Market Players Developing iPS Cell Therapies
By Dr. Matthew Watson
While a number of companies have dabbled in this space, the following players are facilitating the development of iPS cell therapies: Cellular Dynamics International (CDI),Cynata Therapeutics, RIKEN, and Astellas (previously Ocata Therapeutics).
While each iPS cell therapy group is considered in detail below, Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) is featured first, because it dominates the iPSC industry. CDI also recently split into two business units, a Life Science Unit and a Therapeutics Unit, demonstrating a commercial strategy for its iPS cell therapy development.
Founded in 2004 and listed on NASDAQ in July 2013, Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. The company is known for itsextremely robust patent portfolio containing more than 900 patents.
According to the company, CDI is the worlds largest producer of fully functional human cells derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.[1] Their trademarked, iCell Cardiomyocytes, derived from iPSCs, are human cardiac cells used to aid drug discovery, improve the predictability of a drugs worth, and screen for toxicity. In addition, CDI provides: iCell Endothelial Cells for use in vascular-targeted drug discovery and tissue regeneration, iCell Hepatocytes, and iCell Neurons for pre-clinical drug discovery, toxicity testing, disease prediction, and cellular research.[2]
Induced pluripotent stem cells were first produced in 2006 from mouse cells and in 2007 from human cells, by Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University,[3] who also won the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology for his work on iPSCs.[4] Yamanaka has ties toCellular Dynamics International as a member of the scientific advisory board of iPS Academia Japan. IPS Academia Japan was originally established to manage the patents and technology of Yamanakas work, and is now the distributor of several of Cellular Dynamics products, including iCell Neurons, iCell Cardiomyocytes, and iCell Endothelial Cells.[5]
Importantly, in 2010 Cellular Dynamics became the first foreign company to be granted rights to use Yamanakas iPSC patent portfolio.Not only has CDI licensed rights to Yamanakas patents, but it also has a license to use Otsu, Japan-based Takara Bios RetroNectin product, which it uses as a tool to produce its iCell and MyCell products.[6]
Furthermore, in February 2015, Cellular Dynamics International announcedit would be manufacturing cGMP HLA Superdonor stem cell lines that will support cellular therapy applications through genetic matching.[8] Currently, CDI has two HLA superdonor cell lines that provide a partial HLA match to approximately 19% of the population within the U.S., and it aims to expand its master stem cell bank by collecting more donor cell lines that will cover 95% of the U.S. population.[9]The HLA superdonor cell lines were manufactured using blood samples, and used to produce pluripotent iPSC lines, giving the cells the capacity to differentiate into nearly any cell within the human body.
On March 30, 2015, Fujifilm Holdings Corporation announced that it was acquiring CDI for $307 million, allowingCDI tocontinue to run its operations in Madison, Wisconsin, and Novato, California as a consolidated subsidiary of Fujifilm.[14] A key benefit of the merger is that CDIs technology platform enables the production of high-quality fully functioning iPSCs (and other human cells) on an industrial scale, while Fujifilm has developed highly-biocompatible recombinant peptidesthat can be shaped into a variety of forms for use as a cellular scaffoldin regenerative medicinewhen used in conjunction with CDIs products.[15]
Additionally, Fujifilm has been strengthening its presence in the regenerative medicine field over the past several years, including a recent A$4M equity stake in Cynata Therapeutics and anacquisition ofJapan Tissue Engineering Co. Ltd.in December 2014. Most commonly called J-TEC, Japan Tissue Engineering Co. Ltd. successfully launched the first two regenerative medicine products in the country of Japan.According toKaz Hirao, CEO of CDI, It is very important for CDI to get into the area of therapeutic products, and we can accelerate this by aligning it with strategic and technical resources present within J-TEC.
Kaz Hirao also states,For our Therapeutic businesses, we will aim to file investigational new drugs (INDs) with the U.S. FDA for the off-the-shelf iPSC-derived allogeneic therapeutic products. Currently, we are focusing on retinal diseases, heart disorders, Parkinsons disease, and cancers. For those four indicated areas, we would like to file several INDs within the next five years.
Finally, in September 2015, CDI againstrengthened its iPS cell therapycapacity by setting up a new venture, Opsis Therapeutics. Opsis is focused on discovering and developing novel medicines to treat retinal diseases and is apartnership with Dr. David Gamm, the pioneer of iPS cell-derived retinal differentiation and transplantation.
In summary, several key events indicate CDIs commitment to developing iPS cell therapeutics, including:
Australian stem cell company Cynata Therapeutics (ASX:CYP) is taking a unique approachby creating allogeneic iPSC derived mesenchyal stem cell (MSCs)on a commercial scale.Cynatas Cymerus technology utilizes iPSCs provided by Cellular Dynamics International, a Fujifilm company, as the starting material for generating mesenchymoangioblasts (MCAs), and subsequently, for manufacturing clinical-gradeMSCs.According to Cynatas Executive Chairman Stewart Washer who was interviewed by The Life Sciences Report, The Cymerus technology gets around the loss of potency with the unlimited iPS cellor induced pluripotent stem cellwhich is basically immortal.
OnJanuary 19, 2017, Fujifilm took anA$3.97 million (10%) strategic equity stakein Cynata, positioning the parties to collaborate on the further development and commercialisation of Cynatas lead Cymerus therapeutic MSC product CYP-001 for graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). (CYP-001 is the product designation unique to the GVHD indication). The Fujifilm partnership also includes potential future upfront and milestone payments in excess of A$60 million and double-digit royalties on CYP-001 product net sales for Cynata Therapeutics, as well as strategic relationship for potential future manufacture of CYP-001 and certain rights to other Cynata technology.
One of the key inventors of Cynatas technology is Igor Slukvin, MD, Ph.D., Scientific Founder of Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) and Cynata Therapeutics. Dr. Slukvin has released more than 70 publications about stem cell topics, including the landmark article in Cell describing the now patented Cymerus technique. Dr. Slukvins co-inventor is Dr. James Thomson, the first person to isolate an embryonic stem cell (ESC) and one of the first people to create a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC). Dr. James Thompson was theFounder of CDI in 2004.
There are three strategic connections between Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) and Cynata Therapeutics, which include:
Recently, Cynata received advice from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) that its Phase I clinical trial application has been approved, titledAn Open-Label Phase 1 Study to Investigate the Safety and Efficacy of CYP-001 for the Treatment of Adults With Steroid-Resistant Acute Graft Versus Host Disease. It will be the worlds first clinical trial involving a therapeutic product derived from allogeneic (unrelated to the patient) induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Participants for Cynatas upcoming Phase I clinical trial will be adults who have undergone an allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) to treat a haematological disorder and subsequently been diagnosed with steroid-resistant Grade II-IV GvHD.The primary objective of the trial is to assess safety and tolerability, while the secondary objective is to evaluate the efficacy of two infusions of CYP-001 in adults with steroid-resistant GvHD.
Using Professor Yamankas Nobel Prize winning achievement of ethically uncontentious iPSCs and CDIs high quality iPSCs as source material, Cynata has achieved two world firsts:
Cynata has also released promising pre-clinical data in Asthma, Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack), andCritical Limb Ischemia.
There are four key advantages of Cynatas proprietary Cymerus MSC manufacturing platform.Because the proprietary Cymerus technology allows nearly unlimited production of MSCs from a single iPSC donor, there is batch-to-batch uniformity. Utilizing a consistent starting material allows for a standardized cell manufacturing process and a consistent cell therapy product. Unlike other companies involved with MSC manufacturing, Cynata does not require a constant stream of new donors in order to source fresh stem cells for its cell manufacturing process, nor does it require the massive expansion of MSCs necessitated by reliance on freshly isolated donations.
Finally, Cynata has achieved a cost-savings advantage through its uniqueapproach to MSCmanufacturing. Its proprietary Cymerus technology addresses a critical shortcoming in existing methods of production of MSCs for therapeutic use, which is the ability to achieve economic manufacture at commercial scale.
