Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc., a leader in adult allogeneic stem cell manufacturing, research and development, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its application for an Investigational New Drug (IND) to assess the clinical effects of Stemedyne-MSC (Stemedicas human bone marrow-derived ischemia tolerant mesenchymal cells) in subjects with a myocardial infarct.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) October 02, 2012

The clinical trial will address the prevalence of cardiovascular disease estimated to carry a global disease burden in excess of $400 billion each year. More than one million patients undergo PTCA and stenting in the Untied States annually; another 800,000 have the procedures each year in Europe.

Nabil Dib, M.D., MSc., F.A.C.C., Director of Cardiovascular Research at Mercy Gilbert and Chandler Regional Medical Centers, and an Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Clinical Cardiovascular Cell Therapy at the University of California, San Diego, will serve as the principal investigator of the FDA-approved study. Dr. Nib commented, We've learned from bench top research that not all stem cells are created equally. We believe that the ischemic tolerance of Stemedica's MSCs and the robustness of their protein array will translate into significant patient benefits post myocardial infarction.

Stemedicas interest in this indication was triggered by a successful randomized study in acute myocardial infarction conducted by the National Scientific Medical Center (NSMC) in Astana, Kazakhstan using Stemedyne-MSCs. The study was conducted under clinical protocol and in compliance with the ICH-E6 (Good Clinical Practice) guidelines and local laws. All patients signed an informed consent. Nineteen (19) patients in this study received Stemedyne-MSCs after PTCA and stenting. Administration of Stemedyne-MSC resulted in a statistically-significant decrease in inflammation as judged by the level of C-reactive protein, significant decrease in end-systolic and end-diastolic volume of left ventricle, as well as significant increase in the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) from 38.4% to 54.7% at 6 months post administration, bringing this parameter to a normal range for healthy individuals (50-65%).

Professor Daniyar Jumaniyazov, M.D. Ph.D., principal investigator of the NSMC study commented, The stem cell transplantation was safe and the procedure was well tolerated. No product-related adverse events were reported. Treatment of patients in this study resulted in improvement of overall and local contractive myocardium functions and also normalization of systolic and diastolic filling of the left ventricle as compared to the control group. Based upon the safety and efficacy results, we will soon conduct a Phase III myocardial infarct clinical trial at the NSMC with Stemedicas ischemia tolerant mesenchymal stem cells.

Lev Verkh, Ph.D., Stemedica Chief Regulatory and Clinical Development Officer commented, Stemedicas FDA submission included data from the NSMC clinical trial, the results of which were also reported at the annual American College of Cardiology meeting in April, 2012. These results contrasted with reports, at the same conference, of minimal improvement in studies with autologous stem cells. In addition to the United States sites, the study will be duplicated at leading hospitals in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. With regard to the spectrum of stem cell treatment for cardiovascular disease, Dr. Verkh noted that, Stemedyne-MSC has been approved for the treatment of chronic heart failure at Hospital Angeles, Tijuana, Mexico by COFEPRIS (the Mexican equivalent of the FDA).

Jackie See, M.D., F.A.C.C., founder of interventional cardiology at the University of California, Irvine, noted, "In the days and weeks following a myocardial infarction we may have the ability to intervene with stem cells to minimize scarring, enhance the amount of functional heart tissue, and restore the microcirculation. Stemedica's ischemia tolerant mesenchymal stem cells are ideal for this purpose. I can foresee the day when all coronary stenting is accompanied by stem cell injection. It is not unreasonable to postulate that the anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects of the mesenchymal stem cells may have an impact on the incidence of restenosis, a common condition caused by blockage of the stents.

The Stemedyne-MSC product is uniquely manufactured to contain increased amounts of the important growth factors that combat ischemic damage. According to Nikolai Tankovich, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Medical Officer of Stemedica, Our ischemia tolerant MSCs secrete increased amounts of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is necessary for new blood vessel development and stromal cell-derived factor (SDF), which is responsible for rescuing dying cells. Stemedyne-MSCs also demonstrate significantly higher migratory abilities. As a company we are unique in our unparalleled scalability, with our master bank at two passages and the cells that go into patients having only been expanded four times. We have the ability to treat more than 500,000 patients with cells created from a single organ donation.

Stemedyne-MSC is one of the three adult allogeneic stem cell products developed by the Company. Other products include Stemedyne-NSC neural human stem cells and Stemedyne-RPE, retinal progenitor epithelial cells available in early 2013. All Stemedica products are unique in their ability to tolerate ischemic conditions.

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FDA Approves Stemedica Phase II Clinical Trial For Acute Myocardial Infarction With Ischemia Tolerant Mesenchymal Stem ...

Washington, October 2 (ANI): A new study has suggested that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells - which are derived from adult human skin cells but have embryonic properties - could soon be used to restore vision in people with macular degeneration and other diseases that affect the eye's retina.

In the study conducted by Columbia ophthalmologists and stem cell researchers, adult stem cells developed from a patient's skin cells improved the vision of blind mice.

"With eye diseases, I think we're getting close to a scenario where a patient's own skin cells are used to replace retina cells destroyed by disease or degeneration," said the study's principal investigator, Stephen Tsang, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology and pathology and cell biology.

"It's often said that iPS transplantation will be important in the practice of medicine in some distant future, but our paper suggests the future is almost here," he stated.

The advent of human iPS cells in 2007 was greeted with excitement from scientists who hailed the development as a way to avoid the ethical complications of embryonic stem cells and create patient-specific stem cells.

Like embryonic stem cells, iPS cells can develop into any type of cell. Thousands of different iPS cell lines from patients and healthy donors have been created in the last few years, but they are almost always used in research or drug screening.

In Tsang's new preclinical iPS study, human iPS cells - derived from the skin cells of a 53-year-old donor - were first transformed with a cocktail of growth factors into cells in the retina that lie underneath the eye's light-sensing cells.

