Toni Clarke BOSTON Globe and Mail Update Published Friday, May. 18, 2012 12:38PM EDT Last updated Friday, May. 18, 2012 12:56PM EDT

Osiris Therapeutics Inc. OSIR-Q said on Thursday that Canadian health regulators have approved its treatment for acute graft-versus host disease in children, making it the first stem cell drug to be approved for a systemic disease anywhere in the world.

Osiris shares rose 14 per cent to $6.00 in extended trading after the news was announced.

Graft versus host disease (GvHD) is a potentially deadly complication from a bone marrow transplant, when newly implanted cells attack the patient’s body. Symptoms range from abdominal pain and skin rash to hair loss, hepatitis, lung and digestive tract disorders, jaundice and vomiting.

The disease kills up to 80 per cent of children affected, Osiris said. To date there have been no approved treatments for the disease. Canadian authorities approved the therapy, Prochymal, for use in children who have failed to respond to steroids.

Prochymal was approved with the condition that Osiris carry out further testing after it reaches the market. C. Randal Mills, the company’s chief executive, said in an interview that could take three to four years.

Some investment analysts have been skeptical about Prochymal’s future. In 2009, two late-stage clinical trials failed to show the drug was more effective overall than a placebo in treating the disease, though it showed promise in certain subgroups of patients.

Since then, the company has mined data from all its clinical trials to show that in patients with severe refractory acute GvHD those who have more or less failed all other therapies Prochymal demonstrated a clinically meaningful response at 28 days after therapy began in 61-64 per cent of patients.

In addition, treatment with Prochymal resulted in a statistically significant improvement in survival when compared with a historical control population of pediatric patients with refractory GvHD.

The Canadian authorities approved the drug on the basis of that data, the company said.

Excerpt from:

Prochymal approval makes Canada first country to OK stem cell therapy

Osiris Therapeutics Inc said on Thursday that Canadian health regulators have approved its treatment for acute graft-versus host disease in children, making it the first stem cell drug to be approved for a systemic disease anywhere in the world.

Osiris shares rose 14 percent to $6.00 in extended trading after the news was announced.

Graft versus host disease (GvHD) is a potentially deadly complication from a bone marrow transplant, when newly implanted cells attack the patient’s body. Symptoms range from abdominal pain and skin rash to hair loss, hepatitis, lung and digestive tract disorders, jaundice and vomiting.

The disease kills up to 80 percent of children affected, Osiris said. To date there have been no approved treatments for the disease. Canadian authorities approved the therapy, Prochymal, for use in children who have failed to respond to steroids.

Prochymal was approved with the condition that Osiris carry out further testing after it reaches the market. C. Randal Mills, the company’s chief executive, said in an interview that could take three to four years.

Some investment analysts have been skeptical about Prochymal’s future. In 2009, two late-stage clinical trials failed to show the drug was more effective overall than a placebo in treating the disease, though it showed promise in certain subgroups of patients.

Since then, the company has mined data from all its clinical trials to show that in patients with severe refractory acute GvHD — those who have more or less failed all other therapies — Prochymal demonstrated a clinically meaningful response at 28 days after therapy began in 61-64 percent of patients.

In addition, treatment with Prochymal resulted in a statistically significant improvement in survival when compared with a historical control population of pediatric patients with refractory GvHD.

The Canadian authorities approved the drug on the basis of that data, the company said.

FDA submission this year

See original here:

First stem cell drug approved for systemic disease treatment

Indian clinic’s stem cell therapy real?

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

For more of CNN correspondent Drew Griffin’s investigation of India’s experimental embryonic stem cell therapy, watch “CNN Presents: Selling a Miracle,” at 8 and 11 p.m. ET Sunday on CNN.

New Delhi (CNN) — Cash Burnaman, a 6-year-old South Carolina boy, has traveled with his parents to India seeking treatment for a rare genetic condition that has left him developmentally disabled. You might think this was a hopeful mission until you learn that an overwhelming number of medical experts insist the treatment will have zero effect.

