Serum.

Stem Cell Technology Facial Serum is an anti-aging product used to help people smooth, tone, and rejuvenate dead skin cells..

Stem Cell Technology Facial Serum can be used as a safe alternative to Botox, a popular cosmetic injection, because the Stem Cell does not have any toxins or health risks as opposed to Botox. In addition, it is Alcohol, Ammonia, Paraben, Perfume, and Sulfate free, and it has not been tested on Animals.

According to the Daily Face & Body website, their Stem Cell Technology Facial Serum uses 100% active plant stem cell ingredient (All Even Sweet Iris) which has been clinically tested to reduce wrinkles with overall anti-aging effects.

Jason Palmer, a representative of Daily Face & Body, says that the clinical test results showed that after 28 days of treatment, 84% of women noted their wrinkles seem to have decreased. It also decreased the total surface by 35%, decreased the number of wrinkles by 26%, and decreased the length of wrinkles by 33%.

Ingredients The ingredients in Stem Cell Technology Facial serum are as follows:

Active ingredient: All Even Sweet Irs (Iris pallida). The other ingredients are: Water, Cyclomethicone, Avena sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Cichorium Intybus (Chicory) Root, Oligosaccharides (and) Glycerin (and) Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Dimethicone, Iris Pallida Leaf Cell Extract, Lauramidoyl Inulin, Oleth-10, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol (and) Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Tromethamine.

About Daily Face & Body is a locally owned Denver company that has been operating since 2012. They sell Skin Care products and accessories as well as home Spa therapy products and weight loss supplements. To receive more information about Daily Face & Body please visit their website http://www.dailyfaceandbody.com.

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Local Denver Skin Care Company Releases Safer Alternative to Botox

Scientists have already successfully coaxed stem cells into becoming red blood cells, which could be used to create "man-made" blood for transfusion. Red blood cells, however, aren't the only component of human blood. Now, researchers at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Womens Hospital have also created functional human platelets, using a bioreactor that simulates the medium in which blood cells are naturally produced bone marrow.

The main role of platelets (also known as thrombocytes) is to stop wounds from bleeding, by essentially "plugging the hole" in the skin with a clot. Without sufficient numbers of them in the blood, spontaneous and excessive bleeding can occur. Such shortages can be caused by diseases, as a result of undergoing chemotherapy, or by other factors. In these situations, transfusions of platelets harvested from donated blood are often necessary.

In previous studies, scientists have successfully gotten induced pluripotent stem cells to change into megakaryocytes these are the cells that ordinarily sit in the bone marrow and release platelets into the bloodstream. Unfortunately, it's proven difficult to get those lab-grown megakaryocytes to produce platelets outside of the body.

That's where Brigham and Womens new "bioreactor-on-a-chip" comes into the picture. By mimicking bone marrow's extracellular matrix composition, stiffness, micro-channel size and shear forces, it persuades the megakaryocytes to produce anywhere from 10 to 90 percent more platelets than was previously possible.

It is hoped that once the technology is scaled up, platelets made with it could be used to address shortages of donated natural platelets, and to minimize the risk of diseases being transmitted between donors and recipients. Human clinical trials are planned to begin in 2017.

The research was led by Dr. Jonathan Thon, and is described in a paper recently published in the journal Blood.

Source: Brigham and Womens Hospital

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Human blood platelets grown in bone marrow-replicating bioreactor

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -

Cheri Kovacsev's face is dripping with blood, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'm hoping to achieve smaller pores, [and] the fine lines around my lips to improve over this process," Kovacsev said.

Licensed paramedical aesthetician Amaris Centofanti performs rejuvapen micro-needling.

"After you are done with the treatment, collagen elastin kicks in to heal the skin, so in a few days, your skin starts to look more flawless," Centofanti said.

People like the professor of dermatology, Dr. James Spencer, however, aren't sold on micro-needling, which costs about $350 a pop.

"There was just a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Dermatology, JAMA Dermatology, last month, of three cases of allergy to the medication to the serum that was put on after micro-needling," Spencer said.

Some other extreme beauty treatments include the bee venom facial. The theory is the venom tightens skin by pumping up collagen. It costs about $130.

Then there is the vampire face-lift, which costs about $600 to $800. For this treatment, plasma is taken from your blood and injected back into your skin.

