NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Human stem cells engineered to produce renewable sources of mature, liver-like cells can be grown and infected with malaria to test potentially life-saving new drugs, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The advance comes at a time when the parasitic mosquito-borne disease, which kills nearly 600,000 people every year, is showing increased resistance to current treatment, especially in Southeast Asia, according to the World Health Organization.

The liver-like cells, or hepatocytes, in the MIT study were manufactured from stem cells derived from donated skin and blood samples.

The resulting cells provide a potentially replenishable platform for testing drugs that target the early stage of malaria, when parasites may linger and multiply in the liver for weeks before spreading into the bloodstream.

Sangeeta Bhatia, a biomedical engineer and senior author of the MIT report, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that the breakthrough study not only showed that these liver-like cells could host a malaria infection but also described a way to mature the young cells so that an adult-like metabolism, necessary for drug development, could be established.

The study is published in the Feb. 5 online issue of Stem Cell Reports.

Stem cells retain the genetic makeup of their donors, affording researchers the potential to test drugs against a large variety of genetic types and a variety of diseases.

"This allows us to explore in depth how different diseases affect different people, in this case malaria," Bob Palay, chairman and CEO of Cellular Dynamics International (CDI), told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"This allows you to study it in a dish and find new drugs," he added, noting that CDI uses blood samples for its stem cells.

Before this development, researchers tested new drugs using human liver cells from cadavers and cancerous liver cells.

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Stem cells offer promising key to new malaria drugs: US research

FAQ Part 1: MEsenchymal Stem cell therapy for CAnadian MS patients (MESCAMS)
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation have announced a $4.2 million grant in support of the MEse...

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How about Stem Cell Therapy for LBD, Nova Cells Institute stem cells
Nova Cells Institute makes a difference because we care - like the Bumble Bee - doing the impossible- http://www.novacellsinstitute.com.

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Stem Cell Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction - Alvarado Hospital
The first study in the U.S. to determine if stem cell therapy can treat erectile dysfunction. Alvarado Hospital #39;s Drs. Irwin Goldstein and Barry Handler discuss this FDA-approved study and...

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Autologous Stem Cell Transplant | Animation Video
What is a Autologous Stem Cell Transplant? Most stem cells are in your bone marrow. You also have some in your blood that circulate from your bone marrow. Bo...

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In the bone marrow, blood stem cells give rise to a large variety of mature blood cells via progenitor cells at various stages of maturation. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have developed a way to equip mouse blood stem cells with a fluorescent marker that can be switched on from the outside. Using this tool, they were able to observe, for the first time, how stem cells mature into blood cells under normal conditions in a living organism. With these data, they developed a mathematical model of the dynamics of hematopoiesis. The researchers have now reported in the journal Nature that the normal process of blood formation differs from what scientists had previously assumed when using data from stem cell transplantations.

Since ancient times, humankind has been aware of how important blood is to life. Naturalists speculated for thousands of years on the source of the body's blood supply. For several centuries, the liver was believed to be the site where blood forms. In 1868, however, the German pathologist Ernst Neumann discovered immature precursor cells in bone marrow, which turned out to be the actual site of blood cell formation, also known as hematopoiesis. Blood formation was the first process for which scientists formulated and proved the theory that stem cells are the common origin that gives rise to various types of mature cells.

"However, a problem with almost all research on hematopoiesis in past decades is that it has been restricted to experiments in culture or using transplantation into mice," says Professor Hans-Reimer Rodewald from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ). "We have now developed the first model where we can observe the development of a stem cell into a mature blood cell in a living organism."

Dr. Katrin Busch from Rodewald's team developed genetically modified mice by introducing a protein into their blood stem cells that sends out a yellow fluorescent signal. This fluorescent marker can be turned on at any time by administering a specific reagent to the animal. Correspondingly, all daughter cells that arise from a cell containing the marker also send out a light signal.