Cash is mute. He walks with the aid of braces. To battle his incurable condition, which is so rare it doesn’t have a name, Cash has had to take an artificial growth hormone for most of his life.

His divorced parents, Josh Burnaman and Stephanie Krolick, are so driven by their hope and desperation to help Cash they’ve journeyed to the other side of the globe and paid tens of thousands of dollars to have Cash undergo experimental injections of human embryonic stem cells.

The family is among a growing number of Americans seeking the treatment in India — some at a clinic in the heart of New Delhi called NuTech Mediworld run by Dr. Geeta Shroff, a retired obstetrician and self-taught embryonic stem cell practitioner.

Shroff first treated Cash — who presents symptoms similar to Down Syndrome — in 2010. “I am helping improve their quality of life,” Shroff told CNN.

After five weeks of treatment, Cash and his parents returned home to the U.S.

That’s when Cash began walking with the aid of braces for the first time.

See the rest here:

Family hangs hope for boy on unproven therapy in India

Read more:

Osiris shares climb on stem-cell therapy approval

Indian clinic’s stem cell therapy real?

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

For more of CNN correspondent Drew Griffin’s investigation of India’s experimental embryonic stem cell therapy, watch “CNN Presents: Selling a Miracle,” at 8 and 11 p.m. ET Sunday on CNN.

New Delhi (CNN) — Cash Burnaman, a 6-year-old South Carolina boy, has traveled with his parents to India seeking treatment for a rare genetic condition that has left him developmentally disabled. You might think this was a hopeful mission until you learn that an overwhelming number of medical experts insist the treatment will have zero effect.

Cash is mute. He walks with the aid of braces. To battle his incurable condition, which is so rare it doesn’t have a name, Cash has had to take an artificial growth hormone for most of his life.

His divorced parents, Josh Burnaman and Stephanie Krolick, are so driven by their hope and desperation to help Cash they’ve journeyed to the other side of the globe and paid tens of thousands of dollars to have Cash undergo experimental injections of human embryonic stem cells.

The family is among a growing number of Americans seeking the treatment in India — some at a clinic in the heart of New Delhi called NuTech Mediworld run by Dr. Geeta Shroff, a retired obstetrician and self-taught embryonic stem cell practitioner.

Shroff first treated Cash — who presents symptoms similar to Down Syndrome — in 2010. “I am helping improve their quality of life,” Shroff told CNN.

After five weeks of treatment, Cash and his parents returned home to the U.S.

That’s when Cash began walking with the aid of braces for the first time.

Read more from the original source:

Medical success or boondoggle?

Cell surface protein blows potent cells cover; targeted drug works in preclinical tests

Newswise HOUSTON Breast cancer stem cells wear a cell surface protein that is part nametag and part bulls eye, identifying them as potent tumor-generating cells and flagging their vulnerability to a drug, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report online in Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Weve discovered a single marker for breast cancer stem cells and also found that its targetable with a small molecule drug that inhibits an enzyme crucial to its synthesis, said co-senior author Michael Andreeff, M.D., Ph.D., professor in MD Andersons Departments of Leukemia and Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.

Andreeff and colleagues are refining the drug as a potential targeted therapy for breast cancer stem cells, which are thought to be crucial to therapy resistance, disease progression and spread to other organs.

Its been difficult to identify cancer stem cells in solid tumors, Andreeff said. And nobody has managed to target these cells very well.

The marker is the cell surface protein ganglioside GD2. The drug is triptolide, an experimental drug that Andreeff has used in preclinical leukemia research. The team found triptolide blocks expression of GD3 synthase, which is essential to GD2production.

Triptolide stymied cancer growth in cell line experiments and resulted in smaller tumors and prolonged survival in mouse experiments. Drug development for human trials probably will take several years.

Cancer stem cells are similar to normal stem cells

Research in several types of cancer has shown cancer stem cells are a small subpopulation of cancer cells that are capable of long-term self-renewal and generation of new tumors. More recent research shows they resist treatment and promote metastasis.

Cancer stem cells are similar to normal stem cells that renew specialized tissues. The breast cancer findings grew out of Andreeffs long-term research in mesenchymal stem cells, which can divide into one copy of themselves and one differentiated copy of a bone, muscle, fat or cartilage cell.

Read more:

Scientists Discover Marker to Identify, Attack Breast Cancer Stem Cells

Read the rest here:

QualityStocks News – International Stem Cell Scientists to Present Pre-Clinical Research Results at Gene and Cell …

Public release date: 15-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Elisa Williams willieli@ohsu.edu 503-494-4530 Oregon Health & Science University

PORTLAND, Ore. Multiple myeloma patients are better equipped to halt progression of this blood cancer if treated with lenalidomide, or Revlimid, following a stem cell transplant, according to a study co-authored by a physician with the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found a 63 percent reduction in the risk of progressive myeloma or death for the stem cell transplant patients that were treated with lenalidomide maintenance therapy.

“These results add to the evidence that the combination of standard therapies such as stem cell transplantation with the emerging biologic therapies, like lenalidomide, have extended the lives of multiple myeloma patients,” said Richard Maziarz, M.D., of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute who was one of the study’s co-authors. Maziarz serves as medical director of the Adult Stem Cell Transplantation Program & Center for Hematologic Malignancies at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. “We know that for at least three years following a transplant that maintenance therapy with this drug vastly improves the chances that the cancer won’t come back and worsen.”

These data were supported by similar Phase III studies reported from France and Italy in the same issue of the New England Jounal of Medicine demonstrating that maintenance therapy after stem cell transplantation was associated with improved disease control.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer that affects plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for producing antibodies. In patients impacted by multiple myeloma, collections of abnormal plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow, interfering with the production of normal blood cells. The study focused on patients who received an autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (AHCT). AHCT procedures use patients’ own blood stem cells.

While lenalidomide increased a patient’s ability to stave off progression of the disease, questions remain regarding future approaches recognizing that quality of life measurements were not incorporated within these studies, that long-term safety issues remain unclear as there was a small but discernable risk of second cancers observed in the treated patients. In addition to the need for that cost-benefit analysis, a comparison remains to be performed with other emerging myeloma maintenance therapies.

This Phase III study of lenalidomide was conducted at 47 medical centers and involved 568 patients. It was sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Revlimid’s manufacturer, Celgene Corp., provided the NCI with lenalidomide for this research.

###

Continue reading here:

Lenalidomide prolongs disease control for multiple myeloma patients after stem cell transplant

Veterinarians hope a new medical procedure can treat a 25-year-old chimpanzee with a torn ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, at the “Save the Chimps” in Florida.

The procedure involves injecting the chimp with her own stem cells.

“With chimps we don’t want to do a lot of surgical work, put hardware in their knee, they tend to pull out that sort of thing,” said Veterinarian Linda Gregard, M.D.

Dr. Darrell Nazareth with the Florida Veterinary League has been using stem cells to treat dogs with arthritis for the past two years, but this is his first chimp.

“We’re not using embryonic stem cells, we’re not taking embryos and taking their stem cells from there. We’re just using the patient’s own tissue,” said Dr. Nazareth.

The technology harnesses the bodies own ability to heal itself and doctors hope it could find wider use in humans.

After injecting two billion stem cells into Angie’s knee, doctors will find out in the next two to three weeks if the stem cell therapy treatment was successful.

Continued here:

Stem cell therapy to treat a chimp's torn ACL may prove beneficial for humans

Stem cell therapies developer Gamida Cell Ltd. has raised $10 million in its fifth financing round from all its investors. The company will use the proceeds to support the global commercialization of its lead cell therapy product, StemEx, as an alternative therapeutic treatment for patients with blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, who can be cured by bone marrow transplantation but do not have a matched bone marrow donor.

Gamida Cell is developing StemEx with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA; TASE: TEVA), and it is seeking a strategic partner for the product’s global commercialization.

The company will also use the proceeds for the further development of other products, primarily a clinical trial of its NiCord treatment for sickle cell anemia and thalassemia.

Gamida Cell chairman Reuven Krupik said, The investors were unanimous in their decision to reinvest, understanding the importance of bringing StemEx to market as well as maintaining the companys leadership role in the stem cell industry. Gamida Cell is a game changer.”

Gamida Cell completed enrollment for a pivotal Phase III clinical trial of StemEx in February, and expects results in the fourth quarter. The company plans to launch the product in 2013, and it could be the first allogeneic stem cell product in the market.

The company’s current investors include Elbit Imaging Ltd. (Nasdaq: EMITF; TASE: EMIT), Clal Biotechnology Industries Ltd. (TASE: CBI), Israel Healthcare Venture, Teva, Amgen, Denali Ventures and Auriga Ventures.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news – www.globes-online.com – on May 15, 2012

Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012

Continued here:

Stem cell co Gamida Cell raises $10m

Animal stem cell regenerative therapy is the newest service at the Animal Hospital of Tiffin.

“We are the official first site for the therapy in Ohio,” said veterinarian Bob McClung.

The technology uses an adult animal’s stem cells to heal itself.

Veterinarian Mike Brothers performed the surgery Monday on his dog, Tucker, a 2-year-old labrador retriever. It was the second surgery performed at the clinic.

Brothers said his dog’s joint problems are hereditary and he’s had problems since he was a puppy.

“What we’ve been able to do is slow down the arthritis,” Brothers said. The cause of the degeneration will continue, but the fatty tissue removed from the dog can be used for future treatments.

From a piece of fatty tissue of the size removed from Tucker, McClung estimated $3.2 billion stem cells were harvested.

Each injection uses about 90 million cells, so there will be enough of the material for future treatments.

“We have basically 2 billion cells to bank,” he said. “We use cryo-preservation.”

In the freezing process, the cells are gradually cooled to prevent damage and stored in liquid nitrogen at temperatures of minus 80 to minus 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Read this article:

Vet undertakes stem cell surgery

Kolkata, May 15:

Stem cell banking companies are looking at aggressive marketing initiatives to move into the mass market segment. Direct marketing to customers and reduction in price tag for storing umbilical cord blood are on the cards.

The umbilical cord blood and cord tissue are one of the richest sources of stem cells and have potential to treat over 75 serious ailments.

The average cost for storing these for a period of 21 years ranges between Rs 75,000 and Rs 90,000 in India.

According to Chennai-based Life Cell, high price points and lack of proper marketing have limited the penetration of cord blood banking in India. Affordability is the key factor in India.

Only when the prices come down will we see more customers opting for the service. We are working on it (bringing down prices), Mr Mayur Abhaya Srisrimal, Executive Director Life Cell, told Business Line.

Stem cell bankers have already rolled out easy finance options such as EMIs to make the services attractive. CordLife, for instance, offers EMI facility for 12-24 months.

This has helped boost our sales. We have been acquiring 350-400 clients each month, said Managing Director, Mr Meghnath Roy Chowdhury.

Finance, however, is not the only stumbling block. Cord blood bankers have, so far, been depending largely on hospital network for signing up clients. Bangalore-based Ms Deepa Shankar, who is expecting and is due for delivery in June, recently opted for Life Cell services through the hospital.

It’s not a sustainable approach. We need to get into direct marketing for pushing up volumes growth, Mr Srisrimal points out. To strike a cord with the would-be mothers, the company has roped in Lisa Ray as brand ambassador. Ms Ray was cured of multiple myeloma courtesy stem cell therapy.

Follow this link:

Stem cell banking firms to deploy marketing initiatives to boost sales

CARLSBAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB: ISCO.OB – News) (www.internationalstemcell.com) today announced that several of its leading scientists will present experimental results from three of ISCOs pre-clinical therapeutic programs.

Firstly, the application of A9 dopaminergic neurons derived from human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSC) for the treatment of Parkinsons disease. Demonstrating functional dopaminergic neurons in vivo represents an important milestone towards the goal of creating well characterized populations of cells that could be used to develop a treatment for Parkinsons.

