Category Archives: Cell Therapy

Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Huntingtons Disease Also Included In: Stem Cell Research Article Date: 19 Mar 2012 - 10:00 PDT email to a friend printer friendly opinions Current Article Ratings: However, according to a study published March 15 in the journal Cell Stem Cell, a special type of brain cell created from stem cells could help restore the muscle coordination deficits that are responsible for uncontrollable spasms, a characteristic of the disease. The researchers demonstrated that movement in mice with a Huntington's-like condition could be restored. Su-Chun Zhang, a University of Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientist and the senior author of the study, said: In the study Zhang, who is an expert in creating various types of brain cells from human embryonic or induce pluripotent stem cells, and his team focused on GABA neurons. The degradation of GABA cells causes the breakdown of a vital neural circuit and loss of motor function in individuals suffering from Huntington's disease. According to Zhang, GABA neurons generate a vital neurotransmitter, a chemical that helps support the communication network in the brain that coordinates movement. Zhang and his team at the UW-Madison Waisman Center, discovered how to generate large quantities of GABA neurons from human … Continue reading →

ZUG, SWITZERLAND and SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire -03/19/12)- Cytori Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CYTX - News) announced today the publication of RESTORE-2 trial results in the peer-reviewed European Journal of Surgical Oncology. RESTORE-2 is a 71 patient multi-center, prospective clinical trial using autologous adipose-derived regenerative cell (ADRC)-enriched fat grafting for reconstruction of the breast after cancer surgery. The majority of patients underwent radiation prior to the procedure, creating an unfavorable ischemic environment for which breast reconstruction with ADRC-enriched fat grafting appears to be ideally suited. Key findings of the trial were: "Following cancer treatment, the patient's breast tissue can suffer from radiation injury, scarring and tight skin," said Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon Mrs. Eva Weiler-Mithoff, co-principal investigator for RESTORE-2 at the NHS Glasgow Royal Infirmary Hospital. "This new technique is exciting because it may offer the opportunity to resolve some of the most difficult to treat conditions where other approaches, including fat alone, do not achieve satisfactory results." ADRC-enriched partial mastectomy breast reconstruction is marketed in the EU as the RESTORE Procedure and represents an innovative treatment option with significant cost savings potential. The procedure can be performed on an outpatient basis. Satisfactory results can be achieved in a single procedure for … Continue reading →

SILVER SPRING, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB:NVLX), an emerging biotechnology provider of cell and gene therapy solutions through its ongoing acquisition of the assets of SG Austria, today discussed the proprietary Cell-in-a-Box technology, providing additional information about the science and technology behind the product. Creation of Cell-in-a-Box was a technological concept over 20 years ago, originally designed for studying potential ways to create protection for cells and destruction of viruses through neutralizing antibody production. This concept soon became a reality and developed over time to have a wide variety of uses, some of which are still being realized. In the past decade, this concept has advanced to the point we can now fully address the enormous humanitarian value and applications as well as substantial clinical potential for treatment of an extremely diverse set of diseases. The founding principle was to develop an artificial, semi-permeable capsule with sufficient permeability that oxygen and nutrients could reach encapsulated cells while cellular products could be released into the bloodstream or adjacent tissues. In addition, the capsule material had to remain robust, yet restrictive enough to exclude antibodies and immune cells. Otherwise, antibodies or immune cells would cause or allow recognition of the foreign capsule … Continue reading →

A NEW stem cell therapy treatment to develop new bones for patients with bone loss and new skin for recipients of plastic surgery has been developed, doctors from Shanghai No.9 People's Hospital announced yesterday. In the procedure, medical staff use a special machine to collect stem cells from a patient's blood. The stem cells adhere to a base made of a special biological material. The stem cells are then transplanted into the patient's body, where they grow into either new bones or skin tissue, while the base is absorbed by the human body. "So far the practice has been successful in treating patients with bone and skin loss," said Dr Dai Kerong from Shanghai Jiao Tong University's translational medicine institute at Shanghai No.9 hospital. "The stem cell technology will be used to develop corneas for blind people as well as treating heart attack and stroke patients by developing new heart and cerebral tissue." The technology is patented in China and abroad and will be licensed within one or two years, according to Dai. China has established 51 translational medicine centers to boost the introduction of laboratory research into clinical use. The complicated procedures and documentation required often prevent doctors from … Continue reading →

LEUVEN, BELGIUM--(Marketwire -03/15/12)- TiGenix NV (EURONEXT: TIG) today gave a business update and announced financial results for the full year 2011. Business highlights Financial highlights "TiGenix has created a new and strong basis in 2011 on which we can build going forward and we have strengthened our position as the European leader in cell therapy," says Eduardo Bravo, CEO of TiGenix. "We have delivered on our promises: we have obtained national reimbursement for ChondroCelect in Belgium and made progress in other European markets. We advanced all clinical stem cell programs on plan, and raised substantial funds from specialized healthcare investors and through non-dilutive financing. Today, TiGenix is well-positioned to reach the next value-enhancing inflection points." Business Update Successful integration of Cellerix reinforces leadership position in cell therapyIn May 2011, TiGenix closed the business combination with the stem cell therapy company Cellerix, creating the European leader in cell therapy. During 2011 the Company succeeded in rapidly integrating both entities. The Company now combines top line revenues with an advanced pipeline of clinical stage regenerative and immuno-modulatory products. TiGenix's operations are supported by a strong commercial and manufacturing infrastructure for advanced cell therapies, an experienced international management team and a solid cash … Continue reading →

EDMONDS, Wash., March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Washington Center for Pain Management is participating in a nationwide FDA-cleared adult stem cell study testing novel treatment for chronic low back pain and has enrolled its first patient. The study will test the use of Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs) adult stem cells derived from bone marrow that will be directly injected into the lumbar disc. The minimally invasive procedure may offer an alternative to back surgery for eligible patients with chronic pain from degenerative discs. An estimated 30 million people in the United States suffer from back pain. Degenerative disc disease is the most common cause of low-back pain, which develops with the gradual loss of a material called proteoglycan, which cushions the bones of the spine and enables normal motion. Most patients with low-back pain respond to physical therapy and medications, but in advanced cases, artificial disc replacement or spinal fusion -- removal of the degenerated discs and the fusion of the bones of the spine -- is necessary. However, these surgeries often are not entirely effective. "Millions of Americans are debilitated by chronic low back pain," says Dr Hyun Joong Hong MD, the lead investigator at The Washington Center for Pain … Continue reading →

Public release date: 15-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Jennifer Ganton jganton@ohri.ca 613-798-5555 x73325 Ottawa Hospital Research Institute A team of researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) has been awarded $367,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and $75,000 from the Stem Cell Network to lead the first clinical trial in the world of a stem cell therapy for septic shock. This deadly condition occurs when an infection spreads throughout the body and over-activates the immune system, resulting in severe organ damage and death in 30 to 40 per cent of cases. Septic shock accounts for 20 per cent of all Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admissions in Canada and costs $4 billion annually. Under the leadership of Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre, this new "Phase I" trial will test the experimental therapy in up to 15 patients with septic shock at The Ottawa Hospital's ICU. The treatment involves mesenchymal stem cells, also called mesenchymal stromal cells or MSCs. Like other stem cells, they can give rise to a variety of more specialized cells and tissues and can help repair and regenerate damaged organs. They also have a unique ability to … Continue reading →

OTTAWA A team of Canadian researchers has been awarded $442,000 to test the world's first experimental stem-cell therapy aimed at patients who suffer from septic shock, a runaway infection of the bloodstream that's notoriously difficult to treat. The federal grant will allow researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute to use mesenchymal stem cells, found in the bone marrow of healthy adults, to treat as many as 15 patients with septic shock. The deadly infection occurs when toxic bacteria spreads rapidly throughout the body and over-activates the immune system, leading to multiple organ failure and death in up to 40 per cent of cases. One in five patients admitted to intensive-care units suffers from septic shock, making it the most common illness among a hospital's sickest of the sick. Existing treatments focus on early diagnosis and intervention before organs start to fail. Patients with septic shock require aggressive resuscitation measures, large doses of intravenous antibiotics and, often, ventilators to help them breathe. Yet because the infection can creep up on patients rapidly and cause unpredictable complications, death from septic shock remains relatively common. The experimental therapy aims to use donor stem cells, grown and purified at the Ottawa laboratory, to … Continue reading →

OTTAWA A team of Ottawa researchers has been awarded $442,000 to test the worlds first experimental stem-cell therapy aimed at patients who suffer from septic shock, a runaway infection of the bloodstream thats notoriously difficult to treat. The federal grant will allow researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute to use mesenchymal stem cells, found in the bone marrow of healthy adults, to treat as many as 15 patients with septic shock. The deadly infection occurs when toxic bacteria spreads rapidly throughout the body and over-activates the immune system, leading to multiple organ failure and death in up to 40 per cent of cases. One in five patients admitted to intensive-care units suffers from septic shock, making it the most common illness among a hospitals sickest of the sick. Existing treatments focus on early diagnosis and intervention before organs start to fail. Patients with septic shock require aggressive resuscitation measures, large doses of intravenous antibiotics and, often, ventilators to help them breathe. Yet because the infection can creep up on patients rapidly and cause unpredictable complications, death from septic shock remains relatively common. The experimental therapy aims to use donor stem cells, grown and purified at the Ottawa laboratory, to … Continue reading →

SILVER SPRING, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB:NVLX), an emerging biotechnology provider of cell and gene therapy solutions through its ongoing acquisition of the assets of SG Austria, realizes the important role for Cell-in-a-Box technology, and what it offers the medical community, and aims today to discuss the potential it will serve as a treatment option for a variety of solid tumors. As discussed previously, the Cell-in-a-Box technology involves the encapsulating, or encasing of live cells in a specially created cotton-based capsule. The cell-type chosen, in the case of cancer treatment it is a cytochrome P450 expressing cell, is chosen for the disease and then is ultimately placed beside or within the target tumor while the cells remain inside the capsule. For cancer, once a patient receives the drug to be converted, the encapsulated cells transform this into an active chemotherapeutic. As a result, a high concentration of the drug is provided locally to the tumor. Although the original human clinical trials were limited to pancreatic cancer tumors, later work showed the Cell-in-a-Box encapsulation technology has great potential for use in other solid tumors. The work also pointed toward encapsulated cells expressing more than one drug-activating enzyme as being of potential … Continue reading →