28-04-2012 12:02 Playlist: I work a job and don't make a lot of money at work. Please be patient for the other parts. I hope to complete this documentary before June 2012. This educational documentary World Government Election Fraud 2012 reveals research about government, politics, energy, sovereignty, sustainability and many other topics including solutions. Diebold sells computer voting machines they had Republican conflict of interest during the 2 term voting Fraud of George Bush. Ron Paul Admits he is running the same platform George Bush used to win in 2000! Be your own leader. Do your own Research. Ron Paul wrote a book called The Case for Gold with Lewis Lehrman. Lew is a papal knight (Sovereign Military Order of Malta) Lew was on the board of directors of The Project for a New American Century. Lewis Lehrman is a member of the CFR and The Council for National Policy. The CNP consists of powerful individuals in the military industrial complex (Black Water aka Xe) banking cartels, multi-national corporations, previous presidents/presidential candidates, Prime Minister of Canada, Evangelical Christian Zionists, Scientology, Mormons and a lot of the guests Alex Jones has on his radio "program" on a regular basis. Meaning that, it is behind the phony patriot movement, tea party, libertarians and other types of activism. Butcher of Russia, Vladimir Lenin, was a Freemason. Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) became a Freemason of the 33rd degree in the Scottish rite and was a ...

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World Government Election Fraud 2012 Part 4 - Video

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Aggressive pancreatic tumors may be treatable with a new class of drugs because of the discovery of the USP9x gene, according to Cancer Research UK.

Less than one in five people with pancreatic cancer survive past the first year after being diagnosed, reported BBC News. The study, published in the journal Nature, showed that the gene in question was being switched off in cancerous cells. Drugs with the potential to turn USP9x back on and stop the spread of cancer are already being tested.

Research was first conducted on mice and then on human cell lines, according to AAP. In both cases, it showed that the gene is switched off by chemical "tags" on the surface of its DNA.

"We looked in human tumor specimens and we found that [USP9x] was missing in a fraction of patients the patients that did very poorly... the people who died the fastest," said researcher David Tuveson to News24. "Patients that had a low level of the gene expressed... they died very quickly after their operation and the patients who at the end of their life had lots of metastasis [spreading of the cancer], they had also a very low level of this protein."

More from GlobalPost:Cancer 'encyclopedia' to help personalize cancer care, scientists say

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/health/120430/usp9x-gene-discovered-pancreatic-cancer

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USP9x: Gene discovered can 'turn off' pancreatic cancer

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30 April 2012 Last updated at 02:45 ET

Aggressive pancreatic tumours may be treatable with a new class of drugs, according to Cancer Research UK

Less than one in five people with this form of cancer are still alive a year after being diagnosed.

A study, published in the journal Nature, showed that a gene was being switched off in the cancerous cells.

The reseachers said drugs were already being tested which had the potential to turn the gene back on, to stop the spread of the cancer.

Around 7,800 people in the UK are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer every year and it is the fifth most deadly cancer.

These results raise the possibility that a class of promising new cancer drugs may be effective at treating some pancreatic cancers

Studies in mice showed that a gene called USP9x, which normally stops a cell from dividing uncontrollably, is switched off in some pancreatic cancer cells.

The gene is not mutated, but other proteins and chemicals become stuck to it and turn the gene off.

Studies then showed that UPS9x was being turned off in human pancreatic cancer.

The rest is here:
Pancreatic cancer gene discovery

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--Study lends support to safe use for therapy

Newswise A team of researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the National Human Genome Research Institute has evaluated the whole genomic sequence of stem cells derived from human bone marrow cellsso-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cellsand found that relatively few genetic changes occur during stem cell conversion by an improved method. The findings, reported in the March issue of Cell Stem Cell, the official journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), will be presented at the annual ISSCR meeting in June.

Our results show that human iPS cells accrue genetic changes at about the same rate as any replicating cells, which we dont feel is a cause for concern, says Linzhao Cheng, Ph.D., a professor of medicine and oncology, and a member of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering.

Each time a cell divides, it has the chance to make errors and incorporate new genetic changes in its DNA, Cheng explains. Some genetic changes can be harmless, but others can lead to changes in cell behavior that may lead to disease and, in the worst case, to cancer.

In the new study, the researchers showed that iPS cells derived from adult bone marrow cells contain random genetic changes that do not specifically predispose the cells to form cancer.

Little research was done previously to determine the number of DNA changes in stem cells, but because whole genome sequencing is getting faster and cheaper, we can now more easily assess the genetic stability of these cells derived by various methods and from different tissues, Cheng says. Last year, a study published in Nature suggested higher than expected cancer gene mutation rates in iPS cells created from skin samples, which, according to Cheng, raised great concerns to many in the field pertaining to usefulness and safety of the cells. This study analyzed both viral and the improved, nonviral methods to turn on stem cell genes making the iPS cells

To more thoroughly evaluate the number of genetic changes in iPS cells created by the improved, non-viral method, Chengs team first converted human blood-forming cells or their support cells, so-called marrow stromal cells (MSCs) in adult bone marrow into iPS cells by turning on specific genes and giving them special nutrients. The researchers isolated DNA from--and sequenced--the genome of each type of iPS cells, in comparison with the original cells from which the iPS cells were derived.

Cheng says they then counted the number of small DNA differences in each cell line compared to the original bone marrow cells. A range of 1,000 to 1,800 changes in the nucleic acid letters A, C, T and G occurred across each genome, but only a few changes were found in actual genes--DNA sequences that act as blueprints for our bodys proteins. Such genes make up two percent of the genome.

The blood-derived iPS cells contained six and the MSC-derived iPS cells contained 12 DNA letter changes in genes, which led the researchers to conclude that DNA changes in iPS cells are far more likely to occur in the spaces between genes, not in the genes themselves.

Next, the investigators examined the severity of the DNA changes--how likely each one would disrupt the function of each gene. They found that about half of the DNA changes were silent, meaning these altered blueprints wouldnt change the nucleic acid building code for its corresponding protein or change its function.

