Stem Cell Articles

[manouli]

Stem cells from human teeth offer new hope for infertile men

London, July 9 : Brazilian researchers say that stem cells from human teeth seem to grow into sperm when injected into the testes of mice.


Irina Kerkis of the Butantan Institute, Sao Paulo, and her colleagues believe that the findings may some day prove helpful in curing infertile men.

During the study, the researchers injected stem cells from the dental pulp of human teeth into the testes of live mice.

They said that the cells appeared to migrate to the tubules where sperm usually mature, and differentiate into cells resembling human sperm.

The researchers, however, conceded that the approach was inefficient.

more....

http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?act...lnews&id=83176

[manouli]

Vitro opens new stem-cell manufacturing facility


By Gareth Macdonald


10-Jul-2008 - Vitro Diagnostics has opened a new facility for the development and manufacture of stem cell products for commercial application in the pharmaceutical industry.

The plant, which is located in the Coors Technology Center in Golden Colorado, is fully compliant with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations covering the manufacture of human stem cell products. It will be used for the production of stem-cells for use in medical research, drug production and discovery, including cell therapy for diabetes.

Vitro is leasing the unit from a third party at a rate comparable to its prior leases. Further details of the agreement were not disclosed.

Dr. Jim Musick, Vitro's President and CEO, commented that the new facility puts in place: "the appropriate infrastructure to provide stem cell products that are manufactured to stringent specifications when combined with new manufacturing equipment that the Company has recently acquired."

Musick added that the plant provides plenty of scope for the production of new stem cell-based products in the future. He added that such additional capacity is "an essential development in our transition from research and development to [the] commercial manufacturing of biological products, given our recent R&D advances. The new facility is a decisive component of our future growth."


more....

http://www.outsourcing-pharma.com/ne...uring-diabetes

[manouli]

Proof-of-concept that purified muscle stem cells can be used in therapy

Published: Thursday, 10-Jul-2008


injecting purified stem cells isolated from adult skeletal muscle, researchers have shown they can restore healthy muscle and improve muscle function in mice with a form of muscular dystrophy. Those muscle-building stem cells were derived from a larger pool of so-called satellite cells that normally associate with mature muscle fibers and play a role in muscle growth and repair.
In addition to their contributions to mature muscle, the injected cells also replenished the pool of regenerative cells normally found in muscle. Those stem cells allowed the treated muscle to undergo subsequent rounds of injury repair, they found.

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http://www.news-medical.net/?id=39933

[manouli]

Umbilical cord stem cells transport anti-cancer drugs directly to tumors



(Nanowerk News) Kansas State University researchers are working on a method of delivering cancer drugs that promises to be more efficient and reduce the side effects patients have to deal with.
"Although chemotherapy has saved many lives, it often has undesirable side effects," said Deryl Troyer, professor of anatomy and physiology at K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine. "The people most excited about this research are people who have gone through chemo, because our approach may circumvent many of those side effects."

more....

http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=6361.php

[manouli]

Stem cells needed
Rally aims to get ethnic minorities added to registry
KRISTEN THOMPSON, METRO VANCOUVER
July 10, 2008 02:31




The Vancouver friends and family of a Toronto woman battling leukemia hope a stem cell drive, being held on Sunday, will help find the rare and much-needed match their ailing friend requires.

Carolyn Tam, 37, has been battling leukemia since 2006, and is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant.


The problem, said childhood friend Susana Junk, who lives in Vancouver, is that Tam needs a donor of Chinese descent, which is difficult because ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the donor registry.

more...

http://www.metronews.ca//vancouver/local/article/81531

[manouli]

Hair Loss Prevention: Stem Cell Research May Hold Solution
By: Nicky Taylor

Hair loss prevention seems to be entering a new phase in development. For those who suffer from thinning hair due to pattern baldness, there is now a new glimmer of hope that someday soon by simply administering a specially engineered medication, the stem cell part of your hair follicles will spring back to life. With the current stem cell research that has been underway for the last six years at Rockefeller University, it seems that exciting possibilities are emerging for the treatment of male and female pattern baldness.

As you age the resting phase of the hair cycle gets longer and longer and for those predisposed genetically for pattern baldness, the hair follicles go into a more permanent phase of dormancy. It was believed by scientists working for the project, that stem cells in hair follicles did not divide frequently so they could maintain their potency. This reduction in stem cell division was a protective measure from wear and tear. However, new data from recent research indicate that stem cells may not need as much protection as once assumed now that scientist have discovered the protein responsible for slowing down stem cell division.

more....

http://www.mycontentbuilder.com/Arti...Solution/99115

[manouli]

Muscle stem cell advance hailed

The diseases cause muscle weakness and wasting
Transplanting adult stem cells into mice with an illness like muscular dystrophy (MD) helped rebuild muscle structure and strength, a study says.

The work by Harvard University, published in the journal Cell, boosts the prospect of similar treatments for people with the condition one day.

There is no cure for the disease, which is inherited and causes rapid and progressive weakening of muscle tissue.

About 1 in every 20,000 births in the UK are affected by muscular dystrophy.

The idea behind stem cell therapy is to find a way to boost the body's ability to replace or produce new tissues.

Stem cells can have the ability to form a wide variety of tissue types, and the Harvard team focused on adult muscle stem cells, which specialise in generating new muscle cells in response to growth or injury.



more...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7500523.stm

[manouli]

JGH doctors excited by new stem cell therapy

A “big step forward” in the potential treatment of incurable disease by genetically modifying the patient’s own stem cells was announced by doctors at the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) last week. Hematologist Dr. Jacques Galipeau and cardiologist Dr. David Langleben called a press conference to report what Langleben termed “absolutely fabulous” results after the experimental treatment on two Quebec volunteers with the rare, progressive lung disease, pulmonary hypertension. The clinical study, sponsored by the Canadian Stem Cell Network and involving St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, was described as unique in the world, both for its manipulation of the stem cells and for the large number of cells administered to the patients, with no ill effects.
The primary focus of the trial at this stage was to establish the procedure’s safety, said Langleben, director of the JGH’s Centre for Pulmonary Vascular Disease. The positive effect that was observed in both patients’ health was a bonus that astonished the scientific team. The doctors are not claiming a cure, but Langleben said the treatment appears to have halted the progress of the disease. Doctors observed an almost immediate drop in the pressure in the tiny arteries in the patients’ lungs by 10 to 15 per cent, “which is not insignificant,” he said. Moreover, the flow of the blood through the arteries did not increase, which is sometimes an undesirable reaction when resistance is reduced.

“Yes, this is still at the very, very early stage, but we have nothing else to offer patients,” Langleben said. “But to see something work so quickly and effectively is incredibly encouraging.” The first patient treated, Lucie Moison, now 45, has had the disease for 13 years and was on the waiting list for a lung transplant before she underwent the stem cell procedure a year ago. She said she felt no ill effects from the treatment, an injection of seven million stem cells, and almost immediately felt much better than she had in years. She even played a game of tennis. That initial burst of health lasted only a couple of weeks, but the mother of two continues to enjoy an improvement over her previous condition. The doctors describe her condition as stable, a major victory in a disease that is progressive and debilitating.

more...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2043734/posts

[manouli]

Mesoblast stem cells + Lucentis improve vision

Source: News Bites


Mesoblast Ltd announced results of the trial in 42 non-human primates conducted in conjunction with Mesoblast's New York based sister company Angioblast Systems Inc indicate that combining an anti-VEGF agent with the company's proprietary stem cells may lead to improved vision and a reduction in the frequency of subsequent anti-VEGF injections into the eyes.

more...

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/...e-vision-GEFTE

[manouli]

Clarion man recovering after stem cell transplant
By HEATHER LESKANIC




A replenishment blood drive is slated Monday in honor of Craig Beary of Clarion.


CLARION - The story of champion bicyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong is helping a 22-year-old Clarion man keep the faith as he works toward a critical milestone in his recovery following a stem cell transplant.

Craig Beary passed the 50-day mark this week after undergoing the successful transplant from an unrelated, anonymous matched donor May 15 at UPMC Shadyside in Pittsburgh.

He was diagnosed in October 2006 with aplastic anemia, a rare condition that causes reduced production of blood cells in the bone marrow.

Beary, the son of Richard "Curly" and Cindy Beary of Clarion, has been pleased to be able to recover at home because his mother is a registered nurse.

He was released from the hospital on June 11.

"We know the donor's stem cells are working," Cindy Beary said.

Doctors say he is making good progress in his blood cell production.

"I feel really good," Beary said.

The first 100 days post-transplant is the most critical time as patients are most susceptible to viruses and infections.

He said the actual transplant, which requires no surgery, took about 30 minutes.

The roughest part was the five days of chemotherapy that followed.

Beary has since been able to develop a routine that includes a daily walk of more than a mile and close attention to dietary restrictions.

He has learned to administer his own IVs, which he needs twice a day.

They also must make two trips each week to a special clinic at the Hillman Cancer Center at Shadyside.

The support and encouragement received from family, friends and the community have been greatly appreciated, he said.

more...

http://www.thederrick.com/stories/07112008-5008.shtml