Bone Marrow Stem Cells

Early-stage colon cancer can often be identified and treated with a colonoscopy. A colonoscopy employs a tiny camera mounted on a small, flexible tube to look for indications of colon cancer.

During a colonoscopy, small, early-stage malignancies may also be removed. Surgery is typically required for larger tumors. It is occasionally used with radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and/or immunotherapy. These therapies reduce tumor size and stop their spread.

Breast cancer can kill both men and women.

Cancerous cells in the lining of the breast's lobules or ducts are what cause breast cancer. While the vast majority of cases are found in women, men make up around 1% of all breast cancer cases. The process through which cells become cancerous and infiltrate other body tissues takes time.

Surgical treatments for breast cancer may include removal of the breast tissue and associated lymph glands (mastectomy) or lumpectomy.

Other than surgery, there are other methods to help treat this type of cancer. These include, but are not limited to: -

Few people ever survive pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer, once it starts, tends to be one of the most aggressive of all cancers. It frequently kills rapidly and produces uncomfortable symptoms like these:

Despite its aggressive nature, there aren't many reliable screening options for pancreatic cancer yet. But, regular ultrasound and MRI/CT imaging tests should be performed on people who are at increased risk.

Aggressive chemotherapy and surgery are frequently required for people with this kind of cancer. When tumors cannot be removed, radiation may be used to reduce their size.

Only 10% to 20% of cancer patients are candidates for surgery. In the U.S., five-year survival rates for localized pancreatic cancer are around 42%, but for all stages of pancreatic cancer, this drops to 11%.

Prostate cancer is big killer of older men.

The prostate is located between the rectum and bladder in the center of the lower pelvis. Its main purpose is to produce the fluid that nourishes sperm in men.

Since the prostate is a gland rather than an organ, per se, it is an example of something called adenocarcinoma. It typically affects older men, is more prevalent in black men, and is more likely to run in families.

Prostate tumors typically grow slowly. This form of cancer may not immediately show signs in its victims, and in older men, in particular, it may move so slowly that only minimal treatment is recommended. Doctors might opt for a wait-and-see approach to treatment as a result. Interestingly, many people with prostate cancer die of unrelated causes, such as a heart attack or stroke.

Even if they have no symptoms, older men should be frequently checked for prostate cancer using a digital rectal exam and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, although many professionals today dispute the usefulness of prostate screening.

Prostate cancer treatment usually involves one or more of the following:

Cancer of the esophagus also kills alot of people.

The esophagus is the muscular tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach. Older age, being a man, smoking, consuming alcohol, and having severe acid reflux (where stomach acid rises into the lower esophagus), are risk factors for esophageal cancer.

Depending on how far along the cancer is, there are a variety of possible treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies.

Liver cancer is sadly on the rise.

One of the most prevalent types of cancer in the world is liver cancer. Although liver cancer is not widespread in the U.S., it has been on the rise since the 1980s, with its incidence more than doubling.

Chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C infections are the main cause of liver cancer. Blood and semen are just two body fluids that can spread either of these illnesses. Although there is no vaccine for hepatitis C, the CDC advises that all children receive the hepatitis B vaccine.

Intrahepatic bile duct cancer, which develops in the ducts that transfer bile from the liver and gallbladder to the small intestine, where the bile aids in the digestion of lipids from the diet, is a closely related cancer.

Brain cancer is less common, but very deadly.

In adults, brain tumors rarely begin in the brain.Instead, they usually spread there from other malignancies.

However, as malignancies are classified according to their location of origin, brain tumors that are caused by tumors that began elsewhere in the body are generally excluded from brain cancer survival statistics.

If a person passed away from cancer that started in the lung and spread to the brain, for instance, the death would have an impact on lung cancer survival numbers rather than brain cancer survival statistics.

According to the Mayo Clinic, most brain tumors in children, however, do start in the brain. Family history and radiation exposure to the head are risk factors for brain tumors. Typically, radiation exposure occurs while undergoing treatment for another cancer.

Treatment options for brain tumors can range from surgery to radiation to chemotherapy to immunotherapies to targeted medicines, depending on the tumor type and the extent of the malignancy at the time of diagnosis.

Leukemia is also a big killer.

Leukemias develop from stem cells in the bone marrow, which differentiate into different blood-cell precursors and eventually blood cells. It is caused by a rise in the number of white blood cells in your body. Those excess white blood cells don't work properly, and they crowd out the red blood cells and platelets your body needs.

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Are immunotherapy and chemotherapy the same thing? How cancer treatments work – Nebraska Medicine

October 8th, 2022

As cancer treatments continue to advance and new therapies are introduced, it's easy to get lost in your search for information. To help you better understand the differences between specific cancer treatments and how they work, we spoke with medical oncologist Bhavina Sharma, MD, MPH.

"Chemotherapy are drugs designed to directly attack all rapidly dividing cells in the body, including cancer cells," explains Dr. Sharma. "It relies on the idea that cancer cells reproduce much faster than most healthy cells in our body."

Chemotherapy drugs can be given by infusion or in pill form. Unfortunately, these drugs can't tell the difference between cancerous cells and fast-growing healthy cells like the gastrointestinal tract and hair follicles, leading to side effects such as diarrhea and hair loss. Thankfully, recent advancements in chemotherapy have helped lessen side effects such as nausea, pain and lethargy.

Targeted therapy are special drugs designed to target differences within cancer cells that help them thrive. Unlike chemotherapy, targeted therapy drugs actually change the inner workings of the cancer cell. Because targeted therapy focuses on the part of the cancer cell that makes it different from the normal, healthy cell, it often has fewer side effects than standard chemotherapy treatments.

Immunotherapy is very different than chemotherapy in that it helps our immune system to find and kill cancer cells.

"Cancer cells are abnormal cells that have formed in our body because of cell damage or mutations," explains Dr. Sharma. "Cancer cells hide from your immune system by shutting down certain pathways of the immune response. Immunotherapy unlocks those pathways so your immune system can recognize and remove the cancer cells."

Cellular therapies are treatments that improve the body's ability to fight cancer. "Stem cell therapy falls under the umbrella of cellular therapy," explains Dr. Sharma. "It uses stem cells to mount an immune response to attack your cancer cells."

Stem cells from blood and bone marrow can be used in transplants. These stem cells can either come from a matched donor (allogeneic) or from the patient themselves (autologous).

Chimeric antigen receptor therapy or CAR T-cell, is a type of cellular therapy.

"T cells are white blood cells that help our bodies fight infection and cancer," explains Dr. Sharma. "With CAR T-cell therapy, your own T cells are collected from your blood. These T cells are modified to recognize cancer as a foreign cell and attack it."

CAR T-cell therapy has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma.

Hormone therapy slows or stops the growth of cancer that uses hormones to grow. It is also called hormonal therapy, hormone treatment or endocrine therapy. Hormone therapy is recommended for cancers that are hormone-receptor positive, such as certain breast and prostate cancers. It can't be used in cancers that don't carry hormone receptors.

"Hormone therapy can be used for both early stage and metastatic hormone-receptor positive breast cancers," explains Dr. Sharma. "In patients with early-stage breast cancer, it is used after surgery to help reduce the risk of the cancer coming back."

Chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and hormone therapy are just a few of the treatments we use to treat cancer. Many of these cancer treatments can be combined with others like cancer surgery and radiation therapy. Every person's journey through cancer is different. Your oncology team will help you sort through the best therapies available to create your treatment plan.

The information in this article is for information purposes only. For specific questions regarding your medical condition or treatment plan, please consult with your doctor directly. To schedule an appointment with a Nebraska Medicine cancer specialist, call 402.559.5600.

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Global Cord Blood Banking Market – Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2027 – Yahoo Finance

October 8th, 2022

ReportLinker

Global Cord Blood Banking Market By Service (Sample Preservation & Storage, Sample Analysis, Sample Processing, Sample Collection & Transportation), By Component (Cord Blood v/s Cord Tissue), By Application (Cancer Disease, Diabetes, Blood Disease, Immune Disorders, Metabolic Disorders, Others), By Sector (Public Cord Blood Banks v/s Private cord Blood Banks), By Company, and By Region, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2027

New York, Oct. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Cord Blood Banking Market - Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2027" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06325897/?utm_source=GNW

The global cord blood banking market is anticipated to observe impressive growth during the forecast period, 2023-2027.The major factors include the increase in genetic diseases and the growing awareness among parental population.

Cord blood stem cells treat various invasive diseases such as leukemia, anemia, and blood cancer.Moreover, there is an upsurge in the utilization of cord blood banking services for the treatment of immunodeficiency disorders across the world.

This, coupled with the growing awareness among masses about the benefits and broad availability of cord blood banking service donors, is impelling the growth of the market. The other factors supporting the markets growth are extensive investments by governments of different countries in research and development (R&D) activities to expedite clinical trials of cord blood stem cells, and expansion of healthcare industry.Increasing Prevalence of Hematological DisordersNowadays, more and more people are suffering from various hematological disorders and chronic diseases due to which storing of cord blood stem cells is very crucial.Cord blood holds a rich source of stem cells, which can cure hematological disorders such as leukemia, thalassemia, hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, lymphoma, and others.

The growing occurrence of different cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, due to longer working hours, hectic lives, and excessive smoking and alcohol intake signifies one of the key factors driving the cord blood banking market.Cord blood stem cells can cure chronic diseases such as cancer, blood diseases, diabetes, and immune diseases due to which an increase in the utilization of cord blood banking services for the treatment of these diseases is becoming more common.

For instance, in 2020, CIBMTR reported 4,864 unrelated and 4,160 related bone marrow and cord blood transplants which were performed in the United States.Growing Awareness regarding the Therapeutic Potential of Stem cellsStem cells have been proven to treat over 80 genetic diseases and other chronic diseases due to which people are becoming more aware regarding the therapeutic potential of stem cells across the globe.Parental as well as expectant populations are becoming more aware as health professionals are starting to educate them about the importance and benefits of storing cord blood stem cells which is driving the growth of the market, globally.

Additionally, increase in awareness among the public regarding the massive availability of service providers is likely to propel the growth of cord blood banking market.For instance, in the United States, the donor registry contains more than 9 million potential donors.

Also, the donor registry includes 266,000 cord blood units from which 115,000 units are from National Cord Blood Inventory (NCBI), with over 4000 NCBI units added in 2021.Increasing Investments for Cord Blood Banking SectorIncrease in fundings and initiatives by government for R&D, technological advancements and expansion of healthcare infrastructure is propelling the growth of the cord blood banking market, globally. Increasing investments in research and development for treating life threatening diseases and clinical trials for cord blood stem cells are expected to drive the market.Market SegmentationThe global cord blood banking market is segmented into service, component, application, sector, and company.Based on service, the market is divided into sample preservation & storage, sample analysis, sample processing, and sample collection & transportation.

Based on component, the market is divided into cord blood and cord tissue.Based on application, the market is divided into cancer disease, diabetes, blood disease, immune disorders, metabolic disorders, and others.

Based on sector, the market is divided into public cord blood banks and private cord blood banks. In terms of country, the United States is expected to be a lucrative market in the forecast period due to growing prevalence of hematological disorders and increasing R&D activities in the country.Market PlayersAmericord Registry LLC, Covis Group, Cordlife Group Limited, Cryo-Cell International, Inc., FamiCord Group, Cordvida, Perkinelmer Inc., Lifecell International Pvt. Ltd., ViaCord LLC, Global Cord Blood Corporation, and StemCyte Inc. are some of the leading companies operating in the market.