The primary job of the retina cells is to nourish the light-sensing cells and protect the fragile cells from excess light, heat, and cellular debris. If the retina cells die - which happens in macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa - the photoreceptor cells degenerate and the patient loses vision.

Macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss in the elderly, and it is estimated that 30 percent of people will have some form of macular degeneration by age 75.

In their study, the researchers injected the iPS-derived retina cells into the right eyes of 34 mice that had a genetic mutation that caused their retina cells to degenerate.

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Patients' own skin cells could restore vision in elderly with macular degeneration

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Histogenics, a regenerative medicine company combining cell therapy and tissue engineering technologies to develop highly innovative products for tissue repair and regeneration, announced today that it has been named to the FierceMedicalDevices Fierce 15 list, designating it as one of the leading medical device and diagnostic companies of 2012. FierceMedicalDevicesEditors Mark Hollmer and Damian Garde, in conjunction with Editor-in-Chief John Carroll and Executive Editor Ryan McBride, chose this years winners based on their top management teams, notable financial backing, and promising technologies and market opportunities.

We have worked hard over the past year, securing $49 million in financing and adding key new staff, investors and board members, so that we are now in the position to focus our full attention on continued successful clinical and regulatory execution for NeoCart cartilage regeneration implant, which is currently enrolling patients into the Phase 3 IND clinical study, and the EU regulatory development of our VeriCart cartilage repair scaffold, said Patrick ODonnell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Histogenics. We believe our product candidates have the potential to transform the treatment of cartilage injury with the goal of returning some of the estimated 1.8 million patients each year in the U.S. and E.U. that undergo arthroscopy for knee cartilage defects to their pre-injury level of activity.

Nailing down $49 million in financing in July reinforces the notion that this regenerative medicine company stands out for doing things differently.One example how: The company is well underway enrolling patients in a Phase 3 trial for NeoCart, a cartilage implant that uses a patients own cells to build it before treating cartilage lesions in the knee, said Hollmer.

NeoCart is an autologous neocartilage tissue implant in an ongoing Phase 3 clinical program that utilizes the patients own cells to regenerate cartilage in patients suffering from cartilage lesions in the knee.VeriCart, is a single-step, cell-free collagen scaffold uniquely designed to be used in conjunction with the patients own stem cells to repair small cartilage defects frequently observed in meniscal and anterior cruciate ligament repair procedures. Histogenics is seeking regulatory clearance in the European Union for VeriCart.

An internationally recognized e-newsletter reaching more than 34,000 medical device and diagnostic industry professionals, FierceMedicalDevices provides subscribers with a quick authoritative briefing on the days top stories, with a special focus on clinical studies, FDA/EMEA regulations and post-marketing. Sign up is free at http://www.fiercemedicaldevices.com/signup.

About FierceMarkets

FierceMarkets, a wholly owned subsidiary of Questex Media Group, is a leader in B2B emedia, providing information and marketing services in the telecommunications, life sciences, healthcare, IT, energy, government and finance industries through its portfolio of email newsletters, websites, webinars and live events. Every business day, FierceMarkets wide array of publications reaches more than 1.3 million executives in more than 100 countries.

About Histogenics

Histogenics is a leading regenerative medicine company that combines cell therapy and tissue engineering technologies to develop highly innovative products for tissue repair and regeneration. In May of 2011, Histogenics acquired Israeli cell-therapy company ProChon BioTech. Histogenics flagship products focus on the treatment of active patients suffering from articular cartilage derived pain and immobility. The Company takes an interdisciplinary approach to engineering neocartilage that looks, acts and lasts like hyaline cartilage. It is developing new treatments for sports injuries and other orthopedic conditions, where demand is growing for long-term alternatives to joint replacement. Histogenics has successfully completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials in which the NeoCart autologous tissue implants effectiveness is compared to that of standard microfracture surgery. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, the company is privately held. For more information, visitwww.histogenics.com.

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Histogenics Honored as a 2012 “Fierce 15” Company by FierceMedicalDevices

SILVER SPRING, Md. and SINGAPORE, Oct. 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nuvilex, Inc. (NVLX), an international biotechnology provider of cell and gene therapy solutions, announced today its wholly-owned subsidiary, Austrianova Singapore Pte Ltd (ASPL) will attend this year's AusBiotech event.

The annual AusBiotech event this year will be held from October 30 - November 2 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia. It has earned a reputation as the industry's premier biotechnology conference for the Asia Pacific region and has successfully expanded its relevance to the Australian and International Biotechnology industries by attracting more than 1100 participants from over 20 countries.

Dr Brian Salmons, CEO of ASPL said, "AusBiotech has grown in stature over the past several years. In prior years, we entered agreements with companies and found it to be one of the most valuable events for networking with new contacts. We anticipate meeting with companies with proprietary therapeutic cells, such as stem cells, that can leverage their technology with our Cell-in-a-Box(R) delivery system. We believe the new contacts we make will expand our customer base and increase the use of cell and gene therapy for making therapeutic products and treating diseases. We will also be promoting our Bac-in-a-Box(R) technology for the first time at this meeting and anticipate generating interest around its potential."

The Chief Executive of Nuvilex, Dr. Robert Ryan, stated "Attendance at this important biotech event in Australia and within easy reach of Southeast Asia will enable us to have increased exposure for our Cell-in-a-Box(R) and Bac-in-a-Box(R) live cell encapsulation technology and to showcase its immense versatility, thus providing our companies greater visibility at a time that such capabilities are becoming more important in the marketplace. It is our goal to bring more projects to fruition from this meeting as more companies today are looking to bring cellular-based therapy and product creation from the drawing board to reality and into regular use."

About Nuvilex

Nuvilex, Inc. (NVLX) is an international biotechnology provider of live therapeutically valuable, encapsulated cells and services for research and medicine. A great deal of work is ongoing to move Nuvilex and its Austrianova Singapore subsidiary forward. This was clearly apparent during Dr. Ryan's trip to Singapore and the advent of new developments in the company as a whole. Our company's own offerings will include cancer, diabetes, other treatments and capabilities using the company's cell and gene therapy expertise and live-cell encapsulation technology.

The Nuvilex, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=13494

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements described within the 1995 Private Securities Litigation Reform Act involving risks and uncertainties including product demand, market competition, and meeting current or future plans which may cause actual results, events, and performances, expressed or implied, to vary and/or differ from those contemplated or predicted. Investors should study and understand all risks before making an investment decision. Readers are recommended not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Nuvilex is not obliged to publicly release revisions to any forward-looking statement, reflect events or circumstances afterward, or disclose unanticipated occurrences, except as required under applicable laws.

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Nuvilex Subsidiary Austrianova Singapore to Participate in AusBiotech 2012

NEW YORK, Oct. 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE MKT:NBS) ("NeoStem" or the "Company"), an emerging leader in the fast growing cell therapy market, today announced that Company management and management of its subsidiary, Progenitor Cell Therapy ("PCT"), have been invited to present at multiple conferences in October.

RetailInvestorConferences.com

The RedChip 15th Annual Fall Small-Cap Conference

Regenerative Medicine Foundation 2012 Conference

2012 Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa, 2nd Annual Investor and Partnering Forum

About NeoStem, Inc.

NeoStem, Inc. continues to develop and build on its core capabilities in cell therapy, capitalizing on the paradigm shift that we see occurring in medicine. In particular, we anticipate that cell therapy will have a significant role in the fight against chronic disease and in lessening the economic burden that these diseases pose to modern society. We are emerging as a technology and market leading company in this fast developing cell therapy market. Our multi-faceted business strategy combines a state-of-the-art contract development and manufacturing subsidiary, Progenitor Cell Therapy, LLC ("PCT"), with a medically important cell therapy product development program, enabling near and long-term revenue growth opportunities. We believe this expertise and existing research capabilities and collaborations will enable us to achieve our mission of becoming a premier cell therapy company.

Our contract development and manufacturing service business supports the development of proprietary cell therapy products. NeoStem's most clinically advanced therapeutic, AMR-001, is being developed at Amorcyte, LLC ("Amorcyte"), which we acquired in October 2011. Amorcyte is developing a cell therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and is enrolling patients in a Phase 2 trial to investigate AMR-001's efficacy in preserving heart function after a heart attack. Athelos Corporation ("Athelos"), which is approximately 80%-owned by our subsidiary, PCT, is collaborating with Becton-Dickinson in the early clinical exploration of a T-cell therapy for autoimmune conditions. In addition, pre-clinical assets include our VSELTM Technology platform as well as our mesenchymal stem cell product candidate for regenerative medicine. Our service business and pipeline of proprietary cell therapy products work in concert, giving us a competitive advantage that we believe is unique to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Supported by an experienced scientific and business management team and a substantial intellectual property estate, we believe we are well positioned to succeed.

For more information on NeoStem, please visit http://www.neostem.com.

Forward-Looking Statements for NeoStem, Inc.

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NeoStem to Present at Multiple Conferences in October

DENVER - Can you imagine having a family member who's diagnosed with a disease and no one in your family, including yourself, is a match to donate.

That's the reality for 70 percent of patients needing bone marrow or stem cells. They have no other choice but to go through the bone marrow registry.

Those families rely on complete strangers who are willing to donate whatever they can in hope of saving someone's life.

One of those donors is Aurora resident Denise Camacho. She joined the bone marrow registry never thinking that anything would ever come of it.

"I have a family friend that works with Bonfils," Camacho said. "She emailed me and my family and said there's a huge need for minorities to join the registry. So we went down not knowing anyone of us would ever be called."

But just two years later, she was called to make a donation.

"I got a phone call that I'm a match, but I need to go in for further testing. All they told me was that there was a 13-year-old boy in Cleveland who has leukemia." Camacho said. "How do you say 'no' when there's a family out there that you can help and possibly save a life. I was going to do what I could."

That 13-year-old boy was Enrique Linares. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

His entire family, 38 people in all, were tested to be a donor but none of them were a match.

After nearly two years, spent mostly in the hospital, there was a match. It was a match no one expected. Camacho is unrelated and has a different blood type.

Read the rest here:
Bone marrow donor meets recipient

Newswise An experimental treatment for blindness, developed from a patients skin cells, improved the vision of blind mice in a study conducted by Columbia ophthalmologists and stem cell researchers.

The findings suggest that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells which are derived from adult human skin cells but have embryonic properties could soon be used to restore vision in people with macular degeneration and other diseases that affect the eyes retina.

With eye diseases, I think were getting close to a scenario where a patients own skin cells are used to replace retina cells destroyed by disease or degeneration, says the studys principal investigator, Stephen Tsang, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology and pathology & cell biology. Its often said that iPS transplantation will be important in the practice of medicine in some distant future, but our paper suggests the future is almost here.

The advent of human iPS cells in 2007 was greeted with excitement from scientists who hailed the development as a way to avoid the ethical complications of embryonic stem cells and create patient-specific stem cells. Like embryonic stem cells, iPS cells can develop into any type of cell. Thousands of different iPS cell lines from patients and healthy donors have been created in the last few years, but they are almost always used in research or drug screening.

No iPS cells have been transplanted into people, but many ophthalmologists say the eye is the ideal testing ground for iPS therapies.

The eye is a transparent and accessible part of the central nervous system, and thats a big advantage. We can put cells into the eye and monitor them every day with routine non-invasive clinical exams, Tsang says. And in the event of serious complications, removing the eye is not a life-threatening event.

In Tsangs new preclinical iPS study, human iPS cells derived from the skin cells of a 53-year-old donor were first transformed with a cocktail of growth factors into cells in the retina that lie underneath the eyes light-sensing cells.

The primary job of the retina cells is to nourish the light-sensing cells and protect the fragile cells from excess light, heat, and cellular debris. If the retina cells die which happens in macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa the photoreceptor cells degenerate and the patient loses vision. Macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss in the elderly, and it is estimated that 30 percent of people will have some form of macular degeneration by age 75. Macular degeneration currently affects 7 million Americans and its incidence is expected to double by 2020.

In their study, the researchers injected the iPS-derived retina cells into the right eyes of 34 mice that had a genetic mutation that caused their retina cells to degenerate.

In many animals, the human cells assimilated into mouse retina without disruption and functioned as normal retina cells well into the animals old age. Control mice that got injections of saline or inactive cells showed no improvement in retina tests.

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Stem Cells Improve Visual Function in Blind Mice

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Medistem Inc (Pink Sheets:MEDS) announced today the initiation of a collaboration with Superview Biotechnology Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of Yinhuan Holding Co from Yixing, China. The joint work will be aimed at using proprietary stem cell lines developed by Medistem for screening of monoclonal antibodies for therapeutic activity in the area of regenerative medicine. As part of the collaboration, the two companies will evaluate various candidates jointly, as well as apply for grants and share research data.

To date, the majority of stem cell companies are focusing on the stem cell itself being a product. By collaborating with Superview Biotechnology, we aim to assess the feasibility of developing antibodies that can modulate the activity of stem cells that already exist in the body, said Thomas Ichim, CEO of Medistem. This approach not only provides methods of activating stem cells but also allows for the development of stem cell adjuvant therapies that could be used to resurrect stem cell candidates that failed in clinical trials.

Superview Biotechnology has developed proprietary methods of rapidly generating monoclonal antibodies to esoteric protein targets. Medistem has a history of success in the area of stem cells, being the only company to take a stem cell product from discovery to FDA clearance in the short span of 4 years.

One of the significant driving forces behind our company is to develop innovative targets for our monoclonal antibodies. Although monoclonal antibodies have generated sales of billions of dollars in areas ranging from rheumatoid arthritis, to cancer, to preventing blindness, we feel that the potential of this therapeutic tool is only beginning to be recognized, said Jiong Wu, CEO of Superview Biotechnology. Our opinion is that the barriers to entry for monoclonal antibody-based therapies modulating endogenous stem cells is lower than stem cell based therapies. We are eager to work with the Medistem team at exploring this hypothesis.

A joint grant is expected to be filed with the National Natural Science Foundation of China to support part of the proposed collaboration by end of October, 2012.

Cautionary Statement

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of our securities. This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking information. Factors which may cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements are discussed in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Medistem and Superview Biotechnology Co. Ltd. Initiate Collaboration on Therapeutics Development Using Antibody and ...

NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Translational Regenerative Medicine: Market Prospects 2012-2022

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Report Details

New study shows you commercial potential of regenerative treatments

See what the future holds for translational regenerative medicine. Visiongain's updated report lets you assess forecasted sales at overall world market, submarket, product and regional level to 2022.

There you investigate the most lucrative areas in that research field, industry and market. Discover prospects for tissue-engineered products, stem cell treatments and gene therapy.

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Data and discussions - including our revenue forecasts to 2022 - for your research, analyses and decision making

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Translational Regenerative Medicine: Market Prospects 2012-2022

HOUSTON, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The Houston Stem Cell Summit will host an extraordinary lineup of keynote speakers who represent the most accomplished stem cell scientists, clinicians and entrepreneurs in the United States. Joining these distinguished speakers will be Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, consistent champion of adult stem cell therapies.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120831/NY66463LOGO )

The Houston Stem Cell Summit will be held October 26 27 in its namesake city and will highlight the latest therapeutic research regarding the use of adult stem and progenitor cell therapies. The Summit will also provide a forum for entrepreneurs to discuss their latest efforts to commercialize stem cell therapies, and to debate and discuss FDA and other legal and regulatory issues impacting stem cell research and commercialization.

Opening Keynote Address October 26, 2012 Arnold I. Caplan, PhD, Professor of Biology and Professor of General Medical Sciences (Oncology) Case Western Reserve University

Dr. Caplan has helped shape the direction and focus of adult stem cell research and commercialization. Virtually every adult stem cell company and literally tens of thousands of research papers are based on Dr. Caplan's original and ground breaking research. Professor Caplan is considered to be the "father" of the mesenchymal stem cell and first described this progenitor cell in his landmark paper; "Mesenchymal stem cells", Journal of Orthopaedic Research 1991;9(5):641-650. Since that foundational study, Dr. Caplan has published over 360 manuscripts and articles in peer reviewed journals. Dr. Caplan has been Chief Scientific Officer at OrthoCyte Corporation since 2010. In addition, Dr. Caplan co-founded Cell Targeting Inc. and has served as President of Skeletech, Inc. as its founder. He is the recipient of several honors and awards from the orthopedic research community. Dr. Caplan holds a Ph. D. from Johns Hopkins University Medical School and a B.S. in chemistry from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Summit Keynote Address October 26, 2012 Texas Governor Rick Perry

Governor Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. Governor Perry has long championed the role of medical technologies in building the future of not only Texas, but also the United States. In many ways, his strong advocacy on behalf of research and advanced medical technologies is one of his strongest and as yet underappreciated legacies. In addition to his service to the state of Texas, Governor Perry has also served as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2008 and again in 2011. Despite a rigorous schedule, particularly in the teeth of this election season, Governor Perry has graciously made time to speak and encourage the researchers, patients, companies and physicians who form the fabric and future of the stem cell therapy community.

Texas Medical Center Keynote Address, October 27, 2012 James T. Willerson, MD

Over the course of his career, Dr. James T. Willerson has served as a medical, scientific and administrative leader for each of the major institutions that are the foundation of the Texas Medical Center. Dr. Willerson is currently President and Medical Director, Director of Cardiology Research, and Co-Director of the Cullen Cardiovascular Research Laboratories at Texas Heart Institute (THI). Dr. Willerson was appointed President-Elect of THI in 2004 and became President and Medical Director in 2008. He is also an adjunct professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is the former chief of Cardiology at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and the former chief of Medical Services at Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Dr. Willerson has served as a visiting professor and invited lecturer at more than 170 institutions.

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Houston Stem Cell Summit Announces Extraordinary Lineup of Keynote Speakers

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) A novel therapy in the early stages of development at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center shows promise in providing lasting protection against the progression of multiple myeloma following a stem cell transplant by making the cancer cells easier targets for the immune system.

Outlined in the British Journal of Hematology, the Phase II clinical trial was led by Amir Toor, M.D., hematologist-oncologist in the Bone Marrow Transplant Program and research member of the Developmental Therapeutics program at VCU Massey Cancer Center. The multi-phased therapy first treats patients with a combination of the drugs azacitidine and lenalidomide. Azacitidine forces the cancer cells to express proteins called cancer testis antigens (CTA) that immune system cells called T-cell lymphocytes recognize as foreign. The lenalidomide then boosts the production of T-cell lymphocytes. Using a process called autologous lymphocyte infusion (ALI), the T-cell lymphocytes are then extracted from the patient and given back to them after they undergo a stem cell transplant to restore the stem cells' normal function. Now able to recognize the cancer cells as foreign, the T-cell lymphocytes can potentially protect against a recurrence of multiple myeloma following the stem cell transplant.

"Every cell in the body expresses proteins on their surface that immune system cells scan like a barcode in order to determine whether the cells are normal or if they are foreign. Because multiple myeloma cells are spawned from bone marrow, immune system cells cannot distinguish them from normal healthy cells," says Toor. "Azacitidine essentially changes the barcode on the multiple myeloma cells, causing the immune system cells to attack them," says Toor.

The goal of the trial was to determine whether it was safe, and even possible, to administer the two drugs in combination with an ALI. In total, 14 patients successfully completed the investigational drug therapy. Thirteen of the participants successfully completed the investigational therapy and underwent a stem cell transplant. Four patients had a complete response, meaning no trace of multiple myeloma was detected, and five patients had a very good partial response in which the level of abnormal proteins in their blood decreased by 90 percent.

In order to determine whether the azacitidine caused an increased expression of CTA in the multiple myeloma cells, Toor collaborated with Masoud Manjili, D.V.M., Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at VCU Massey, to conduct laboratory analyses on bone marrow biopsies taken from trial participants before and after treatments. Each patient tested showed an over-expression of multiple CTA, indicating the treatment was successful at forcing the cancer cells to produce these "targets" for the immune system.

"We designed this therapy in a way that could be replicated, fairly inexpensively, at any facility equipped to perform a stem cell transplant," says Toor. "We plan to continue to explore the possibilities of immunotherapies in multiple myeloma patients in search for more effective therapies for this very hard-to-treat disease."

In addition to Manjili, Toor collaborated with John McCarty, M.D., director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at VCU Massey, and Harold Chung, M.D., William Clark, M.D., Catherine Roberts, Ph.D., and Allison Hazlett, also all from Massey's Bone Marrow Transplant Program; Kyle Payne, Maciej Kmieciak, Ph.D., from Massey and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at VCU School of Medicine; Roy Sabo, Ph.D., from VCU Department of Biostatistics and the Developmental Therapeutics program at Massey; and David Williams, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Pathology at VCU School of Medicine, co-director of the Tissue and Data Acquisition and Analysis Core and research member of the Developmental Therapeutics program at Massey.

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Immune system harnessed to improve stem cell transplant outcomes

For more than 40 years, Lesley Kelly of Glasgow, Scotland, lived with third-degree burns that stretched over 60 percent of her body.

Kelly was 2 years old when she fell into a bathtub filled with hot water that scorched most of the right side of her body. She lost full range of motion around many of her joints.

"When you have bad scarring, the buildup is very thick and has no elasticity," said Kelly, 45, whose right elbow was most affected by the buildup of scar tissue. "The problem with thermal burn scarring [is that] it's hard to get the range of motion."

Kelly underwent numerous reparative surgeries through the years, but the scar tissue continued to grow back. The procedures did not lessen the look of her scars.

In 2011, Kelly underwent a new, experimental procedure that used stem cells from her own fat tissue to repair the buildup around her right elbow.

Surgeons cleaned the scar buildup around the elbow and used liposuction to pull fat from off Kelly's waist. They separated the fat cells from the stem and regenerative cells, which were then injected into the wound on Kelly's arm. The procedure took less than two hours.

Within months, Kelly was able to regain 40 degrees of motion that she had lost more than 40 years ago.

"If this technology was available earlier in my life, my scars would not have been as bad," said Kelly.

There are an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 burn cases each year in the U.S., according to the American Burn Association.

The stem cell therapy, approved in the U.K. to treat soft tissue wounds, is now gaining traction in the U.S.

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Experimental Stem Cell Therapy May Help Burn Victims

Lesley Kelly, 45, underwent stem cell therapy to repair scar tissue buildup in her right arm. (Cytori Therapeutics, Inc.)

By Lara Salahi, ABC News For more than 40 years, Lesley Kelly of Glasgow, Scotland, lived with third-degree burns that stretched over 60 percent of her body.

Kelly was 2 years old when she fell into a bathtub filled with hot water that scorched most of the right side of her body. She lost full range of motion around many of her joints.

"When you have bad scarring, the buildup is very thick and has no elasticity," said Kelly, 45, whose right elbow was most affected by the buildup of scar tissue. "The problem with thermal burn scarring [is that] it's hard to get the range of motion."

Kelly underwent numerous reparative surgeries through the years, but the scar tissue continued to grow back. The procedures did not lessen the look of her scars.

In 2011, Kelly underwent a new, experimental procedure that used stem cells from her own fat tissue to repair the buildup around her right elbow.

Surgeons cleaned the scar buildup around the elbow and used liposuction to pull fat from off Kelly's waist. They separated the fat cells from the stem and regenerative cells, which were then injected into the wound on Kelly's arm. The procedure took less than two hours.

Within months, Kelly was able to regain 40 degrees of motion that she had lost more than 40 years ago.

"If this technology was available earlier in my life, my scars would not have been as bad," said Kelly.

There are an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 burn cases each year in the U.S., according to the American Burn Association.

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New Therapy May Help Burn Victims

NEWARK, Calif., Sept. 27, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StemCells, Inc. (STEM) today announced that the first patient with an incomplete spinal cord injury has been enrolled in the Company's Phase I/II clinical trial in chronic spinal cord injury and transplanted with the Company's proprietary HuCNS-SC(R) neural stem cells. The patient, a Canadian man who suffered a thoracic spinal cord injury from a sports-related accident, was administered the cells yesterday at Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, a world leading medical center for spinal cord injury and rehabilitation. This is the first patient in the second cohort of the trial, which will be comprised of four patients who retain some sensory function below the level of trauma and are therefore considered to have an incomplete injury.

"This is an important milestone for StemCells and the spinal cord injury community as it is the first time anyone has ever transplanted neural stem cells into a patient with an incomplete injury," said Stephen Huhn, MD, FACS, FAAP, Vice President and Head of the CNS Program at StemCells, Inc. "Given the encouraging interim data from the most severely injured patient cohort that we reported earlier this month, testing patients with less severe injury should afford us an even better opportunity to continue to test safety and to detect and assess clinical changes. Unlike the patients in the first cohort, patients with incomplete injuries have retained a degree of spinal cord function that might be even further augmented by transplantation with neural stem cells."

Earlier this month, the Company reported that interim six-month data from the first patient cohort in the Phase I/II clinical trial continued to demonstrate a favorable safety profile, and showed considerable gains in sensory function in two of the three patients compared to pre-transplant baselines. Patients in the first cohort all suffered a complete injury to their spinal cord, leaving them with no neurological function below the level of injury. Following transplantation with HuCNS-SC cells, there were no abnormal clinical, electrophysiological or radiological responses to the cells, and all the patients were neurologically stable through the first six months after transplantation. Changes in sensitivity to touch, heat and electrical stimuli were observed in well-defined and consistent areas below the level of injury in two of the patients, while the third patient remained stable. Importantly, the changes in sensory function were confirmed objectively by measures of electrical impulse transmission across the site of injury, each of which correlated with the clinical examination.

About the Spinal Cord Injury Clinical Trial

The Phase I/II clinical trial of StemCells, Inc.'s HuCNS-SC(R) purified human adult neural stem cells is designed to assess both safety and preliminary efficacy. Twelve patients with thoracic (chest-level) neurological injuries at the T2-T11 level are planned for enrollment, and their injuries must have occurred within three to twelve months prior to transplantation of the cells. In addition to assessing safety, the trial will assess preliminary efficacy based on defined clinical endpoints, such as changes in sensation, motor function and bowel/bladder function. The Company has dosed the first patient cohort, all of whom have injuries classified as AIS A according to the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS). In AIS A injuries, there is no neurological function below the injury level. The second cohort will be patients classified as AIS B, in which there is some preservation of sensory or motor function below the injury level. The third cohort will be patients classified as AIS C, in which there is some preservation of both sensory and motor function.

All patients will receive HuCNS-SC cells through direct transplantation into the spinal cord and will be temporarily immunosuppressed. Patients will be evaluated regularly in the post-transplant period in order to monitor and assess the safety of the HuCNS-SC cells, the surgery and the immunosuppression, as well as to measure any recovery of neurological function below the injury site. The Company intends to follow the effects of this therapy long-term, and each of the patients will be invited to enroll into a separate four year observational study after completing the Phase I/II study.

The trial is being conducted at Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, a world leading medical center for spinal cord injury and rehabilitation, and is open for enrollment to patients in Europe, Canada and the United States. Enrollment for the second cohort is now underway. If you believe you may qualify and are interested in participating in the study, please contact the study nurse either by phone at +41 44 386 39 01 or by email at stemcells.pz@balgrist.ch.

Additional information about the Company's spinal cord injury program can be found on the StemCells, Inc. website at http://www.stemcellsinc.com/Therapeutic-Programs/Clinical-Trials.htm and at http://www.stemcellsinc.com/Therapeutic-Programs/Spinal-Cord-Injury.htm, including video interviews with Company executives and independent collaborators.

About Balgrist University Hospital

Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich is recognized worldwide as a highly specialized center of excellence providing examination, treatment and rehabilitation opportunities to patients with serious musculoskeletal conditions. The clinic owes its leading international reputation to its unique combination of specialized medical services. The hospital's carefully-balanced, interdisciplinary network brings together under one roof medical specialties including orthopedics, paraplegiology, radiology, anesthesiology, rheumatology, and physical medicine. More information about Balgrist University Hospital is available at http://www.balgrist.ch.

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StemCells, Inc. Achieves Spinal Cord Injury Milestone With First Neural Stem Cell Transplant Into Patient With Sensory ...

GRANTS PASS This month, Jerry Condit met the only man in the world who could and did save his life.

Condit needed a stem cell transplant to replace bone marrow lost to leukemia, a blood-attacking cancer diagnosed in January 2008 on his 69th birthday.

Doctors estimated he had two years to live if it went untreated. But finding a suitable donor was difficult. In fact, the National Marrow Donor Program says only about half of the people in need of transplants ever find a donor.

After searching national and international registries of millions of potential donors, doctors found only one match: Marco Rixen, a 34-year-old resident of Germany.

He matched 11 of the 12 markers they were looking for, said Condits wife, Jan. It was enough to consider Rixen a match.

The transplant was performed in May 2008 at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. Rixen made his donation at a medical center in Germany, where a courier rushed the stem cells to a plane bound for Portland. Less than 36 hours later, Condits transfusion was under way.

For the first two years after the transplant, Condit and Rixen could communicate only through the bone marrow donation agency. After that, names and e-mail addresses were released.

The two kept in touch, and one day the Condits got a message from Rixen that said he was planning to visit the United States.

I didnt know if I would ever get the chance to meet him, said Condit, who cant travel because of his vulnerable immune system. He wrote us and said he was coming here, and we just about fell over.

Rixen and his wife, Anja, spent Sept. 19 with the Condits in Grants Pass before heading to Las Vegas to renew their wedding vows in front of an Elvis impersonator and then visit the Grand Canyon.

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Grants Pass man meets donor who saved his life

A 10-year-old boy has been infused with stem cells harvested from the bone marrow of his brother to treat him for thalassaemia a disorder caused by destruction of red blood cells. Called allogeneic transplantation of stem cells, this was done at Kovai Medical Center and Hospital.

D. Dhanush may not have to undergo expensive and excruciating blood transfusion anymore if his body accepts the donor cells. But his condition will have to be evaluated very minutely for the next two years to confirm that the cells donated by his brother have been received well and adapted him.

Presenting the boy before media persons, Clinical Haematologist and Head of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit T. Rajasekar explained that transplantation was of two types autologous and allogeneic.

The autologous procedure involves harvesting of stem cells from the patients themselves (those suffering from thalassaemia or leukaemia). The extracted cells are frozen and stored for high dose treatment.

After being treated, these are infused into the patient through a vein. This procedure was done for one person suffering from myeloma (cancer of plasma cells or white blood cells that produce anti-bodies that help fight infections/diseases) and another with a relapsed lymphoma (cancer of the lymphocytes cells that are part of immune system).

Under the allogeneic procedure, matching stem cells from a donor are used. Mostly, these cells are from siblings or a close relative as they need to pass the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching test. HLA matching is required, or the cells will be rejected by the recipient. Ideally, it is sibling whose cells will match because he or she will have the HLA from both parents. It is the combination of HLAs from both parents that are found in the children.

The cells can be harvested from the marrow or from the blood. In the case presented on Tuesday, Dr. Rajasekar said the cells were brought out of the bone marrow in Dhanushs brother and into his blood, from where these were harvested.

Chairman of the hospital Nalla G. Palaniswami said the tough procedure was performed by the new Comprehensive Cancer Centre, which was gradually bringing in specialists of all sub-specialities of cancer care. Only then can this be called a comprehensive centre, he said.

The hospital would form a KMCH Foundation, which would use funds from donors to treat poor children suffering from cancer and some other disorders that required expensive treatment.

The stem cell transplantation that Dhanush, the son of a police head constable, underwent cost Rs.12 lakh. Of this, Rs.9 lakh was provided by a donor, Dr. Palaniswami said. Dean of the hospital V. Kumaran and Head of Department of Interventional Radiology Mathew Cherian spoke on how the cancer centre was established and how developments were being made.

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Stem cell transplantation for boy with thalassaemia

CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 25, 2012) - International Stem Cell Corporation ( OTCQB : ISCO ) (www.internationalstemcell.com) ("ISCO" or "the Company") a California-based biotechnology company, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted the Company a patent for a method of creating pure populations of definitive endoderm, precursor cells to liver and pancreas cells, from human pluripotent stem cells.This patent is a key element of ISCO's metabolic liver disease program and allows the Company to produce the necessary quantities of precursor cells in a more efficient and cost effective manner.

The patent, 8,268,621, adds to the Company's growing portfolio of proprietary technologies relating to the development of potential treatments for incurable diseases using human parthenogenetic Stem Cells (hpSC).Human parthenogenetic stem cells are unique pluripotent stem cells that offer the possibility to reduce the cost of health care while avoiding the ethical issues that surround the use of fertilized human embryos.Aside from the Company's current liver disease program, this new patented method can be used as a route to create pancreatic and endocrine cells that could be used in future studies of diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

ISCO currently has the largest collection of hpSC including cell lines which immune match the donor, as is the case with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), and cell lines which immune-match millions of individuals and potentially reduce tissue rejection issues.The Company is focusing its therapeutic development efforts on three clinical applications where cell and tissue therapy is already proven but where there currently is an insufficient supply of safe and efficacious cells: Parkinson's disease, inherited/metabolic liver diseases and corneal blindness.

About International Stem Cell Corporation

International Stem Cell Corporation is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products.ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs) hence avoiding ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos.ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial background with minimal immune rejection after transplantation. hpSCs offer the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology (www.lifelinecelltech.com), and stem cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care (www.lifelineskincare.com). More information is available at http://www.internationalstemcell.com.

To receive ongoing corporate communications via email, visit: http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1468&to=ea&s=0

To like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter for company updates and industry related news, visit: http://www.facebook.com/InternationalStemCellCorporation and http://www.twitter.com/intlstemcell

Safe harbor statement

Statements pertaining to anticipated developments, the potential use of technologies to develop therapeutic products and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects" or "estimates") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products and the management of collaborations, regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, application of capital resources among competing uses, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the company's business, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements.

Continued here:
International Stem Cell Corp Granted Key Patent for Liver Disease Program

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Celprogen Inc., a leader in the Stem Cell Research and Therapeutics industry for the development of stem cell technologies for regenerative medicine, today announced that they obtained a Patent for Treating Lactose Intolerance Utilizing Genetically Engineered Bacteria US8,236,297B2. Acquired lactase deficiency is the most common disorder of complex carbohydrate absorption throughout the world, affecting 75% of world population. In the United States 15% of Caucasians, over 50% of Hispanics and over 80% of African-Americans suffer from lactose intolerance.

The present invention relates to genetically engineered bacteria that are able to colonize the mammalian intestine and actively produce mammalian lactase. This lactose-digesting enzyme is stable and active under the conditions normally found in the mammalian small intestine. Experimental subjects colonized with the genetically engineered bacteria show improved ability to digest lactose in dairy foods.

About Celprogen Inc.

Celprogen Inc. is a global Stem Cell Research & Therapeutics company which is developing a proprietary portfolio of unique therapeutics products and life science research tools that includes genetic engineering technologies, stem cell technologies for regenerative medicine, as well as bio-engineering products for tissue & organ transplants. Headquartered in San Pedro, California, Celprogen is committed to the research, development, and manufacture of quality Stem Cell, Cancer Stem Cell and Primary Cell Culture products to serve our global community. Additional information about Celprogen is available at http://www.celprogen.com.

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Celprogen Obtained US Patent (US8,236,297B2) Method of Treating Lactose Intolerance Utilizing Genetically Engineered ...

By Sharmistha Banerjee - September 25, 2012 | Tickers: NBS, OSIR, PSTI | 0 Comments

Sharmistha is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.

Far-reaching accomplishments in the biotechnology sector meet its most ambitious expectations, stem cell therapy. The birth of this new industry has boosted the enthusiasm and energy of investors and has brought unprecedented capability and optimistic predictions. New developments in regenerative medicine are bringing about exciting, novel approaches to create therapies for hard to treat diseases. The biotechnology industry has been soaring in 2012 as companies both large and small have shown impressive growth.

The cell therapy space has seen relatively small companies making strides in the right direction with increased government support. Osiris Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OSIR) a leading stem cell company is currently the only company with an approved cell therapy. The approval is more of a first step in a long walk for Osiris. Reuters reported that shares of Osiris Therapeutics rose 15% on May 30, 2012, after U.S. health regulators said the stem cell technology company's wound treatment was eligible for reimbursement when used in hospitals in out-patient settings or in ambulances. The company carries over a $300 million market capitalization and trades at $9.50 per share, primarily on the strength of a recent Canadian approval for its stem cell drug for graft-versus-host disease. Osiris Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $4.12 and a 1-year high of $14.46. The company has a market cap of $311.3 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 90.98. Investors are impressed and optimistic with Osiris progress in cell-based therapies. They currently have a $9.75 target price on the stock. Despite having to negotiate a more challenging regulation process the company has continued to show investors strong gains in 2012.With a current ratio of 8.51 and debt equity of (0.00%) the company boasts of a financially secure position in the market.

Pluristem Therapeutics (NASDAQ: PSTI) a small firm with a market cap of less than $180 million has been concentrating on its placenta-based cell therapies, is considered one of the more advanced in the cell therapy arena, and unlike OSIR, its lead candidates treat diseases that could potentially return significant revenue. The upside for PSTI is lower costs, quicker healing time, ease of administration, and most importantly, it can grow vessels and provide the possibility of a cure, which has led to optimism surrounding the stock. Shares of Pluristem Therapeutics are up over 3.98% and most likely headed higher in the days ahead. It has traded higher by 85% during the last three months and is now valued at $200 million. Pluristem may actually beat OSIR in the race to become the first U.S. approved cell therapy with its bone marrow therapy, in which it has recently applied for approval. Pluristem is a company that I think is showing great promise. From the stock's action in the last several months, it is clear investors recognize that Pluristem's unique platform technology has the potential for tremendous value in a lucrative range of medical markets both the very large and the very small. The company wins both ways. Its clinical segment is creating candidates with large revenue potential, with analysts projecting peak sales of $700 million for AMR-001, which treats patients following acute myocardial infarction. The company is reasonably well funded with around $42 million in cash and cash equivalents.

NeoStem (NYSEMKT: NBS) is by far the leader in regards to the manufacturing business, and no other company comes close. In addition, its stock has returned the most over in the last three months, with a 100% gain. NeoStem stocks looks promising as a biotechnology investment. First, the company is focusing on several promising areas of new stem cell treatment development. Second, its contract manufacturing business brings in revenues to offset some of its drug development expenditures. Third, the contract manufacturing business could earn substantial royalties if any of the products on which it works with customers proves to be a commercial success. NeoStem's manufacturing segment which is also known as PCT, is well positioned to return larger gains over the next 24 months with several late stage candidates under development. a $110 million company that has increased in value by 70% during the last three months, In addition to the PCT business, NeoStem's most promising therapy is aimed at preventing major cardiac problems following acute myocardial infarction (AMI), an area that is potentially a multibillion-dollar business. NeoStem's therapy is meeting endpoints never before reached,

The three companies discussed above are showing much potential for growth and each present a significant upward shift in the current stock prices while contributing greatly to the advances of cell therapy.

Osiris is the closest to generating substantial revenue by already having two approvals, and is currently testing its therapy on other diseases, thereby leaving open the possibility of future gains. Pluristem has candidates to treat diseases in potentially large markets, and is expanding with its manufacturing facility. Although Stem Cells is in the early phases of development, it still has a very innovating therapy that, if proven effective, could advance the space even further. NeoStem possesses all the benefits of an innovating technology, a diversified pipeline, and is a candidate with significant revenue potential.

At this point, it appears that the entire space is moving forward and has lifted observers' expectations by making rapid progress. It makes sense that these three stocks would trade with such considerable gains, as investors can now identify the benefits of cell therapies. And as more approvals occur, it could be a space that trades considerably higher regardless of the market's indecisiveness. With the sector growing and maturing, investing in biotech stocks seems a promising choice in future.

SharmisthaB has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.If you have questions about this post or the Fools blog network, click here for information.

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Stem Cell Therapy—Breakthrough in Health Paradigm

The Hindu

'Enrolments for biotechnology will see a rise in three years' The Hindu Biotechnology education in the State is undergoing course correction and will get its shine back in a couple of years, chairperson, Karnataka Vision Group on Biotechnology, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, said in Bangalore on Tuesday. There was a temporary dip in ... Biotech courses in Bangalore not industry ready: Kiran Mazumdar-ShawDaily News & Analysis all 3 news articles »

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