Archive for March, 2012

06-12-2011 15:55 If you thought that a bone marrow donation was a painful process, think again. CBS4, Denver, shows you the easy way to a donate that might surprise you. Brought to you by MedCenterNetwork.

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Stem Cell Donation - Video

Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Diabetes Article Date: 13 Mar 2012 - 12:00 PDT

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The study was carried out by Chutima Talchai, Ph.D, a New York Stem Cell Foundation-Druckenmiller Fellow, and Domenico Accili, M.D., professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that kills cells in the pancreas which produce insulin, resulting in high levels of glucose in the blood. As the pancreas is unable to replace these cells, individuals suffering with the disease must inject insulin into themselves in order to manage their blood sugar. Patients must also monitor their sugar levels numerous times a day, as blood glucose that is too low or too high can be fatal.

For scientists researching type 1 diabetes, one of the leading goals is to replace lost insulin-producing cells with new cells that release insulin into the bloodstream as needed. Even though researchers are able to generate these cells in the laboratory from embryonic stem cells, they are not suitable for transplant in patients as they do not release insulin appropriately in response to sugar levels, potentially resulting in a deadly condition called hypoglycemia.

In the intestine of mice, the researchers found that certain gastrointestinal progenitor cells are able to generate insulin-producing cells.

Usually, progenitor cells are responsible for generating a vast range of cells, such as gastric inhibitory peptide, cells that produce serotonin, as well as other hormones secreted into the GI tract and bloodstream.

The researchers discovered that when they switched off Foxo1 (a gene known to contribute in cell fate decisions), the progenitor cells also generated cells that produced insulin. In addition, the team found that although more cells were produced when Foxo1 was switched off early in development, they were also produced when the Foxo1 was switched off in adult mice.

Dr. Accili, explained:

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Gut Cells Turned To Insulin Factories - New Type l Diabetes Treatment

Doctor Wise Young in Hong Kong on February 22, 2012. Young, a leading researcher in spinal cord injuries, says China could hold the key to a cure that he has been searching for since he met late actor Christopher Reeve in the 1990s. AFP pic

US-based Doctor Wise Young first used the word cure in relation to his work after a conversation with Reeve, the Superman hero who became quadriplegic in an equestrian accident in 1995.

Reeve contacted him looking for help and the two became close friends. The actor died of heart failure in 2004 at the age of 52, having devoted his life to raising awareness about spinal cord injuries and stem-cell research.

But it was a star of a different sort, Chinese gymnast Sang Lan, who set Young on the path he believes has brought a cure closer than ever, thanks to ground-breaking clinical trials of stem-cell therapy he is conducting in China.

Everybody assumed that Im doing this in China because I wanted to escape George W. Bush, but thats not the case at all, Young said in an interview, recalling the former US presidents 2001 decision to effectively stop Federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

I started the clinical trials in 2005 here in Hong Kong ... mainly because of a promise that I made to a young woman. Her name is Sang Lan.

Sang crushed her spine during a routine warm-up exercise at the Goodwill Games in New York in 1998. She met Young as she underwent treatment and rehabilitation in the United States over the next 12 months.

Her parents came to me and asked whether or not there would ever be a cure for her, and I said were working very hard on it, recalled Young, who was by then one of the leading US experts on spinal cord injuries.

When she went back to China after doing her rehabilitation in New York she cried and asked how would therapies go from the United States to China.

In those days China was still relatively poor and backward so she didnt think that any therapy would be coming from China. So I started in 1999 to talk to all the spinal cord doctors in China.

Link:
Doctor looks to China for spinal injury ‘cure’

08-03-2012 10:30

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First BIRAX Regenerative Medicine Conference, Nov 2011 (HD) - Video

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

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT; OTCBB: ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that the companys chairman and CEO, Gary Rabin, will be presenting at Roth Capital Partners 24th Annual ROTH Conference, March 11-14.

Mr. Rabins presentation will take place on Wednesday, March 14, at 12:00PM PDT at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel, Salon 2, in Dana Point, Calif. The presentation slide deck will be available on the Conference Presentations section of the ACT website and the webcast of the presentation will be available via the following link: http://wsw.com/webcast/roth26/actc.ob/.

Roth Capital Partners plans to host more than 400 growth companies at its 24th annual investment conference, March 11-14, including more than 130 healthcare companies in the biotechnology, healthcare services, medical device, and pharmaceutical sectors.

About Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. is a biotechnology company applying cellular technology in the field of regenerative medicine. For more information, visit http://www.advancedcell.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release regarding future financial and operating results, future growth in research and development programs, potential applications of our technology, opportunities for the company and any other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words will, believes, plans, anticipates, expects, estimates, and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: limited operating history, need for future capital, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, protection of our intellectual property, and economic conditions generally. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in the companys periodic reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the companys management at the time they are made, and the company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances should change. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the companys management at the time they are made, and the company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances should change. There can be no assurance that the Companys clinical trials will be successful.