Report Scope:

In this report, global cord blood banking market has been segmented into following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below: Cord Blood Banking Market, By Service:o Sample Preservation & Storageo Sample Analysiso Sample Processingo Sample Collection & Transportation Cord Blood Banking Market, By Component:o Cord Bloodo Cord Tissue Cord Blood Banking, By Application:o Cancer Diseaseo Diabeteso Blood Diseaseo Immune Disorderso Metabolic Disorderso Others Cord Blood Banking Market, By Sector:o Public Cord Blood Bankso Private Cord Blood Banks Cord Blood Banking Market, By Region:o North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoo Asia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanAustraliaSouth Koreao Europe & CISGermanyFranceUnited KingdomSpainItalyo South AmericaBrazilArgentinaColombiao Middle East & AfricaSouth AfricaSaudi ArabiaUAE

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Cord Blood Banking Market

Available Customizations:

With the given market data, we offers customizations according to a companys specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

GPRC5D AntigenTargeted CAR T-cell Therapy Induces Strong Response in Resistant Multiple Myeloma – OncLive

October 8th, 2022

MCARH109, a CAR T-cell therapy targeting the enigmatic GPRC5D antigen, generated remissions in 70.6% of patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

MCARH109, a CAR T-cell therapy targeting the enigmatic GPRC5D antigen, generated remissions in 70.6% of patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, according to data from a first-in-human phase 1 trial (NCT04555551).1

Twelve of 17 patients experienced a measurable decline in their cancer after receiving MCARH109 CAR T cells. Six patients (35%) achieved complete response, and 10 patients (59%) had very good partial response or better. Eight patients (47%) had minimal residual disease negativity in bone marrow.

Although the study population was small, coauthor Renier Brentjens, MD, PhD, The Katherine Anne Gioia Endowed Chair in Cancer Medicine, chair of the department of medicine, and deputy director at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center; said these findings open up a new plan of attack for treating multiple myeloma.

Whats scientifically exciting is that we now have 2 populations of targeted cells which we think we can now feasibly treat patients with concomitantly, potentially, and that is very exciting, he explained in an interview with OncLive. That will certainly help set a proof of principle for other malignancies that we will target with CAR T cells, including solid tumor malignancies. It really is a significant step forward in the field. Its still to be seen how meaningful this iswhether its an opportunity to prolong responsesor to potentially enhance responses. Were very excited about that part of it.

Physicians have achieved deep, durable responses using B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)targeting CAR T-cell therapies in patients with multiple myeloma. However, data from some studies show that progression-free survival is less than 12 months, an indicator of myeloma recurrence despite the persistence of CAR T cells.2 Relapse is common, and mechanisms of resistance are not fully defined, although recent data suggests that the identification of BCMA expression, copy number variation, and point mutations appeared to be key indicators of resistance for patients receiving BCMA-targeting CAR T-cell therapy or T-cell engagers.3

Investigators at Roswell Park developed MCARH109 in partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Brentjens said investigators began exploring cellular therapeutic targets for multiple myeloma about 10 years ago. They identified 3 targets including BCMA, which is now FDA approved in the form of drugs, such as ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Carvykti), and the antigen GPRC5D.

GPRC5D is an intriguing target because its really nicely upregulated on multiple myeloma cells, but not expressed in most normal tissues, with some exceptions in the skin, for example, he explained. We knew even back then that we were likely going to have to go after more than 1 target.

Duration is limited for BCMA-directed therapy and there are few treatment options for patients who relapse. In preclinical models, investigators found in vitro and in vivo antitumor efficacy with GPRC5D CAR T cells in multiple myeloma, including in a BCMA antigen escape model. GPRC5D is highly expressed in myeloma cell lines and in bone marrow plasma cells of patients with multiple myeloma. The antigen is found less often in plasma cells in normal tissue and has low expression in a subset of cells in the hair follicles and hard keratinizing tissue.

The 17 patients in the phase 1 trial, conducted at MSKCC, had undergone a median of 6 prior treatments for myeloma, including CAR T-cell therapy targeting BCMA, proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory agents (IMiDs), and anti-CD38 antibodybased therapies. Eligible patients had an ECOG score of 0 or 1 and adequate organ function. Baseline GPRC5D expression in the bone marrow was not required for enrollment.

Patients could receive bridging therapy following apheresis but had to discontinue at least 2 weeks before initiating lymphodepleting chemotherapy. Lymphodepletion consisted of daily 300 mg/m2 cyclophosphamide plus 30 mg/m2 fludarabine for 3 consecutive days. Two days after the completion of lymphodepletion, investigators administered MCARH109 at 4 dose levels: 25 106, 50 106, 150 106, and 450 106 CAR T cells.

Investigators followed all patients until disease progression. Long-term follow-up continued until death or withdrawal of consent.

The median patient age was 60 years (range, 38-76). All patients received previous treatment with 2 proteasome inhibitors, 2 IMiDs, and 1 anti-CD38 antibody. Sixteen patients (94%) had triple-refractory disease.

Ten patients (59%) had received previous treatment with BCMA-targeted therapies, including 8 (47%) who received previous BCMA CAR T-cell therapy. Nine responded to BCMA-targeted therapy and 2 were refractory to the treatment. The median time from last BCMA therapy to MCARH109 infusion was 16.4 months (range, 4.4-36.6).

All patients had previously received high-dose melphalan and undergone an autologous stem cell transplantation. Three patients (18%) had previously received allogeneic transplantation.

Fourteen patients (82%) were refractory to their last line of therapy. Sixteen patients (94%) received bridging therapy after leukapheresis; 15 were refractory to bridging therapy.

Three patients (18%) had nonsecretory myeloma at baseline, and 8 (47%) had extramedullary plasmacytoma. Thirteen (76%) had one or more high-risk cytogenetic features, defined by the presence of 1q gain, del(17p), t(4;14), or t(14;16).

At a median follow-up of 10.1 months (95% CI, 8.5not reached [NR]), 6 of 12 patients (50%) with a partial response or better remained progression free. Two patients have completed more than 1 year of follow-up after MCARH109 infusion.

The median duration of response (DOR) was 7.8 months (95% CI, 5.7-NR) in the entire cohort. The median DOR was also 7.8 months (95% CI, 4.6-NR) in patients who received 25 106 to 150 106 CAR T cells.

At the maximum tolerated dose of 150106 cells, 58% of patients had a response.

Seven of 10 patients who received previous BCMA-targeted therapies had partial response or better. The same was true for 3 of 6 patients (50%) treated at doses of 25 106 to 150 106 cells.

Fourteen patients experienced grade 1/2 cytokine release syndrome (CRS). One patient at the highest dose level (450 106 CAR T cells) had a grade 4 CRS event. Investigators said this patient had grade 4 immune effector cellassociated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) and grade 4 macrophage activation syndrome, which constituted a dose-limiting toxic effect. No other patients had ICANS or macrophage activation syndrome.

Two other patients at the highest dose level experienced a grade 3 cerebellar disorder that investigators determined was possibly related to MCARH109 and constituted a dose-limiting toxic effect for this dose.

The most common grade 3 or higher adverse effects (AEs) included neutropenia (94%), thrombocytopenia (65%), and anemia (35%). Nonhematologic grade 3 or higher events were uncommon.

Three patients (18%) experienced infections. Two experienced grade 3 events (bacterial infection and parvovirus infection, respectively).

Twelve patients were treated at dose levels that did not produce unacceptable AEs (25 106 to 150 106 CAR T cells). Seven of those (58%; 95% CI, 28%-85%) had an objective response.

They had relapsed or been refractory to BCMA-targeted CAR T cells, and yet we are still able to demonstrate clinical meaningfully clinical responses using the GPRC5D CAR T cells, Brentjens said. We now actually have 2 targets for patients with multiple myeloma rather than just 1. We can start to potentially explore [targeting 2] different antigens on the multiple myeloma tumor cell, either sequentially or concurrently, which is really exciting to potentially utilize this dual targeted approach to get more durable and long-term remissions in patients.

To the best of my knowledge, this the first time that we really have identified 2 targets on 1 tumor cell, both of which demonstrate really promising and significant responses. That really begs the question of, if we put the 2 populations together, will there be a synergistic benefit when assessing durability of response?

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How a select few people have been cured of HIV – PBS

October 8th, 2022

Over the past year, news of two new people cured of HIV grabbed headlines, stirring hopeful talk of what these scientific wonders might portend for the four-decade fight against the virus.

To researchers working in the HIV cure arena, these cases are inspiring because they prove it is in fact possible to eradicate this extraordinarily complex virus from the body.

That said, such cures are the result of treatments too toxic to attempt on all but a select few. So while they provide a scientific roadmap toward success, they do not necessarily make researchers job any easier as they work to develop alternatives: safe, effective and, crucially, scalable therapies to cure HIV.

HIV has been a tough nut to track, says Marshall Glesby, an infectious disease specialist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City and a coauthor of one of the recent HIV cure case studies. But there is incremental progress being made in terms of our understanding of where the virus hides within the body and potential ways to purge it from those sites.

The HIV cure research field is yet quite young. And it likely never would have ballooned as it has in recent years were it not for the very first successful cureone that served as a catalyst and guiding light for scientists.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the HIV research establishment focused the lions share of its energy and resources on treatment and prevention of the virus. Actually curing HIV was generally regarded as a distant dream, with only a small set of researchers pursuing such a goal.

Then, in 2008, German scientists announced the first case of what would ultimately be deemed a successful cure of the virus. This proof of concept ignited the field and sent financial investment soaringto $337 million in nonpharmaceutical industry funding in 2020, according to the HIV nonprofit AVAC.

Clinicians were able to cure HIV in an American man living in Berlin named Timothy Ray Brown, by exploiting the fact that he had also been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, or AML. This made Brown a candidate for a stem cell (bone marrow) transplant to treat his blood cancer.

Browns treatment team relied on the existence of a rare genetic abnormality found among people with northern European ancestry. Known as the CCR5-delta32 mutation, it gives rise to immune cells lacking a certain coreceptor called CCR5 on their surface. This is a hook to which HIV typically latches to begin the process of infecting an immune cell and hijacking its machinery to manufacture new copies of the virus.

The clinicians found a stem cell donor who was not only a good genetic match for Brown, but who also had the CCR5-delta32 mutation. First they destroyed Browns immune system with full-dose chemotherapy and full-body radiation. Then they effectively gave him the donors immune system through the stem cell transplant. This cured his HIV by ensuring that any remaining virus in his body was incapable of infecting his new immune cells.

Variations of this method have yielded cures, or likely cures, in four other people during the years since. These cases provide researchers with increasing certainty that it is possible to achieve the ultimate goal: a sterilizing cure, in which the body has been rid of every last copy of virus capable of producing viable new copies of itself.

It was not a given that if you completely replace the immune system, even with a purportedly non-susceptible immune system, that you would cure infection, says Louis Picker, associate director of the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute at the Oregon Health & Science University. It was possible that HIV could be hiding in non-immune cells, like endothelial cells, and still find targets to infect.

But the small cohort of people who have been cured or likely cured to date, Picker says, show thats not the case.

Nevertheless, these successes have not opened the door to a cure for HIV available to much more than a few of the estimated 38 million people living with the virus worldwide. Critically, it is unethical to provide such a dangerous and toxic treatment to anyone who does not already qualify for a stem cell transplant to treat blood cancer or another health condition.

Brown, for one, nearly died from his treatment. And a number of efforts to repeat his case have failed.

Highly effective treatment for HIV hit the market in 1996, transforming what was once a death sentence into a manageable health condition. Today, the therapy, a combination of drugs called antiretrovirals, is so safe, tolerable and effective, that it has extended recipients life expectancy to near normal. But despite the fact that these medications can inhibit viral replication to such a degree that its undetectable by standard tests, they cannot eradicate HIV from the body.