When Busch turned on the marker in adult animals, it became visible that at least one third (approximately 5000 cells) of a mouse's hematopoietic stem cells produce differentiated progenitor cells. "This was the first surprise," says Busch. "Until now, scientists had believed that in the normal state, very few stem cells -- only about ten -- are actively involved in blood formation."

However, it takes a very long time for the fluorescent marker to spread evenly into peripheral blood cells, an amount of time that even exceeds the lifespan of a mouse. Systems biologist Prof. Thomas Hfer and colleagues (also of the DKFZ) performed mathematical analysis of these experimental data to provide additional insight into blood stem cell dynamics. Their analysis showed that, surprisingly, under normal conditions, the replenishment of blood cells is not accomplished by the stem cells themselves. Instead, they are actually supplied by first progenitor cells that develop during the following differentiation step. These cells are able to regenerate themselves for a long time -- though not quite as long as stem cells do. To make sure that the population of this cell type never runs out, blood stem cells must occasionally produce a couple of new first progenitors.

During embryonic development of mice, however, the situation is different: To build up the system, all mature blood and immune cells develop much more rapidly and almost completely from stem cells.

The investigators were also able to accelerate this process in adult animals by artificially depleting their white blood cells. Under these conditions, blood stem cells increase the formation of first progenitor cells, which then immediately start supplying new, mature blood cells. In this process, several hundred times more cells of the so-called myeloid lineage (thrombocytes, erythrocytes, granulocytes, monocytes) form than long-lived lymphocytes (T cells, B cells, natural killer cells) do.

"When we transplanted our labeled blood stem cells from the bone marrow into other mice, only a few stem cells were active in the recipients, and many stem cells were lost," Rodewald explains. "Our new data therefore show that the findings obtained up until now using transplanted stem cells can surely not be reflective of normal hematopoiesis. On the contrary, transplantation is an exception [to the rule]. This shows how important it is that we actually follow hematopoiesis under normal conditions in a living organism."

The scientists in Rodewald's department, working together with Thomas Hfer, now also plan to use the new model to investigate the impact of pathogenic challenges to blood formation: for example, in cancer, cachexia or infection. This method would also enable them to follow potential aging processes that occur in blood stem cells in detail as they occur naturally in a living organism.

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Observing stem cells maturing into blood cells in living mouse

DROPS of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask is designed to be left on overnight without washing off. The lightweight, pliable mask molds itself like a second skin, making skin look younger and fresher.

The Body Shop introduces its Drops of Youth, Red Musk Fragrance, and Limited-Edition Forbidden Flower collections.

Drops of Youth, made from edelweiss flower stem cells sourced from the Alps, replenishes your skin in the most natural way. Left on overnight, the lightweight mask is like a second skin. In the morning, skin feels smooth and hydrated, and looks younger and fresher.

Red Musk, The Body Shops most unconventional scent to date, turns up the heat.

The Limited-Edition Forbidden Flower Collection is a body care and fragrance line inspired by the poppy flower.

DROPS of YouthWonderblur is a skin smoother that reduce fine lines and pores for an even, flawless finish.

Known for its thrust in protecting the planet, The Body Shop never tests its products on animals. The line has a Community Fair Trade program, where high-quality natural ingredients are sourced in different parts of the world where small stakeholders and artisans can benefit.

The Drops of Youth and Red Musk collections are available at The Body Shop stores nationwide, while Forbidden Flower Collection is available at selected The Body Shop branches. SM Advantage Card members can now earn and redeem points in all The Body Shop stores.

THE RED Musk Fragrance Collection. I wanted to create a fragrance that wasnt the typical girly girl scent. I wanted to change the rules of fragrance. Instead, I used the sensuality and the warmth of spices blended withmusk to approach femininity differently, says Corinne Cachen, master perfumer.

FORBIDDEN Flower Body Butter gives your skin the pleasure of pure potent moisture.

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Theres a lot to love at The Body Shop

terapia celular para cinomose - distemper stem cell therapy
Caso de cinomose tratado com terapia celular - unesp - botucatu Stem cell therapy for distemper in a dog.

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Stem-cell advocates pin their hopes on an artificial pancreas to treat diabetes.

Fourteen years ago, during the darkest moments of the stem-cell wars pitting American scientists against the White House of George W. Bush, one group of advocates could be counted on to urge research using cells from human embryos: parents of children with type 1 diabetes. Motivated by scientists who told them these cells would lead to amazing cures, they spent millions on TV ads, lobbying, and countless phone calls to Congress.

Now the first test of a type 1 diabetes treatment using stem cells has finally begun. In October, a San Diego man had two pouches of lab-grown pancreas cells, derived from human embryonic stem cells, inserted into his body through incisions in his back. Two other patients have since received the stand-in pancreas, engineered by a small San Diego company called ViaCyte.

Its a significant step, partly because the ViaCyte study is only the third in the United States of any treatment based on embryonic stem cells. These cells, once removed from early-stage human embryos, can be grown in a lab dish and retain the ability to differentiate into any of the cells and tissue types in the body. One other study, since cancelled, treated several patients with spinal-cord injury (see Geron Shuts Down Pioneering Stem-Cell Program and Stem-Cell Gamble), while tests to transplant lab-grown retina cells into the eyes of people going blind are ongoing (see Stem Cells Seem Safe in Treating Eye Disease).

Type 1 patients must constantly monitor their blood glucose using finger pricks, carefully time when and what they eat, and routinely inject themselves with insulin that the pancreas should make. Insulin, a hormone, triggers the removal of excess glucose from the blood for storage in fat and muscles. In type 1 diabetics, the pancreas doesnt make it because their own immune system has attacked and destroyed the pancreatic islets, the tiny clusters of cells containing the insulin-secreting beta cells.

The routine is especially hard on children, but if they dont manage their glucose properly, they could suffer nerve and kidney damage, blindness, and a shortened life span. Yet despite years of research, there is still just nothing to offer patients, says Robert Henry, a doctor at the University of California, San Diego, whose center is carrying out the surgeries for ViaCyte.

Henry slightly overstates the case, but not by much. There is something called the Edmonton Protocol, a surgical technique first described in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2000. It used islets collected from cadavers; by transplanting them, doctors at the University of Alberta managed to keep all seven of their first patients off insulin for an entire year.

Early hopes for the Edmonton Protocol were quickly tempered, however. Only about half of patients treated have stayed off insulin long-term, and the procedure, which is still regarded as experimental in the U.S., isnt paid for by insurance. It requires recipients to take powerful immune-suppressing drugs for life. Suitable donor pancreases are in extremely short supply.

The early success of the Edmonton Protocol came only two years after the discovery of embryonic stem cells, in 1998. Those pressing for a diabetes cure quickly set a new goal: pair something like the Edmonton Protocol with the technology of lab-grown beta cells, the supplies of which are theoretically infinite.

This biocompatible capsule is designed to protect manufactured pancreas cells.

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Newswise MINNEAPOLIS Stem cell transplants may be more effective than the drug mitoxantrone for people with severe cases of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published in the February 11, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study involved 21 people whose disability due to MS had increased during the previous year even though they were taking conventional medications (also known as first-line treatments). The participants, who were an average age of 36, were at an average disability level where a cane or crutch was needed to walk.

In MS, the bodys immune system attacks its own central nervous system. In this phase II study, all of the participants received medications to suppress immune system activity. Then 12 of the participants received the MS drug mitoxantrone, which reduces immune system activity. For the other nine participants, stem cells were harvested from their bone marrow. After the immune system was suppressed, the stem cells were reintroduced through a vein. Over time, the cells migrate to the bone marrow and produce new cells that become immune cells. The participants were followed for up to four years.

This process appears to reset the immune system, said study author Giovanni Mancardi, MD, of the University of Genova in Italy. With these results, we can speculate that stem cell treatment may profoundly affect the course of the disease.

Intense immunosupression followed by stem cell treatment reduced disease activity significantly more than the mitoxantrone treatment. Those who received the stem cell transplants had 80 percent fewer new areas of brain damage called T2 lesions than those who received mitoxantrone, with an average of 2.5 new T2 lesions for those receiving stem cells compared to eight new T2 lesions for those receiving mitoxantrone.

For another type of lesion associated with MS, called gadolinium-enhancing lesions, none of the people who received the stem cell treatment had a new lesion during the study, while 56 percent of those taking mitoxantrone had at least one new lesion.

Mancardi noted that the serious side effects that occurred with the stem cell treatment were expected and resolved without permanent consequences.

More research is needed with larger numbers of patients who are randomized to receive either the stem cell transplant or an approved therapy, but its very exciting to see that this treatment may be so superior to a current treatment for people with severe MS that is not responding well to standard treatments, Mancardi said.

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Stem Cell Transplants May Work Better than Existing Drug for Severe Multiple Sclerosis

Durham, NC (PRWEB) February 11, 2015

Stem cells collected from placenta, which is generally discarded after childbirth, show promise as a treatment for heart failure. Found in the latest issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, a new study using mice determined that human-derived adherent cells (PDAC cells) significantly improved cardiac function when injected into the heart muscle.

Currently, about 6 million people in the United States alone suffer from heart failure, which is when the hearts pumping power is weaker than normal. Despite intensive medical care, almost 80 percent of people die within eight years of diagnosis, making it the worlds leading cause of death. Heart failure can be the result of coronary artery disease, heart attack and other conditions such as high blood pressure and valve disease.

Cell therapies for cardiac repair have generated considerable interest in recent years. While earlier studies using autologous bone marrow transplantation (that is, stem cells collected from the patients own bone marrow) helped improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI), more recent studies showed no benefit in the early stages after MI. This has led researchers to question whether mesenchymal stem cells from sources other than bone marrow, such as cord blood and placenta tissue, might yield better results.

Among those interested in this is an international team co-led by Patrick C.H. Hsieh of Taiwans Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, and Uri Herzberg of Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, Warren, New Jersey, U.S. They recently undertook a study to test the therapeutic effects of PDA-001, an intravenous formulation of PDAC cells, in mice. The researchers were also testing the best way to deliver the therapy.

Three weeks after chronic heart failure was induced in the animals they were treated with the stem cells by either direct intramyocardial (IM) or intravenous (IV) injection, Dr. Hsieh said. The results showed that the IM injections significantly improved the left ventricle systolic and diastolic functions compared with injection of vehicle or IV injection of PDA-001.

The IM injections also decreased cardiac fibrosis in the vicinity of the injection sites. We repeatedly observed improvement of cardiac function in the injected sites following IM PDA-001 treatment, Dr. Herzberg added. Based on these results, we want to continue our investigations to optimize the effect through controlling the dose, timing and delivery.

In this animal model of progressive heart injury, stem cells isolated from placenta showed promise as an off-the-shelf therapy for cardiac repair, warranting the need for testing in additional models," said Anthony Atala, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

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The full article, Human Placenta-derived Adherent Cells Improve Cardiac Performance in Mice with Chronic Heart Failure, can be accessed at http://stemcellstm.alphamedpress.org/content/early/2015/02/09/sctm.2014-0135.full.pdf+html.

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Stem Cells from Placenta Show Promise for Treating Heart Failure

Creation Of Rejuvenated Cell By Stem Cell Therapy - The Line Clinic
Stem cell therapy has become reality which was just possibilities and thoughts of science few days before. This amazing innovation makes life more secured an...

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Newswise Restoring function after spinal cord injury, which damages the connections that carry messages from the brain to the body and back, depends on forming new connections between the surviving nerve cells. While there are some delicate surgical techniques that reconnect the nerves, researchers are also looking at ways to restore the connections themselves at a cellular level.

With a five-year, nearly $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis, is using novel methods to take a closer look at how these nerve cells grow and make new connections to reroute signals between the brain and the body that could restore function and movement in people with these debilitating injuries.

Sakiyama-Elbert, also associate chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, is widely known for her groundbreaking work in tissue engineering techniques. Her research expertly blends biology, chemistry and biomedical engineering to focus on developing biomaterials for drug delivery and cell transplantation to treat peripheral nerve and spinal cord injury.

In the new research, funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, she and her lab members want to understand how these nerve cells, or neurons, form connections and rewire after a spinal cord injury, looking closely at which particular cells, or interneurons, are forming these new connections.

There have been a lot of studies where researchers have shown recovery in partial spinal cord injury models, but no one understands at a cellular level which cells are responsible for rewiring or forming the new connections, Sakiyama-Elbert said. If we want to make regeneration more efficient and potentially translatable to humans where it is more challenging, we need to understand whats actually going on at a cellular level.

Once we determine which cells are making connections, we can determine how to transplant more of those cells or try to stimulate tissue-specific stem cells to make those types of neurons and form these types of connections, Sakiyama-Elbert said.

While much is known about motor neurons, less is known about these interneurons in culture or how to direct their connection with other neurons. Sakiyama-Elbert is developing new tools that will allow her to isolate very pure groups of different types of interneurons and then study what encourages them to grow and form new connections.

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NIH Grant Will Help Understanding How Connections Rewire After Spinal Cord Injury

On the weekend, a whos who of hockey legends gathered to pay tribute to Gordie Howe in his hometown of Saskatoon.

In addition to sharing memories about Mr. Hockey, a constant theme of the festivities was his miracle recovery from stroke.

Mr. Howe, 86, suffered two strokes last year and, according to his family, was near death before he travelled to Clinica Santa Clarita in Tijuana, Mexico, in December for experimental stem-cell treatment.

Afterward, Mr. Howe was able to walk again. He regained a lot of weight and he began to resemble his old self. (Most of this is second-hand; Mr. Howe also suffers from dementia and has not or cannot speak of his symptoms or treatment first-hand.)

After his stem-cell treatment, the doctor told us it was kind of an awakening of the body, his son, Marty Howe, told The Canadian Press. They call it the miracle of stem cells and it was nothing less than a miracle.

Mr. Howes Lazarus-like recovery makes for a great tug-at-the-heartstrings narrative for a man whose career has been the embodiment of perseverance and longevity. But if you step back a moment and examine the science, all sorts of alarm bells should go off.

Stem cells, which were discovered in the early 1960s, have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cells, at least in the embryonic stage. They also serve as the bodys internal repair system.

The notion that spinal cords and limbs and heart muscle and brain cells could be regenerated holds a magical appeal.

But, so far, stem-cell therapies have been used effectively to treat only a small number of blood disorders, such as leukemia. (Canada has a public bank that collects stem cells from umbilical-cord blood and a program to match stem-cell donors with needy patients.)

Stem cells also show promise in the treatment of conditions such as spinal-cord injuries, Parkinsons and multiple sclerosis, but those hopes have not yet moved from the realm of science-fiction into clinical medicine.

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The stem-cell miracle is anecdotal

9 hours ago Inside the cell, calcium ions are released from a structure called the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Forces applied to the bead cause ion channels in the ER to open mechanically (shown in red above), rather through biochemical signaling chemically (shown in green below). Credit: Jie Sun/UC San Diego

After using optical tweezers to squeeze a tiny bead attached to the outside of a human stem cell, researchers now know how mechanical forces can trigger a key signaling pathway in the cells.

The squeeze helps to release calcium ions stored inside the cells and opens up channels in the cell membrane that allow the ions to flow into the cells, according to the study led by University of California, San Diego bioengineer Yingxiao Wang.

Researchers have known that mechanical forces exerted on stem cells have a significant role to play in how the cells produce all kinds of tissuesfrom bone to bloodfrom scratch. But until now, it hasn't been clear how some of these forces translate into the signals that prod the stem cells into building new tissue.

The findings published in the journal eLife could help scientists learn more about "the functional mechanisms behind stem cell differentiation," said Wang, an associate professor of bioengineering. They may also guide researchers as they try to recreate these mechanisms in the lab, to coax stem cells into developing into tissues that could be used in transplants and other therapies.

"The mechanical environment around a stem cell helps govern a stem cell's fate," Wang explained. "Cells surrounded in stiff tissue such as the jaw, for example, have higher amounts of tension applied to them, and they can promote the production of harder tissues such as bone."

Stem cells living in tissue environments with less stiffness and tension, on the other hand, may produce softer material such as fat tissue.

Wang and his colleagues wanted to learn more about how these environmental forces are translated into the signals that stem cells use to differentiate into more specialized cells and tissues. In their experiment, they applied force to human mesenchymal stem cellsthe type of stem cells found in bone marrow that transform into bone, cartilage and fat.

The engineers used a highly focused laser beam to trap and manipulate a tiny bead attached to the cell membrane of a stem cell, creating an optical "tweezers" to apply force to the bead. The squeeze applied by the tweezers was extremely smallon the order of about 200 piconewtons. (Forces are measured in a unit called newtons; one newton is about the weight of an apple held to the Earth by gravity, and one piconewton is equivalent to one-trillionth of a newton.)

When there were no calcium ions circulating outside the cell, this force helped to release calcium ions from a structure inside the cell called the endoplasmic reticulum. The release is aided by the cell's inner structural proteins called the cytoskeleton, along with contracting protein machinery called actomyosin. When the force triggered the movement of calcium ions into the cell from its extracellular environment, only the cytoskeleton was involved, the researchers noted.

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Engineers put the 'squeeze' on human stem cells

Portland, Oregon and Miami, Fla. (PRWEB) February 10, 2015

Global Stem Cells Group and the Regenerative Technology Alliance (RTA) have signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate and promote stem cell training programs. RTA, a global provider of standards and certification for the emerging fields of regenerative medicine and science, will work with the Global Stem Cells Group to evaluate the regenerative medicine companys training programs and assess GSCGs participating physicians against the RTAs established international standards for the practice of regenerative and cell-based medicine.

Our new alliance with the RTA is a natural step toward establishing GSCGs recognition as a global leader in stem cell medicine, says Global Stem Cells Group CEO Benito Novas. This is a perfect fit for us, as Global Stem Cells Group shares the RTAs focus on high standards and transparency, especially when it comes to patient safety and advancing the field of stem cell medicine.

We are very pleased to have this alliance, says David Audley, General Secretary and Chair of the RTA. Our goal is to provide the highest level of transparency and oversight for the industry. Working with Global will allow us to have a direct and dramatic impact on physician training.

For more information, visit the Global Stem Cells Group website, email bnovas(at)stemcellsgroup(dot)com, or call 305-224-1858.

About Global Stem Cells Group:

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products, and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators, and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions. With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.

About the RTA

The Regenerative Technology Alliance (RTA) a global provider of standards and certification for the emerging fields of regenerative medicine and science, is a 501(c)3 and is supported by donations from individuals, corporations and foundations to help advance its critical mission of bringing peer oversight and transparency to the field of cell-based and regenerative medicine.

For more information visit the RTA website, email david(at)regen-tech(dot)org, or call 503-446-5039.

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Global Stem Cells Group Announces Alliance with Regenerative Technology

DUBLIN, Feb .10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --Research and Markets

(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7zf9mz/cell_therapy) has announced the addition of Jain PharmaBiotech's new report "Cell Therapy - Technologies, Markets and Companies" to their offering.

This report describes and evaluates cell therapy technologies and methods, which have already started to play an important role in the practice of medicine. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is replacing the old fashioned bone marrow transplants. Role of cells in drug discovery is also described. Cell therapy is bound to become a part of medical practice.

Stem cells are discussed in detail in one chapter. Some light is thrown on the current controversy of embryonic sources of stem cells and comparison with adult sources. Other sources of stem cells such as the placenta, cord blood and fat removed by liposuction are also discussed. Stem cells can also be genetically modified prior to transplantation.

Cell therapy technologies overlap with those of gene therapy, cancer vaccines, drug delivery, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Pharmaceutical applications of stem cells including those in drug discovery are also described. Various types of cells used, methods of preparation and culture, encapsulation and genetic engineering of cells are discussed. Sources of cells, both human and animal (xenotransplantation) are discussed. Methods of delivery of cell therapy range from injections to surgical implantation using special devices.

Cell therapy has applications in a large number of disorders. The most important are diseases of the nervous system and cancer which are the topics for separate chapters. Other applications include cardiac disorders (myocardial infarction and heart failure), diabetes mellitus, diseases of bones and joints, genetic disorders, and wounds of the skin and soft tissues.

Regulatory and ethical issues involving cell therapy are important and are discussed. Current political debate on the use of stem cells from embryonic sources (hESCs) is also presented. Safety is an essential consideration of any new therapy and regulations for cell therapy are those for biological preparations.

The cell-based markets was analyzed for 2014, and projected to 2024.The markets are analyzed according to therapeutic categories, technologies and geographical areas. The largest expansion will be in diseases of the central nervous system, cancer and cardiovascular disorders. Skin and soft tissue repair as well as diabetes mellitus will be other major markets.

The number of companies involved in cell therapy has increased remarkably during the past few years. More than 500 companies have been identified to be involved in cell therapy and 294 of these are profiled in part II of the report along with tabulation of 285 alliances. Of these companies, 160 are involved in stem cells. Profiles of 72 academic institutions in the US involved in cell therapy are also included in part II along with their commercial collaborations. The text is supplemented with 61 Tables and 16 Figures. The bibliography contains 1,200 selected references, which are cited in the text.

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Cell Therapy Report 2014-2020 - Technologies, Markets and Companies

Kansas City, MO (PRWEB) February 09, 2015

One in five Americans will develop heart failure in their lifetime. It is the number one cause of hospitalization for adults over 65. The cost to treat heart failure is $32 billion and expected to double by 2030. There is no doubt heart failure is a significant health problem. The good news is proper care and treatment can dramatically improve a patients outcome and potentially promising new treatments are on the horizon.

February 8-14, 2015 is National Heart Failure Awareness Week. Saint Lukes Mid America Heart Institute, in Kansas City, Missouri specializes in treating heart failure and other complex cardiovascular conditions and has long been one of the leaders in cardiovascular care not only in the Midwest, but across the country.

Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to efficiently move blood to the rest of the body either due to thickening or weakness. Onset can come from a variety of causes including heart attack, viral illness, abnormal heart valves, genetic traits and even after pregnancy. Symptoms can be subtle; shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, swelling in the legs and or stomach.

The good news is a variety of treatments are available and proper care and treatment can dramatically improve symptoms and quality of life for patients.

Treatments include:

The exciting news for patients is we have promising treatments currently in the research phase of development, said Bethany Austin, M.D., Associate Medical Director of the Advanced Heart Failure Program at Saint Lukes Mid America Heart Institute. These treatments range from clinical trials involving catheter based treatments, treatment of sleep apnea, and gene therapy with stem cells for damaged heart muscles. In addition, there is a new medication which has shown in recent trials to provide significant benefit to heart failure patients compared to standard therapy although it is not yet commercially available. All of these offer new hope to heart failure patients.