On June 22, 2016, RIKEN announced that it is resuming its retinal induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) study in partnership with Kyoto University.
2013 was the first time in which clinical research involving transplant of iPSCs into humans was initiated, led by Masayo Takahashi of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB)in Kobe, Japan. Dr. Takahashi and her team wereinvestigating the safety of iPSC-derived cell sheets in patients with wet-type age-related macular degeneration. Althoughthe trial was initiated in 2013 and production of iPSCs from patients began at that time, it was not until August of 2014 that the first patient, a Japanese woman, was implanted with retinal tissue generated using iPSCs derived from her own skin cells.
A team of three eye specialists, led by Yasuo Kurimoto of the Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, implanted a 1.3 by 3.0mm sheet of iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelium cells into the patients retina.[196]Unfortunately, the study was suspended in 2015 due to safety concerns. As the lab prepared to treat the second trial participant, Yamanakas team identified two small genetic changes in the patients iPSCs and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells derived from them. Therefore, it is major news that theRIKEN Institute will now be resuming the worlds first clinical study involving the use of iPSC-derived cells in humans.
According to the Japan Times, this attempt at the clinical studywill involve allogeneic rather than autologous iPSC-derived cells for purposes of cost and time efficiency.Specifically,the researchers will be developing retinal tissues from iPS cells supplied by Kyoto Universitys Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, an institution headed by Nobel prize winner Shinya Yamanaka. To learn about this announcement, view this article fromAsahi Shimbun, aTokyo- based newspaper.
In November 2015 Astellas Pharma announced it was acquiring Ocata Therapeutics for $379M. Ocata Therapeutics is a biotechnology company that specializes in the development of cellular therapies, using both adult and human embryonic stem cells to develop patient-specific therapies. The companys main laboratory and GMP facility is in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and its corporate offices are in Santa Monica, California.
When a number of private companies began to explore the possibility of using artificially re-manufactured iPSCs for therapeutic purposes, one such company that was ready to capitalize on the breakthrough technology was Ocata Therapeutics, at the time called Advanced Cell Technology. In 2010, the company announced that it had discovered several problematic issues while conducting experiments for the purpose of applying for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to use iPSCs in therapeutic applications. Concerns such as premature cell death, mutation into cancer cells, and low proliferation rates were some of the problems that surfaced. [17]
As a result, the company shifted its induced pluripotent stem cell approach to producingiPS cell-derived human platelets, as one of the benefits of a platelet-based product is that platelets do not contain nuclei, and therefore, cannot divide or carry genetic information. While the companys Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Human Platelet Program received a great deal of media coverage in late 2012, including being awarded the December 2012 honor of being named one of the 10 Ideas that Will Shape the Yearby New Scientist Magazine,[178] unfortunately the company did not succeed in moving the concept through to clinical testing in 2013.
Nonetheless, Astellas is clearly continuing to develop Ocatas pluripotent stem cell technologies involving embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells). In a November 2015 presentation by Astellas President and CEO, Yoshihiko Hatanaka, he indicated that the company will aim to develop an Ophthalmic Disease Cell Therapy Franchise based around its embryonic stem cell (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS cell) technology. [19]
Footnotes [1] CellularDynamics.com (2014). About CDI. Available at: http://www.cellulardynamics.com/about/index.html. Web. 1 Apr. 2015. [2] Ibid. [3] Takahashi K, Yamanaka S (August 2006).Induction of pluripotent stem cells from mouse embryonic and adult fibroblast cultures by defined factors.Cell126(4): 66376. [4] 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Press Release. Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 7 Feb 2014. Available at: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2012/press.html. Web. 1 Apr. 2015. [5] Striklin, D (Jan 13, 2014). Three Companies Banking on Regenerative Medicine. Wall Street Cheat Sheet. Retrieved Feb 1, 2014 from, http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/3-companies-banking-on-regenerative-medicine.html/?a=viewall. [6] Striklin, D (2014). Three Companies Banking on Regenerative Medicine. Wall Street Cheat Sheet [Online]. Available at: http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/3-companies-banking-on-regenerative-medicine.html/?a=viewall. Web. 1 Apr. 2015. [7] Cellular Dynamics International (July 30, 2013). Cellular Dynamics International Announces Closing of Initial Public Offering [Press Release]. Retrieved from http://www.cellulardynamics.com/news/pr/2013_07_30.html. [8] Investors.cellulardynamics.com,. Cellular Dynamics Manufactures Cgmp HLA Superdonor Stem Cell Lines To Enable Cell Therapy With Genetic Matching (NASDAQ:ICEL). N.p., 2015. Web. 7 Mar. 2015. [9] Ibid. [10] Cellulardynamics.com,. Cellular Dynamics | Mycell Products. N.p., 2015. Web. 7 Mar. 2015. [11]Sirenko, O. et al. Multiparameter In Vitro Assessment Of Compound Effects On Cardiomyocyte Physiology Using Ipsc Cells.Journal of Biomolecular Screening18.1 (2012): 39-53. Web. 7 Mar. 2015. [12] Sciencedirect.com,. Prevention Of -Amyloid Induced Toxicity In Human Ips Cell-Derived Neurons By Inhibition Of Cyclin-Dependent Kinases And Associated Cell Cycle Events. N.p., 2015. Web. 7 Mar. 2015. [13] Sciencedirect.com,. HER2-Targeted Liposomal Doxorubicin Displays Enhanced Anti-Tumorigenic Effects Without Associated Cardiotoxicity. N.p., 2015. Web. 7 Mar. 2015. [14] Cellular Dynamics International, Inc. Fujifilm Holdings To Acquire Cellular Dynamics International, Inc.. GlobeNewswire News Room. N.p., 2015. Web. 7 Apr. 2015. [15] Ibid. [16]Cyranoski, David. Japanese Woman Is First Recipient Of Next-Generation Stem Cells. Nature (2014): n. pag. Web. 6 Mar. 2015. [17] Advanced Cell Technologies (Feb 11, 2011). Advanced Cell and Colleagues Report Therapeutic Cells Derived From iPS Cells Display Early Aging [Press Release]. Available at: http://www.advancedcell.com/news-and-media/press-releases/advanced-cell-and-colleagues-report-therapeutic-cells-derived-from-ips-cells-display-early-aging/. [18] Advanced Cell Technology (Dec 20, 2012). New Scientist Magazine Selects ACTs Induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) Cell-Derived Human Platelet Program As One of 10 Ideas That Will Shape The Year [Press Release]. Available at: http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/06/science/sci-stemcell6. Web. 9 Apr. 2015. [19] Astellas Pharma (2015). Acquisition of Ocata Therapeutics New Step Forward in Ophthalmology with Cell Therapy Approach. Available at: https://www.astellas.com/en/corporate/news/pdf/151110_2_Eg.pdf. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.
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Market Players Developing iPS Cell Therapies
Your brain’s got rhythm – Medical Xpress
By NEVAGiles23
February 14, 2017 Salk scientists create synthetic brain systems called 'circuitoids' to better understand dysfunctional movements in Parkinson's, ALS and other diseases. Confocal microscope immunofluorescent image of a spinal cord neural circuit made entirely from stem cells and termed a 'circuitoid.' Credit: Salk Institute
Not everyone is Fred Astaire or Michael Jackson, but even those of us who seem to have two left feet have got rhythmin our brains. From breathing to walking to chewing, our days are filled with repetitive actions that depend on the rhythmic firing of neurons. Yet the neural circuitry underpinning such seemingly ordinary behaviors is not fully understood, even though better insights could lead to new therapies for disorders such as Parkinson's disease, ALS and autism.
Recently, neuroscientists at the Salk Institute used stem cells to generate diverse networks of self-contained spinal cord systems in a dish, dubbed circuitoids, to study this rhythmic pattern in neurons. The work, which appears online in the February 14, 2017, issue of eLife, reveals that some of the circuitoidswith no external promptingexhibited spontaneous, coordinated rhythmic activity of the kind known to drive repetitive movements.
