Category Archives: Cell Medicine

"See The Potential" program sponsored by Canada's Stem Cell Network and Pfizer MONTRAL, May 2, 2012 /CNW/ - The first two postdoctoral research fellowships of a new program to promote stem cell research in Canada were announced today by the program's sponsors, Canada's Stem Cell Network and Pfizer. "See The Potential" is a program established to encourage the work of promising young scientists in the field of stem cell and regenerative medicine research. Under the program, six postdoctoral fellowships will be funded from competitions over the next three years. Fellows will receive a grant of $50,000 per year for up to three years and will conduct two years of stem cell and regenerative medicine research at a recognized research laboratory in Canada as well as another year of research at the Pfizer Neusentis laboratories in the United Kingdom. The 2011 fellowship recipients that have just been announced, following an internationally publicized competition, are Dr. Corinne Hoesli from Laval University in Qubec City and Dr. Reaz Vawda from University Health Network in Toronto. Dr. Hoesli proposes to conduct research related to engineering artificial blood vessels and is speaking today at the Till and McCulloch Meetings in Montral about the program and … Continue reading →

THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Distracted driving due to texting and use of other electronic devices is common among college students in California, according to a new study. Previous research has shown that using cell phones while driving increases the risk of crashes fourfold, and that handheld and hands-free phones are equally dangerous. The risk of crashing while texting is eight to 16 times higher than normal. The new study included nearly 5,000 students, average age 21, from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD); San Diego State University; the University of San Diego; California State, San Marcos; and eight smaller colleges in the region. The researchers found that 78 percent of the students reported using a cell phone to talk or text while driving, 52 percent said they used hands-free devices while driving at least some of the time, 47 percent used hands-free devices at least half of the time while driving and 25 percent frequently used hands-free devices. Half of the students said they send texts while driving on the freeway, 60 percent send texts while in stop-and-go traffic or when driving on city streets, and 87 percent send texts while at traffic lights. Only 12 percent … Continue reading →

23-04-2012 15:56 A research team led by UC Davis Health System scientists has developed a novel technique to enhance bone growth by using a molecule which, when injected into the bloodstream, directs the body's stem cells to travel to the surface of bones. Once these cells are guided to the bone surface by this molecule, the stem cells differentiate into bone-forming cells and synthesize proteins to enhance bone growth. The study, which was published online today in Nature Medicine, used a mouse model of osteoporosis to demonstrate a unique treatment approach that increases bone density and prevents bone loss associated with aging and estrogen deficiency. "There are many stem cells, even in elderly people, but they do not readily migrate to bone," said Wei Yao, the principal investigator and lead author of the study. "Finding a molecule that attaches to stem cells and guides them to the targets we need is a real breakthrough." Researchers are exploring stem cells as possible treatments for a wide variety of conditions and injuries, ranging from peripheral artery disease and macular degeneration to blood disorders, skin wounds and diseased organs. Directing stem cells to travel and adhere to the surface of bone for bone … Continue reading →

PHILADELPHIA Perelman School of Medicine researchers Thomas Curran, PhD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Gary A. Koretzky, MD, PhD, vice chair for research and chief scientific officer, Department of Medicine, and are among the 220 elected to the 2012 class of members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. One of the nation's most prestigious honorary societies, the Academy is also a leading center for independent policy research. The current membership includes some of the world's most accomplished leaders from academia, business, public affairs, the humanities and the arts. Gary A. Koretzky is also a Francis C. Wood professor in the Department of Medicine. Through investigations of the regulation of blood cell formation and movement, Koretzky has made inroads into understanding the complexities of immune system function. Thomas Curran is also an investigator at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute and deputy scientific director at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Curran's studies of the molecular basis of brain cell growth have informed new strategies to treat pediatric brain tumors. He is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine and of the Royal Society. The other Penn winners admitted to this years' class are Robert M. Seyfarth, … Continue reading →

BOLOGNA, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Silicon Biosystems, S.p.A., a provider of specialized molecular and cellular biology technologies, will present at the Fourth World Circulating Tumour Cells Summit, April 25, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. at the Maritim Hotel in Berlin. Dr. Nicol Manaresi, founder and chief technology officer of Silicon Biosystems, will provide an overview of the DEPArray system, which uses image-based single-cell sorting to deliver pure populations of rare tumor cells. As part of the presentation, Dr. Manaresi will also offer recent data demonstrating single-CTC molecular characterization based on Whole Genome Amplification using the companys proprietary Ampli1 WGA kit followed by sequencing with Ion Torrent. Silicon Biosystems is a device manufacturer leading the field in the detection and isolation of single cells for cancer research and prenatal genetic testing. The companys DEPArray technology exploits microelectronics and the principles of dielectrophoresis to find, sort, isolate, and collect 100 percent pure populations of rare cells, such as CTCs, for single-cell based genomic and transcriptional profiling. The collection of pure individual CTCs from biological samples is a game changer in the quest to obtain clinical utility of these cells as it enables individual cell-based molecular profiling for personalized therapy, going beyond existing cell counting approaches … Continue reading →

Public release date: 25-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Kara Gavin kegavin@umich.edu 734-764-2220 University of Michigan Health System The University of Michigan's second human embryonic stem cell line has just been placed on the U.S. National Institutes of Health's registry, making the cells available for federally-funded research. It is the second of the stem cell lines derived at U-M to be placed on the registry. The line, known as UM11-1PGD, was derived from a cluster of about 30 cells removed from a donated five-day-old embryo roughly the size of the period at the end of this sentence. That embryo was created for reproductive purposes, tested and found to be affected with a genetic disorder, deemed not suitable for implantation, and would therefore have otherwise been discarded when it was donated in 2011. It carries the gene defect responsible for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a hereditary neurological disorder characterized by a slowly progressive degeneration of the muscles in the foot, lower leg and hand. CMT, as it is known, is one of the most common inherited neurological disorders, affecting one in 2,500 people in the United States. People with CMT usually begin to experience symptoms in adolescence or early adulthood. The … Continue reading →

Newswise ANN ARBOR, Mich. The University of Michigans second human embryonic stem cell line has just been placed on the U.S. National Institutes of Healths registry, making the cells available for federally-funded research. It is the second of the stem cell lines derived at U-M to be placed on the registry. The line, known as UM11-1PGD, was derived from a cluster of about 30 cells removed from a donated five-day-old embryo roughly the size of the period at the end of this sentence. That embryo was created for reproductive purposes, tested and found to be affected with a genetic disorder, deemed not suitable for implantation, and would therefore have otherwise been discarded when it was donated in 2011. It carries the gene defect responsible for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a hereditary neurological disorder characterized by a slowly progressive degeneration of the muscles in the foot, lower leg and hand. CMT, as it is known, is one of the most common inherited neurological disorders, affecting one in 2,500 people in the United States. People with CMT usually begin to experience symptoms in adolescence or early adulthood. The embryo used to create the cell line was never frozen, but rather was transported from another … Continue reading →

Public release date: 25-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Kim Irwin kirwin@mednet.ucla.edu 310-206-2805 University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences Can one feel too attached? Does one need to let go to mature? Neural stem cells have this problem, too. As immature cells, neural stem cells must stick together in a protected environment called a niche in order to divide so they can make all of the cells that populate the nervous system. But when it's time to mature, or differentiate, the neural stem cells must stop dividing, detach from their neighbors and migrate to where they are needed to form the circuits necessary for humans to think, feel and interact with the world. Now, stem cell researchers at UCLA have identified new components of the genetic pathway that controls the adhesive properties and proliferation of neural stem cells and the formation of neurons in early development. The finding by scientists at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA could be important because errors in this pathway can lead to a variety of birth defects that affect the structure of the nervous system, as well as more subtle changes … Continue reading →

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT; OTCBB: ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), an independent group of medical experts closely monitoring the Companys three ongoing clinical trials, have recently authorized the Company to move forward with enrollment and treatment of additional patients with Stargardts disease (SMD). In the U.S. SMD trial, ACT will screen and enroll patients for the second cohort, who, in keeping with trial protocol, will be injected with 100,000 retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells - as compared with the 50,000 cell dose used in the patients of the first cohort. The Company has also been approved to treat the final two patients to round out the initial dosing arm in its European trial. The use of pluripotent stem cells to derive RPE cells, and the use of the resulting RPE cells for treating a wide range of macular degenerative disorders, are covered by a robust patent portfolio owned by ACT, including a number of issued broad patents in key world markets. DSMB authorization to move to the next higher dosage of cells in our U.S. clinical trial and complete the treatment of … Continue reading →

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered a new stem cell in the adult brain. These cells can proliferate and form several different cell types -- most importantly, they can form new brain cells. Scientists hope to take advantage of the finding to develop methods to heal and repair disease and injury in the brain. Analyzing brain tissue from biopsies, the researchers for the first time found stem cells located around small blood vessels in the brain. The cell's specific function is still unclear, but its plastic properties suggest great potential. "A similar cell type has been identified in several other organs where it can promote regeneration of muscle, bone, cartilage and adipose tissue," said Patrik Brundin, M.D., Ph.D., Jay Van Andel Endowed Chair in Parkinson's Research at Van Andel Research Institute (VARI), Head of the Neuronal Survival Unit at Lund University and senior author of the study. In other organs, researchers have shown clear evidence that these types of cells contribute to repair and wound healing. Scientists suggest that the curative properties may also apply to the brain. The next step is to try to control and enhance stem cell self-healing … Continue reading →