Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

University of California, San Diego. (PRNewsFoto/University of California, San Diego) UC San Diego-based effort will speed discoveries to new drugs and treatments for patients SAN DIEGO, Nov. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a bold and singular step toward delivering the therapeutic promise of human stem cells, businessman and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford has committed $100 million to the creation of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center at the University of California, San Diego. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131031/DC07861LOGO) The Sanford Center will accelerate development of drugs and cell therapies inspired by and derived from current human stem cell research; establishing, promoting and disseminating clinical trials and patient therapies that will help more quickly transform promise into reality. "This gift and the creation of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center will further UC San Diego's leadership in stem cell science andtherapeutics, and advance our region's reputation as an international, collaborative hub for stem cell research,"said Pradeep K. Khosla, chancellor of UC San Diego. "This Center will support the goals and vision of ourstrategic planning process by translating discoveries into therapies that will improve and save lives." The Sanford Center will integrate operations at four locations: the UC San Diego Jacobs Medical Center and a … Continue reading →

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 1, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. (ASTM), the leading developer of patient-specific expanded multicellular therapies for the treatment of severe chronic cardiovascular diseases, today announced that results from two separate research studies involving ixmyelocel-T, the company's lead product candidate, were published in the peer reviewed journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy. Results from the first study, "Ixmyelocel-T, an Expanded Multicellular Therapy, Contains a Unique Population of M2-Like Macrophages", show that ixmyelocel-T contains M2-like macrophages characterized by expression of multiple, well-known M2 macrophage markers, decreased secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines after inflammatory stimuli, and efficient removal of apoptotic cells. The population of macrophages generated in ixmyelocel-T is believed to play a role in tissue repair and regeneration. "Our data demonstrate that ixmyelocel-T therapy contains a unique population of M2-like macrophages characterized by secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines and expression of M2 markers CD206 and CD163. In addition to being involved in efficient removal of apoptotic cells, they also show elevated expression of MerTK, which is essential in limiting tissue injury and promoting repair. These findings provide further indication that these cells may play a key role in the treatment of diseases where tissue remodeling and immunomodulation are … Continue reading →

Oct. 31, 2013 One of the obstacles to employing human embryonic stem cells for medical use lies in their very promise: They are born to rapidly differentiate into other cell types. Until now, scientists have not been able to efficiently keep embryonic stem cells in their pristine stem state. The alternative that has been proposed to embryonic stem cells -- reprogrammed adult cells called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) -- have similar limitations. Though these can differentiate into many different cell types, they retain signs of "priming," -- commitment to specific cell lineages. A team at the Weizmann Institute of Science has now taken a large step toward removing that obstacle: They have created iPS cells that are completely "reset" to the earliest possible state and maintained them in that state. Among other things, this research may, in the future, pave the way toward the ability to grow transplant organs to order. Since they were first created in 2006, iPS cells have been touted as an ethical and practical substitute for embryonic stem cells. They are made by inserting four genes into the genomes of such adult cells as skin cells. This turns back the developmental clock almost all … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 1-Nov-2013 Contact: B. D. Colen bd_colen@harvard.edu 617-413-1224 Harvard University Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers have a new model for how the kidney repairs itself, a model that adds to a growing body of evidence that mature cells are far more plastic than had previously been imagined. After injury, mature kidney cells dedifferentiate into more primordial versions of themselves, and then differentiate into the cell types needing replacement in the damaged tissue. This finding conflicts with a previously held theory that the kidney has scattered stem cell populations that respond to injury. The research appears online in PNAS Early Edition. HSCI Kidney Diseases Program Leader Benjamin Humphreys, MD, PhD, a Harvard Medical School assistant professor at Brigham and Women's Hospital, was suspicious of the kidney stem cell repair model because his previous work suggested that all kidney cells have the capacity to divide after injury. He and his colleagues decided to test conventional wisdom by genetically tagging mature kidney cells in mice that do not express stem cell markers; the hypothesis being that the mature cells should do nothing or die after injury. The results showed that not only do these fully differentiated cells multiply, but they … Continue reading →

NEWARK, Calif., Oct. 31, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StemCells, Inc. (STEM), a leading stem cell company developing and commercializing novel cell-based therapeutics and tools for use in stem cell-based research and drug discovery, announced today that it will release financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2013 after the market close on Tuesday, November 5. In connection with this announcement, StemCells will host a conference call and webcast to discuss its results and an update on its business at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (4:30 p.m. Eastern Time) the same day. Interested parties are invited to listen to the call over the Internet by accessing the Investors section of the Company's website at http://www.stemcellsinc.com. Webcast participants should allot extra time before the webcast begins to register and, if necessary, download and install audio software. An archived version of the webcast will also be available for replay on the Company's website beginning approximately two hours following the conclusion of the live call and continuing for a period of 30 days. About StemCells, Inc. StemCells, Inc. is engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of cell-based therapeutics and tools for use in stem cell-based research and drug discovery. The Company's proprietary … Continue reading →

Oct. 31, 2013 In a new study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden show that the scar tissue formed by stem cells after a spinal cord injury does not impair recovery; in fact, stem cell scarring confines the damage. The findings, which are published in the scientific journal Science, indicate that scar tissue prevents the lesion from expanding and helps injured nerve cells survive. Spinal cord injuries sever nerve fibres that conduct signals between the brain and the rest of the body, causing various degrees of paralysis depending on the site and extent of the injury. Functional impairment is often permanent, since the cut nerve fibres do not grow back. The lack of regeneration has been attributed to a blockage from scar tissue that forms at the lesion. It has therefore been suggested that the nerve fibres could regenerate and that recovery could improve if scar formation is inhibited, and many proposed therapeutic strategies have been designed around this concept. In the present study, the researchers focused on spinal cord stem cells, which are one of the main sources of the scar tissue that is formed after spinal cord injury. They found that when blocking scar formation by preventing the … Continue reading →

NEWARK, Calif., Oct. 29, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StemCells, Inc. (STEM) today announced the acquisition of a portfolio of issued US and Canadian patents to which it had previously held an exclusive worldwide license. The portfolio broadly claims the manufacture and proliferation of purified populations of human neural stem cells and their use as therapeutics and as tools for drug discovery. The acquisition relieves the Company of all milestone and royalty obligations under the license agreements for products claimed by the patents, such as products derived from the Company's proprietary HuCNS-SC(R) cells (purified human neural stem cells). The patents arose from the groundbreaking research of Samuel Weiss, Ph.D., and Brent Reynolds, Ph.D., while at the University of Calgary. As consideration for the portfolio, the Company will issue 139,548 shares of common stock to Neurospheres Holdings Ltd., an intellectual property holding company affiliated with the University of Calgary. "These Weiss and Reynolds patents have been recognized time and time again as the seminal intellectual property pertaining to purified populations of human neural stem cells," said Martin McGlynn, President and Chief Executive Officer of StemCells, Inc. "The potential value of these patents continues to grow in light of the encouraging data emerging … Continue reading →

Current ratings for: 'Sex drive slows' after stem cell transplantation Ratings require JavaScript to be enabled. New research suggests that complications and preparative procedures linked to stem cell transplantation may lead to sexual dysfunction in both men and women. This is according to a study published in the journal Blood. Researchers from the City of Hope Cancer Research Hospital in Duarte, California, say that graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) - a complication that can arise after stem cell transplantation (SCT) when donor cells attack recipient cells - could be a cause of diminished sexual health. Furthermore, they found a link between diminished sexual health in men and total body radiation - a preparation treatment administered prior to the SCT procedure. Stem cell transplantation is a commonly used and effective form of treatment for those suffering from blood cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. The procedure involves taking stem cells either from a patient's own blood or bone marrow, or a matched donor, and replacing the patient's damaged cells with healthy cells. The researchers note that previous studies have indicated that after this procedure, while a person may physically recover, their sexual health may be slower in returning to normal. To look … Continue reading →

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX) today announced changes to the organization and management of its research products business. The research products business will be consolidated into a new ESI BIO Division which shall be BioTimes primary developer, manufacturer and distributor for its growing portfolio of stem-cell-based research products. Jeffrey Janus, BioTimes Vice President of Sales and Marketing, will lead ESI BIO and has also been appointed as the CEO of BioTimes Singapore-based subsidiary ES Cell International Pte Ltd. (ESI Singapore) which will be a part of the ESI BIO Division. Mr. Janus has over 30 years of experience in the cell-based biotechnology industry, serving in various executive and board level positions. ESI BIO will manufacture and market the ESI human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines developed by ESI Singapore, PureStem human embryonic progenitors, HyStem hyaluronan-based hydrogels, and kits for stem cell differentiation and reprogramming. ESI BIO also plans to develop additional new PureStem human embryonic progenitors and HyStem products, and will work with BioTimes LifeMap Sciences, Inc. subsidiary to develop and market a new database product. LifeMap Sciences will continue to use its BioReagents website to market BioTimes PureStem progenitor cells and reagents and the ESI hES … Continue reading →

Support Stem Cell Research PSA By: 176684@glenbrook225.org … Continue reading →