"It's still very difficult to contemplate how large groups of neurons with literally billions if not trillions of connections take information and process it," says the work's senior author, Salk Professor Samuel Pfaff, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and holds the Benjamin H. Lewis Chair. "But we think that developing this kind of simple circuitry in a dish will allow us to extract some of the principles of how real brain circuits operate. With that basic information maybe we can begin to understand how things go awry in disease."
Nerve cells in your brain and spinal cord connect to one another much like electronic circuits. And just as electronic circuits consist of many components, the nervous system contains a dizzying array of neurons, often resulting in networks with many hundreds of thousands of cells. To model these complex neural circuits, the Pfaff lab prompted embryonic stem cells from mice to grow into clusters of spinal cord neurons, which they named circuitoids. Each circuitoid typically contained 50,000 cells in clumps just large enough to see with the naked eye, and with different ratios of neuronal subtypes.
With molecular tools, the researchers tagged four key subtypes of both excitatory (promoting an electrical signal) and inhibitory (stopping an electrical signal) neurons vital to movement, called V1, V2a, V3 and motor neurons. Observing the cells in the circuitoids in real time using high-tech microscopy, the team discovered that circuitoids composed only of V2a or V3 excitatory neurons or excitatory motor neurons (which control muscles) spontaneously fired rhythmically, but that circuitoids comprising only inhibitory neurons did not. Interestingly, adding inhibitory neurons to V3 excitatory circuitoids sped up the firing rate, while adding them to motor circuitoids caused the neurons to form sub-networks, smaller independent circuits of neural activity within a circuitoid.
"These results suggest that varying the ratios of excitatory to inhibitory neurons within networks may be a way that real brains create complex but flexible circuits to govern rhythmic activity," says Pfaff. "Circuitoids can reveal the foundation for complex neural controls that lead to much more elaborate types of behaviors as we move through our world in a seamless kind of way."
Because these circuitoids contain neurons that are actively functioning as an interconnected network to produce patterned firing, Pfaff believes that they will more closely model a normal aspect of the brain than other kinds of cell culture systems. Aside from more accurately studying disease processes that affect circuitry, the new technique also suggests a mechanism by which dysfunctional brain activity could be treated by altering the ratios of cell types in circuits.
Explore further: Scientists discover new mechanism of how brain networks form
More information: Matthew J Sternfeld et al, Speed and segmentation control mechanisms characterized in rhythmically-active circuits created from spinal neurons produced from genetically-tagged embryonic stem cells, eLife (2017). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.21540
Journal reference: eLife
Provided by: Salk Institute
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Your brain's got rhythm - Medical Xpress
Stem Cells Market Share, Size, Growth & Forecast 2018 Illuminated by New Report – Satellite PR News (press release)
By raymumme
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Transparency Market Research, in a report titled Stem Cells Market Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2012 2018, states that the global stem cells market is projected to witness remarkable growth from 2012 to 2018, fueled by increasing government support, unmet medical needs, rising stem cell banking services, and growing medical tourism. Driven by these factors, the global stem cells market is anticipated to expand at a 24.20% CAGR during the forecast period, rising from a value of US$26.2 bn in 2013 to US$119.5 bn by 2018.
Browse the full Stem Cells Market (Adult, Human Embryonic , Induced Pluripotent, Rat-Neural, Umbilical Cord, Cell Production, Cell Acquisition, Expansion, Sub-Culture) Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2012 2018 report at http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/stem-cells-market.html
Rise in disposable income in emerging economies, the increasing prevalence of neurodegenerative disorders, development of the contract research industry, and replacement of animal tissue in drug discovery are also anticipated to contribute towards the overall growth of the stem cells market.By product, the stem cells market is categorized into adult stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, very small embryonic-like stem cells, human embryonic stem cells, and rat neural stem cells. Adult stem cells, which dominated the overall market in 2011, include mesenchymal stem cells, dental stem cells, neuronal stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, and umbilical cord stem cells.
On the basis of technology, the stem cells market is segmented into stem cell acquisition, production, cryopreservation, and expansion and sub-culture. Stem cell acquisition is the largest as well as the most rapidly developing technological segment and includes bone marrow harvesting, umbilical cord blood, and apheresis. The segment of stem cell production includes cloning, isolation, in-vitro fertilization, and cell culture.
On the basis of application, the stem cells market is bifurcated into regenerative medicine and drug discovery and development. Regenerative medicine, which holds the larger share in the stem cells market, covers major disciplines such as orthopedics, hematology, wound care, diabetes, incontinence, neurology, oncology, cardiovascular and myocardial infarction, spinal cord injuries, and liver disorders.
Geographically, the global stem cells market is divided into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and Rest of the World. North America dominates the overall market, followed by Europe owing to increased prevalence of neurological and cardiac disorders, state initiatives and provision of grants from several organizations, development of innovative therapies, strong research activities, and effective marketing solutions. The Asia Pacific stem cells market is anticipated to witness impressive growth over the next two years thanks to rapidly growing contract research outsourcing and booming medical tourism.
The leading companies profiled in the stem cells market report are Osiris Therapeutics, Advanced Cell Technology, Cellartis AB, Bioheart, Cellular Engineering Technologies, Biotime Inc., Cytori Therapeutics Inc., Angel Biotechnology, Stemcelltechnologies Inc., California Stem Cell Inc., Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics, and Celgene Corporation Inc. These players are analyzed based on aspects such as company and financial overview, product portfolio, business strategies, and recent developments.
Global Stem Cells Market, By Product
Adult Stem Cells Hematopoietic Stem Cells Mesenchymal Stem Cells Neuronal Stem Cells Dental Stem Cells Umbilical Cord Stem Cells Human Embryonic Stem Cells Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Rat Neural Stem Cells Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells Global Stem Cells Market, By Technology
Stem Cell Acquisition Bone Marrow Harvest for Stem Cells Apheresis for Stem Cells Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Production Therapeutic Cloning for Stem Cells Stem Cells Production By In Vitro Fertilization Stem Cell Isolation Stem Cell Culture Stem Cell Cryopreservation Stem Cells Expansion and Sub-Culture Global Stem Cells Market, By Application
Regenerative Medicine Neurology Orthopedics Oncology Hematology Cardiovascular and Myocardial Infarction Injuries Diabetes Liver Disorders Incontinence Others Drug Discovery and Development Global Stem Cells Market, By Geography
North America Asia Pacific Europe Rest of the World
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Stem Cells Market Share, Size, Growth & Forecast 2018 Illuminated by New Report - Satellite PR News (press release)
Researchers develop ‘living diode’ using cardiac muscle cells – Science Daily
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Scientists are one step closer to mimicking the way biological systems interact and process information in the body -- a vital step toward developing new forms of biorobotics and novel treatment approaches for several muscle-related health problems such as muscular degenerative disorders, arrhythmia and limb loss.
Using cardiac muscle cells and cardiac fibroblasts -- cells found in connective heart tissue -- researchers at the University of Notre Dame have created a "living diode," which can be used for cell-based information processing, according to a recent study in Advanced Biosystems. Bioengineers created the muscle-based circuitry through a novel, self-forming, micro patterning approach.
Using muscle cells opens the door to functional, biological structures or "computational tissues" that would allow an organ to control and direct mechanical devices in the body. The design arranges the two types of cells in a rectangular pattern, separating excitable cells from nonexcitable cells, allowing the team to transduce electrical signals unidirectionally and achieve a diode function using living cells. In addition to the diode-like function, the natural pacing ability of the muscle cells allowed Pinar Zorlutuna, assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, and her team to pass along information embedded in the electrical signals by modulating the frequency of the cells' electrical activity. Zorlutuna's research was funded by the National Science Foundation.
"Muscle cells have the unique ability to respond to external signals while being connected to fibroblasts internally through intercellular junctions. By combining these two cell types, we have the ability to initiate, amplify and propagate signals directionally," said Zorlutuna, who is also director of the Tissue Engineering Laboratory at the university. "The success of these muscle-cell diodes offers a path toward linking such cell-based circuitry to a living system -- and creating functional control units for biomedical engineering applications such as bioactuators or biosensors."
