Genetherapy

Archive for the ‘Stem Cells’ Category

Medical News Today, the largest independent health and medical news Web site on the Internet, posted the content from CBR’s Stem Cells: Under the Microscope on the subject of cord blood stem cells and cardiovascular disease.

UK scientists hope to mend shattered bones and damaged cartilage using a patient’s own stem cells. They are developing a “bioactive scaffold” to protect the stem cells and encourage them to grow into bone or cartilage when placed in the body.

The article reports about the use of embryonic stem cells to create red blood cells. The article also notes that bone marrow and cord blood stem cells can be used to make red blood cells.

President Barak Obama Reverses Bush’s Stem Cell Policies

This week the Obama administration has given embryonic stem cell researchers what they’ve been seeking: the potential to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Here’s the irony: now that the funding restrictions are lifted, embryonic stem cells may not be the primary focus of stem cell research anyway.

SACRAMENTO (AP) – Just 5 days after the procedure, Dallas said his first word “momma”. That was quickly followed by learning to wave and even laughing. Three months after the treatment, the little boy who didn’t have the muscle control to crawl is now scooting all over without using a walker. He also looking at his parents when they talk to him. Cord blood stem cells are now being used to treat dozens of medical conditions from heart disease to leukemia. But banking cord blood is not cheap. The cost is about $2,000 initially and then $100 every year after that in storage costs.

A diabetes health Web site posted an article about the ongoing trial at the University of Florida using children’s own stem cells to treat type 1 diabetes.

CBS Evening News aired the second segment in its two-part series about regenerative medicine, focusing on the regeneration of human fingers and limbs.

The Dallas Morning News published a follow-up story today about Caden Ledbetter, a local toddler who recently underwent an autologous cord blood transplant to treat neuroblastoma.

TIME.com posted an article about cord blood preservation options and the current and future applications of cord blood stem cells.

The Trenton Times published an article about the importance of cord blood education for all expectant parents.

A study presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology meeting reported on the use of autologous bone marrow stem cells to treat patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Pennsylvania passed legislation requiring healthcare providers to educate pregnant patients about umbilical cord blood stem cell banking and donation.

Lifetime Health Corner, a health program on the Lifetime cable network, aired a segment about cord blood banking. The segment emphasizes the difficulty that ethnic minorities face when searching for a bone marrow donor within the public system. Dr. Jeffrey Thurston, a Texas based ob-gyn, states ethnic minorities and those of mixed ethnicity should have particular interest in storing their children’s cord blood in a family bank.

In a news release issued today, Cord Blood Registry forecasts significant growth in the cord blood banking business for the remainder of 2008, based on first quarter results. The company reported client enrollments in the first quarter were up 24 percent from the previous quarter ended December 2007. In 2007, the market for cord blood banking also grew an estimated 15 percent.

Haller’s Type 1 diabetes study was highlighted in this week’s issue of Stem Cell Week – which offers additional insights into cord blood’s potential mechanism of action in T1D and the latest scientific research supporting continued study in this area. Several media outlets also highlighted cord blood’s potential as a possible treatment for Lou Gehrig’s disease based on recent animal studies.

Cord Blood Can Be Used To Treat Adult Leukemia

An article published about a local girl who underwent a sibling cord blood transplant to treat leukemia, following an unsuccessful search for a bone marrow donor. This was the first sibling cord blood transplant in Hawaii.

Study provides hope for a potential treatment for the repair of hearing impairments with the use of cord blood blood stem cells.

A side article published that clarifies the different types of stem cells and variety of stem cell therapies.

A front-page article published today about Chloe Levine and the progress she made since an infusion of her own cord blood stem cells to treat cerebral palsy.

In recent studies, researchers at Tulane University have found that injecting human stem cells into the brains of stroke-induced mice triggers immune cells to produce chemicals that protect nerve cells, thereby reducing swelling and scarring.

The SF Business Times published an article highlighting CBR’s Wendy Grant as the founder of the nation’s first cord blood bank and as the creator of an industry.

(Bloomberg) — Umbilical cord blood, rich in stem cells, may provide raw material to repair the hearts of thousands of babies born each year with defective heart valves, according to researchers.

Children born with heart defects could someday get new valves using stem cells from their own umbilical cord blood.