Secondly, the differentiation of hpSC and embryonic stem cells into cornea-like constructs for use in transplantation therapy and the in vitro study of ocular drug absorption. There are approximately ten million people worldwide who are blind as a result of damage to their cornea. Generating human corneas from a pluripotent stem cell source should increase the likelihood that people will receive treatment in the future even in the absence of suitable tissue from eye banks.

Lastly, the in vivo and in vitro characterization of immature hepatocyte derived from hpSC. Such cells could be used to develop a treatment for individuals with a liver that has been damaged by disease or sufferers of genetic disorders that inhibit normal liver function. In both cases, implanting healthy hepatocyte cells could treat the underlying disease and prolong the life of the individual.

These results not only show the progress we have made in these important programs, but also demonstrate the broad application of human parthenogenetic stem cells in the development of treatments for incurable diseases, says Dr. Ruslan Semechkin, Vice President of Research and Development.

The presentations will take place at the 15th Annual Meeting of American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, in Philadelphia at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 17th.

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). hpSCs avoid ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenic, 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 www.internationalstemcell.com or follow us on Twitter @intlstemcell.

To receive ongoing corporate communications, please click on the following link: http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1468&to=ea&s=0

Continue reading here:

International Stem Cell Corporation Scientists to Present Pre-Clinical Research Results at American Society of Gene …

By Cathy C. Yamsuan Philippine Daily Inquirer

Former President Joseph Erap Estrada had always maintained that giving generously to friends and forgiving opponents are the secrets to staying young.

But time has a way of catching up with even the most formidable leading men.

Since he entered national politics 25 years ago, Estrada has struggled with the attributes of old ageweight gain, a painful knee here, a cataract there.

He needed some kind of elixir of youth to put to right what nature has put asunder. And to get back on his feet in time to serve the people, he said which has no age limit.

So he did it, and is very open about it. What is it?

At the prodding of friends, the 75-year-old Estrada flew to Frankfurt, Germany, last month to undergo fresh cell therapy (also known as stem cell treatment), an innovative albeit controversial procedure where fresh cells from donor animals are injected into the human body to treat diseases or reverse the aging process.

Fresh cell therapy operates under the principle of like heals like.

The fresh cells from a donor animals organ are infused into the human counterpart.

Substances in the donors blood are supposed to reactivate the human bodys immune system and defense mechanism, a reaction that would eventually rebuild and revitalize aging tissues.

Read more from the original source:

Joseph Estrada defies age, shares how he did it: Stem cell therapy

Here is the original post:

Osiris Therapeutics rises following 1Q results

Editor’s Choice Main Category: Ear, Nose and Throat Also Included In: Radiology / Nuclear Medicine;Cancer / Oncology;Stem Cell Research Article Date: 11 May 2012 – 10:00 PDT

Current Article Ratings:

The researchers note this finding could enhance the quality of life of 500,000 individuals with head and neck cancer each year worldwide.

The team found that the stem cells needed for regenerating the parotid gland (the largest pair of salivary glands) were primarily located in the major ducts of the gland. According to the researchers, these cells could be easily avoided during radiotherapy or given a minimal radiation dose.

Dr. Peter van Luijk, a research associate at the University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands, explained:

Findings from the study were presented at the 31st conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO31).

Dry mouth syndrome is a condition in which there is not enough saliva in the mouth. The condition can occur when the parotid gland stops functioning properly after radiation damage.

Symptoms of dry mouth syndrome include difficulty sleeping, eating, tooth decay or loss, and bad breath. These symptoms lead to poorer quality of life and difficulty working, as well as social isolation.

The majority of treatments to treat the condition and its consequences are insufficient and can cost hundreds or even thousands of Euros per patient each year.

Dr. van Luijk said:

The rest is here:

Using Stem Cell Therapy For Neck And Head Cancers Avoids Salivary Gland Damage Caused By Radiotherapy

By Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) — A new treatment that involves spinning bone marrow stem cells to enhance their healing potential may help people with advanced heart failure feel and function better, a small study suggests.