The team's work presents a new option in biocomputing, which has focused primarily on using gene circuitries of genetically modified single-cells or neuronal networks doped with chemical additives to create information processing systems. The single-cell options are slower to process information since they relay on chemical processes, and neuronal-based approaches can misfire signals, firing backward up to 10 percent of the time.
Zorlutuna explores biomimetic environments in order to understand and control cell behavior. She also studies cell-cell and cell-environment interactions through tissue and genetic engineering, and micro- and nanotechnology at the Notre Dame Center for Nano Science and Technology. She is a researcher at the University's Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine and the Harper Cancer Research Institute.
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Researchers develop 'living diode' using cardiac muscle cells - Science Daily
Senior Becomes the Match to donate bone marrow and saves life – Villanovan (subscription)
By JoanneRUSSELL25
On Feb. 2, Naomi Ng 16 donated peripheral blood stem cells at an outpatient clinic as part of the Be The Match donor program. She was matched after registering for Be The Match through the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation.
You swab your cheek and you might save someones life, Ng said. Its so easy to register to be a donor that you dont think about the impact.
Ng was informed of the potential match in the fall of 2016 and completed initial blood work. Having graduated in May with a degree in Environmental Studies, she had just begun working for Amtrak in D.C. as senior service planner. She was not contacted again until mid-December, and completed the non-surgical procedure several weeks later.
The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation, a non-profit created in 2010 by the recently retired head football coach. Talley began promoting awareness about bone marrow donation in 1992 by hosting testing opportunities on campus. In 2008, he partnered with Be The Match to form the Get in the Game. Save a Life initiative. The foundation has now enlisted over 78 college football programs to participate in the foundations mission, registering young, healthy college students with the Be the Match registry to increase the chances of finding a bone marrow match for patients diagnosed with blood cancer.
Like many University students Ng registered at one of Talleys on campus testing drives. She swabbed her cheek, filled out the paperwork and doubted that she would ever get a call. I kind of forget that I had registered for it, Ng said. I had hoped obviously, because I wouldnt have registered if I didnt want to do it. Its just such a slim chance.
The donation of peripheral blood stem cells is one of two methods for collecting the blood-forming cells that recipients need. For five days before the procedure, Ng was given injections of filgrastim to increase the number of stem cells in her blood. On the day of the procedure she was connected to a machine via a needle in one arm and her blood was run through the machine and returned to her body through the other arm.
Although the filgrastim injections were painful, Ng described the procedure as pretty non-invasive, saying, I actually slept through the procedure. When I woke up I was like, thats it? I can leave now?
Ngs match is a 66-year old man, but his age and gender are the only things she knows about him. A year after the procedure, Be The Match will help to facilitate contact between the two if desired by donor and recipient.
Its a really emotional experience, Ng said. Ive never met this guy. I dont know his name. I dont know anything about him, but I feel like I have an emotional connection to him now. I dont know yet, but I might have saved his life.
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Senior Becomes the Match to donate bone marrow and saves life - Villanovan (subscription)
Lights, Carbon Nitride, Bone Regeneration! – Asian Scientist Magazine
By raymumme
Growing stem cells on carbon nitride sheets not only activates bone-related genes, but also releases calcium ions when exposed to red light.
Asian Scientist Newsroom | February 15, 2017 | In the Lab
AsianScientist (Feb. 15, 2017) - Light absorbing nanosheets could help bone regrowth, according to a study by researchers at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology published in ACS Nano.
Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) have been successfully used to treat fractures by regenerating lost bone tissue. To increase the area of bone regeneration, scientists have attempted to enhance the function of stem cells using carbon nanotubes, graphenes and nano-oxides.
In the present study, Professors Kim Kwang S. and Suh Pann-Ghill examined the bone regenerative abilities of carbon nitride (C3N4) nanosheets. Firstly, Kim's team synthesized carbon nitrogen derivatives from melamine compounds. Then, they analyzed the light-absorbing characteristics of C3N4 sheets at a wavelength range of 455-635 nanometers (nm).
They found that the C3N4 sheets emit fluorescence at the wavelength of 635 nm when exposed to red light in a liquid state. The released electrons induced calcium to accumulate in the cytoplasm, thereby speeding up bone regeneration.
Suh's team then conducted studies investigating biomedical applications of this material. To do so, they cultured stem cells and cancer cells in a medium containing 200 g/ml of C3N4 sheets. The material showed no cytotoxicity after two days of testing, suggesting that it is biocompatible.
They also confirmed that C3N4 sheets induce stem cells to differentiate into osteoblasts to promote mineral formation, turning on osteogenic differentiation marker genes such as ALP, BSP, and OCN. Moreover, Runx2 (Runt-related transcription factor 2), a key transcription factor in osteoblast differentiation was also activated. This gene activation resulted in the increased osteoblast differentiation and accelerated bone formation.
This research has opened up the possibility of developing a new medicine that effectively treats skeletal injuries, such as fractures and osteoporosis, said co-author Professor Seo Young-Kyo. It will be a very useful tool for making artificial joints and teeth with the use of 3D printing.
This is an important milestone in the analysis of biomechanical functions needed for the development of biomaterials, including adjuvants for hard tissues such as damaged bones and teeth.
The research team expects that their findings affirm the potential of C3N4 sheets in developing bone formation and directing hBMSCs toward bone regeneration.
The article can be found at: Tiwari et al. (2016) Accelerated Bone Regeneration by Two-Photon Photoactivated Carbon Nitride Nanosheets.
Source: Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology. Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
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Lights, Carbon Nitride, Bone Regeneration! - Asian Scientist Magazine
Stem cell technique may aid in bone repair – Bel Marra Health
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Home Bone Health Stem cell technique may aid in bone repair
A new method for repairing damaged bones with stem cell and carbon material has been developed by researchers working with the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). The method involves using stem cells from human bone marrow and carbon sheets with photocatalytic properties, and may help to create better treatments for bone injuries like periodontal disease and fractures.
During their study, researchers found that carbon nitride sheets that absorb red light encourage proliferation and growth of bone, as well as osteogenic differentiation. Human bone marrow stem cells have previously been used in the treatment of fractures, as they promote bone regeneration even in patients who have lost large areas of bone because of trauma or disease. The use of carbon nitride sheets alongside the bone marrow stem cells in this study were an attempt to accelerate the regeneration process.
Researchers found that when the carbon nitride was exposed to red light, it absorbed the light and emitted fluorescence, which is already known to expedite bone regeneration. The study also showed proliferation in osteogenic differentiation genes and accelerated bone formation in cells that were cultured in the lab.
This new stem cell research shows that coupling human bone marrow stem cells with carbon nitride could prove to be an effective way to create new bone material in areas that are lacking. With further research, this method could soon be applied to helping to heal bone fractures and wear-and-tear related to diseases like osteoporosis, as well as used to create new joints and teeth.
Related: Improve bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis with lifestyle changes
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Stem cell technique may aid in bone repair - Bel Marra Health
Stem cell registry drive at SAU seeks to connect potential donors with people who need help – Magnoliareporter
By JoanneRUSSELL25
When three Southern Arkansas University nursing students started organizing this weeks stem cell registry drive more than three months ago, they were not aware that a member of the Mulerider family is one of more than 1,400 whose life could be saved.
The stem cell/bone marrow registry drive is scheduled for 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday both in the Reynolds Center Rotunda and the SAU Baptist Collegiate Ministry.
For more information, contact Dr. Becky Parnell at (870)235-4365 or at bbparnell@saumag.edu .
The SAU BSN students initially behind the project are Renee Langley, Tabitha Elliott and Courtney Owens. Parnell explained that while attending the Arkansas Student Nurses Association annual meeting in Little Rock, the students were introduced to the need for bone marrow donors. They even registered to be possible donors themselves.