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Advanced Cell Technology to Present at the 24th Annual ROTH Conference

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TEDMED, http://www.TEDMED.com, the annual gathering where science, medical and technology leaders focus on "imagination, innovation and inspiration" to advance the art of health and medicine, today announced two new programs that will vastly increase the size and scope of its audience.

TEDMED is the world's only TED-licensed event focused solely on innovation and breakthrough thinking across all of health and medicine. It will be held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., April 10 - 13.

Speakers, attendee-Delegates and participants will range from biologists (Dr. E.O. Wilson) and writers (Ben Goldacre), to physicists (Albert-Laszlo Barabasi) and public health leaders like the director of the National Institutes of Health (Dr. Francis Collins). Topics to be explored by TEDMED speakers will include neuroscience, microbiology, surgery, oncology, stem cell therapy, bad science, Alzheimer's, robotics, game science, wearable tech, disease evolution, patient choice, virtual anatomy models, the nature of imagination, and dozens more.

For the first time this year, TEDMED will offer a free simulcast, TEDMEDLive, to teaching hospitals, medical schools, research institutions, university life science departments, state and federal government agencies, health-oriented corporations and non-profits across the nation. Participants, forecasted at more than 50,000, will be able to view a high-definition live stream of each presentation and performance. Using the TEDMED Connect mobile app, remote participants can also ask questions of the speakers in real time, which may be answered directly from the TEDMED stage.

Over 2,000 TEDMEDLive simulcast locations will participate, including institutions such as: Case Western Reserve University, Harvard University, University of California (Davis and Irvine), University of Pennsylvania, University of Washington, University of Virginia, Tulane University, Vanderbilt University and Yale University.

Another new TEDMED initiative is the Front-Line Scholarship Program, which offers up to $2 million in half- and full-fee scholarships to those leaders and innovators who are on the front lines of health and medicine. It assists those who would both contribute to the TEDMED conference as attendees, and would greatly benefit from joining the conference in Washington, D.C. in person as a Delegate. The Front-Line Scholarship Program is underwritten by the TEDMED Patron Fund, whose major contributors include Humana and The California Endowment.

"TEDMED is for everyone who is passionate about the future of health and medicine," said Jay Walker, curator of TEDMED."Accordingly, TEDMED is committed to bringing even more expertise and perspective to the table for a national discussion of health and medicine, regardless of ability to pay through our Front-Line Scholarship program. Front-Line Scholarships will permit the broadest possible group of healthcare providers, first responders and other contributors to attend so they can share even more ideas that will save lives."

More than 1,200 TEDMED onsite attendees including researchers, physicians, technologists and policy experts will foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and learning at the Kennedy Center this April. Institutions of excellence represented by speakers and attendees will include The American Cancer Society, The American Red Cross, Biodigital Systems, The Boulis Laboratory, Brandeis University, Brigham and Women's Hospital, The California Institute of Technology, Center for Complex Network Research, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Duke University, Emory University, Harvard University, mc10, Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation, and Education, The National Institutes of Health, New York University, Penn State University, Quest Diagnostics, The Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Reuters Health, Children's Hospital Boston, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Young Professionals Chronic Disease Network.

TEDMED Speaker List (as of 3/12/2012)

Additional speakers will be announced prior to the conference start date.

Originally posted here:
TEDMED 2012 Conference Offers $2 Million in Scholarships to Health and Medicine Leaders and Innovators; Free National ...

Lesley Domiano

By Ben Bodart, Special to the Independent

Perhaps the previous seven days were the most important in the life of Lesley Domiano. The 66 year-old Laguna Beach resident organized three separate events in town last week to lure a potential bone marrow donor for a transplant she absolutely needs if she is to see 2013.

She packed them altogether because this past Monday Domiano knew she would be submitting to yet another chemotherapy session and unable to meet donors face to face. And I really wanted to meet all the people that came to be potential donors, she said on Wednesday at Mozambique restaurant, which hosted a donor invite on her behalf. I am so blessed that the community where I live is so amazing. You cannot believe it touches me! It makes me feel so good about the world.

Domianos life has been a battle since she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare type of cancer known as bone marrow failure disease. She thought the most difficult part was behind her when she went to remission for more than a year. But last August, the disease reoccurred. Recently, she was told she would need a bone marrow transplant to live more than four or six months.

I do not want to think about it, Domiano said. Time is really important because if we find a donor, I have to be in good enough condition to receive and recover from the surgery.

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A Firebrand Media Publication

The proposed $188 million expansion of Brocktons VA hospital is on hold until federal officials approve the projects next phase.

The federal government has already approved $24 million to be spent on the design of the proposed 96-bed, long-term spinal cord injury unit and renovation of the old complex at the Brockton VA hospital, federal budget documents show.

Designers at the Boston architectural firm Payette finalized preliminary design documents for the project last September after a year of work. But the project will not move forward until federal approval of the next step creating construction documents.

We need to be authorized to do the construction documents before they can build it, said Kevin Sullivan, principal at Payette.

Payette has collaborated with the VA Boston Healthcare System on more than 50 projects over the last few years.

Sullivan, the Brockton projects principal in charge, said hes excited to see the spinal cord injury unit move forward. I dont think Ive ever worked on a project that could have more of an impact on peoples daily lives, Sullivan said.

The Brockton campus of the VA Boston Healthcare System, 940 Belmont St., received $24 million in 2009 for the designing of a two-part project: building the new building and renovating the existing spinal cord injury unit to be used for a mental health.

The construction documents will take a year to complete, and designers believe that 2016 is the earliest the spinal cord injury building could open.

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Brockton VA’s spinal cord unit waiting for key approval

12-03-2012 17:41 Dr.Mark Newkirk is once again on the cutting edge of medicine. Newkirk Family Veterinarians now offer STEM CELL THERAPY for pets. Dr. Mark Newkirk combines traditional medicine and surgery with Holistic Alternatives to access the best of both worlds. As a Veterinarian, Dr. Newkirk has been serving Southern New Jersey for over 25 years. He is extensively trained in medicine and surgery and also is skilled in the care of exotic pets such as reptiles and birds. Dr. Newkirk is also one of only 5 doctors in the country currently undergoing training by the nationally renowned Dr. Martin Goldstein, the author of "The Nature of Animal Healing", and founder of immuno-augmentative therapy for animals, a true alternative cancer therapy. Dr. Newkirk is a member of American Holistic Veterinary Medical Society, the American Veterinary Medical Association, New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association and the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association. For more information check out Stem Cell Therapy on The Animal Planet's dogs 101 http://www.youtube.com

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Stem Cell Therapy at Newkirk Family Veterinarians - Hunter's Story - Video

12-03-2012 20:48 by:www.medicaltourism.hk

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Chia medical tourism--stroke--stem cell therapy 1.flv - Video

12-03-2012 21:11 by:www.medicaltourism.hk

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Chia medical tourism--stroke--stem cell therapy 3.flv - Video

Public release date: 13-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: David Sampson ajpmedia@elsevier.com 215-239-3171 Elsevier Health Sciences

Philadelphia, PA, March 13, 2012 A new study suggests that administering FTY720, an oral drug that has shown promise in trials for human multiple sclerosis, significantly improves locomotor recovery in mice with spinal cord injury (SCI). The research suggests a possible new avenue to counteract the degeneration of the spinal cord in human SCI. The study will be published in the April 2012 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

Beyond the initial tissue damage, much of the degradation of the spinal cord in SCI is due to a cascade of secondary injuries, including neuronal and glial apoptosis, inflammation, glial scar formation, local edema and ischemia, and oxidative stress. The aim of current SCI treatment is to counteract the mechanisms of secondary injury and prevent their pathological consequences, because central nervous system (CNS) neurons have very limited capacity to self-repair and regenerate.

Researchers from the Jichi Medical University School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Tokyo had previously shown that the concentration of the lysophospholipid mediator, sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), was significantly increased in the location of a contusion injury, triggering the migration of neural progenitor/stem cells to the site of the injury. They hypothesized that targeting S1P receptors may become a candidate therapy for various refractory central nervous system disorders, including SCI.

FTY720 acts as a broad S1P receptor modulator. Its efficacy in central nervous system disorders is believed to derive from immunomodulation. Researchers found that orally administering FTY720 to mice shortly after contusion SCI significantly improved motor function recovery. Importantly, they found that the therapeutic effects of FTY720 were not solely dependent on immune modulation. The administration of FTY720 induced lymphopenia, clearing lymphocytes from the blood, and reduced T-cell infiltration in the spinal cord. But it did not affect the early infiltration of neutrophils and activation of microglia, and it did not reduce plasma levels and mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines in the spinal cord. Tests in mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID mice) with SCI found that FTY720 significantly improved recovery of hind limb motor function.

"These data clearly indicate the importance of immune-independent functions of FTY720 in the amelioration of functional deficits after SCI in mice," explains lead investigator Yoichi Sakata, MD, PhD, Research Division of Cell and Molecular Medicine, Center for Molecular Medicine, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine.

Dr. Sakata notes that S1P receptors exist in many types of cells and play a role in many cellular processes. "We observed that FTY720 decreased vascular permeability and astrocyte accumulation in injured spinal cord. These changes were also noted in SCID mice, suggesting they are not dependent on lymphocyte function. Increased vascular permeability can lead to destruction of the blood-brain barrier in spinal cord, and astrocyte accumulation is the main cellular component of glial scar after CNS injury. FTY720 might counteract these secondary injuries and thereby prevent their pathological consequences."

"Our data suggest that targeting S1P receptors with FTY720 is an attractive therapeutic approach for SCI," Dr. Sakata concludes. "However, further evaluation utilizing larger animals such as non-human primates will be necessary to confirm its efficacy in treating SCI. Further, strategies targeted at modulating the SIP concentration in injured CNS may lead to new therapeutic approaches towards repairing various CNS disorders."

###

View post:
Research suggests new therapeutic approach for spinal cord injury

12-03-2012 17:41 Dr.Mark Newkirk is once again on the cutting edge of medicine. Newkirk Family Veterinarians now offer STEM CELL THERAPY for pets. Dr. Mark Newkirk combines traditional medicine and surgery with Holistic Alternatives to access the best of both worlds. As a Veterinarian, Dr. Newkirk has been serving Southern New Jersey for over 25 years. He is extensively trained in medicine and surgery and also is skilled in the care of exotic pets such as reptiles and birds. Dr. Newkirk is also one of only 5 doctors in the country currently undergoing training by the nationally renowned Dr. Martin Goldstein, the author of "The Nature of Animal Healing", and founder of immuno-augmentative therapy for animals, a true alternative cancer therapy. Dr. Newkirk is a member of American Holistic Veterinary Medical Society, the American Veterinary Medical Association, New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association and the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association. For more information check out Stem Cell Therapy on The Animal Planet's dogs 101 http://www.youtube.com

Read the original post:
Stem Cell Therapy at Newkirk Family Veterinarians - Hunter's Story - Video

12-03-2012 20:48 by:www.medicaltourism.hk

See more here:
Chia medical tourism--stroke--stem cell therapy 1.flv - Video

12-03-2012 21:11 by:www.medicaltourism.hk

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Chia medical tourism--stroke--stem cell therapy 3.flv - Video

Healthier orange juice could be the result of British scientists seeing red.

Researchers hope to turn ordinary fruit into blood oranges by manipulating their genes.

The distinctive red pigment is believed to have health benefits which include combating obesity and heart disease.

One recent study found that drinking blood orange juice with a full English breakfast reduced the harmful effects of a fat-laden fry-up.

Scientists writing in The Plant Cell journal described how they identified the "ruby" gene that makes the blood orange red. They also discovered how the gene is activated, raising the possibility of switching it on in ordinary "blond" orange varieties.

Blood oranges need a period of cold as they ripen and currently the only place where they can be reliably grown on a commercial scale is in the foothills of Mount Etna in Sicily in the Mediterranean. As a result, blood orange juice is hard to come by and a carton costs about 1 more than ordinary orange juice.

Professor Cathie Martin, who led the research team from the John Innes Centre in Norwich, said: "Blood oranges contain naturally occurring pigments associated with improved cardiovascular health, controlling diabetes and reducing obesity.

"Our improved understanding of this trait could offer relatively straightforward solutions to growing blood oranges reliably in warmer climates through genetic engineering."

A test batch of genetically created blood oranges is currently being grown in Valencia, Spain.

Speaking at a press conference in London, Prof Martin said: "Hopefully in the near future, seven years down the line, we will have blood orange varieties which can be grown in the major orange growing areas like Brazil and Florida. So blood orange juice will become more available worldwide and the healthy properties enjoyed by more and more people."

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Gene for blood orange identified

Published: March. 12, 2012 at 7:15 PM

ADELAIDE, Australia, March 12 (UPI) -- Australian researchers say they've bred salt tolerance into a variety of wheat, resulting in a 25 percent increase in grain yield in salty soils.

Using 'non-GM,' crop breeding techniques, scientists have introduced a salt-tolerant gene into commercial durum wheat, with field tests confirming the benefits to yield figures, the University of Adelaide reported Sunday.

"This work is significant as salinity already affects over 20 percent of the world's agricultural soils, and salinity poses an increasing threat to food production due to climate change," Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization scientist Rana Munns said.

While domestication and breeding have narrowed the gene pool of modern wheat, leaving it susceptible to environmental stress, wild relatives of modern-day wheat remain a significant source of genes for a range of traits including salinity tolerance, the researchers said.

A salt-tolerant gene in an ancestral cousin of modern-day wheat, Triticum monococcum, has been introduced into modern commercial durham wheat, they said.

"Salinity is a particular issue in the prime wheat-growing areas of Australia, the world's second-largest wheat exporter after the United States," Adelaide researcher Matthew Gilliham said.

"With global population estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050, and the demand for food expected to rise by 100 percent in this time, salt-tolerant crops will be an important tool to ensure future food security."

While durham what is used mainly for foods like pasta and couscous, the researchers said they've now crossed the salt-tolerance gene into bread wheat and are beginning field trials.

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Wild gene makes wheat crops salt-tolerant

A drug found to slow some of the physical problems and reduce the number of flareups of multiple sclerosis (MS) could also show promise for treating spinal cord injuries, according to a new Japanese study.

Researchers from the Jichi Medical University School of Medicine and the Universisty of Tokyo's Graduate School of Medicine found that FTY720, also known as Gilenya, helped mice with spinal cord injuries (SCIs) recover some motor function when they were given the drug immediately after the injuries.

FTY720 acts in a number of ways, the study authors wrote. The drug, provided by its manufacturer, Novartis, for this study, suppresses the immune system, which reduces inflammation that occurs after injuries. Inflammatory effects, they explained, can worsen the damage done by SCIs. The drug also helped the mice's damaged tissue regenerate, among other effects.

"The main biological activity responsible for these actions is believed to be immunological, but our data suggest that nonimmunological role(s) of FTY720 are also important in the treatment of SCI," they wrote.

The drug still needs to be evaluated in larger animals before determining whether it is effective in treating SCIs, but still has promise, the authors added.

Experts not involved with the study, however, are a bit more skeptical. Many interventions work in mice, so determining the utility of Gilenya for SCIs in humans is a long way off, if it happens at all.

"Another issue is that in this study, the drug was given immediately after the SCI, and rarely do we have the opportunity to give a drug immediately after this type of injury in humans," said W. Dalton Dietrich, professor and scientific director of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. "One big question is if the drug delivery is delayed, will it work?"

Studies have found that in some people, the steroid drug methylprednisolone has been effective at restoring a little bit of function if given within eight hours of injury.

But other drugs -- mostly experimental -- that clinicians have tried with post-SCI patients have not been particularly effective.

"Acutely, we really don't have any drugs to try to protect the nervous system," said Dr. Bruce Dobkin, director of the Neurologic Rehabilitation and Research Program at UCLA's Geffen School of Medicine. "The most important thing is rehabilitation."

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Could MS Drug Treat Spinal Cord Injuries?

Public release date: 13-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: David Sampson ajpmedia@elsevier.com 215-239-3171 Elsevier Health Sciences

Philadelphia, PA, March 13, 2012 A new study suggests that administering FTY720, an oral drug that has shown promise in trials for human multiple sclerosis, significantly improves locomotor recovery in mice with spinal cord injury (SCI). The research suggests a possible new avenue to counteract the degeneration of the spinal cord in human SCI. The study will be published in the April 2012 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

Beyond the initial tissue damage, much of the degradation of the spinal cord in SCI is due to a cascade of secondary injuries, including neuronal and glial apoptosis, inflammation, glial scar formation, local edema and ischemia, and oxidative stress. The aim of current SCI treatment is to counteract the mechanisms of secondary injury and prevent their pathological consequences, because central nervous system (CNS) neurons have very limited capacity to self-repair and regenerate.

Researchers from the Jichi Medical University School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Tokyo had previously shown that the concentration of the lysophospholipid mediator, sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), was significantly increased in the location of a contusion injury, triggering the migration of neural progenitor/stem cells to the site of the injury. They hypothesized that targeting S1P receptors may become a candidate therapy for various refractory central nervous system disorders, including SCI.

FTY720 acts as a broad S1P receptor modulator. Its efficacy in central nervous system disorders is believed to derive from immunomodulation. Researchers found that orally administering FTY720 to mice shortly after contusion SCI significantly improved motor function recovery. Importantly, they found that the therapeutic effects of FTY720 were not solely dependent on immune modulation. The administration of FTY720 induced lymphopenia, clearing lymphocytes from the blood, and reduced T-cell infiltration in the spinal cord. But it did not affect the early infiltration of neutrophils and activation of microglia, and it did not reduce plasma levels and mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines in the spinal cord. Tests in mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID mice) with SCI found that FTY720 significantly improved recovery of hind limb motor function.

"These data clearly indicate the importance of immune-independent functions of FTY720 in the amelioration of functional deficits after SCI in mice," explains lead investigator Yoichi Sakata, MD, PhD, Research Division of Cell and Molecular Medicine, Center for Molecular Medicine, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine.

Dr. Sakata notes that S1P receptors exist in many types of cells and play a role in many cellular processes. "We observed that FTY720 decreased vascular permeability and astrocyte accumulation in injured spinal cord. These changes were also noted in SCID mice, suggesting they are not dependent on lymphocyte function. Increased vascular permeability can lead to destruction of the blood-brain barrier in spinal cord, and astrocyte accumulation is the main cellular component of glial scar after CNS injury. FTY720 might counteract these secondary injuries and thereby prevent their pathological consequences."

"Our data suggest that targeting S1P receptors with FTY720 is an attractive therapeutic approach for SCI," Dr. Sakata concludes. "However, further evaluation utilizing larger animals such as non-human primates will be necessary to confirm its efficacy in treating SCI. Further, strategies targeted at modulating the SIP concentration in injured CNS may lead to new therapeutic approaches towards repairing various CNS disorders."

###

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Research suggests new therapeutic approach for spinal cord injury

LOS ANGELES Researchers at the UCLA stem cell center and the departments of chemistry and biochemistry and pathology and laboratory medicine have identified, for the first time, a generic way to correct mutations in human mitochondrial DNA by targeting corrective RNAs, a finding with implications for treating a host of mitochondrial diseases.

Mutations in the human mitochondrial genome are implicated in neuromuscular diseases, metabolic defects and aging. There currently are no methods to successfully repair or compensate for these mutations, said study co-senior author Dr. Michael Teitell, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and a researcher with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA.

Between 1,000 and 4,000 children per year in the United States are born with a mitochondrial disease and up to one in 4,000 children in the U.S. will develop a mitochondrial disease by the age of 10, according to Mito Action, a nonprofit organization supporting research into mitochondrial diseases. In adults, many diseases of aging have been associated with defects of mitochondrial function, including diabetes, Parkinson's disease, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and cancer.

"I think this is a finding that could change the field," Teitell said. "We've been looking to do this for a long time and we had a very reasoned approach, but some key steps were missing. Now we have developed this method and the next step is to show that what we can do in human cell lines with mutant mitochondria can translate into animal models and, ultimately, into humans."

The study appears today in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The current study builds on previous work published in 2010 in the peer-reviewed journal Cell, in which Teitell, Carla Koehler, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a Broad stem cell research center scientist, and their team uncovered a role for an essential protein that acts to shuttle RNA into the mitochondria, the energy-producing "power plant" of a cell.

Mitochondria are described as cellular power plants because they generate most of the energy supply within a cell. In addition to supplying energy, mitochondria also are involved in a broad range of other cellular processes including signaling, differentiation, death, control of the cell cycle and growth.

The import of nucleus-encoded small RNAs into mitochondria is essential for the replication, transcription and translation of the mitochondrial genome, but the mechanisms that deliver RNA into mitochondria have remained poorly understood.

The study in Cell outlined a new role for a protein called polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPASE) in regulating the import of RNA into mitochondria. Reducing the expression or output of PNPASE decreased RNA import, which impaired the processing of mitochondrial genome-encoded RNAs. Reduced RNA processing inhibited the translation of proteins required to maintain the mitochondrial electron transport chain that consumes oxygen during cell respiration to produce energy. With reduced PNPASE, unprocessed mitochondrial-encoded RNAs accumulated, protein translation was inhibited and energy production was compromised, leading to stalled cell growth.

The findings from the current study provide a form of gene therapy for mitochondria by compensating for mutations that cause a wide range of diseases, said study co-senior author Koehler.

Originally posted here:
Repairing mutations in human mitochondria

Public release date: 12-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sarah Jackson press_releases@the-jci.org 919-684-0620 Journal of Clinical Investigation

EDITOR'S PICK Restoring what's lost: uncovering how liver tissue regenerates

The liver is unique among mammalian organs in its ability to regenerate after significant tissue damage or even partial surgical removal. Laurie DeLeve and her colleagues at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles wanted to better understand which cells are specifically responsible for driving liver regeneration. A specialized cell type, known as liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, has generally been thought to promote regeneration of liver tissue. However, the DeLeve team suspected that stem cells and progenitor cells, which have the capacity to differentiate into mature cell types, might be responsible for stimulating liver regeneration by generating hepatocyte growth factor. Using a rat model system, they first identified the presence of stem and progenitor cells that give rise to liver sinusoidal endothelial cells in both the liver and the bone marrow. They next sought to determine which population of stem and progenitor cells are required for regeneration. DeLeve and colleagues found that the bone marrow-derived cells were not required for liver cell proliferation in the absence of damage. In contrast, following surgical removal of a portion of the rat liver, an infusion of bone marrow-derived progenitor cells was required for liver regeneration. These results improve our understanding of how liver tissue can regenerate following damage and may shed light on liver complications in patients with suppressed bone marrow tissue.

TITLE: Liver sinusoidal endothelial cell progenitor cells promote liver regeneration in rats

AUTHOR CONTACT: Laurie D. DeLeve University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA Phone: 323-442-3248; Fax: 323-442-3238; E-mail: deleve@usc.edu

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/58789?key=21e2857b21106f232595

ONCOLOGY New Determinant of Human Breast Cancer Metastasis Discovered

Researchers at the University of Kentucky's Markey Cancer Center in Lexington, KY have provided new insight as to why the most severe subtype of breast cancer in humans frequently metastasizes. Tumor cells can exploit a cellular program that promotes cell migration and reduces adhesion between cells to spread to distant sites in the body (metastasis). This cellular program, known as the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, is normally restricted to wound healing, tissue remodeling and embryonic development. Increasing cell motility requires a decrease in E-cadherin, which functions to promote cell-cell adhesion. Led by Binhua Zhou, the research team identified G9a as a major repressor of E-cadherin expression. They found that G9a interacts with Snail, which can repress gene expression, to modify the E-cadherin promoter and block expression of the E-cadherin gene. Their findings establish that G9a is an important determinant of metastasis in the most severe sub-type of breast cancer, and suggest the development of new therapeutics targeting this pathway could potentially disrupt the metastatic disease.

TITLE: G9a interacts with Snail and is critical for Snail-mediated E-cadherin repression in human breast cancer

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JCI early table of contents for March 12, 2012

Public release date: 12-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sarah Jackson sarah.jackson@the-jci.org 919-684-0620 Journal of Clinical Investigation

The liver is unique among mammalian organs in its ability to regenerate after significant tissue damage or even partial surgical removal. Laurie DeLeve and her colleagues at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles wanted to better understand which cells are specifically responsible for driving liver regeneration. A specialized cell type, known as liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, has generally been thought to promote regeneration of liver tissue. However, the DeLeve team suspected that stem cells and progenitor cells, which have the capacity to differentiate into mature cell types, might be responsible for stimulating liver regeneration by generating hepatocyte growth factor. Using a rat model system, they first identified the presence of stem and progenitor cells that give rise to liver sinusoidal endothelial cells in both the liver and the bone marrow. They next sought to determine which population of stem and progenitor cells are required for regeneration. DeLeve and colleagues found that the bone marrow-derived cells were not required for liver cell proliferation in the absence of damage. In contrast, following surgical removal of a portion of the rat liver, an infusion of bone marrow-derived progenitor cells was required for liver regeneration. These results improve our understanding of how liver tissue can regenerate following damage and may shed light on liver complications in patients with suppressed bone marrow tissue.

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TITLE: Liver sinusoidal endothelial cell progenitor cells promote liver regeneration in rats

AUTHOR CONTACT: Laurie D. DeLeve University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA Phone: 323-442-3248; Fax: 323-442-3238; E-mail: deleve@usc.edu View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/58789?key=21e2857b21106f232595

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Restoring what's lost: Uncovering how liver tissue regenerates

CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB:ISCO.OB - News) http://www.internationalstemcell.com, a California-based biotechnology company focused on therapeutic, cosmetic and research products, announced today that it had obtained new capital financing and made important changes in the composition of its Board of Directors to ensure that Independent Directors hold the majority of Board seats.

The financing consists of $5 million in newly issued Series G Convertible Preferred Stock (without warrants), convertible into Common Stock at a conversion price of $0.40/share, the market price of the Companys Common Stock on the date the offer to purchase was made. This financing was made by AR Partners LLC, a healthcare investment firm owned by Dr. Andrey Semechkin, ISCOs CEO and Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Concurrently with the closing of this financing, the Company elected to its Board of Directors Dr. James Berglund, co-founder of Enterprise Partners Venture Capital - one of the premier venture capital firms in the field of healthcare technology founded in 1985. Dr. Berglund, with his extensive professional experience, continues as an active participant in the biotech and healthcare industries. Dr. Berglund will replace Kenneth C. Aldrich, co-founder and former CEO of the Company during the period 2008-2009, who is stepping down as ISCO Board of Directors Co-Chairman. Although Mr. Aldrich is retiring from our Board, he will remain as one of ISCOs largest shareholders and an active consultant to the Board and executive management and will continue to represent the Company as Chairman Emeritus in a variety of public and private venues.

According to Mr. Aldrich, In my view, Dr. Semechkins willingness to commit such a significant amount of capital to ISCO at the market price of the Companys stock on the date of his offer represents a major vote of confidence in ISCOs future by its most senior executive. We are thankful to Dr. Semechkin for his support that will further advance ISCOs parthenogenetic stem cell-based therapeutic programs and income generating businesses.

Having a majority of independent directors on our companys Board represents an important step in ISCOs development and in transforming ISCO into a leading public company in the field of regenerative medicine.

I want to thank Mr. Aldrich for his long-standing dedication and continued involvement in guiding the Company, said Dr. Semechkin. This long-term investment, along with the new executive management team recruited over the previous twelve months, will provide ISCO with the necessary economic stability and resources to pursue its goals of consolidating our leadership position and accelerating our therapeutic programs, continued Dr. Semechkin.

About International Stem Cell Corporation

International Stem Cell Corporation is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells 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 with minimal immune rejection after transplantation into hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial backgrounds. This offers 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, and cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care. More information is available at http://www.internationalstemcell.com.

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

Read the original post:
International Stem Cell Corporation Completes $5 Million Financing and Elects Jim Berglund to the Board of Directors

Published: March 12, 2012

(NEW YORK, NY, March 11, 2012) A study by Columbia researchers suggests that cells in the patients intestine could be coaxed into making insulin, circumventing the need for a stem cell transplant. Until now, stem cell transplants have been seen by many researchers as the ideal way to replace cells lost in type I diabetes and to free patients from insulin injections.

The researchconducted in micewas published 11 March 2012 in the journal Nature Genetics.

Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The pancreas cannot replace these cells, so once they are lost, people with type I diabetes must inject themselves with insulin to control their blood glucose. Blood glucose that is too high or too low can be life threatening, and patients must monitor their glucose several times a day.

Gut insulin cells express glucokinase, a key enzyme for glucose processing. Immunostaining detected insulin in red and glucokinase in green. Yellow marked merged colors.

A longstanding goal of type I diabetes research is to replace lost cells with new cells that release insulin into the bloodstream as needed. Though researchers can make insulin-producing cells in the laboratory from embryonic stem cells, such cells are not yet appropriate for transplant because they do not release insulin appropriately in response to glucose levels. If these cells were introduced into a patient, insulin would be secreted when not needed, potentially causing fatal hypoglycemia.

The study, conducted by Chutima Talchai, PhD, and Domenico Accili, MD, professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, shows that certain progenitor cells in the intestine of mice have the surprising ability to make insulin-producing cells. Dr. Talchai, who works in Dr. Accilis lab, is a New York Stem Cell Foundation-Druckenmiller Fellow.

The gastrointestinal progenitor cells are normally responsible for producing a wide range of cells, including cells that produce serotonin, gastric inhibitory peptide, and other hormones secreted into the GI tract and bloodstream.

Inactivation of Foxo1, a gene important for metabolism generated insulin producing cells in small intestines of newborn mice, as detected by immunofluorescence in red.Drs. Talchai and Accili found that when they turned off a gene known to play a role in cell fate decisionsFoxo1the progenitor cells also generated insulin-producing cells. More cells were generated when Foxo1 was turned off early in development, but insulin-producing cells were also generated when the gene was turned off after the mice had reached adulthood.

Our results show that it could be possible to regrow insulin-producing cells in the GI tracts of our pediatric and adult patients, Dr. Accili says.

See the original post here:
Columbia Researchers Find Potential Role for Gut Cells in Treating Type I Diabetes

London, Mar 12 (ANI): A new study conducted by scientists suggests a new approach that could give patients the ability to make their own insulin-producing cells without a stem cell transplant.

Until now, stem cell transplants have been seen by many researchers as the ideal way to replace cells lost in type I diabetes and to free patients from insulin injections.

Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The pancreas cannot replace these cells, so once they are lost, people with type I diabetes must inject themselves with insulin to control their blood glucose.

Blood glucose that is too high or too low can be life threatening, and patients must monitor their glucose several times a day.

A longstanding goal of type I diabetes research is to replace lost cells with new cells that release insulin into the bloodstream as needed.

Though researchers can make insulin-producing cells in the laboratory from embryonic stem cells, such cells are not yet appropriate for transplant because they do not release insulin appropriately in response to glucose levels.

If these cells were introduced into a patient, insulin would be secreted when not needed, potentially causing fatal hypoglycemia.

The study, conducted by Chutima Talchai and Domenico Accili from Columbia University Medical Center, shows that certain progenitor cells in the intestine of mice have the surprising ability to make insulin-producing cells.

The gastrointestinal progenitor cells are normally responsible for producing a wide range of cells, including cells that produce serotonin, gastric inhibitory peptide, and other hormones secreted into the GI tract and bloodstream.

They found that when they turned off a gene known to play a role in cell fate decisions-Foxo1-the progenitor cells also generated insulin-producing cells. More cells were generated when Foxo1 was turned off early in development, but insulin-producing cells were also generated when the gene was turned off after the mice had reached adulthood.

Original post:
Gut cells transformed into insulin factories 'could help to treat type I diabetes'