Standing in the way is whats known as the HIV reservoir.

This viral reservoir is composed in large part of long-lived immune cells that enter a resting, or latent, state. Antiretrovirals only target cells that are actively producing new copies of the virus. So when HIV has infected a cell that is in a non-replicating state, the virus remains under the radar of these medications. Stop the treatment, and at any moment, any of these cells, which clone themselves, can restart their engines and repopulate the body with HIV.

This phenomenon is why people with HIV typically experience a viral rebound within a few weeks of stopping their antiretrovirals. And it is the reason why, given the harm such viral replication causes the body, those living with HIV must remain on treatment for the virus indefinitely to mitigate the deleterious impacts of the infection.

A key new advance is the finding that those cells which harbor the virus seem resistant to dying, a problem with cancer cells, HIV cure researcher Steven Deeks, a professor of medicine at University of California, San Francisco, says of the viral reservoir. We will be leveraging new cancer therapies aimed at targeting these resilient, hard-to-kill cells.

Brown stood alone on his pedestal for over a decade.

Then, at the 2019 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle, researchers announced two new case studies of men with blood cancer and HIV who had received treatments similar to Browns. The men, known as the Dsseldorf and London patients, were treated for Hodgkin lymphoma and AML, respectively. By the time of the conference, both had spent extended periods off of antiretroviral treatment without a viral rebound.

To this day, neither man has experienced a viral reboundleading the authors of the London and Dsseldorf case studies recently to assert that they are definitely and almost definitely cured, respectively.

In February 2022, a team of researchers reported at CROI, held virtually, the first possible case of an HIV cure in a woman. The treatment she received for her leukemia represented an important scientific advance.

Called a haplo-cord transplant, this cutting-edge approach to treating blood cancer was developed to compensate for the difficulty of finding a close genetic match in the stem cell donorwhich is traditionally needed to provide the best chance that the stem cell transplant will work properly. Such an effort is made even more challenging when attempting to cure HIV, because the CCR5-delta32 mutation is so rare.

The American woman received a transplant of umbilical cord blood from a baby, who had the genetic mutation, followed by a transplant of stem cells from an adult, who did not. While each donor was only a partial match, the combination of the two transplants was meant to compensate for this less-than-ideal scenario. The result was the successful blooming of a new, HIV-resistant immune system.

The authors of the womans case study, including Weill Cornells Marshall Glesby, estimate that this new method could expand the number of candidates for HIV cure treatment to about 50 per year.

A variety of antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV infection. Image Credit: NIAID, Flickr

In July, at the International AIDS Conference in Montreal, researchers announced the case of a fifth person possibly cured of HIV. Diagnosed with the virus in 1988 and 63 years old at the time of his stem cell transplant three years ago, the American man is the oldest to have achieved potential success with such a treatment and the one living with the virus for the longest. Because of his age, he received reduced intensity chemotherapy to treat his AML. Promisingly, he still beat both the cancer and the virus.

The lead author of this mans case study, Jana K. Dickter, an associate clinical professor of infectious disease at City of Hope in Duarte, California, says that such cases provide a guide for researchers. If we are able to successfully modify the CCR5 receptors from T cells for people living with HIV, she says, then there is a possibility we can cure a person from their HIV infection.

Scientists also know of two women whose own immune systems, in an extraordinary feat, appear to have cured them of HIV. Both are among the approximately 1 in 200 people with HIV, known as elite controllers, whose immune systems are able to suppress replication of the virus to low levels without antiretroviral treatment.

Researchers believe that these womens immune systems managed to preferentially eliminate immune cells infected with viral DNA capable of producing viable new virus, ultimately succeeding in eradicating every last such copy.

As they seek safer and more broadly applicable therapeutic options than the stem cell transplant approach, HIV cure researchers are pursuing a variety of avenues.

Some investigators are developing genetic treatments in which, for example, they attempt to edit an individuals own immune cells to make them lack the CCR5 coreceptor.

The science that I am particularly excited about and that we and others are working on is to make this treatment as an in vivo deliverable therapy that would not rely on transplant centers and could ultimately be given in an outpatient setting, says Hans-Peter Kiem, director of the stem cell and gene therapy program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle.

Then there is whats known as the shock and kill method, in which drugs are used to flush the virus from the reservoir and other treatments are then used to kill off the infected cells. Conversely, block and lock attempts to freeze the reservoir cells in a latent state for good. Researchers are also developing therapeutic vaccines that would augment the immune response to the virus.

Progress will be incremental and slow, Picker predicts, unless there is a discovery from left fieldan unpredictable advance that revolutionizes the field. I do think it will happen. My personal goal is to be a very good left fielder.

This reporting was supported by the Global Health Reporting Center.

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Organ transplantation: what it consists of and what the stages – Emergency Live International

October 8th, 2022

An operation that has its roots, conceptually, in the earliest history of mankind (it was first spoken about by Chinese doctors), it is nevertheless a very recent therapeutic solution: the knowledge that made it possible (immunology, study of antigens) was only acquired at the beginning of the 20th century.

From 1950 onwards, transplantation became an established choice in the treatment of those pathologies that lead to the irreparable destruction of the organ and, therefore, to the death of the patient.

But transplantation is not only the last prospect for those whose lives are in danger: this operation also makes it possible to improve the quality of life for those patients suffering from chronic disabling diseases (e.g. kidney transplantation for dialysed patients).

The future of transplantation is still to be sketched out, but is very clear in the minds of scientists and doctors engaged in research: implantation of artificial organs or organs taken from genetically modified animals (xenotransplantation), cloning and implantation of stem cells are just some of the directions in which the worlds scientific landscape is moving.

The word transplant often indicates, in a reductive way, the operation of replacing a diseased organ with a healthy one.

In reality, there is a whole organisation and preparation behind this operation that involves extreme precision and synchronisation of people and instruments.

The practice of the operation differs depending on the donor: if the organ removal is from a living person, in fact, it is possible to plan the operation; which is obviously not feasible if the organs come from a cadaveric donor, who died of accidental and unforeseeable causes.

Once the medical committee has obtained the familys consent and declares the potential donors brain death to have occurred, the evaluation of his data begins: compatibility with potential recipients on the waiting lists, medical history, immune characteristics, blood group, etc.

PHASE 1

A person with injuries that could be a donor (for example, a very serious head injury) is admitted to intensive care.

A doctor speaks to the family about the possibility of donating his or her organs; if they are available, the coordination centre is immediately alerted, which is responsible for reporting the potential donor and identifying the potential recipient.

Meanwhile, the donor patients data are assessed: compatibility with potential recipients on the list, medical history, immune characteristics. The 6-hour observation period begins, which is mandatory before the certification of brain death.

PHASE 2

The explantation team is activated and must be available in a very short time.

The doctors usually reach the facility by helicopter. Meanwhile, at the hospital where the transplant will be performed, the recipient is called in to undergo various examinations and to assess his or her state of health.

Numerous checks are also carried out on the organs to be donated to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases or tumours from donor to recipient.

PHASE 3

At the end of the observation period, if all indications point to a diagnosis of irreversible brain death, explantation can begin (approximately 2 hours).

The recipient enters the operating theatre and is prepared for the operation. The administration of immunosuppressive drugs starts now to prevent the lymphocytes from recognising the organ as foreign and causing rejection.

PHASE 4

The organ finally arrives, immersed in a special solution to protect its cells and transported in a special container filled with ice to slow down its cellular activity.

One team of doctors prepares the recipient, the other takes care of cleaning the organ to be transplanted.

PHASE 5

The transplant can now begin: the blood vessels are connected, the bleeding is controlled.

STEP 6

The patient comes out of the operating theatre, but is still under anaesthesia, which will be prolonged for at least another 6 to 8 hours to allow the new organ to get used to the temperature difference between the container with the ice and the body and, of course, to the organ itself.

The patient remains connected to the machine to breathe.

STEP 7

The patient wakes up in the intensive care unit; if his general condition is good, he is taken off the artificial respirator.

After about 4 days, he starts walking again and eating.

After about 10 days, he will be able to leave the hospital and live with his new organ.

Initially, he will have to return to the hospital every day for immunological checks; after a year, he will be able to return once every two months.

Once brain death has been ascertained and the familys consent obtained (in the case of a lack of explicit donor wishes), the potential donor is no longer assisted by the mechanical respirator and the organs can be harvested for transplantation in the same hospital that established suitability.

The previously alerted team enters the operating theatre for the removal operation.

Opposing the removal never means helping the patient to have better care; care, in fact, ends the moment brain death is established; opposing it would therefore only mean depriving someone else of a better life thanks to a new organ.

Today, another type of transplant is also gaining ground, that from living people.

Indeed, it is now possible to take a kidney, liver or lung lobe for transplantation in particularly at-risk people who would not survive on the waiting list.

These are usually children, both because of the shortage of paediatric transplant organs and because of the small size, which also means that the donor does not face too high a risk.

Once taken, organs require special procedures to preserve them for transplantation.

There is, for each organ, a maximum preservation time, beyond which the tissues, no longer receiving blood, and therefore oxygen, go into necrosis, i.e. their cells die, and are therefore unusable.

These times vary from organ to organ: heart (4-6 hours), lung (4-6 hours), liver (12-18 hours), kidney 48-72 hours, pancreas (12-24 hours).

Rejection is the reaction that the recipient organism has towards the transplanted organ or tissue.

In fact, the recipients immune system recognises the organ as foreign and attacks it as if it were a pathogen.

There are four types of rejection

Experiencing rejection of the transplanted organ does not necessarily mean inevitably losing it; on the contrary, rejection is successfully treated if action is taken within a reasonable time frame through the use of immunosuppressive drugs.

The immunosuppressants that the doctor prescribes after the transplant will help the transplanted organ not to risk rejection and to remain healthy.

Since the cells of the immune system are different, the drugs prescribed for immunosuppression will also be different.

The largest and most immediate indication for transplantation is irreversible failure of vital organs such as kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas, but also corneas, bone marrow, intestines.

Indeed, in these cases, transplantation is the only effective treatment to ensure survival.

Therefore, any pathological condition that prevents the organ from functioning in such a way as to threaten the patients survival is to be considered an indication for transplantation.

After transplantation, recipients are admitted for the first few days to a ward equipped for intensive care, where immunosuppressive therapy is started.

The immunosuppressed patient requires isolation in sterile rooms, specially created to avoid contamination of any kind from the outside environment.

The box in which the recipient is admitted after the transplant operation is completely isolated from the rest of the resuscitation unit used for conventional surgery.

The condition of strict isolation persists for as long as it takes for the patient to overcome the critical post-surgical phase (usually 5-6 days), or in cases where anti-rejection therapy is required.

In the immediate post-surgical period, visits to close relatives are permitted as long as they are appropriately dressed (according to the clean room entry procedures).

Each person is admitted to the filter zone one at a time and, of course, persons with suspicion and/or evidence of infectious diseases may not be admitted.

The most serious issues in transplant medicine are, on the one hand, the rejection of the transplanted organ and, on the other, the insufficiency of donated organs compared to those needed.

In both directions, research is experimenting with various solutions to overcome these problems.

With regard to rejection, attempts are being made to create solutions that manage to trick the immune system, thus reducing the immunosuppressive therapy currently in use, or that protect the transplanted organ from attack by T lymphocytes, which are responsible for eliminating agents outside the body.

On the other front, that of organ shortage, artificial organs, tissue engineering or xenotransplantation are being experimented with that can replace human organs.

Through gene therapy, it is possible to go to the source of the problem and eliminate genetic defects directly in the affected cells, tissues or organs.

The healthy gene is introduced directly into the affected spot, where it begins to produce those substances that the diseased body cannot produce on its own.

However, gene therapy is still far from being used. In order to be able to transport foreign DNA into the cell nucleus, special vectors are needed viruses that have lost their infectious characteristics, but are still able to attack cells and transmit their genetic heritage to them.

To avoid rejection, the organ to be transplanted would have to be treated in the laboratory, transferring genes into it that would make it capable of defending itself against the recipients immune system.

Now the genes are known, but they are not yet handled with the necessary precision. The next step will be to search for the perfect combination of genes that prevents the action of all the recipients immunological mechanisms.

The aim of this type of therapy is to find an alternative to human organs.

Already now, researchers are able to produce tissues such as blood vessels, heart valves, cartilage and skin in the laboratory.

It has been possible to overcome this new frontier thanks to the fact that cells tend to aggregate to form organs and tissues.

Stem cells are the undifferentiated cells found in human embryos one week after fertilisation.

They are also the starting cells from which the tissues and organs of the child to be born will develop.

Their function is to regulate the turnover of blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets) and those of the immune system (lymphocytes).

Today, computerised machines, separators, are used to collect these cells, allowing the selection of the necessary cells. The recipients of the cells are patients suffering from skin diseases, blood diseases or solid tumours.

In addition to the fact that stem cells are still largely unknown, there is also an ethical problem: harvesting embryonic stem cells implies the death of the embryo.

That is why the way to harvest stem cells from adults is being perfected.

The cloning technique would make it possible to circumvent the problem of organ rejection altogether.

It would involve introducing the patients cell nucleus, with all its genetic heritage, into the stem cell of a human embryo or oocyte that previously had no nucleus of its own.

Cultivated in vitro in the laboratory, these modified cells would be genetically identical to those of the patients immune system, which would not recognise them as foreign.

This technique is not a viable option at present because both cloning, stem cell harvesting and the indiscriminate use of oocytes are prohibited by law.

Xenotransplantation, i.e. the transplantation of animal cells, tissues and organs into humans, seems to be the future solution to the shortage of organs for transplantation.

Experiments in this field are numerous and face ethical, psychological and, last but not least, immune problems.

The few attempts that have been made, in fact (a pig liver and a baboon heart transplanted into two different human beings) have not yielded the desired results.

The rejection crisis, in fact, was particularly violent and impossible to control.

Yet this technique could really be the solution to the organ shortage.

In fact, what is most feared is the development of typically animal infections, transferred to humans via pathogens present in the organ to be transplanted, which could prove disastrous.

A possible alternative to this handicap could be genetic modifications on donor animals; in practice, the animals would be bred in a sterile environment and genetically modified to make their organs more compatible with the recipients organism.

For the time being, however, some milestones have been achieved; these are cell xenotransplants and not organ xenotransplants, such as pig embryo cells for the treatment of Parkinsons disease, baboon marrow cells transplanted into terminally ill AIDS patients in an attempt to recover the patients immune system, or pancreas insulae still from pigs in the stimulation of insulin production as a therapy against diabetes.

Another solution to organ failure such as rejection is artificial organs.

The main problem is biological compatibility; these are, after all, mechanical organs that have to adapt to a biological organism.

Biocompatibility must cover all morphological, physical, chemical and functional characteristics that are able to provide for the organs functionality and, at the same time, its survival without the risk of rejection.

It is all these implications that make the production of artificial organs capable of completely and perfectly replacing natural organs in their functions complex.

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Prevalence Of Blood Cancer In India: Know Its Prevention And Management | TheHealthSite.com – TheHealthSite

October 8th, 2022

Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Blood Cancer By Dr Gaurav Kharya

Written by Tavishi Dogra | Updated : October 4, 2022 9:56 PM IST

In India, the increase in cancer cases over the past ten years has become a significant public health problem for the country. These cases have a long latent period, are primarily lifestyle-related and require specialised infrastructure and human resources to be treated. Cancer's physical, psychological and financial toll on people, families, communities and health systems keeps rising. The prevalence of cancer varies across India's regions, making prevention and management extremely difficult. Due to cancer not being a notifiable disease, the national burden assessment is still a task for which many developing nations, including India, rely on statistical models. The estimated number of cancer-related Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) (AMI) in India in 2021 was 26.7 million, and that number was predicted to rise to 29.8 million in 2025.

Each year, 1.24 million new instances of blood cancer are reported worldwide, making up about 6% of all cancer cases. Blood cancer develops in the bone marrow, tissues that create blood and compromise the immune system. According to incidence rates, there are primarily three different forms of blood cancers: lymphoma/leukaemia, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). In addition, blood cancer may arise when the body produces abnormal White Blood Cells (WBCs). It typically starts in the bone marrow, which produces blood in our body. This malignancy impairs the normal development, growth and functioning of blood cells that fight infection and produce healthy blood cells.

White blood cells produced by the body during leukaemia are incapable of battling infections. Depending on the type of blood cell involved and whether it is fast-growing or slow-growing (acute or chronic), leukaemia is divided into distinct forms (myeloid or lymphoid). Consequently, it can be broadly divided into four subtypes: acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Apart from these are some rare blood cancers such as Juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia (JMML).

Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Blood Cancer By Dr Gaurav Kharya, Clinical Lead Apollo Center & Indraprastha Apollo Hospital

Various diagnostic techniques are used to identify blood cancer, including clinical examination, blood testing, bone marrow tests, cytogenetic/karyotyping, molecular analyses, and flow cytometry. Most pediatric patients diagnosed with ALL or AML can be treated by chemotherapy. However, a smaller percentage of patients who don't respond well to chemotherapy are candidates for Bone marrow transplant to offer a long-term cure to these patients. In contrast, almost half of adult patients need BMT as consolidation to provide long-term treatment. If required, BMT can safely be done now using half HLA identical donors in case HLA matching donors are unavailable in experienced centres.

In most cases, the doctor will make a treatment recommendation based on research on the most effective treatments and national recommendations developed by experts. They will assess the type of blood cancer, the outcomes of any tests the patient has had, the state of the overall health, the available therapies, their effectiveness, and any potential risks or side effects.

There is a range of different treatments for blood cancer. But the most common ones include:

The cost of blood cancer therapy in India has several significant advantages. First, the most outstanding hospitals in India, equipped with the most cutting-edge equipment and a staff of oncologists and doctors with years of experience, are accessible to offer blood cancer patients comprehensive care.

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Experts emphasize appropriate management and adherence to treatment for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia – First India

October 8th, 2022

As the world observed World Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Day recently, leading medical experts emphasized the need of creating awareness aboutthe condition, a relatively uncommon type of bone marrow and blood cancer.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) occurs with an incidence rate of 0.4 to 3.9 per 100,000 patients, which increases with age and has a slight male preponderance. It is a chronic disease in which patients must take lifelong treatment and hence, experts stress its appropriate management and adherence to treatment.

CML occurs due to spontaneous chromosome mutation which causes diseased white blood cells to build up in huge numbers, crowding out healthy blood cells and damaging the bone marrow.

Dr. Ankit Jitani - Hematologist, Hemato-Oncologist, and BMT Physician, Ahmedabad says, CML is caused by secondary passenger mutations in the stem cells. The most common way that patients present symptoms of CML is leukocytosis or have respiratory discomfort and hence go to a cardiologist, or have gastric discomfort, and then visit a gastroenterologist who then refers the patients to us. However, post COVID-19 awareness of CML has increased amongst all patients, they are now actively doing blood tests and measuring CBC.

He further stated that For CML, regular monitoring and adherence to treatment are essential. We are actively working more toward treatment-free-remission. Regular monitoring and adherence to treatment if done actively, only then the patient is a suitable candidate for treatment-free-remission. A lack of adherence to treatment protocols can make the condition severe.

Therefore, it is recommended that patients continue to take medication as prescribed by their healthcare professional. CML management and treatment require a lot of patience and discipline. It is a great thing that cancer gets cured with a drug, hence regular check-ups, and sticking to your schedule with your doctor is important.

Dr. Abhishek Dudhatra, Haematology Consultant & BMT Specialist, HCG Oncology, Ahmedabad mentions, Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the initial treatment of choice for CML, and more than two-thirds of patients achieve long-term control of the disease with this.

Regular monitoring of the condition is equally critical as it enables the physician to prescribe the appropriate dose and hence, keep the condition under control. Monitoring is done through a blood test, primarily to check the quantification of BCR-ABL transcript in the blood. When the condition is initially diagnosed, monitoring is recommended to be done every 3 months and later, the frequency can be 6 months. While these are the recommended periods, the frequency of monitoring also depends on individual cases. One should adhere to what is suggested by the physician.

While CML is caused by a genetic mutation in the stem cells, its exact cause is not known. The condition is not hereditary and cannot be passed on to future generations.

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Experts emphasize appropriate management and adherence to treatment for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia - First India

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Stem Cell Banking Market to Cross USD 9.42 Bn; Short-term Decline to Be Witnessed amidst COVID-19 Pa – PharmiWeb.com

September 21st, 2022

Pune, Maharashtra, India, September 19 2022 (Wiredrelease) Prudour Pvt. Ltd :Global Stem Cell Banking Market: Introduction

Stem cells are capable of transforming into any kind of tissue or organ in the body. Stem cells are found in bone, bone marrow, fetal tissue, baby teeth, fat and human embryos. They can also be found in hair follicles, muscle and circulating blood. Cord blood is a great source of stem cell. Cord blood stem cells have several advantages. They are less likely to be rejected by the immune system during transfusions, and they can be more effective in transplant. Stem cell banking has seen an increase in demand due to numerous applications, including treatment for various diseases such as cancer. These stem cells are taken from the human body and stored for future usage.

The global stem cell banking market is projected to reach USD 9.42 billion by 2023 from USD 6.29 million in 2018, at a CAGR of 8.5% from 2018 to 2023.

Stem Cell Banking Market DynamicsThis section discusses market drivers, opportunities, limitations, and challenges. The following details are provided:

Drivers: Stem Cell Banking Requirements

The markets major drivers are the increase in the worldwide burden of major diseases and the increasing use of stem cell banking to cure severely damaged tissues. The markets growth is expected to be driven by the increased use of hematopoietic and brain stem cell transplantation procedures, as well as the rise in skin transplants and brain cells transplantations.

Surging Awareness

The market will benefit from awareness campaigns by both government and non-government agencies to promote stem cell therapy.

Opportunities: Growing Investments and Advancements

Market growth will be driven by the development and commercialization of new technologies that preserve, process, and store stem cells. Market growth opportunities will also be provided by increasing investments in stem-cell-based research.

Restraints/Challenges Global Stem Cell Banking Market: High-Cost

The high operating costs associated with stem cell transplantation are expected to slow down market growth.

In the 2022-2029 forecast period, stem cell banking will face challenges due to the stringent regulatory frameworks as well as socio-ethical concerns relating to embryonic stem cell.

Recent Developments

Life Cell International (India), has launched an improved and enhanced umbilical cord collection tool in 2017.

2017 saw Vita34 AG acquire Seracell Pharma AG (Germany), in order to consolidate its position within the German stem-cell banking market.

StemCyte India Therapeutics Pvt. Ltd. (India), which is a subsidiary of StemCyte US, received accreditation from The Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy. It can provide stem cell banking services for private and public clients.

Cord Blood Registry, (US) signed an agreement with New York Stem Cell Foundation in 2015 to create induced pluripotent (SP) stem cells from umbilical chords.

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Stem Cell Banking Market Competitive Landscape

CCBCCBRViaCordEsperiteVcanbioBoyalifeLifeCellCrioestaminalRMS RegrowCordlife GroupPBKM FamiCordcells4lifeBeikebiotechStemCyteCryo-cellCellsafe Biotech GroupPacifiCordAmericordKrioFamilycord

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Stem Cell Banking Market Segmentation

Based on the type, the Stem Cell Banking market is segmented into

Umbilical Cord Blood Stem CellEmbryonic Stem CellAdult Stem Cell

Based on the application, the Stem Cell Banking market is segmented into

Diseases TherapyHealthcare

Market Breakup by Region:

North America (United States, Canada)

Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Others)

Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia, Others)

Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Others)

The Middle East and Africa

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1. Company revenue shares | revenue (US$ Mn)

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Q5. What is the potential of the Stem Cell Banking Market?

Q6. Who are the prominent players in Stem Cell Banking Market?

Q7. What are the different types of Stem Cell Banking market?

Q8. What are the top strategies that companies adopt in Stem Cell Banking Market?

Q9. What is the future of Stem Cell Banking?

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STEMTECH CORPORATION ANNOUNCES THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW – GlobeNewswire

September 21st, 2022

MIRAMAR, FL, Sept. 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stemtech Corporation (Stemtech) (OTCQB: STEK), an innovative nutraceutical company and a pioneer in the field of stem cell nutrition, today announced creation of new stem cell skincare products.

Stemtech Corporation President and Chief Operating Officer, John W. Meyer, said the introduction of the stem cell skincare line is very exciting for us to offer our Independent Business Partners (IBPs) and customers. The product will be introduced at the upcoming Cancun, Mexico Incentive Meeting in December. Meyer continues to say that Stemtechs belief in highly efficacious and quality products expands into a very important area for youthful and healthy skin care. The skincare, along with our stemceutical products of RCM - stemrelease3, StemFlo Advanced and MigraStem, is a winning combination for inner health and outer radiance - fantastic! We all want to feel better, look better. By using Stemtech products, you can!

Fortune Business Insights in August 2021 published that the global skincare market is projected to grow from $100.13 billion in 2021 to $145.82 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 5.52% in forecast period, 2021-2028. Meyer continues, noting while it may seem that there are many companies already in this space, Stemtech feels confident with our new science being developed, we will have a significant impact on the skincare market using our stem cell scientific knowledge.

Charles S. Arnold, Stemtech Corporation Chairman and CEO stated that the introduction of skincare focuses new Stemtech stem cell technology on skincare for healthier skin, the largest organ of the body, which we recognize as a key to anti-aging. Our excitement at being able to launch new products, complete with samples, for a more youthful and healthy skin will catapult our Field to new growth and revenue opportunities. We know our IBPs will be exuberant with this great new Stemtech Skincare product line.

About Stemtech Corporation

Stemtech Corporation, a leading nutraceutical company with a direct sales distribution model, was founded on April 18, 2018, after acquiring the operations from its predecessor Stemtech International, Inc. which was founded in 2005. From 2010 through 2015, Stemtech International, Inc., was recognized four separate times on the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies list. In 2018, the Company underwent an extensive executive reorganization, and continued operations under new leadership. Stemtech specializes in creating products and formulas that are patent protected in the U.S. and in select international markets. The Companys patented formulas help the release, circulation and migration of the bodys adult stem cells from its bone marrow. The Company markets its products under the following brands: RCM System, stemrelease3, Stemflo MigraStem, OraStem (Oral Health Care), and D-Fuze (EMF blocker). Its nutraceutical products are all-natural, plant-based and manufactured under cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices) under the auspices of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). For more information, please visit http://www.stemtech.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include but are not limited to statements identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "targets," "projects" and similar expressions. The statements in this release are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Numerous factors could cause or contribute to such differences, including, but not limited to, results of clinical trials and/or other studies, the challenges inherent in new product development initiatives, the effect of any competitive products, our ability to license and protect our intellectual property, our ability to raise additional capital in the future that is necessary to maintain our business, changes in government policy and/or regulation, potential litigation by or against us, any governmental review of our products or practices, as well as other risks discussed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, our latest 10-Q Report filed onAugust 23, 2022. We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement, or any information contained in this press release or in other public disclosures at any time. Finally, the investing public is reminded that the only announcements or information about Stemtech Corporation which are condoned by the Company must emanate from the Company itself and bear our name as its Source.

http://www.Stemtech.com

Investor Relations: Investor Relations: 954-715-6000 ext 1040invrel@stemtech.com

Originally posted here:
STEMTECH CORPORATION ANNOUNCES THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW - GlobeNewswire

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University of Kentucky Equine Research Hall of Fame announces awardees – DVM 360

September 21st, 2022

Esteemed award is an international forum celebrating noteworthy achievements in equine research and individuals who have significantly impacted equine health

The University of Kentucky (UK) Gluck Equine Research Center unveiled the 2022 inductees to the Equine Research Hall of Fame. The winners include Lisa Fortier, DVM, PhD, DACVS; Katrin Hinrichs, DVM, PhD; Jennifer Anne Mumford, DVM; and Stephen M. Reed, DVM.

The scientists were nominated by their fellow peers and past awardees. Nominees may be living or deceased, active in or retired from the field of equine research.

In research, we always stand on the shoulders of those who go before us with great discoveries. This years recipients have made substantial contributions that will ensure an excellent future for equine research, expressed Nancy Cox, UK vice president for land-grant engagement and College of Agriculture, Food and Environment dean, in a university release.1

The success of Kentuckys horse industry is inseparable from the decades of hard work by outstanding equine researchers, added Stuart Brown, chair of the Gluck Equine Research Foundation. Though impossible to measure, it is a unique privilege to recognize the impact made by these four scientists in advancing the health and wellbeing of the horse and, on behalf of the entire equine community, show our appreciation.

Below are the details of each awardee1:

Throughout the past 30 years, Fortier has been renowned for her substantial contributions in equine joint disease, cartilage biology, and regenerative medicine. Her research focuses on early diagnosis and treatment of equine orthopedic injuries to prevent permanent damage to joints and tendons. She is most well-known for her work in regenerative medicine, spearheading the use of biologics such as platelet rich plasma, bone marrow concentrate, and stem cells for use in horses and humans. Additionally, Fortiers lab has been key in strides associated with cartilage damage diagnosis and clinical orthopedic work.

Fortier achieved her bachelors degree and doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Colorado State University. She finished her residency at Cornell, where she also earned a PhD and was a postdoctoral fellow in pharmacology. Currently, she serves as the James Law Professor of Surgery at Cornells College of Veterinary Medicine. She is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and serves on the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Racetrack Safety Standing Committee.

Hinrichs dedicates her career to research mainly in equine reproductive physiology and assisted reproduction techniques. Her focus has consisted of equine endocrinology, oocyte maturation, fertilization, sperm capacitation, and their application to assisted reproduction techniques.

Her 40 years of research have resulted in various notable basic and applied research accomplishments. The applied achievements include generating the first cloned horse in North America and creating the medical standard for effective intracytoplasmic sperm injection and in vitro culture for equine embryo production. She has mentored over 85 veterinary students, residents, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows in basic and applied veterinary research. Her laboratories have hosted about 50 visiting scholars worldwide.

Hinrichs achieved her bachelors degree and doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of California, Davis. She finished residency training in large animal reproduction at the University of Pennsylvanias New Bolton Center and received a PhD at the University of Pennsylvania.

Mumford is a posthumous inductee who received international respect as among the most prominent researchers of equine infectious diseases, specifically equine viral diseases. Her career at the Animal Health Trust, Newmarket, United Kingdom, began when she was deemed the first head of the newly established equine virology unit. Her work focused on the leading causes of acute infectious respiratory disease in the horse, mainly equine herpesvirus and equine influenza virus, and to a lesser extent,Streptococcus equi.

Mumford impacted several of these realms, including developing enhanced vaccines, diagnostics, and international surveillance. Additionally, she helped create research groups in the related fields of equine genetics and immunology.

Throughout Mumfords over 30 year-career, she helped the Animal Health Trust be recognized as one of the worlds leading centers for the study of the biology, epidemiology, immunology and pathology of diseases.

Reeds nominators deemed his as the last word in equine neurology. He is known as among the most prominent equine neurologists worldwide. His list of 180 peer-reviewed publications feature important contributions to equine medicine, neurology, physiology and pathophysiology. He has shared in his accomplishments as a mentor and role-model for hundreds of aspiring equine practitioners.

Reed received his bachelors degree and doctor of veterinary medicine degree from The Ohio State University. He finished his internship and residency training in large animal medicine at Michigan State University.

The UK Gluck Equine Research Foundation will induct the 4 winners into the UK Equine Research Hall of Fame October 26, 2022 at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.

Reference

Wiemers H. UK Equine Research Hall of Fame inductees announced. UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. News release. September 13, 2022. Accessed September 20, 2022. https://news.ca.uky.edu/article/uk-equine-research-hall-fame-inductees-announced-1

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Radical lupus treatment uses CAR T-cell therapy developed for cancer – New Scientist

September 21st, 2022

Five people with the autoimmune condition lupus are now in remission after receiving a version of CAR-T therapy, which was originally developed for cancer

By Clare Wilson

Illustration of a CAR-T cell

CHRISTOPH BURGSTEDT/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

A high-tech cell therapy used to treat cancer has been repurposed as a treatment for lupus, an autoimmune condition that can cause joint, kidney and heart damage.

CAR T-cell therapy has put all five people with lupus treated so far into remission. The participants have been followed up for an average of 8 months, with the first person treated 17 months ago. Thats kind of unheard of, says Chris Wincup at Kings College London, who wasnt involved in the study. This is incredibly exciting.

But it is too soon to know how long the remissions will last, says Georg Schett at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, who was part of the study team.

CAR T-cells were developed to treat blood cancers that arise when B cells, a type of immune cell that normally makes antibodies, start multiplying out of control.

The approach requires taking a sample of immune cells from a persons blood, genetically altering them in the lab so they attack B cells and then infusing them back into the individuals blood. It seems to put 4 out of 10 people with these kinds of cancers into remission.

Lupus, also called systemic lupus erythematosus, is caused by the immune system mistakenly reacting against peoples own DNA. This is driven by B cells making antibodies against DNA released from dying cells.

It is currently treated with medicines that suppress the immune system or, in more severe cases, with drugs that kill B cells. But the treatments cant kill all the B cells, and if the disease flares up badly, some people develop kidney failure and inflammation of their heart and brain.

Schett and his team wondered whether using CAR T-cells to hunt down all the B cells would be more effective. Within three months of receiving the treatment, all five participants were in remission, without needing to take any other medicines to control their symptoms.

The CAR T-cells were barely detectable after one month, and after three and a half months, the volunteers B cells started to return, having been produced by stem cells in bone marrow. These new B cells didnt react against the DNA.

We dont know what normally causes B cells to start reacting against DNA in people with lupus, so it is possible that some kind of trigger may start the process happening again, says Wincup.

The achievement means CAR T-cells may also be useful against other autoimmune diseases that are driven by antibodies, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), in which the immune system attacks nerves, says Schett.

Another radical treatment for MS involves rebooting the immune system by destroying it with chemotherapy. By comparison, CAR T-cells would be less invasive and more tolerable, he says.

But it is too soon to know how effective CAR T-cells will be for autoimmune conditions, says Wincup. This is a small number of patients, so we dont know if this is going to be the result for everyone.

When used in cancer, CAR T-cells are expensive to create for each person, so they may only be used for autoimmune conditions in people with severe disease when no other treatments are available, he says.

Journal reference: Nature Medicine , DOI: 10.1038/s41591-022-02017-5

Who can donate stem cells or bone marrow? – Cancer Research UK

September 13th, 2022

Find out who can be a stem cell or bone marrow donor, and how to register.

A stem cell or bone marrow transplant is an important treatment for some people with types of blood cancer such as leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

A transplant allows you to have high doses of chemotherapy and other treatments. The stem cellsare collected from the bloodstream or the bone marrow.Peoplehave a transplant either:

To be a donor you need to have stem cells that match the person you are donating to. To find this out, you have a blood test to look at HLA typing or tissue typing.

Staff in the laboratory look at the surface of your blood cells. They compare them to the surface of the blood cells of the person needing a transplant.

Everyone has their own set of proteins on the surface of their blood cells. The laboratory staff look for proteins called HLA markers and histocompatibility antigens. They check for 10 HLA markers. The result of this test shows how good the HLA match is between you and the person who needs the cells.

Abrother or sisteris most likely to be a match. There is a 1 in 4 chance of your cells matching.This is called a matched related donor (MRD) transplant.Anyone else in the family is unlikely to match. This can be very frustrating for relatives who are keen to help.

Sometimes if your cells are a half (50%) match, you might still be able to donate stem cells or bone marrow to a relative. This is called a haploidentical transplant.

You can't donate stem cells or bone marrow to your relative if you're not a match.

It's sometimes possible to get a match from someoneoutside of the family. This is calleda matched unrelated donor. To find a matched unrelated donor, it'susually necessary to search large numbers of people whose tissue type has been tested. So doctorssearch national and international registers to try to find a match for your relative.

Even if you can't donate to your relative, you might be ableto become a donor for someone else. You can do this by contacting one of the UK registers.

There are different donor registersin the UK.These work with each otherand with international registersto match donors with people who need stem cells. This helps doctors find donors for their patients as quickly as possiblefrom anywhere in the world.

Each registry has specific health criteriaand listmedical conditions that mightpreventyou from donating. Check their websitefor this information. Once registered, the organisation will contactyou if you are a match for someone who needs stem cells or bone marrow.

British Bone Marrow Registry (BBMR)

To register with the BBMR, you mustbe a blood donor. BBMR would like toregister those groups they are particularly short of ontheir register.This includes men between the ages of 17 and 40. And womenaged between 17 and 40 who are from Black, Asian, and minority ethnicities and mixed ethnicity backgrounds.

You have a blood test for tissue typing. Your details are kept on file until you are 60.

Anthony Nolan

You must be aged between 16 and 30 to register with Anthony Nolan. You have a cheek swab to test fortissue typing. Your details are kept on the register until you are 60.

Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry

You must be aged between 17 and 30 and your details are kept on the register until you are 60. You have a blood test for tissue typing.

DKMS

To register you must be aged between 17 and 55. You havea cheek swab for tissue typing. Your details stay on the register until your61st birthday.

This page is due for review. We will update this as soon as possible.

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Who can donate stem cells or bone marrow? - Cancer Research UK

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Bone marrow: Function, diseases, transplants, and donation

September 13th, 2022

Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside some of the bones in the body, including the hip and thigh bones. Bone marrow contains immature cells called stem cells.

Many people with blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, sickle cell anemia, and other life threatening conditions rely on bone marrow or cord blood transplants to survive.

People need healthy bone marrow and blood cells to live. When a condition or disease affects bone marrow so that it can no longer function effectively, a marrow or cord blood transplant could be the best treatment option. For some people, it may be the only option.

This article looks at everything there is to know about bone marrow.

Bone marrow is soft, gelatinous tissue that fills the medullary cavities, or the centers of bones. The two types of bone marrow are red bone marrow, known as myeloid tissue, and yellow bone marrow, known as fatty tissue.

Both types of bone marrow are enriched with blood vessels and capillaries.

Bone marrow makes more than 220 billion new blood cells every day. Most blood cells in the body develop from cells in the bone marrow.

Bone marrow contains two types of stem cells: mesenchymal and hematopoietic.

Red bone marrow consists of a delicate, highly vascular fibrous tissue containing hematopoietic stem cells. These are blood-forming stem cells.

Yellow bone marrow contains mesenchymal stem cells, or marrow stromal cells. These produce fat, cartilage, and bone.

Stem cells are immature cells that can turn into a number of different types of cells.

Hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow give rise to two main types of cells: myeloid and lymphoid lineages. These include monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils, erythrocytes, dendritic cells, and megakaryocytes, or platelets, as well as T cells, B cells, and natural killer (NK) cells.

The different types of hematopoietic stem cells vary in their regenerative capacity and potency. They can be multipotent, oligopotent, or unipotent, depending on how many types of cells they can create.

Pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells have renewal and differentiation properties. They can reproduce another cell identical to themselves, and they can generate one or more subsets of more mature cells.

The process of developing different blood cells from these pluripotent stem cells is known as hematopoiesis. It is these stem cells that are needed in bone marrow transplants.

Stem cells constantly divide and produce new cells. Some new cells remain as stem cells, while others go through a series of maturing stages, as precursor or blast cells, before becoming formed, or mature, blood cells. Stem cells rapidly multiply to make millions of blood cells each day.

Blood cells have a limited life span. This is around 120 days for red blood cells. The body is constantly replacing them. The production of healthy stem cells is vital.

The blood vessels act as a barrier to prevent immature blood cells from leaving bone marrow.

Only mature blood cells contain the membrane proteins required to attach to and pass through the blood vessel endothelium. Hematopoietic stem cells can cross the bone marrow barrier, however. Healthcare professionals may harvest these from peripheral, or circulating, blood.

The blood-forming stem cells in red bone marrow can multiply and mature into three significant types of blood cells, each with its own job:

Once mature, these blood cells move from bone marrow into the bloodstream, where they perform important functions that keep the body alive and healthy.

Mesenchymal stem cells are present in the bone marrow cavity. They can differentiate into a number of stromal lineages, such as:

Red bone marrow produces all red blood cells and platelets and around 6070% of lymphocytes in human adults. Other lymphocytes begin life in red bone marrow and become fully formed in the lymphatic tissues, including the thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes.

Together with the liver and spleen, red bone marrow also plays a role in getting rid of old red blood cells.

Yellow bone marrow mainly acts as a store for fats. It helps provide sustenance and maintain the correct environment for the bone to function. However, under particular conditions such as with severe blood loss or during a fever yellow bone marrow may revert to red bone marrow.

Yellow bone marrow tends to be located in the central cavities of long bones and is generally surrounded by a layer of red bone marrow with long trabeculae (beam-like structures) within a sponge-like reticular framework.

Before birth but toward the end of fetal development, bone marrow first develops in the clavicle. It becomes active about 3 weeks later. Bone marrow takes over from the liver as the major hematopoietic organ at 3236 weeks gestation.

Bone marrow remains red until around the age of 7 years, as the need for new continuous blood formation is high. As the body ages, it gradually replaces the red bone marrow with yellow fat tissue. Adults have an average of about 2.6 kilograms (kg) (5.7 pounds) of bone marrow, about half of which is red.

In adults, the highest concentration of red bone marrow is in the bones of the vertebrae, hips (ilium), breastbone (sternum), ribs, and skull, as well as at the metaphyseal and epiphyseal ends of the long bones of the arm (humerus) and leg (femur and tibia).

All other cancellous, or spongy, bones and central cavities of the long bones are filled with yellow bone marrow.

Most red blood cells, platelets, and most white blood cells form in the red bone marrow. Yellow bone marrow produces fat, cartilage, and bone.

White blood cells survive from a few hours to a few days, platelets for about 10 days, and red blood cells for about 120 days. Bone marrow needs to replace these cells constantly, as each blood cell has a set life expectancy.

Certain conditions may trigger additional production of blood cells. This may happen when the oxygen content of body tissues is low, if there is loss of blood or anemia, or if the number of red blood cells decreases. If these things happen, the kidneys produce and release erythropoietin, which is a hormone that stimulates bone marrow to produce more red blood cells.

Bone marrow also produces and releases more white blood cells in response to infections and more platelets in response to bleeding. If a person experiences serious blood loss, yellow bone marrow can activate and transform into red bone marrow.

Healthy bone marrow is important for a range of systems and activities.

The circulatory system touches every organ and system in the body. It involves a number of different cells with a variety of functions. Red blood cells transport oxygen to cells and tissues, platelets travel in the blood to help clotting after injury, and white blood cells travel to sites of infection or injury.

Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that gives them their color. It collects oxygen in the lungs, transports it in the red blood cells, and releases oxygen to tissues such as the heart, muscles, and brain. Hemoglobin also removes carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a waste product of respiration, and sends it back to the lungs for exhalation.

Iron is an important nutrient for human physiology. It combines with protein to make the hemoglobin in red blood cells and is essential for producing red blood cells (erythropoiesis). The body stores iron in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow. Most of the iron a person needs each day for making hemoglobin comes from the recycling of old red blood cells.

The production of red blood cells is called erythropoiesis. It takes about 7 days for a committed stem cell to mature into a fully functional red blood cell. As red blood cells age, they become less active and more fragile.

White blood cells called macrophages remove aging red cells in a process known as phagocytosis. The contents of these cells are released into the blood. The iron released in this process travels either to bone marrow for the production of new red blood cells or to the liver or other tissues for storage.

Typically, the body replaces around 1% of its total red blood cell count every day. In a healthy person, this means that the body produces around 200 billion red blood cells each day.

Bone marrow produces many types of white blood cells. These are necessary for a healthy immune system. They prevent and fight infections.

The main types of white blood cells, or leukocytes, are as follows.

Lymphocytes are produced in bone marrow. They make natural antibodies to fight infection due to viruses that enter the body through the nose, mouth, or another mucous membrane or through cuts and grazes. Specific cells recognize the presence of invaders (antigens) that enter the body and send a signal to other cells to attack them.

The number of lymphocytes increases in response to these invasions. There are two major types of lymphocytes: B and T lymphocytes.

Monocytes are produced in bone marrow. Mature monocytes have a life expectancy in the blood of only 38 hours, but when they move into the tissues, they mature into larger cells called macrophages.

Macrophages can survive in the tissues for long periods of time, where they engulf and destroy bacteria, some fungi, dead cells, and other material that is foreign to the body.

Granulocytes is the collective name given to three types of white blood cells: neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils. The development of a granulocyte may take 2 weeks, but this time reduces when there is an increased threat, such as a bacterial infection.

Bone marrow stores a large reserve of mature granulocytes. For every granulocyte circulating in the blood, there may be 50100 cells waiting in the bone marrow to be released into the bloodstream. As a result, half the granulocytes in the bloodstream can be available to actively fight an infection in the body within 7 hours of it detecting one.

Once a granulocyte has left the blood, it does not usually return. A granulocyte may survive in the tissues for up to 45 days, depending on the conditions, but it can only survive for a few hours in circulating blood.

Neutrophils are the most common type of granulocyte. They can attack and destroy bacteria and viruses.

Eosinophils are involved in the fight against many types of parasitic infections and against the larvae of parasitic worms and other organisms. They are also involved in some allergic reactions.

Basophils are the least common of the white blood cells. They respond to various allergens that cause the release of histamines, heparin, and other substances.

Heparin is an anticoagulant. It prevents blood from clotting. Histamines are vasodilators that cause irritation and inflammation. Releasing these substances makes a pathogen more permeable and allows for white blood cells and proteins to enter the tissues to engage the pathogen.

The irritation and inflammation in tissues that allergens affect are parts of the reaction associated with hay fever, some forms of asthma, hives, and, in its most serious form, anaphylactic shock.

Bone marrow produces platelets in a process known as thrombopoiesis. Platelets are necessary for blood to coagulate and for clots to form in order to stop bleeding.

Sudden blood loss triggers platelet activity at the site of an injury or wound. Here, the platelets clump together and combine with other substances to form fibrin. Fibrin has a thread-like structure and forms an external scab or clot.

Platelet deficiency causes the body to bruise and bleed more easily. Blood may not clot well at an open wound, and there may be a higher risk of internal bleeding if the platelet count is very low.

The lymphatic system consists of lymphatic organs such as bone marrow, the tonsils, the thymus, the spleen, and lymph nodes.

All lymphocytes develop in bone marrow from immature cells called stem cells. Lymphocytes that mature in the thymus gland (behind the breastbone) are called T cells. Those that mature in bone marrow or the lymphatic organs are called B cells.

The immune system protects the body from disease. It kills unwanted microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses that may invade the body.

Small glands called lymph nodes are located throughout the body. Once lymphocytes are made in bone marrow, they travel to the lymph nodes. The lymphocytes can then travel between each node through lymphatic channels that meet at large drainage ducts that empty into a blood vessel. Lymphocytes enter the blood through these ducts.

Three major types of lymphocytes play an important part in the immune system: B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, and NK cells.

These cells originate from hematopoietic stem cells in bone marrow in mammals.

B cells express B cell receptors on their surface. These allow the cell to attach to an antigen on the surface of an invading microbe or another antigenic agent.

For this reason, B cells are known as antigen-presenting cells, as they alert other cells of the immune system to the presence of an invading microbe.

B cells also secrete antibodies that attach to the surface of infection-causing microbes. These antibodies are Y-shaped, and each one is akin to a specialized lock into which a matching antigen key fits. Because of this, each Y-shaped antibody reacts to a different microbe, triggering a larger immune system response to fight infection.

In some circumstances, B cells erroneously identify healthy cells as being antigens that require an immune system response. This is the mechanism behind the development of autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis, scleroderma, and type 1 diabetes.

These cells are so-called because they mature in the thymus, which is a small organ in the upper chest, just behind the sternum. (Some T cells mature in the tonsils.)

There are many different types of T cells, and they perform a range of functions as part of adaptive cell-mediated immunity. T cells help B cells make antibodies against invading bacteria, viruses, or other microbes.

Unlike B cells, some T cells engulf and destroy pathogens directly after binding to the antigen on the surface of the microbe.

NK T cells, not to be confused with NK cells of the innate immune system, bridge the adaptive and innate immune systems. NK T cells recognize antigens presented in a different way from many other antigens, and they can perform the functions of T helper cells and cytotoxic T cells. They can also recognize and eliminate some tumor cells.

These are a type of lymphocyte that directly attack cells that a virus has infected.

A bone marrow transplant is useful for various reasons. For example:

Stem cells mainly occur in four places:

Stem cells for transplantation are obtainable from any of these except the fetus.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) involves the intravenous (IV) infusion of stem cells collected from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood.

This is useful for reestablishing hematopoietic function in people whose bone marrow or immune system is damaged or defective.

Worldwide, more than 50,000 first HSCT procedures, 28,000 autologous transplantation procedures, and 21,000 allogeneic transplantation procedures take place every year. This is according to a 2015 report by the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

This number continues to increase by over 7% annually. Reductions in organ damage, infection, and severe, acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) seem to be contributing to improved outcomes.

In a study of 854 people who survived at least 2 years after autologous HSCT for hematologic malignancy, 68.8% were still alive 10 years after transplantation.

Bone marrow transplants are the leading treatment option for conditions that threaten bone marrows ability to function, such as leukemia.

A transplant can help rebuild the bodys capacity to produce blood cells and bring their numbers to acceptable levels. Conditions that may be treatable with a bone marrow transplant include both cancerous and noncancerous diseases.

Cancerous diseases may or may not specifically involve blood cells, but cancer treatment can destroy the bodys ability to manufacture new blood cells.

A person with cancer usually undergoes chemotherapy before transplantation. This eliminates the compromised marrow.

A healthcare professional then harvests the bone marrow of a matching donor which, in many cases, is a close family member and ready it for transplant.

Types of bone marrow transplant include:

A persons tissue type is defined as the type of HLA they have on the surface of most of the cells in their body. HLA is a protein, or marker, that the body uses to help it determine whether or not the cell belongs to the body.

To check if the tissue type is compatible, doctors assess how many proteins match on the surface of the donors and recipients blood cells. There are millions of different tissue types, but some are more common than others.

Tissue type is inherited, and types pass on from each parent. This means that a relative is more likely to have a matching tissue type.

However, if it is not possible to find a suitable bone marrow donor among family members, healthcare professionals try to find someone with a compatible tissue type on the bone marrow donor register.

Healthcare professionals perform several tests before a bone marrow transplant to identify any potential problems.

These tests include:

In addition, a person needs a complete dental exam before a bone marrow transplant to reduce the risk of infection. Other precautions to lower the risk of infection are also necessary before the transplant.

Bone marrow is obtainable for examination by bone marrow biopsy and bone marrow aspiration.

Bone marrow harvesting has become a relatively routine procedure. Healthcare professionals generally aspirate it from the posterior iliac crests while the donor is under either regional or general anesthesia.

Healthcare professionals can also take it from the sternum or from the upper tibia in children, as it still contains a substantial amount of red bone marrow.

To do so, they insert a needle into the bone, usually in the hip, and withdraw some bone marrow. They then freeze and store this bone marrow.

National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) guidelines limit the volume of removable bone marrow to 20 milliliters (ml) per kg of donor weight. A dose of 1 x 103 and 2 x 108 marrow mononuclear cells per kg is necessary to establish engraftment in autologous and allogeneic marrow transplants, respectively.

Complications related to bone marrow harvesting are rare. When they do occur, they typically involve problems related to anesthetics, infection, and bleeding.

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Bone marrow: Function, diseases, transplants, and donation

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Bone Marrow Stem Cell Dose Matters in Knee Osteoarthritis

September 13th, 2022

Home Blog Bone Marrow Stem Cell Dose Matters in Knee Osteoarthritis

If theres one overarching theme in orthobiologics that I have been discussing for almost two decades, its that measuring and delivering higher doses are critical for success. Despite this, 99% of physicians who offer these procedures dont know what dose theyre delivering and use bedside kits that can only achieve low doses. Today well go into our most recent publication that shows that the stem cell dose in bone marrow concentrate is directly tied to clinical outcomes in knee arthritis patients. Lets dig in.

Our study looked at the number of colony-forming mesenchymal stem cells (CFU-fs) in bone marrow concentrate (BMC) in knee arthritis patients and then the clinical outcome of the procedure (1). We found that those patients who had more stem cells in their BMC reported better outcomes. That fits with data published by others on BMC treatments in bone disease and low back degenerative disc disease (2,3).

While this may seem like a mundane finding, its the first of its kind in BMC used for knee osteoarthritis treatment. More importantly, it highlights how important dose is in these treatments and how many BMC treatments being delivered are likely under-dosing patients. Lets dive deeper into that concept.

77 clinic locations offering non-surgical Regenexx solutions for musculoskeletal pain.

Youre a doctor who just started dipping his toe into the waters of this new field called orthobiologics. You buy a simple bedside kit to produce PRP because its super easy without much commitment. You then at some point add in bone marrow concentrate through the same system with a different kit. Your world is easy and simple, as all your staff needs to know is where to put the kit in the machine and where the On button is located.

However, what you begin to realize after a few years is that all of this simplicity comes at a steep price. For example, you have no idea of the dose of orthobiologic youre delivering. At its most basic, everything else in medicine is tied to a dose, so this seems wrong. In addition, independent research shows that the dose that your simple machine is capable of delivering is low and that higher doses are tied to better outcomes. Hence, at some point, it hits you like one of those clown pies in the face, youve traded simplicity for your staff for poorer patient outcomes.

PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) and BMC (Bone Marrow Concentrate) are autologous procedures where the dose of platelets or cells varies widely from patient to patient. This is based on many factors including:

There are other factors that also influence outcomes like where this stuff is injected and how, but today well focus only on how the dose of whats injected can dramatically change how the patient responds.

The machine the doctor buys to produce PRP and BMC matters. The problem is that this decision is often based on a relationship with a sales rep and not the concept of dose as were discussing here. Lets dig in.

Ive blogged a few times on researchers who recently published big and well-done studies, but that used commercial kits that claim to produce PRP, but instead only produce plasma which has fewer than 2 times concentrated platelets (the minimum needed to call the product PRP). These kits are are Arthrex ACP and RegenLab (7). Hence, if you were a doctor who happened to purchase one of these systems and are using this stuff, you think youre delivering PRP, but youre not.

The vast majority of machines produce low-dose PRP at a 3-5X concentration. The good news is that if youre treating young patients this is fine, but as our long-standing research on mesenchymal stem cells in culture and published work on tenocyte healing shows, for older patients this concentration represents a severe under-dose (8). Meaning that if youre middle-aged or older, the higher the dose the better, because your older cells (unlike young ones) will respond to the extra platelets. Given that this is a direct dose-response relationship in these patients, your dose cant be too high in this age group.

High-dose PRP is 7-14X with most older patients needing 10-14X or higher. Few machines can achieve this and all have trade-offs. Take the Arthrex Angel device, which can produce high-dose PRP, but at a price. Rather than producing the more commonly used leukocyte-poor PRP (LP), this machine concentrates white blood cells with platelets, so instead you get bloody and leukocyte-rich PRP (LR). Or other machines that use an off-label double spin technique where the doctor uses the same kit twice. These machines like Emcyte can get to higher concentrations, but as we have seen testing this machine in our lab, the double spin can cause the platelets to clump, distributing them unevenly in the PRP. In addition, no research or FDA clearance is available on using the kit twice, so the reliability of that double spin product is unknown.

Weve never used any of these machines because we can produce any concentration of PRP in the lab that the doctor requires and make it leukocyte poor or rich. We can also produce it from peripheral blood or a bone marrow draw if thats already being done. Whats the downside? This approach takes a bigger commitment from the practice, meaning they have to be all in on orthobiologics.

For BMC, we have seen similar issues with bedside machines. Meaning as we have tested these machines in our lab, their ability to concentrate and get the most stem cells in the smallest volume is limited. The biggest issue is the simple lack of flexibility of the input volume and a higher output volume. What does that mean?

In trying to maximize the number of stem cells in a BMC sample, you first need to be able to increase the volume of high-quality marrow aspirate taken from the patient. That starts with taking a small volume of marrow aspirate from many sites, which maximizes the number of stem cells in the sample (2-4). Regrettably, we still see physicians short-changing patients by taking one large marrow pull from the patient, which dramatically reduces the number of stem cells taken from the patient.

Next, you need the flexibility to increase the marrow aspirate volume based on the age of the patient and the number of areas treated. For example, in an older patient who may have fewer stem cells per ml of BMA, just take more BMA to compensate. This really cant happen with bedside centrifuge kits, as they have a fixed input volume. That means that you only get one option on how much marrow can be processed. Compare that to a flexible lab-based system where you easily increase the volume processed to compensate for the clinical scenario.

Finally, the output volume is critical as well. Meaning, that if you take more BMA to get more stem cells, thats useless if your system gives you a single large volume of BMC to inject. Instead, you need the highest concentration possible from your large volume and that means that the system youre using puts all of those cells in the smallest possible volume. As an example, using a lab-based system, we often take 120 ml of BMA and get that down to 3-5 ml of BMC.

Once you leave the orthobiologic training wheels behind and get a significant number of treated patients completed, whats next? Based on the existing and emerging research, thats making sure that you can deliver the highestPRP and BMC dose possible. That means leaving the bedside kit world and transitioning to a lab. No company on earth has more experience than Regenexx helping providers graduate to a flexible lab platform safely and efficiently with strict SOPs and controls.

The upshot? Dose matters. The research continues to show that the providers who can maximize the dose of platelets and stem cells are likely getting better results than those who have maximized their convenience by using limited bedside kits. Is your practice ready for an upgrade? Is it time to leave the orthobiologic training wheels behind? If so, we got you covered.

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References:

(1) Centeno CJ, Berger DR, Money BT, Dodson E, Urbanek CW, Steinmetz NJ. Percutaneous autologous bone marrow concentrate for knee osteoarthritis: patient-reported outcomes and progenitor cell content. Int Orthop. 2022 Aug 6. doi: 10.1007/s00264-022-05524-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35932306.

(2)Pettine KA, Murphy MB, Suzuki RK, Sand TT. Percutaneous injection of autologous bone marrow concentrate cells significantly reduces lumbar discogenic pain through 12 months. Stem Cells. 2015 Jan;33(1):146-56. doi: 10.1002/stem.1845. PMID: 25187512.

(3) Hernigou P, Beaujean F. Treatment of osteonecrosis with autologous bone marrow grafting. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2002 Dec;(405):14-23. doi: 10.1097/00003086-200212000-00003. PMID: 12461352.

(4) Batini D, Marusi M, Pavleti Z, Bogdani V, Uzarevi B, Nemet D, Labar B. Relationship between differing volumes of bone marrow aspirates and their cellular composition. Bone Marrow Transplant. 1990 Aug;6(2):103-7. PMID: 2207448.

(5) Muschler GF, Boehm C, Easley K. Aspiration to obtain osteoblast progenitor cells from human bone marrow: the influence of aspiration volume. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1997 Nov;79(11):1699-709. doi: 10.2106/00004623-199711000-00012. Erratum in: J Bone Joint Surg Am 1998 Feb;80(2):302. PMID: 9384430.

(6) Fennema EM, Renard AJ, Leusink A, van Blitterswijk CA, de Boer J. The effect of bone marrow aspiration strategy on the yield and quality of human mesenchymal stem cells. Acta Orthop. 2009 Oct;80(5):618-21. doi: 10.3109/17453670903278241. PMID: 19916699; PMCID: PMC2823327.

(7) Magalon J, Bausset O, Serratrice N, Giraudo L, Aboudou H, Veran J, Magalon G, Dignat-Georges F, Sabatier F. Characterization and comparison of 5 platelet-rich plasma preparations in a single-donor model. Arthroscopy. 2014 May;30(5):629-38. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2014.02.020. PMID: 24725317.

(8) Berger DR, Centeno CJ, Steinmetz NJ. Platelet lysates from aged donors promote human tenocyte proliferation and migration in a concentration-dependent manner. Bone Joint Res. 2019 Feb 2;8(1):32-40. doi: 10.1302/2046-3758.81.BJR-2018-0164.R1. PMID: 30800297; PMCID: PMC6359887.

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Predicting the risk of acute kidney injury after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: development of a new predictive nomogram | Scientific…

September 13th, 2022

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Predicting the risk of acute kidney injury after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: development of a new predictive nomogram | Scientific...

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Creating Organs Cannot Be at the Expense of Human Embryos – BreakPoint.org

September 13th, 2022

Recently, an impressive development in embryology was reported by the Israeli Weizmann Institute of Science. Using only stem cells, without the presence of sperm, eggs, or even a womb, researchers successfully created functioning mouse embryos, complete with beating hearts, blood circulation, brain tissue and rudimentary digestive systems. Carolyn Johnson in The Washington Post described the discovery as a fascinating, potentially fraught realm of science that could one day be used to create replacement organs for humans.

For the more than 100,000 people currently waiting for a life-saving organ donation, that kind of breakthrough would indeed seem like a miracle. However, since scientists are still years away from creating human organs in a lab for the purpose of transplant, the technology raises serious ethical questions, none of which should be taken lightly.

One of these questions is, in fact, an old one. Do the promises of embryonic stem cell research justify it? While some stem cells can be harvested from a variety of non-embryonic sources such as bone marrow, others are harvested from so-called unused embryos that have been donated to science. The lives of these tiny, undeveloped human beings are taken in the process.

For context, the research conducted by the Weizmann Institute uses embryonic stem cells. Though, for the time being, this implies only embryonic stem cells harvested from mice, the move to human research would involve the harvesting of stem cells from human embryos and involve tissue derived from already living human beings.

The Christian stance on when life begins is the same as the science. Human life begins at conception, and every single human life is worthy of protection. If we would not take the life of a born child in our research for a cure for some medical condition, neither the anonymity of an embryo nor the confines of a laboratory justify doing the same thing in the process of embryonic stem cell research.

Science is a process of trial and error, but we should never employ trial and error with the lives of thousands of human beings, in particular human beings who cannot consent to our actions. A rule of thumb is this. If you wouldnt try an experiment on an adult or small child, dont do it to human embryos at any stage.

The breakthrough at the Weizmann Institute, however, takes this old debate a step further. On one hand, lead researcher Dr. Jacob Hanna was quick to clarify that the goal is not to make complete, living organisms of mice or any other species. We are really facing difficulties making organs, he said, and in order to make stem cells become organs, we need to learn how the embryo does that.

Given the history of science, including the last chapter involving breathless promises of what embryonic stem cell research would bring, the grandiose predictions of scientists should be taken with at least a grain of salt. The process of growing organs for mice, for example, involved the creation of entire embryos. Should the technology be perfected in mice, what ethical or legal limits are there to prevent the creation of synthetic human embryos for the purpose of harvesting their organs?

Our first concern should be what these embryos would be created for. The answer is, inevitably, science, devoid of any consideration for human purpose, relationships, worth, or dignity as equal members of the human species. All societies that treat people as a means of scientific advancement, instead of infinitely valuable ends in-and-of themselves, have a track record of perpetrating atrocities.

A second concern is what these embryos would be deprived of. Though not all do, every human should enter the world with the love and commitment of their biological mom and dad. The very design of human development suggests this, and societies have long recognized that those born without these relationships have had something priceless taken from them. Creating children from cloning or stem cells intentionally makes them orphans, ripping them from the vital context of parental relationship. It is a grave injustice.

Bringing children into the world as a product of pure science without the possibility of relationship with their biological parents or relatives is enough an ethical consideration to oppose such research, but we should also consider the implications of recklessly creating humans for future experimentation and of dismantling them to see how their components work.

Science is, in many ways, blind to what should be ethical bright lines. Creating organs for transplant in order to save lives is a worthy goal. But such work should only proceed in an ethical manner, one which does not require the death of other distinct, valuable, human beings. Unfortunately, such ideas have not shaped the society we live in today.

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Creating Organs Cannot Be at the Expense of Human Embryos - BreakPoint.org

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Girl, four, saves baby brother’s life by donating her stem cells on his 1st birthday – The Mirror

September 13th, 2022

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Brave Aubrey Austin, four, donated her own stem cells and saved her baby brother Carey's life on the day he turned one, after he was diagnosed with a rare type of blood cancer aged just eight months

Image: Supplied via Lucy Laing)

A brave little girl saved the life of her baby brother on his first birthday.

Carey Austin was diagnosed with a rare type of blood cancer when he was just eight months old.

His only hope of survival was a stem-cell transplant.

Against all odds, his sister Aubrey, four, was a perfect match.

Surgeons operated on Careys first birthday and six months later he is cancer-free thanks to his big sister.

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Their mum Naomi said: She absolutely adores Carey and when we explained to her about the transplant she wanted to do everything she could to save him.

Shes only four years old, yet she was only thinking of how she could help him. We felt so guilty putting her through an operation too, but it was Careys only chance of survival.

"She was so brave about it. She knew that her blood was going to save him.

During a two-hour procedure at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, surgeons took out Aubreys stem cells and they were put into Careys body via a drip.

Naomi said: The fact that the transplant took place on Careys birthday was so significant that she was giving him a second chance at life on that special day.

The doctors and nurses said they had never seen anyone have a stem cell transplant on their birthday before.

Aubrey was very groggy and woozy when she came around from the operation, and she had puncture wounds on her back from where the stem cells had been taken out.

But she was still smiling through it all. She was so brave. She never complained about being in pain and she was just pleased to see how her little brother was afterwards.

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When the brother and sister saw each other for the first time after the operation, there was not a dry eye in the room.

Naomi said: It was so sweet when they were reunited.

We took Aubrey to see Carey and she gave him a cuddle. They were thrilled to see each other again.

After a two-day hospital stay for Aubrey and seven weeks for Carey, the family were able to settle back into life back home in Brighton, East Sussex.

Carey is now in remission, with no signs of the cancer cells in his body.

But his parents have been warned that the disease is so aggressive that until March next year there is a 40% chance of it returning. After that, the likelihood falls to just 5%.

Naomi added: Two other children lost their lives on the cancer ward while we were there, so we know how lucky Carey has been.

He and Aubrey have always been close but now their bond is stronger than ever.

"Shes a superstar and he couldnt have wanted anything more from a big sister. Hes doing so well now. He loves playing with his cars and hes just learning to walk too.

Aubrey is with him all the time she just adores him. She knows that she has saved his life and she loves being a big sister to him. They play cars together and hes learning to walk, so she stands with him encouraging him to take his steps.

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Carey fell ill last November but Naomi, a paediatric audiologist, and her husband Simon, a CPS lawyer, both 43, thought it was bronchitis because his sister had recently had the same thing.

A GP agreed but two days later he was rushed to hospital by ambulance with breathing difficulties.

Doctors at Great Ormond Street diagnosed juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia, or JMML, which cannot be treated with chemotherapy. There are only 1.2 cases per million children in the UK each year.

Naomi said: I was hysterical. I kept trying to tell them that it wasnt cancer, it was bronchilitis. I couldnt accept what was happening.

Because parents are not suitable donors, Aubreys bone marrow was tested, a process that involves drawing a sample out using a needle.

Naomi said: There is only a 25% chance of any sibling being a match, so even with Aubrey we knew that the odds werent in our favour.

"If she hadnt been a match then we would have had to wait until doctors found an anonymous donor, but that may not have happened in time for Carey.

When the results came back to say that she was a perfect match for him, we couldnt believe it. We had been praying that she would save him, so to get the news that she was a match for him was just incredible.

When we heard I couldnt stop crying, it was so emotional. To think that Carey was going to have a chance of survival thanks to his big sister was the answer to our prayers.

The mum added: We did feel guilty about putting her through the procedure, but when we spoke to her about it, all she wanted to do was help. We were so proud of her.

The transplant was made even more special as it took place on March 15, which was Careys first birthday, giving the family a double celebration.

They are keen to raise awareness of the cancer symptoms and the charity Childhood Cancer and Leukaemia Group, which has helped them throughout their ordeal.

Naomi said: Having a child with cancer is one of the worst things that can happen to you. We didnt realise that it was leukaemia so we are thankful that it was spotted in time.

We received amazing support throughout from the hospital and from the CCLG.

We feel so lucky that Carey has come through it and it feels like a miracle to have him with us now.

Geoff Shenton, a childrens cancer specialist at Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation, said: In a very small proportion of cases JMML can disappear on its own, but this is rare.

Most children will need a bone-marrow or stem-cell transplant. There is still a significant chance that the disease can relapse. There may be a possibility of a second transplant if this happens, but despite our best efforts, children still die from JMML.

For more information and support visit cclg.org.uk

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Girl, four, saves baby brother's life by donating her stem cells on his 1st birthday - The Mirror

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