The placenta facial uses stem cells from a sheeps placenta to boost collagen.

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Health Beat: Extreme skin

July 21, 2014

Michigan State University

Not unlike looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack, a team of Michigan State University researchers have found a gene that could be key to the development of stem cells cells that can potentially save millions of lives by morphing into practically any cell in the body.

The gene, known as ASF1A, was not discovered by the team. However, it is at least one of the genes responsible for the mechanism of cellular reprogramming, a phenomenon that can turn one cell type into another, which is key to the making of stem cells.

In a paper published in the journal Science, the researchers describe how they analyzed more than 5,000 genes from a human egg, or oocyte, before determining that the ASF1A, along with another gene known as OCT4 and a helper soluble molecule, were the ones responsible for the reprogramming.

This has the potential to be a major breakthrough in the way we look at how stem cells are developed, said Elena Gonzalez-Munoz, a former MSU post-doctoral researcher and first author of the paper. Researchers are just now figuring out how adult somatic cells such as skin cells can be turned into embryonic stem cells. Hopefully this will be the way to understand more about how that mechanism works.

In 2006, an MSU team identified the thousands of genes that reside in the oocyte. It was from those, they concluded, that they could identify the genes responsible for cellular reprogramming.

In 2007, a team of Japanese researchers found that by introducing four other genes into cells, stem cells could be created without the use of a human egg. These cells are called induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs.

This is important because the iPSCs are derived directly from adult tissue and can be a perfect genetic match for a patient, said Jose Cibelli, an MSU professor of animal science and a member of the team.

The researchers say that the genes ASF1A and OCT4 work in tandem with a ligand, a hormone-like substance that also is produced in the oocyte called GDF9, to facilitate the reprogramming process.

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Researchers Find Gene That Could Make It Easier To Develop Life-saving Stem Cells

Researchers from UC Davis School of Medicine and Shriners Hospitals for Children -- Northern California have identified a group of cells in the brain that they say plays an important role in the abnormal neuron development in Down syndrome. After developing a new model for studying the syndrome using patient-derived stem cells, the scientists also found that applying an inexpensive antibiotic to the cells appears to correct many abnormalities in the interaction between the cells and developing neurons.

The findings, which focused on support cells in the brain called astroglial cells, appear online today in Nature Communications.

"We have developed a human cellular model for studying brain development in Down syndrome that allows us to carry out detailed physiological studies and screen possible new therapies," said Wenbin Deng, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine and principal investigator of the study. "This model is more realistic than traditional animal models because it is derived from a patient's own cells."

Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal cause of mild to moderate intellectual disabilities in the United States, where it occurs in one in every 691 live births. It develops when a person has three copies of the 21st chromosome instead of the normal two. While mouse models have traditionally been used in studying the genetic disorder, Deng said the animal model is inadequate because the human brain is more complicated, and much of that complexity arises from astroglia cells, the star-shaped cells that play an important role in the physical structure of the brain as well as in the transmission of nerve impulses.

"Although neurons are regarded as our 'thinking cells,' the astroglia have an extremely important supportive role," said Deng. "Astroglial function is increasingly recognized as a critical factor in neuronal dysfunction in the brain, and this is the first study to show its importance in Down syndrome."

Creating a unique human cellular model

To investigate the role of astroglia in Down syndrome, the research team took skin cells from individuals with Down syndrome and transformed them into stem cells, which are known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). The cells possess the same genetic make-up as the donor and an ability to grow into different cell types. Deng and his colleagues next induced the stem cells to develop into separate pure populations of astroglial cells and neurons. This allowed them to systematically analyze factors expressed by the astroglia and then study their effects on neuron development.

They found that a certain protein, known as S100B, is markedly increased in astroglial cells from patients with Down syndrome compared with those from healthy controls. S100B released by astroglial cells promotes harmful astroglial activation (astrogliosis) and adversely affects neurons, causing them to die at increased rates or develop in multiple dysfunctional ways.

The investigators obtained further evidence of the critical role of astroglial cells in Down syndrome by implanting the skin-cell derived astroglial cells from Down syndrome patients into mice. Those mice then developed the neuropathological phenotypes of Down syndrome, while mice implanted with Down syndrome neurons did not.

Neuroprotective effects of antibiotics

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'Support' cells in brain play important role in Down syndrome