Researchers developed the treatment by culturing a patient’s own bone marrow for 12 days. This process helped increase the amount of immune cells and stem cells that can differentiate into several different cell types, including heart cells. Those cells were then injected into heart muscle. The study was funded by treatment manufacturer Aastrom Biosciences.

According to the findings, this treatment was safe, helped repair the damaged heart muscle and reversed some heart failure symptoms, when compared to a placebo injection. The findings were to be presented Thursday at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions annual meeting, in Las Vegas.

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute reports that about 5.8 million people in the United States have heart failure, a condition that occurs when the heart can no longer pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue and swelling in the ankles, feet, legs and abdomen. There is no cure; treatment typically includes a cocktail of medications aimed at reducing symptoms and improving quality of life.

“A number of people with heart failure have slowly progressing disease despite medication and/or device therapy. If we could have a therapy for this group that would slow the progression of heart failure, it would be economic and change the disease process tremendously,” said study author Dr. Timothy Henry, director of research and an interventional cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. The treatment would not be used for people who need a heart transplant.

Calling it the next generation of stem cell therapy, Henry said the treatment process helps enhance the potency of existing stem cells. “It gives a more functional product,” and when injected these stem cells may promote the growth of new blood vessels, he added.

Further study is ongoing, and if the results are positive a product could be available within two years to treat inadequate blood supply to the legs, and soon thereafter for heart failure, he said. According to Henry, six or seven new products that enhance bone marrow stem cells are being developed. “Ask your doctor if you are a candidate for any of the clinical trials,” Henry advised.

The new study included 22 participants with advanced heart failure and an enlarged heart whose current medication regimen was no longer effective. They either received an injection of the stem cell therapy treatment into their heart muscles or a placebo shot. After 12 months, there were no complications and no difference in side effects among those who received the stem cells and the control group. That said, individuals who received the novel stem cell therapy did have a lower number of major heart-related events and were more likely to see improvements in their ability to walk without growing breathless. Those who received the stem cell treatment also showed marked improvements in their ejection fraction, which is a measure of how much blood leaves the heart with each pump.

“This study tells us that injecting stem cells into the heart muscle of a patient with chronic heart failure may be beneficial,” says Dr. Sandeep Jauhar, director of the congestive heart failure program at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. Typically, these individuals are treated with multiple medications, put on a low-salt diet and encouraged to get some exercise.

Originally posted here:

Stem Cell Study Shows Promising Results Against Heart Failure

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Former President and current Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was suffering from a mineral deficiency in her bones arising from two corrective surgeries last September, wanted to seek alternative stem cell therapy abroad.

However, she was barred from leaving the country last November after Justice Secretary Leila de Lima refused to honor the temporary restraining order issued by the high court on the inclusion of Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel Mike Arroyo in the immigration bureaus watch list.

In the wake of Arroyos supposed plan to try the radical technology at stem cell centers abroad to cure what her doctors here described as a rare bone disease, a province mate and a colleague of the former President filed a bill to put up a stem cell center in the country.

Pampanga Rep. Carmelo F. Lazatin, a member of the minority bloc in Congress, has filed House Bill No. 5287 mandating the establishment of a research facility to explore the benefits of stem cell technology as a potential cure for incurable diseases.

Blank cells

Stem cells, the foundation of every organ, tissue and cell within the human body, are like blank cells that do not yet have a specific physiological function, according to Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI).

But when proper conditions in the body or in the laboratory occur, stem cells develop into specialized tissues and organs, HSCI explains in its website, adding that there are two sources of stem cells used in research: the adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells.

Adult stem cells are found in differentiated tissues and organs throughout the body while embryonic stem cells are obtained from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, the ball of cells formed when the fertilized egg or zygote divides and forms two cells, then again to form four and so on, HSCI said.

In 2008, the Vatican issued a sweeping document on bioethical issues titled Dignitas Personae or The Dignity of the Person, taking into account recent developments in biomedical technology and reinforcing the Churchs opposition to embryonic stem cell research, in vitro fertilization, human cloning and genetic testing on embryos before implantation.