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Improved Adult-Derived Human Stem Cells Have Fewer Genetic Changes Than Expected

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When he was 3 years old and falling behind in his childhood development, doctors diagnosed Jonathan Oliphint with a rare genetic disease.

There was a known treatment for the disease, in which the body produces an excess amount of ammonia, and doctors at Texas Children's Hospital soon began giving the boy a critical amino acid, arginine, his body was not making.

It was a classic case of the power of the emerging science of genetic medicine in which doctors could pinpoint the genetic causes of disease, and devise successful treatments.

That was the late 1990s, when genetics was a simpler science.

Problems return

The problem is, as scientists were discovering that the Human Genome Project and its elucidation of humanity's basic DNA would not immediately lead to medical breakthroughs, Oliphint started getting sick again.

He started having high blood pressure. By the time he was 15, half a dozen blood pressure medicines had failed, and Oliphint was in the ICU with an enlarged heart.

"They just couldn't get it under control," said the boy's mother, Jamie Oliphint. "It was scary. We didn't know what was going to happen."

As Oliphint's blood pressure problems increased, scientists were rewriting our understanding of genes and disease.

No so simple

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In saving teen, docs find "simple" genetic diseases not so simple

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The Molecular Biology and Genetics Diagnostics unit is a newly conceived unit of the Nawaloka Metropolis Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.

The Molecular Biology and Genetics Research unit was formed a year ago with the aim of diagnosing difficult bacterial and viral pathogens using technologies like PCR, FISH, and Flow Cytometry, Chairman of Metropolis Health Services, Mumbai, India Dr Sushil Shah said.

He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Nawaloka Metropolis Molecular Biology and Genetics Research Laboratory recently.

Director General Manager, Nawaloka Hospitals PLC Prof Lal G Chandrasena said Nawaloka Metropolis Laboratory is the first Molecular and Genetics Research Diagnostic laboratory in Sri Lanka to offer state-of-the-art Smart Cycler ii which is quantitative/qualitative real time PCR (QPCR) tests to the diagnostic people and have established an internationally renowned reputation for providing excellent quality results.

Metropolis has been officially recognized from health professional organization CAP (College of American Pathologists).

Nawaloka Hospitals PLC Chairman Jayantha Dharmadasa said within the past six years Nawaloka Metropolis Laboratories have upgraded their laboratory facilities using modern and state-of-the-art equipment.

With the inauguration of Molecular Biology and Genetics Research facility Nawaloka Metropolis Laboratory will serve the people with many innovative tests and technologies, he said.

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Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit opened at Nawaloka

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BANGALORE, India, April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

I-SMART (Indian Society For Molecular Advanced Regenerative Technologies) a conglomerate of Indian scientists from DRDO, DST, Dr.Agarwal Hospitals, Manacells, Gene Research Foundation has organized the first Gene Therapy Convention to be held at Bangalore on May 2nd2012.

People who are interestedare welcome to contact Dr.Agarwal Hospitals for registrations. Address: Dr.Agarwal Hospitals15, Eagle ST, Bangalore 560025, Phone 080-22240736, 22240200, 22221242, mobile +91-9845010510, 9845039271, 9844202364 email generesearchfoundation@gmail.comThe conference will shed new light into the frontiers of medicine where patients can be addressed with healthy DNA from their own blood.

I-SMART Millenium Awards will be presented to the national heroes, Dr.V.K.Saraswat (Chief of DRDO), Sri Oscar Fernandes (MP), Sreesanth (Cricketeer), Pujya Swamy Chidanand Saraswati (Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh) Dr. Ramasami (Sec DST),On May 2nd4 pm 2012, Bangalore.

DNA-Gene therapyuses peripheral blood from the patientsfinger with Mana (DNA Activator) to generate the patients own healthy or fetal DNA.This is the molecule responsible for creating aparticular human body and thus it can also repair and regenerate the respective aging person.Thus customization of medical technologies has made it possible to treat various conditions associated with diseases of the eye, neurological disorders, diabetes, hypertension, cancer etc.

The work on this line of treatment was initiated over 20 years backby Dr.Agarwal Hospitals and Gene Research Foundation, with the help of The Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India. For over 6 years Mana DNA gene therapy and the Defence Research Development Organization have added value to medical science.They have used high tech instrumentation and microscopes to show DNA formation within seconds of one drop of patients blood and Mana (DNA activator) coming together.

Through Dr.Agarwal Hospitals this medication has been used on eye patients (most of them are associated with a general disease) with great success. Over the last 8 years and 12000 patients using the patients own blood (autologous) shows no side effects or allergic reactions. This has taken a new step into medical technologies by giving it customization of each individual patient and seems to be one single major breakthrough in making the treatment a success.

After two days of debate and discussion the first Gene Therapy Convention I-SMART 2012 will be brought into mass productionto reach out to soldiers on the front (DRDO),and the masses (DST, through Manacells. An expansion plan to the tune of 300 cr is required and investors are welcome to come in at this stage. Over 100cr will go into a high end research facility which will monitor the mass production as well as be open to other sources.

Continued here:
Gene Therapy Convention I-SMART on May 2nd 2012, 4 PM to 7 PM, at Bangalore Under the Aegis of DRDO, DST, Dr.Agarwal ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Sbastien Benoit, TV and Radio Host, provincial spokesperson, and Louis Adam, Executive Director, of the MS Society

MONTREAL, April 29, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - On Sunday, Walkers of all ages turned out for the 18th MS Walk for the benefit of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. Through their efforts, over $1,029,000 was raised.

The Walk was held in 16 regions of Quebec: Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Blainville, Drummondville, East of Montreal, Gatineau, Granby, Laval, Lvis, Montreal, Mont-Tremblant, Repentigny, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jrme, Sainte-Catherine, Sept-les and Trois-Rivires. These are preliminary results as we will hold seven other Walks in June and September. Please visit mswalks.ca for further information.