Parnell said they realized this project was a perfect example of how nurses can impact the care of people outside the normal hospitalized patient.
They recognized how many people this could potentially impact and wanted to recruit more people (to register), said Parnell. I have seen the bone marrow process it is truly a life-saving intervention for many people that are devastated by leukemia.
When Parnell began promoting the registry event on campus, it was brought to her attention that Sydney Galway, the daughter of a Magnolia native, 1984 SAU alum and Board of Governors Chair Beth Galway, is suffering with acute myeloid leukemia.
Sydney Galway is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant.
When Sydney was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, the doctors told us that Sydneys only cure would come from a bone marrow transplant. The doctors were, and are, confident of the success of her treatment due to the fact that she has a high chance to find a perfect bone marrow donor, said Galway.
Her increased chance of finding a match, Galway explained, is simply because she is a Caucasian female which has one of the highest bone marrow donor rates. She has a 97 percent chance to find a donor.
Of course, the first donor they looked at was her sister. A sibling has only a 25 percent chance to be a match; a parent even less. Sydneys sister was not a match, said Galway.
Donor matches are generally based on race. With todays diverse community, the need for bone marrow donors from minority and mixed race groups is high. An African American patient has only a 66 percent chance to find a match.
The doctors and nurses that I have talked to indicate that the need is huge for African Americans as well as donors from India, said Galway.
She said that the treatment for Sydney, who is a sophomore in college, is now in phase 3. Her next step is a bone marrow transplant.
We hope to have a perfect match for her and pray that the donor will be willing to do all that is necessary for providing the blood or bone marrow needed for the transplant, said Galway.
The drive is being sponsored by SAUs Department of Nursing and University Health Services. Junior and senior BSN students will also be assisting in the bone marrow drive as a professional development activity.
Becoming a member of a stem cell/bone marrow registry only requires that you provide a swab of the cells inside your cheek. To register is a painless and fast way to possibly save a life.
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Stem cell registry drive at SAU seeks to connect potential donors with people who need help - Magnoliareporter
SNA strives to find bone marrow donors at MU – MU The Parthenon
By LizaAVILA
Saving a life can begin with a simple swab of a cheek.
Marshalls Student Nurses Association is trying to help accomplish this goal through a bone marrow registry drive with Be The Match, a nonprofit organization, Feb. 15 in the Memorial Student Center. Anyone from ages 18 to 44 with no major preexisting diseases are eligible to register.
The main idea is that Be The Match connects critically ill patients with a life-saving bone marrow donor, senior nursing major Molly Arthur said. Most patients do not find a marrow match within their own family, so they have to rely on a complete stranger to donate to them.
The SNA decided to do this drive after meeting several patients through their clinicals at Cabell Huntington Hospital who have the possibility of receiving a bone marrow transplant through the course of their treatment.
I know a little boy who went recently to see if he had any matches to get a transplant, and they had 10 people that were matches for him, senior nursing major Jenna Fields said. If he would need one later on, they would wipe out his immune system and replace it through the bone marrow to fight off the disease.
In order to register, donors will go through a series of questions about their medical history and will have their cheeks swabbed to collect cells, which will take about 10 minutes. According to Be The Match registry, only one in every 430 people go on to donate.
There are three ways to donate: peripheral blood stem cells through an IV, bone marrow through the hip by a surgical procedure and cord blood after giving birth.
They put an IV in, they take the blood out and spin out what they need and everything else goes back into your body. Its just like giving blood, and you potentially save a life, senior nursing major Alison Evans said.
The registry drive is taking place in the Don Morris Room from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 15. The SNA has a goal of registering 100 donors.
The more people on the registry, the more likely you are to find a match, Evans said. The goal is to get as many people on the registry as possible to potentially raise someones percentage of finding a match.
Heather Barker can be contacted at [emailprotected]
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SNA strives to find bone marrow donors at MU - MU The Parthenon
Lion-hearted fighter beats the odds – The Straits Times
By Sykes24Tracey
Ten-year-old Boon Kye Feng prances around the living room in furry purple pants that match the lion's head he is wearing.
He lifts the head and moves it from side to side to a beat only he can hear.
Even when the little lion gets thirsty, he drinks water through the opening in the head.
Seeing him at play, it may be difficult for strangers to tell that he has spent almost half his life battling leukaemia.
His family fought it along with him, gifting two transplants - cord blood from his baby sister and stem cells from his mother - to keep him alive.
MIRACLE BOY
I believe Kye Feng is a 'miracle'. We have all learnt a lot from him, not only in the science of managing the disease and the doctor-patient relationship, but also in his love of life, and his fearlessness and resilience, despite the years of pain and suffering.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR TAN POH LIN, from the paediatric haematology- oncology division of NUH.
Despite the intensive treatment, his parents said he had remained positive and playful.
It had started in late 2011 when Kye Feng developed spots and bruises which his parents thought were sandfly bites.
When the spots appeared a second time, his mother, Mrs Celine Boon, decided to take him for a check-up.
Doctors found that his white blood cell count was very high and told the family he could have leukaemia (cancer of the blood).
It was diagnosed as juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia (JMML), a rare form of the disease.
But Mrs Boon, 38, was not too surprised.
This was because Kye Feng and his twin brother, Kye Teck, had previously developed juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG), a skin disorder that is usually benign and self-limiting.
They also have an older sister, now 16, who was unaffected.
While reading up on JXG earlier, Mrs Boon had come across a potential link to JMML.
She said: "Still, I had never expected that it would happen to my son. I was quite alarmed."
JMML is so rare that blood samples had to be sent to Germany to confirm the diagnosis.
Kye Feng began chemotherapy at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) in 2012 to control the condition while waiting for a bone marrow transplant.
Although KKH doctors had not seen a JMML case in about 10 years, they did the transplant as there were few other options.
His father, Mr Roy Boon, 46, said: "It was all trial and error. There's no exact treatment for JMML."
Mrs Boon was then pregnant with their fourth child and doctors said the baby girl's cord blood could be used for the transplant as there is a 25 per cent chance of a match between siblings.
Juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia (JMML) is a very rare form of childhood leukaemia. The hallmark symptom of the disease is the increased number of white blood cells known as monocytes.
Normal monocytes protect the body from infections, but those in patients with this leukaemia are cancerous and reproduce uncontrollably. The monocytes may then infiltrate organs such as the liver, spleen, lungs, lymph nodes and even skin.
In Western countries, one in a million children are afflicted with the disease each year. Based on Singapore population statistics last year, there is an average of one case every three years.
For the majority of JMML patients, a haematopoietic - or blood forming - stem cell transplant (HSCT) is the only curative option.
Stem cells are cells that have the potential for self-renewal and differentiation. They can develop into different forms, including white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. Such a transplant can help patients develop new and healthy blood cells.
Stem cells can be found in the bone marrow, blood, fat tissue and placenta. They are abundant in the bone marrow but, even so, make up only 1 per cent of all cells there.
They can be "harvested" directly from the bone marrow or from the blood, whether they are from an adult volunteer or from umbilical cord blood.
The bone marrow must be stimulated to coax or force the stem cells into the peripheral blood system, but techniques are well-tested and safe.
After undergoing HSCT, 50 per cent of the patients will go on to become long-term survivors.
Abigail Ng
Source: Associate Professor Tan Poh Lin, senior consultant at the division of paediatric haematology-oncology, National University Hospital.
Thankfully, it was a full match for Kye Feng, who had the transplant and recovered well.
He looked forward to starting Primary 1 with his brother.
But before the March holidays of his first year in school, doctors noticed that the percentage of donor cells in him was beginning to fall, signalling that there could be a problem.
When it became clear that the cancer had returned, Mrs Boon said she broke down and cried.
"I was shocked. There weren't any physical symptoms. Why did it happen so quickly? It wasn't even one year after the transplant and things had looked so promising," she said.
A SECOND CHANCE
The family sought a second opinion from the National University Hospital (NUH) and entered into the care of Associate Professor Tan Poh Lin from the paediatric haematology-oncology division.
