Orthopedic Stem Cell Therapy for Arthritic Joint Pain
Dr. Sergio Viroslav, board certified orthopedic surgeon and joint replacement specialist with The San Antonio Orthopaedic Group, appeared on Great Day SA on March 30th, 2015 to discuss the...
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Orthopedic Stem Cell Therapy for Arthritic Joint Pain - Video
Can PRP and Stem Cell Therapy Help You? | Orlando Orthopaedic Center
How can PRP and stem cell therapy help you heal? Orlando Orthopaedic Center #39;s Dr. Matthew R. Willey explains. For more visit http://www.OrlandoOrtho.com.
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Can PRP and Stem Cell Therapy Help You? | Orlando Orthopaedic Center - Video
DALLAS, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Lifescienceindustryresearch.com adds "Complete 2015-16 Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) Industry Report" in its store. Recent months have seen the first iPSC clinical trial in humans, creation of the world's largest iPSC Biobank, major funding awards, a historic challenge to the "Yamanaka Patent", a Supreme Court ruling affecting industry patent rights, the announcement of an iPSC cellular therapy clinic scheduled to open in 2019, and much more. Furthermore, iPSC patent dominance continues to cluster in specific geographic regions, while clinical trial and scientific publication trends give clear indicators of what may happen in the industry in 2015 and beyond.
Is it worth it to get informed about rapidly-evolving market conditions and identify key industry trends that will give an advantage over the competition?
BrowsetheReportComplete 2015-16 Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) Industry Reportathttp://www.lifescienceindustryresearch.com/complete-2013-14-induced-pl ....
Induced pluripotent stem cells represent a promising tool for use in the reversal and repair of many previously incurable diseases. The cell type represents one of the most promising advances discovered within the field of stem cell research during the past decade, making this a valuable industry report for both companies and investors to claim in order to optimally position themselves to sell iPSC products. To profit from this lucrative and rapidly expanding market, you need to understand your key strengths relative to the competition, intelligently position your products to fill gaps in the market place, and take advantage of crucial iPSC trends.
Report Applications
This global strategic report is produced for: Management of Stem Cell Product Companies, Management of Stem Cell Therapy Companies, Stem Cell Industry Investors
It is designed to increase your efficiency and effectiveness in:
Four Primary Areas of Commercialization
There are currently four major areas of commercialization for induced pluripotent stem cells, as described below:
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Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) Industry Complete Report 2015 - 2016
Lung diseases like emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis are common among people with malfunctioning telomeres, the "caps" or ends of chromosomes. Now, researchers from Johns Hopkins say they have discovered what goes wrong and why.
Mary Armanios, M.D., an associate professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine., and her colleagues report that some stem cells vital to lung cell oxygenation undergo premature aging -- and stop dividing and proliferating -- when their telomeres are defective. The stem cells are those in the alveoli, the tiny air exchange sacs where blood takes up oxygen.
In studies of these isolated stem cells and in mice, Armanios' team discovered that dormant or senescent stem cells send out signals that recruit immune molecules to the lungs and cause the severe inflammation that is also a hallmark of emphysema and related lung diseases.
Until now, Armanios says, researchers and clinicians have thought that "inflammation alone is what drives these lung diseases and have based therapy on anti-inflammatory drugs for the last 30 years."
But the new discoveries, reported March 30 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest instead that "if it's premature aging of the stem cells driving this, nothing will really get better if you don't fix that problem," Armanios says.
Acknowledging that there are no current ways to treat or replace damaged lung stem cells, Armanios says that knowing the source of the problem can redirect research efforts. "It's a new challenge that begins with the questions of whether we take on the effort to fix this defect in the cells, or try to replace the cells," she adds.
Armanios and her team say their study also found that this telomere-driven defect leaves mice extremely vulnerable to anticancer drugs like bleomycin or busulfan that are toxic to the lungs. The drugs and infectious agents like viruses kill off the cells that line the lung's air sacs. In cases of telomere dysfunction, Armanios explains, the lung stem cells can't divide and replenish these destroyed cells.
When the researchers gave these drugs to 11 mice with the lung stem cell defect, all became severely ill and died within a month.
This finding could shed light on why "sometimes people with short telomeres may have no signs of pulmonary disease whatsoever, but when they're exposed to an acute infection or to certain drugs, they develop respiratory failure," says Armanios. "We don't think anyone has ever before linked this phenomenon to stem cell failure or senescence."
In their study, the researchers genetically engineered mice to have a telomere defect that impaired the telomeres in just the lung stem cells in the alveolar epithelium, the layer of cells that lines the air sacs. "In bone marrow or other compartments, when stem cells have short telomeres, or when they age, they just die out," Armanios says. "But we found that instead, these alveolar cells just linger in the senescent stage."
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Premature aging of stem cell telomeres, not inflammation, linked to emphysema
When billions of dollars are at stake in scientific research, researchers quickly learn that optimism sells.
A new study published inScience Translational Medicineoffersa window into how hype arises in the interaction between the media and scientific researchers, and how resistant the hype machine is to hard, cold reality. The report'sfocus is on overly optimisticreporting on potentialstem cell therapies. Its findings are discouraging.
The study by Timothy Caulfield and Kalina Kamenova of the University of Alberta law school (Caulfieldis also on the faculty at the school of public health) found that stem cell researchers often ply journalists with "unrealistic timelines" for the development of stem cell therapies, and journalists oftenswallow these claims uncritically.
The authorsmostly blame the scientists, who need to be more aware of "the importance of conveying realistic ... timelines to the popular press." We wouldn't give journalists this much of a pass; writers on scientific topics should understand that the development of drugs and therapies can take years and involve myriad dry holes and dead ends. They should be vigilant againstgaudypromises.
That's especially true instem cell research, whichis slathered with so much money that immoderate predictions of success are common. The best illustration of that comes from California's stem cell program -- CIRM, or the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine -- a $6-billion public investment that was born in hype.
The promoters of Proposition 71, the 2004 ballot initiative that created CIRM, filled the airwaves with adsimplyingthat the only thing standing between Michael J. Fox being cured of Parkinson's or Christopher Reeve walking again was Prop. 71's money. Theycommissioned a studyassertingthat California might reap a windfall in taxes,royalties and healthcare savings up to seven times the size ofits $6-billion investment. One wouldn't build a storage shed on foundations this soft, much less a $6-billion mansion.
As we've observed before, "big science" programs create incentivesto exaggerateresults to meet the public's inflated expectations. The phenomenon was recognized as long ago as the 1960s, when the distinguished physicist Alvin Weinberg warnedthat big science "thrives on publicity," resulting in "the injection of a journalistic flavor into Big Science which is fundamentally in conflict with the scientific method.... The spectacular rather than the perceptive becomes the scientific standard."
Interestingly, the event used by the Alberta researchers as the fulcrum of their study has a strong connection to CIRM. It's the abrupt 2011 decision by Geron Corp.to terminate its pioneering stem cell development program. This was a big blow to the stem cell research community and to CIRM, which had endowed Geron with a $25-million loan for its stem cell-basedspinal cord therapy development. Then-CIRM Chairman Robert Klein II had called the loan a "landmark step."
There had been evidence, however, that CIRM, eager to show progress toward bringing stem cell therapies to market, had downplayed legitimate questions about the state of Geron's science and the design of the clinical trial. AndGeron had been criticized in the past for over-promising results.
In their study, Caulfield and Kamenova examined more than 300 articles appearing in 14 general-interest newspapers in the United States, Canada and Britain from 2010 to2013. They scrutinizedthe articles' reporting oftimelines for the "realization of the clinical promise of stem cell research" and their perspective on the future of the field generally. The U.S. newspapers were the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and USA Today.
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(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) - The state stem cell agency, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM),awarded a pair of grants totaling more than $7 million to UC Davis School of Medicine researchers who are working to develop stem cell therapies for spina bifida and chronic diabetic wounds. The funding is part of what the agency considers "the most promising" research leading up to human clinical trials using stem cells to treat disease and injury. Diana Farmer, professor and chair of surgery at UC Davis Medical Center, is developing a placental stem cell therapy for spina bifida, the common and devastating birth defect that causes lifelong paralysis as well as bladder and bowel incontinence. She and her team are working on a unique treatment that can be applied in utero - before a baby is born -- in order to reverse spinal cord damage. Roslyn Rivkah Isseroff, a UC Davis professor of dermatology, and Jan Nolta, professor of internal medicine and director of the university's Stem Cell Program, are developing a wound dressing containing stem cells that could be applied to chronic wounds and be a catalyst for rapid healing. This is Isseroff's second CIRM grant, and it will help move her research closer to having a product approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that specifically targets diabetic foot ulcers, a condition affecting more than 6 million people in the country. The CIRM board, which met in Berkeley today, has high hopes for these types of research that the agency funded in this latest round of stem cell grants. "This investment will let us further test the early promise shown by these projects," said Jonathan Thomas, chair of CIRM's governing board. "Preclinical work is vital in examining the feasibility, potential effectiveness and safety of a therapy before we try it on people. These projects all showed compelling evidence that they could be tremendously beneficial to patients. We want to help them build on that earlier research and move the projects to the next level." The CIRM grants are designed to enable the UC Davis research teams to transition from preclinical research to preclinical development over the next 30 months to be able to meet the FDA's rigorous safety and efficacy standards for Investigative New Drugs. As the former surgeon-in-chief at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, Farmer helped pioneer fetal surgery techniques for treating spina bifida before birth. The condition, also known as myelomeningocele, is one of the most common and devastating birth defects worldwide, causing lifelong paralysis as well as bowel and bladder incontinence in newborns. Farmer has been investigating different stem cell types and the best way to deliver stem cell-based treatments in the womb for the past six years. She and her research colleagues recently discovered a placental therapy using stem cells that cures spina bifida in animal models. That discovery requires additional testing and FDA approval before the therapy can be used in humans. With the CIRM funding, Farmer and her team plan to optimize their stem cell product, validate its effectiveness, determine the optimal dose and confirm its preliminary safety in preparation for human clinical trials. Isseroff, who also serves as chief of dermatology and director of wound healing services for the VA Northern California Health Care System, has long been frustrated by the challenges of treating the chronic, non-healing wounds of diabetics. In 2010, she and Nolta received a CIRM grant to begin developing a bioengineered product for treating chronic diabetic wounds. Foot ulcers, in particular, affect about 25 percent of all diabetic patients and are responsible for most lower-limb amputations. Isseroff and her research team created a treatment using stem cells derived from bone marrow (mesenchymal stem cells) along with a FDA-approved scaffold to help regenerate dermal tissue and restart the healing process. Their studies found the technique to be highly effective for healing wounds in animal models. With this latest CIRM grant, Isseroff's team will refine their therapeutic technique by determining the safest dosage for regenerating tissue and testing their product in skin-wound models that closely resemble those in diabetic humans. Nolta also plans to create a Master Cell Bank of pure and effective human mesenchymal stem cells, and establish standard operating procedures for use in diabetic wound repair. The results of their efforts will enable UC Davis to move closer to FDA approval for human clinical trials in the next two and a half years. "These amazing research efforts are giant steps forward in turning stem cells into cures," said Nolta, who also directs the UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures in Sacramento. "This preclinical research is the most crucial, and often the toughest, stage before we move scientific discoveries from the laboratory bench to the patient's bedside. We are now poised as never before to make a big difference in the lives of people with spina bifida and non-healing diabetic wounds." For more information, visit UC Davis School of Medicine at http://medschool.ucdavis.edu.
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Stem Cell Grants for Spina Bifida and Diabetic Wound Treatments
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 31, 2015
This June 13th, a distinguished group of Ph.Ds, M.Ds and Professors from the top U.S and International Medical Schools will come together in Santa Monica, California, to share their latest research on the application of stem cell therapy in treatments and cures for blinding eye diseases. The symposium is organized and funded by the Ocular Research Symposia Foundation, Inc. (ORSF), an independent nonprofit that has been convening intimate meetings of top experts in the field of eye research since 2002 to move the research discussed forward at an accelerated pace.
Gerald J. Chader, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Ocular Stem Cell Project in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Southern California, and Dr. Michael Young of Harvard Medical School are co-chairs of this year's symposium. "ORSF has the unique ability to bring together experts in the key foundational issues of stem cell research, as well as a range of clinical applications," states Dr. Chader. "Beyond the academic presentations on stem cell therapy relating to glaucoma, corneal diseases, macular degeneration and other incurable eye diseases, the participants will devote time to discussing strategies to move the most promising research forward toward clinical trials and effective treatments and cures. Our approach is unique. We believe we can accomplish more in a few hours of frank discussions among colleagues than can be achieved in a week-long conference of hundreds of attendees."
After each symposium, ORSF produces a comprehensive report bringing together the many discussions and findings from the latest meeting. In 2013, their report on "The Aging Eye" was published as a special issue of "IOVS: Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science," the Journal of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. They will also be publishing this year's report. The reports offer a prime vehicle for spreading information beyond the symposium participants themselves to other researchers, clinicians,corporations, medical schools, government entities and the interested public. The reports are available free of charge through the ORSF web site.
ABOUT OCULAR RESEARCH SYMPOSIA FOUNDATION, INC.
The Ocular Research Symposia Foundation emerged from the Drabkin Research Symposia, held from 2002 to 2011. Founded by Robert Drabkin, the early symposia were presented biennially through The Washington Advisory Group. When this advisory group disbanded, ORSF was incorporated in California with ongoing support from the Drabkin Foundation, continuing the catalytic role of the symposia breaking down academic silos and making the exchange of critical information possible. Tax deductible donations to the organization go toward programming future meetings, inviting experts to the symposia, publishing reports, and spreading information throughout the ocular research field. This month, the Foundation was pleased to receive a small peer review grant for this symposium from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.
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Sight Restoration Through Stem Cell Therapy - Subject of June Symposium of Experts
Ask Dr. Lemper | Stem Cell Therapy Treatments
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lemperpaincenters Submit a question https://bit.ly/askdrlemper Continuing #39;Ask Dr Lemper #39;, Dr. Lemper answers the following question: Do you think...
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Phoenix, Arizona (PRWEB) March 30, 2015
Arizona Pain Specialists, are now offering stem cell therapy to help patients avoid hip and knee replacement. The outpatient treatments at Arizona Pain Stem Cell Institute have been exceptionally effective and are administered by Board Certified pain doctors at ten locations Valleywide. Call (602) 507-6550 for more information and scheduling.
Over the past few years, stem cell therapy for hip and knee arthritis has become mainstream. The treatment involves either bone marrow derived or amniotic derived stem cells, neither of which involve fetal tissue. The previous ethical concerns over fetal tissue and embryonic stem cells are not an issue with these treatments, as neither are involved.
The stem cell procedures are outpatient and exceptionally low risk. The stem cells, growth factors, and additional proteins in the treatments are essential for the regeneration and repair of damaged soft tissues such as tendons, ligaments and arthritic cartilage.
Although hip and knee replacement have shown exceptionally good resuts, they are not risk free procedures. They are also not meant to last forever and should be avoided until absolutely necessary.
The procedures are available throughout the Valley with Arizona Pain Specialists highly skilled, Board Certified pain management doctors in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, East Valley and West Valley. Simply call (602) 507-6550. Research studies are available as well.
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Pompano Beach, Florida (PRWEB) March 30, 2015
The top stem cell therapy practice in South Florida, Center of Regenerative Orthopedics, is now offering procedures to help patients avoid the need for hip and knee replacement. The procedures are partially covered by insurance and are offered by a highly skilled, Board Certified Orthopedic doctor in an outpatient setting. Call (954) 399-6945 for more information and scheduling.
Stem cell procedures for joint arthritis and pain are now mainstream and represent a cutting edge option for patients. Most nonoperative joint treatments do not actually alter the course of the disease, rather, simply act as a proverbial bandaid for relief. Stem cells, on the other hand, have the capacity to actually repair and regenerate damaged tissue such as cartilage, tendon and ligament.
Degenerative and rheumatoid arthritis affects tens of millions of Americans. Stem cell procedures have been showing excellent results for pain relief and functional improvements in small studies. By having the procedures partially covered by insurance, it makes them convenient for the general public to obtain the cutting edge option.
Joint replacement should be considered a last resort option for treatment. While typically successful, there are potential complications and they are not meant to last forever. In addition, there is minimal downtime after the stem cell procedures. Joint replacements take months to recover from afterwards.
Center of Regenerative Orthopedics is located in Pompano Beach, and sees patients throughout South Florida as well as from all over the United States. Call (954) 399-6945 to schedule with the top stem cell clinic in South Florida.
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Deltona retiree Paul Jaynes was heartbroken when his 9-year-old Labrador, Cookie, suddenly stopped walking last year. The once-athletic dog struggled to stand and, if she moved at all, collapsed after a few steps.
He carried his 90-pound companion to his truck, drove her to the vet and braced himself for the bad news. Surely she couldn't live like this.
Instead, his veterinarian told him about a newly available procedure involving stem cells. In a single day, the vet said, they could remove the cells from Cookie's fatty tissues, process them and re-inject them into her joints. She could go home immediately.
"It was very dramatic," Jaynes says. "The day after surgery, she was standing. She was hesitant, but she was standing and walking a little. I thought: 'Are you kidding me?' Within a week, she was almost back to her old self."
That was last September, and six months later Cookie is still going strong, Jaynes says. While he has no doubts about the treatment, though, some veterinarians worry that marketing of stem-cell therapy for animals has gotten ahead of the scientific research needed to validate its use.
The results, while sometimes promising, are not universal.
"Most of what you hear is anecdotal 'Oh, I tried this, and it helped my dog,'" says Dr. Jeffrey Peck, a veterinary surgeon at Affiliated Veterinary Specialists, based in Maitland. "This has grown in its marketing exponentially greater than it has grown in evidence."
Much of his practice is in orthopedics typically, dogs with hip dysplasia or arthritis. He tried using stem-cell therapy with his patients in 2008 but dropped it after a dozen cases in which he saw no improvement.
"I don't refuse to do it if a client really wants to try, but I give them my disclaimer," he says. "I tell them: 'I don't think I'm going to hurt anything. But I doubt I'm going to help anything either.'"
At $1,400 to $3,000 for the procedure, most pet owners opt out, he says.
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Los Angeles, California (PRWEB) March 28, 2015
Stem cells remain a fascination to the general public and to the medical profession as well.
While millions of dollars are being spent by most States each year on stem cell research, and while the National Institute of Health (NIH) spends $1 Billion dollars per year on stem cell research (Estimates of Funding for Various Research, Condition, and Disease Categories (RCDC); (2015, February 5); http://report.nih.gov/categorical_spending.aspx), both the lay public and medical professionals continue to wonder: Where are we? How much have we learned? Are we making progress introducing stem cell therapy to the public?
Dr. Gionis will explore the many facets, intrigue and complexities of stem cells and stem cell therapy.
Dr. Gionis will have a frank and open discussion on the type of progress being made in advancing stem cell biology and therapy from the bench to the bedside. He will explore the current law regarding stem cell practice; both state law and federal law. The doctor will also investigate how new therapies like stem cell therapies get approved and the role of the FDA, an IRB, and the role of the US Department of Health, Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) in the provision of such approval.
The doctor will explore the different types of stem cells with respect to their potential uses. And, he will look at new and emerging stem cell therapies which are being considered to address various medical infirmities such as Emphysema, COPD, Asthma, Heart Failure, Heart Attack, Parkinsons Disease, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, Lou Gehrigs Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohns Disease, Muscular Dystrophy, Inflammatory Myopathies, and degenerative orthopedic joint conditions (Knee, Shoulder, Hip, Spine).