Television and radio host Sbastien Benoit, provincial spokesperson of the MS Walk, joined the event in Montreal for a sixth consecutive year.

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada would like to thank all the Walkers, volunteers and organizers who made this event a huge success!

Multiple sclerosis is the most common neurological disease affecting young adults in Canada and near 20,000 people have MS in Quebec. It affects three times more women than men. Every step matters. Together we can end MS.

End MS

For more information on how to help persons with MS and contribute to the progress of research on the disease, visit http://www.scleroseenplaques.ca/qc or call 514-849-7591 or toll-free in Quebec at 1-800-268-7582.

Image with caption: "Sbastien Benoit, TV and Radio Host, provincial spokesperson, and Louis Adam, Executive Director, of the MS Society - Quebec Division (CNW Group/Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada )". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120429_C2233_PHOTO_EN_12852.jpg

Source: Marie-Eve Ouellet Communications Coordinator Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada Quebec Division 514-849-7591 ext. 245 1-800-268-7582 (toll-free in Quebec) ormarie-eve.ouellet@scleroseenplaques.ca.

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We've walked for people living with Multiple Sclerosis!

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Public release date: 26-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sarah Avery sarah.avery@duke.edu 919-660-1306 Duke University Medical Center

DURHAM, N.C. Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have shown the ability to turn scar tissue that forms after a heart attack into heart muscle cells using a new process that eliminates the need for stem cell transplant.

The study, published online April 26 in the journal Circulation Research, used molecules called microRNAs to trigger the cardiac tissue conversion in a lab dish and, for the first time, in a living mouse, demonstrating the potential of a simpler process for tissue regeneration.

If additional studies confirm the approach in human cells, it could lead to a new way for treating many of the 23 million people worldwide who suffer heart failure, which is often caused by scar tissue that develops after a heart attack. The approach could also have benefit beyond heart disease.

"This is a significant finding with many therapeutic implications," said Victor J. Dzau, M.D., a senior author on the study who is James B. Duke professor of medicine and chancellor of health affairs at Duke University. "If you can do this in the heart, you can do it in the brain, the kidneys and other tissues. This is a whole new way of regenerating tissue."

To initiate the regeneration, Dzau's team at Duke used microRNAs, which are molecules that serve as master regulators controlling the activity of multiple genes. Tailored in a specific combination, the microRNAs were delivered into scar tissue cells called fibroblasts, which develop after a heart attack and impair the organ's ability to pump blood.

Once deployed, the microRNAs reprogrammed fibroblasts to become cells resembling the cardiomyocytes that make up heart muscle. The Duke team not only proved this concept in the laboratory, but also demonstrated that the cell conversion could occur inside the body of a mouse a major requirement for regenerative medicine to become a potential therapy.

"This is one of the exciting things about our study," said Maria Mirotsou, PhD, assistant professor of cardiology at Duke and a senior author of the study. "We were able to achieve this tissue conversion in the heart with these microRNAs, which may be more practical for direct delivery into cells and allow for possible development of therapies without using genetic methods or transplantation of stem cells."

The researchers said using microRNA for tissue regeneration has several potential advantages over genetic methods or transplantation of stem cells, which have been difficult to manage inside the body. Notably, the microRNA process eliminates technical problems such as genetic alterations, while also avoiding the ethical dilemmas posed by stem cells.

Excerpt from:
Duke team turns scar tissue into heart muscle without using stem cells

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BEIRUT: A Lebanese expatriate in Australia in need of a bone marrow transplant is looking to find a match in Lebanon and in the process is working to raise awareness to create a national registry of donors in Lebanon.

It would be amazing if there could be a bone marrow registry in Lebanon, says Pamela Bou Sejean. Im getting treatment to keep my cancer under control. But I cant go on too long, said 26-year-old Lebanese expatriate from Western Australia who was diagnosed in 2010 with Hodgkins lymphoma, a type of leukemia that can be treated with a bone marrow transplant.

Bone marrow transplants treat different types of blood cancer, including leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myloma, as well as several non-malignant conditions. The United States and Western Europe have databases for anonymous donors, with Germany having approximately 1 million registered. The best matches tend to be from donors related to the patient, and when that fails, doctors turn to their national registries.

None of Bou Sejeans relatives turned out to be a match, nor was anyone on the national registry in Australia. Her doctors told her that her best hope would be to find a match in her ancestral country of Lebanon, where potential donors have similar genes.

However, until now, bone marrow transplants in Lebanon have almost all been done with relatives of patients because of a lack of a national registry, as well as government funding or charities that can cover the $500 cost of the donor test.

Australia, on the other hand, has been covering the entire cost of Bou Sejeans treatment, including a $10,000 stem cell transplant last year and all of her tests in Lebanon.

Bou Sejean is hoping that her story will help raise enough awareness to push the government to create a national registry program and also encourage Lebanese citizens to take the test and the chance to save someones life.

If a registry is available, people can take the test, Bou Sejean says. Its not painful. Its just like a blood test. It takes the blood and separates the stem cells. To save someones life is worth it.

Bou Sejeans public awareness campaign started when a friend told her local newspaper, the Geelong Advertiser, about her situation. Other media interviews followed. When it was announced that President Michel Sleiman would be traveling to Australia, a newspaper put her in contact with his staff, who arranged a private meeting that lasted half an hour during his state visit.

During a speech in which he addressed members of Lebanons expatriate community in Melbourne, Sleiman implored the Lebanese to take the test to see if they are a match, rhetorically asking, Are we incapable of giving Pamela blood?

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Woman’s plight spurs push for marrow registry - feature

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Stem cell transplant wait time considerably longer in poor countries. Nigeria's recently established bone marrow registry promises to boost lifesaving matches

Some 200,000 babies are born annually in sub-Saharan Africa with sickle cell disease, a blood disorder in which mutated red blood cells can clump and block blood vessels, causing pain, infection and organ damage. Nigeria has up to two million sickle cell patients, many of whom can benefit from stem cell transplants.