While doctors from both hospitals suggested a second transplant for Kye Feng, there was more bad news.
His illness was mutating into mixed-phenotype acute leukaemia, a combination of two forms of cancer.
He also faced a life-threatening infection that caused high fever and bloating.
Besides beginning palliative care to improve his quality of life, the family continued to push for treatment, including natural killer-cell therapy and the removal of Kye Feng's enlarged spleen in a complicated seven-hour operation.
Even though the test results showed that leukaemic cells remained in his bone marrow, Kye Feng had a second transplant in September 2015, this time using stem cells from his mother.
Doctors usually recommend transplants only when patients register no leukaemic cells.
Mrs Boon said: "If he didn't have the transplant, he would have only six months more. With the transplant, he would at least have a chance of recovery.
"He was fighting hard. If I didn't give him the chance, I would never know if he could have survived."
Kye Feng responded well to his mother's stem cells.
Dr Tan said: "I believe Kye Feng is a 'miracle'. We have all learnt a lot from him, not only in the science of managing the disease and the doctor-patient relationship, but also in his love of life, and his fearlessness and resilience, despite the years of pain and suffering."
The crucial three months after the transplant passed by without issue, but the boy developed a graft versus host disease (GVHD) one year later.
Still, his parents were relieved that it was not a second relapse.
He was put on medication for GVHD and will recover completely.
In the meantime, the family is treasuring the time they can spend together.
Mrs Boon said: "We will relax and go with the flow, as long as Kye Feng is happy."
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Lion-hearted fighter beats the odds - The Straits Times
Spinal Cord Injury and Stem Cell Therapy
By Dr. Matthew Watson
After a spinal cord injury, many of the nerve fibers at the injury site lose their insulating layer of myelin. As a result, the fibers are no longer able to properly transmit signals between the brain and the spinal cord contributing to paralysis. Unfortunately, the spinal cord lacks the ability to restore these lost myelin-forming cells after trauma.
Tissue engineering in the spinal cord involves the implantation of scaffold material to guide cell placement and foster cell development. These scaffolds can also be used to deliver stem cells at the site of injury and maximize their regenerative potential.
When the spinal cord is damagedeither accidentally (car accidents, falls) or as the result of a disease (multiple sclerosis, infections, tumors, severe forms of spinal bifida, etc.)it can result in the loss of sensation and mobility and even in complete paralysis.
For publications on spinal cord injuries, please click here.
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Spinal Cord Injury and Stem Cell Therapy
Bangladesh performs 25th bone marrow transplants in the first-ever centre – Bangladesh News 24 hours
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Bangladesh News 24 hours | Bangladesh performs 25th bone marrow transplants in the first-ever centre Bangladesh News 24 hours In bone marrow transplantation, doctors replace damaged or destroyed marrow the soft and spongy tissue inside bones with healthy bone marrow stem cells to treat different types of blood cancer, certain genetic blood and immunity disorders like ... |
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Bangladesh performs 25th bone marrow transplants in the first-ever centre - Bangladesh News 24 hours
Scientists discover an unexpected influence on dividing stem cells’ fate – ScienceBlog.com (blog)
By LizaAVILA
ScienceBlog.com (blog) | Scientists discover an unexpected influence on dividing stem cells' fate ScienceBlog.com (blog) When most cells divide, they simply make more of themselves. But stem cells, which are responsible for repairing or making new tissue, have a choice: They can generate more stem cells or differentiate into skin cells, liver cells, or virtually any of ... |
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Scientists discover an unexpected influence on dividing stem cells' fate - ScienceBlog.com (blog)
Can banking baby teeth treat diabetes? – Fox News
By daniellenierenberg
When she was just 11 months old, Billie Sue Wozniaks daughter Juno was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that affects 1.25 million people and approximately 200,000 children under age 20 in the United States.
The disease had affected several members of Billie Sues family, including her uncle, who passed away at the age of 30.
My first thought was, Her life is going to be short, the 38-year-old from Reno, Nevada recalled. The more that I learned, the more I found that many people with type 1 live longer and the treatment advances are really exciting.
While looking for treatments, Wozniak learned about encapsulation therapy, in which an encapsulated device containing insulin-producing islet cells derived from stem cells is implanted under the skin. The encapsulation device is designed to protect the cells from an autoimmune attack and may help people produce their own insulin.
After learning of the therapy through JDRF, Wozniak saw an ad on Facebook for Store-A-Tooth, a company that offers dental stem cell banking. She decided to move forward with the stem cell banking, just in case the encapsulation device became an option for Juno.
In March 2016, a dentist extracted four of Junos teeth, and sent them to a lab so her stem cells could be cryopreserved. Wozniak plans to bank the stem cells from Junos molars as well.
Its a riskI dont know for sure if it will work out, Wozniak said.
Dental stem cells: a future of possibilities
For years, stem cells from umbilical cord blood and bone marrow have been used to treat blood and bone marrow diseases, blood cancers and metabolic and immune disorders.
Although there is the potential for dental stem cells to be used in the same way, researchers are only beginning to delve into the possibilities.
Dental stem cells are not science fiction, said Dr. Jade Miller, president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. I think at some point in time, were going to see dental stem cells used by dentistson a daily practice.
Dental stem cells have the potential to produce dental tissue, bone, cartilage and muscle. They may be used to repair cavities, fix a tooth damaged from periodontal disease or bone loss, or even grow a tooth instead of using dental implants.
In fact, stem cells can be used to repair cracks in teeth and cavities, according to a recent mouse study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Theres also some evidence that dental stem cells can produce nerve tissue, which might eliminate the need for root canals. A recent study out of Tufts University found that a collagen-based biomaterial used to deliver stem cells to the inside of damaged teeth can regenerate dental pulp-like tissues.
Dental stem cells may even be able to treat neurological disorders, spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries.
I believe those are the kinds of applications that will be the first uses of these cells, said Dr. Peter Verlander, Chief Scientific Officer for Store-A-Tooth.
When it comes to treating diseases like type 1 diabetes, dental stem cells also show promise. In fact, a study in the Journal of Dental Research found that dental stem cells were able to form islet-like aggregates that produce insulin.
Unlike umbilical cord blood where theres one chance to collect stem cells, dental stem cells can be collected from several teeth. Also, gathering stem cells from bone marrow requires invasive surgery and risk, and it can be painful and costly.
The stem cells found in baby teeth, known as mesenchymal cells, are similar to those found in other parts of the body, but not identical.
There are differences in these cells, depending on where they come from, Verlander said.
Whats more, mesenchymal stem cells themselves differ from hematopoietic, or blood-forming stem cells. Unlike hematopoietic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells can expand.
From one tooth, we expect to generate hundreds of billions of cells, Verlander said.
Yet the use of dental stem cells is not without risks. For example, theres evidence that tumors can develop when stem cells are transplanted. Theres also a chance of an immune rejection, but this is less likely if a person uses his own stem cells, Miller said.
The process for banking stem cells from baby teeth is relatively simple. A dentist extracts the childs teeth when one-third of the root remains and the stem cells are still viable. Once the teeth are shipped and received, the cells are extracted, grown and cryopreserved.
Store-A-Tooths fees include a one-time payment of $1,749 and $120 per year for storage, in addition to the dentists fees for extraction.
For families who are interested in banking dental stem cells, they should know that theyre not necessarily a replacement for cord blood banking or bone marrow stem cells.
Theyre not interchangeable, we think of them as complementary, Verlander said.
Although the future is unclear for Junowho was born in 2008her mom is optimistic that shell be able to use the stem cells for herself and if not, someone else.
Ultimately, however, Wozniak hopes that if dental stem cells arent the answer, there will be a biological cure for type 1 diabetes.
I hold out hope that somewhere, someone is going to crack the code, she said.
Julie Revelant is a health journalist and a consultant who provides content marketing and copywriting services for the healthcare industry. She's also a mom of two. Learn more about Julie at revelantwriting.com.