Visit link:

In The Know: Stem cell therapy

BOUDRY, Switzerland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Celgene International Srl, a subsidiary of Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG – News), today announced that results from three phase III studies evaluating the use of continuous REVLIMID (lenalidomide) treatment in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients or maintenance treatment with lenalidomide following autologous stem cell transplant were published online in the May 10, 2012 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. All three publications highlight the expanding body of clinical evidence supporting lenalidomide treatment in these areas.

Continuous Lenalidomide Therapy (non-transplant eligible population):

The first article highlights a Celgene-sponsored study of continuous lenalidomide treatment in elderly patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

Continuous Lenalidomide Treatment for Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma (MM-015)

This double-blind, phase III, multicenter, randomized study conducted by Celgene compared melphalanprednisonelenalidomide induction followed by lenalidomide maintenance (MPR-R), with melphalanprednisonelenalidomide (MPR), or melphalanprednisone (MP) followed by placebo in 459 patients aged 65 years with newly-diagnosed myeloma who were not eligible for autologous stem-cell transplant.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1112704

Post-transplant maintenance

The two additional articles published in the edition highlighted cooperative group studies that evaluated the use of lenalidomide maintenance following autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT).

In each of the studies, one funded by the National Cancer Institute and conducted by the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) and one by the Intergroupe Francophone du Myelome (IFM), maintenance treatment with lenalidomide following ASCT resulted in delayed time to disease progression or death compared to placebo.

More:

New England Journal of Medicine Reports on Three Phase III REVLIMID® (lenalidomide) Trials in Patients with Newly …

Connie K. Ho for RedOrbit.com

A new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has discovered two adult stem cell-like subpopulations in adult human skin.

The findings allow for further research to be done in the area of personalized medicine and patient-specific cellular therapies.

The study, using technology from Fibrocell Science, allowed the researchers to identify and confirm two types of cells in human skin cell cultures; the possible source of stem cell-like subpopulations from skin biopsies would be faster to perform, painless, and less invasive than current extractions from adipose tissues and bone marrow.

The research, featured in the inaugural issue of BioResearch Open Access, discusses two subtypes of cells. BioResearch Open Access is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed journal. It features scientific topics like biochemistry, bioengineering, gene therapy, genetics, microbiology, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, stem cells, systems biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, and virology.

Being able to identify two sub-populations of rare, viable and functional cells that behave like stem cells from within the skin is an important finding because both cell types have the potential to be investigated for diverse clinical applications, commented Dr. James A. Bryne, lead author of the report.

Brynes research, first at Stanford University then at UCLA, focused on reprogramming beginnings of cells from animals and then humans. A graduate of Cambridge University, Bryne studied the intra- and inter-species of epigenetic reprogramming. His work also highlighted how primate embryonic stem cells could be derived from somatic cell nuclear transfers.

The study published in BioResearch Open Access confirmed previous research that identified a rare population of cells in adult human skin that had a marker called stage-specific embryonic antigen 3 (SSEA3). Bryne and his colleagues found that there was an increase in the amount of SSEA3 expressing cells after injury to the human skin. It showed that the SSEA3 biomarker could be used to help identify and isolate cells with tissue-regenerative traits.

Finding these rare adult stem cell-like subpopulations in human skin is an exciting discovery and provides the first step towards purifying and expanding these cells to clinically relevant numbers for application to a variety of potential personalized cellular therapies for osteoarthritis, bone loss, injury and/or damage to human skin as well as many other diseases, remarked Byrne, an Assistant Professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA.

Bryne and his team used Fibrocell technology to collect cells from skin samples, cultured the cells in the lab, and purified them by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). The FACS tagged suspended cells with fluorescent markers for undifferentiated stem cells. The researchers were able to separate the rare cell subpopulations from other kinds of cells.

Link:

Study Identifies Cell Subtypes For Potential Personalized Cellular Therapies