Stem cells are the building blocks of blood and immune cells. Establishing the mechanics of stem cell transplantation in Nigeria is a very important milestone, said Terry Schlaphoff, deputy director of South Africas bone marrow registry.

Bone marrow registries hold key information about stem cell donors to help match them with patients. There are currently two such registries in Africa, one in South Africa and now Nigeria.

In countries with low per capita incomes, stem cell transplants remain relatively rare due to lack of knowledge, trained health workers and, most importantly, availability of stem cells. African patients who need a matching donor have virtually no chance of survival, unless they are wealthy enough to travel abroad for treatment, said Seun Adebiyi, founder of Nigerias bone marrow registry.

Matching bone marrow or blood cells collected from donors to the patients who need it can offer lifesaving treatments for more than 70 diseases, including leukaemia, lymphoma (cancer) and sickle-cell anaemia.

Limited availability

Worldwide, there are fewer than 15 million registered donors, and patients far outstrip the number of donors, according to the Netherlands-based information centre, Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW).

Reflecting only a fraction of overall need, 14,206 transplants from non-relatives and 4,255 transplants from umbilical cord blood were provided to patients worldwide in 2011, said Machteld Oudshoorn, chair of BMDWs editorial board.

For most patients in developing countries, awaiting a transplant remains associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and represents one example of high-cost, highly specialized medicine, according to a recent medical report.

More:
NIGERIA: Bone marrow register an important milestone

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Heart attacks, like any wound, often leave behind scar tissue. But a scarred heart isn't just disfigured, it's weaker -- scar tissue can't contract so the organ loses some of its pumping ability.

If only a fairy could wave a magic wand to transform scar tissue into heart muscle cells.

Well, that transformation has happened in mice -- but the fairy was a team of Duke University Medical Center scientists, and the magic wand was a kind of small molecule called microRNA, which can turn many kinds of genes on or off.

Scientists administered microRNA to scar tissue cells both in petri dishes and in the hearts of living mice, which reprogrammed the scar tissue cells into muscle cells that power the heart; no stem cells or surgery required.

The scientists, led by senior author Victor J. Dzau, reported their findings on Tuesday in the journal Circulation Research.

Scientists need to conduct further studies to examine how the transformed tissue performs compared to the rest of the heart, Dzau said in a telephone interview. And it still remains to be seen if the method works on human hearts.

However, this proof of concept is important in that it shows that scar tissue can be reprogrammed in living animals.

Similar reprogramming may be possible for scar tissues found in other organs including brains and kidneys, Dzau said.

The Duke research is similar to findings reported by Gladstone Institutes scientists in Nature last week. But Gladstone researchers used a different method to reprogram the scar tissue, giving mice a cocktail of three genes instead of microRNA.

The effect was essentially the same. Genes that encouraged the development of heart muscle characteristics were switched on, and the scar tissue gradually metamorphosed into myocardial cells of the heart muscle.

Continued here:
Scientists Reprogram Cells To Heal Broken Hearts

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25-04-2012 14:45 A plastic chip can whether a patient is resistant to cancer drugs or has diseases like malaria. The chip can also find infectious diseases in a herd of cattle. Source: Univ. of Alberta Read more:

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Lab-on-a-Chip Enables Personalized Medicine - Video

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25-04-2012 23:54 Regenerative Medicine session at the 2011 Sacramento Med Tech Showcase by SARTA MedStart

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Regenerative Medicine Session at Sacramento Med Tech Showcase 2011 - Video

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

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT;OTCBB: ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced that it will webcast todays corporate presentation at 9:15 a.m. PDT, after the formal portion of its Annual Shareholders Meeting has concluded. Prior to the webcast, proxy voting will be completed and the results announced to the shareholders in attendance. The meeting is open to shareholders of record as of March 1, 2012. After the corporate presentation, the Company will address questions from shareholders in attendance, as well as electronically via the webcast.

The webcast will be available live and via replay at: http://us.meeting-stream.com/advancedcelltechnology042612

The Presentation schedule is as follows:

About Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.

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

Forward-Looking Statements

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

Original post:
Advanced Cell Technology Announces Webcast of Corporate Presentation at Annual Shareholders’ Meeting Today

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Public release date: 26-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Professor Palle Serup palle.serup@sund.ku.dk 01-145-402-20026 University of Copenhagen

Scientists from The Danish Stem Cell Center (DanStem) at the University of Copenhagen and Hagedorn Research Institute have gained new insight into the signaling paths that control the body's insulin production. This is important knowledge with respect to their final goal: the conversion of stem cells into insulin-producing beta cells that can be implanted into patients who need them. The research results have just been published in the well-respected journal PNAS.

Insulin is a hormone produced by beta cells in the pancreas. If these beta cells are defective, the body develops diabetes. Insulin is vital to life and therefore today the people who cannot produce their own in sufficient quantities, or at all, receive carefully measured doses often via several daily injections. Scientists hope that in the not-so-distant future it will be possible to treat diabetes more effectively and prevent secondary diseases such as cardiac disease, blindness and nerve and kidney complications by offering diabetes patients implants of new, well-functioning, stem-cell-based beta cells.

"In order to get stem cells to develop into insulin-producing beta cells, it is necessary to know what signaling mechanisms normally control the creation of beta cells during fetal development. This is what our new research results can contribute," explains Professor Palle Serup from DanStem.

"When we know the signaling paths, we can copy them in test tubes and thus in time convert stem cells to beta cells," says Professor Serup.

The new research results were obtained in a cooperative effort between DanStem, the Danish Hagedorn Research Institute and international partners in Japan, Germany, Korea and the USA. The scientific paper has just been published in the well-respected international journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) entitled Mind bomb 1 is required for pancreatic -cell formation.

Better control of stem cells

The signaling mechanism that controls the first steps of the development from stem cells to beta cells has long been known.

"Our research contributes knowledge about the next step in development and the signaling involved in the communication between cells an area that has not been extensively described. This new knowledge about the ability of the so-called Notch signaling first to inhibit and then to stimulate the creation of hormone-producing cells is crucially important to being able to control stem cells better when working with them in test tubes," explains Professor Palle Serup .

More here:
Stem cell researchers map new knowledge about insulin production

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Mike Ivey writes on all matters money in the spirit of Capital Times founder William T. Evjue, who believed that the concentration of wealth in the U.S. is not healthy for the Democracy.

When UW-Madison's James Thomson in 1998 became the first scientist to grow human embryonic stem cells in a lab, it generated tremendous excitement about the medical possibilities.

Thomson tried to downplay the breakthrough but talk spread about cures for Alzheimers or Parkinsons disease, growing livers for cirrhosis suffers or producing healthy heart cells for cardiac patients.

The miracle cures have been slow in coming, however. Scientists can replicate healthy nerve cells in a Petri dish but havent found a way to replace defective spinal cells in ALS victims, for example.

In many ways, were still at the first steps,Anita Bhattacharyya, a senior scientist in the stem cell program at the UW's Waisman Center, told a business group Tuesday.

Butproducing stem cells for others to use is proving one of Madisons more promising new business ventures. Pharmaceutical companies in particular are using stem cells to test drugs before launching into expensive further testing.

Were making these cells available to the masses, says Chris Parker, chief technology officer at Cellular Dynamics International.

Launched by Thomson -- and backed with $100 million from a local investor group -- Cellular Dynamics International was lauded recently by MIT as one of the 50 most important companies in the world

Since its founding in 2005, the company now counts 107 employees at it offices in University Research Park and is continuing to grow.

Im hiring right now, Parker joked toa lunch crowd of the Wisconsin Technology Council Tuesday.

Continued here:
Biz Beat: Making stem cells "available to the masses"

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

ScienceDaily (Apr. 24, 2012) Although people generally talk about cancer, it is clear that the disease occurs in a bewildering variety of forms. Even single groups of cancers, such as those of the white blood cells, may show widely differing properties. How do the various cancers arise and what factors determine their progression? Clues to these two issues, at least for leukemias, have now been provided by Boris Kovacic and colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna). The results are published in the current issue of the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine and have extremely important consequences for the treatment of a particularly aggressive type of leukemia.

It is well known that many types of cancer arise as a result of a mutation within a cell and prevailing wisdom has held that the stage of differentiation of this cell determines exactly what form of cancer develops. For example, it was believed that so-called chronic myeloid leukemia or CML arises from bone marrow stem cells, while a different type of leukemia, known as B-cell acute lymphoid leukemia or B-ALL, results from B-cell precursors. This belief has been spectacularly refuted by the latest results from Boris Kovacic and colleagues in the Vetmeduni Viennas institutes of Animal Breeding and Genetics and of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

The researchers have now shown that both CML and B-ALL arise from the most primordial kind of blood cell (long-term haematopoietic stem cells), although the pathways by which the diseases progress are different. The usual causes of CML and B-ALL are two highly related versions of the same oncogene, BCR/ABL. If the primordial blood cells are transformed or made potentially cancerous by a particular version of BCR/ABL, for technical reasons termed BCR/ABLp210, the result is chronic myeloid leukemia or CML. The long-term haematopoietic stem cells remain and act as the dreaded cancer stem cells, or CSCs, which ensure that the disease persists. Curing chronic myeloid leukemia requires the complete elimination of the CSCs. However, if the long-term haematopoietic stem cells are transformed by a related version of BCR/ABL, BCR/ABLp185, the result is a highly aggressive form of leukemia, B-ALL. The finding that B-ALL actually originates from the same stem cells as CML was both unexpected and highly provocative.

Kovacic and colleagues have shown further that B-ALL only develops if the transformed stem cell is exposed to a particular growth factor, interleukin-7. If interleukin-7 is present (it usually is), the transformed long-term haematopoietic stem cells undergo a differentiation step to CSCs, which in this case correspond to pro-B cells. If interleukin-7 is absent during the initial phase of transformation, B-ALL cannot develop.

In other words, two distinct types of cell are involved in leukemia development, the primordial cells (also termed the cells of origin of cancer) and the cancer stem cells that cause the disease to progress. Unless the CSCs are eliminated, fresh cancer cells can arise at any time and the leukemia will recur. The problem is that current leukemia therapies are not designed to target CSCs. The primordial CSCs in CML are highly quiescent and thus difficult to target. In contrast, the CSCs in B-ALL are abundant and have a high turnover rate, which makes them susceptible to treatment. Treatment of B-ALL may thus succeed in eliminating most CSCs but if even a single cell remains intact it is likely that the patient will relapse, possibly with an even more aggressive form of leukemia. A therapy that targets the bulk of tumour cells will not work, as Kovacic succinctly summarizes his results. To treat B-ALL successfully it will be necessary for us to learn much more about the development of the disease. A combined therapy is required, so future work should aim at developing drugs that target the long-term haematopoietic stem cells from which B-ALL is derived.

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Leukemia cells have a remembrance of things past

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire -04/25/12)- VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (VSTA.OB - News) (VSTA.OB - News), a biotechnology company applying stem cell technology for drug rescue, has secured a new United States patent covering the company's proprietary methods used to measure and type the toxic effects produced by drug compounds in liver stem cells.

Test methods included in this new patent, (U.S. Patent 11/445,733), titled "Toxicity Typing Using Liver Stem Cells," cover all mammalian liver stem cells -- rat and mouse cells, for example, in addition to human cells. Liver stem cells used in drug testing can be derived from in vivo tissue or produced from embryonic stem cells (ES) or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS).

H. Ralph Snodgrass, Ph.D., VistaGen's President and Chief Scientific Officer, said, "This patent covers the monitoring of changes in gene expression as an assay for predicting drug toxicities. It is well known that drugs activate and suppress specific genes, and that the changes in gene expression reflect the mechanism of drug toxicities. The specific sets of genes that are affected become a profile of that drug."

VistaGen's new patent also covers techniques used to develop a database of gene expression profiles of drugs that have the same type of liver toxicity. Using sophisticated "pattern matching" database tools, drug developers can analyze these related profiles to determine "gene expression signatures" that are common and predictive of drugs that produce specific types of toxicity.

"Without this database capability, a drug's single gene expression profile could not be interpreted," Dr. Snodgrass added. "The ability to use liver stem cells to differentiate drug-dependent gene expression profiles, and to compare those profiles of drugs known to induce toxic liver effects, provides a powerful tool for predicting liver toxicity of new drug candidates, including drug rescue variants."

Shawn K. Singh, VistaGen's Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Strong and enforceable intellectual property rights are critical components of our plan to optimize the commercial potential of our Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube platform. This new liver toxicity typing patent further solidifies our growing IP portfolio, and supports the continuing development of LiverSafe 3D, our human liver cell-based bioassay system, which complements our CardioSafe 3D human heart cell-based bioassay system for heart toxicity."

About VistaGen Therapeutics

VistaGen is a biotechnology company applying human pluripotent stem cell technology for drug rescue and cell therapy. VistaGen's drug rescue activities combine its human pluripotent stem cell technology platform, Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube, with modern medicinal chemistry to generate new chemical variants (Drug Rescue Variants) of once-promising small-molecule drug candidates. These are drug candidates discontinued due to heart toxicity after substantial development by pharmaceutical companies, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) or university laboratories. VistaGen uses its pluripotent stem cell technology to generate early indications, or predictions, of how humans will ultimately respond to new drug candidates before they are ever tested in humans, bringing human biology to the front end of the drug development process.

Additionally, VistaGen's small molecule drug candidate, AV-101, is in Phase 1b development for treatment of neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain, a serious and chronic condition causing pain after an injury or disease of the peripheral or central nervous system, affects approximately 1.8 million people in the U.S. alone. VistaGen is also exploring opportunities to leverage its current Phase 1 clinical program to enable additional Phase 2 clinical studies of AV-101 for epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and depression. To date, VistaGen has been awarded over $8.5 million from the NIH for development of AV-101.

Visit VistaGen at http://www.VistaGen.com, follow VistaGen at http://www.twitter.com/VistaGen or view VistaGen's Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/VistaGen

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VistaGen Secures Key U.S. Patent Covering Stem Cell Technology Methods Used to Test Drug Candidates for Liver Toxicity

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/msjp88/recent_advances_in) has announced the addition of Elsevier Science and Technology's new report "Recent Advances in Cancer Research and Therapy" to their offering.

Cancer continues to be one of the major causes of death throughout the developed world, which has led to increased research on effective treatments. Because of this, in the past decade, rapid progress in the field of cancer treatment has been seen. Recent Advances in Cancer Research and Therapy reviews in specific details some of the most effective and promising treatments developed in research centers worldwide. While referencing advances in traditional therapies and treatments such as chemotherapy, this book also highlights advances in biotherapy including research using Interferon and Super Interferon, HecI based and liposome based therapy, gene therapy, and p53 based cancer therapy. There is also a discussion of current cancer research in China including traditional Chinese medicine. Written by leading scientists in the field, this book provides an essential insight into the current state of cancer therapy and treatment.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Biotherapy of Cancer: Progress in China

2. Cancer Targeting Gene-Viro-Therapy (CTGVT) and Its Promising Future

3. Relationship Between Antiproliferative Activities and Class I MHC Surface Expression of Mouse Interferon Proteins on B16-F10 Melanoma Cells

4. Mitotic Regulator Hec1 as a Potential Target for Developing Breast Cancer Therapeutics

5. Advances in Liposome-based Targeted Gene Therapy of Cancer

6. Re-wiring the Intracellular Signaling Network in Cancer

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Research and Markets: Recent Advances in Cancer Research and Therapy - Increased Research on one of the Major Causes ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire -04/25/12)- Medistem Inc. (MEDS.PK - News) announced Dr. Gene Ray, founder of $2.6 Billion Titan Corp, has invested in and joined the Advisory Board for Medistem Inc. Dr. Ray is a Ph.D in Theoretical Physics, Inventor, and Entrepreneur who founded and sold Titan Corp for $2.6 Billion. Dr. Ray has a long track record of success in developing science and technology solutions for the Department of Defense and Homeland Security.

"When Dr. Ichim presented Medistem's story to me two years ago, I was intrigued by the possibility of security and military applications of the Universal Donor adult stem cell that Medistem has discovered," said Dr. Ray. "Since that time, Medistem has obtained FDA approval for clinical trials, numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals with top-notch Universities, and built an experienced management team. When Medistem asked for my help in assisting with strategic issues associated with value optimization and positioning in the arena of military/radioprotectant applications, I was eager to not only offer my expertise, but also to become an investor in the company."

A native of Kentucky, Dr. Ray's academic achievements include: B.S. in Mathematics, Physics & Chemistry, Murray State University, M.S. in Physics and Ph.D in Theoretical Physics, University of Tennessee. In addition to founding Titan Corporation, Dr. Ray has served as Executive Vice President at SAIC, Chief of the Strategic Division of the USAF and as a defense industry analyst. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Decision Sciences on the Board of Artel Corporation, and Chairman of the Cardiology Advisory Board at Scripps Clinic.

Medistem's lead product, the Endometrial Regenerative Cell (ERC), is a stem cell that is more economical to produce, due to its unique origin, and studies suggest it is more effective than other stem cell sources. In addition to the ongoing 60 patient double-blind RECOVER-ERC clinical trial for Heart Failure and its FDA approved Critical Limb Ischemia trial, the company has been investigating possibility of using its new stem cell in protection from radiation injury. Medistem filed patent number 61/625657 covering use of ERC for radiation protection. Dr. Ray's experience working with The Department of Defense and Homeland Security will significantly help Medistem position itself for potential military application of ERCs for radiation exposure.

