Top 10 ways biotechnology could improve our everyday life EurekAlert (press release) Daejeon, Republic of Korea, February 25, 2013—The Global Agenda Council on Biotechnology, one of the global networks under the World Economic Forum (WEF), which is composed of the world's leading experts in the field of biotechnology, announced ... and more »

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Ideas for Biotechnology Development Center Sought HSToday As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) begins to build its new National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kan., it is asking for industry feedback on a planned part of the lab that would transfer technology to companies producing ...

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Imprimis welcomes government's move to set up Institute of Agricultural Bio ... India PRwire (press release) Imprimis, a leader in the life sciences communications space, has welcomed the announcement in the latest budget about establishing the Indian Institute of Agricultural Bio-technology at Ranchi, Jharkhand. The Institute will serve as a centre of ... Union Budget 2013: Booster dose for agri biotechTimes of India all 2 news articles »

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Farmer's Diary: Biotechnology and the future of farming Daily Monitor As we could all have read in the Seeds of Gold last week, the Bill on biotechnology and biosafety is now before Parliament. For years we have been waiting for a law governing the use of biotechnology products, which are bound to become common as our ...

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UNESCO urges popularisation of biotechnology in Africa BusinessDay Maciej J. Nalecz, a professor, and the global organisation's director of basic sciences, stated in a key note address that biotechnology is most suited to enable Africa tackle its challenges. Nalecz stated, “Biotechnology is an obvious choice for ...

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3 Solid, Low Beta Biotechnology Stocks To Buy On Dip Seeking Alpha In this articles, three solid, large-cap biotechnology stocks with strong fundamentals are presented, including Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD), Amgen Inc. (AMGN), and Celgene Corporation (CELG). All three stocks have a strong ROE and a low beta and are ...

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New cancer 'vaccine' shows future promise in treating and preventing ... EurekAlert (press release) "Successfully promoting antitumor immunity will help eradicate tumor cells, control cancer progression and help prevent tumor relapse," says Wang, Harrison Scholar, member of the Cancer Molecular Genetics research program at VCU Massey Cancer ...

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Scientists Discover How Deadly Bacteria Trick the Immune System Infection Control Today ... to better, more targeted treatments," says senior author Dr. Robert L. Modlin, chief of dermatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics in the UCLA Division of Life Sciences. and more »

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Screening for DNA-repair gene could predict rate of progress of Huntington's ... HealthCanal.com It worsens mutations like the one that causes Huntington's disease or myotonic dystrophy,” Dr. Pearson explains. He is Senior Scientist in Genetics & Genome Biology at SickKids and is Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics at University of Toronto.

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Colon cancer exhibits a corresponding epigenetic pattern in mice and humans Medical Xpress Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now discovered a recurring pattern of more than 13,000 epigenetic alterations in young tumours of the mouse. This genome-wide pattern was found to be partly conserved in human ... and more »

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Men's Health News

3 Surprising Ways to Fight a Cold Men's Health News “Your lifestyle is absolutely critical in telomere length—it plays a huge role,” says David Gilley, Ph.D., a professor of medical and molecular genetics at Indiana University School of Medicine. Read on to discover how you can revitalize your ... and more »

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The Los Angeles Times yesterday modestly praised the $3 billion California stem cell agency for
taking some limited steps to deal with its longstanding conflict of
interest issues.

“After years of resisting all
criticisms of its operations, the California Institute for
Regenerative Medicine is finally listening — a little.“

“Yet the agency isn't exactly
embracing an ethical overhaul. It's doing just enough to address the
criticisms without triggering any oversight from the Legislature. The
modifications are more a bandage than a cure. Like a bandage, they
will probably do, but only for a limited time.”

“If the stem cell institute is just a
temporary agency that will last until its public funding runs out —
it plans to give its last grants with existing funds in 2017 — its
planned reforms will probably be enough. But if the institute wants
to be a permanent part of the research landscape — and possibly ask
for more public funding — voluntary recusals are an inadequate
patch. The agency's leaders should admit that the original setup was
flawed and seek a true fix. “

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/4TPMCEI6hDg/la-times-stem-cell-agency-conflict-of.html

A member of the governing board of the
$3 billion California stem cell agency is weighing in on an item on
the California Stem Cell Report that called for public disclosure of the financial interests of the scientific reviewers, who make 98
percent of the decisions on awards by the agency.

“ It seems to me there's a bit
of 'damned if we do and damned if we don't' here. If the ICOC (the
agency governing board) decides to listen to some of the members of
the public who come to our meetings and overrule a recommendation of
the Grants Working Group(GWG), we're slammed for letting emotion trump
science, or bowing to special interests. If we just accept the
rankings of the GWG and approve all their recommendations, we're
criticized for not being truly independent.  I think we don't do
it often (for good reason) but should and do retain the right to look
at other factors besides those our scientific reviewers do, and make
our own decisions about funding. We are ultimately responsible, not
the scientific reviewers. 

“As for the issue of their
disclosure of personal conflicts of interest, from what I've read of
the NIH processes, ours are no less strict. The NIH requires that
reviewers disclose any conflicts to their institutions which I
believe must disclose them to the NIH, but I have not seen anything
requiring them to disclose all their personal financial & other
interests publicly, as we (ICOC members) have to.  When we were
assembling our group of reviewers initially, the fear was that many
of the best scientists would turn us down if we required them to make
the kind of personal disclosures we have to. I don't know how many we
might actually lose if that were the case, but as you know we do
require them to disclose to CIRM, and they have to leave the room
when any application for which they have a conflict is discussed.”

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/OlA8vhJTIsA/cirm-director-prieto-on-disclosure-of.html

State Controller John Chiang has posted
a useful, side-by-side comparison of critiques of the $3 billion
California stem cell agency, including the Institute of Medicine(IOM)
study, along with the responses from the agency.

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/Yb7Eb9xPMvo/california-stem-cell-agency-comparing.html

Early next month, the state of
California will sell $2.7 billion in bonds, a tiny fraction of which will go
towards the California stem cell agency.

“CIRM’s funding needs now are met
via the issuance of commercial paper (CP).  They’re authorized
a certain amount of CP periodically.  Then we work with them on
a regular basis to issue the commercial paper on an as-needed basis. 
Last fall, they were authorized $160 million of CP.  We will
issue the first $27 million under that authorization (this) week. 
This spring, CIRM is scheduled to receive another $100 million
authorization. The Department of Finance , consulting with CIRM
officials, determined the $100 million would be needed to meet CIRM’s
funding requirements through the end of 2013.

“Now, here’s where it gets a little
complicated.  The state pays down the CP with bond proceeds. 
The March ....bond sale includes $60 million of stem
cell bonds.  Those proceeds won’t provide new money for CIRM,
but will pay down the CP proceeds CIRM already has used.”

Source:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/uqpFc/~3/GGDUJVY45VQ/california-stem-cell-agency-bonds-on.html

The Farrier #39;s Role with Stem Cell Therapy
At the 2013 International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio, Frank Reilly, DVM, talks about the farrier #39;s role in the use of stem cells.

By: AFJTV

Originally posted here:
The Farrier's Role with Stem Cell Therapy - Video

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Family Research Council (FRC) Senior Fellow Dr. David Prentice, a native Kansan, congratulated the Kansas state senate for passing S.B. 199, a bill that would establish the Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center, a regional hub to advance and deliver adult and cord blood stem cell therapies to patients and serving as a resource for adult and cord blood stem cells for therapies. The Center would also inform professionals and the public about such therapies.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080930/FRCLOGO)

Dr. Prentice, a cell biologist who was selected by George W. Bush's Council on Bioethics to write a comprehensive review of adult stem cell research in 2004, testified before the Kansas Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare in support of S.B. 199 on Feb. 25. Dr. Prentice additionally serves as adjunct professor of molecular genetics at the John Paul II Institute at the Catholic University of America, and formerly served as professor of life sciences at Indiana State University and adjunct professor of medical and molecular genetic at Indiana University School of Medicine.

The bill will now go to the Kansas House of Representatives for consideration.

In his testimony Dr. Prentice said:

"There are significant opportunities right now for Kansas to benefit from the establishment of a center of excellence specializing in the application of adult stem cell therapies for certain diseases, as well as educating physicians as well as the public about the advantages and availability of stem cell treatments.

"Kansas is moving forward as a potential leader in the area of adult and cord blood stem cell therapies. Estimates are that KU Med has done over 1,000 adult stem cell transplants, from bone marrow as well as a growing number from umbilical cord blood. These include stem cell transplants for various cancers and leukemias, but also initiating clinical trials to treat heart damage. Much more is possible.

"Kansas is well-positioned to become a leader in this area, and a global resource. The potential benefits for patients are incalculable. I urge you to support S.B. 199."

To read Dr. Prentice's testimony, click here: http://www.frc.org/testimony/testimony-of-dr-david-prentice-before-the-committee-on-public-health-and-welfare-kansas-senate

SOURCE Family Research Council

Read more here:
FRC's Dr. David Prentice Congratulates Kansas Senate for Passing Ethical Stem Cell Therapy Bill

Public release date: 28-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Karen Richardson krchrdsn@wakehealth.edu 336-716-4453 Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Feb. 28, 2013 Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and colleagues have identified a special population of adult stem cells in bone marrow that have the natural ability to migrate to the intestine and produce intestinal cells, suggesting their potential to restore healthy tissue in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Up to 1 million Americans have IBD, which is characterized by frequent diarrhea and abdominal pain. IBD actually refers to two conditions ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease in which the intestines become red and swollen and develop ulcers, probably as the result of the body having an immune response to its own tissue.

While there is currently no cure for IBD, there are drug therapies aimed at reducing inflammation and preventing the immune response. Because these therapies aren't always effective, scientists hope to use stem cells to develop an injectable cell therapy to treat IBD.

The research findings are reported online in the FASEB Journal (the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) by senior researcher Graca Almeida-Porada, M.D., Ph.D., professor of regenerative medicine at Wake Forest Baptist's Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and colleagues.

The new research complements a 2012 report by Almeida-Porada's team that identified stem cells in cord blood that are involved in blood vessel formation and also have the ability to migrate to the intestine.

"We've identified two populations of human cells that migrate to the intestine one involved in blood vessel formation and the other that can replenish intestinal cells and modulates inflammation," said Almeida-Porada. "Our hope is that a mixture of these cells could be used as an injectable therapy to treat IBD."

The cells would theoretically induce tissue recovery by contributing to a pool of cells within the intestine. The lining of the intestine has one of the highest cellular turnover rates in the body, with all cell types being renewed weekly from this pool of cells, located in an area of the intestine known as the crypt.

In the current study, the team used cell markers to identify a population of stem cells in human bone marrow with the highest potential to migrate to the intestine and thrive. The cells express high levels of a receptor (ephrin type B) that is involved in tissue repair and wound closure.

See the article here:
Research supports promise of cell therapy for bowel disease

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Discgenics announces the successful completion of an animal study demonstrating safety and efficacy of its novel therapy for reducing back pain caused by degenerative disc disease. This product, known as Injectable Discosphere Cell Therapy (IDCT), features Discgenics' patented, allogeneic, human disc-derived stem cell technology. The study showed that after one injection of IDCT in degenerated discs there was a restoration of disc height and tissue architecture, while noting no inflammatory response.

Discgenics CEO Flagg Flanagan said, " We are very encouraged by the results of the small animal pilot study as it shows the initial safety and efficacy of IDCT, which is produced from adult human disc-derived stem cells.We are optimistic that these early results will be indicative of our therapy's performance in further animal studies and will accelerate us toward human clinical studies and, ultimately, to an FDA cleared product.We believe this technology will revolutionize the way back pain is treated." Discgenics is currently conducting further studies of safety and efficacy in multiple animal species to support future scientific publications and for use in gaining regulatory clearance.

About Discgenics, Inc.

Discgenics is a privately funded spinal therapeutics company that is utilizing adult human disc stem cells within a tissue engineering approach to treat patients debilitated by degenerative disc disease. News and other information on the company are available at: http://www.discgenics.com.

Read more:
Discgenics Successfully Completes Pilot Efficacy Study of Injectable Discosphere™ Cell Therapy

Durham, N.C. People with heart disease have more treatment options than ever. However, sometimes nothing gets rid of continued chest pain known as angina. Researchers say they are looking at a special stem cell therapy to help those patients.

Danny Darden, 49, has heart disease and frequent chest pain despite two years worth of every treatment, surgery and medication available to stop it.

If I walk around the block, I give out and have chest pains, he said.

Duke cardiologist Dr. Tom Povsic included Darden in a phase 3 trial looking for benefits of a special stem cell therapy to stimulate the growth of new vessels feeding blood to the heart.

In certain patients, the arteries can no longer be fixed, or bypass surgery can't be used to fix the arteries. And in those patients, novel therapies are sorely needed, Povsic said. So, the stem cells in this particular case are obtained from the patient themselves.

The cells, originating in the bone marrow, are stimulated and released into the blood stream, extracted and then administered directly into the heart through a special catheter.

Last week, I was injected with the stem cells, Darden said. I'm excited to be in it, because I feel it's going to work, and even if it (doesnt) work for me, it's going to work for other people.

The study is blind, meaning Darden may have received a fake infusion. Participants are followed for two years. A smaller previous study showed promising results.

The benefit that was seen in the early study far exceeds what was seen with many medicines that are approved for angina relief, Povsic said.

Researchers say if the stem cell therapy benefits are confirmed in patients with angina, it could also be studied in patients dealing with stroke, heart attack or heart failure.

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Duke doctor: Stem cell therapy might help heart disease patients