With new multimillion-dollar grants, UCLA scientists take stem cell research to patients

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

16-Dec-2013

Contact: Shaun Mason smason@mednet.ucla.edu 310-206-2805 University of California - Los Angeles

Scientists from UCLA are now bringing their groundbreaking stem cell science directly to patients in two exciting new clinical trials scheduled to begin in early 2014, thanks to funding from California's stem cell agency.

The new grants to researchers at UCLA's Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, which total nearly $21 million, were announced Dec. 12 at a meeting of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Citizen's Oversight Committee. They are apart of the state agency's Disease Team Therapy Development III initiative.

A team led by UCLA's Dr. Dennis Slamon and Dr. Zev Wainberg was awarded nearly $7 million for a clinical trial that will test a new drug targeting cancer stem cells, and UCLA's Dr. Donald Kohn received almost $14 million for a clinical trial that will focus on stem-cell gene therapy for sickle cell disease.

"The CIRM support demonstrates that our multidisciplinary center is at the forefront of translating basic scientific research into new drug and cellular therapies that will revolutionize medicine," said Dr. Owen Witte, director of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center.

Dennis Slamon and Zev Wainberg: Targeting solid tumor stem cells

This clinical trial builds on Slamon's previous work, partially funded by CIRM, with Wainberg and Dr. Tak Mak, director of the Campbell Family Institute at the University Health Network in Toronto, aimed at developing a drug that targets those stem cells thought to initiate solid cancer tumors.

The AmericanCanadian collaborative team will lead this first in-human Phase 1 trial testing their new therapy, which has received investigational new-drug approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada, Canada's therapeutic regulatory agency. The project has been approved to begin enrolling patients in both the U.S. and Canada.

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With new multimillion-dollar grants, UCLA scientists take stem cell research to patients

Spotlight on Sustainability: Brian Southwell

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Brian Southwell, PhD, a senior research scientist at the Center for Communication Science at RTI, is currently an adjunct professor at Duke University.

Jennifer Ross (JR): Can you describe the current project your class is working on through the Bass Connections program?

Brian Southwell (BS): Currently, we are working through the Bass Connections in energy project to bring together students, faculty and non-profit leaders in the area to think about the tricky question of how to get low-income residents in Durham to improve their energy conservation behavior. It has been an opportunity to not only try and look at an audience that may have been over looked, but also to try and figure out how best to coordinate students, faculty and non-profits who aren't necessarily used to working with either of those two groups. It's been an interesting endeavor, we are just in the beginning stages, but it does seem to be where the future of sustainability efforts really need to lie - at this intersection of different groups rather than assuming you can get everything done in one organization.

JR: How did you come to be involved with the Bass Connections program?

BS: For a number of years it has been important to me to do the type of work where I can connect students to real world exercises, particularly in the non-profit sector. I've been in North Carolina now since 2011. I was a regular full time faculty member at the University of Minnesota prior to that, but since I've come here really the theme of my time has been connections. I've been knitting together connections between local universities and also RTI International, where I work. One of the things that over the years I've developed are some strategies for working with students and connecting them with non-profits to evaluate some of the communication campaign work that they do. I had a conversation about that work with Richard Newell, who leads the Energy Initiative here at Duke, and he and others at the initiative saw some real promise in applying some of those ideas to thinking about energy. This was appealing to me because I've historically done a lot of work in terms of thinking about public health and science - I've done some working in thinking about the environment, water conservation and areas like that - and I'm quite keen on delving further in the arena of energy because I think it's an area that we haven't really looked at applying behavioral sciences as much as we could. So the timing was right for all of that to come together and now I'm here appointed at Duke and really happy to be working on this project.

JR: What are your biggest goals for the semester? Where do you see the project going?

BS: I'm hopeful that we can help the non-profit that we're working with, Clean Energy Durham, to transform the work that they're doing. So I'd be happy if some of the recommendations that we ultimately come up with, are implemented going forward in some of their energy education workshops for local area residents. Underneath that, personally one of the more important goals is to connect students to opportunities. So I'd love to see the cohort of students we have now off a year from now working in areas related to sustainability in interesting ways. What I really view this as is the first step in building a network of folks that might be able to leverage each other's experiences moving forward. Beyond that, I'm continuing in a pleasant role in learning about a literature and an area that I haven't as much historically. I'm hoping to get up to speed in terms of thinking about the technology side and what really is recommended in terms of conservation behavior. It's an opportunity for all of those groups to get something out of it, which I think the best coalitions try to provide.

JR: Do you foresee any major roadblocks to implementation?

BS: First, we're talking about low income audiences that, frankly, have more important things on their plate than worry about utility bills. That's something that's going to be a challenge. We've talked about some ways to start to address that. Also, some of the challenges are really logistical. We're starting teamwork here with a group, but students are incredibly busy. We've got undergrads who are wrapping up their undergraduate careers, students who are trying to do graduate school programs here and faculty are running in lots of different directions. In addition, we have a non-profit group that isn't necessarily used to coming on campus and meeting with students regularly. Part of it is getting a sense of the rhythm of everyday life for people, what resources we have that are going to be available and how we can best marry that all together. Another issue is really scope and time. I've tried to be very respectful of the fact that we have the chance to work together for a few months, but in the real world, in most of my experience, things take much longer than that to percolate and get permissions and approvals for things to come together. Ideally we would have a little bit longer of a time frame. So that can be one of the challenges that often happens when you've got people who are in a certain place and time for a limited period of time - what can they do under those circumstances? That said, I do think some of what we're doing in terms of providing additional resources for the local nonprofit is particularly helpful especially in terms of the budgetary environment for them and I'm hopeful that students are going to walk away from this with at least an idea or two that might help them in job talks later on or that they might be able to invest in from an entrepreneurial side. It's really sort of an intersection. If I were hoping that we'd solve all of the world's problems in a couple of months I think we'd really be failing miserably in that regard.

JR: Do you have any recommendations for students who are interested in getting involved in this kind of work?

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Spotlight on Sustainability: Brian Southwell

New system of assessments needed when next generation science standards are implemented, report says

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

17-Dec-2013

Contact: Molly Galvin news@nas.edu 202-334-2138 National Academy of Sciences

WASHINGTON New types of assessments will be needed to measure student learning once the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are implemented, says a new report from the National Research Council. The tests that states currently use emphasize factual knowledge and were not designed to assess the type of understanding envisioned by the standards, which emphasize depth of knowledge based on the ability to integrate core content with science and engineering practices.

The report describes a new system of assessments that should be developed, and it offers examples of the types of tasks and questions that could assess student knowledge as detailed in the standards. To monitor progress in meeting the standards, states should use information both from state-administered tests and from classroom-based assessments, as well as information about students' opportunity to learn in the ways laid out in the science standards, said the committee that wrote the report.

"The Next Generation Science Standards present challenges for assessment, but they are also an opportunity to address longstanding limitations with current approaches," said committee co-chair James Pellegrino, Liberal Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor and Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "Current assessments tend to ask students to define the scientific method absent specific content; assessments under NGSS should ask students to demonstrate that they understand aspects of scientific reasoning by applying particular science practices, such as designing a study or interpreting the meaning of a data set, to questions about genetic inheritance, for example."

The Next Generation Science Standards, which have been adopted by eight states so far, describe "performance expectations" that articulate what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. The standards support science learning structured around three dimensions: scientific and engineering practices; core ideas of the science and engineering disciplines; and crosscutting concepts, such as "cause and effect" and "energy and matter." In classroom teaching and learning, these three dimensions should be integrated: for example, the students should always learn by engaging in one or more scientific practices in the context of core ideas, and their advancement should be mapped out in terms of a learning progression.

To assess students' mastery and integration of these three dimensions, a variety of question formats will be needed, the report says. Questions may require students to supply an answer, produce a product, or perform an activity. "Formative" assessments would help teachers see how students are progressing and make instructional decisions; and "monitoring assessments" would measure science learning on a broader scale.

For the monitoring tests, the full breadth and depth of NGSS expectations for a given grade level cannot be covered with a single large-scale test, the report says. The committee recommended that the information from external "on-demand" assessments (that is, assessments that are administered at a time mandated by the state) should be supplemented with information gathered from classroom-embedded assessments (that is, assessments that are administered at a time determined by the district or school that fits the instructional sequence in the classroom) to fully assess whether performance expectations have been met.

These classroom-embedded assessments could take various forms. For example, they might be self-contained curricular units that include both instructional materials and assessments, provided by the state or district to be administered in classrooms. Or the state or district could develop banks of tasks that schools and teachers would use at the appropriate time in classrooms.

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New system of assessments needed when next generation science standards are implemented, report says

stem cell therapy treatment for cerebellar ataxia by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india short – Video

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stem cell therapy treatment for cerebellar ataxia by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india short
improvement seen in just 3 months after stem cell therapy treatment for cerebellar ataxia by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india. Stem Cell Therapy done date 28th ...

By: Neurogen Brain and Spine Institute

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stem cell therapy treatment for cerebellar ataxia by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india short - Video

stem cell therapy treatment for stroke by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india short – Video

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stem cell therapy treatment for stroke by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india short
improvement seen in just 3 months after stem cell therapy treatment for stroke by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india. Stem Cell Therapy done date 23rd Jul 2013 Af...

By: Neurogen Brain and Spine Institute

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stem cell therapy treatment for stroke by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india short - Video

stem cell therapy treatment for Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india short – Video

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stem cell therapy treatment for Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india short
improvement seen in just 3 months after stem cell therapy treatment for quadriplegic cerebral palsy by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india. Stem Cell Therapy done ...

By: Neurogen Brain and Spine Institute

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stem cell therapy treatment for Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india short - Video

West Coast Stem Cell Clinic, Telehealth, Now Offering Stem Cell Injections for Plantar Fasciitis

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Orange County, California (PRWEB) December 16, 2013

Top California stem cell clinic, TeleHealth, is now offering stem cell injections for plantar fasciitis. The condition may lead to chronic pain and may not respond to traditional treatments, with the stem cell therapy often allowing for pain relief and the ability to avoid the need for surgery. For more information and scheduling, call (888) 828-4575.

Planter fasciitis affects millions of Americans. The condition leads to chronic heel pain and may make it difficult to participate in recreational activities and even walk normally. Traditional treatments such as physical therapy, NSAIDS, steroid injections and orthotics are often effective over time. However, the condition may not respond as desired to these options and stem cells for plantar fasciitis may be the answer.

Therefore, stem cell injections that TeleHealth provides may offer an excellent option for healing the inflamed area while at the same time providing considerable pain relief. The conventional pain management treatments tend to mask pain, however, they do not actually heal the condition directly.

Regenerative medicine treatments with stem cells maintain the potential of actually healing the damaged tissue to provide long term relief. Telehealth has multiple US Board Certified doctors who have a long history of providing stem cell therapy for numerous conditions including degenerative arthritis, rotator cuff and Achilles tendonitis, ligament injury, elbow soft tissue tendinitis and more.

For those suffering from planter fasciitis or any of the other arthritic or soft tissue injury conditions, call TeleHealth at (888) 828-4575.

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West Coast Stem Cell Clinic, Telehealth, Now Offering Stem Cell Injections for Plantar Fasciitis

Arizona Pain Stem Cell Institute Now Offering Stem Cell Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis

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Phoenix, Arizona (PRWEB) December 16, 2013

The top Phoenix stem cell treatment clinic, Arizona Pain Stem Cell Institute, is now offering stem cell therapy for plantar fasciitis. The treatments are offered by Board Certified pain management doctors in Arizona, and often help patients avoid surgery. For more information and scheduling, call (602) 507-6550.