"I have followed the work of Dr. Ray for some time now with great admiration," said Thomas Ichim, CEO of Medistem. "There are few people in the world that have the unique combination of being a genuine innovator while at the same time having the talent to transform ideas into return on investment to shareholders. Dr. Ray has successfully optimized value in businesses he founded ranging from novel computer systems, to translation services, to food pasteurization, and more recently to detection of nuclear material using muon-based technology. This ability to seamlessly transverse across disciplines, while finding means of successful commercialization, suggested to us that Dr. Ray will add great value to the breadth of applications that our stem cell product may be used for."

Commercialization of therapies for radioprotection fall under the "Animal Efficacy" rule developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002 which eliminates the requirement for Phase II and Phase III clinical trials. Under this rule marketing approval is based upon efficacy studies in representative animal species and only Phase I safety data is needed. Medistem believes safety data from its current clinical trials will be sufficient in combination with animal efficacy data, thereby making the commercialization of these therapies ready for market quickly.

"We believe that Dr. Ray will be of great assistance in positioning us in the expanding market for stem cell-based therapeutics," said Dr. Vladimir Bogin, Chairman of Medistem. "Development of novel radioprotectants in the area of cell therapy has attracted significant defense interest. The company Osiris received a $4.2 million upfront grant for large animal studies along with a procurement order of $224.7 million (http://investor.osiris.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=284617) while Cellarant last year received a $153 million award for development and stockpiling of their hematopoietic progenitor cells from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) for use in radiation sickness (http://www.cellerant.com/pr_090110.html). We plan to seek similar contracts/grants for our ongoing work in this space."

"It is our honor to have Dr. Ray personally invest in and join the Medistem Family. Through leveraging his experience, wisdom, and ingenuity, we are confident in accelerating the process of value optimization for our shareholders," said Vladimir Zaharchook, Vice Chairman and Vice President of Medistem.

About Medistem Inc. Medistem Inc. is a biotechnology company developing technologies related to adult stem cell extraction, manipulation, and use for treating inflammatory and degenerative diseases. The company's lead product, the endometrial regenerative cell (ERC), is a "universal donor" stem cell being developed for critical limb ischemia and heart failure. A publication describing the support for use of ERC for this condition may be found at http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/pdf/1479-5876-6-45.pdf.

Cautionary Statement This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of our securities. This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking information. Factors which may cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements are discussed in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Gene Ray, Founder of $2.6 Billion Titan Corp, Invests in Medistem's ERC Technology and Joins Advisory Board

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 24-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Paul Scotti scotti.paul@mayo.edu 904-953-2299 Mayo Clinic

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A single gene that promotes initial development of the most common form of lung cancer and its lethal metastases has been identified by researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Their study suggests other forms of cancer may also be driven by this gene, matrix metalloproteinase-10 (MMP-10).

The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE on April 24, shows that MMP-10 is a growth factor secreted and then used by cancer stem-like cells to keep themselves vital. These cells then drive lung cancer and its spread, and are notoriously immune to conventional treatment.

The findings raise hope for a possible treatment for non-small cell lung cancer, the leading cause of U.S. cancer deaths. Researchers discovered that by shutting down MMP-10, lung cancer stem cells lose their ability to develop tumors. When the gene is given back to the cells, they can form tumors again.

The power of this gene is extraordinary, says senior investigator Alan Fields, Ph.D., the Monica Flynn Jacoby Professor of Cancer Research within the Department of Cancer Biology at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

"Our data provides evidence that MMP-10 plays a dual role in cancer. It stimulates the growth of cancer stem cells and stimulates their metastatic potential,'' he says. "This helps explain an observation that has been seen in cancer stem cells from many tumor types, namely that cancer stem cells appear to be not only the cells that initiate tumors, but also the cells that give rise to metastases."

Dr. Fields says the findings were unexpected, for several reasons.

The first is that the cancer stem cells express MMP-10 themselves, and use it for their own growth. Most of the known members of the matrix metalloproteinase genes are expressed in the tumor's microenvironment, the cells and tissue that surround a tumor, he says. The enzymes produced by these genes are involved in breaking down the microenvironment that keeps a tumor in place, allowing cancer cells to spread, which is why other genes in this family have been linked to cancer metastasis.

"The fact that a gene like MMP-10, which codes for a matrix metalloproteinase that has been linked to metastasis, is actually required for the growth and maintenance of cancer stem cells is very surprising. One would not have predicted that such a gene would be involved in this process," Dr. Fields says.

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Mayo Clinic identifies gene critical to development and spread of lung cancer

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Scientists from the Mayo Clinic have identified a single gene that appears to be a major driving force in the development and spread of the most common form of lung cancer. The study also suggested the gene may play a role in a number of other different types of cancer.

Matrix metalloproteinase-10 (MMP-10) is a growth factor gene used by cancer stem-like cells to keep themselves healthy, as well as migrate into the bloodstream or lymph nodes. Thanks in part to MMP-10, these stem cells are highly resistant to cancer treatments.

This family of [MMP] genes have been implicated for a long time in the process of metastasis the ability of tumors to migrate out of the primary site and survive and move to a distal site, Dr. Alan P. Fields, the Monica Flynn Jacoby Professor of Cancer Research at Mayo Clinic in Florida, told FoxNews.com.

According to Fields, metastasis depends on the ability of MMP genes to degrade the stroma or the environment surrounding the tumor. The stroma normally provides structure for tissues and acts as a barrier against cancer cells.

However, it was a surprise to researchers when they found that MMP was not only involved in metastasis, but also in the earliest stages of tumor growth.

In a mouse model of lung cancer, when we inhibited MMP, we found these animals were deficient in their ability to initiate tumors when we attempted to activate tumor formations, Fields said. We expected the tumors would form, but not progress to the point of metastasizing. But the tumors never started growing.

The study suggested it was the overexpression of MMP-10 specifically that drives the cancer stem cells. In normal tissues, the amount of MMP-10 is very low, but in cancerous tissues it is expressed much more highly. Besides lung cancer, MMP-10 is also suspected to play a role in colorectal, breast, prostate, ovarian and kidney cancers, as well as melanoma and renal cell carcinoma.

