Eleven years ago, Megan Quinn had just gotten married and was the picture of health.

"I used to run five miles a day. All of a sudden on my third mile, I started dragging my foot and I didn't understand. I thought, I'm just getting old and I'm getting tired. I was 27 years old," she said. "Nothing ever clicked to me that something was wrong."

The diagnosis was multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks itself and damages myelin, the protective covering surrounding nerve cells. With that insulation compromised, the nerves deteriorate and can cause a wide range of symptoms including vision problems, fatigue and weakness. The disease affects as many as 350,000 Americans.

"For the past year I've had a really bad time with this disease, just with my hip not working. One night I woke up and I couldn't feel either of my legs," Quinn said.

"Right now, my biggest problem is my hamstring. I cannot get my hamstring to cooperate when I have to walk, so that's my battle right now," she said.

Current treatments only try to stop progression of the disease. Quinn is about to test a new approach: using stem cells designed to actually make MS patients better.

Stem cells can be morphed into any cell in the body. Patients like Quinn have bone marrow removed and the stem cells inside are then changed in the kind of stem cells found in the brain and spinal cord.

Those cells will then be injected directly into the spinal cord. The hope is that they will repair the insulation and perhaps even the wires underneath.

See more here:
MS patient to take part in pioneering experiment

Ann Murray

Ann Murray has been writing since 1990, with her work now appearing on various websites. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in writing and history from Bard College and is pursuing her Doctor of Philosophy in biology.

Stem cells are the cells from which all other cells in the body are created. Embryonic stem cells are particularly versatile, as they are pluripotent. This means they are able to transform into any other cell type, including another stem cell. Stem cells are currently being studied as a potential treatment for spinal injury and for degenerative diseases involving cell death or dysfunction.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological condition associated with motor control in humans. In 1817, British doctor James Parkinson discovered a disorder...

In the United States alone, there are about 400,000 patients with severe spinal cord injuries, resulting in whole or partial immobilization. About...

You've probably heard it from your parents or your teachers: Stand up straight and sit properly or you'll hurt your spine. Well,...

Stem cell therapies are designed to replace dysfunctional or diseased cells with healthy ones. Embryonic stem cells, the non-specialized or "starter" cells...

As illustrated by the photograph, the brain has three protective layers referred to as meninges. The mid layer, referred to as the...

According to the Mayo Clinic, since the 1960s, doctors have performed transplants of stem cells---often referred to as bone marrow---to treat cancer....

The use of stem cells as a treatment cure is an ongoing area of development and political debate. Both adult and embryonic...

Read more:
Stem Cell Spinal Treatment | eHow - eHow | How to Videos ...

Indian J Orthop. 2012 Jan-Feb; 46(1): 1018.

Department of University Health Network, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada, ON M5T 2S8

Address for correspondence: Dr. Michael Fehlings, University Health Network, Toronto Western Research Institute, Main Pavilion, 12th Floor, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Canada ON M5T 2S8. E-mail: michael.fehlings/at/uhn.ca

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition associated with significant functional and sensory deficits, emotional, social, and financial burdens, and an increased risk of cardiovascular complications, deep vein thrombosis, osteoporosis, pressure ulcers, autonomic dysreflexia, and neuropathic pain.

The estimated annual global incidence of SCI is 1540 cases per million. In the USA, approximately 1.275 million individuals are affected, with over 12,000 new cases each year.15 The most common causes of traumatic SCI are road traffic accidents, falls, occupational and sports-related injuries that result in contusion and compression of the spinal cord.1 Approximately 55% of SCIs occur at the cervical level (C1 to C7-T1) with a mortality of 10% in the first year following injury and an expected lifespan of only 1015 years post-injury, and thoracic (T1T11), thoracolumbar (T11T12 to L1L2) and lumbosacral (L2S5) injuries each account for approximately 15% of SCI.14 Depending on the age of the patient, severity, and levels of SCI, the lifetime cost of health care and other injury-related expenses can reach $25 million.15

Despite advances in pre-hospital care, medical and surgical management and rehabilitation approaches, many SCI sufferers still experience substantial neurological disability. Intensive efforts are underway to develop effective neuroprotective and regenerative strategies.

SCI involves a primary (the physical injury) and a secondary injury (the subsequent cascade of molecular and cellular events which amplify the original injury).6 The primary injury damages both upper and lower motor neurons and disrupts motor, sensory and autonomic functions. Pathophysiological processes occurring in the secondary injury phase are rapidly instigated in response to the primary injury in an attempt to homeostatically control and minimize the damage. Paradoxically, this response is largely responsible for exacerbating the initial damage and creating an inhibitory milieu that prevents endogenous efforts of repair, regeneration and remyelination. These secondary processes include inflammation, ischemia, lipid peroxidation, production of free radicals, disruption of ion channels, axonal demyelination, glial scarring (astrogliosis), necrosis and programmed cell death. Nevertheless, endogenous repair and regenerative mechanisms during the secondary phase of injury minimize the extent of the lesion (through astrogliosis), reorganize blood supply through angiogenesis, clear cellular debris, and reunite and remodel damaged neural circuits. The spatial and temporal dynamics of these secondary mediators7 are fundamental to SCI pathophysiology and as such offer exploitable targets for therapeutic intervention.

A multitude of characteristics of cells tested pre-clinically and clinically make them attractive to potentially address the multifactorial nature of the pathophysiology of secondary SCI they are anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory,812 anti-gliotic,13 pro-oligodendrogliogenic,14 pro-neuronogenic,15 and secrete various anti-apoptotic and pro-angiogenic neurotrophic factors. Given the pathophysiological targets of SCI,7 transplanted cells should: 1) enable regenerating axons to cross barriers; 2) functionally replace lost cells; and/or 3) create an environment supportive of neural repair.16 However, given the multifactorial nature of SCI and its dynamic pathophysiological consequences, the success of future clinical trials of cell therapy will likely depend on the informed co-administration of multiple strategies, including pharmacological and rehabilitation therapies.7

Different sources and types of cells have been and/or are being tested in clinical trials for SCI, including embryonic stem cells (ESCs), neural progenitor cells (NPCs), bone marrow mesenchymal cells (BMSCs) and non-stem cells such as olfactory ensheathing cells and Schwann cells.17 Other cell types are being developed for the clinic, including other sources of mesenchymal cells (fetal blood,18 adipose tissue, umbilical cord1936), adult21,37 and immortalized neural progenitors (PISCES, NCT01151124), skin-derived progenitors,3847 induced pluripotent stem cells4852 and endogenous spinal cord progenitors5358 []. The advantages and disadvantages of each cell source and type being considered or already in clinical trials for SCI have been extensively described and compared elsewhere,17,5963 and reflect their potential in the clinic []. There are currently more than a dozen cell therapy clinical trials for SCI listed on clinicaltrials.gov.64 Most are Phase I or I/II clinical safety and feasibility studies, indicating that cellular treatments for SCI developed in the laboratory are still in the very early stages of clinical translation.

Original post:
Current stem cell treatments for spinal cord injury

Panama City, Panama (PRWEB) January 14, 2014

Translational Biosciences, a subsidiary of Medistem Panama has received the countys first clinical trial approval for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from the Comit Nacional de Biotica de la Investigacin Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease in which the patients immune system generates cellular and antibody responses to various components of the joint such as type I collagen. As a result of this immune response, not only does joint destruction occur, but also other secondary complications such as pulmonary fibrosis, renal damage, and even heart damage. RA affects approximately 0.5-1% of the population in the United States.

Mesenchymal stem cells harvested from donated human umbilical cords after normal, healthy births possess anti-inflammatory and immune modulatory properties that may relieve RA symptoms. Because they are immune privileged, the recipients immune system does not reject them. These properties make MSC interesting candidates for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disorders.

Each patient will receive five intravenous injections of umbilical cord stem cells over the course of 5 days. They will be assessed at 3 months and 12 month primarily for safety and secondarily for indications of efficacy.

The stem cell technology being utilized in this trial was developed by Neil Riordan, PhD, founder of Medistem Panama. The stem cells will be harvested and processed at Medistem Panamas 8000 sq. ft. laboratory in the prestigious City of Knowledge. They will be administered at the Stem Cell Institute in Panama City, Panama.

The Principle Investigator is Jorge Paz-Rodriguez, MD. Dr. Paz-Rodriguez also serves as the Medical Director at the Stem Cell Institute.

While this is just the first step, it is our hope that Panamas rapid emergence as a leader in applied stem cell research will lead to safe, effective treatments for debilitating diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and serve to benefit all Panamanians who suffer from it in the not-too-distant future, said Ruben Berocal, M.D., National Secretary of Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT). Oversight by the National Committee for Investigational Bioethics ensures patient safety by demanding ethical transparency and compliance with the highest levels of international standards, he added.

For detailed information about this clinical trial visit http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. If you are a rheumatoid arthritis patient who has not responded to disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARD) for at least 6 months you may qualify for this trial. Please email trials(at)translationalbiosciences(dot)com for more information about how to apply.

About Translational Biosciences

See more here:
Panama’s First Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Clinical Trial for Rheumatoid Arthritis Approved by Comité Nacional de ...

CTVNews.ca Staff Published Friday, January 10, 2014 4:33PM EST Last Updated Friday, January 10, 2014 11:42PM EST

A team of doctors at the University of Calgary has, for the first time in North America, successfully performed a stem cell transplant in a spinal cord injury patient, a procedure that could offer a glimmer of hope to patients whose injuries have long been considered untreatable.

The doctors injected the neural stem cells into the spine of a 29-year-old paraplegic, who will now be monitored to determine whether implanting those cells is safe.

Later studies will look at whether it is possible to regenerate new tissue and repair the mans injury.

That is the goal, a cure, the University of Calgarys Dr. Steven Casha, who performed the procedure on Wednesday, told CTV News.

Stem cells have the potential to recreate lost tissue, he added, although that remains to be proven in humans with spinal cord injuries. The answer, he said, is a long way away.

The transplant is part of an ongoing clinical trial being conducted by StemCells Inc., which harvested the stem cells from the nervous system of a fetus. The company holds a patent on the cells.

Data from three patients in Europe who have already undergone a transplant suggests the procedure is safe.

We have not been seeing significant complications or adverse eventsand there have been a couple of patients who havemade very small gains in functionthat appear to be hopeful and that is very interesting, Dr. Michael Fehlings, head of the spinal program at Toronto Western Hospital and the lead investigator for the trial at the University of Toronto, told CTV.

Fehlings cautioned that the results are very preliminary.

Excerpt from:
Start of stem-cell study offers hope to patients with spinal-cord injuries

Ryan White, CTV Calgary Published Friday, January 10, 2014 3:37PM MST Last Updated Friday, January 10, 2014 7:10PM MST

Alex Petric is hoping his part in an international clinical trial at the Foothills Hospital will assist researchers in the development of a treatment for spinal cord injuries.

Alex, a paramedic from Winnipeg, was paralyzed during a winter holiday in Panama with his girlfriend. The 28-year-old dove headfirst into what he believed to be deep water.

Immediately I felt paralyzed, right when I came up, recollects Alex. You just know youre in a lot of trouble. Youre trying your hardest to move your legs and its not happening.

Ten months after the accident, 29-year-old Alex is taking part in a medical trial to determine the safety of stem cell therapy on patients with spinal cord injuries.

While the trial, conducted by researchers from the University of Calgary, focuses on safety, the ultimate goal is to develop a cure for spinal cord injuries which could require multiple therapies.

The medical team, led by Dr. Steve Casha, will make a small incision in order to view Alexs injury. Once the precise location of the injury has been determined, then stem cells are injected above and below to potentially recreate the lost tissue.

The approach is regeneration, explains Dr. Casha, to reverse the damage that has been done.

Researchers and Alex are realistic in their expectations of the treatment despite the fact two previous patients in the study have regained sensation.

I just feel like I am part of something that could give people hope, including myself, said Alex. We don't know what will happen with this surgery. They're trying to fix us, basically trying to make us normal again.

Read more from the original source:
Calgary medical team attempting stem cell therapy on paralyzed man

Jan. 10, 2014

A team of engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has created a process to improve the creation of synthetic neural stem cells for use in central nervous system research.

The process, outlined in a paper published in Stem Cells last month, will improve the state of the art in the creation of synthetic neural stem cells for use in central nervous system research.

Randolph Ashton

Human pluripotent stem cells have been used to reproduce nervous-system cells for use in the study and treatment of spinal cord injuries and of diseases such as Parkinson's and Huntington's.

Currently, most stem cells used in research have been cultured on mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), which require a high level of expertise to prepare. The expertise required has made scalability a problem, as there can be slight differences in the cells used from laboratory to laboratory, and the cells maintained on MEFs are also undesirable for clinical applications.

Removing the high level of required skill and thereby increasing the translatability of stem cell technology is one of the main reasons why Randolph Ashton, a UW-Madison assistant professor of biomedical engineering and co-author of the paper, wanted to create a new protocol.

Rather than culturing stem cells on MEFs, the new process uses two simple chemical cocktails to accomplish the same task. The first mixture, developed by John D. MacArthur Professor of Medicine James Thomson in the Morgridge Institute for Research, is used to maintain the stem cells in the absence of MEFs. The second cocktail allows researchers to push the stem cells toward a neural fate with very high efficiency.

These chemical mixtures help to ensure the consistency of the entire process and give researchers a better understanding of what is driving the differentiation of the cells. "Once you remove some of the confounding factors, you have better control and more freedom and flexibility in terms of pushing the neural stem cells into what you want them to become," says Ashton.

More here:
A shift in stem cell research

As scientists get closer to using embryonic stem cells in new treatments for blindness, spinal cord injuries and heart disease, a U.S. legal debate could determine who profits from that research.

Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit advocacy group, wants an appeals court to invalidate a University of Wisconsin-Madisons patentfor stem cells derived from human embryos, saying its too similar to earlier research. The Santa Monica, California, group also says the U.S. Supreme Courts June ruling limiting ownership rights of human genes should apply to stem cells, a potentially lucrative field for medical breakthroughs.

The challenge to Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the universitys licensing arm, is about whether patents help or hinder U.S. stem-cell research, which has been stymied by political debate. The consumer group says it drives up the cost of research by requiring companies and some academics to pay a licensing fee to the university.

What were asking the government to do is say WARF has no right to the patent, said Dan Ravicher, executive director Public Patent Foundation in New York, which is handling the challenge for Consumer Watchdog. Its like the government sent a check to WARF they didnt deserve.

Consumer Watchdog lost a challenge at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in January 2013. It wants the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington to review that decision and consider new arguments based on the Supreme Courts finding that genes -- like stem cells -- are a natural material that cant be patented. Beyond the science question, the case has become a flashpoint over how far members of the public can go to invalidate patents on policy grounds.

While the patent expires in April 2015 and the university has other stem-cell-related patents, Consumer Watchdog is continuing a six-year battle to invalidate it because stem-cell research is starting to get some traction into therapeutic uses, Ravicher said.

The promise of embryonic stem cells is to create or repair tissues and organs using material taken from eggs fertilized in the laboratory. The cells created can be replicated indefinitely, and with the right biological cues, may aid in treating damaged heart tissue and spinal cords, or generate therapies for diabetes and cancer. Companies like StemCells Inc. (STEM) and Advanced Cell Technology Inc. are testing therapies to treat macular degeneration, a cause of blindness.

The next paradigm shift in medicine will be advances in cell therapy -- its under way, said Jason Kolbert, senior biotechnology analyst with Maxim Group LLC in New York. He said pharmaceutical makers such as Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) of Petach Tikva, Israel, and Pfizer (PFE) Inc. of New York are working with stem-cell researchers on new therapies.

Stem-cell science in the U.S. was curbed in 2001 when then-President George W. Bush issued an executive order limiting research to existing cell lines amid controversy over human embryo destruction, even though they were never in a womans uterus. President Barack Obama reversed that order in 2009.

Some scientists have avoided the public debate by using adult cells to find the unlimited potential they have in embryonic cells.

See the original post here:
Gene Patent Case Fuels U.S. Court Test of Stem Cell Right

Ras Al Khaimah, UAE (PRWEB) January 05, 2014

The executive team of UAE based international research and private equity consultancy, Grace Century, FZ LLC is in Boston, Massachusetts this week to attend Provia Laboratories' first quarterly meeting of 2014. The meeting is designed specifically to implement the next phase of the health services company's dental stem cell bio banking service.

According to Scott Wolf, CEO of Grace Century, this week's meeting will be much more than a typical quarterly meeting for Provia Labs and its bio-banking service, Store-A-Tooth. Upon moving into its new headquarters--triple the companys previous space---and bringing all of its operations under one roof, Provia Labs has been able to simultaneously reduce fixed costs and accommodate dramatic growth. The company is ready for its planned North American, European, and Middle East expansion. "These are incredibly exciting times for Provia and its expansion. When we promote a firm, we believe that there is an obligation of oversight to our members that is ongoing. This will be our third visit to Provia," said Wolf.

"2013 was designed to prove our model works. With tremendous dental professional interest and acceptance, we have built not only an existing dentist network of over 6,000, but the model to replicate this nationwide," explains Provia Laboratories CEO, Howard Greenman. "While each geographical territory has its challenges, the common denominator is that there is tremendous demand by families to harvest and bank their childrens stem cells. The key is increasing awareness of their opportunities to do so from teeth."

Provia Labs is presently providing services directly or through collaborators in seven countries and three states in the U.S. The plan is to expand into ten states in 2014. Europe, the Caribbean, and possibly the Middle East will also be added in the New Year.

Besides the bio banking of dental stem cells, Provia has also completed numerous federal consulting contracts and provides bio-specimen containers to some of the worlds premier research facilities through its Proviasette division.

About Grace Century, FZ LLC

Grace Century is an international research and private equity consultancy located in Ras Al Khaimah (north of Dubai) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Grace Century specializes in "game-changing" life science and health related private equity projects. For more information, visit: http://gracecentury.com.

About Provia Laboratories, LLC

Provia Laboratories is a health services company specializing in high quality stem cell bio banking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their childrens health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinsons and Alzheimers. For more information about Store-A-Tooth dental stem cell banking, call 1-877-867-5753 or visit http://www.store-a-tooth.com.

More:
Grace Century Attends Provia Labs First Quarter Expansion Meeting January 5-10

Till June of 2013, our department has treated 1508 patients with sequela of spinal cord injury, including 713 patients with cervical cord injury, 562 patients with thoracic cord injury (do not include T12-L1), 51 patients with both cervical cord and thoracic cord injury, and 182 patients with thoracic and lumbar cord injury (mainly T12-L1). We invented CT-guided intraspinal injection in 2006 and stem cell transplantation via endovascular intervention in 2011 to treat sequela of spinal cord injury, which apparently improved the treatment effect. Form the end of 2011 to now, the improvement rate of patients with sequela of cervical cord injury is 91.9%; 82.4% improvement rate of patients with sequela of thoracic cord injury (do not include T12-L1); 70.3% improvement rate of patient with sequela of thoracic and lumbar cord injury (mainly T12-L1); the total improve rate of patients with sequela of spinal cord injury is 87.4%. The improvement can be seen from 1) increase of muscle strength under the injured surface, better motor function than before. 2) Lower sensory level and skin temperature come back to almost normal. 3) Improvement in postural hypotension which was caused by damaged vegetative nerve function (especially for high-level spinal cord injury patients), and the body temperature is close to or back to normal. 4) A certain degree of improvement in dysdefecation and urinate disorder which were caused by sphincter disturbances, patients will have better bowls movement than before and can be aware of and control urinating. 5) Reduction of abnormal high muscular tension.

Our department work closely with CT room, and by using advanced 64 rank CT and double source CT, we performed more than 800 CT-guided intraspinal stem cell injections for patients with sequela of spinal cord injury. This is a new transplantation method invented by our department, which has many advantages such as minimally invasive, short time of surgery (only about half an hour), precise localization, little pain, no need of general anesthesia, fast recovery time (only need to stay in bed for 12 hours), and obviously effective. This treatment covers patients with injury of cervical cord, thoracic cord and thoracic lumbar cord.

In addition, our department started using transplantation via endovascular intervention to treat sequela of spinal cord injury in the end of 2011, and our treating effect keeps improving.

These new methods help us to improve our treating effect and increase the improvement rate, now these methods are becoming the unique feature and main means of our department to treat sequela of spinal cord injury.

Excerpt from:
Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Status | Stem Cell ...

In December 2010, we received authorization from Swissmedic, the Swiss regulatory agency for therapeutic products, to initiate a Phase I/II clinical trial in Switzerland of our HuCNS-SC human neural stem cells in chronic spinal cord injury. Enrollment in this trial is expected to begin inearly 2011.

Learn more about our clinical trial in spinal cord injury

Human neural stem cells promote long-term functional motor recovery. Learnmore

Human neural stem cells were transplanted into a group of spinal-cord injured mice and their motor function over time was compared against a control (non-transplanted) group of similarly injured mice as measured by the BBB score (a standard measure of function). The motor function of the transplanted mice was shown to be higher to a statistically significant degree. When the transplanted human cells were subsequently ablated by the researchers using Diphtheria toxin (DT), the greater function of the transplanted group was lost, demonstrating that the presence of the human cells was necessary for the functional motor recovery.

Hide

DT treatment to ablate transplanted cells

Restored motor function lost

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Continued here:
StemCells, Inc. - Therapeutic Programs: Spinal Cord Injury

C. Carreau/ATG Medialab/ESA

An artists impression of the European Space Agencys Rosetta probe, which aims to be the first to land on a comet.

Several research groups, including a team led by geneticist Erika Sasaki and stem-cell biologist Hideyuki Okano at Keio University in Tokyo, hope to create transgenic primates with immune-system deficiencies or brain disorders. This could raise ethical concerns, but might bring us closer to therapies that are relevant to humans (mice can be poor models for such disorders). The work will probably make use of a gene-editing method called CRISPR, which saw rapid take-up last year.

The European Space Agencys Rosetta spacecraft could become the first mission to land a probe on a comet. If all goes well, it will land on comet ChuryumovGerasimenko in November. Mars will also be a busy place: Indias orbiter mission should arrive at the planet in September, about the same time as NASAs MAVEN probe. And NASAs Curiosity rover should finally make it to its mission goal, the slopes of the 5.5-kilometre-high Aeolis Mons, where it will look for evidence of water. Back on Earth, NASA hopes to launch an orbiter to monitor atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Neurobiologist Miguel Nicolelis at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, has developed a brain-controlled exoskeleton that he expects will enable a person with a spinal-cord injury to kick the first ball at the 2014 football World Cup in Brazil. Meanwhile, attempts are being made in people with paralysis to reconnect their brains directly to paralysed areas, rather than to robotic arms or exoskeletons. In basic research, neuroscientists are excited about money from big US and European brain initiatives, such as Europes Human Brain Project.

In the pharmaceutical industry, all eyes are on trial results from two competing antibody treatments that harness patients immune systems to fight cancer. The drugs, nivolumab and lambrolizumab, work by blocking proteins that prevent a persons Tcells from attacking tumours. In early tests, the drugs evoked a better level of response in patients than ipilimumab, a similar therapy that was launched in 2011 to treat advanced melanoma.

Semiconductors known as perovskites convert light energy into electricity. They are cheap to build and have already shown conversion rates of more than 15% (a leap from 4% when the feat was first reported in 2009). Expect to see still-higher efficiencies this year, perhaps reaching 20% the same as the lower end of existing commercial silicon-based photo-voltaics. A team at the University of Oxford, UK, also hopes to make lead-free perovskites.

In 2013, two research teams showed that broadly neutralizing antibodies that target an array of HIV types quickly cleared an HIV-related virus in monkeys. The therapy will be tested in people who carry HIV, with results expected in the autumn. Meanwhile, last years curing of a baby born with the virus might lead to wider trials of the technique used: high doses of antiretroviral drugs given at birth.

Technology that rapidly sequences DNA as it is fed through a ring of proteins, known as a biological nanopore, will hit the market this year after decades of development. Oxford Nano-pore Technologies in Oxford, UK, aims to release the first data from a disposable sequencer the size of a memory stick, which it is sending to scientists for testing. It promises to read longer strands of DNA than other techniques (potentially useful in sequencing mixed samples of bacterial DNA, for example), and to show results in real time.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will complete its fifth assessment report by November. The findings of working groups II and III will focus on the impacts of climate change, and on how societies can adapt to or mitigate those effects (working groupI published its findings last year). Away from formal negotiations, United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon is hoping for bold pledges on emissions at a summit in New York in September. In research, a large carbon capture and storage project in Canada the Can$1.24-billion (US$1.17-billion) Boundary Dam coal power-plant in Saskatchewan begins commercial operation in April.

Here is the original post:
What to expect in 2014: Neural feats

C. Carreau/ATG Medialab/ESA

An artists impression of the European Space Agencys Rosetta probe, which aims to be the first to land on a comet.

Several research groups, including a team led by geneticist Erika Sasaki and stem-cell biologist Hideyuki Okano at Keio University in Tokyo, hope to create transgenic primates with immune-system deficiencies or brain disorders. This could raise ethical concerns, but might bring us closer to therapies that are relevant to humans (mice can be poor models for such disorders). The work will probably make use of a gene-editing method called CRISPR, which saw rapid take-up last year.

The European Space Agencys Rosetta spacecraft could become the first mission to land a probe on a comet. If all goes well, it will land on comet ChuryumovGerasimenko in November. Mars will also be a busy place: Indias orbiter mission should arrive at the planet in September, about the same time as NASAs MAVEN probe. And NASAs Curiosity rover should finally make it to its mission goal, the slopes of the 5.5-kilometre-high Aeolis Mons, where it will look for evidence of water. Back on Earth, NASA hopes to launch an orbiter to monitor atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Neurobiologist Miguel Nicolelis at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, has developed a brain-controlled exoskeleton that he expects will enable a person with a spinal-cord injury to kick the first ball at the 2014 football World Cup in Brazil. Meanwhile, attempts are being made in people with paralysis to reconnect their brains directly to paralysed areas, rather than to robotic arms or exoskeletons. In basic research, neuroscientists are excited about money from big US and European brain initiatives, such as Europes Human Brain Project.

In the pharmaceutical industry, all eyes are on trial results from two competing antibody treatments that harness patients immune systems to fight cancer. The drugs, nivolumab and lambrolizumab, work by blocking proteins that prevent a persons Tcells from attacking tumours. In early tests, the drugs evoked a better level of response in patients than ipilimumab, a similar therapy that was launched in 2011 to treat advanced melanoma.

Semiconductors known as perovskites convert light energy into electricity. They are cheap to build and have already shown conversion rates of more than 15% (a leap from 4% when the feat was first reported in 2009). Expect to see still-higher efficiencies this year, perhaps reaching 20% the same as the lower end of existing commercial silicon-based photo-voltaics. A team at the University of Oxford, UK, also hopes to make lead-free perovskites.

In 2013, two research teams showed that broadly neutralizing antibodies that target an array of HIV types quickly cleared an HIV-related virus in monkeys. The therapy will be tested in people who carry HIV, with results expected in the autumn. Meanwhile, last years curing of a baby born with the virus might lead to wider trials of the technique used: high doses of antiretroviral drugs given at birth.

Technology that rapidly sequences DNA as it is fed through a ring of proteins, known as a biological nanopore, will hit the market this year after decades of development. Oxford Nano-pore Technologies in Oxford, UK, aims to release the first data from a disposable sequencer the size of a memory stick, which it is sending to scientists for testing. It promises to read longer strands of DNA than other techniques (potentially useful in sequencing mixed samples of bacterial DNA, for example), and to show results in real time.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will complete its fifth assessment report by November. The findings of working groups II and III will focus on the impacts of climate change, and on how societies can adapt to or mitigate those effects (working groupI published its findings last year). Away from formal negotiations, United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon is hoping for bold pledges on emissions at a summit in New York in September. In research, a large carbon capture and storage project in Canada the Can$1.24-billion (US$1.17-billion) Boundary Dam coal power-plant in Saskatchewan begins commercial operation in April.

See original here:
What to expect in 2014

Artist's rendering of planet Kepler-62f, which NASA says "orbits (its sun) every 267 days and is only 40 percent larger than Earth, making it the smallest exoplanet known in the habitable zone of another star." SDSU helped confirm that the planets are in the habitable zone.

Scientists in San Diego experienced one of their most productive and, in some cases, dangerous years ever in 2013, with breakthroughs and adventures that involved everything from the tiniest forms of life on Earth to the discovery of possibly habitable planets orbiting intriquing stars in a distant constellation.

Heres a look at the five top science stories, and a list of noteworthy events, advances and achievements.

Philanthropist T. Denny Sanford

CELL CHAMP: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford donated $100 million to UC San Diego in November to accelerate efforts to transform basic discoveries about stem cells into drugs and therapies for afflictions ranging from Parkinsons disease to failing hearts. It was the second largest gift in campus history. Sanford, who has a home in La Jolla, said, It is time to move stem cell research from animals into humans for trials, especially in areas like ALS (Lou Gehrigs disease) and spinal cord injuries, where I believe we can make a lot of progress. His gift is the centerpiece of a $275 million effort by the University of California San Diego to create some of the first clinical trials based on human stem cells. Sanfords money will allow for the hiring of 20-25 scientists, and the recruitment of patients for drug trials. (Full story)

President Obama confers the Presidential Medal of Freedom on UCSD Nobel laureate Mario Molina.

NATIONAL HEROES: At a November ceremony at the White House, President Barack Obama conferred the Presidential Medal of Freedom on UC San Diego Nobel laureate Mario Molina, and awarded the medal posthumously to Sally Ride of La Jolla, the first American woman to travel in space. Molina was honored for discovering that a class of common chemicals has been damaging Earths protective ozone layer. Obama said, Today, inspired by his work, we are working to leave our planet safer and cleaner for future generations. The president said Ride didnt just break the stratospheric glass ceiling, she blasted through it. When she came back to Earth, she devoted her life to helping girls excel in fields like math, science and engineering. (Full story)

Portrait of two SDSU astronomers Jerome Orosz, left, and Bill Welsh, at right, in the school's planetarium. They helped find two planets that are more like Earth the anything they've ever seen. Charlie Neuman

FAMILIAR WORLDS: NASA announced in April that scientists had found two planets that are more like Earth in size and temperature than anything thats ever been seen. The discovery was made with the help of San Diego State University astronomers Bill Welsh and Jerome Orosz. Using data from the Kepler Telescope, Welsh helped confirm that planets 62-E and 62-F exist in the habitable zone, a region of space where it is possible for water to exist on the surface -- if a planet has enough atmospheric pressure. Some scientists call these worlds Goldilocks planets. Orosz helped prove that the planets are circling a single sun. Both planets are located in constellation Lyra, roughly 1,200 light years from Earth. Orosz said, Theres a possibility that theres liquid water on their surfaces. And that means theres a possibility of life. (Full story)

Craig Venter leads a tour of his new J. Craig Venter Institute campus, under construction on Torrey Pines Mesa. Howard Lipin

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San Diego's top science stories of 2013

The complex world of Stephen Davies, PhD, is populated by nerve cells and fibers, star-shaped cells, precursor cells, and proteins. But the work he does with it all has one simple goal: to give hope to the victims of spinal cord injuries, and, ultimately, a wide array of neurological disorders that cause misery and exact an enormous individual and societal price.

Davies lab in Research Complex 1 on the Anschutz Medical Campus has attracted attention throughout the worldwide medical research community.

Stephen Davies, PhD

Davies is pushing forward with promising treatments hes developed that use stem cells to regenerate nerve growth in injured spinal cords. The approach has helped laboratory mice with spinal cord injuries (or SCIs) regain their mobility. He hopes to bring the treatments to clinical trial and, one day, mainstream medicine.

Im optimistic well have therapies for both acute and chronic injuries in the future, he says. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

The scar tissue that results from SCIs is the primary target of Davies work.

Davies found that treating animals with SCIs with a protein called decorin not only suppressed formation of molecules responsible for producing scarring, but also stimulated the growth of neurons (nerve cells) and axons, the long nerve cell fibers that conduct electrical impulses between the spinal cord and the brain.

Decorin overrides the inhibitors to new nerve growth and allows new communications to be made," Davies explains. He says new neuron and axon growth in laboratory mice with decorin increased at 15 times the rate of untreated mice.

The therapies were working on have an obvious application for the treatment of wounded warriors coming home from the Middle East," Davies says. There are terrible neurologic problems being accrued on the battlefield and from [improvised explosive devices].

He believes his research could ultimately lead to treatments for far more than spinal cord injuries. Its a technical approach to general repair of the central nervous system, he asserts. It could be developed for use in stroke, traumatic brain injuries and a variety of neurologic disorders. And it could prove effective at preventing atrophy of damaged brain neurons and protecting them from dying. That advance would offer hope to Alzheimers patients.

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Promising Stem Cell Research for Spinal Cord Injuries ...

By Andrew Brown

Spinal cord injury typically causes permanent paralysis and is currently a condition without a cure. Could stem cell therapy provide hope?

American actor and activist Christopher Reeve will be remembered for his leading role in the 1978 blockbuster movie Superman. Sadly, he will also be remembered as a man whose tremendously active life, both on and off screen, was shattered by a catastrophic injury that left him paralysed from the neck downwards a state in which he remained until he died in 2004.

In May 1995, during an equestrian competition, Reeve was thrown headfirst off his horse. The weight of his body was thrust through his spine, breaking two of the vertebrae in his neck and causing extensive damage to his spinal cordw1.

What happened during his accident at the level of blood, bones, cells and molecules to cause his life-long paralysis? And how might research into new treatments based on stem cells offer hope for people paralysed by spinal cord injury? Could it help them to regain some control over their bodies and their lives?

What is spinal cord injury?

Your spinal cord is an information highway connecting your brain to the rest of your body (figure 1). Injuries to it are usually caused by sudden trauma, such as that sustained in sports or car accidents, and result in dislocation and / or breakage of vertebrae, which rip into the spinal cord tissue, damaging or severing axons. Sensation and motor control are lost below the level of the injury (figure 2).

Multiple cell types die at or near the site of the spinal cord injury, due tosecondary effects of the trauma, such as changes in blood supply, immune responses and an increase in free radicals and excitatory neurotransmitters (see box on the secondary effects of spinal cord injury).

Figure 1: Anatomy and function of the spinal cord. Click on image to enlarge.

The spinal cord is a soft, jelly-like structure that extends from the base of the brain to the lower back (A). It is 38 to 43 cm long and, at its maximum width, is about as wide as a thumb. It sits in a hollow channel that runs through the spinal columns 33 stacked vertebrae (B).

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Spinal cord injury: do stem cells have the answer? | Science ...

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Scientists Design and Test New Approach for Corneal Stem Cell Treatments Researchers in the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute have designed and tested a novel, minute-long procedure to prepare human amniotic membrane for use as a scaffold for specialized stem cells that may be used to treat some corneal diseases. This membrane serves as a foundation that supports the growth of stem cells in order to graft them onto the cornea. This new method, explained in a paper published in the journal PLOS ONE, may accelerate research and clinical applications for stem cell corneal transplantation. CONTACT: Cara Martinez, 310-423-7798; Email cara.martinez@cshs.org; Twitter @CedarsSinaiCara

Cancer Science Evolves, One Consent Form at a Time Tucked away in freezers chilled to minus 80 degrees Celsius are blood and tissue samples from Cedars-Sinai patients. The freezers that hold these samples also contain the hopes of investigators determined to uncover new treatments for cancer patients across the globe. As cancer research continues to evolve, scientists rely on specimen samples, such as tissue, blood or urine, from generous patients to advance discoveries and personalize care. Biobanks, like the state-of-the-art biobank at the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, allow patients to make invaluable contributions to medical research and treatment advances that may ultimately be the solution to their own diagnosis or disease down the road. CONTACT: Cara Martinez, 310-423-7798; Email cara.martinez@cshs.org; Twitter @CedarsSinaiCara

Cedars-Sinai, UCLA Health System and Select Medical Announce Partnership to Open Medical Rehabilitation Hospital Cedars-Sinai, UCLA Health System and Select Medical announced today a partnership to create a 138-bed acute inpatient rehabilitation hospital located in the former Century City Hospital. With an expected opening in late 2015, the rehabilitation hospital will serve the growing needs in the community for inpatient rehabilitation, and is also expected to serve as a center for treating complex rehabilitation cases from throughout the nation. The joint venture is an LLC partnership among Cedars-Sinai, UCLA Health System and Select Medical. The vision of the partnership is to develop a world-class regional rehabilitation center providing highly specialized care, advanced treatment, and leading-edge technologies to treat individuals with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, stroke, amputation, neurological disorders, and musculoskeletal and orthopedic conditions. CONTACT: Sally Stewart, 310-248-6566; Email sally.stewart@cshs.org

Cedars-Sinai Receives Fourth Straight Magnet Recognition for Nursing Excellence from American Nurses Credentialing Center For the fourth time in a row, the American Nurses Credentialing Center has granted Cedars-Sinai the Magnet recognition, the most prestigious designation a healthcare organization can receive for excellence in nursing and patient outcomes. Cedars-Sinai in 2000 became the first Southern California hospital to earn the Magnet honor; it is the only hospital in the state to be granted the designation four times. Cedars-Sinai joins a select list of only 12 hospitals worldwide that have earned Magnet recognition four times. CONTACT: Sally Stewart, 310-248-6566; Email sally.stewart@cshs.org

Ovarian Cancer Discovery Deepens Knowledge of Survival Outcomes Researchers in the Womens Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinais Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute have identified a series of 10 genes that may signify a trifecta of benefits for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer and ultimately reflect improved survival outcomes. The research found that the 10-gene biomarker panel may identify the aggressiveness of a patients disease, help predict survival outcomes and result in novel therapeutic strategies tailored to patients with the most adverse survival outcomes. CONTACT: Cara Martinez, 310-423-7798; Email cara.martinez@cshs.org; Twitter @CedarsSinaiCara

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Cedars-Sinai Medical Tipsheet for Dec. 2013

Current ratings for: Brain cancer treatment may lie in reactivating immune cells

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When they examined tumor samples of glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer, researchers in Canada discovered they contained deactivated forms of specialized immune cells that normally fight tumor-generating cells. When they tested a drug that reactivates these immune cells in diseased mice, the animals lived two to three times longer.

The researchers, from the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) and Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute, hope their discovery will lead to clinical trials and eventually to a new standard of care for brain tumor patients.

They write about their findings in a recent online issue of Nature Neuroscience.

Even though treatments already exist, the median survival for patients with glioblastoma is only 15 months - fewer than 1 in 20 survive more than 5 years.

Our brains have their own specialized immune cells called microglia that protect against injury and infection.

They are the brain's "dedicated immune system," explains senior author V. Wee Yong, a professor in Calgary's Departments of Oncology and Clinical Neurosciences.

As with other cancers, brain tumors start from stem cells. In the case of brain tumors, they are called brain tumor initiating cells (BTICs).

BTICs grow and divide rapidly, eventually forming a mass, the tumor itself.

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Brain cancer treatment may lie in reactivating immune cells

Phoenix, Arizona (PRWEB) December 11, 2013

The top Phoenix stem cell treatment clinic, Arizona Pain Stem Cell Institute, is now offering four stem cell therapies for arthritis. The treatments offered are very low risk and offered as an outpatient. For more information and scheduling on the regenerative medicine treatments offered, call (602) 507-6550.

The Board Certified, Award Winning pain management doctors in Arizona provide either bone marrow, fat derived or amniotic stem cell injections. The fat or bone marrow is harvested from the patient, and immediately processed for injection into the target area. Since the material comes directly from the patient, the risks are exceptionally low.

With regards to the amniotic derived injections, the fluid is obtained from consenting donors and processed at an FDA regulated lab. The treatment does not involve any fetal tissue, and contains a high concentration of stem cells, growth factors and anti-inflammatory factors.

The additional treatment offered is platelet rich plasma therapy, known as PRP therapy for short. PRP therapy involves a simple blood draw from the patient, which is then centrifuged and spun down for 15 minutes to obtain a solution rich in platelets and growth factors.

The PRP is then injected into the target area, where published studies have shown impressive results for arthritis and soft tissue injury such as rotator cuff tendonitis, tennis elbow, Achilles tendonitis, ligament injury and more. The treatments have the potential to not only provide pain relief, but also regenerate the damaged tissue or cartilage.

Numerous athletes over the past few years have turned to regenerative medicine to obtain pain relief and get back into playing condition. This has included athletes such as Hines Ward, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Rafael Nadal and many more.

The Arizona Pain Stem Cell Institute treats everyone from athletes to college students to executives, manual laborers, senior citizens and more. Board Certified and Award Winning Phoenix pain management doctors offer the stem cell treatments along with other cutting edge pain relief options such as radiofrequency ablation and spinal cord stimulator implants.

Over 50 insurance plans are accepted, and Arizona Pain Specialists offers 5 locations for convenience. Call (602) 507-6550 for scheduling.

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Phoenix Pain Management Doctors at Arizona Pain Stem Cell Institute Now Offering 4 Stem Cell Treatments for Arthritis

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Andrea J. Mothe and Charles H. Tator

Toronto Western Research Institute and Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Address correspondence to: Charles H. Tator, Toronto Western Research Institute and Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON, Canada M5T 2S8. Phone: 416.603.5889; Fax: 416.603.5745; E-mail: charles.tator@uhn.on.ca.

Published November 1, 2012

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition producing great personal and societal costs and for which there is no effective treatment. Stem cell transplantation is a promising therapeutic strategy, though much preclinical and clinical research work remains. Here, we briefly describe SCI epidemiology, pathophysiology, and experimental and clinical stem cell strategies. Research in stem cell biology and cell reprogramming is rapidly advancing, with the hope of moving stem cell therapy closer to helping people with SCI. We examine issues important for clinical translation and provide a commentary on recent developments, including termination of the first human embryonic stem cell transplantation trial in human SCI.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition, with sudden loss of sensory, motor, and autonomic function distal to the level of trauma. Despite major advances in the medical and surgical care of SCI patients, no effective treatment exists for the neurological deficits of major SCI (1). Current treatment includes surgery to decompress and stabilize the injury, prevention of secondary complications, management of any that do occur, and rehabilitation. Unfortunately, neurological recovery is limited, and most SCI patients still face substantial neurological dysfunction and lifelong disability. Stem cell therapy offers several highly attractive strategies for spinal cord repair, including replacement of damaged neuronal and glial cells, remyelination of spared axons, restoration of neuronal circuitry, bridging of lesion cavities, production of neurotrophic factors, antiinflammatory cytokines, and other molecules to promote tissue sparing and neovascularization, and a permissive environment for plasticity and axonal regeneration. This review builds on several excellent previous reviews (28) and discusses the incidence and pathophysiology of SCI as well as the key experimental and clinical stem cell strategies for SCI.

Worldwide, the annual incidence of SCI is 1540 cases per million people (9). In Canada, the Rick Hansen Institute estimates there are currently 85,000 people living with SCI, with more than 4,000 new cases per year (10), and in the United States, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation estimates a prevalence of over 1 million patients with SCI and more than 12,000 new cases each year (11).

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JCI - Advances in stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury