BRIDGEPORT -- Every person is unique. Thus, it follows that no two people will respond the same exact way to the same illness, the same medication or even the same food.

At least, that's the theory behind much of what's taught at the University of Bridgeport's College of Naturopathic Medicine, where students are trained in providing a more personalized kind of medical care. "Rather than (advocating) the practice of `Everyone with this disease gets this drug,' we focus on treating the individual," said Dr. David M. Brady, UB vice provost for health sciences.

The college will soon be able to expand its training and provide more naturopathic health services to the greater Bridgeport community with the development of its new Center for Excellence in Generative Medicine, which is slated to open in late March or early April. The center will be located in a grand, white former Victorian across the street from UB's Health Sciences Center, where many naturopathic students are currently trained.

The Center for Excellence will build on the work of its new director, Dr. Peter D'Adamo, supervising physician of the personalized medicine shift at the Health Sciences Center. D'Adamo is perhaps best known for writing the best-selling 1996 book "Eat Right 4 Your Type," which advocates the theory that your blood type is a genetic marker that dictates which types of foods are best for you.

As a doctor, he's designed a software program, called SWAMI, that uses various pieces of genetic information about a patient to determine which foods are most beneficial for him or her. "How does one person thrive on a low-fat diet and one person thrive on a low-carb diet?" D'Adamo said. "The truth is, there are probably as many different kinds of diets as there are people."

The SWAMI software is used as part of the naturopathic college's curriculum. He's also working on a form of software that uses genetic information and other data to determine the best medical therapies for an individual patient.

D'Adamo said, too often, physicians overlook things like genetic markers and nutrition when determining the best way to treat a patient. Among its many missions, the Center of Excellence will sponsor research in the fields of nutrigenomics and epigenetics, which examine how human genes interact and are affected by the environment, lifestyle and diet.

Brady and D'Adamo said the new center is in keeping with the university's commitment to both education and to serving the community. The university's health programs -- which include not just the naturopathic college, but also schools of acupuncture, chiropractic medicine, dental hygiene, human nutrition and a physician assistant school -- conduct about 20,000 patient visits a year and provide several million dollars worth of medical care. The care is provided at a low cost or no cost.

"The nice thing about this is we're offering a high level of health care to the medically underserved," Adamo said.

Many of UB's naturopathic students are looking forward to the opening of the new center, including Kristin Tomko, a fourth-year naturopathic medicine student from Jericho, Vt. "I think it's a great idea," she said.

acuda@ctpost.com; 203-330-6290; twitter.com/AmandaCuda; http://blog.ctnews.com/whatthehealth/

Continue reading here:
University of Bridgeport to open 'Center of Excellence'

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

By Julian Gavaghan

Last updated at 11:00 AM on 13th February 2012

Twin brothers have told of their ‘devastation’ after both dramatically lost their sight to a rare condition that affects just a few hundred people.

Michael and Dan Smith, 20, are still determined to finish university and get good jobs after being left almost totally blind by Leber's Optic Neuropathy.

Michael, who is in football training for this year's Paralympic Games, lost his sight in a matter of weeks while in his first year at Bart's and the London School of Medicine.

Rare condition: Dan (left) and Michael Smith suffer from Leber's optic Neuropathy

Less than a year later, his brother Dan suffered the same fate while in his second year studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Bristol.

The identical pair, who can only make out shadowy shapes, have been forced to adapt their lives, learning Braille and re-learning how to cook and choose clothes.

 

They also plan to embark on a 350-mile tandem bike ride from London to Amsterdam in April.

Michael first noted changes to his vision in November 2009, forcing him into the ‘crushing’ realisation he could not continue his degree in medicine.

WHAT EXACTLY IS LEBER'S OPTIC NEUROPATHY?

Leber's Optic Neuropathy is a hereditary condition passed on by the mother’s genes.

The genetic defect, which can lead to optic nerve damage – or neuropathy, is carried by roughly one in every 9,000 people.

But genes, which can cause eye cells to die off quickly, can pass though several generations without triggering the condition.

Around 50 per cent of men and 80 per cent of women with it will suffer no loss of vision. No reason is known for the difference between the sexes.

In the Smith brothers’ case, they have been unable to find any family history of sudden onset blindness going back four generations.

The main symptom is the sudden loss of vision, which is caused by a death of cells in the optic nerve responsible for relaying visual information from the eyes to the brain.

Once cells start dying, affected eyes will begin seeing colours that appear more washed out. Within a period of eight weeks, it can lead to near or total blindness.

In many cases, only one eye is affected and patients may not be aware of the loss of colour vision until the doctor asks them to cover the healthy eye.

Most of the time, however, both eyes are affected. Sometimes vision improves, although this is very unusual.

‘My symptoms came on suddenly - one day I was in a lecture and I could not make out the projector in front of me, it was really hazy,’ he said.

‘I lost 70 per cent to 80 per cent of vision in my left eye in a very short space of time.

'I continued at medical school for a couple of weeks but it was taking me half an hour to read a page of A4 and I was breaking down in tears.

‘I did not know what was happening to me. I could not recognise people's faces and I quickly lost my independence.’

A genetic test eventually revealed Michael was suffering from the rare genetic condition, which also caused rapid sight loss in his right eye.

‘It was the end of life as I knew it,’ he said. ‘I could not carry on at medical school and that was incredibly distressing. In fact, it was crushing.

‘I can never describe how devastating it was to give up on medicine.

‘Not only that but I couldn't go for a run on my own without it being dangerous, I could not prepare food, I did not know what I was wearing.’

Dan also ‘could not comprehend what was happening’ when he heard Michael's news.

‘Michael has been the closest person to me all my life and this struck him in his first week at university,’ he said. ‘It was incredibly hard to see this happening to my brother.

‘He called me to say he thought something was wrong - he wasn't able to recognise people but didn't know why. That conversation still haunts me.

‘Doctors initially thought he had a brain tumour but tests revealed that he had this rare genetic disorder.

‘The whole family was devastated as we tried to comprehend what had happened.

‘It was the cruellest of timing because it was my brother's first term at medical school and he had his whole life ahead of him.’

But further terrible news was still to come. Because the pair are identical twins, Dan was told he had a 60 per cent to 70 per cent chance of also going blind.

Optic neuropathy: Cracks show nerve damage in the eye, caused by cells dying

‘Knowing I could lose my sight was psychologically very, very tough,’ he said.

‘Leber's Optic Neuropathy is known as 'The Sword of Damocles', based on the Greek parable, because your life goes from being great, in a period of heightened happiness, to hitting rock bottom in an instance.

‘I had a pretty tough time knowing that this dark cloud was hanging over me during my first two years at university.

‘It was effectively like sitting on a time bomb that could have gone off at any moment.’

In Easter 2010, Dan began to lose sight in his left eye and within three weeks there was also ‘full scale deterioration’ in his right eye.

Michael said: ‘Once I was diagnosed, the one thing I wanted in life was for this not to happen to my brother too.’

Although Leber's Optic Neuropathy is a hereditary condition, the brothers have been unable to find any family history going back four generations.

The twins, from Barnet, north London, can now make out shadows but use white canes to help them move around.

It is not known if they will lose their remaining sight but their condition is extremely unlikely to improve.

Nevertheless, they are determined to live life to the full. Michael is now studying geography at King's College London and wants to be a disability lawyer when he graduates.

Dan is still studying aeronautical engineering and aims to go into investment banking.

Michael said: ‘The last two years have been the most difficult but also the most exciting of my life.

‘We have had to learn new skills such as Braille and a new computer language that coverts text to speech. In lectures, we have note-takers.

‘Everything is through touch now, I select clothes through touch and texture and cooking is through touch and smell.

‘I thought I would never smile again, but we wanted our lives back.’

Damage: The normally smooth contour of the retina has large black areas where photoreceptors have been lost due to the macular degeneration

Michael plays for the England blind football team and is hoping to get picked for this year's Paralympic Games.

‘It's incredibly competitive but I'm training all the time,’ he said.

The Arsenal fans will undertake the London-Amsterdam tandem bike ride on April 6 to raise awareness of their condition.

They hope to raise over ?3,000 for Blind in Business, a charity which helps blind and partially sighted people into work.

Dan Mitchell, training and fundraising manager at Blind in Business, said: ‘Having the Smith brothers embark on such a challenging journey to raise money for this small charity shows they always want to work towards bigger challenges.

‘They have both been challenged academically and have pushed themselves as visually impaired people, working towards careers in engineering and law.’

Leber's Optic Neuropathy mostly strikes young men and is caused by complex genetic defects.

Vision loss results from the death of cells in the optic nerve responsible for relaying visual information from the eyes to the brain.

Although central vision gradually improves in a small number of cases, for most people vision loss is permanent.

Michael and Dan can be sponsored via http://www.justgiving.com/sevenmenfivebikes.

 

 

Read the original here:
Twin brothers' devastation after both rapidly lost their sight due to rare genetic condition

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

John Arispizabal

"The Creative Destruction of Medicine" by Eric Topol M.D.

In “The Creative Destruction of Medicine,’’ Eric Topol, a cardiologist and geneticist at Scripps Health and Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, argues that we are on the brink of a revolutionary transformation in which recent technological and scientific advances will enable the personalization of medicine in ways that would have seemed like science fiction only a short while ago.

The convergence of six major technological advances - cellphones, personal computers, the Internet, digital devices, genetic sequencing, and social networks - are, in Topol’s view, making the “creative destruction of medicine’’ inevitable.

Topol borrows the term from economist Joseph Schumpeter, who coined it to describe the way major innovations tend to prove disruptive, rendering existing systems and technologies obsolete, as a necessary step on the path to new and better ways of doing things.

The new technologies will, he argues, bring about radical changes in the ways scientific knowledge is processed and shared more quickly and broadly; patient data collected, with real-time monitoring and diagnosis; and treatment becomes increasingly individualized. He predicts much of this will be driven by patients and that doctors and others who might be inclined to resist these changes will be under pressure either to embrace, or at the very least, to step aside and not interfere with them. And these looming developments will improve not just patient care but the efficiency of the entire health care system.

One area Topol identifies as ripe for change involves how prescription medicines are used in the country, practices that run more than $300 billion a year. He cites studies showing that popular medications such as Lipitor and Crestor have been proven to benefit only 1 to 2 percent of patients taking them who do not already have heart disease. When it becomes possible to predict in advance which patients will benefit from these medicines, a large part of the $26 billion spent annually on them could be saved, to say nothing of preventing their sometimes serious adverse effects.

Plavix, a drug given to prevent blood clots (on which $9 billion was spent in 2010), is another example. It is now known that at least 30 percent of people are unable to convert it into its active form due to genetic mutations. Not only does giving it to someone who cannot metabolize it place that person at risk for developing a dangerous blood clot, it, too, wastes resources.

Genetic variability explains why some people respond well to certain medications while others do not or suffer adverse effects from them. While the genetic mutations that determine responsiveness to Plavix can be tested for (and are, in certain medical centers), many others that affect other medications remain unknown. It is likely that as more are discovered, genetic sequencing will become a routine part of how specific treatments are chosen for patients.

This runs against the current model of using data derived from population studies of groups of patients to inform treatment decisions. Currently, there is considerable pressure from insurers on physicians to adhere to guidelines based upon data from population studies, and those who do not are penalized under the banner of “pay for performance.’’ Yet biology is more complex than standardization allows for, and simply drawing straight lines through uneven scatters of data points doesn’t change this fact.

A small warning: This book is packed with information and so some spots may be slow going for the less quantitative among us. But Topol does an excellent job of explaining all, and his enthusiasm for the possibilities of what the future holds is infectious. It can only be hoped, as the convergence he so convincingly predicts materializes, that the barriers erected by the gatekeepers of yesterday’s paradigms will be easily dismantled so as not to impede the benefits it promises.

Try BostonGlobe.com today and get two weeks FREE. Dennis Rosen, a pediatric pulmonologist, can be reached at dennis.rosen@childrens.harvard.edu.

Original post:
‘The Creative Destruction of Medicine’ by Eric Topol - The Boston Globe

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

GAITHERSBURG, MD--(Marketwire -02/08/12)- Cytomedix, Inc. (OTC.BB: CMXI.OB - News) (the "Company"), a leading developer of biologically active regenerative therapies for wound care, inflammation and angiogenesis, announces the completion of the acquisition of Aldagen, Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company developing regenerative cell therapies based on its proprietary ALDH bright cell ("ALDHbr") technology. Under the terms of the transaction as described below, Cytomedix issued preferred shares valued at $16 million based on a 10-day volume-weighted average price ("VWAP") calculated through February 2, 2012. Cytomedix will issue additional consideration to be paid in common stock upon the successful attainment of several clinical milestones. As part of the transaction, certain Aldagen investors purchased $5.0 million of Cytomedix common stock in a private placement concurrent with the closing of this acquisition.

Martin P. Rosendale, Chief Executive Officer of Cytomedix, commented, "Since joining Cytomedix as chief executive in 2008, our strategy has evolved, but the vision to transform the Company from a wound-care based technology platform into a broader regenerative medicine company has remained constant. In pursuit of this vision, we started with the successful 2010 acquisition and integration of the Angel System, a unique, best-in-class PRP platform technology that has allowed us to grow from nominal sales to $6 million per year in just over 18 months.

"This strategic acquisition of Aldagen provides Cytomedix with a novel, patent-protected cell selection technology that fits well with our existing commercial products and strengthens our long-range growth profile," he continued. "In combination, we now touch the three pillars of regenerative medicine with autologous stem cells, platelet-derived signal molecules and plasma scaffolds," he added. "We view the acquisition of Aldagen as an opportunistic transaction at an attractive valuation that will allow us to build and expand our new product development efforts with Aldagen's technology, intellectual property, people and clinical expertise. In terms of maximizing opportunity for our shareholders while managing and mitigating risk, we feel this transaction is very advantageous."

Commenting on the acquisition, Richard Kent, M.D., Chairman of the Board of Aldagen and a Partner with Intersouth Partners, Aldagen's largest shareholder, said, "We are delighted to join forces with Cytomedix as this alignment unites commercial products with a growing revenue stream with a deep pipeline of clinical opportunities. We believe these autologous technologies are complementary and hold potential to produce more therapeutics than either one could on its own. The commitment of additional capital into Cytomedix by certain Aldagen investors underscores our confidence in the very promising potential for the combination of these regenerative technologies to change how we treat a variety of large disease areas with continued unmet medical need."

Transaction Terms

At the closing, Cytomedix issued 135,398 newly designated Cytomedix Series E preferred shares to Aldagen shareholders. Pro forma for the conversion of these shares to common stock, as set forth in the designations documents for the Series E preferred stock, Aldagen shareholders will own approximately 17.3% of Cytomedix common shares outstanding after the concurrent conversion and/or redemption of all existing Cytomedix preferred shares.

There are also contingent clinical milestone payments totaling up to 20,309,723 shares, which will be issued to Aldagen shareholders upon the achievement of predetermined clinical milestones associated with an ongoing Aldagen Phase 2 trial in post-acute ischemic stroke. Notably, 80% of this contingent consideration is issuable only upon a favorable clinical efficacy signal in the above-mentioned trial. The costs of the clinical trial will be funded, in part, by the $5.0 million investment made by Aldagen shareholders, $3.0 million in proceeds from completed or committed warrant exercises by existing Cytomedix shareholders, as well as a portion of Cytomedix' cash on hand. All upfront and contingent consideration shares are subject to lockup restrictions ranging from six to 18 months.

As part of the transaction, as of the closing date three Aldagen Board members have joined the Cytomedix Board, which has been expanded to nine seats. They are Richard Kent, M.D., Chairman of the Board of Aldagen; Lyle Hohnke, Ph.D., Aldagen's former CEO; and Joseph Del Guercio, Managing Director of CNF Investments and a current Board Observer for Aldagen. Concurrent with these additions, Craig Mendelsohn has stepped down from the Cytomedix Board.

In addition, Edward L. Field, Aldagen's Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer of Cytomedix.

Aldagen is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cytomedix and will retain manufacturing and product development facilities in Durham, N.C.

For additional information about this transaction, please refer to the Company's Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or about February 8, 2012.

About Aldagen

Aldagen is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing patent-protected autologous cell-based therapeutics for tissue repair and regeneration. Aldagen's clinical development efforts are led by a team of leading researchers and experienced clinicians. All product candidates target conditions with significant unmet medical needs. Aldagen has a deep product pipeline and data generated in a number of disease states including:

ALD-301 for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease ("PAD") and critical limb ischemia ("CLI") ALD-201 for the treatment of ischemic heart failure ALD-401 for the treatment of ischemic stroke

Safety has been demonstrated in more than 70 patient treatments across all clinical trials of ALDHbr cells and positive study results in CLI and cardiac ischemia have been published and presented at major medical meetings. A growing body of scientific data validates Aldagen's proprietary technology, including approximately 250 peer-reviewed publications and presentations. Aldagen has the only stem cell selection technology utilizing an intracellular enzyme marker to fractionate essential regenerative cells from bone marrow.

Aldagen's proprietary bone marrow fractionation process identifies and isolates metabolically active cells expressing high levels of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase, or ALDH, which is a key enzyme involved in the regulation of gene activities associated with cell proliferation and differentiation. The selected biologically instructive cells, ALDHbr cells, have the potential to promote the repair and regeneration of multiple types of cells and tissues, including the growth of new blood vessels, which is critical to the generation of healthy tissue. Preclinical research suggests that ALDHbr cells specifically migrate to sites of ischemic damage and induce the formation of new blood vessels at those sites. In human clinical trials utilizing ALDHbr cells, evidence of improved perfusion in ischemic tissue has been observed. Other stem cell therapies require expansion of cells that increase manufacturing and regulatory risk, increase processing costs and may delay treatment of the patient up to several weeks. Aldagen produces well-characterized cell populations with a high level of purity without the need for these additional steps, thereby enabling a rapid turnaround time -- typically 36 hours once the bone marrow is received.

Opus National Capital Markets served as financial advisor and Cozen O'Connor served as legal counsel to Cytomedix on the acquisition. The Merchant Banking Group of Burrill & Company served as financial advisor and Hutchison Law Group served as legal counsel to Aldagen, Inc. on the transaction.

Conference Call

Cytomedix and Aldagen management will hold a conference call to discuss the acquisition and to answer questions beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, February 9, 2012. Shareholders and other interested parties may participate in the call by dialing 888-713-4214 (domestic) or 617-213-4866 (international) and entering passcode 15132911. The call will also be broadcast live on the Internet at http://www.streetevents.com, http://www.fulldisclosure.com and http://www.cytomedix.com. A slide presentation will accompany the conference call and will be posted at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, February 9, 2012, to the home page of the Company's website at http://www.cytomedix.com.

A replay of the conference call will be available beginning two hours after its completion through February 16, 2012, by dialing 888-286-8010 (domestic) or 617-801-6888 (international) and entering passcode 48593244. The call will also be archived for 90 days at http://www.streetevents.com, http://www.fulldisclosure.com and http://www.cytomedix.com.

About Cytomedix, Inc.

Cytomedix develops, sells and licenses regenerative biological therapies primarily for wound care, inflammation and angiogenesis. The Company markets the AutoloGel™ System, a device for the production of autologous platelet rich plasma ("PRP") gel for use on a variety of exuding wounds; the Angel® Whole Blood Separation System, a blood processing device and disposable products used for the separation of whole blood into red cells, platelet poor plasma ("PPP") and PRP in surgical settings; and the activAT® Autologous Thrombin Processing Kit, which produces autologous thrombin serum from PPP. The activAT® kit is sold exclusively in Europe and Canada, where it provides a completely autologous, safe alternative to bovine-derived products. The Company is pursuing a multi-faceted strategy to penetrate the chronic wound market with its products, as well as opportunities for the application of AutoloGel™ and PRP technology into other markets such as hair transplantation and orthopedics while actively seeking complementary products for the wound care market. Additional information regarding Cytomedix is available at http://www.cytomedix.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
Statements contained in this communication not relating to historical facts are forward-looking statements that are intended to fall within the safe harbor rule for such statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The information contained in the forward-looking statements is inherently uncertain, and Cytomedix' actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors, many of which are beyond Cytomedix' ability to predict or control, including many among others, risks and uncertainties related to the Company's ability to successfully integrate this acquisition, to successfully manage contemplated clinical trials, to manage and address the capital needs, human resource, management, compliance and other challenges of a larger, more complex and integrated business enterprise, viability and effectiveness of the Company's sales approach and overall marketing strategies, commercial success or acceptance by the medical community, competitive responses, the Company's ability to raise additional capital and to continue as a going concern, and Cytomedix's ability to execute on its strategy to market the AutoloGel™ System as contemplated. To the extent that any statements made here are not historical, these statements are essentially forward-looking. The Company uses words and phrases such as "believes", "forecasted," "projects," "is expected," "remain confident," "will" and/or similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements in this press release. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events to differ from the forward-looking statements. More information about some of these risks and uncertainties may be found in the reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Cytomedix, Inc. Cytomedix operates in a highly competitive and rapidly changing business and regulatory environment, thus new or unforeseen risks may arise. Accordingly, investors should not place any reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Except as is expressly required by the federal securities laws, Cytomedix undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, changed circumstances or future events or for any other reason. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including our Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2010, filed with the SEC and other subsequent filings. These filings are available at http://www.sec.gov.

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Cytomedix Expands Commitment to Regenerative Medicine With Acquisition of Aldagen

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

US researchers have begun a groundbreaking trial to test the potential of umbilical cord blood transplants, a kind of stem cell therapy, to treat and possibly reverse hearing loss in infants.

The phase I trial follows promising studies on mice showing that such transplants were able to rebuild the structures of the inner ear, and some anecdotal evidence from humans, sparking hope of a cure for some forms of deafness.

One of those people is two-year-old Finn McGrath, who suffered brain damage after being deprived of oxygen during a prolonged and complicated delivery, according to his mother, Laura.

"His doctors told us he was at high risk for cerebral palsy, vision issues, hearing problems and mental retardation," she said in an interview with AFP.

Finn's early days were an all-out struggle to survive, so for his parents, learning that he had failed his hearing tests and had damaged hair cells -- the sensory receptors in the inner ear that pick up sounds -- was almost an afterthought.

He had organ failure, breathing problems, and his cerebral palsy left him unable to roll, crawl or walk, hold his head up, talk or eat.

As his parents searched for ways to help him, they came upon stories online that told of studies using cord blood to help children with cerebral palsy and other disorders.

Prior to his birth, the McGraths had arranged to privately bank his umbilical cord blood, a procedure that costs around $2,000 plus storage fees, and remains controversial among pediatricians.

Private companies such as the Cord Blood Registry, which is funding the Texas study on hearing loss, urge expecting parents to bank their umbilical cord blood and reserve it for personal use as a way to protect their family.

That advice runs counter to the guidelines issues by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2007, which calls such claims "unsubstantiated" and says banking for personal or family use "should be discouraged" but is "encouraged" if it is to be stored in a bank for public use.

Since Finn's parents had already banked his, they enrolled him in cord blood trial for cerebral palsy in North Carolina and he received his first transplant in November 2009 when he was about seven weeks old.

A second transfusion followed and by May, his parents began to notice a change.

Nighttime noises, like an alarm on his food pump or the sound of ripping medical tape, would suddenly startle him awake, his mother recalled.

"He started vocalizing sounds and we could tell that he was anticipating things that we would say. Like, if he had heard a story a number of times or a song, he would smile like he recognized the song or the story."

Finn had a third infusion in September 2010, when he was one year old. Four months later, an otoacoustic emissions test (OAE), which plays a sound and picks up vibrations in the cochlea and hair cells, came back normal.

The early hearing tests that showed hearing loss were not exactly the same as the later tests that came back normal, so McGrath is cautious about comparing them directly, but she believes the cord blood transfusions may have helped.

"All I can tell you is anecdotally he was not able to hear for probably the first three or four months of his life, and then when he was about six to eight months old, he started hearing."

The hearing trial in Texas aims to take a first step in testing the safety, and later the efficacy, of transfusing cord blood in children age six weeks to 18 months who have sustained post-birth sensorineural hearing loss.

Some reasons that children lose their hearing at or after birth may include oxygen deprivation, head injury, infection, strong doses of antibiotics or loud noises.

Sensorineural hearing loss affects approximately six per 1,000 children, and there is no available medical treatment. Hearing aids or cochlear implants are typically offered to boost the ability of the damaged tissues.

"Stem cell therapy may potentially repair the damaged structures of the inner ear and restore normal hearing," lead investigator Sami Fakhri told AFP.

"We are at the initial stages of this process and the results are looking promising," Fakhri added.

Research using stem cells in cord blood, known as hematopoietic cells, is already under way on some types of brain injury, cerebral palsy, juvenile diabetes, kidney and lung disease, he said.

The new study at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center is being funded by the Cord Blood Registry, a private bank, and those eligible must have already banked their own umbilical cord blood with CBR.

But to Stephen Epstein, an otolaryngologist in Maryland, that does not pose a conflict of interest, because separate medical institutions in Texas and Georgia are conducting the Food and Drug Administration-approved research.

"If both of them can reproduce the same results then I would say it has some validity to it," said Epstein, who is not involved in the study.

"This is certainly a welcome, acceptable experiment, but it should be looked at with caution and time will tell."

One patient is already enrolled and the study, which runs for one year, has room for nine more.

While Finn McGrath still faces many challenges due to his cerebral palsy, his mother is grateful for the things he can do.

"I don't know how much worse off he would have been without the stem cell transfusion," McGrath said, pointing to his normal cognition, lack of seizures, good hearing and vision.

"We remain hopeful that he will continue to improve."

ksh/ao

 

See the original post here:
US begins stem cell trial for hearing loss

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

MANILA, Philippines - US researchers have begun a groundbreaking trial to test the potential of umbilical cord blood transplants, a kind of stem cell therapy, to treat and possibly reverse hearing loss in infants.

The Phase I trial follows promising studies on mice showing that such transplants were able to rebuild the structures of the inner ear, and some anecdotal evidence from humans, sparking hope of a cure for some forms of deafness.

One of those people is two-year-old Finn McGrath, who suffered brain damage after being deprived of oxygen during a prolonged and complicated delivery, according to his mother, Laura.

"His doctors told us he was at high risk for cerebral palsy, vision issues, hearing problems, and mental retardation," she said in an interview with AFP.

Finn's early days were an all-out struggle to survive, so for his parents, learning that he had failed his hearing tests and had damaged hair cells - the sensory receptors in the inner ear that pick up sounds - was almost an afterthought.

He had organ failure, breathing problems, and his cerebral palsy left him unable to roll, crawl, or walk, hold his head up, talk, or eat.

As his parents searched for ways to help him, they came upon stories online that told of studies using cord blood to help children with cerebral palsy and other disorders.

Prior to his birth, the McGraths had arranged to privately bank his umbilical cord blood, a procedure that costs around $2,000 plus storage fees, and remains controversial among pediatricians.

Private companies such as the Cord Blood Registry, which is funding the Texas study on hearing loss, urge expecting parents to bank their umbilical cord blood and reserve it for personal use as a way to protect their family.

That advice runs counter to the guidelines issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2007, which calls such claims "unsubstantiated" and says banking for personal or family use "should be discouraged" but is "encouraged" if it is to be stored in a bank for public use.

Since Finn's parents had already banked his, they enrolled him in cord blood trial for cerebral palsy in North Carolina and he received his first transplant in November, 2009, when he was about seven weeks old.

A second transfusion followed and by May, his parents began to notice a change.

Nighttime noises, like an alarm on his food pump or the sound of ripping medical tape, would suddenly startle him awake, his mother recalled.

"He started vocalizing sounds and we could tell that he was anticipating things that we would say. Like, if he had heard a story a number of times or a song, he would smile like he recognized the song or the story."

Finn had a third infusion in September, 2010, when he was one year old. Four months later, an otoacoustic emissions test (OAE), which plays a sound and picks up vibrations in the cochlea and hair cells, came back normal.

The early hearing tests that showed hearing loss were not exactly the same as the later tests that came back normal, so McGrath is cautious about comparing them directly, but she believes the cord blood transfusions may have helped.

"All I can tell you is anecdotally he was not able to hear for probably the first three or four months of his life, and then when he was about six to eight months old, he started hearing."

The hearing trial in Texas aims to take a first step in testing the safety, and later the efficacy, of transfusing cord blood in children age six weeks to 18 months who have sustained post-birthsensorineural hearing loss.

Some reasons that children lose their hearing at or after birth may include oxygen deprivation, head injury, infection, strong doses of antibiotics, or loud noises.

Sensorineural hearing loss affects approximately six per 1,000 children, and there is no available medical treatment. Hearing aids or cochlear implants are typically offered to boost the ability of the damaged tissues.

"Stem cell therapy may potentially repair the damaged structures of the inner ear and restore normal hearing," lead investigator Samer Fakhri told AFP.

"We are at the initial stages of this process and the results are looking promising," Fakhri added.

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Stem Cell Therapy for Deafness

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/75ef8d/thought_leader_ins) has announced the addition of the "Thought Leader Insight & Analysis Report - Multiple Sclerosis Q3 2011" report to their offering.

Multiple Sclerosis Thought Leader Panel #14 highlights a series of interviews conducted with experts in September, 2011. For this Panel Medpredict asked their Thought Leaders to engage in a thought exercise with them. The purpose was to designate their fantasy formulary, comprised of the top seven therapeutics, currently in the development pipeline, that they want to see available for use in the prevention/treatment of multiple sclerosis. They allowed Panelists to choose the class of drug, a specific drug (if they had a preference), the unmet needs to be addressed and the benefits that they expected their choices to deliver. The panel's responses are just as enlightening regarding what they would NOT put on their fantasy formularies.

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary Fantasy Formulary - Ground Rules And Scoring Multiple Sclerosis Fantasy Formulary Results (2011) Multiple Sclerosis Fantasy Formulary Results (2010) Data Tables Discussion - Preferred Product Classes Oral Immunomodulators B-Cell Inhibitors Neuroregeneration S1P Receptor Agonists Anti-Cd-25 (Anti-Il-2) Vla-4 Long-Term Immunosuppressants Discussion - Other Product Mentions Neuropathic Pain Ga Next Generation Ctla4 Microglial Activation Inhibition Stem Cells Bone Marrow Transplant Complement Activation Interferon Vaccines / Immune Tolerance Discussion - What Didn'T Make The List Thought Leader Discussions

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/75ef8d/thought_leader_ins

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Research and Markets: Thought Leader Insight & Analysis Report - Multiple Sclerosis Q3 2011

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

Bone marrow drive at Guam Premier Outlets: Bone marrow drive at Guam Premier Outlets Written by Pacific Daily News
MYTHS AND FACTS

Myths and facts about bone marrow donation:
? Myth: All bone marrow donations involve surgery.
? Fact: The majority of donations do not involve surgery. Today, the patient's doctor most often requests a peripheral blood stem cell donation, which is non-surgical. The second way of donating is marrow donation, which is a surgical procedure. In each case, donors typically go home the same day they donate.

?Myth: Donating is painful and involves a long recovery.
?Fact: There can be uncomfortable but short-lived side effects of peripheral blood stem cell donation. Due to taking a drug called filgrastim for five days leading up to donation, peripheral blood stem cell donors may have headaches, joint or muscle aches, or fatigue. Donors are typically back to their normal routine in one to two days. Those donating marrow receive general or regional anesthesia, so they feel no pain during donation. Marrow donors can expect to feel some soreness in their lower back for one to two weeks afterward. Most marrow donors are back to their normal activities in two to seven days.

?Myth: Donating is dangerous and weakens the donor.
?Fact: Though no medical procedure is without risk, there are rarely any long-term side effects. Be The Match carefully prescreens all donors to ensure they are healthy and the procedure is safe for them. We also provide support and information every step of the way.

Because only 5 percent or less of a donor's marrow is needed to save the patient's life, the donor's immune system stays strong and the cells replace themselves within four to six weeks.

?For more myths and facts, and more information about bone marrow donation, visit http://www.bethematch.org. Be The Match Registry is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program.

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UPDATE: Sign up for the National Bone Marrow Registry now

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BOCA RATON—

A physician from Indianapolis met the woman who saved his life on Sunday morning, providing an emotional kick-off for the second annual Walk for Life, sponsored by the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation.

"It's almost like a total out of body experience," said Scott Savader, 53, moments after he embraced former Sunrise resident Jill Rubin, who provided the stem cells that were transplanted into Savader's body nearly two years ago.

As the two met for the first time, about 300 people cheered before heading off on a 5K walk at Florida Atlantic University. The effort is part of a campaign to raise awareness and raise $100,000 for lab tests necessary to match donors and recipients.

Savader said receiving the transplant was "like being plucked from a fire or a sinking car. There is a bond there now that transcends just knowing somebody. If not for her generosity, I would have died."

Each year, 10,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with a disease treatable with a bone marrow transplant. Yet only about half find the donor who could save them, according to Jay Feinberg, the Delray Beach resident who started the foundation after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia.

He received a transplant in 1995 and has since dedicated his life to making matches for others.

Savader, a radiologist, was diagnosed with myelofibrosis in 2008.

Rubin, 45, a physical therapist, said she registered as a bone marrow donor 10 years ago while attending a fair in Plantation. She and her family have since moved to Deland.

"This is very emotional for me," said Rubin as she and Savader posed for pictures.

After spending a little time with Savader and his family Sunday, Rubin said she felt even better about her gift to him.

She also learned that Savader grew up and went to high school in Cooper City. "Small world," she said.

Temperatures in the 40s and a chilly wind did little to dampen enthusiasm for the walk. Participants were inspired by Savader and Rubin and other success stories.

Among the latter were 6-year-old Matthew Welling, on hand with his parents Michael and Susie Welling of Port Chester, N.Y., and Boca Raton resident Jill Goldsmith, who donated the bone marrow that reversed the boy's osteoporosis in 2007.

"It was an amazing, life-changing experience," said Goldsmith, 50, as she watched Matthew dance happily around a field at the university.

"What I had to do to save a life was so easy," said Goldsmith. "And to see him now, well, I feel proud and honored and so blessed."

During last year's walk, more than 1,000 new donors were added to the registry and resulted in 14 matches for patients throughout the U.S. They joined a total registry of nearly 200,000, said Feinberg.

Volunteering to become a potential donor begins with an oral swab that is then tested for tissue type. Most of the foundation's money goes toward paying for those lab tests, which cost about $55 each, said Feinberg.

For information, go to mwclary@tribune.com">http://www.giftoflife.org.

mwclary@tribune.com or at 954-356-4465

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Bone marrow recipient meets donor who gave him the gift of life

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A new study by collaborating researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and L’Institut du Thorax in Nantes, France, indicates that stem cells derived from cardiac tissue are far more effective in repairing damage caused by a heart attack than therapies using stem cells taken from bone marrow. The study, published today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, suggests that human fetal cardiac-derived c-kit+ stem cells (CSCs) can be 30 times more potent than bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for treating a heart attack.

Durham, NC (PRWEB) February 07, 2012

A new study by collaborating researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and L’Institut du Thorax in Nantes, France, indicates that stem cells derived from cardiac tissue are far more effective in repairing damage caused by a heart attack than therapies using stem cells taken from bone marrow. The study, published today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, suggests that human fetal cardiac-derived c-kit+ stem cells (CSCs) can be 30 times more potent than bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for treating a heart attack.

As both of these cell types are currently in clinical trials, these results are significant because they are the first direct comparison of their therapeutic capability in vivo, the researchers say.

“This research — showing that CSCs can be 30 times more potent than MSCs — is significant because it can impact the design of future clinical trials,” said Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine and editor of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine. “The results from the study, one of a few to compare efficacy, have the potential to make the translation process more efficient, speeding the development of new effective therapies.”

The researchers conducted their study using mice models with induced acute myocardial infarction. The mice then received human fetal CSCs or either an equivalent (low dose) or ~30-fold greater number (high dose) of MSCs. Cells were injected immediately after the attack. A control group received PBS. The researchers performed additional experiments to address whether adult CSCs are as efficient as fetal CSCs. The fetal stem cells outperformed the adult-cultured CSCs, as expected; still, the researchers concluded that the latter were more potent than high-dose MSCs in treating a heart attack.

The animals were then evaluated at various intervals over a period of eight weeks. The results showed that the CSCs improved the left ventricle, which had been enlarged by the heart attack, plus lowered the ejection fraction. While the high doses of the MSCs showed similar results, the low-doses of MSCs had no effect.

“This study was motivated by the huge advances occurring in the translation of stem cell therapeutics for heart disease,” said Dr. Joshua Hare, senior author of the study and director of UM’s Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute. “While many candidate therapies are being considered there are few studies comparing relative efficacy. This study shows that tissue specific cardiac stem cells are highly potent, but that bone marrow stem cells are also efficacious. We hope these results will help guide future clinical trials of cell-based therapy for heart disease.”

In addition, said Dr. Behzad Oskouei of UM’s Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute, “All cell therapies studied improved myocardial contractility, but the CSCs preferentially reduced scar size and vascular afterload. Engraftment and trilineage [cardiomyocyte, vascular smooth muscle, endothelial cell] differentiation was also substantially greater with CSCs than with MSCs.”

“It is clear that CSCs are superior in this regard and have potential advantages over MSCs to promote repair following ischemic heart damage. Furthermore, they are effective at a surprisingly low-dose/efficacy ratio,” Dr. Oskouei noted. “These findings offer key new insights into the cellular characteristics underlying successful cell-based cardiac repair.”

About AlphaMed Press: Established in 1983, AlphaMed Press with offices in Durham, NC, San Francisco, CA, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, publishes two other internationally renowned peer-reviewed journals: STEM CELLS® (http://www.StemCells.com), celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2012, is the world's first journal devoted to this fast paced field of research. The Oncologist® (http://www.TheOncologist.com), also a monthly peer-reviewed publication, entering its 17th year, is devoted to community and hospital-based oncologists and physicians entrusted with cancer patient care. All three journals are premier periodicals with globally recognized editorial boards dedicated to advancing knowledge and education in their focused disciplines.

###

Sharon Lee
AlphaMed Press / Stem Cells Translational Medicine
919-680-0011 230
Email Information

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Study shows cardiac stem cells outperform bone marrow stem cells in treating heart attacks

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LONDON: British scientists are claiming a breakthrough after creating brain tissue from human skin.

The researchers have for the first time generated a crucial type of brain cells in the laboratory by reprogramming skin cells.

They say it could speed up the hunt for new treatments for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and stroke.

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Until now it has only been possible to generate tissue from the cerebral cortex, the area of the brain where most serious neurological diseases occur, by using controversial embryonic stem cells, obtained by the destruction of an embryo. This has meant the supply of brain tissue available for research has been limited due to ethical concerns and limited availability.

Scientists at the University of Cambridge say that they have overcome this problem, showing for the first time that it is possible to re-program adult human skin cells so that they develop into neurons found in the cerebral cortex.

Initially, brain cells grown in this way could be used to help researchers gain a better understanding of how the brain develops and what goes wrong when it is affected by disease. They could also be used for screening new drug treatments.

Eventually, they hope the cells could be used to provide healthy tissue that can be implanted into patients to treat neurodegenerative diseases and brain damage.

Dr Rick Livesey, who led the research at the university's Gurdon Institute, said: ''The cerebral cortex makes up 75 per cent of the human brain. It is where all the important processes that make us human take place. It is, however, also the major place where disease can occur.

''We have been able to take reprogrammed skin cells so they develop into brain stem cells and then essentially replay brain development in the laboratory.

''We can study brain development and what goes wrong when it is affected by disease in a way we haven't been able to before. We see it as a major breakthrough in what will now be possible,'' said Dr Livesey, whose findings are published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

The cerebral cortex is the part of the brain that is responsible for most of the high-level thought processes such as memory, language and consciousness.

Telegraph, London

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Scientists grow brain cells from human skin

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Eventually they hope the cells could also be used to provide healthy tissue that can be implanted into patients to treat neurodegenerative diseases and brain damage.

Dr Rick Livesey, who led the research at the University of Cambridge's Gurdon [corr] Institute, said: "The cerebral cortex makes up 75% of the human brain, is where all the important processes that make us human take place. It is, however, also the major place where disease can occur.

"We have been able to take reprogrammed skin cells so they develop into brain stem cells and then essentially replay brain development in the laboratory.

"We can study brain development and what goes wrong when it is affected by disease in a way we haven't been able to before. We see it as a major breakthrough in what will now be possible."

The cerebral cortex is the part of the brain that is responsible for most of the major high-level thought processes such as memory, language and consciousness.

While human brain cells have been created from stem cells before, this has relied upon embryonic stem cells. Attempts to make them from skin cells have produced neurons that are not found in the cerebral cortex.

Dr Livesey and his colleagues were able to create the two major types of neuron that form the cerebral cortex from reprogrammed skin cells and show that they were identical to those created from the more controversial embryonic stem cells.

Dr Livesey, whose findings are published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, said this may eventually lead to new treatments for patients where damaged tissue could be replaced by brain cells grown in the laboratory from a sample of their skin.

He said: "You don't need to rebuild damage to recover function as the brain is quite good at recovering itself – it does this after stroke for example. However, it may be possible to give it some extra real estate that it can use to do this.

"We can make large numbers of cerebral cortex neurons by taking a sample of skin from anybody, so in principal it should be possible to put these back into the patients."

Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, which funded the study alongside the Wellcome Trust, added: "Turning stem cells into networks of fully functional nerve cells in the lab holds great promise for unravelling complex brain diseases such as Alzheimer's."

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Human brain cells created from skin

Recommendation and review posted by sam

London, Feb 12 (ANI): British scientists have for the first time generated crucial types of human brain cells in the laboratory by reprogramming skin cells, which they say could speed up the hunt for new treatments for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and stroke.

Until now it has only been possible to generate tissue from the cerebral cortex, the area of the brain where most major neurological diseases occur, by using controversial embryonic stem cells, obtained by the destruction of an embryo.

This has meant the supply of brain tissue available for research has been limited due to the ethical concerns around embryonic stem cells and shortages in their availability.

However, scientists at the University of Cambridge now insist they have overcome this problem after showing for the first time that it is possible to re-programme adult human skin cells so that they develop into neurons found in the cerebral cortex, the Telegraph reported.

Initially brain cells grown in this way could be used to help researchers gain a better understanding of how the brain develops, what goes wrong when it is affected by disease and it could also be used for screening new drug treatments.

Eventually they hope the cells could also be used to provide healthy tissue that can be implanted into patients to treat neurodegenerative diseases and brain damage.

The cerebral cortex is the part of the brain that is responsible for most of the major high-level thought processes such as memory, language and consciousness.

"The cerebral cortex makes up 75 percent of the human brain, is where all the important processes that make us human take place. It is, however, also the major place where disease can occur," said Dr Rick Livesey, who led the research at the University of Cambridge's Gurdon [corr] Institute.

"We have been able to take reprogrammed skin cells so they develop into brain stem cells and then essentially replay brain development in the laboratory.

"We can study brain development and what goes wrong when it is affected by disease in a way we haven't been able to before. We see it as a major breakthrough in what will now be possible," he added.

Dr Livesey and his colleagues were able to create the two major types of neuron that form the cerebral cortex from reprogrammed skin cells and show that they were identical to those created from the more controversial embryonic stem cells.

He said this may eventually lead to new treatments for patients where damaged tissue could be replaced by brain cells grown in the laboratory from a sample of their skin.

"You don't need to rebuild damage to recover function as the brain is quite good at recovering itself - it does this after stroke for example. However, it may be possible to give it some extra real estate that it can use to do this," Dr Livesey said.

"We can make large numbers of cerebral cortex neurons by taking a sample of skin from anybody, so in principal it should be possible to put these back into the patients," he added.

Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, which funded the study alongside the Wellcome Trust, said: "Turning stem cells into networks of fully functional nerve cells in the lab holds great promise for unravelling complex brain diseases such as Alzheimer's."

The findings were published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. (ANI)

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Brain cells created from human skin

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NEWTON, MA--(Marketwire -02/08/12)- Recombinant Data, a healthcare data warehousing and clinical intelligence solutions provider, today announced that it was a finalist in the Most Promising Company Competition at the Personalized Medicine World Conference 2012 (PMWC). The award is presented by PMWC and Prescience International. Recombinant was selected from among 31 entrants and was the only software company among the top three finalists which included biotech companies Auxogyn and Epizyme. Winners were selected by a panel of judges and attendee voting.

According to Tal Behar, co-founder of PMWC, the Competition showcases some of the world's most promising personalized medicine innovations. "Customization of treatment, with all decisions and practices being tailored to the individual, will be a revolution of the current healthcare cycle. We look forward to seeing how the companies highlighted during this year's Competition will define the next generation of personalized medicine," said Behar.

The PMWC 2012 Most Promising Company award is conferred to companies with technology, products or services that are disruptive and innovative to the current standard-of-care, both in cost and effectiveness; strength of team and ability to execute; barriers to competition and strength of intellectual property; and expected financial returns for investors.

"Being a finalist in the Most Promising Company Competition highlights Recombinant Data's success in providing critical data infrastructure and analytics solutions to leading pharma and biotech companies, academic medical centers and healthcare delivery systems," said Peter Emerson, CEO of Recombinant Data. "Linking data from patient care, clinical research and basic life science research and having the ability to analyze and interpret that data is essential to advancing personalized medicine. Recombinant Data is committed to this goal."

"We congratulate Recombinant Data and all of the companies competing this year," said Melinda Richter, founder and CEO, Prescience International. "The quality of entries demonstrates that personalized medicine will play an increasingly significant role in delivering high-quality, cost-effective healthcare and it will continue to grow in importance as scientific breakthroughs are translated into a new generation of targeted therapeutics."

About Recombinant Data Corp.
Recombinant provides leading-edge data warehousing and clinical intelligence solutions to healthcare providers, academic medical centers and life science researchers to deliver higher quality outcomes, accelerate personalized medicine, and lower costs. Our team of industry veterans is focused on improving the flow of reliable data to power clinical and research applications in a secure, compliant environment. For more information about Recombinant's products and services, visit http://www.recomdata.com.

About Personalized Medicine World Conference
The Personalized Medicine World Conference, a two-day business and educational conference that provides real-world insights on how to succeed in producing and implementing personalized medicine, is produced by PMWC International is dedicated to transforming healthcare through the global adoption of personalized medicine.

About Prescience International
Prescience International is dedicated to accelerating the commercialization and global adoption of science and technology. With industry expertise in the future of technology markets, Prescience International creates and manages centers of excellence in the form of research parks, innovation centers, research foundations, research institutes and emerging companies.

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Recombinant Data Named Finalist in Personalized Medicine World Conference 2012 "Most Promising Company" Competition

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MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Auxogyn, Inc., a privately-held company advancing women's reproductive health, announced today that the Personalized Medicine World Conference (PMWC) and Prescience International selected the Auxogyn as the 'Most Promising Company' at PMWC2012 annual conference, held January 23-24, 2012.

"We are honored to be recognized by industry leaders and our peers as the most promising company for PMWC2012," said Lissa Goldenstein, president and chief executive officer of Auxogyn.  "We look forward to bringing the promise of personalized medicine to the field of assisted reproduction through Eeva, our proprietary non-invasive system that provides objective information on embryo viability to guide patient treatment paths."

Auxogyn was chosen from a group of 31 companies by a group of industry leaders including Paul Billings, M.D., chief medical officer, LIFE Technologies, Rowan Chapman, Ph.D., partner, Mohr Davidow Ventures, Edgar Engleman, M.D., managing partner, Vivo Ventures and Drew Senyei, M.D., managing director, Life Science Practice, Enterprise Partners, as well as audience polling.

"Auxogyn stood out among the presenting companies for its revolutionary approach to improving patient outcomes during in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures and reproductive health as a whole," said Tal Behar, co-founder of the Personalized Medicine World Conference. "The ability to provide quantitative information for selection of embryos during IVF procedures holds unique promise for the millions suffering from infertility today. We expect novel products like Eeva to play an increasingly significant role in delivering high-quality, cost-effective healthcare in the years to come, and we extend our sincere congratulations to Auxogyn on this premier award."

To qualify for the Most Promising Company Award, a company must be privately-held and working the areas of therapeutics, diagnostics or platform and information technologies. Selection is based on how a company's innovation is disruptive to current standard-of-care, both in cost and effectiveness; strength of team and ability to execute; barriers to competition and strength of intellectual property and expected financial returns for investors.

About Eeva™

Auxogyn's non-invasive early embryo viability assessment (Eeva) system may improve assisted reproduction outcomes by providing IVF clinicians and patients with objective information on embryo viability.  Eeva's proprietary software automatically analyzes embryo development against scientifically and clinically validated cell-division timing parameters.  With Eeva's quantitative data on each embryo's potential development, IVF clinics may be able to select the best embryo(s) for transfer or optimize the treatment path for their patients undergoing IVF procedures. Auxogyn is completing a multi-center, 150-patient clinical trial to validate the safety and efficacy of Eeva, and plans to use the results of the study for regulatory filings in Europe and the United States in 2012.

About Auxogyn

Auxogyn, Inc. is focused on advancing the field of reproductive health through its uniquely-combined knowledge of early human developmental biology, advanced computer vision technology and best clinical practices. The company's first product, Early Embryo Viability Assessment (Eeva), provides quantitative information regarding embryo development, to assist IVF clinics in potentially selecting the best embryo(s) for transfer and optimizing the treatment path for their patients undergoing IVF procedures.  Auxogyn is privately held and funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, TPG Biotech and Merck Serono Ventures. For more information regarding Auxogyn please visit http://www.auxogyn.com.

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Auxogyn Takes Top Honor as 'Most Promising Company' at Personalized Medicine World Conference 2012

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A HEIDELBERG doctor is trying to relieve some of the pain for people suffering spinal cord injury.

David Berlowitz has been awarded a $50,000 Institute of Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research development grant to develop an integrated research database for spinal cord injury patients.

Dr Berlowitz, who works at Austin Health’s Institute for Breathing and Sleep and the Victorian Respiratory Support Service, said the project monitored the patient’s injury management and lifestyle for the rest of their lives.

He said the project, which he had been working on for more than a decade, would allow doctors to learn about how people are coping with their injury.

“We know what happens when they get the injury, but not what happens over the next 50 to 60 years,” Dr Berlowitz said.

“The research is really about trying to best establish a quality and safety register so we can see how people are living with the injury.

“The system we are going to use will be internationally recognised.”

He said there were 100 new spinal cord injuries in Victoria every year, and he was aiming to have a pilot program up and running within the next 18 months.

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Heidelberg doctor researches spinal cord injury

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11-02-2012 13:48

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cancer and regenerative medicine lecture - Video

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HOLLISTON, Mass., Feb. 7, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Harvard Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:HBIO - News), a global developer, manufacturer, and marketer of a broad range of tools to advance life science research and regenerative medicine, today announced that it has acquired the business of AHN Biotechnologie GmbH through its wholly owned Biochrom Ltd. subsidiary.

AHN is a privately held manufacturer of plastic consumable laboratory products including pipette tips. This acquisition is complementary to the current Biochrom product line of molecular biology instruments.

David Green, President of Harvard Bioscience, commented, "The acquisition of AHN Biotechnologie gives us a product line that is complimentary to the current Biochrom product line and also gives us a base of business in Germany for our entire molecular biology business. AHN will add approximately $2.5m in annual revenue and we expect this acquisition to be accretive to 2012 earnings per share."

About Harvard Bioscience

Harvard Bioscience ("HBIO") is a global developer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialized products, primarily apparatus and scientific instruments, used to advance life science research and regenerative medicine. HBIO sells products to thousands of researchers in over 100 countries primarily through our 850 page catalog (and various other specialty catalogs), our website, through distributors, including GE Healthcare, Thermo Fisher Scientific and VWR, and via our field sales organization. HBIO has sales and manufacturing operations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden and Spain with additional facilities in France and Canada. For more information, please visit http://www.harvardbioscience.com.

The Harvard Bioscience, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6426

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. You can identify these statements by our use of such words as "will," "guidance," "objectives," "optimistic," "potential," "future," "expect," "plans," "estimates," "continue," "drive," "strategy," "crucial," "potential," "potentially," "growth," "long-term," "projects," "projected," "produce," "intends," "believes," "goals," "sees," "seek," "develop," "possible," "new," "enabling," "emerging," "opportunity," "pursue" and similar expressions that do not relate to historical matters. Forward-looking statements in this press release may include, but are not limited to, statements or inferences about the Company's or management's beliefs or expectations, including with respect to the impact of the Company's acquisition of AHN and the future performance of the acquired business, the field of regenerative medicine, opportunities or potential opportunities in the field of regenerative medicine, the Company's business strategy, the positioning of the Company for growth, the market demand and opportunity for the Company's current products or products it is developing or intends to develop, and the Company's plans, objectives and intentions that are not historical facts.

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include the Company's inability to integrate the business acquired from AHN, the failure of the business acquired from AHN to perform in accordance with management's beliefs or expectations, the existence and size of opportunities in the neuroscience research market, the Company's failure to successfully expand its product offerings, introduce new products or commercialize new technologies, including in the field of regenerative medicine, decreased demand for the Company's products, including products in the field of regenerative medicine, due to changes in our customers' needs, our ability to obtain regulatory approvals, including FDA approval, for our products, including any products in the field of regenerative medicine, the current size or anticipated size of the regenerative medicine market, the existence and size of opportunities in the regenerative medicine market, our financial position, general economic outlook or other circumstances, overall economic trends, our ability to manage our growth, competition from our competitors, technological changes resulting in our products becoming obsolete, our ability to protect our intellectual property and operate without infringing on others' intellectual property, potential costs of any lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property, research funding levels from endowments at our university customers, plus factors described under the heading "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010 or described in the Company's other public filings. The Company's results may also be affected by factors of which the Company is not currently aware. The Company may not update these forward-looking statements, even though its situation may change in the future, unless it has obligations under the federal securities laws to update and disclose material developments related to previously disclosed information.

For investor inquiries, please call (508) 893-8066. Press releases may be found on our web site http://www.harvardbioscience.com.

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Harvard Bioscience, Inc. Acquires AHN

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RED BANK, NJ--(Marketwire -02/08/12)- American CryoStem Corporation (OTCQB: CRYO.OB - News), a commercial developer, manufacturer and marketer of clinical products and services involving adipose tissue and adipose derived adult stem cells, announced its association with the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM).

ARM is a Washington, DC-based non-profit organization that promotes legislative, regulatory and reimbursement initiatives necessary to facilitate access to life-giving advances in regenerative medicine. American CryoStem's decision to join ARM was based on the alignment of its ongoing mission to offer the highest quality products and services to help accelerate the regenerative medicine industry and ARM's support of policy efforts toward safe and reliable cellular products.

Morrie Ruffin, Managing Director for the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, commented, "We are delighted to have American CryoStem as part of the Alliance and look forward to working together to advance the field of adipose-derived stem cells for a variety of therapeutic applications."

ARM's membership is diverse, representing leading regenerative medicine companies and investors, university-based and non-profit research institutions, patient advocacy groups, pharmaceutical companies engaged in regenerative medicine research and other organizations supporting regenerative medicine. American CryoStem has created and commercialized core proprietary products and platforms for processing, storing and quality management of adipose tissue and adipose derived adult stem cells that are broadly relevant to ARM's membership.

"American CryoStem is committed to working with industry organizations to develop cutting edge adipose tissue based treatments and therapies. One unique component of our clinical laboratory product and service suite is offering individuals the opportunity to cryogenically store their younger, healthier adult stem cells for their own future use in regenerative medicine," stated John Arnone, American CryoStem CEO. "We are pleased and honored to work with the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine to educate the public and regulators on the safe uses of adult stem cells and their potential life changing applications."

In support of these goals, the Company recently launched ACS Laboratories, thus expanding its clinical processing technology to companies, institutions and medical professionals. ACS Laboratories offers a wide range of adipose tissue specific services. Through ACS laboratories patented ACSelerate™ cell culture media, a ten product suite, American CryoStem can leverage its technology and products to participate in a broad range of clinical application opportunities.

About American CryoStem: American CryoStem Corporation (OTCQB: CRYO.OB - News) markets clinical processing products and services for adipose (fat) tissue and adipose derived adult stem cells. CRYO's clinical processing and preservation platform supports the science and applications being discovered globally by providing the highest quality, clinically processed cells and assuring their sterility, viability and growth cap abilities, while at the same time developing cutting edge application, therapies and laboratory products and services for consumers and physicians.

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements. Certain of the statements contained herein, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements with respect to events, the occurrence of which involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements may be impacted, either positively or negatively, by various factors. Information concerning potential factors that could affect the Company is detailed from time to time in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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American CryoStem Joins Alliance for Regenerative Medicine

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02-11-2011 18:46 The new drug Kalydeco is being hailed as a breakthrough in the treatment of cystic fibrosis, targeting the underlying genetic cause of the disease decreasing the symptoms. Dr. Jon LaPook reports.

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CBS Evening News - Breakthrough in cystic fibrosis treatment - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

26-01-2012 07:54 Air date: Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 3:00:00 PM Timedisplayed is Eastern Time, Washington DC Local Category: Wednesday Afternoon Lectures Description: Patients with diseased or injured organs may be treated with transplanted organs. There is a severe shortage of donor organs which is worsening yearly due to the aging population. Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering apply the principles of cell transplantation, material sciences, and bioengineering to construct biological substitutes that may restore and maintain normal function in diseased and injured tissues. Stem cells may offer a potentially limitless source of cells for tissue engineering applications and are opening new options for therapy. Recent advances that have occurred in regenerative medicine will be reviewed and applications of these new technologies that may offer novel therapies for patients with end-stage tissue and organ failure will be described. The NIH Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series includes weekly scientific talks by some of the top researchers in the biomedical sciences worldwide. For more information, visit: The NIH Director's Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series Author: Anthony Atala, MD, Wake Forest School of Medicine Runtime: 00:51:29 Permanent link: videocast.nih.gov

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Regenerative Medicine: Current Concepts and Changing Trends - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

18-01-2012 15:53 Dr. Phillip Levy explains the science behind the revolutionary new Dr.Levy Switzerland anti-aging brand WORLD-RENOWNED ESTHETIC DERMATOLOGY PIONEER LEADING FACIAL REJUVENATION EXPERT // Number 1 Botox private doctor in Switzerland In today's world, nobody wants to look their age anymore, and many people seek to restore their skin's natural beauty. So what is so unique and new about your products? Dr. LEVY Switzerland®'s revolutionary Booster Cream and Booster Serum, are the world's first cosmetics, scientifically proven in vitro, to activate and vitalize both Dermal and Epidermal stem cells. Skin stem cells, it's important to remember, have unique anti-aging properties since they renew themselves as well as repair, replace and regenerate damaged skin. What are the extraordinary scientific advances behind the development of these special products ? In the last 2 years there have been 3 major discoveries involving advanced stem cell technology. One, in Montpellier, France, researchers were able to regenerate 101 year-old skin cells. They proved that not only did skin cells retain the memory of their youth, but that old cells could actually become young again ! Two, cardiologists in the United States published a study showing that the heart could be repaired by stem cells, even after a severe heart attack. And finally, researchers in Toronto Canada discovered the exact location of dermal stem cells, the very cells which are at the source of the skin's natural anti-wrinkle system. So ...

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Dr. Levy Switzerland - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

08-02-2012 18:31 Dr Kevin Southern talks about gene therapy as a possible treatment for Cystic Fibrosis. He is interviewed by Caitlin. This film is part of the Changing Futures Project: http://www.changing-futures.co.uk.

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Gene Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis - an Interview with Dr Kevin Southern - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

03-02-2012 15:53 When Barry Goudy found out he had multiple sclerosis he feared the worst. Doctors told him he might lose his eye sight and the ability to walk. As a very active husband, father and hockey coach, Barry couldn't think of anything worse than losing his ability to get around. But then he learned of a new way to treat MS with a stem cell transplant. The transplant worked and today he's living proof of the miracles that can come from Adult Stem Cell Research.

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Adult Stem Cell Sucess Stories - Barry Goudy - Video

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

11-01-2012 23:04 If you would like more information please call us Toll Free at 877-578-7908. Or visit our website at http://www.usastemcells.com Or click here to have a Free Phone Constultation with Dr. Matthew Burks usastemcells.com Real patient testimonials for USA Stem Cells. Adult stem cell therapy for COPD, Emphysema, and Pulmonary fibrosis.

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Adult Stem Cell Treatments for COPD -Real patient results, USA Stem Cells- Shirlen M. Testimonial - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith