21 Feb 2014 20:33

Staffordshire toddler has life-saving bone marrow transplant after match is finally found

Parents of a brave toddler battling leukaemia hailed a stem-cell donor their hero as their daughter received a life-saving bone marrow transplant.

Vicky and Yaser Martini, from Essington, Staffordshire, launched a huge internet campaign to find a match for 18-month-old Margot after she was diagnosed with two types of the cancer last October.

An estimated 40,000 people have requested donor packs from charity Delete Blood Cancer since the appeal, which has been backed by celebrities Stephen Fry, Gary Barlow and former Wolves hero Steve Bull.

Margot underwent a two-hour bone marrow transplant at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London on Friday after a stem cell donor match, said to be from outside the UK, was confirmed earlier this month.

The toddler napped contentedly in her pram as the stem cells were administered via a Hickman line in her chest said dad Yaser.

This young chap has done this selfless and benevolent thing. Frankly, he is my hero, he added.

I am watching it as it happens. It is quite something.

Margot Martini, with her brothers Rufus and Oscar, her dad Yaser and mum Vicky

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Hero stem-cell donor saves brave leukaemia patient Margot Martini

Duke University Health SystemDr. Victor J. Dzau, the current president and CEO of Duke University Health System

Dr. Victor J. Dzau, the current president and CEO of Duke University Health System and chancellor for health affairs at Duke University, has been appointed to a six-year term as the next president of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), effective July 1, 2014. Dr. Dzau will take over the lead role from Dr. Harvey Fineberg, who served in the position for twelve years.

Dr. Dzau began his career in medicine as a cardiologist, having previously taught at Harvard Medical School and served as chair of the department of medicine. He also worked at Brigham and Womens Hospital as the director of research. His ongoing award-winning research has been key in the development of cardiovascular drugs, as well as techniques to repair tissue damage from heart attacks and heart disease using stem cell therapies.

Dr. Eugene Braunwald, often called the father of modern cardiology and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, has known Dr. Dzau for more than 40 years and worked with him at many different stages of his career at Brigham and Womens Hospital and Partners Healthcare. In an interview Wednesday he called the upcoming IOM president a force of nature.

He is what I would call a talented, quadruple threat. A great physician, inspiring teacher, and a very creative scientist, said Dr. Braunwald, who trained Dzau when he was a resident at Brigham and Womens and continued to work with him on cardiovascular research when Dr. Dzau became chief resident, and then faculty at Harvard Medical School. The quadruple threat is that he also sees the larger picture. Hes interested in areas of medicine that most academic physicians have stayed away from. His work and ideas in global and community-based medicine have left an important heritage at each institution where hes worked.

After nearly a decade at Duke, Dr. Dzaus leadership has been credited with the launch of a number of innovative and global-focused medical institutions, including the Duke-National University of Signapore Graduate Medical School, Duke Global Health Institute, Duke Institute for Health Innovation, Duke Cancer Institute, as well as the Duke Translational Medicine Institute.

Im deeply honored to become the next president of the IOM and recognize the critically important role that the IOM will have in improving the health of the nation at a time of extraordinary evolution in biomedical research and health care delivery, Dzau said in a press release from Duke University Health System. The explosion of new data resources, novel technologies and breathtaking research advances make this the most promising time in history for driving innovations that will improve health care delivery, outcomes and quality.

As the health sciences extension of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine is known for its leadership in advancing health sciences and objective medical research nationally as a nonprofit academic research organization. The outgoing IOM president, Dr. Harvey Fineberg (previously Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health) has lead the nonprofit for twelve years. His focus and research have centered around public health policy and an improvement in informed medical decision making.

This leaves the medical community wondering what Dr. Dzau will bring to the Institute.

As a former chairman of the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC), Dr. Dzau advocated for the innovative transition of academic medical and health centers into institutions that can survive the rapid transitions in the health care industry. In a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Dzau discusses the uncertain future of academic medical centers. He argues that industry pressures and cost restraints from the Affordable Care Act limit the research and education-based missions of teaching hospitals.

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Duke Health System CEO appointed to head Institute of Medicine - Boston.com

CLINICell Stem Cell Therapy for Knee Meniscus Tear 1 year Follow-Up
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Stem Cell Therapy - Studies That Support Regenerative Therapy (Regenexx)
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REGINA Meeting Rick Hansen during his Man in Motion world tour sparked six-year-old Josef Buttigiegs fascination with biology and set his career course in motion.

Twenty-eight years after first meeting Hansen, Buttigieg is a biology professor at the University of Regina. Recently he received a $100,000 grant over two years from the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) to improve the lives of people with spinal cord injuries.

One day Buttigieg hopes hes able to heal his hero.

He vividly recalls hearing Hansen speak at his elementary school in Toronto and talking with him afterwards.

I was really curious about how being in a car accident can result in a spinal cord injury or not being able to walk I just couldnt fathom that, Buttigieg said.

During his first year at McMaster University in Hamilton, Buttigieg again crossed paths with Hansen when he spoke at the university during a ceremony where he received an honorary doctorate.

Further inspired, Buttigieg became a volunteer research student in a spinal cord injury lab at McMaster before pursuing graduate studies there. He went on to work with a prominent neurosurgeon specializing in spinal cord injuries before arriving at the U of R in 2011 and starting his research program.

One of the focuses of Buttigiegs research is stem cell regeneration for spinal cord injuries, stroke and multiple sclerosis.

In terms of the damage to the nervous system, its very similar between the three cases, he said.

When a spinal cord is healthy, a signal is sent from the brain to the nerve, and then the nerve is turned off.

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Helping people with spinal cord injuries

Freeport, The Bahamas (PRWEB) February 21, 2014

Okyanos Heart Institute, whose mission it is to bring a new standard of care and a better quality of life to patients with coronary artery disease using adult stem cell therapy, and Cytori Therapeutics have announced that they have established a ten year supply agreement for the Celution System family of products to be utilized by the Okyanos Heart Institute.

Cytoris Celution system is a CE-marked device that is compliant with the European Medical Device Directive, has a well established safety record and will be used by Okyanos to treat patients with coronary artery disease and other ischemic conditions, stated Matthew Feshbach, CEO and co-founder of Okyanos. In a small but rigorous double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, strong signals of efficacy from the placement of adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells (ADRCs) in the heart were reported, added Feshbach.

For Cytori, this agreement represents our expanding customer base and an important new customer focused on utilizing the global standard CelutionTM System to process ADRCs to treat patients, stated Christopher Calhoun, CEO of Cytori.

The Bahamas Parliament passed stem cell legislation and regulations in August, 2013, which focus on patient safety and require scientific and clinical trial data supporting the treatment being provided. Okyanos is building out a state-of-the-art cath lab capable of treating more than 1,000 patients per year in Freeport, The Bahamas.

ABOUT OKYANOS HEART INSTITUTE: (Oh key AH nos) Based in Freeport, The Bahamas, Okyanos Heart Institutes mission is to bring a new standard of care and a better quality of life to patients with coronary artery disease using cardiac stem cell therapy. Okyanos adheres to U.S. surgical center standards and is led by Chief Medical Officer Howard T. Walpole Jr., M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I. Okyanos Treatment utilizes a unique blend of stem and regenerative cells derived from ones own adipose (fat) tissue. The cells, when placed into the heart via a minimally-invasive procedure, can stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. Angiogenesis facilitates blood flow in the heart, which supports intake and use of oxygen (as demonstrated in rigorous clinical trials such as the PRECISE trial). The literary name Okyanos, the Greek god of rivers, symbolizes restoration of blood flow.

Okyanos LinkedIn Page: http://www.linkedin.com/company/okyanos-heart-institute

Okyanos Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/OKYANOS

Okyanos Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/#!/OkyanosHeart

Okyanos Google+ Page: https://plus.google.com/+Okyanos/posts

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The largest ever trial of adult stem cell therapy in heart attack patients has begun at The London Chest Hospital in the UK.

Heart disease is the world's leading cause of death. Globally, more than 17 million people died from heart disease last year. In the US, over 1 million people suffer a heart attack each year, and about half of them die.

Heart attacks are usually caused by a clot in the coronary artery, which stops the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. If the blockage is not treated within a few hours, then it causes the heart muscle to die.

The stem cell trial - titled "The effect of intracoronary reinfusion of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BM-MNC) on allcause mortality in acute myocardial infarction," or "BAMI" for short - has been made possible due to a 5.9 million ($8.1 million) award from the European Commission.

The full study involves 19 partners across France, Germany, Italy, Finland, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic and the UK.

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'Largest ever' trial of adult stem cells in heart attack patients begins

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20-Feb-2014

Contact: Deborah Williams-Hedges debwms@caltech.edu 626-395-3227 California Institute of Technology

In the battle against infection, immune cells are the body's offense and defensesome cells go on the attack while others block invading pathogens. It has long been known that a population of blood stem cells that resides in the bone marrow generates all of these immune cells. But most scientists have believed that blood stem cells participate in battles against infection in a delayed way, replenishing immune cells on the front line only after they become depleted.

Now, using a novel microfluidic technique, researchers at Caltech have shown that these stem cells might be more actively involved, sensing danger signals directly and quickly producing new immune cells to join the fight.

"It has been most people's belief that the bone marrow has the function of making these cells but that the response to infection is something that happens locally, at the infection site," says David Baltimore, president emeritus and the Robert Andrews Millikan Professor of Biology at Caltech. "We've shown that these bone marrow cells themselves are sensitive to infection-related molecules and that they respond very rapidly. So the bone marrow is actually set up to respond to infection."

The study, led by Jimmy Zhao, a graduate student in the UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program, will appear in the April 3 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell.

In the work, the researchers show that blood stem cells have all the components needed to detect an invasion and to mount an inflammatory response. They show, as others have previously, that these cells have on their surface a type of receptor called a toll-like receptor. The researchers then identify an entire internal response pathway that can translate activation of those receptors by infection-related molecules, or danger signals, into the production of cytokines, signaling molecules that can crank up immune-cell production. Interestingly, they show for the first time that the transcription factor NF-B, known to be the central organizer of the immune response to infection, is part of that response pathway.

To examine what happens to a blood stem cell once it is activated by a danger signal, the Baltimore lab teamed up with chemists from the lab of James Heath, the Elizabeth W. Gilloon Professor and professor of chemistry at Caltech. They devised a microfluidic chipprinted in flexible silicon on a glass slide, complete with input and output ports, control valves, and thousands of tiny wellsthat would enable single-cell analysis. At the bottom of each well, they attached DNA molecules in strips and introduced a flow of antibodiespathogen-targeting proteins of the immune systemthat had complementary DNA. They then added the stem cells along with infection-related molecules and incubated the whole sample. Since the antibodies were selected based on their ability to bind to certain cytokines, they specifically captured any of those cytokines released by the cells after activation. When the researchers added a secondary antibody and a dye, the cytokines lit up. "They all light up the same color, but you can tell which is which because you've attached the DNA in an orderly fashion," explains Baltimore. "So you've got both visualization and localization that tells you which molecule was secreted." In this way, they were able to measure, for example, that the cytokine IL-6 was secreted most frequentlyby 21.9 percent of the cells tested.

"The experimental challenges here were significantwe needed to isolate what are actually quite rare cells, and then measure the levels of a dozen secreted proteins from each of those cells," says Heath. "The end result was sort of like putting on a new pair of glasseswe were able to observe functional properties of these stem cells that were totally unexpected."

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A changing view of bone marrow cells

Paul Herron and Anne Hodgkinson wake up every day knowing their daughter could die.

Their 4-year-old, Katie, has cancer, and for the second time in her young life she is fighting to stay alive.

Shes scared. Shes terrified, Herron told the Star from Torontos Ronald McDonald House, where the Cambridge family is currently staying so Katie can get treatment at the Hospital for Sick Children.

For Anne and I, its been a parents worst nightmare.

When Katie was just 15 months old, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. But after 25 months of intensive treatment, including lumbar punctures, bone marrow aspirations, chemotherapy and steroids, Katie fought the cancer into remission.

Finally, the family thought, they could say goodbye to hospital beds and the hours spent pacing hallways waiting for results. Finally, they could be normal.

But last November, the life they had built for themselves crumbled once again. The cancer was back, and this time Katie would need a stem cell donor.

The first time, we never made it public. We kept to ourselves, said Herron. But because this time she needs a stem cell donation, we had to get the word out.

No one in the family is a match, and the national registry has yet to turn up a name. This Saturday, Katies supporters will host a stem cell donor clinic at the Cambridge Sports Park from 1 to 5 p.m. All thats required for testing is a cheek swab.

(Stem cells are collected from a matching donors bone marrow or blood after the donor has given informed consent and undergone medical tests to encourage good health and compatibility.)

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Stem cell donor clinic planned for 4-year-old battling leukemia again

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Professor Sami Franssila is participating in a research project that could, if successful, revolutionise the treatment of coronary thrombosis and brain damage.

You cannot walk into the clean rooms of Micronova with your snowy boots.

'We fabricate nano-scale objects so any undesired particles, including dust, must be smaller than the objects being made,' Sami Franssila, Professor of Microtechnology explains and points at the researchers working in their protective clothing on the other side of the window.

'The floor is vibration isolated and the air conditioning keeps the temperature and humidity between precise limits.'

Accelerating stem cell differentiation

Precision is also required in the large strategic research opening by Tekes which Franssila and his research group are participating in with the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Central Hospital. The project has an ambitious goal: getting damaged organs to heal themselves. Achieving this goal requires drugs that are targeted at an organ, such as the heart or the brain, using nanotechnology. The drugs then locally enhance the differentiation of stem cells so that the necessary new heart or nerve cells are created.

'The idea is to heal cell damages locally,' Sami Franssila explains.

'One of the greatest challenges is determining the essential chemicals which affect the differentiation of cells. The work requires micro and nanotechnology as we, in collaboration with the University of Helsinki Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, have to develop an analysis method that is so sensitive that it can be used to examine extremely small amounts of substance consisting of as few as one thousand molecules. In addition to sensitivity, the method also has to be accurate to counterbalance the natural biological fluctuation of the samples taken from the cells,' Franssila continues.

Ten years of cooperation

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Nanotechnology to help in healing hearts

7 hours ago Blood stem cell cultures: Blood stem cells from colonies (cell clusters) in vitro consisting of different blood cells. Nine blood stem cell colonies are illustrated in the image, which have developed into differentiated cell types, particularly into white blood cells (leukocytes).Credit: Department of Clinical Research of the University of Bern, Tumor-Immunology research group

Researchers in Bern, Germany, have discovered that, during a viral infection, immune cells control the blood stem cells in the bone marrow and therefore also the body's own defences. The findings could allow for new forms of therapy, such as for bone marrow diseases like leukaemia.

During a viral infection, the body needs various defence mechanisms amongst other things, a large number of white blood cells (leukocytes) must be produced in the bone marrow within a short period of time. In the bone marrow, stem cells are responsible for this task: the blood stem cells. In addition to white blood cells, blood stem cells also produce red blood cells and platelets.

The blood stem cells are located in specialized niches in the bone marrow and are surrounded by specialized niche cells. During an infection, the blood stem cells must complete two tasks: they must first recognise that more blood cells have to be produced and, secondly, they must recognise what kind of.

Now, for the first time, researchers at the Department of Medical Oncology at the University of Bern and Bern University Hospital headed by Prof. Adrian Ochsenbein have investigated how the blood stem cells in the bone marrow are regulated by the immune system's so-called T killer cells during a viral infection. As this regulation mechanism mediated by the immune system also plays an important role in other diseases such as leukaemia, these findings could lead to novel therapeutic approaches. The study is being published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Stem Cell today.

T Killer cells trigger defences

One function of T killer cells is to "patrol" in the blood and remove pathogen-infected cells. However, they also interact with the blood stem cells in the bone marrow. The oncologists in Bern were able to show that messenger substances secreted by the T killer cells modulate the niche cells. In turn, the niche cells control the production and also the differentiation of the blood stem cells.

This mechanism is important in order to fight pathogens such as viruses or bacteria. However, various forms of the bone marrow disease leukaemia are caused by a malignant transformation of exactly these blood stem cells. This leads to the formation of so-called leukaemia stem cells. In both cases, the mechanisms are similar: the "good" mechanism regulates healthy blood stem cells during an infection, whilst the "bad" one leads to the multiplication of leukaemia stem cells. This in turn leads to a progression of the leukaemia.

This similarity has already been investigated in a previous project by the same group of researchers. "We hope that this will enable us to better understand and fight infectious diseases as well as bone marrow diseases such as leukaemia," says Carsten Riether from the Department of Clinical Research at the University of Bern and the Department of Medical Oncology at Bern University Hospital and the University of Bern.

Explore further: New discovery on early immune system development

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Immune cells regulate blood stem cells

AP/February 20, 2014

BOSTON (AP) The family of a teenager who almost lost a leg in the Boston Marathon bombings has started a fund to explore limb regeneration and the use of stem cells to regrow bones and skin.

Gillian Renys parents started the fund with an undisclosed sum and have formed a team for this years marathon to raise more. The goal is $3 million to fund research intended to help others at risk of amputation.

Reny, as well her parents Audrey Epstein Reny and Steven Reny, havent spoken publicly about their ordeal, but are coming forward now in interviews with The Boston Globe and WCVB-TV to talk about the Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Fund.

Both of Renys legs were injured in the April blast, and doctors were not sure they could save her mangled lower right leg.

I knew from seeing the destruction of my legs that something very serious had happened, Reny said.

Reny was standing near the finish line with her parents to watch her sister complete the race when twin bombs detonated, killing three people and injuring more than 260 others.

Reny, now a 19-year-old freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, is still rehabilitating but is able to walk on her own after undergoing several surgeries.

Initially, doctors did not know if Renys leg could be saved, said plastic surgeon Dr. Eric Halvorson.

But Halvorson found that a vital nerve was undamaged, and tests showed that major blood vessels were largely intact. Reny spent several weeks at Brigham & Womens Hospital and within two months recovered enough to attend her graduation from Buckingham Brown & Nichols School on crutches.

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Family of wounded teen marathon victim starts fund

Supporters of Californias multibillion-dollar stem cell program plan to ask for $5 billion more to bring the fruits of research to patients.

Robert Klein, a leader of the 2004 initiative campaign that established the program, said Thursday hes going to be talking with California voters about the proposal. If the public seems receptive, backers will work to get an initiative on the 2016 ballot to extend funding for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

Klein outlined the proposal Thursday at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, during a symposium on how to speed research to patient care.

Since cancer cells and stem cells share some underlying characteristics, CIRM has funded research into those similarities, including the work of Moores Cancer Center researchers David Cheresh and Catriona Jamieson.

Klein said supporters, including researchers, patients and patient advocates need to educate the public about the benefits of funding stem cell research, and the results to date. A former chairman of CIRM, Klein is no longer formally affiliated with the agency but continues to support its work.

No stem cell treatments funded by CIRM have been approved, but patients have benefited in other ways. CIRM-funded research into cancer stem cells led to a clinical trial of a drug that caused remission of a bone marrow cancer in Sandra Dillon, a patient of Jamiesons. Moreover, California has vaulted into prominence in regenerative medicine, and the field has also provided a new growth engine for the states large biotech industry.

Though CIRM has been praised for advancing quality research, it has been criticized for being slow to fund commercialization by life science companies.

In addition, CIRM has been criticized for a lack of transparency and conflicts of interest in how it awards grants. The agency revamped its policies last year to forbid members of its governing oversight committee from voting on proposals to fund research at their own institutions.

California voters set aside $3 billion in bond money for CIRM in 2004 under Proposition 71. The money is expected to run out around 2017, so Klein and other supporters have been preparing to go back to the public. The amount paid back will be $6 billion, including interest over the life of the bonds, Klein noted. So the $5 billion for CIRM would require a $10 billion bond measure.

Can it be done again? Klein asked. If we continue to have the extraordinary results the scientists and research institutes are presenting, as well as the biotech sector.

Read more here:
$5B initiative proposed for stem cell research

Supporters of Californias multibillion-dollar stem cell program plan to ask for $5 billion more to bring the fruits of research to patients.

Robert Klein, a leader of the 2004 initiative campaign that established the program, said Thursday hes going to be talking with California voters about the proposal. If the public seems receptive, backers will work to get an initiative on the 2016 ballot to extend funding for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

Klein outlined the proposal Thursday at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, during a symposium on how to speed research to patient care.

Since cancer cells and stem cells share some underlying characteristics, CIRM has funded research into those similarities, including the work of Moores Cancer Center researchers David Cheresh and Catriona Jamieson.

Klein said supporters, including researchers, patients and patient advocates need to educate the public about the benefits of funding stem cell research, and the results to date. A former chairman of CIRM, Klein is no longer formally affiliated with the agency but continues to support its work.

No stem cell treatments funded by CIRM have been approved, but patients have benefited in other ways. CIRM-funded research into cancer stem cells led to a clinical trial of a drug that caused remission of a bone marrow cancer in Sandra Dillon, a patient of Jamiesons. Moreover, California has vaulted into prominence in regenerative medicine, and the field has also provided a new growth engine for the states large biotech industry.

Though CIRM has been praised for advancing quality research, it has been criticized for being slow to fund commercialization by life science companies.

In addition, CIRM has been criticized for a lack of transparency and conflicts of interest in how it awards grants. The agency revamped its policies last year to forbid members of its governing oversight committee from voting on proposals to fund research at their own institutions.

California voters set aside $3 billion in bond money for CIRM in 2004 under Proposition 71. The money is expected to run out around 2017, so Klein and other supporters have been preparing to go back to the public. The amount paid back will be $6 billion, including interest over the life of the bonds, Klein noted. So the $5 billion for CIRM would require a $10 billion bond measure.

Can it be done again? Klein asked. If we continue to have the extraordinary results the scientists and research institutes are presenting, as well as the biotech sector.

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$5 billion initiative proposed for stem cell research

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Freeport, The Bahamas (PRWEB) February 21, 2014

Okyanos Heart Institute, whose mission it is to bring a new standard of care and a better quality of life to patients with coronary artery disease using adult stem cell therapy, announces CEO Matt Feshbach will present at the STEMSO Conference. He will join a panel to discuss the opportunities available through the new stem cell research and Therapy Act. The conference will be held at the Grand Lucayan Resort in Freeport, Grand Bahamas, February 19-22, 2014. The panel discussion will be Friday, February 21 from 8:45 9:45 a.m.

The conference, titled Bridging the Gap: Research to Point of Care, brings together medical scientists, clinicians, regulatory experts, and investors to discuss progress in the field of research and clinical protocols and the process of taking promising therapies to fight chronic disease to market in a responsible manner.

Friday opening remarks will be delivered by Ian Rolle, President of Grand Bahama Port Authority from 8:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. followed by the panel presentation until 9:45 a.m. which, in addition to Rolle will include Feshbach, Mitchell Fuerst, Esq., managing partner, Fuerst, Ittleman, David and Joseph. The panel will be moderated by Arthur K. Parris, Jr. of Parris Whittaker.

"With the passing of the Bahamas Stem Cell Research and Therapy Act, which requires high standards of patient safety and care, we believe the Bahamas is an ideal location to bring internationally-approved, adult stem cell technology to patients with unmet medical needs such as chronic coronary artery disease (CAD), says Feshbach. I am pleased to discuss the opportunities available in the Bahamas with investors, doctors and other stakeholders interested in making the Bahamas a world-class destination for adult stem cell therapy."

The STEMSO 2014 Conference in Freeport, Grand Bahama poses a unique opportunity for medical organizations which focus on adult stem cell-based medical treatments, states Douglas Hammond, president of STEMSO. This conference will provide companies looking to expand their research or clinical practices to offshore locations many good reasons to choose the Bahamas. Those attending will be able to network and view the most advanced research and clinical protocols utilizing autologous and allogeneic stem cells in the world today.

The complete agenda can be found on the organizations website at http://www.stemso.org. Other speakers include stem cell researchers, scientists and practitioners from around the world with leading discoveries in the field, and investors in the healthcare space.

Registration is open for attending and exhibiting on STEMSOs website.

ABOUT OKYANOS HEART INSTITUTE: (Oh key AH nos) Based in Freeport, The Bahamas, Okyanos Heart Institutes mission is to bring a new standard of care and a better quality of life to patients with coronary artery disease using cardiac stem cell therapy. Okyanos adheres to U.S. surgical center standards and is led by Chief Medical Officer Howard T. Walpole Jr., M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I. Okyanos Treatment utilizes a unique blend of stem and regenerative cells derived from ones own adipose (fat) tissue. The cells, when placed into the heart via a minimally-invasive procedure, can stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. Angiogenesis facilitates blood flow in the heart, which supports intake and use of oxygen (as demonstrated in rigorous clinical trials such as the PRECISE trial). The literary name Okyanos, the Greek god of rivers, symbolizes restoration of blood flow. For more information, go to http://www.okyanos.com/.

NEW MEDIA CONTENT: Okyanos LinkedIn Page: http://www.linkedin.com/company/okyanos-heart-institute Okyanos Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/OKYANOS Okyanos Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/#!/OkyanosHeart Okyanos Google+ Page: https://plus.google.com/+Okyanos/posts Okyanos You Tube Physician Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/okyanosforphysicians

Original post:
Okyanos Heart Institute CEO Matt Feshbach to Speak on Panel at International Stem Cell Society Global Conference

A new study describes the complexity of the new T cell repertoire following immune-depleting therapy to treat multiple sclerosis, improving our understanding of immune tolerance and clinical outcomes.

In the Immune Tolerance Network's (ITN) HALT-MS study, 24 patients with relapsing, remitting multiple sclerosis received high-dose immunosuppression followed by a transplant of their own stem cells, called an autologous stem cell transplant, to potentially reprogram the immune system so that it stops attacking the brain and spinal cord. Data published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation quantified and characterized T cell populations following this aggressive regimen to understand how the reconstituting immune system is related to patient outcomes.

ITN investigators used a high-throughput, deep-sequencing technology (Adaptive Biotechnologies, ImmunoSEQTM Platform) to analyze the T cell receptor (TCR) sequences in CD4+ and CD8+ cells to compare the repertoire at baseline pre-transplant, two months post-transplant and 12 months post-transplant.

Using this approach, alongside conventional flow cytometry, the investigators found that CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes exhibit different reconstitution patterns following transplantation. The scientists observed that the dominant CD8+ T cell clones present at baseline were expanded at 12 months post-transplant, suggesting these clones were not effectively eradicated during treatment. In contrast, the dominant CD4+ T cell clones present at baseline were undetectable at 12 months, and the reconstituted CD4+ T cell repertoire was predominantly composed of new clones.

The results also suggest the possibility that differences in repertoire diversity early in the reconstitution process might be associated with clinical outcomes. Nineteen patients who responded to treatment had a more diverse repertoire two months following transplant compared to four patients who did not respond. Despite the low number of non-responders, these comparisons approached statistical significance and point to the possibility that complexity in the T cell compartment may be important for establishing immune tolerance.

This is one of the first studies to quantitatively compare the baseline T cell repertoire with the reconstituted repertoire following autologous stem cell transplant, and provides a previously unseen in-depth analysis of how the immune system reconstitutes itself following immune-depleting therapy.

About The Immune Tolerance Network

The Immune Tolerance Network (ITN) is a research consortium sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The ITN develops and conducts clinical and mechanistic studies of immune tolerance therapies designed to prevent disease-causing immune responses, without compromising the natural protective properties of the immune system. Visit http://www.immunetolerance.org for more information.

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The above story is based on materials provided by Immune Tolerance Network. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Deep TCR sequencing reveals extensive renewal of the T cell repertoire following autologous stem cell transplant in MS

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A MOTHER whose son successfully battled a brain tumour but was later diagnosed with leukaemia is starting a campaign to encourage people to donate their stem cells.

Andrea Poyser's son Laughlin known as Lockey Whiteley, 7, had a brain tumour removed in 2011. But he was then diagnosed with treatment-related acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) last November.

Since then, the Burnham family has spent countless hours travelling to and from London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for Lockey's treatment.

Now Andrea, 42, with the help of friends, has set up "Unlock a Life for LocKEY", which aims to help raise awareness about stem cell donations.

"The general public think that stem cells come from the bone marrow and that's just not true," said the former drama teacher and actress Andrea.

"It's such a simple and easy procedure that costs nothing you can really make a difference to the lives of children. If you can, then why not.

"There are people suffering that could die because of lack of stem cells, it's easy to find out if you're a match and it's possible that you could save someone's life."

The group hope to help unlock matches for stem cell donors, plus give advice and support to families with children who have been diagnosed with leukaemia.

Unlock a Life for LocKEY is organising an event on Saturday, March 1, in Burnham where people can submit swab tests and donate during a day of live entertainment with a number of celebrities in attendance.

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Maldon Chronicle published Donate your stem cells: Mother's campaign after son Lockey, 7,...

Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) February 20, 2014

A study published in the journal Theranostics and reported by the Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Center finds that a class of drugs that stimulate stem cell production in patients and donors is safe to use.

The drugs are biologically similar to granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), a human glycoprotein that stimulates the bone marrow to produce granulocytes (a type of white blood cell) and stem cells and release them into the bloodstream. The drugs can be given to patients with diseases like Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma to stimulate the release of their own stem cells, or to donors for transplantation into sick patients.

Since the patent on G-CSF expired, several companies have begun producing these drugs. Referred to as biosimilars in Europe and follow-on biologics in the US, several have been approved for use, although their safety and efficacy is still being debated.

The new study examines published reports on more than 900 patients with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma or another blood cancer and healthy stem cell donors treated with the G-CSF biosimilar compounds Ratiograstim, Tevagrastim or Zarzio. The researchers report that the drugs produced good mobilization of CD34+ stem cells and produced side effects similar to the original G-CSF. Once the collected stem cells were grafted into a new host, they behaved comparably to stem cells stimulated by G-CSF.

In summary, the efficacy of biosimilar G-CSFs in terms of peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell yield as well as their toxicity profile are equivalent to historical data with reference to G-CSF, the researchers write in the European medical journal Theranostics. (Schmitt, M, et al, Biosimilar G-CSF Based Mobilization of Peripheral Blood Hematopoietic Stem Cells for Autologous and Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, January 23, 2014, Theranostics, pp. 280-289. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24505236)

Non-Hodgkins Lymphomas include cancers that involve the lymphocytes or white blood cells. They account for about 4 percent of all new cancer cases in the U.S. The National Cancer Institute estimates that more than 500,000 Americans are currently living with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Today, there is more interest on the causes of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

The Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Center is part of the Cancer Monthly organization. The Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Center has been established by Cancer Monthly to provide more comprehensive information on the causes, diagnosis, and treatments for the many different subtypes of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. For over ten years, Cancer Monthly has been the only centralized source of cancer treatment results. Patients can see the actual survival rate, quality-of-life indicators, and other key data for approximately 1,500 different cancer treatments. Cancer Monthly provides timely and ground-breaking news on the causes, diagnoses and treatments of the most common cancers including Bladder, Brain, Breast, Colon, Kidney (Renal), Liver, Lung (NSCLC), Ovarian, Prostate, and Rectal Cancers, Melanoma, Mesothelioma, and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Written for patients and their loved ones, Cancer Monthly helps families make more informed treatment decisions.

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Study Finds Biosimilar Compounds Safe and Effective for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, According to the Non-Hodgkins ...

CBS Pittsburgh (con't)

Affordable Care Act Updates: CBSPittsburgh.com/ACA

Health News & Information: CBSPittsburgh.com/Health

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) After injuries from gymnastics and dance when she was younger, Linda Morning-Starpoole was having terrible knee pain.

Sitting and standing up and getting up and moving, Linda said.

The news from her orthopedic surgeon was not encouraging.

I was sent off with a prescription, and basically said, take this, and when it gets so bad, well take out your knees. And that was really upsetting to me. It was such an ugly picture that was painted for my future, Linda said.

Traditional treatment might involve steroid injections, physical therapy, and joint replacement.

But Linda wanted an alternative. When she first heard about using stem cell injections, she was very intrigued.

The thought of me healing me with my own self is what sold me on the procedure, Linda said.

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Stem Cells Being Used To Treat Knee, Joint Pain