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Can banking baby teeth treat diabetes? - Fox News
This Breakthrough In Biotech Has Enormous Investment Potential – Forbes
By daniellenierenberg
Forbes | This Breakthrough In Biotech Has Enormous Investment Potential Forbes Asterias Biotherapeutics (AST) continues to generate excitement and buzz around its stem cell treatment for catastrophic spinal cord injury (SCI). I wrote about this historic event back in September. That's when the company first released results about ... |
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This Breakthrough In Biotech Has Enormous Investment Potential - Forbes
Myocardial Stem Cell Patch Developed with 3D Printer – BusinessKorea
By daniellenierenberg
BusinessKorea | Myocardial Stem Cell Patch Developed with 3D Printer BusinessKorea The myocardial patch, which is printed with a 3D printer and attached to the hearts of such patients for blood vessel and tissue regeneration, has a structure in which cardiac extracellular matrices are used as bio ink and cardiac stem cells and ... |
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Myocardial Stem Cell Patch Developed with 3D Printer - BusinessKorea
Stem cell registry drive at SAU Feb. 14-15 – SAU
By LizaAVILA
When three Southern Arkansas University nursing students started organizing next weeks stem cell registry drive more than three months ago, they were not aware that a member of the Mulerider family is one of more than 1,400 whose life could be saved.
The stem cell/bone marrow registry drive is scheduled for 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on February 14-15 both in the Reynolds Center Rotunda and the SAU Baptist Collegiate Ministry. For more information, contact Dr. Becky Parnell at (870)235-4365 or at bbparnell@saumag.edu.
The SAU BSN students initially behind the project are Renee Langley, Tabitha Elliott and Courtney Owens. Parnell explained that while attending the Arkansas Student Nurses Association annual meeting in Little Rock, the students were introduced to the need for bone marrow donors. They even registered to be possible donors themselves. She said they realized this project was a perfect example of how nurses can impact the care of people outside the normal hospitalized patient.
They recognized how many people this could potentially impact and wanted to recruit more people (to register), said Parnell. I have seen the bone marrow process it is truly a life-saving intervention for many people that are devastated by leukemia.
When Parnell began promoting the registry event on campus, it was brought to her attention that the daughter of Magnolia native, 1984 SAU alum and Board of Governors Chair Beth Galway, Sydney, is suffering with acute myeloid leukemia and in dire need of a bone marrow transplant.
When Sydney was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, the doctors told us that Sydneys only cure would come from a bone marrow transplant. The doctors were, and are, confident of the success of her treatment due to the fact that she has a high chance to find a perfect bone marrow donor, said Galway.
Her increased chance of finding a match, Galway explained, is simply because she is a Caucasian female which has one of the highest bone marrow donor rates. She has a 97% chance to find a donor.
Of course, the first donor they looked at was her sister. A sibling has only a 25% chance to be a match; a parent even less. Sydneys sister was not a match, said Galway.
Donor matches are generally based on race. With todays diverse community, the need for bone marrow donors from minority and mixed race groups is high. An African American patient has only a 66% chance to find a match.
The doctors and nurses that I have talked to indicate that the need is huge for African Americans as well as donors from India, said Galway.
She said that the treatment for Sydney, who is a sophomore in college, is now in phase 3. Her next step is a bone marrow transplant.
We hope to have a perfect match for her and pray that the donor will be willing to do all that is necessary for providing the blood or bone marrow needed for the transplant, said Galway.
The drive is being sponsored by SAUs Department of Nursing and University Health Services. Junior and senior BSN students will also be assisting in the bone marrow drive as a professional development activity.
Becoming a member of a stem cell/bone marrow registry only requires that you provide a swab of the cells inside your cheek. To register is a painless and fast way to possibly save a life.
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Stem cell registry drive at SAU Feb. 14-15 - SAU
5 reasons you should sign up for the bone marrow registry right now – New York Daily News
By LizaAVILA
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Saturday, February 11, 2017, 5:00 AM
So, bless your heart, youve already signed up for your states organ donor registry. Now its time to kick your lifesaving quest up a notch and sign up for the National Marrow Donor Program, which helps match potential donors with patients fighting leukemia, lymphoma and other deadly diseases.
Here are five reasons to throw your name in the hat, if you needed some convincing:
You can join in person by stopping by a registration drive or by spending a few minutes on BeTheMatch.org. Either way, youll get a registration kit to provide a cheek swab, which the organization uses to identify tissue type and match with a patient.
People aged 18 to 44 hit the sweet spot, as theyre called upon 90% of the time the younger the donor, the smoother the recovery for both patient and donor, said Lauren Wollny, the New Jersey/New York community engagement representative for the nonprofit Icla Da Silva Foundation. The 45- to 60-year-old crowd can still sign up, albeit for a $100 tax-deductible fee that helps the nonprofit cover costs.
Bradley Cooper urges public to join bone marrow registry
Just 1 in 430 volunteers ever even get a call to begin the donation process.
Once youre identified as a match, youll submit to a blood test, physical exam and pregnancy test, all free of charge. A doctor will then recommend one of two procedures: a nonsurgical peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation (75% of the time), or bone marrow donation (25%), which involves surgery and anesthesia but isnt nearly as horrifying as youve heard.
For PBSC, the most common method, youll receive an injection of the drug filgrastim for five days leading up to the donation. On the big day, youll head to a clinic or blood center to have a needle draw blood from one arm, pass it through a machine that isolates the blood-forming cells, and return the blood to the other arm voila. Depending on the size of both patient and donor, it can take four to eight hours which you might use to reflect on what a terrific thing youre doing for a total stranger.
For bone marrow donation youll head to the OR, where a doctor will siphon liquid marrow from the back of your pelvic bone with a needle. The anesthesia will keep you numb, and though you may later feel back or hip soreness, fatigue and other side effects, you should be back to your normal routine within a week.
EXCLUSIVE: Bone marrow recipients to meet FDNY donors
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This is the one that gets a really bad rap, Wollny told the Daily News. Its not as bad as people make it out to be.
All in all, the average length of the donation process from start to finish is about 20 to 30 hours over a month or two and your own personal case manager will see you through the entire thing.
People are most likely to match with someone of the same ethnic background since the tissue types used for matching are inherited and the registry is starved for donors who are black or African American, Hispanic, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Asian, Alaska native, Native American and multiracial. If one of those describes your ancestry, go be a hero, please.
The Fort Lee, N.J., 12-year-old was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia last year, undergoing several rounds of chemo and a bone marrow transplant from her mom before eventually being pronounced cancer-free. But after a relapse in November, Lopez is fighting for her life once again and desperately in need of another bone marrow transplant.
New York tries to increase organ donations to those in need
The Long Island City-based Icla Da Silva Foundation will hold combo registry drive/fundraisers for the tween in New Jersey (Fort Lee and Union City), Georgia, Texas and Florida this Sunday. If youre free and in good health, you should go.
We hope to find Briana a match, and if we find other people a match as well, fantastic, Wollny said. Its so simple to save a life if it was you, wouldnt you want someone to do that for you?
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5 reasons you should sign up for the bone marrow registry right now - New York Daily News
Bone marrow registration drive planned to honor Salina man – Salina Journal (subscription)
By raymumme
A 45-year-old Salina man who was diagnosed with leukemia in November is being honored by a bone marrow registration drive Saturday being held at his church.
This is open to the whole community we want to stress that, said Linda Ourada, a member of the health ministry committee at St. Mary Queen of the Universe Catholic Church Parish Center, 230 E. Cloud. The drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the parish center.
Its possible that Phong Vos sister is a match for him, said Vos wife, Mary Pham.
More blood work is planned to determine if the match is close enough. In the meanwhile, the effort to sign up possible donors for Vo or anyone else who needs a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell donation is planned.
Pam Welsh, of Salina, said that more than a decade ago, she had her cheek swabbed during a bone marrow registration drive when a Bennington woman needed a match. She said she was called about a year later and told she was one of three people who were a possible match for a patient. She said she went to Salina Regional Health Center to have blood drawn for further testing.
I was given a choice if I wanted to continue in the process, she said. There was never any pressure.
She said that after the blood tests showed she was a good match for the patient, a nurse came to her house to give her shots to boost her stem cell count. Then she and a friend drove to a Wichita hospital, where she underwent an outpatient procedure during which her blood was drawn from one arm and passed through a machine that filtered out blood stem cells before the blood was returned to her other arm. Welsh said the procedure took one day, and then she took the next day off to recover. All expenses were paid by DKMS, an international organization that fights blood cancer and blood disorders, she said.
She said she found out that her blood was given to a 55-year-old man with some form of leukemia. She was told he was still alive when DKMS contacted her for a five-year checkup.
Although she never met him, Welsh said that for her there was a huge reward in knowing that I was able to help this man knowing that I gave him more years.
Its just a good feeling, she said.
Pham said Vo started feeling ill in October and has since undergone chemotherapy at Via Christi Hospital in Wichita and the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. However, the leukemia has persisted.
Pham, who works for Schwans, has lived in Salina since her grandparents and an aunt, who had lived here since 1975, acted as her sponsors when she immigrated from Vietnam about 21 years ago. She met Vo, who moved here in the late 1990s, at work, and they were married at St. Marys. They have four sons, ages 11, 11, 10 and 8, who have missed their father during his long hospital stays.
When my husband got sick, I was panicked, and I was like, What do I need to do? I dont know what to do, Pham said. Soon she was told about DKMS, which will attempt to match potential donors who register at the Salina drive with Vo and other patients.
The bone marrow registration process for DKMS is simple, said Linda Ourada, who is helping to organize the event.
Its not like drawing blood, Ourada said. People get this mixed up with a blood drive. Theres no blood involved.
A swab is taken from the inside of the cheek, which is then sent for DNA analysis and entered into a global donor computer registry that already includes information about 7 million potential donors.
Every day in the United States, there are 14,000 people waiting for this blood stem cell donation, and only 30 percent get a family match, so that leaves 70 percent out there looking for a suitable donation from someone like us, Ourada said.
Ourada said that in 2012, more than 250 people registered and nine potential matches were contacted for further testing during a bone marrow drive at the church to honor a St. Louis family with Salina ties who had four boys with a rare form of blood cancer.
There is no cost to register as a donor, although monetary donations are being accepted to cover the approximately $65 in costs associated with registering each possible donor.
Potential donors must be between the ages of 18 and 55, in general good health and be willing to donate should their marrow be matched with a person who needs it. Further details about weight and height requirements or other limiting factors can be found at dkmsamericas.org.
The donation process may be accomplished one of two ways, depending on the patients needs. The preferred method is a blood transfusion, but for some patients, an actual bone marrow graft is necessary. The marrow is harvested through a hollow needle from a hip bone in an outpatient surgical procedure.
Bone marrow could be used to treat blood cancers, anemias, genetic disorders and other life-threatening ailments.
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Bone marrow registration drive planned to honor Salina man - Salina Journal (subscription)
OCASCR scientists make progress in TSET-funded adult stem cell research – NewsOK.com
By NEVAGiles23
OCASCR scientist Lin Liu at work. Photo provided.
Working together, scientists from Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation are advancing adult stem cell research to treat some of todays most devastating diseases.
Under the umbrella of the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research (OCASCR), created with funding from the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, these scientists have amassed groundbreaking findings in one of the fastest growing areas of medical research.
We have made exciting progress, said OCASCR scientist Lin Liu, director of the Oklahoma Center for Respiratory and Infectious Diseases and director of the Interdisciplinary Program in Regenerative Medicine at Oklahoma State University.
We can convert adult stem cells into lung cells using our engineering process in petri dishes, which offers the possibility to repair damaged lung tissues in lung diseases, said Liu, whose research primarily focuses on lung and respiratory biology and diseases.
Using our engineered cells, we can also reverse some pathological features. These studies give us hope for an eventual application of these cells in humans.
Adult stem cells in the body are capable of renewing themselves and becoming various types of cells.
Until recently, stem cell treatments were largely restricted to blood diseases. However, new studies suggest many other types of adult stem cells can be used for medical treatment, and the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research was created to promote this branch of research.
OCASCR scientist Lin Liu and his team discussing their work. Photo provided.
Liu said the discipline provides hope for many ailments.
What most fascinated me in stem cell research is the hope that we may be able to use stem cells from our own body; for example, bone marrow or fat tissues to cure lung diseases, Liu said.
It is impossible to know exactly which diseases will respond to treatments.However, results of early experiments suggest many diseases should benefit from this type of research, including lung, heart, Alzheimers and Parkinsons diseases, as well as cancer, diabetes and spinal cord injuries. The field is often referred to as regenerative medicine, because of the potential to create good cells in place of bad ones.
While the application of stem cells can be broad, Liu hopes that his TSET-funded work will help develop treatments for diseases caused by tobacco use.
The goal of my research team is to find cures for lung diseases, Liu said. One such disease is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
COPD is the third leading cause of death in the country and cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD.
Cigarette smoking is also a risk factor for another fatal lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which has a mean life expectancy of 3 to 5 years after diagnosis, he added.
There is no cure for COPD or IPF. The current treatments of COPD and IPF only reduce symptoms or slow the disease progression.
Using OCASCR/TSET funding, my team is researching the possibility to engineer adult stem cells using small RNA molecules existing in the body to cure COPD, IPF and other lung diseases such as pneumonia caused by flu, Liu said.
This is vital research, considering that more than11 million peoplehave been diagnosed with COPD, but millions more may have the disease without even knowing it, according to the American Lung Association.
Despite declining smoking rates and increased smokefree environments, tobacco use continues to cause widespread health challenges and scientists will continue working to develop treatments to deal with the consequences of smoking.
We need to educate the public more regarding the harms of cigarette smoking, Liu said. My research may offer future medicines for lung diseases caused by cigarette smoking.
Under the umbrella of the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research (OCASCR), created with funding from the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, these scientists have amassed groundbreaking findings in one of the fastest growing areas of medical research. Photo provided.
Liu has been conducting research in the field of lung biology and diseases for more than two decades.
However, his interests in adult stem cell therapy began in 2010 when OCASCR was established through a grant with TSET, which provided funding to Oklahoma researchers for stem cell research.
I probably would have never gotten my feet into stem cell research without OCASCR funding support, he said. OCASCR funding also facilitated the establishment of the Interdisciplinary Program in Regenerative Medicine at OSU.
These days, Liu finds himself fully immersed in the exciting world of adult stem cell research and collaborating with some of Oklahomas best scientific minds.
Dr. Liu and his colleagues are really thriving. It was clear seven years ago that regenerative medicine was a hot topic and we already had excellent scientists in the Oklahoma, said Dr. Paul Kincade, founding scientific director of OCASCR. All they needed was some resources to re-direct and support their efforts. OSU investigators are using instruments and research grants supplied by OCASCR to compete with groups worldwide. TSET can point to their achievements with pride.
The Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research represents collaboration between scientists all across the state, aiming to promote studies by Oklahoma scientists who are working with stem cells present in adult tissues.
The center opened in 2010 and has enhanced adult stem cell research by providing grant funding for researchers, encouraging recruitment of scientists and providing education to the people of Oklahoma.
We are fortunate that the collaboration at the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research is yielding such positive results, said John Woods, TSET executive director. This research is leading to ground breaking discoveries and attracting new researchers to the field. TSET is proud to fund that investments for Oklahomans.
Funding research is a major focus for TSET and it comes with benefits reaching beyond the lab. For every $1 TSET has invested at OCASCR, scientists have been able to attract an additional $4 for research at Oklahoma institutions, TSET officials said.
TSET also supports medical research conducted by the Stephenson Cancer Center and the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center.
For more information, visit http://www.ocascr.org.
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OCASCR scientists make progress in TSET-funded adult stem cell research - NewsOK.com