Monthly Archives: January 2012

Oregon Teen Author Alexandra Gritta Raises $20,000 for Rescued PMU Horses at Duchess Sanctuary

Posted: Published on January 31st, 2012

Sixteen-year-old Alexandra Gritta works to raise both funds and public awareness for horses forced to suffer at PMU (Pregnant Mare Urine) facilities in order to produce the hormone replacement therapy drug Premarin®. Portland, OR (PRWEB) January 31, 2012 Alexandra Gritta, sixteen-year-old author and President of the Charity Book Series®, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, announced today her charitable gift to Duchess Sanctuary in Oakland, Oregon. Gritta's donation comes from the profit of her children's book, “Mystery at Silver Key Stables,” and her own personal fund-raising efforts. Her charitable gift of $10,000 brought another $10,000 in matching funds from the Humane Society of the United States, for a total donation of $20,000 to the Duchess Sanctuary. More than 180 rescued horses are allowed to roam free on the 1,120 acres of land at Duchess Sanctuary, a rural property outside of Roseburg, Oregon, run by the Fund for Animals in partnership with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Jennifer Kunz, Duchess Sanctuary Ranch Manager, reports that among these are 100 mares and foals rescued from Canadian Pregnant Mare Urine (PMU) farms. After visiting the Duchess Sanctuary in July 2011, Gritta was inspired by the genuine love and concern that Jennifer … Continue reading

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Reverse Aging Discovery thru Stem Cell Research – Video

Posted: Published on January 31st, 2012

27-01-2012 10:07 http://www.insidershealth.com Reverse Aging Fountain of Youth Reversed Aging Stem Cell Research Has the Fountain of Youth been discovered? Is reversed aging really in our future? University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine may just have found the answer through a study involving lab mice with a rapid-aging disease. Once the mice received a muscle stem cell injection, the doctors were pleased to find that it reversed the effects of aging in the sick mice! Reverse Aging Fountain of Youth Reversed Aging Stem Cell Research http://www.insidershealth.com Read more here: Reverse Aging Discovery thru Stem Cell Research - Video … Continue reading

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BioRestorative Therapies Signs License Agreement for Stem Cell Disc/Spine Procedure

Posted: Published on January 31st, 2012

JUPITER, Fla., Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. (OTCQB: BRTX) ("BRT") today announced that it has entered into a License Agreement with Regenerative Sciences, LLC ("RS") with respect to certain stem cell-related technology and clinical treatment procedures developed by RS. The treatment is an advanced stem cell injection procedure that may offer relief from lower back pain, buttock and leg pain, or numbness and tingling in the legs or feet as a result of bulging and herniated discs. To date, over 40 procedures have been performed on patients. It is a minimally invasive out-patient procedure, and objective MRI data and patient outcomes for this novel injection procedure show positive results with limited patient downtime. BRT intends to utilize the existing treatment and outcome data, as well as further research, to prepare for clinical trials in the United States. Pursuant to the agreement, BRT will obtain an exclusive license to utilize or sub-license a certain medical device for the administration of specific cells and/or cell products to the precise locations within the damaged disc and/or spine (and other parts of the body, if applicable) and an exclusive license to utilize or sublicense a certain method for culturing cells for … Continue reading

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Scientists Transform Skin Cells Direct To Brain Cells, Bypassing Stem Cell Stage

Posted: Published on January 31st, 2012

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Stem Cell Research Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;  Biology / Biochemistry Article Date: 31 Jan 2012 - 2:00 PST email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions   Current Article Ratings: Patient / Public: 5 (1 votes) Healthcare Prof: Bypassing the stem cell stage, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California converted mouse skin cells directly into neural precursor cells, the cells that go on to form the three main types of cell in the brain and nervous system. They write about their findings in the 30 January early online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The findings of this and an earlier study question the idea that pluripotency (the ability to become virtually any other cell in the body, a key characteristic of stem cells) is a necessary stage in the conversion of one cell type to another. In the earlier study, the same team transformed mouse and human skin cells directly into functional neurons. But this study is a substantial advance on the earlier one for two reasons. First, neural precursor cells can not only differentiate into neurons, they can also become either of … Continue reading

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Scientists Transform Skin Cells Direct To Brain Cells, Bypassing Stem Cell Stage

Posted: Published on January 31st, 2012

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Stem Cell Research Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;  Biology / Biochemistry Article Date: 31 Jan 2012 - 2:00 PST email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions   Current Article Ratings: Patient / Public: 5 (1 votes) Healthcare Prof: Bypassing the stem cell stage, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California converted mouse skin cells directly into neural precursor cells, the cells that go on to form the three main types of cell in the brain and nervous system. They write about their findings in the 30 January early online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The findings of this and an earlier study question the idea that pluripotency (the ability to become virtually any other cell in the body, a key characteristic of stem cells) is a necessary stage in the conversion of one cell type to another. In the earlier study, the same team transformed mouse and human skin cells directly into functional neurons. But this study is a substantial advance on the earlier one for two reasons. First, neural precursor cells can not only differentiate into neurons, they can also become either of … Continue reading

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Scientists Transform Skin Cells Direct To Brain Cells, Bypassing Stem Cell Stage

Posted: Published on January 31st, 2012

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Stem Cell Research Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;  Biology / Biochemistry Article Date: 31 Jan 2012 - 2:00 PST email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions   Current Article Ratings: Patient / Public: 5 (1 votes) Healthcare Prof: Bypassing the stem cell stage, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California converted mouse skin cells directly into neural precursor cells, the cells that go on to form the three main types of cell in the brain and nervous system. They write about their findings in the 30 January early online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The findings of this and an earlier study question the idea that pluripotency (the ability to become virtually any other cell in the body, a key characteristic of stem cells) is a necessary stage in the conversion of one cell type to another. In the earlier study, the same team transformed mouse and human skin cells directly into functional neurons. But this study is a substantial advance on the earlier one for two reasons. First, neural precursor cells can not only differentiate into neurons, they can also become either of … Continue reading

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BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics (OTCBB:BCLI) Has Potentially Developed A Treatment For ALS

Posted: Published on January 31st, 2012

Newswise — In the quest to find treatments for certain neurological diseases, BrainStorm is fast distinguishing itself as a leader in the field of regenerative medicine using stem cells through its unique platform called NurOwn. The Company can process human mesenchymal stem cells, which are present in bone marrow and are capable of self-renewal as well as differentiation into many other tissues. What makes BrainStorm technology platform very attractive to Big Pharma partnering is the autologous nature of the bone marrow-derived stem cells. This will in turn drastically reduce the expected translation time to market. The value of a treatment for ALS in the U.S. and EU is estimated to be $4Billion. The potential applications for the NurOwn platform to treat disease is fast becoming a reality. In short, BrainStorm is leveraging a patients own cells to heal itself of disease. BrainStorm updated stakeholders recently with a review of the trial six months post transplantation. The Phase I/II clinical trial for ALS is being conducted at the prestigious Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem by renowned Professor Dimitrios Karussis, M.D., Ph.D. and a distinguished scientific team in its own right from BrainStorm headed by Professor Eldad Melamed. Patients have been transplanted … Continue reading

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StemCells, Inc. Announces Publication of Preclinical Data Demonstrating Its Human Neural Stem Cells Preserve Vision

Posted: Published on January 31st, 2012

NEWARK, Calif., Jan. 30, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StemCells, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEM - News) today announced the publication of preclinical data demonstrating that its proprietary HuCNS-SC(R) cells (purified human neural stem cells) protect host photoreceptors and preserve vision in an animal model of retinal disease. The preclinical results are highly relevant to human disorders of vision loss, the most notable of which is dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The study is available online at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-9568.2011.07970.x/abstract and will be featured as the cover article in the February issue of the international peer-reviewed European Journal of Neuroscience. This research was conducted in collaboration with a team of researchers led by Raymond Lund, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Ophthalmology, and Trevor McGill, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor at the Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health and Science University. The results of the study show that photoreceptors, the key cells of the eye involved in vision, were protected from degeneration following transplantation of HuCNS-SC cells into the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat. The RCS rat is a well-established model of retinal disease which has been used extensively to evaluate potential cell therapies. Moreover, the number of cone photoreceptors, which are responsible for central vision, remained constant over … Continue reading

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Stage-4 breast cancer survivor talks about stem cell treatment – Video

Posted: Published on January 31st, 2012

25-01-2012 18:06 A former stage-IV breast cancer patient talks about being treated at Stanford over a dozen years ago as part of a small clinical trial testing whether high-dose chemotherapy, followed by blood stem cell rescue with purified hematopoietic stem cells, could cure her cancer. Read more: Stage-4 breast cancer survivor talks about stem cell treatment - Video … Continue reading

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Gingrich Vows to Ban Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Posted: Published on January 31st, 2012

(Photo: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton) U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R) speaks to the media after attending a church service at the Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Florida January 29, 2012. "I believe life begins at conception," the Republican presidential hopeful stressed Sunday at a news conference outside a Baptist church in Lutz, Fla. "The question I was raising was what happens to embryos in fertility clinics," Gingrich added, referring to the remarks he made a day earlier at another Baptist church in Winter Park, that embryonic stem-cell research amounts to "the use of science to desensitize society over the killing of babies." Gingrich's proposal was seen as an attempt to woo evangelical voters and gain an edge over former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, his biggest opponent in Florida. Gingrich went on to say he was in favor of a commission to "look seriously" at the ethics of how fertility clinics are managed. "If you have in vitro fertilization, you are creating life; therefore, we should look seriously at what the rules should be for clinics that are doing that, because they are creating life," The Associated Press quoted him as saying outside Exciting … Continue reading

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