Category Archives: Stem Cell Human Trials

Basic Questions What are stem cells? Stem cells are cells that have the potential to develop into some or many different cell types in the body, depending on whether they are multipotent or pluripotent. Serving as a sort of repair system, they can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells for as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each "daughter" cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell. For a discussion of the different kinds of stem cells, such as embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, or induced pluripotent stem cells, see Stem Cell Basics. What classes of stem cells are there? Stem cells may be pluripotent or multipotent. Where do stem cells come from? There are several sources of stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells can be isolated from human embryos that are a few days old. Cells from these embryos can be used to create pluripotent stem cell "lines" cell cultures that can be grown indefinitely in the laboratory. Pluripotent stem cell lines have … Continue reading →

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Oct 31, 2013) - Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (TSX VENTURE:SSS)(SCTPF), an immuno-oncology company developing cancer stem cell-related therapeutics, today announced that it has been granted Orphan Drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of tigecycline in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Orphan Drug designation is granted to therapeutics treating rare diseases affecting less than 200,000 people in the U.S. The designation entitles the sponsor to seven years of market exclusivity as well as opportunities for additional funding and expert protocol assistance. "Orphan Drug status significantly enhances the commercial potential of tigecycline in AML, a disease which is notoriously difficult to treat," said the company's Vice President, Drug Development, Dr. Penka Petrova. "Through its unique mechanism of action and synergy with existing AML therapies, tigecycline has the potential to positively impact the standard of care in this disease." The company's program is based on Dr. Aaron Schimmer's published findings that tigecycline, an FDA-approved antibiotic, selectively targets leukemia cells and leukemic stem cells by inhibiting mitochondrial protein synthesis and thus shutting down the cells' energy supply. A Phase I Canadian and U.S. multicenter dose-escalation clinical trial in patients with relapsed or … Continue reading →

Acure for baldness doesn't leap to mind when one ponders the next advance in stem cell research, but whoever manages to do it stands to become very rich. Scientists around the world have already grown liver and brain cells in the laboratory using cell samples from humans. Others - including some working for a Vancouver-based company - are hard at work trying to find a way to nurture new hair growth on shiny heads. "It's a market where people spend a ton of money," says David Hall, CEO of RepliCel Life Sciences Inc., a biotech firm with offices in downtown Vancouver that has attracted the attention of Japan's Shiseido Co. The cosmetic giant paid $4.2 million in July to share Repli-Cel's research on a highly speculative technology for treating hair loss. Hall, who says his own flowing locks have no high-tech enhancement, acknowledges that plenty of people think hair-cloning research is frivolous. But those usually aren't people who are losing their hair, particularly at a young age. "It's just not perceived as a medical need, but I think there are a lot of people who would say it's important to them," Hall says. "There's definitely a mental health aspect for … Continue reading →

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) October 24, 2013 Histogen, Inc., a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based on the products of cells grown under simulated embryonic conditions, announced that the Companys Chairman and CEO, Dr. Gail Naughton, will present today at the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) Asia Pacific Annual Meeting in Shanghai, China. Through its proprietary technology process that simulates the conditions of the embryonic environment, Histogen is uniquely able to trigger the de-differentiation of skin cells into multipotent stem cells without genetic manipulation. The cells express key stem cell markers including Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog, and secrete a distinctive composition of growth factors and other proteins known to stimulate stem cells in the body, regenerate tissues, and promote scarless healing. It is the soluble and insoluble compositions of multipotent proteins and growth factors resulting from this process that have been shown to both promote skin regeneration and induce controlled cell death in multiple skin cancers. The anti-aging and rejuvenation benefits of human multipotent stem cell proteins have been shown in several clinical studies, and have resulted in the materials use as a thriving next-generation ingredient for skin care, said Dr. Naughton. In parallel, we have also … Continue reading →

Poway, California (PRWEB) October 24, 2013 Dr. Robert Harman, Founder and CEO of Vet-Stem, Inc., a Regenerative Veterinary Medicine company in Southern California, presented at TargetMeetings 3rd World Drug Discovery Online Conference, October 15-17th, 2013. Topics of the web-based conference covered biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals, gene and cell therapy, as well as research and clinical trials. Target Meeting is a leading online life science conference organizer that proudly does not require any travel from participants. Participants like Dr. Harman were able to log into a secure conference track to hear live sessions, be part of question and answer forums, and give interactive presentations. Dr. Harmans presentation was on The Science and Business of Veterinary Regenerative Medicine, covering the use of stem cell therapy, types of stem cells, and uses in clinical veterinary medicine. Veterinary Regenerative Medicine is a discipline that seeks to replace or regenerate cells, tissue or organs, to restore or establish normal function. Stem cell medicines have been used clinically in veterinary medicine in advance of clinical use in human medicine. There are many commercial companies already offering autologous services and allogeneic stem cell medicines globally. -Dr. Harman. Dr. Harman explored the science and business of veterinary regenerative medicine, … Continue reading →

Oct. 21, 2013 Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have devised a hair restoration method that can generate new human hair growth, rather than simply redistribute hair from one part of the scalp to another. The approach could significantly expand the use of hair transplantation to women with hair loss, who tend to have insufficient donor hair, as well as to men in early stages of baldness. The study was published today in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). "About 90 percent of women with hair loss are not strong candidates for hair transplantation surgery because of insufficient donor hair," said co-study leader Angela M. Christiano, PhD, the Richard and Mildred Rhodebeck Professor of Dermatology and professor of genetics & development. "This method offers the possibility of inducing large numbers of hair follicles or rejuvenating existing hair follicles, starting with cells grown from just a few hundred donor hairs. It could make hair transplantation available to individuals with a limited number of follicles, including those with female-pattern hair loss, scarring alopecia, and hair loss due to burns." The source of new hair: For the first time, researchers have been able to take … Continue reading →

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT)(ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that it will webcast its Annual Shareholders Meeting to be held on Tuesday, October 22nd at the Hyatt Regency Suites, Palm Springs, 285 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, Calif. The meeting is open to shareholders of record as of August 23, 2013. The webcast will begin at 9 a.m. PDT, after the Company completes the formal portion of the meeting, where results of proxy voting will be announced. At that time, members of the management team will deliver a Company presentation and address questions from shareholders. Questions will be taken from both members of the live audience as well as electronically from the webcast. The webcast will be available live and for replay by webcast at: http://us.meeting-stream.com/advancedcelltechnology102213 About Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of human embryonic and adult stem cell technology in the field of regenerative medicine. The company is conducting various clinical trials for treating macular degeneration, and has a preclinical development pipeline focused on products for eye diseases, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, and wound healing. Its intellectual … Continue reading →

Here at Maclean's, we appreciate the written word. And we appreciate you, the reader. We are always looking for ways to create a better user experience for you and wanted to try out a new functionality that provides you with a reading experience in which the words and fonts take centre stage. We believe you'll appreciate the clean, white layout as you read our feature articles. But we don't want to force it on you and it's completely optional. Click "View in Clean Reading Mode" on any article if you want to try it out. Once there, you can click "Go back to regular view" at the top or bottom of the article to return to the regular layout. James Cheadle / Smithsonian Magazine Growing a human organ is a bit like baking a layer cake, says Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Lets say the cake we want is a kidney. After harvesting cells from the patients kidney and coaxing them to multiplymixing up the cake batterAtalas team bastes those cells onto a biodegradable scaffold, one painstaking layer at a time. Once theres the right amount, he says, we put it in an … Continue reading →

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) October 11, 2013 Histogen, Inc., a regenerative medicine company developing therapies for conditions including hair loss and cancer, announced today that Histogen CEO Gail K. Naughton, Ph.D. will give a company presentation at the 3rd Annual Regen Med Partnering Forum, part of the Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa to be held October 14-16 in La Jolla, CA. Histogen's solutions are based upon the products of cells grown under proprietary conditions that mimic the embryonic environment, including low oxygen and suspension. The technology focuses on stimulating a patient's own stem cells by delivering a proprietary complex of proteins that have been shown to support stem cell growth and differentiation. It is an exciting time for Histogen, as we continue to move the technology forward with expanded partnerships in skincare, compelling clinical data in both male and female hair loss, and early but exciting results in orthopedics, said Dr. Naughton. We look forward to sharing our story during the Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa, and to progressing our products even further through growing relationships with industry leaders and through our potential merger with Stratus Media to form publicly-traded Restorgenex. Organized by the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine … Continue reading →

1 hour ago The way cells divide to form new cellsto support growth, to repair damaged tissues, or simply to maintain our healthy adult functioningis controlled in previously unsuspected ways UC San Francisco researchers have discovered. The findings, they said, may lead to new ways to fight cancer. The steps leading a quiet cell to make and divvy up new parts to form daughter cells rely on some of the cell's most complex molecular machines. Different machines play key roles at different stages of this cell cycle. Each of these cellular machines consists of many proteins assembled into a functioning whole. They carry out such tasks as repairing DNA in the newly replicated gene-bearing chromosomes, for instance, or helping pull the chromosomes apart so that they can be allocated to daughter cells. In a study published online on October 10, 2013 in the journal Molecular Cell, UCSF researchers led by molecular biologist Davide Ruggero, PhD, associate professor of urology, and computational biologist Barry Taylor, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics, found that the production of entire sets of proteins that work together to perform such crucial tasks is ramped up together, all at oncenot due to the transcription of … Continue reading →