Plantar fasciitis affects millions of Americans, causing heel pain that may make it difficult to participate in recreational activities and walking in general. Conventional treatments such as steroid injections, NSAIDS, bracing and physical therapy at times do not relieve the pain properly. Surgery for plantar fasciitis unfortunately does not always provide the desired relief.

Regenerative medicine at the Arizona Pain Stem Cell Institute offers a nonoperative option for plantar fasciitis. This may include stem cell injections with bone marrow, fat derived or amniotic derived material. The procedure is outpatient and low risk.

In addition to treatments for plantar fasciitis, the Institute offers stem cell treatments for degenerative arthritis, tennis elbow, rotator cuff symptoms, achilles tendonitis and more. The procedures are performed by Board Certified pain doctors, with four research projects ongoing.

The Institute is a division of Arizona Pain Specialists, the leading pain center in Arizona. Five locations accept over 50 insurance plans including Workers Compensation, Personal Injury, PPO's, some HMO's and self pay. The regenerative medicine treatments are offered as fee for service.

For more information and scheduling to discuss plantar fasciitis options, call (602) 507-6550.

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Arizona Pain Stem Cell Institute Now Offering Stem Cell Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis

Exercise Can Counter That Holiday Binge Eating

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December 16, 2013

Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Scientists writing in The Journal of Physiology say that exercise lessens many of the harmful physiological effects that take place after Christmas binge eating.

Previous studies have shown that even a few days of eating more calories than you burn can cause detrimental health impacts, making the holidays a tough time for the tummy. However, this new study counters this thought, showing that a daily bout of exercise generates vast physiological benefits even when consuming thousands of calories more than you burn.

This new research shows that the picture is more sophisticated than energy alone: exercise has positive effects even when we are actively storing energy and gaining weight, James Betts, one of the researchers from The University of Bath, said in a statement.

The team found that after just one week of overeating, people being monitored for the study showed poor blood sugar control and their fat cells were expressing genes that lead to unhealthy metabolic changes and disputed nutritional balance. However, these negative effects due to these short bursts of binge eating were markedly less for those who were exercising.

During the study, 26 healthy young men were asked to be generally inactive in their daily activities. Half of the men were asked to exercise daily on a treadmill for 45 minutes, and everyone involved in the study was asked to overeat. The non-exercising group increased their caloric intake by 50 percent, while the exercising group increased it by 75 percent.

Our research demonstrates that a short period of overconsumption and reduced physical activity leads to very profound negative changes in a variety of physiological systems but that a daily bout of exercise stops most of these negative changes from taking place, Jean-Philippe Walhin, a researcher on the study, said in a statement.

Dr Dylan Thompson, senior author on the paper, talked about how one of the features from the teams study was critical.

A critical feature of our experiment is that we matched the energy surplus between groups so the exercise group consumed even more energy and were still better off at the end of the week, Thompson said.

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Exercise Can Counter That Holiday Binge Eating

Alan Watt on The Cloud, Genetic Engineering, Depopulation + Long-Term Conditioning – April 2009 – Video

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Alan Watt on The Cloud, Genetic Engineering, Depopulation + Long-Term Conditioning - April 2009
Full interview - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdSj2zaJ-7U Alan Watt #39;s website - http://www.cuttingthroughthematrix.com/ Alan Watt Videos playlist - http://...

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Alan Watt on The Cloud, Genetic Engineering, Depopulation + Long-Term Conditioning - April 2009 - Video

Stemcell treatment for hair and skin, Autologous Adipose Stem Cell Treatment – Video

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Stemcell treatment for hair and skin, Autologous Adipose Stem Cell Treatment
Through the history of stem cell therapy and stem cell research, animal stem cells have been used, human embryonic stem cells, and now research has led us to...

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Stemcell treatment for hair and skin, Autologous Adipose Stem Cell Treatment - Video