The format of The Stem Cell Show will be Questions and Answers, as well as Interviews of key thought leaders and researchers currently engaged in stem cell therapy both nationally and internationally.
The spirit of The Stem Cell Show will be that of honest, open and vibrant discussion in an effort to advance the publics health, well-being, and the amelioration of devastating chronic disease. To get more information, visit TheStemCellShow.com or call 949-679-3889.
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Developing stem cell therapy as an alternative to corneal transplants.
Professor Julie Daniels talks about her tissue engineering research.
By: Fight for Sight
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Developing stem cell therapy as an alternative to corneal transplants. - Video
Chia medical tourism--stroke--stem cell therapy 3.flv
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Many of our patients travel to Guangzhou from all over the world for medical treatment and tourism. China medical tourism can help with becoming a patient, t...
Millions of stem cells derived from the bone marrow of healthy adult donors have been implanted in the brains of two stroke survivors at UPMC, as part of a t...
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Brando, a 9 year-old German Shepard received combination stem cell therapy today at Paradise Animal Clinic by Dr. Jose Gorostiza (surgeon) and Dr. Jaime Paus...
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A federal public servant has lost a legal bid to have taxpayers pay for experimental stem cell treatment on his dodgy knees.
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal has knocked back an appeal by Customs officer Vic Kaplicas to force insurer Comcare to pay $13,400 for the new treatment, instead saying he could have a tried-and-tested double knee replacement.
But the 49-year-old border official says he worries he cannot pass his department's fitness tests if he undergoes the knee replacements, which will leave him unable to run.
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The former triathlete, who had to give up his sport because of his bad knees, said he was keen to avoid the "radical but effective" replacements for as long as possible.
Mr Kaplicas hurt his left knee working at Sydney's Mascot Airport in 2000, then injured his right knee 10 years later at Kingsford-Smith.
He managed the pain in his knees, which have since developed osteoarthritis, for years using over-the-counter painkillers, physio, exercises and injections but Mr Kaplicas' doctors say a more permanent solution is now needed.
In June 2012, Sydney knee specialist Sam Sorrenti asked Comcare to pay for bilateral knee stem cell assisted arthroscopic surgery for Mr Kaplicas.
The cost of the procedure was estimated at $13,464.00 for arthroscopy, stem cell harvesting and injection, and a "HiQCell procedure".
Dr Sorrenti said the knee replacements were not a good idea for a man of Mr Kaplicas' age, arguing the new knees would last 15 years at best, were intended for older people who are less concerned with physical activity, and left no further options.
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Irvine, Calif., March 26, 2015 -- Leslie Thompson of the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at UC Irvine has been awarded $5 million by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to continue her CIRM-funded effort to develop stem cell treatments for Huntington's disease.
The grant supports her next step: identifying and testing stem cell-based treatments for HD, an inherited, incurable and fatal neurodegenerative disorder. In this project, Thompson and her colleagues will establish an HD therapy employing human embryonic stem cells that can be evaluated in clinical trials.
Over the past seven years, Thompson, a UCI professor of psychiatry & human behavior and neurobiology & behavior, and her team have used CIRM funding to produce stem cell lines "reprogrammed" from the skin cells of individuals carrying the Huntington's genetic mutation in order to study the disease. In addition, they conducted basic and early-stage transitional studies to develop a stem cell-based technique to treat areas of the brain susceptible to HD.
"These stem cells offer a possible long-term treatment approach that could relieve the tremendous suffering experienced by HD patients and their families," said Thompson, who's also affiliated with UCI's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND). "We appreciate CIRM and the millions of people in the state of California for generously supporting breakthrough stem cell research."
With this award, CIRM has granted Thompson $10.3 million for her HD work. Overall, UCI has received $105 million from the state-funded agency.
Thompson said that her group has identified a highly promising neural stem cell line that shows disease-modifying activity in HD mice. These neural stem cells were grown from human embryonic stem cells at UC Davis. The researchers also will conduct essential preclinical efficacy and safety studies in HD mice with these cells.
Over the span of the 2-year grant, Thompson said, the goal is to finalize work that will lead to a pre-investigational-new-drug meeting with the Food & Drug Administration and a path forward for clinical trials with the neural stem cells.
"This investment will let us further test the early promise shown by these projects," said Jonathan Thomas, chair of the CIRM governing board. "Preclinical work is vital in examining the feasibility, potential effectiveness and safety of a therapy before we try it on people. These projects all showed compelling evidence that they could be tremendously beneficial to patients. We want to help them build on that earlier research and move the projects to the next level."
HD is a devastating degenerative brain disorder with no disease-modifying treatment or cure. Current approaches only address certain symptoms of HD and do not change its course.
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UCI team gets $5 million to create stem cell treatment for Huntington's disease
Tampa, FL. (PRWEB) March 26, 2015
This month, the Lung Institute has started treating people suffering from chronic lung diseases with stem cells extracted from their bone marrow. This treatment protocol is added to the two other treatment options offered by the Lung Institute: venous (blood-derived) and adipose (fat-derived) stem cell therapy.
The bone marrow and adipose treatments offer the highest concentration of stem cells and allow for the cells to be reintroduced directly into the lungs through a nebulizer. Given this added benefit, most patients in the past opted to receive the adipose treatment over venous. However, many patients have other medical conditions that preclude them from choosing the adipose treatment. Since the number of stem cells harvested from a bone marrow procedure matches that of the adipose procedure, patients that have previously only qualified for the venous procedure are now eligible for a treatment option that produces the highest chance of success.
Patients are often surprised by the simplicity of these minimally invasive procedures, but with cutting-edge technology and the patient-centric clinical team at the Lung Institute, patients can rest assured that they are in good hands. Throughout the entire treatment process, patients have the opportunity to get any questions immediately answered by our knowledgeable medical staff. The Lung Institute clinical team remains in contact with patients after treatment and works together with the patients physician and pulmonologist to create a strong support system for the patient.
About the Lung Institute At the Lung Institute, we are changing the lives of hundreds of people across the nation through the innovative technology of regenerative medicine. We are committed to providing patients a more effective way to address pulmonary conditions and improve their quality of life. Our physicians, through their designated practices, have gained worldwide recognition for the successful application of revolutionary minimally invasive stem cell therapies. With over a century of combined medical experience, our doctors have established a patient experience designed with the highest concern for patient safety and quality of care. For more information, visit our website at LungInstitute.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or call us today at (855) 313-1149.
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Stem Cell Therapy - Lilli Donovan
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Newswise March 24, 2015, NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation reduced opioid tolerance and opioid-induced hyperalgesia caused by daily morphine injections in rats, according to new research. The results could herald stem cell transplantation as an innovative, safe, efficacious and cost-effective therapy to treat pain and opioid tolerance, said researchers, who presented results in a Plenary Research Highlight session at the 31st Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.
Not only was opioid tolerance prevented when the rats were transplanted with MSC before repeated morphine injections, but tolerance was reversed when the rats were treated after opioid tolerance had developed, results demonstrated.
MSCs have a remarkable anti-inflammatory effect and a powerful anti-tolerance effect, said the studys principal investigator, Jianguo Cheng, M.D., Ph.D., who led the research team from the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio. Although clinical trials are still three to five years away, he said, eventually, The results may apply to millions of patients with a wide range of pain states, including cancer pain and other intractable chronic pain that requires long-term opioid therapy.
Furthermore, Cheng characterized the procedure as practical, in light of readily available sources of stem cells, reliable stem cell technology, the simplicity of transplantation procedures and the fact that clinical trials are already underway involving autoimmune and other diseases.
The Institute of Medicine report on pain in America documented millions who suffer with chronic pain (Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research. National Academies Press [US]; 2011). Opioid therapy is a cornerstone component of pain management for many people with severe, ongoing pain; however, side effects such as tolerance and the risks posed by abuse, addiction and drug overdose limit its utility. Tolerance, a physiologic process in which the patients body adjusts to a dose and no longer achieves pain relief, is a common limitation with opioid therapy. The higher doses that result can limit effectiveness and compromise safety.
Glial cells are of growing interest in pain research and have been implicated in the development of tolerance. Glial cell activity also produces pain through the release of products that excite the nervous system, playing an important role in the spinal cord during nerve injury. Furthermore, the opioids used to treat pain, also can induce glial activity, causing pain relief to drop and unwanted opioid effects, including tolerance, dependence, reward and decreased breathing, to grow. A focus of research, then, is to separate the desired effect of pain relief from the unwanted opioid effects (Watkins et al, Trends in Pharmacological Sciences 2009;30(11): 581-91).
Interest in transplant of stem cells is another maturing research avenue (Hsu et al, Cell Transplant 2007;16(2):133-50). MSCs can differentiate into a variety of cell types and have been investigated for potential repair of damaged neural cells and for calming inflammation in the immune system to promote recovery after traumatic brain injury (Zhang et al, J Neuroinflammation 2013;10(1):106).
Following this line of research, the study investigators wondered whether they could create an anti-tolerance therapy by transplanting MSCs into the intrathecal space surrounding the spinal cord. With approval by the Cleveland Clinic Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and funding through the Department of Defenses Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, they compared the withdrawal thresholds of the hind paws in response to painful mechanical and thermal stimuli in two groups of rats that received daily morphine injections. The first group was treated with MSC transplantation and the control group with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS).
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A human embryonic stem cell line derived at Stanford University.(REUTERS/Julie Baker/Stanford University School of Medicine/California Institute for Regenerative Medicine/Handout)
Type 2 diabetes is marked by insulin resistance, or the bodys inability to store sugar and convert it into carbohydrates for energy. Overcoming that resistance is the main hurdle scientists face in creating new treatment for the condition, but researchers in Canada have found a promising means for doing so: combining stem cell therapy and antidiabetic medication.
Type 2 diabetes accounts for nearly 95 percent of the 400 million diabetes cases worldwide. Current treatment often involves imprecise insulin injection, and can produce side effects like unwanted weight gain, gastrointestinal issues and low blood glucose levels. Eighty percent of Type 2 diabetes patients are overweight.
In the study, published Thursday in the journal Stem Cell Reports, scientists observed that transplanting pancreatic stem cells derived from human cells into mice with Type 2 diabetes symptoms, then administering common antidiabetic drugs, improved the mices glucose metabolism, body weight and insulin sensitivity three hallmark problems associated with the condition.
There have been similar reports looking at treatment of type 1 diabetes by stem cell-based replacement, and there are many people around the world who are interested in that, lead study author Timothy J. Kieffer, a molecular and cellular medicine professor at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, told FoxNews.com. Until this point, nobody to our knowledge had tested such a stem cell-based transplant study in a Type 2 diabetes model.
Many people have predicted this approach to fail because one of the characteristics of Type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance and so it was generally thought that simply replacing insulin wouldn't be effective, Kieffer added.
Researchers fed four separate groups of immunosuppressed mice a different diet to try to emulate humans diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. One group of mice received a 45 percent fat diet; one a 60 percent fat diet; one a high-fat, Western diet; and the last a low-fat diet. No single group of mice developed a phenotype that exactly mimicked a Type 2 diabetes human patient, but all three high-fat groups ended up exhibiting characteristics that mirrored the hallmark features of the condition.
Study authors transplanted human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived pancreatic progenitor cells into the mice after they began exhibiting symptoms. These cells are programmed to expand and differentiate when transplanted and to subsequently secrete insulin.
To transplant the human cells, researchers used a macroencapsulation device, a mechanism that is meant to prevent the body from detecting nonnative material as foreign and subsequently rejecting it. Because the mice were immunosuppressed, the device wasnt necessary, but Kieffer said his team used it so their findings would be more relevant for future clinical trials, wherein the patients would not be immunosuppressed. Researchers opted to induce Type 2 diabetes symptoms in immunosuppressed mice with diet instead of using a mouse model genetically engineered to assume Type 2 diabetes for that same reason.
The hope in the field is that some sort of device will eliminate the need for immunosuppression when cells are transplanted, Kieffer said.
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