Archive for November, 2014

Cancer Gene Therapy by Deirdre Creegan group 9
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By: Deirdre Creegan

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Cancer Gene Therapy by Deirdre Creegan group 9 - Video

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

13-Nov-2014

Contact: Service de presse AFM-Tlthon gmonfort@afm-telethon.fr AFM-Tlthon @AfmPresse

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common neuromuscular disease of children (affecting 1 boy in 3500-5000 births). It is caused by a genetic defect in the DMD gene residing on the X chromosome, which results in the absence of the dystrophin protein essential to the proper functioning of muscles.

The treatment being developed by researchers at Atlantic Gene Therapies, Gnthon and the Institute of Myology, is based on the use of an AAV vector (Adeno Associated Virus) carrying a transgene for the skipping of a specific exon which allows functional dystrophin production in the muscle of the patient.

Safety, efficacy and stability of the treatment in dogs

In GRMD (Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy) dogs the treatment aimed at skipping exons 6, 7 and 8 of the dystrophin gene. The product was given by loco-regional administration in the forelegs of 18 dogs who were followed for 3.5 months after injection. It was well tolerated by all treated dogs; no immune response against the synthesized dystrophin was observed. Exon skipping resulted in high levels of expression of dystrophin in the treated muscles. The results of this treatment also indicate that, once injected into the muscle tissue a prolonged and stable effect is produced over the observation time of the study and, unlike antisense oligonucleotides already used clinically for exon skipping, it does not need to be re- administered regularly. The synthesis of "new" dystrophin is dependent on the dose of vector injected: the higher the dose, the greater the exon skipping is effective. Muscle strength also increases with dose. 80% of muscle fibers expressed the "new" dystrophin at the highest dose. This is a very encouraging result because a minimum of 40% of dystrophin in muscle fibers is believed to be necessary for the muscle force to be significantly improved.

A phase I/II clinical trial phase

These results open the way for a phase I / II clinical trial by loco-regional administration in the upper limb of non-ambulatory Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients which are amenable to treatment by the specific skipping of exon 53. The regulatory toxicology and biodistribution studies have just ended and the filing of an application with regulatory authorities is planned for 2015.

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Effectiveness of innovative gene therapy treatment demonstrated in canine model of DMD

update

Linda Carroll TODAY contributor

5 hours ago

The parents of Eliza ONeill, the little girl with an incurable and deadly brain disorder, are making one final desperate push to raise funds for the clinical trial that will test a gene therapy for the diseaseand perhaps offer hope for Eliza.

Courtesy of Glenn ONeill

The ONeills have already raised $1.3 million through a viral video and hope that by Elizas fifth birthday on Sunday theyll hit their $1.8 million goal.

While there is no guarantee that Eliza will be among those chosen to participate in the trial, which could start sometime in the middle of 2015, its organizers say that at this point there is no reason that she wouldnt qualify.

Over the past year, the ONeills have tried to focus on aspects of life over which they have some control, such as helping to make the trial a reality and keeping their daughter as healthy as possible. Sometimes, they even allow themselves to think about what life might be like if Eliza was helped by the experimental medication.

Our hopes are for Eliza to have a life, and a good life, said her dad, Glenn ONeill. I sometimes let my mind go to places of future birthdays and her dating and getting married.

Stacey Quattlebaum

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A birthday wish: 'Saving Eliza' gets final push for medical trial

Capt Robert #39;s Recovery
After Spinal Cord Injury, you don #39;t have to accept your "generic" prognosis that you will likely never walk again. You can stay as healthy as possible through activity based therapy programs....

By: Sheila Tramontana

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Capt Robert's Recovery - Video

Run In The Dark - Dublin 2014
Unbroken by blindness in 1998, Mark Pollock suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury in 2010 that left him paralysed. As Mark strives to walk again, his most complex journey is ahead of him - to fin.

By: Silesian Sailor

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Run In The Dark - Dublin 2014 - Video

Innovation (Re)Generation: Exploring Regenerative Medicine
Over recent years, considerable interest has been developing in regard to therapies that have become and may become available based on what is known as #39;regenerative medicine #39; (RM). Currently,...

By: Mason Institute

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Innovation (Re)Generation: Exploring Regenerative Medicine - Video

Science Documentary: Stem Cells,Regenerative Medicine,Artificial Heart,a future medicine documentary
Science Documentary: Stem Cells,Regenerative Medicine,Artificial Heart,a future medicine documentary In each and every one of our organs and tissue, we have ...

By: ScienceRound

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Science Documentary: Stem Cells,Regenerative Medicine,Artificial Heart,a future medicine documentary - Video

Kids get arthritis
http://www.anthonynolan.org/8-ways-you-could-save-life/donate-your-stem-cells/apply-join-our-register for people who might want to join the register to help adults and children like Alex.

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Kids get arthritis - Video

By C. Rajan, contributing writer

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have made a major breakthrough in Parkinson's disease treatment by developing stem cell-derived brain cells that can replace the cells lost due to the disease, thus paving the way for the first stem cell transplant treatment for Parkinsons patients.

Parkinson's disease, which affects about 10 million people worldwide, is a degenerative nervous system condition which causes tremors, muscle weakness, stiffness, and loss in mobility. Parkinson's is caused by loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain. Dopamine is an essential neurotransmitter that is required for regulating movement and emotions.

In this study, for the first time ever, the researchers were able to convert human embryonic stem cells into dopamine producing neurons, which behaved like native dopamine cells lost in the disease.

The study was led by Malin Parmar, associate professor in Lund's Department of Medicine, and conducted at both Lund University and at MIRCen in Paris as part of the EU networks NeuroStemCell and NeuroStemcellRepair.

According to Medical News Today, the researchers produced rat models of Parkinson's disease by destroying the dopamine cells in one part of the rat's brain, and then they transplanted the new dopamine producing stem cell neurons. These next generation dopamine neurons were found to survive long term, restore the lost dopamine, and form long distance connections to the correct parts of the brain when transplanted into rats. Most excitingly, these transplanted stem cells reversed the damage from the disease.

As the new dopamine neurons have the same properties and functions of native cells lost in Parkinson's disease and can be produced in unlimited quantities from stem cell lines, this treatment shows promise in moving into clinical applications as stem cell transplants for Parkinsons.

"This study shows that we can now produce fully functioning dopamine neurons from stem cells. These cells have the same ability as the brains normal dopamine cells to not only reach but also to connect to their target area over longer distances. This has been our goal for some time, and the next step is to produce the same cells under the necessary regulations for human use. Our hope is that they are ready for clinical studies in about three years", says Malin Parmar.

Human embryonic stem cells (ESC) are powerful treatment options due to their ability to change into any cell type in the body. However, it is difficult to get them to change into the desired cell types, and research efforts are also hampered due to the ethical concerns associated with embryonic stem cells.

The study is published in the journal,Cell Stem Cell, titled Human ESC-Derived Dopamine Neurons Show Similar Preclinical Efficacy and Potency to Fetal Neurons when Grafted in a Rat Model of Parkinsons Disease.

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Researchers Discover Breakthrough Stem Cell Treatment For Parkinson's Disease

Page 1

Section: Animal Cell Technology

Enhanced cardiac differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells by use of the slow-turning, lateral vessel (STLV) bioreactor

Sasitorn Rungarunlert Nuttha Klincumhom Istvan Bock Csilla Nemes Mongkol Techakumphu Melinda K. Pirity Andras Dinnyes

S. Rungarunlert N. Klincumhom I. Bock Cs. Nemes MK. Pirity A. Dinnyes BioTalentum Ltd., Aulich Lajos u. 26. H-2100, Godollo, Hungary

S. Rungarunlert N. Klincumhom M. Techakumphu Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand

I. Bock A. Dinnyes Molecular Animal Biotechnology Laboratory, Szent Istvan University, H-2100 Gdll, Hungary Corresponding author: andras.dinnyes@biotalentum.hu; Phone: +36/20/510-9632, Fax: +36/28/526-151

Emails: Sasitorn Rungarunlert nut_vs@yahoo.com Nuttha Klincumhom nuttha.klincumhom@biotalentum.hu Istvan Bock istvan.bock@biotalentum.hu Csilla Nemes csilla.nemes@biotalentum.hu Mongkol Techakumphu Mongkol.T@chula.ac.th Melinda K. Pirity melinda.pirity@biotalentum.hu

Page 2

Abstract Embryoid body (EB) formation is a common intermediate during in vitro differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into specialized cell types. We have optimized the slow-turning, lateral vessel (STLV) for large scale and homogenous EB production from mouse embryonic stem cells. The effects of inoculating different cell numbers, time of EB adherence to gelatin-coated dishes, and rotation speed for optimal EB formation and cardiac differentiation were investigated. Using 3x105 cells/ml, 10 rpm rotary speed and plating of EBs onto gelatin-coated surfaces three days after culture, were the best parameters for optimal size and EB quality on consequent cardiac differentiation. These optimized parameters enrich cardiac differentiation in ES cells when using the STLV method.

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Enhanced cardiac differentiation of mouse embryonic stem ...

How donation is done

Stem cell donation: For peripheral bloodstream cell donation, stem cells are filtered from the donor's blood in a nonsurgical outpatient procedure. Donors may experience head or muscle aches that go away shortly after the donation. They are typically back to their normal routine in one to two days.

Marrow donation: This is a surgical, usually outpatient, procedure using anesthesia. Holes are drilled into the patient's spine to get the marrow. Donors may feel soreness in the lower back afterward. Recovery takes two to seven days.

Outcomes: Survival rate for recipients was 69 percent for unrelated donors and 79 percent for related donors in 2010, the most recent year for which figures are available, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Be the Match is a national registry that connects patients with their donor match for a marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. The registry is looking for diverse donors between age 18 and 44. Information: 800-627-7692 or BeTheMatch.org

Something was killing his wife from within, and Todd Miller had no idea what it was.

He didnt understand why she needed more than 100 blood transfusions. He couldnt fathom why Joselyn, a healthy person who barely got the sniffles, suddenly struggled to lift her arms.

The symptoms started in April 2012, soon after the Millers returned to their Laguna Beach home from the New Orleans Jazz Festival. Joselyn Millers arm and thigh muscles were so tight, she could barely move them.

They saw 10 specialists. No one could figure out what it was.

The second neurologist they saw suspected it was a very rare disease Shulmans syndrome, or eosinophilic fasciitis. According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, only 300 known cases have ever been recorded in medical literature.

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Laguna Beach family was given the gift of life, now they're giving it to others

Next time you pour a glass of wine, raise a toast to the 30-million-year-old viruses that have contributed to the genetic make-up of modern grapes.

A team of UQ-led plant scientists has discovered that the Pinot Noir grape variety owes a significant part of its genetic heritage to ancient plant viruses.

In a study published in Nature Communications, Dr Andrew Geering and colleagues have mapped the presence of 30-million-year-old viruses in Pinot Noir DNA.

Viruses are usually a curse to farmers because of the damage they cause to crops, but this study also suggests they play a vital evolutionary role.

Dr Geering, a plant pathologist at the UQs Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, said most flowering plant species, even the most primitive ones, contain sequence signatures of viruses in their genetic material.

Animals can move to avoid threats but because plants are anchored to the ground they are obliged to adapt to environmental pressures, such as those brought about by drought or grazing, using novel strategies.

Plants cope with such threats by acquiring new biochemical pathways or growth habits.

Pulling new genetic material from the environment, such as from viruses that infect the plant, means evolution can be sped up considerably.

Much like humans, plants are regularly exposed to harmful chemicals or radiation, which can cause damaging and heritable mutations to their genes which, if left unrepaired, could be lethal to their descendants.

Fortunately, there are special mechanisms to repair these mutations. Its during this repair procedure that foreign DNA such as that originating from viruses can be inserted into the plants own genetic code, much like using putty to fill a crack in the wall.

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Pinot Noir grapes owe a debt to ancient viruses

Q A on cassava science: complexity in genetics and breeding? Part 2 of 7
"The typical genetic stocks you have in self-pollinating species do not exist in cassava," says Emmanuel Okogbenin, a cassava scientist. So what does this mean for this crucial crop? Is all...

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Q&A on cassava science: complexity in genetics and breeding? Part 2 of 7 - Video

Gene Therapy for Inherited Disorders - Gerard Wagemaker
Gene therapy will be of great significance for patients with hereditary disorders and society at large, says Gerard Wagemaker EU project: HIGHLIGHT (http://www.youris.com/Health/Video_Interviews/G...

By: European health innovation transfer network

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Gene Therapy for Inherited Disorders - Gerard Wagemaker - Video

Renaissance RX
Personalized medicine is transforming the world by allowing physicians to develop treatment plans based on information that is unique to each patient, including health history, environment,...

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Renaissance RX - Video

Towards Personalized Medicine - ChristopheThuriau
Developing drugs tailored for different types of patients is the trend of today #39;s industry, says Christophe Thuriau EU project: HIGHLIGHT (http://www.youris....

By: European health innovation transfer network

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Towards Personalized Medicine - ChristopheThuriau - Video

Welcome Remarks - Roger Bingham
Speaker: Roger Bingham, Co-Founder Director, The Science Network; Member, Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

By: Alliance for Regenerative Medicine

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Welcome Remarks - Roger Bingham - Video

The Good Doctor - The Secret behind Regenerative Medicine
http://www.eZeLiving.com As always please "LIKE" this video, subscribe to our channel and join us on Facebook and Twitter below! Facebook http://www.facebook.com/eZelivingdotcom Twitter...

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The Good Doctor - The Secret behind Regenerative Medicine - Video

Updated NOV 10, 2014 8:59p ET

BARCELONA, Spain

Rafael Nadal's doctor says the 14-time Grand Slam winner will receive stem cell treatment on his ailing back.

Angel Ruiz-Cotorro told The Associated Press by phone on Monday that "we are going to put cells in a joint in his spine" next week in Barcelona.

The Spanish tennis star was already sidelined for the rest of the season after having his appendix removed last week.

Ruiz-Cotorro, who has worked as a doctor for Nadal for the past 14 years, said Nadal's back pain is "typical of tennis" players and that the treatment is meant to help repair his cartilage and is similar to stem cell treatment Nadal received on his knee last year.

He said Nadal is expected to return to training in early December.

Several NFL players and baseball players have received stem cell treatment. Nadal's fellow Spaniard Pau Gasol, center of the Chicago Bulls, received stem cell treatment on his knee in 2013.

Nadal experienced severe back pain during the final of the Australian Open in January when he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka.

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Rafael Nadal to receive stem cell treatment for back pain

Rafael Nadal's doctor says the 14-time Grand Slam winner will receive stem cell treatment on his ailing back.

Angel Ruiz-Cotorro told The Associated Press by phone on Monday that "we are going to put cells in a joint in his spine" next week in Barcelona.

The Spanish tennis star was already sidelined for the rest of the season after having his appendix removed last week.

Ruiz-Cotorro, who has worked as a doctor for Nadal for the past 14 years, said Nadal's back pain is "typical of tennis" players and that the treatment is meant to help repair his cartilage and is similar to stem cell treatment Nadal received on his knee last year.

He said Nadal is expected to return to training in early December.

Several NFL players and baseball players have received stem cell treatment. Nadal's fellow Spaniard Pau Gasol, center of the Chicago Bulls, received stem cell treatment on his knee in 2013.

Nadal experienced severe back pain during the final of the Australian Open in January when he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka.

"(Nadal) has a problem typical in tennis with a back joint, he had it at the Australian Open, and we have decided to treat it with stem cells," Ruiz-Cotorro said.

He said that stem cells were recently extracted from Nadal for a cultivation process to "produce the necessary quantities."

"When we have them we will put them in the point of pain," he said, with the goal of "regenerating cartilage, in the midterm, and producing an anti-inflammatory effect."

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Nadal to Receive Stem Cell Treatment for Back Pain - ABC News

MIAMI (PRWEB) November 11, 2014

GlobalStemCellsGroup, Inc. has announced plans to host a minimum of four international symposiums on stem cell research in 2015. The symposiums will be held in three Latin American countriesChile, Mexico and Colombiain which Global Stem Cells has established state-of-the-art stem cell clinics staffed with expert medical personnel trained in regenerative medicine, through the Regenestem Network.

The fourth symposium will be held in Miami.

The decision follows the success of the Global Stem Cells Groups first International Symposium on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, held Oct. 2, 3 and 4 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Global Stem Cells Group CEO Benito Novas says the Buenos Aires event, combined with its steady growth of new clinics throughout Latin America, has provided additional motivation to schedule more stem cell symposiums in an effort to further educate the medical community on the latest advancements in stem cell therapies.

Thanks to Global Stem Cells Groups growing network of world-class stem cell researchers, treatment practitioners and investors committed to advancing stem cell medicine, the company is rapidly moving closer to its goal of helping physicians to bring treatments into their offices for the benefit of patients.

More than 900 physicians, researchers and regenerative medicine experts from around the world attended the Buenos Aires symposium, and Novas expects that number to grow with upcoming conferences.

We will continue to bring together a variety of committed stem cell advocates from the U.S., Mexico, Greece, Hong Kong and other regions around the globe, to be joined by a team of knowledgeable speakers, each one presenting the future of regenerative medicine in their field of specialty, Novas says.

Regenerative medicine as a field is still in its infancy, according to Global Stem Cell Group President and CEO Benito Novas.

Our objective is to [open a dialogue among the worlds medical and scientific communities in order to advance stem cell technologies and translate them into point of care medicine to the best of out abilities, Novas says. Our mission is to bring the benefits of stem cell therapies to the physicians office safely, efficacy and compliance with the highest standards of care with safety, efficacy and complying with the highest standard of care the world has to offer.

The purpose of each symposium is to bring top stem cell scientists together to share their knowledge and expertise in regenerative medicine, and begin the process of separating myths from facts when it comes to stem cell science and technology.

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Global Stem Cells Group Announces Plans to Hold Four International Symposiums on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine ...

Sabah becomes third to provide bone marrow transplant

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Women and Children's Hospital in Likas became the third government hospital in the country to provide bone marrow transplant after General Hospital Kuala Lumpur (GHKL) and Ampang Hospital.

State Health Director Dr Christina Rundi (pic) said, Tuesday, the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit is housed on the 7th Floor of the Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine Centre of the hospital.

At the official handover of the hospital to the State Health Department in April, last year, she mentioned that bone marrow transplant (also called stem cell transplant) would be possible in Sabah in the near future.

"Since then, we have made the necessary preparations to set up the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.

Our nurses went for training at the Ampang Hospital in Kuala Lumpur while we procured the equipment such as stem cell processor and blood irradiator.

"We are fortunate to have the services of Paediatric Haemato-Oncologist, Dr Asohan Thevarajah who reported for work in July.

"And on Oct. 31, our dream came true when the Sabah Women and Children's Hospital performed the first bone marrow transplant on a 12-year-old leukaemic girl from Tuaran," she confirmed, when contacted.

The stem cell processor arrived last December followed by the blood irradiator in August this year. The purpose of the second machine is to sterilise the bone marrow donor's blood to reduce the risk of "graft (donor) versus host (patient)" disease.

A bone marrow transplant is a procedure to replace damaged or destroyed bone marrow with healthy bone marrow stem cells. Bone marrow is the soft tissue inside the hollow part of bones which helps form blood cells. Stem cells are immature cells in the bone marrow that give rise to all of one's blood cells.

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Sabah becomes third to provide bone marrow transplant

SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioCardia, Inc., a leader in cardiovascular regenerative medicine, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the Companys application to begin a Phase III clinical trial of its bone marrow-derived CardiAMP Therapy for heart failure. The clinical trial is a randomized, controlled, multi-center study of 250 patients evaluating CardiAMP Therapy at up to 40 clinical sites.

The CardiAMP Therapy for heart failure integrates a proprietary biomarker panel to identify candidates likely to respond to therapy, a cell processing system consisting of a proprietary, high-dosage formulation of autologous bone marrow-derived cells and a unique transendocardial delivery system that ensures efficient and consistent targeted delivery. This therapy will be reviewed under the PMA regulations by the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) division.

The CardiAMP trial efficacy endpoints include improvements in functional capacity as measured by the Six Minute Walk Test, quality of life as measured by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, and survival. Safety endpoints include non-inferiority with respect to survival and freedom from major adverse cardiac events.

Co-principal investigators for the trial are Carl Pepine, M.D., and Amish Raval, M.D., who were involved in the trial design. Dr. Pepine is Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, at the University of Florida (UF) and principal investigator for the UF Center for the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network (CCTRN). He is also past president of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). Dr. Raval is Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, at the University of Wisconsin, where he practices as an interventional cardiologist conducting cardiovascular clinical trials for cell and biologic therapy. He is also Director ofCardiovascularClinical Research and Director of the Regional ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Program.

CardiAMP has the potential to bring an effective therapy forward that will provide meaningful clinical benefit to patients with ischemic heart failure, said Dr. Raval. There is an enormous unmet need here, and CardiAMP is a worthy endeavor that has a high probability of meeting both the safety and the efficacy required to become a therapeutic option for heart failure patients.

CardiAMP builds on and benefits from - what has been done in previous CCTRN trials in that it provides the highest effective dosage that has been studied in a rigorous trial to date, and the companion diagnostic selects patients that have potent autologous bone marrow, said Dr. Pepine. This trial pulls together everything we have learned in the field of autologous bone marrow cell therapy to treat heart failure. There are very promising signals in the Phase II data that we hope to see confirmed in the Phase III trial.

CardiAMP Therapy is based on the role bone marrow cells have in the normal cardiac repair process after an injury to the heart, said Dr. Peter Altman, PhD, CEO of BioCardia. The CardiAMP program presents a solution to issues with autologous cell variability. We believe CardiAMP provides a more potent and consistent dosage than any other autologous bone marrow cell therapy trial for heart failure studied to date. This is noteworthy, as previous clinical trials have supported the benefits of autologous cell therapy for heart function and overall survival in a setting of heart failure.

Studies supporting the CardiAMP Therapy including the Phase I Transendocardial Autologous Bone Marrow in Myocardial Infarction Study, which was published in Eurointervention, and the Phase I/II Transendocardial Autologous Cells in Heart Failure Trial, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) - showed statistically and clinically significant results. Trial results have demonstrated an excellent safety profile, as well as functional and quality of life improvements.

About BioCardia

BioCardia, Inc., headquartered in San Carlos, CA is a privately held company developing integrated regenerative medicine therapies to treat cardiovascular disease. The Company's commercial products include the Helix Transendocardial Delivery System and the Morph steerable guide and sheath catheter portfolio.BioCardia partners with other biotherapeutic companies to provide its Helix system and clinical support to their programs studying therapies for the treatment of heart failure, chronic myocardial ischemia and acute myocardial infarction.

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BioCardia, Inc. Announces FDA Acceptance of Phase III Clinical Trial Protocol Studying Bone Marrow-Derived Cell ...

CHENNAI: It is harder for natives of Tamil Nadu to find a matching donor for a stem cell transplant compared to other states in the country. The suspected villain: Their genes.

A study published recently in British medical journal 'The Lancet' found that the likelihood of finding a matching stem cell donor for patients with blood-related problems in Tamil Nadu is 44.2% provided the registry had 10 lakh donors. The situation is the opposite in Haryana, with people in that state having the best chances (81.2%) of finding a donor.

Experts say consanguineous marriages are to blame. Consanguineous marriages increase the chances of patients finding a match within their small community but limit the possibility of finding one from a general donor pool.

"Unlike in other countries, stem cell variation in India is complex and dependent on ethnic variation," said Dr Dolly Daniel, professor of the department of transfusion medicine at Christian Medical College, Vellore, who was party of the study team. "Our aim was to find the size and genetic composition of each region and its impact on the proportion of patients who will be able to ?nd a suitable match."

She said Tamil Nadu could be at the tail-end of the list of states they surveyed because of inbreeding and a limited number of donors.

Stem cells are used to regenerate and repair diseased or damaged tissues. Adult stem cells are drawn from bone marrow, blood and the umbilical cord and are used to treat blood-related ailments like leukemia, thalassemia and as well as immunodeficiency.

The possibility of finding a matching stem cell donor within the family is around 30%.

"Finding a matching stem cell donor for the remaining 70% is a complex process. Most seek a graft from registries of unrelated adult donors or banked umbilical cord blood units," said Dr P Srinivasan, co-founder and chairman of Jeevan Stem Cell Bank.

Although the India stem cell industry is estimated to touch $540 million (Rs 3,250 crore) by 2015, the study noted that in terms of the number of donors, India has lagged in meeting demand. The study surveyed 10 adult donor and umbilical cord bank registries and clinical transplant centres in India and studied stem cells of 26 239 individuals.

The possibility of finding a perfect match within India is an average of 14.4% for a registry size of 25,000 and touches 60.6% for a size of 10 lakh. Registries in the country currently have around 1 lakh donors. The study said only when Indian registries have more than 2 lakh donors would patients have a good chance of finding the right match.

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Toughest for Tamil Nadu patients to get donor stem cells

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

11-Nov-2014

Contact: Anne Rahilly arahilly@unimelb.edu.au 61-390-355-380 University of Melbourne @unimelb

Lead researcher, Dr Sarah Dunstan from the Nossal Institute of Global Health at the University of Melbourne said the study is the first large-scale, unbiased search for human genes that affect a person's risk of typhoid.

Enteric fever, or typhoid fever as it more commonly known, is a considerable health burden to lower-income countries.

This finding is important because this natural resistance represents one of the largest human gene effects on an infectious disease.

"We screened the human genome to look for genes associated with susceptibility to, or resistance from typhoid.," Dr Dunstan said.

"We found that carrying a particular form of the HLA-DRB1 gene provides natural resistance against typhoid fever. This gene codes for a receptor that is important in the immune response, by recognising proteins from invading bacteria."

Typhoid is contracted, by consuming food or water contaminated with the bacteria, Salmonella Typhi or Paratyphi. It has been estimated that typhoid causes 200,000 deaths a year globally, and infects 26.9 million people per year.

"If we can understand this natural mechanism of disease resistance, then we can use this knowledge to help develop improved vaccines for typhoid fever, but also potentially for other invasive bacterial disease,"

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Typhoid gene unravelled