Saint Lukes offers a multidisciplinary heart team, including the regions only team of cardiologists board certified in Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant, cardiothoracic surgeons, and critical care anesthesiologists.

The Saint Lukes Heart Failure Program also features:

In 2014, The Joint Commission awarded Saint Lukes Hospital Advanced Certification in Heart Failure. Only 53 other hospitals in the United States currently have Advanced Heart Failure Certification. Saint Lukes Hospital also received the Get With The GuidelinesHeart Failure Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation secondary prevention guidelines for heart failure patients.

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Saint Lukes Mid America Heart Institute Offers Tips & Treatments For Heart Failure Awareness Week 2015

Biotechs may be flush with cash, thanks to the ol bullish IPO market and an uptick in venture funding. But startups remainon the lookout for alternative funding models with crowdsourcing front and center.

This makes British biotech startup Cell Therapyparticularly interesting,itjustraised 689,246 or a bit over$1 million to launch a stem cell therapy for heart failure. This is one of the highest life sciences-related crowdfunding efforts topped only by Scanadu, whose handheld consumer diagnostic tool raised $1.6 million in Indiegogo.

Cell Therapy, which was founded by 2007 Nobel Prize winner Martin Evans, raised the funding on thesite Crowdcube exceeding its goal of 250,000 with backing from nearly 300 investors. It ceded a mere 0.39% in equity to the backers thatinclude investment bankers, hedge fund employees and scientists, CEO Ajan Reginald said.

It was very fast and very efficient, Reginaldtold Reuters. We have spent 5 percent of our time on fundraising, which enables me to spend 95 percent of my time on the business.

Crowdfunding is increasingly becoming an option for early stage biotechs that want to sidestep the traditional venture-backed approach. On one hand, its a relatively simple means to raise a large amount of seed capital but on the other, there are many more (potentially irate) investors to answer to when a companys in its nascence.

New York-based Poliwoggs entire premise is on bringing crowdfunding to healthcare with aims to help companies raise fundsfrom accredited investors beyond the seed stage, with rounds ranging from $2 million to $10 million mark.Notably, ithas its own regenerative medicine fund.

Part of the idea here is that people want to invest in the things they care about, but they havent always had the opportunity to invest in them, CEO Greg Simon told MedCity News.Were giving people the opportunity to put their money where their passion is.

Thats all fine and good to have a passion for a cause, but the traditional accredited investor whos enmeshed in a crowdfunding effort may still not understand the intricacies of what it takes to get results or a return in a tricky field like regenerative medicine.

John Carroll over atFierce Biotechopined that crowdfunding wont make a significant dent in the approach to life sciences crowdfunding. Stem cell therapy, after all, generated tons of media pomp and flair a decade ago, but has yet to deliver on many of its curative promises from back then. VCs are often burnt and reticent, and investors on crowdfunding sites will likely be, as well. Carroll says:

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Cell Therapy may have just raised $1M, but will crowdfunding have a lasting place in biotech?

Cell Therapy, which is based in the Welsh capital Cardiff, says the medicine has the potential to reduce scarring of the heart muscle caused by a heart attack or failure.

Chief executive Ajan Reginald, who was previously at Roche, said crowd funding was a quick way to raise money for final stage trials or commercial launches.

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"It was very fast and very efficient," he said. "We have spent five per cent of our time on fundraising, which enables me to spend 95 per cent of my time on the business."

The company's founder Martin Evans shared the 2007 Nobel Prize for medicine for groundbreaking stem cell research.

Cell Therapy used website Crowdcube to raise nearly three times its original target from more than 300 investors.

Mr Reginald said the backers included investment bankers, hedge fund employees and scientists.

"Crowd funding allows investors to look in detail at a company in their own time," he said, adding that some 10,000 investors had seen the pitch.

The company plans to publish data from clinical trials of the drug, called Heartcel, next month, before final stage trials with a view to a launch in 2016.

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Biotech firm Cell Therapy claims crowdfunding record with heart drug