The finding suggests drugs or compounds that inhibit MMP-10 activity could be effective as anti-tumor agents with the potential to prevent the spread of tumors or even cause them to regress.

Current cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, target the cells that make up the bulk of a tumor. But because the cancer-driving stem cells are left intact, the cancer can and often does return.

Tumor stem cells are very resistant to these therapeutic agents, so they remain at the site of the tumor even as the tumor regresses and the patient goes it to remission, Fields explained. Then what happens is you see a relapse or recurrence of the tumor due to these stem cells.

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Scientists identify 'critical' gene for development and spread of lung cancer

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 25-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Peter Tarr tarr@cshl.edu 516-367-8455 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Cold Spring Harbor, NY A team led by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) publishes research today indicating a striking association between genes found disrupted in children with autism and genes that are targets of FMRP, the protein generated by the gene FMR1, whose dysfunction causes Fragile-X syndrome. The new study appears online April 25 in the journal Neuron.

Fragile-X syndrome is the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability. It is also counted among the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) owing to the co-occurrence of autism-like symptoms in patients. A usually devastating disorder, Fragile X occurs when the FRM1 gene fails to direct nerve cells to manufacture FMRP, the FMR1-encoded protein, which plays a vital role in neural development and synaptic plasticity.

"A surprising proportion -- up to 20% -- of the candidate genes we see in our sample drawn from 343 autism families appear to be regulated by FMRP," says CSHL Research Investigator Dr. Michael Ronemus, co-first author of the new study. "Because of research connecting FMRP to the phenomenon of neuroplasticity, our work indicates a possible convergence of mechanisms causing autism," adds CSHL Professor Michael Wigler, the senior author of the study. Neuroplasticity is the process by which our brains become sensitized and desensitized to repetitive inputs.

Besides team leader Wigler, a geneticist, others who worked on the study included CSHL sequencing authority Dr. W. Richard McCombie, a sequencing team at Washington University, St. Louis, and Drs. Michael Schatz, Ivan Iossifov and Dan Levy of CSHL, all computational biologists.

Families studied by the team were part of the Simons Simplex Collection. This collection is comprised of "simplex" autism families: those with at least two children, only one of whom has autism spectrum disorder or ASD. In such cases, disease causation has been previously linked to de novo, or spontaneously occurring, gene mutations.

The new research reached its conclusions based on full exome sequencing of each family member's genome. The exome is the portion of the genome less than 2% of the total -- in which DNA encodes proteins. By studying simplex families, researchers seek to discover, among other things, the fraction of autism caused by gene mutations that are not inherited.

This study focused on small-scale de novo mutations changes in DNA as small as a single DNA "letter" relative to the normal sequence, and small insertions or deletions as large as 10 or 15 letters. In the majority of children with small de novo mutations those mutations traced to the father's germ cells (sperm), in an age-dependent manner. Thus, the children of older parents were more likely to have the sorts of mutations that can cause autism.

There are many types of gene mutations, some more likely to result in biological dysfunction than others. One of the most important findings of this study concerned the type of small-scale de novo mutations most likely to play a causative role in autism. "We found that those small-scale de novo changes that disrupt genes in other words, those that disrupt the production of a normal length protein -- are twice as frequent in affected vs. unaffected children," says CSHL Assistant Professor Ivan Iossifov, a quantitative biologist who is the study's other co-first author. (In technical terms, these "disrupting" mutations include frame-shift, splice-site, and nonsense mutations, but not missense mutations.)

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A striking link is found between the Fragile-X gene and mutations that cause autism

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

ScienceDaily (Apr. 24, 2012) A single gene that promotes initial development of the most common form of lung cancer and its lethal metastases has been identified by researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Their study suggests other forms of cancer may also be driven by this gene, matrix metalloproteinase-10 (MMP-10).

The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE on April 24, shows that MMP-10 is a growth factor secreted and then used by cancer stem-like cells to keep themselves vital. These cells then drive lung cancer and its spread, and are notoriously immune to conventional treatment.

The findings raise hope for a possible treatment for non-small cell lung cancer, the leading cause of U.S. cancer deaths. Researchers discovered that by shutting down MMP-10, lung cancer stem cells lose their ability to develop tumors. When the gene is given back to the cells, they can form tumors again.

The power of this gene is extraordinary, says senior investigator Alan Fields, Ph.D., the Monica Flynn Jacoby Professor of Cancer Research within the Department of Cancer Biology at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

"Our data provides evidence that MMP-10 plays a dual role in cancer. It stimulates the growth of cancer stem cells and stimulates their metastatic potential,'' he says. "This helps explain an observation that has been seen in cancer stem cells from many tumor types, namely that cancer stem cells appear to be not only the cells that initiate tumors, but also the cells that give rise to metastases."

Dr. Fields says the findings were unexpected, for several reasons.

The first is that the cancer stem cells express MMP-10 themselves, and use it for their own growth. Most of the known members of the matrix metalloproteinase genes are expressed in the tumor's microenvironment, the cells and tissue that surround a tumor, he says. The enzymes produced by these genes are involved in breaking down the microenvironment that keeps a tumor in place, allowing cancer cells to spread, which is why other genes in this family have been linked to cancer metastasis.

"The fact that a gene like MMP-10, which codes for a matrix metalloproteinase that has been linked to metastasis, is actually required for the growth and maintenance of cancer stem cells is very surprising. One would not have predicted that such a gene would be involved in this process," Dr. Fields says.

The researchers also did not expect to find that cancer stem cells produce much more MMP-10 than do the rest of the cells that make up the bulk of the tumor.

"MMP-10 acts to keep these cancer stem cells healthy and self renewing, which also helps explain why these cells escape conventional chemotherapy that might destroy the rest of the tumor," Dr. Fields says. "That is why lung cancer often recurs after treatment, and why its spread to other parts of the lung, as well as nearby lymph nodes, the brain, liver and spinal cord can't be stopped."

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Gene critical to development and spread of lung cancer identified

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith