Category Archives: Stem Cell Human Trials

Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012 The recent Nobel Prize recognition of work on artificially derived multipurpose stem cells by Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka is likely to further boost use of the technology in the country's biotech and related industries. It is hoped that his research for engineering mature cells, such as skin and blood, to grow into any type of body tissue will help in the development of new drugs and spur business opportunities for regenerative medicine, free from the controversy associated with stem cells from human embryos. Research company Fuji-Keizai Group says the Japanese market for regenerative medicine reached 51.4 billion in 2011 and is likely to top 100 billion in 2020 if more products are put on the market and their clinical applications are promoted. The 50-year-old Kyoto University professor won this year's Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine jointly with John Gurdon of Britain, professor emeritus at Cambridge University, for the discovery that "mature, specialized cells can be reprogrammed to become immature cells capable of developing into all tissues of the body." Major drugmaker Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. in 2011 began research with Kyoto University's Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, headed by Yamanaka, to develop treatments … Continue reading →

UPDATE on Stem Cell Therapy 7 November 2012 The Department of Health (DOH) saw the necessity to cover regulations for Stem Cell therapy. Stem Cell therapy belongs to the category of Advanced Cell therapy which includes biologics and blood. Many countries around the world apply a risk-based approach to assess the quality, efficacy and safety of advanced cell therapy. In many countries, Stem Cell is considered an investigational intervention. Stem Cell research employs both autologous (from same person) or allogenic (from another organism like animal or another human cell or tissue sample) method. Because there are many steps in the preparation of this lab and invasive procedure, there is therefore need to have a regulatory framework to protect Filipino citizens. Important questions were asked: is there proof of concept in animal trials where stem cell can then be applied in humans? Is there a way to ensure quality and purity of the raw materials? How safe is the procedure? How many did not benefit from the procedure? If this were investigational procedure, how will human subjects be protected? Sec. Enrique Ona convened a consultative working task force to provide recommendations on how to proceed in the early part of the … Continue reading →

Hans Keirstead- Stem Cells Restore Mobility in Neck-Injured Rats (UC Irvine) Download: savedmy.com Stem cells have the potential to treat a wide range of diseases, but developing those cures is a process that has many hurdles. Dr. Hans Kierstead has a CIRM grant to develop a treatment for spinal cord injury. He is co-director of the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center and associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology at the University of California, Irvine.From:Grablampet2Views:244 0ratingsTime:02:36More inGaming The rest is here: Hans Keirstead- Stem Cells Restore Mobility in Neck-Injured Rats (UC Irvine) - Video … 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, has authorized the Company to move forward with enrollment and treatment of two additional patients with dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD). ACT will screen and enroll the second and third patients of the three-patient second cohort in the trial. Per trial protocol, each patient will be injected with 100,000 human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Dry AMD represents one of the largest unmet medical needs in the world, and we are thrilled to be making steady progress in our clinical trial for this condition, commented Gary Rabin, ACTs chairman and CEO. We are well on our way to the halfway point of all three of our clinical trials. We also recently secured DSMB approval to complete the second cohort of our two trials for Stargardts Macular Dystrophy. ACT is conducting three clinical trials in the U.S. and Europe using hESC-derived RPE cells to treat forms of macular degeneration, dry AMD and Stargardts Macular … Continue reading →

Introduction We are in the midst of a major national debate on stem cell research. There are a variety of ethical and religious views on this issue, and these perspectives are important. But there are also practical and scientific issues. The Heritage Foundation recently hosted a panel discussion to raise and discuss these issues. This paper presents excerpts from the remarks of three speakers at that event. All three have expertise in the subject and regularly address the public policy questions involved in stem cell research. Kelly Hollowell, Ph.D., is a molecular and cellular pharmacologist and a patent attorney. Phil Coelho is CEO and Chairman of the Board of Thermogenesis Corp., which provides cord blood stem cell processing and cryopreservation systems used by major cord blood stem cell banks. And Representative Dave Weldon is a physician and represents the 15th Congressional District of Florida. --Robert Moffit, Ph.D. Kelly Hollowell, Ph.D.: Embryonic stem cells are the unspecialized cells that form the basic building blocks for all of the specialized cell types in the body. Researchers hope to treat human diseases by using stem cells taken from embryos. The primary sources for embryonic stem cells are aborted fetuses and the donated and … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Oct. 25, 2012) When the era of regenerative medicine dawned more than three decades ago, the potential to replenish populations of cells destroyed by disease was seen by many as the next medical revolution. However, what followed turned out not to be a sprint to the clinic, but rather a long tedious slog carried out in labs across the globe required to master the complexity of stem cells and then pair their capabilities and attributes with specific diseases. In a review article appearing October 25 in the journal Science, University of Rochester Medical Center scientists Steve Goldman, M.D., Ph.D., Maiken Nedergaard, Ph.D., and Martha Windrem, Ph.D., contend that researchers are now on the threshold of human application of stem cell therapies for a class of neurological diseases known as myelin disorders -- a long list of diseases that include conditions such as multiple sclerosis, white matter stroke, cerebral palsy, certain dementias, and rare but fatal childhood disorders called pediatric leukodystrophies. "Stem cell biology has progressed in many ways over the last decade, and many potential opportunities for clinical translation have arisen," said Goldman. "In particular, for diseases of the central nervous system, which have proven difficult to treat because … Continue reading →

SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 29, 2012) - Bio-Matrix Scientific Group, Inc. ( OTCQB : BMSN ) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Regen BioPharma, Inc., will be presenting today at the 2012 Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa's Investor and Partnering Forum, the regenerative medicine industry's premier business development and partnering meeting.The Investor and Partnering Forum is being organized by the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to profile the industry's most exciting technologies.Thirty-five companies and organizations will be presented over the course of 2 days, ranging from translational research centers to emerging-growth biotech companies, as well as established, publicly traded industry leaders. The following are specific details regarding Regen BioPharma's presentation at the conference: Date: October 29th, 2012 Time: 5:45pm PST Location: Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine Building Auditorium, Second Floor Terrace 2880 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, La Jolla, California The Investor and Partnering Forum was created in 2011 to facilitate translational research, promote engagement between the scientific and business communities and provide opportunities for business, academic research and investor participants to connect in one-on-one strategic partnering meetings. It will be held immediately prior to the Stem Cell Meeting on the … Continue reading →

MONDAY, Oct. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists who created cartilage from adult stem cells in mice say their success could lead to new treatments for cartilage injury and osteoarthritis. The cartilage was created using induced pluripotent stem cells, which are adult cells that have been genetically altered to have the characteristics of embryonic stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have the potential to become different types of specialized cells. "What this research shows in a mouse model is the ability to create an unlimited supply of stem cells that can turn into any type of tissue -- in this case cartilage, which has no ability to regenerate by itself," study senior author Farshid Guilak, a professor of orthopedic surgery at Duke University in Durham, N.C., said in a university news release. The study was published online Oct. 29 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Study leader Brian Diekman, a post-doctoral associate in orthopedic surgery, said the multi-step process used by the researchers shows "that iPSCs can be used to make high-quality cartilage, either for replacement tissue or as a way to study disease and potential treatments." Guilak added that the advantage of this technique is … Continue reading →

SANTA BARBARA Biomedical research at UC Santa Barbara has catapulted to a position of leadership in the arena of stem cell biology, offering progress toward cures for vision diseases such as macular degeneration. Stem cell research has the potential to transform the practice of medicine, by replacing diseased tissue with healthy new cells. Interdisciplinary teams of UC Santa Barbara researchers including world-renowned faculty members recruited from the U.S. and Britain are leading the charge. The university's newly renovated lab space is critical to the mission. The latest research holds the promise of developing stem cells from skin, called induced pluripotent stem cells, which could eventually replace the use of human embryonic stem cells. The hope is to find cures for diseases including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and Alzheimer's. Campus leaders, dignitaries, scientists, and engineers gathered at UC Santa Barbara on Friday (Oct. 26) to celebrate the completion of a dream: 10,000 square feet of renovated laboratory space devoted to stem cell research. This was the grand opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting in celebration of UC Santa Barbara's Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering, part of the Neuroscience Research Institute. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) contributed to the renovation … Continue reading →

GAITHERSBURG, MD--(Marketwire - Oct 23, 2012) - Cytomedix, Inc. ( OTCQX : CMXI ) (the "Company"), a leading developer of biologically active regenerative therapies, today announced that it will present at the First Annual Houston Stem Cell Summit on October 26th and at the 2012 Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa Conference, October 29th - 30th.The presentations will be given by Edward L. Field, Chief Operating Officer of Cytomedix. Houston Stem Cell Summit Houston, TX, Oct 26 - 27 Presentation Time: 9:50 AM, Friday, October 26th, 2012 Location: The Houstonian Hotel, 111 North Post Oak Lane, Houston, TX The Houston Stem Cell Summit will bring together, for the first time; the many and varied stem cell research and commercialization activities in Texas with the leading global researchers and entrepreneurs. The latest therapeutic research regarding the use of adult stem and progenitor cell therapies will be featured.The Summit will also provide a forum for entrepreneurs to discuss their latest efforts to commercialize stem cell therapies, and to debate and discuss FDA and other legal and regulatory issues impacting stem cell research and commercialization. Participating Texas institutions include: Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Heart Institute, Texas A&M, Rice University, and MD Anderson.The … Continue reading →