June 22, 2017 Credit : Susanna M. Hamilton, Broad Communications

Scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have found that a set of genetic mutations in blood cells that arises during aging may be a major new risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In contrast to inherited genetic predispositions and traditional lifestyle risk factors, such as smoking or an unhealthy diet, the new mutations are "somatic mutations" that originate in stem cells in the bone marrow as people age.

Because the mutations are relatively common in older people (over 10% of people over the age of 70 harbor at least one of these mutations), potential future efforts to screen for the mutations in blood cells, identify people at increased risk for coronary heart disease, and reduce risk in those individuals through lifestyle changes or therapeutic interventions could have a significant clinical impact, according to the researchers.

"There is more work to be done, but these results demonstrate that pre-malignant mutations in blood cells are a major cause of cardiovascular disease that in the future may be treatable either with standard therapies or new therapeutic strategies based on these findings," said Benjamin Ebert, a co-senior author of the new study, an institute member at the Broad, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a hematologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Featured in the New England Journal of Medicine, the work also contributes to the broader understanding of pathogenesis in coronary heart disease by supporting the hypothesis that inflammation, in addition to elevated cholesterol levels, plays an important role in this illness and potentially other diseases of aging.

"A key finding from this study is that somatic mutations are actually modulating risk for a common disease, something we haven't seen other than in cancer," said first author Siddhartha Jaiswal, a pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and researcher in the Ebert lab. "It opens up interesting questions about other diseases of aging in which acquired mutations, in addition to lifestyle and inherited factors, could modulate disease risk."

Previous research led by Ebert and Jaiswal revealed that some somatic mutations that are able to confer a selective advantage to blood stem cells become much more frequent with aging. They named this condition "clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential," (CHIP), and found that it increases the risk of developing a blood cancer more than 10-fold and it appeared to increase mortality from heart attacks or stroke. In the new study, the researchers analyzed data from four case-control studies on more than 8,000 people and found that having one of the CHIP-related mutations nearly doubled the risk for coronary heart disease, with the mutations conferring an even greater risk in people who have previously had a heart attack before age 50.

While the human genetics data showed a strong association between CHIP and coronary heart disease, the team hoped to uncover the underlying biology. Using a mouse model prone to developing atherosclerosis, the scientists showed that loss of one of the CHIP-mutated genes, Tet2, in bone marrow cells leads to larger atherosclerotic plaques in blood vessels, evidence that this mutation can accelerate atherosclerosis in mice.

Atherosclerosis is believed to be a disease of chronic inflammation that can arise in response to excess cholesterol in the vessel wall. To examine this on a cellular level the team turned to the macrophage, an immune cell found in atherosclerotic plaques that can develop from CHIP stem cells and carry the same mutations. Because Tet2 and other CHIP-related mutations are known to be so-called "epigenetic regulators" that can alter the activity of other genes, the team examined gene expression levels in the Tet2-mutated macrophages from mice. They found that the mutated cells appear to be "hyper-inflammatory" with increased expression of inflammatory molecules that contribute to atherosclerosis. In support of this finding, humans with TET2 mutations also had higher levels of one of these molecules, IL-8, in their blood.

The work demonstrates that CHIP associates with coronary heart disease in humans, that mutation of the CHIP-related gene Tet2 causes atherosclerosis in mice, and that an inflammatory mechanism likely underlies the process. More work is needed to show whether other genes that are mutated in CHIP also lead to increased inflammation. The team is also exploring whether interventions such as cholesterol lowering therapy or anti-inflammatory drugs might have benefit in people with CHIP.

Inflammation is also thought to modulate several other diseases of aging besides cardiovascular disease, such as autoimmune disorders and neurodegenerative disease. Because CHIP also increases in frequency with age, somatic mutations that alter inflammatory processes could influence several diseases of aging, though more work is needed to test this possibility.

"By combining genetic analysis on large cohorts with disease model and gene expression studies, we've been able to confirm the earlier hints of CHIP's surprising role in cardiovascular disease," said co-senior author Sekar Kathiresan, director of the Broad's Cardiovascular Disease Initiative, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and director of the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. "Beyond the mutations that you inherit from your parents, this work reveals a new genetic mechanism for atherosclerosismutations in blood stem cells that arise with aging."

Explore further: A role for mutated blood cells in heart disease?

More information: Siddhartha Jaiswal et al. Clonal Hematopoiesis and Risk of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, New England Journal of Medicine (2017). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1701719

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Aging-related mutations in blood cells represent major new risk factor for cardiovascular disease - Medical Xpress

11:59 Thursday 22 June 2017

A cancer survivor and transplant athlete from Warwick has issued a fresh plea for people to sign up to be an organ donor as he heads off to Malaga for the World Transplant Games.

Simon Perkin was diagnosed with blood cancer in 1991 at the age of 26 and after years of treatment and his deteriorating health, was left with no alternative but to have a bone marrow transplant in July 2012, when a donor match was found.

Since the operation, Simons health has steadily improved.

A major part of his recovery has been keeping himself in the best possible shape, which included taking part in the London Marathon just 18 months after his transplant.

In July 2016 Simon took part in the British Transplant Games in Liverpool, which is a qualifier for the World Transplant Games, where he won four gold medals.

Simon was selected for Team GB at this years World Transplant Games, and is part of the countrys largest ever team at the event, with 200 transplant athletes, including 20 juniors, 10 live donors, and 200-plus supporters.

The Games take place every two years, this year starting on the 25 June, and are supported by the International Olympic Committee.

They represent the largest organ donor awareness event in the world, featuring a week of 17 sporting events, 1000 transplant athletes, from 60 countries across the globe.

All of Team GBs athletes have survived either a heart, lung, kidney, pancreas, liver, small bowel or bone marrow transplant.

Simon has now launched a fresh plea to get more people to sign up to the Organ Donation Register.

He said: Every twenty minutes someone in the UK finds out they have a blood cancer.

Around 2,000 people in the UK are in need of a bone marrow or stem cell transplant every year. Like me, this is usually their last chance of survival

I was diagnosed with blood cancer in 1991 at the age of 26 and after years of treatment and deteriorating health, my only option was a bone marrow transplant. I was lucky as the Anthony Nolan Trust found a donor match in July 2012, and so my recovery began.

As training for the World Transplant Games enters its final phase, its a reminder of how far I have come and all I have achieved. It makes me feel so proud to be alive and representing Team GB at the Games.

To cover his own costs of getting to the World Transplant Games and raise money for Transplant Sport UK, Simon has launched a fundraising campaign that has so far, raised 2,030 of his of 2,500 target.

Warwickshire law firm Lodders has already donated 600 to Simons fundraising, making it his largest supporter to date.

Lynne Holt, Team GB Manager added: In spite of the constant training, fitting in work, school, exams, and hospital clinic appointments, these athletes receive no government support, and have to raise the funding themselves.

Sadly, many could not accept their place on the team, because of the heavy financial burden.

The team are supported by management, coaches, captains and a medical/physio team, all who are volunteers and are also self-financing.

Their motivation to be Fit for Life, the opportunity to represent their country, celebrate life and pay tribute to their donors who gave them life, is the goal.

These athletes certainly deserve the same recognition as the recent Olympic and Para Olympic Games. Not only are they ambassadors for our country, but they are also representing the charity, Transplant Sport, and hope to raise awareness here in the UK and globally, of the need for more people to sign on to the Organ Donor Register and discuss their wishes with their family and friends.

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Warwick man's plea for more organ donors as he heads to World Transplant Games - Warwick Courier

Ribosomes, which build a protein (black) from an RNA strand (blue), may specialize in making particular sets of proteins.

V. ALTOUNIAN/SCIENCE

By Mitch LeslieJun. 21, 2017 , 11:00 AM

The plant that built your computer isn't churning out cars and toys as well. But many researchers think cells' crucial protein factories, organelles known as ribosomes, are interchangeable, each one able to make any of the body's proteins. Now, a provocative study suggests that some ribosomes, like modern factories, specialize to manufacture only certain products. Such tailored ribosomes could provide a cell with another way to control which proteins it generates. They could also help explain the puzzling symptoms of certain diseases, which might arise when particular ribosomes are defective.

Biologists have long debated whether ribosomes specialize, and some remain unconvinced by the new work. But other researchers say they are sold on the finding, which relied on sophisticated analytical techniques. "This is really an important step in redefining how we think about this central player in molecular biology," says Jonathan Dinman, a molecular biologist at the University of Maryland in College Park.

A mammalian cell may harbor as many as 10 million ribosomes, and it can devote up to 60% of its energy to constructing them from RNA and 80 different types of proteins. Although ribosomes are costly, they are essential for translating the genetic code, carried in messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules, into all the proteins the cell needs. "Life evolved around the ribosome," Dinman says.

The standard view has been that a ribosome doesn't play favorites with mRNAsand therefore can synthesize every protein variety. But for decades, some researchers have reported hints of customized ribosomes. For example, molecular and developmental biologist Maria Barna of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, and colleagues reported in 2011 that mice with too little of one ribosome protein have short tails, sprout extra ribs, and display other anatomical defects. That pattern of abnormalities suggested that the protein shortage had crippled ribosomes specialized for manufacturing proteins key to embryonic development.

Definitive evidence for such differences has been elusive, however. "It's been a really hard field to make progress in," says structural and systems biologist Jamie Cate of the University of California (UC), Berkeley. For one thing, he says, measuring the concentrations of proteins in naturally occurring ribosomes has been difficult.

In their latest study, published online last week in Molecular Cell, Barna and her team determined the abundances of various ribosome proteins with a method known as selected reaction monitoring, which depends on a type of mass spectrometry, a technique for sorting molecules by their weight. When the researchers analyzed 15 ribosomal proteins in mouse embryonic stem cells, they found that nine of the proteins were equally common in all ribosomes. However, four were absent from 30% to 40% of the organelles, suggesting that those ribosomes were distinctive. Among 76 ribosome proteins the scientists measured with another mass spectrometry-based method, seven varied enough to indicate ribosome specialization.

Barna and colleagues then asked whether they could identify the proteins that the seemingly distinctive ribosomes made. A technique called ribosome profiling enabled them to pinpoint which mRNAs the organelles were readingand thus determine their end products. The specialized ribosomes often concentrated on proteins that worked together to perform particular tasks. One type of ribosome built several proteins that control growth, for example. A second type churned out all the proteins that allow cells to use vitamin B12, an essential molecule for metabolism. That each ribosome focused on proteins crucial for a certain function took the team by surprise, Barna says. "I don't think any of us would have expected this."

Ribosome specialization could explain the symptoms of several rare diseases, known as ribosomopathies, in which the organelles are defective. In Diamond-Blackfan anemia, for instance, the bone marrow that generates new blood cells is faulty, but patients also often have birth defects such as a small head and misshapen or missing thumbs. These seemingly unconnected abnormalities might have a single cause, the researchers suggest, if the cells that spawn these different parts of the body during embryonic development carry the same specialized ribosomes.

Normal cells might be able to dial protein production up or down by adjusting the numbers of these specialized factories, providing "a new layer of control of gene expression," Barna says. Why cells need another mechanism for controlling gene activity isn't clear, says Cate, but it could help keep cells stable if their environment changes.

He and Dinman say the use of "state-of-the-art tools" makes the results from Barna's team compelling. However, molecular biologist Harry Noller of UC Santa Cruz doubts that cells would evolve to reshuffle the array of proteins in the organelles. "The ribosome is very expensive to synthesize for the cell," he says. If cells are going to tailor their ribosomes, "the cheaper way to do it" would entail modifying a universal ribosome structure rather than building custom ones.

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There are millions of protein factories in every cell. Surprise, they're not all the same - Science Magazine

When Will We Clone a Human?

Human cloning may endure as one of the go-to science fiction tropes, but in reality we may be much closer to achieving it than our fictional heroes might imply. At least in terms of the science required. On of the most prominent hurdles facing us may have less to do with the process and more to do with its potential consequences, and our collective struggle to reconcile the ethics involved.That being said, while science has come a long way in the last century when it comes to cloning a menagerie of animals, cloning humans and other primates has actually proven to be incredibly difficult. While we might not be on the brink ofcloning entire human beings, were already capable of cloning human cells the question is,should we be?Click to View Full Infographic

The astoundingly complex concept of cloning boils down to a fairly simple (in theory, at least) practice:you need two cells from the same animal one of which is an egg cell from which youve removed the DNA. You take the DNA from the othersomatic cell and put it inside the devoid-of-DNA egg cell. Whatever that egg cell goes on to produce for offspring will be genetically identical to the parent cell.While human reproduction is the result of the joining of two cells (one from each parent, each with their own DNA) the cellular photocopy technique does occur in nature.Bacteria reproduce through binary fission: each time it divides, its DNA is divided too so that each new bacterium is genetically identical to its predecessor. Except sometimes mutations occur in this process and in fact, that can be by design and function as a survival mechanism. Such mutations allow bacteria to, for example, become resistant to antibiotics bent on destroying them. On the other hand,some mutations are fatal to an organism or preclude them coming into existence at all. And while it might seem like the picking-and-choosing thats inherent to cloning could sidestep these potential genetic hiccups, scientists have found thats not necessarily the case.

Image Credit: Pixabay

While Dolly the sheep might be the most famous mammal science has ever cloned, shes by no means the only one: scientists have cloned mice, cats, and several types of livestock in addition to sheep. The cloning of cows has, in recent years, provided a great deal of knowledge to scientists about why the processdoesnt work: everything from implantation failure to those aforementioned mutations that render offspring unable to survive.Harris Lewin, professor in the UC Davis Department of Evolution and Ecology, and his team published their findings on the impact cloning has ongene expression in the journalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesback in 2016. In the studys press release Lewin noted that the findings were certainly invaluable to refining cloning techniques in mammals, but that their discoveries also reinforce the need for a strict ban on human cloning for any purposes.

The creation ofentiremammals via reproductive cloning has proven a difficult process both practically and ethnically, as legal scholar and ethicist Hank Greely of Stanford University explained toBusiness Insiderin 2016:

The cloning of human cells,however, may be a far more immediate application for humans.Researchers call it therapeutic cloning, and differentiate it from traditional cloning that has reproductive intent. In 2014, researchers created human stem cells through the same cloning technique that generated Dolly the sheep. Because stem cells can differentiate to become any kind of cell in the body, they could be utilized for a wide variety of purposes when it comes to treating diseases particularly genetic diseases, or diseases where a patient would require a transplant from an often elusive perfect match donor.This potential application is already well underway: earlier this year a woman in Japansuffering from age-related macular degeneration was treated with induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells created from her own skin cells, which were then implanted into her retinas andstopped her vision from degenerating further.

We asked the Futurism community to predict when they think well be able to successfully clone a full human, and the majority of those who responded agree that it feels like were getting close: nearly 30 percent predicted well clone our first human by the 2020s. We have replaced, and replicated almost every biology on earth, said reader Alicja Laskowska, [the] next step is for cures and to do that you need clean DNA, and theres your start.

Originally posted here:
How Close Are We to Successfully Cloning the First Human? - Futurism

The small pack of scientists running for political office has grown by one.

Stem-cell researcher Hans Keirstead, 50, announced last week that he will try to unseat Californias Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R). Keirstead, a Democrat with a PhD in neuroscience from the University of British Columbia, was a professor at the University of California at Irvinebefore launching and selling several biotech companies.

Rohrabacher, who represents the 48th District in Southern California, has been in Congress since 1988. Democrats there see 2018 asa vulnerable year for the incumbent. Although Republicans outnumber Democrats in thedistrict, Hillary Clinton swung it in the 2016 election. And Rohrabacher has come under scrutiny for his support of acloser relationship with Russia. In May, the chair of Orange County Democrats toldThe Washington Post that challengers were coming out the woodwork to oppose him. Five candidatesbesides Keirstead have declared they are running for the seat.

Keirstead emerged from academic and entrepreneurial fields. Hepioneered a technique to purify stem cells You cant go putting toenails into the spinal cord, he said and applied this method to spinal-cord injuries and diseases such ascancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. In 2014,he sold a stem-cell company in a deal reportedly worth more than $100 million. (He will not fundhis own campaign, he told the Los Angeles Times.) Keirstead has thesupportof314 Action, a nonprofit group that encourages scientists to seek public office.

The Post spoke by phone with the first-time candidate. The following is lightly edited for space and clarity.

TWP: Your opponent, who is a member of the House Science Committee, told Science magazine in 2012 that he loved science. How would you compare your approaches to science?

Keirstead:Im delighted that Dana Rohrabacher loves science. Thats fabulous. But Im also very convinced that he doesnt understand science. Theres a real big difference. If you love science, thats one thing. If you dont understand it, you cant effect change, and you make wrong decisions.

Dana Rohrabacher does not understand global warming. He actually attributed it to the flatulence of dinosaurs, in a serious manner, a while back. [Rohrabacher hassaid this wasa joketo make fun of scientists who study cow methane.]

His inaction and lack of understanding has tremendous detriment on the scientific community. Likewise is the funding to health care and how to fix the health-care system that [former president Barack] Obama put in place. That was not a perfect system by any means; its got problems.But it has also bettered our system. It needs to be worked with in order to further better our system.

TWP: Has your career in stem-cell research influenced your politics?

Keirstead:I was front and center in the national and international debate on stem cells. I was the first scientist in the world to have developed a treatment for spinal-cord injury using stem cells. The dramatic nature of the recovery we saw in rodents, going from paralyzed to walking, drew a great deal of attention and really put me at the center of this issue as it was just coming to light in the public forums.

I did a lot of advising of senators and congressmen all throughout those years and periodically since that time. . . . I was one of the key scientific advisers to Proposition 71 that turned into the $3 billion California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, a not-for-profit that distributes $300 million every year for regenerative medicine in a broad sense.

That was a very good example of how medical breakthroughs and discoveries and advancement are not at odds with economic development. You do not have to cut medical budgets to stimulate the economy. Any scientist and medical doctor will tell you: Give me some time, and I will generate a treatment. And most of the time they are right. What happens with that treatment is small companies are born, people stop dying, quality of life improves.

I see what the governments doing right now as very much opposite that. Frankly, when I look at the deficits of Congress, I see why. When I look at who is in the administration, the types of individuals that we have in Congress, I see very hard-working people doing what they feel is a terrific job. But there is just not the broad and deep field experience in the medical and health-care sectors.

TWP: Was it this perceived deficit that motivated you to run for Congress?

Keirstead:First and foremost, I see it as a continuation of my lifelong pursuits of trying to help people.

I see Congress as a larger stage to effect positive change. If I could have some positive influence in Congress, I could aid [those] that are trying to do good in the world but are having difficulty.

Let me give you an example: Im now expanding into brain cancer. Im running a Phase 2clinical trial with my team.I will not be able to do that if these policy changes of Trumps are instituted and a small company like mine is faced with double user fees. Its not in the budget. I cant ask an investor for another half of a million dollars for an administrative fee.

I see the administration putting insurmountable challenges in front of small businesses. Im about generating treatments to help people, putting medicines in peoples homes. And Im looking to the future and seeing that tap shut off.

Read more:

As scientists erupt in protest, a volcanologist runs for Congress

This group wants to fight anti-science rhetoric by getting scientists to run for office

Tens of thousands marched for science. Now what?

The rest is here:
He broke ground in stem-cell research. Now he's running for Congress. - Washington Post

A new study at Tel Aviv University shows that stem cell therapy, one of the few treatments available to patients with severe and end-stage heart failure, can actually harm them unless it is done differently.

We concluded that stem cells used in cardiac therapy should be drawn from healthy donors or be better genetically engineered for the patient, said lead researcher Jonathan Leor of the universitys Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sheba Medical Center.

Doctors use tissue or adult stem cells to replace damaged tissue, which encourages regeneration of blood vessel cells and new heart muscle tissue. But cardiac stem cells from a diseased heart can lead to a toxic interaction via a molecular pathway between the heart and the immune system, the study found.

We found that, contrary to popular belief, tissue stem cells derived from sick hearts do not contribute to heart healing after injury, Leor said. Furthermore, we found that these cells are affected by the inflammatory environment and develop inflammatory properties. The affected stem cells may even exacerbate damage to the already diseased heart muscle.

[Read the fully study here (behind paywall)]

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post:Study says some stem cells dangerous for heart patients

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Stem cell therapy relying on patient's own unhealthy heart may be dangerous - Genetic Literacy Project

Here we have compiled a list of several clinics offering stem cell treatments. Please note that the "conditions treated" refers to the conditions that THEY claim to treat. Most, if not all, stem cell treatments (except hematopoietic stem cell transplantation) aren't FDA approved, meaning that they haven't been clincally tested for safety or efficacy. Please be aware that receiving an unapproved medical treatment isrisky and may cause serious complications and possibly death.

It was only a few years ago when Europe's most popular stem cell clinic (XCell-center) was forced to close after one of the treatments caused the death of a boy. In the past, we have also covered the case of a woman that had serious adverse effects following an unapproved cosmetic stem cell treatment(facelift).

We have not included clinics offering hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, as this treatment is medically approved and offered virtually in any country that has an above the average hospital.

The stem cell clinics are categorised by alphabetical order. We are not paid by any of them and we have listed them for your ease. We have probably missed a few ones, feel free to leave a comment and we will add them asap.

Stem cell clinics list

Beijing Puhua International Hospital

Conditions Treated:Diabetes, Epilepsy, Stroke, Ataxia, Spinal Cord Injuries, Parkinson's Disease, Brain Injury, Multiple Sclerosis, Batten's Disease

Interview of a patient treated in Beijing Puhua International Hospital. The video is from the hospital's official youtube channel, so it may be biased

Elises International

Conditions Treated: No info available at their website

Advertisement video ofElises International

EmCell

Conditions Treated:ALS, Alzheimer's,Anemia, Cancer, Eye Diseases, Diabetes, Liver Diseases, Multiple Sclerosis Parkinson, and other

Location:Ukraine

EmCell Advertisement

Global Stem Cells

Conditions Treated:Type 2 Diabetes, Hepatitis C, Osteoarthritis, joint pain, hair regrowth, cosmetic anti-aging, ulcerative colitis, heart disease

Location:Bangkok Thailand

MD Stem Cells

New Zealand Stem Cell Clinic

Stem Cell Institute

Video of a patient treated in theStem Cell Institute. The video is taken from the clinic's official youtube channell,so it may be biased.

Okyanos Heart Institute

Conditions Treated:Cardiac conditions

Okyanos Promotinal Video

Stemedix, Inc

Conditions Treated:Multiple sclerosis, COPD, ALS, Alzheimers Disease, Parkinsons, Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis and other

Location:Florida, United States

StemGenex

Conditions Treated: Multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer, Parkinson, Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis and other

Location:San Diego, California.

Stem Cells Thailand

Conditions Treated:Alzheimer, Autism, Diabetes, Erectile Dysfunction, Face lift, Multiple Sclerosis, Arthritis and other

Regennex

Conditions Treated: Regennex mainly offers treatments for bone and cartilage regeneration in all major joints like knee, ankle, hip, back, shoulder etc

Dr. Centeno, founder of the clinic, talking about Regenexx

The rest is here:
Stem Cell Clinics List | Stem Cells Freak

A new study at Tel Aviv University shows that stem cell therapy, one of the few treatments available to patients with severe and end-stage heart failure, can actually harm them unless it is done differently.

We concluded that stem cells used in cardiac therapy should be drawn from healthy donors or be better genetically engineered for the patient, said lead researcher Jonathan Leor of the universitys Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sheba Medical Center.

Doctors use tissue or adult stem cells to replace damaged tissue, which encourages regeneration of blood vessel cells and new heart muscle tissue. But cardiac stem cells from a diseased heart can lead to a toxic interaction via a molecular pathway between the heart and the immune system, the study found.

We found that, contrary to popular belief, tissue stem cells derived from sick hearts do not contribute to heart healing after injury, Leor said. Furthermore, we found that these cells are affected by the inflammatory environment and develop inflammatory properties. The affected stem cells may even exacerbate damage to the already diseased heart muscle.

The findings could suggest a way to make stem cell therapy safer for heart disease patients. The treatment is often a last resort, apart from getting a transplant.

Researchers discovered a molecular pathway involved in the toxic interaction while studying stem cells in mice with heart disease. By deleting the gene that makes the pathway, the cells ability to regenerate healthy tissue can be restored, they found.

The researchers are now testing a gene editing technique to delete the problem gene.

We hope our engineered stem cells will be resistant to the negative effects of the immune system, Leor said.

The study was conducted by TAUs Dr. Nili Naftali-Shani and published in the journal Circulation.

Read the rest here:
Study says some stem cells dangerous for heart patients | The Times ... - The Times of Israel

Founded in 2004, LifeCcell has technological collaboration with the US-based Cryo-Cell Internationalthe worlds first private stem cell bank with over 25 years of experience. (PTI)

Chennai-based LifeCell, the provider of preventive healthcare services for family wellness, is the worlds second-largest provider of umbilical cord stem cells. Founded in 2004, the company has technological collaboration with the US-based Cryo-Cell Internationalthe worlds first private stem cell bank with over 25 years of experience. As many as 2 lakh Indian parents have chosen to trust their newborns umbilical cords to LifeCell through its umbilical cord banking service BabyCord. The company has a 60% share in the Indian market.Stem cells are mother cells that have the potential to become any type of cell in the body. One of the main characteristics of stem cells is their ability to self-renew or multiply, while maintaining the potential to develop into other types of cells. These cells can repair and rebuild damaged tissue. The uses of stem cells are still being researched. In fact, stem cell tissues have proved effective in cancer treatment too. The applications have been steadily increasing in the last few years. They have been used for treating wound healing, including diabetic foot ulcers. In a country where concepts like bone marrow donations and stem cell banking are still not widely known, Mayur Abhaya, the CEO and managing director of the company, is betting on these treatments of the future.

The company is the most accredited stem cell bank in the country, with certifications from national and international organisations for standards. It is also the only player in the industry providing comprehensive stem cell solutions, including menstrual stem cell banking, R&D and point-of-care stem cell therapy for orthopaedic and vascular specialities.Mayur has been heading LifeCell since 2008. He comes from the family that set up Shasun Group of companiesthe provider of contract pharmaceutical manufacturing services for global companies. Mayur studied biotechnology in India and the US, and then worked in the US for a year. Before moving to LifeCell, he worked for many years at Shasun Pharmaceuticals, where he led their new product development, intellectual property and licensing initiatives. In 2013, LifeCell International got an investment of Rs35 crore from Helion Venture Partners, an India-focused venture fund, to support its plans of increasing market penetration of stem cell banking in India and enabling the development of novel cell-based therapies.

Also Watch: Mayur says LifeCell currently operates in 150 cities, employing more than 1,500 people. We have given an opportunity to our sales people to become their own bosses. They remain on company rolls and get to enjoy all the company benefit plans, such as insurance and welfare schemes. They grow with the company and also have the opportunity to explore and add non-conflicting products or services to their distribution network and enhance their earnings. These internal franchisees bring 50% of our revenue and it is growing. More than 50 such entrepreneurs have been created.LifeCell recently bought over the stake held by Helion Ventures with borrowings from family-owned firms. Three months ago, it changed its business model. We are introducing an on-demand model for sharing cord blood cells, Mayur says. Parents can let the company know if their babies cord blood cells can be used for other needy patients. Cancer patients cannot be treated with their own stem cells. Patients usually do not have much time. Cord cells can be used even if all the six parameters that are required to transplant tissues do not match. By letting their stem cells be used by others, parents and their children get access to cord blood cellsof the entire cord blood cell bankwhen they are in need. So far, stem cells were banked only for the baby from whom these were removed.

Our inventory will come to the aid of people who do not have babies. We will refund the amount paid for having their babys stem cell stored. The processing fee is Rs17,000 and the storage fee each year is Rs4,000. Mayur says that the worlds largest birthing country has a long way to go to create a viable stem cell bank. We are going to follow the blood bank model and hope to bank 2,50,000 cords, which is the critical amount, he adds. We hope to contribute significantly to the ever-developing scope of transplant medicine. Currently, India is importing cord cells, which are prohibitively expensive. With scale, prices will come down in the country. Parents in India will have higher future access to stem cells than even those enjoyed by patients in advanced countries such as the US. We will have a linkage with global inventory. Earlier this month, LifeCell was invited by AABB (formerly American Association of Blood Banks) to present the concept of Community Stem Cell Banking at the 15th International Cord Blood Symposium held in San Diego, US. In 15 years, it is the only second stem cell bank to present its innovation at such a prestigious global platform.

With a turnover of Rs126 crore, LifeCell is operationally profitable. It has enough cash to run its business, but is yet to make net profits. However, Mayur believes very soon LifeCell will turn profitable, and that this year the number of stem cells brought into the labs will be higher by at least 30%. Mayur has extended LifeCells services to introduce and popularise the concept of essential preventive diagnostics for mothers and babies. BabyShield has been introduced to bring down infant mortality ratio. Addressing gaps in marketplace and with innovative business models, it has established market leadership in newborn screening. It has also acquired a prenatal screening service provider. In India, only 2% babies go through prenatal and newborn screening. Nobody has focused on this. We will also be providing diagnostic medication. Doing this can prevent so many false positives. We are building all this together as a package and are offering it at an affordable price, he says.

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How LifeCell became the most accredited stem cell bank in India - Financial Express

A paper co-authored by Kristin Comellas, chief science officer for U.S. Stem Cell (OTCQB:USRM)about an intra-articular injection for the treatment of osteoarthritis in the latest issue of the Journal of Translational Medicine.

As quoted in the press release:

Comella is a world-renowned expert on regenerative medicine with a focus on adipose derived stem cells. She was named number 24 on Terrapins list of the Top 50 Global Stem Cell Influencers and number 1 on the Academy of Regenerative Practices list of Top 10 Stem Cell Innovators. Comella has pioneered stem cell therapies from various sources including cord blood, bone marrow, muscle, and adipose.

Entitled, Intra-articular injection in the knee of adipose derived stromal cells (stromal vascular fraction) and platelet rich plasma for osteoarthritis, the scientific paper was co-authored by Kristin Comella, Himanshu Bansal, Jerry Leon, Poonam Verma, Diwaker Agrawal, Prasad Koka and Thomas Ichim. Below is a link and abstract to the paper: http://bit.ly/2smaM93.

Click here to read the full press release.

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US Stem Cell's Chief Science Officer Co-Authors Featured Paper - Investing News Network (press release) (registration) (blog)

Start eating grapes daily, as a research has revealed that the compounds, found in the skin and seeds of grapes, may help in killing colon cancer stem cells. The compounds, resveratrol, which are found in grape skins and seeds, could also eventually lead to treatments to help prevent colon cancer, said Jairam K.P. Vanamala from Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute.

The combination of resveratrol and grape seed extract is very effective at killing colon cancer cells, Vanamala added. The researchers suggest that the findings could pave the way for clinical testing of the compounds on human colon cancer, which is the second most common cancer in women and the third in men.

If successful, the compounds could then be used in a pill to help prevent colon cancer and lessen the recurrence of the disease in colon cancer survivors.

Vanamala noted that according to cancer stem-cell theory, cancerous tumors are driven by cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells are capable of self-renewal, cellular differentiation and maintain their stem cell-like characteristics even after invasion and metastasis.

When taken separately in low doses, resveratrol and grape seed extract are not as effective against cancer stem-cell suppression as when they are combined together, according to the researchers.

Grape compounds could now be used in a pill to help prevent colon cancer and lessen the recurrence of the disease in survivors. (HTFile photo )

This also connects well with a plant-based diet that is structured so that the person is getting a little bit of different types of plants, of different parts of the plant and different colors of the plant, said Vanamala.

For the animal study, they separated 52 mice with colon cancer tumors into three groups, including a control group and groups that were fed either the grape compounds or sulindac, an anti-inflammatory drug, which was chosen because a previous study showed it significantly reduced the number of tumors in humans.

The incidence of tumors was suppressed in the mice consuming the grape compounds alone by 50 percent, similar to the rate in the group consuming the diet with sulindac.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more.

Continue reading here:
Grape skin and seeds may help fight against colon cancer, says study - Hindustan Times

Contemporary Examples

Infections can strike joints, airways, the lungs, the brain and the tissues lining the spinal cord, or the bloodstream.

Other spinal cord regeneration efforts involve using stem cells to regrow damaged or lost neurons.

As a result, Smith lost his right arm underneath the elbow and parts of his leg, hip and spinal cord.

Generally, a human will only be infected if they eat the nerve tissuebrains or spinal cordof an infected animal.

The bulleta live fire bulletexited through his back but not before severing his spinal cord.

British Dictionary definitions for spinal cord Expand

the thick cord of nerve tissue within the spinal canal, which in man gives rise to 31 pairs of spinal nerves, and together with the brain forms the central nervous system

spinal cord in Medicine Expand

spinal cord n. The thick, whitish cord of nerve tissue that extends from the medulla oblongata down through the spinal column and from which the spinal nerves branch off to various parts of the body. Also called spinal marrow.

spinal cord in Science Expand

The long, cordlike part of the central nervous system that is enclosed within the vertebral column (spine) and descends from the base of the brain, with which it is continuous. The spinal cord branches to form the nerves that convey motor and sensory impulses to and from the tissues of the body.

spinal cord in Culture Expand

The thick column of nerve tissue that extends from the base of the brain about two thirds of the way down the backbone. As part of the central nervous system, the spinal cord carries impulses back and forth between the brain and other parts of the body through a network of nerves that extend out from it like branches.

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Spinal cord | Define Spinal cord at Dictionary.com

Photo Credit: Nati Shohat / Flash 90

Patients with severe and end-stage heart failure have few treatment options available to them apart from transplants and miraculous stem cell therapy. But a new Tel Aviv University study has found that stem cell therapy may in fact harm patients with heart disease.

The research, led by Prof. Jonathan Leor of TAUs Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sheba Medical Center and conducted by TAUs Dr. Nili Naftali-Shani, explores the current practice of using cells from the host patient to repair tissue and contends that this can prove deleterious or toxic for patients. The study was recently published in the journal Circulation.

We found that, contrary to popular belief, tissue stem cells derived from sick hearts do not contribute to heart healing after injury, said Prof. Leor. Furthermore, we found that these cells are affected by the inflammatory environment and develop inflammatory properties. The affected stem cells may even exacerbate damage to the already diseased heart muscle.

Tissue or adult stem cells blank cells that can act as a repair kit for the body by replacing damaged tissue encourage the regeneration of blood vessel cells and new heart muscle tissue. Faced with a worse survival rate than many cancers, a number of patients with heart failure have turned to stem cell therapy as a last resort.

But our findings suggest that stem cells, like any drug, can have adverse effects, said Prof. Leor. We concluded that stem cells used in cardiac therapy should be drawn from healthy donors or be better genetically engineered for the patient.

Hope for improved cardiac stem cell therapy

In addition, the researchers also discovered the molecular pathway involved in the negative interaction between stem cells and the immune system as they isolated stem cells in mouse models of heart disease. After exploring the molecular pathway in mice, the researchers focused on cardiac stem cells in patients with heart disease.

The results could help improve the use of autologous stem cells those drawn from the patients themselves in cardiac therapy, Prof. Leor said.

We showed that the deletion of the gene responsible for this pathway can restore the original therapeutic function of the cells, said Prof. Leor. Our findings determine the potential negative effects of inflammation on stem cell function as theyre currently used. The use of autologous stem cells from patients with heart disease should be modified. Only stem cells from healthy donors or genetically engineered cells should be used in treating cardiac conditions.

The researchers are currently testing a gene editing technique (CRISPER) to inhibit the gene responsible for the negative inflammatory properties of the cardiac stem cells of heart disease patients. We hope our engineered stem cells will be resistant to the negative effects of the immune system, said Prof. Leor.

Meanwhile, for those unable to profit from stem cell therapy, researchers at Ben Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have developed a revolutionary new drug that may reverse the damage and repair the diseased heart.

The newly developed drug is a polymer which reduces the inflammation in cardiovascular tissue and stops plaque build-up in arteries. Then it goes one step further and removes existing plaque in the heart, leaving healthy tissue behind.

Professor Ayelet David, a researcher at BGU revealed the drug might also help people suffering from diabetes, hypertension and other conditions associated with old age.

Continued here:
Israeli Scientists: Stem Cell Therapy Not Good for All Heart ... - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com

In a new study, researchers have uncovered a molecular explanation for the stress-relieving effects of such practices.

Study leader Ivana Buric, of the Centre for Psychology at Coventry University in the United Kingdom, and colleagues found that mind-body interventions (MBIs) "reverse" changes in DNA that cause stress.

For their study, the researchers looked at whether MBIs influence gene expression, the process by which genes create proteins and other molecules that affect cellular function.

From their analysis, the researchers found that people who practice MBIs experience reduced production of a molecule called nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB), which is known to regulate gene expression.

The researchers explain that stressful events trigger activity in the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which is responsible for the "fight-or-flight" response.

This SNS activity leads to the production of NF-kB, which produces molecules called cytokines that promote cellular inflammation. If this molecular reaction is persistent, it can lead to serious physical and mental health problems, such as depression and cancer.

The study suggests that MBIs, however, lower the production of NF-kB and cytokines. This not only helps to alleviate stress, but it also helps to stave off the associated health conditions.

"Millions of people around the world already enjoy the health benefits of mind-body interventions like yoga or meditation, but what they perhaps don't realize is that these benefits begin at a molecular level and can change the way our genetic code goes about its business," says Buric.

"These activities are leaving what we call a molecular signature in our cells, which reverses the effect that stress or anxiety would have on the body by changing how our genes are expressed. Put simply, MBIs cause the brain to steer our DNA processes along a path which improves our well-being."

The team says that future studies should explore how the molecular effects of MBIs on stress compare with other interventions, such as exercise and diet.

"But this is an important foundation to build on to help future researchers explore the benefits of increasingly popular mind-body activities," Buric concludes.

Separately, a new study has found that the treatment can be more harmful than helpful if cardiac stem cells are involved.

Researchers found that using patients' own cardiac stem cells to repair damaged heart tissue may not only be ineffective, but that the stem cells may also develop inflammatory properties that cause further heart damage.

Study leader Prof Jonathan Leor, of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sheba Medical Center at Tel Aviv University in Israel, and colleagues recently reported their findings in the journal Circulation.

Prof Leor and colleagues came to their findings by isolating stem cells derived from the cardiac tissue of mice that had left ventricular dysfunction caused by a heart attack.

The team then injected the stem cells back into the hearts of the mice and assessed how they affected heart remodelling and function, compared with a saline solution.

Instead of repairing the rodents' damaged heart tissue, the researchers found that the transplanted stem cells developed inflammatory properties, which may increase heart damage."We found that, contrary to popular belief, tissue stem cells derived from sick hearts do not contribute to heart healing after injury," explained Prof Leor.

"Furthermore, we found that these cells are affected by the inflammatory environment and develop inflammatory properties. The affected stem cells may even exacerbate damage to the already diseased heart muscle."

An increasing number of end-stage heart failure patients are turning to stem cell therapy as a "last resort," but the researchers believe that the treatment should be approached with caution.

"Our findings suggest that stem cells, like any drug, can have adverse effects. We concluded that stem cells used in cardiac therapy should be drawn from healthy donors or be better genetically engineered for the patient."

Read the original post:
'Yoga, meditation counters gene expression changes that cause stress' - Daily Times

The Jerusalem Post

Ex-Hadassah head of bone-marrow transplants loses license for 6 months The Jerusalem Post The Health Ministry suspended for at least six months the license of Prof. Shimon Slavin, the much-celebratad former head of bone-marrow transplantation at Hadassah University Medical Center, who retired in 2007 and set up a private clinic in Tel Aviv.

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Ex-Hadassah head of bone-marrow transplants loses license for 6 months - The Jerusalem Post

The Hindu

Hyderabad team grows miniature eyes using stem cells The Hindu The iPS cells are produced by genetically manipulating human skin cells to produce embryonic-like stem cells that are capable of forming any cell types of the body. Small portions of the corneal tissue were separated from the miniature eyes and used ...

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Hyderabad team grows miniature eyes using stem cells - The Hindu

17 Jun 2017

Animal models and engineered cells have contributed their fair share of insight into the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but researchers do not often have the opportunity to peer into afflicted human neurons. In a study published May 30 in Cell Reports, researchers led by Rickie Patani and Sonia Gandhi at University College London offer a new model for human disease by using motoneurons and astrocytes derived from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient stemcells.

The researchers generated spinal motoneurons and astrocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of ALS patients carrying mutations in the valosin-containing protein (VCP) gene. VCP mutations account for 2 percent of familial ALS cases and have been linked to other disorders as well, including hereditary inclusion body myopathy with Paget disease of bone and frontotemporal dementia (IBMPFD), jointly termed multisystemproteinopathy.

Previously, researchers reported that VCP mutations promoted the formation of cytoplasmic aggregates of TDP-43,one of the hallmarks of motoneuron disease, and that these aggregates were at least partially responsible for the VCP-induced neurodegeneration seen in a fly model (Neumann et al., 2007; Ritson et al., 2010).

Few studies have tested what VCP mutations do to human neurons, however. Using an iPSC-derived neuronal model, Virginia Kimonis at the University of California, Irvine, found that the VCP R155H mutation boosted cells levels of TDP-43 and several proteins involved in protein disposal (Dec et al., 2014).

In search of a more complete view of how VCPs effects unfold over time, first co-authors Claire Hall, Zhi Yao, Minee Choi, and Giulia Tyzach used iPSC-derived populations of spinal cord motoneurons and astrocytes to track several cellular functions. The cells originated from two patients (four clones) with VCP mutations and three healthycontrols.

TDP-43 (red) stays in the nucleus (blue) in control motoneurons (left) but leaks into the cytoplasm in three-day old VCP-mutant motoneurons (right). [Cell Reports, Hall et al.,2017.]

More VCP-mutant motoneurons than controls died; they also made fewer synapses with their neighbors, and had less intense and fewer coordinated bursts of firing than controls. Monitoring the whereabouts of TDP-43, the authors found no difference between mutant and normal cells when the cells were at an early stage of differentiation, as neural precursor cells. But by the third day after becoming motoneuron-like, the mutant cells were leaking TDP-43 from their nuclei into the cytoplasm (see image above). At the same time, they had increased levels of markers of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, became less able than controls to survive an ER stress assay, and began producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) at a higherrate.

By day 17, the mutant motoneurons had sickly ER tubules. Some were swollen, others cozied up to mitochondria, both signs of continued ER stress. The neurons also had low mitochondrial membrane potential and low glutathione levels, indicating mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress,respectively.

Putting these findings together, Patani and Gandhi suggested that cyotosolic TDP-43 generates ER stress, which next triggers increased tethering of the ER to mitochondria. This could depolarize mitochondria, which could impair mitochondrial function and ultimately lead to high levels of free radical production and oxidative stress.The findings support a role for TDP-43 wreaking havoc in the cytoplasm, saidPatani.

The mechanism that links TDP-43 and ER stress remains uncertain, said Kimonis. Patani and Gandhi acknowledge the link is probably complex, noting that, in addition to cyotplasmic TDP-43 aggregates inducing ER stress, ER stress itself seems to drive TDP-43 leakage (Walker et al., 2013).

The researchers then probed how mutant VCP might affect astrocytes. Studies of astrocytes in other ALS models have yielded varying results depending on the mutation. Superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) mutations, for example, can turn astrocytes into motoneuron killers (see Oct 2011 news),but it is unclear if they endanger the survival of the astrocytes themselves. Conversely, mutations in TDP-43 seem to sicken astrocytes without making them toxic to neighboring neurons (Serio et al., 2013).

On the left, healthy astrocytes (red) protect VCP-mutant motoneurons (yellow) from death (green). VCP-mutant astrocytes are much less protective (right). [Courtesy of ZhiYao.]

Interestingly, Patani and Gandhi found that VCP mutations had both cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous effects. They increased astrocytes risk of death and rendered them less able to support the survival of both control and VCP-mutant motoneurons (see image at right). The authors also found that the cell-autonomous effects on astrocytes differed from those in motoneurons. VCP-mutant astrocytes seemed more resistant when challenged with an ER stressor and had only a transient drop in mitochondrial membrane potential and a transient increase in ROS, with no change in glutathionelevels.

The study is a validation of key prior findings using iPS-derived neurons and glia from patients, which is a nice advance, wrote Paul Taylor at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The characterization of the role of glia is also interesting and potentially important.

Looking ahead, Patani and Gandhi want to generate isogenic controls, that is, cells derived from the same patients but with repaired VCP mutations. They also want to create iPSC-derived upper motoneurons, and to better understand muscle pathology, Kimonis hopes to extend her investigation of iPSC-derived muscle cells (Llewellyn et al., 2017).

Other model systems will be of value, too. iPSC-derived models are not equivalent to the decades-old cells inhabiting an adult nervous system. A study of dopaminergic neurons, for example, revealed that gene expression and DNA methylation patterns differed between iPSC-derived neurons and their in vivo counterparts (Roessler et al., 2014).

In the long term, Patani hopes that shedding light on the sequence of events that marks motoneuron degeneration in human cells will enable researchers to more effectively search for ALS therapies.MarinaChicurel

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Familial ALS Linked to Both Neuron and Astrocyte Pathology - Alzforum

islamabad - New research finds evidence of a link between use of certain hair products, such as dyes and relaxers, and raised risk of breast cancer in women.

In their study report, the researchers explain that there is conflicting evidence on whether use of hair products, some of which contain cancer-causing chemicals, or carcinogens, can raise the risk of breast cancer in women.

Some of the evidence comes from animal testing, and some of it comes from studies in defined human populations. However, research in human populations has tended to focus on hair dyes, with mixed results.

The researchers investigated links between raised risk of breast cancer and use of hair products, with particular focus on the use of hair dyes, use of products for relaxing or straightening hair, and use of creams containing cholesterol or placenta for deep conditioning of hair.

When they analysed the data, the researchers found some significant links between raised risk for breast cancer and use of hair dyes and chemical relaxers, or straighteners, and that the patterns of risk differed between white women and black women.

For example, for black women, they found that use of dark shades of hair dye was linked to an overall higher risk of breast cancer, and an even higher risk of estrogen positive breast cancer.

For white women, the analysis found that use of relaxers, or straighteners, either alone or together with hair dyes, was linked to raised risk of breast cancer.

Among white women, there was also a raised risk of estrogen positive breast cancer with use of dark hair dyes and raised risk of estrogen negative breast cancer with use of relaxers.

The authors conclude that these findings support the idea of a relationship between use of certain hair products and a raised risk of breast cancer. They suggest: Further examination of hair products as important exposures contributing to breast cancer carcinogenesis are necessary.

Meanwhile, a new study, however, finds that the treatment could be more harmful than helpful if cardiac stem cells are involved.

Researchers found that using patients own cardiac stem cells to repair damaged heart tissue may not only be ineffective, but that the stem cells may also develop inflammatory properties that cause further heart damage.

Prof. Leor and colleagues came to their findings by isolating stem cells derived from the cardiac tissue of mice that had left ventricular dysfunction caused by a heart attack.

The team then injected the stem cells back into the hearts of the mice and assessed how they affected heart remodeling and function, compared with a saline solution.

Instead of repairing the rodents damaged heart tissue, the researchers found that the transplanted stem cells developed inflammatory properties, which may increase heart damage.

We found that, contrary to popular belief, tissue stem cells derived from sick hearts do not contribute to heart healing after injury, explains Prof Leor.

Furthermore, we found that these cells are affected by the inflammatory environment and develop inflammatory properties. The affected stem cells may even exacerbate damage to the already diseased heart muscle.

An increasing number of end-stage heart failure patients are turning to stem cell therapy as a last resort, but the researchers believe that the treatment should be approached with caution.

[...] our findings suggest that stem cells, like any drug, can have adverse effects. We concluded that stem cells used in cardiac therapy should be drawn from healthy donors or be better genetically engineered for the patient.

While the findings may come as a blow for many heart failure patients, the study did uncover some information that could help to improve autologous stem cell therapy.

By studying stem cells derived from the heart tissue of mouse models and humans with heart disease, the team was able to identify the gene that causes the stem cells to develop inflammatory properties.

Furthermore, the researchers found that deleting this gene, called TLR4, can shift the stem cells back to a reparative state, a discovery that the team believes could be used to transform autologous stem cell therapy for patients with heart failure.

Our findings determine the potential negative effects of inflammation on stem cell function as theyre currently used, says Prof. Leor. The use of autologous stem cells from patients with heart disease should be modified.

Read more here:
Hair dyes, relaxers tied to raised breast cancer risk - The Nation

Each year, more than 700,000 people suffer myocardial infarction, aka a heart attack. Thanks to medical advances, there are myriad ways for a doctor to get the blood properly pumping and save a persons life. A cardiologist might give a patient medication to clear or loosen blockages. Or a doctor might insert a catheter to remove the clot, or place stents in the artery so it stays open.

These interventions have vastly improved survival rates, but they dont heal the damage caused by a cardiac event. The heart is really just one big muscle, and trauma to any muscle does some damage, which becomes scar tissue. Scar tissue on the heart means it functions far less optimally, which eventually leads to heart failure.

Short of a transplant, there isnt a long-term option to fix a damaged ticker. But a team of researchers say theyve come up with a high-tech solution that could revolutionize cardiology. Using 3-D printing technology, Brenda Ogle, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, has created a patch a doctor could apply to mend a patients broken heart.

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A false-color scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a blood clot protruding from an arterial entrance in a heart chamber. This type of clot, known as coronary thrombosis, is the usual cause of myocardial infarction (heart attack). P. Motta/G. Macchiarelli/Sapienza University/Science Photo Libary/Getty

The concept is to imprint proteins that are native to the body, says Ogle. Weve used stem cellderived cardiac musclecardiac myocytesand actually mixed those with other cell types needed for blood vessels. This, she says, prevents what would otherwise happen naturally: The formation of a different type cells known as fibroblasts, which secrete scar tissue.

Ogle and her team of 3-D printing experts, clinical cardiologists and stem cell engineers have successfully tried the patch on mice. First, the team induced cardiac arrest in the rodents. When they then placed the cell patch on a mouse, researchers saw a significant increase in the functional capacity of the organ after just four weeks. We generated the continuous electric signal across the patch, and we can pace it: We can increase the frequency of beating up to three hertz, which is similar to a mouse heart, says Ogle who, this past January, published the findings of their experiment in Circulation Research, a journal from the American Heart Association.

The results of the experiment were so inspiring that in June 2016 the National Institutes of Health awarded her team a grant of more than $3 million, so they can now give pigs heart attacks and fix them with the patch. However, it will take some time to see their innovation in surgical departments, since using biological products such as cells requires a long regulatory process and, of course, quality assurance.

The replacement of muscle has been the holy grail for some time, says Ogle. Now we finally have the ability to take stem cells out of the body and develop the protocols to do that.

Original post:
How 3D Printing Can Help Mend a Broken Heart - Newsweek

Frances Wang, KXTV 8:33 PM. PDT June 17, 2017

Dawson Deschaine passed away on June 10th after a 2-and-a-half year battle with leukemia. He was only 8-years-old.

While most kids try to earn gold stars for their work, Dawson Deschainefelt a little pride every time he earned a bead.

"The Beads of Courage program is these beads that [represent] every poke, every hospital stay, every bone marrow biopsy, every chemotherapy," said Breanna Deschaine, Dawson's mother.

Dawson was diagnosed with leukemia in January 2015 at just 6-years-old. The battle would last two-and-a-half years. It was all Dawson ever knew.

"He mostly knew nurses, doctors, family," said Jason Deschaine, Dawson's father. "He had a lot more adult conversations than kid ones."

Breanna said he was an old soul. He even drank a cup of coffee every morning (decaf, of course).

"They accidentally sent him coffee [instead of hot chocolate] to his room one day," said Breanna.

Dawson's mom said he was an old soul. After getting coffee instead of hot chocolate, that's what he drank every morning (decaf, of course). pic.twitter.com/eYx7Ed57XX

Dawson battled leukemia for 2-and-a half years. Smiled through it all. Chemo, stem cell transplanted, bone marrow biopsies... pic.twitter.com/NN5NoFSFLI

Now you know an infectious smile like Dawson's comes with some pretty funny stories.

Last August, Nevada County made Dawson an honorary firefighter. They called it 'Dawson Day' with a ceremony and all.

Sweet Dawson passed away this Sat. after battling leukemia. He was only 8 years old. Last yr, he became an honorary Nevada Co. firefighter. pic.twitter.com/RkVOY0WGhD

Dawson was given a badge, his own turnouts, and boots. He even got to respond to an injured biker.

"He kept telling the EMTs how to wrap the leg!" said Breanna.

And his firefighter card, he never took for granted.

"He was getting ready to go to clinic one day," said Jason. "He comes back running in the house saying 'I need my ID Card!'...'No no, I need it. Just in case mom gets pulled over, [I can say police officer,] I am with the fire department.

It's reminiscing and laughing about stories like this that keep his family strong and smiling even when it hurts.

"People always ask how we're doing. As you can tell we smile. Dawson would never let us cry in the room," said Breanna.

Dawson's community made sure his last months in this world was full of adventure. Sadly, he got too sick for his Make-A-Wish: to go to Hawaii and swim with dolphins.

Dawson had plenty of adventures his last 6 months. Sadly, he never got to swim with dolphins in Hawaii... it was his dream . pic.twitter.com/UQeAqIwzW3

On June 10th at 6:05 AM, with his parents and his sister by his side, Dawson passed away.

Even up until his very last moment, he gave his family a thumbs up.

"He couldn't talk very much. Just the thumbs up that he was still good. He was Awesome Dawson," said Breanna, through tears. "It was his signature. No matter what...I told him 'It's OK Dawson. You fought the hardest battle and you won.'"

"You're not supposed to cry!" said Melody, Dawson's grandmother. "He's watching you."

And if Dawson was watching, what would they say?

"I would say thank you, for the opportunity...you pulled our community together and made our family so strong," said Melody. "We all love him very, very much. And miss him."

Breanna said she would read to him again from his favorite book 'Love You Forever.'

"His favorite saying from his favorite book: 'I love you forever. I like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be," said Breanna.

Dawson's family hopes to continue his legacy by bringing the Beads of Courage program that got him through his darkest days into more hospitals.

Donations can be made on the Beads of Couragewebsite, under Dawson's name.

And until they see Dawson again, the family says they'll live by this motto: 'Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.'

That is what Dawson would've wanted.

2017 KXTV-TV

The rest is here:
Awesome Dawson: The legacy an 8-year-old boy who battled leukemia leaves behind - ABC10