Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

The Department of Health (DOH) has restricted hospitals and other facilities from using genetically-altered cells and tissues of human in carrying out stem-cell therapy and treatments in the country. Health secretary Enrique Ona added that their department also prohibits the use of umbilical cord, fat-derived human stem cells, and live animal stem cells for the conduct of the procedure locally. Related story: Foundation seeks to help people on the verge of suicide On Wednesday, DOH released Administrative Order (AO) 2013-0012 which seeks to ensure the safety of people who want to undergo human stem cell and cell-based therapies. The AO also prohibits for human treatment and research the creation of human embryos and their derivatives, the use of aborted human fetal stem cells and their derivatives, and plant parts labeled as stem cells, the order stated. Ona hopes AO will make effective and ethical stem cell modalities and practices that will be at par with emerging international and global standards on the very complex nature of this therapy. Also read: Genetically modified crops threaten organic agriculture He explained the AO also hopes to prevent the introduction, transmission, and spread of communicable diseases by ensuring a minimum quality of service and … Continue reading →

NEWARK, Calif., March 19, 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, today provided a business update and reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2012. "2012 was an eventful and positive year for StemCells, Inc.," said Martin McGlynn, President and CEO of StemCells, Inc. "We published a broad array of meaningful preclinical and clinical data demonstrating the therapeutic potential of our proprietary HuCNS-SC(R) cells to address a wide range of CNS indications, and continue to make progress in all our programs. The year began with the publication of the preclinical data underlying our clinical trial for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and late in the year we published two papers demonstrating the potential applicability of our cells for a range of myelination disorders, including the data from our Phase I clinical trial in Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) showing evidence of new myelination and measurable gains in neurological function. In between those publications, we reported interim six-month data from our spinal cord injury trial showing considerable gains in sensory function in two of three patients, … Continue reading →

CIRM governance issues CIRM chairman Jonathan Thomas discusses governance issues of California's stem cell agency. To the left is UCSD stem cell researcher Larry Goldstein, to the ... By: Bradley Fikes … Continue reading →

The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the nonprofit organization promoting and managing research on board the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory, today announced a Request for Information (RFI) seeking to identify entities capable of serving as implementation partners for microgravity-based, non-embryonic stem cell research conducted on the station. The CASIS Science Advisory Board has identified non-embryonic stem cell research as a strong opportunity for developing a biosciences portfolio for the ISS. This is due to previous experiments in microgravity that have demonstrated diverse cellular activities including cell proliferation, cell cycle, cell differentiation, apoptosis, genomic integrity and DNA damage repair. From this RFI, CASIS will develop an internal database of entities that can support payload development needs for non-embryonic stem cell research. This information gathering opportunity comes before an official non-embryonic stem cell Request for Proposals is announced in the coming months. "CASIS continues to be encouraged by the amount of partners willing to facilitate bringing groundbreaking research ideas to the National Lab," said CASIS Interim Director Jim Royston. "Through this RFI, CASIS can better gauge the capabilities of our current partners in non-embryonic stem cell research, and possibly identify new implementation partners for future … Continue reading →

For the first time, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers successfully implanted stem cells generated from skin cells into the region of a monkeys brain that was affected by Parkinsons disease, according to a study released Thursday. UW-Madison neuroscience professor Su-Chun Zhang, the lead researcher on the project, extracted cells from three monkeys skin and turned them into stem cells, which are cells that have not yet been differentiated to fit a specific purpose in the body. In his research Zhang changed the Induced Pluripotent Stem cells, derived from non-embryonic cells, into the dopamine-creating cells and implanted in an area of the monkeys brains that contained a lesion causing Parkinsons disease. Parkinsons disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, which results from the death of dopamine-creating cells. It causes behavioral and cognitive problems, including shaking, dementia and slow movement, and currently has no cure. One of the major setbacks in previous stem cell research was immune rejection, which occurs when a patients body rejects stem cells because they come from another source. This research marks an important step in solving the issue, Zhang said, because his research created stem cells from the monkeys own body, which prevents immune rejection. … Continue reading →

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 15, 2013) - NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S.NEWSWIRE SERVICES Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (TSX VENTURE:SSS)("SCT"), a life sciences company developing stem cell-related technologies, announced today that it has closed its previously announced prospectus offering of 12,315,000 units ("Units") at a price of $0.25 per Unit for the aggregate gross proceeds of $3,078,750. Each Unit is comprised of one common share and one common share purchase warrant (the "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase an additional common share for $0.40 for a period of 60 months following the closing of the offering. Euro Pacific Canada Inc. acted as the agent and Bloom Burton & Co., as a selling firm for the offering. The purpose of the offering is to provide the resources necessary to conclude the acquisition of Trillium Therapeutics Inc. by SCT, announced February 4th, 2013, and to trigger a condition precedent to permit the exercise of the option by SCT to acquire the license to the Tigecycline intellectual property from the University Health Network/MaRS Innovation, Toronto, announced November 7th, 2012. The assets expected to be acquired and licensed will conclude the initial step of SCT's published … Continue reading →

CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwire - Mar 15, 2013) - International Stem Cell Corporation ( OTCQB : ISCO ) (www.internationalstemcell.com), a California-based biotechnology company focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells, announced today the publication of its breakthrough method of deriving neuronal cells for the treatment of Parkinson's disease in Scientific Reports, a primary research publication from the publishers of Nature. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder caused by a progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons resulting in gradual dysfunction of the motor system. Pharmacological treatments are useful in the relatively early stage of the disease, but the continuous use of pro-dopaminergic medication eventually becomes ineffective and can worsen some of the motor symptoms. ISCO is developing a treatment for PD based on replacing the lost neurons with new neuronal cells derived from human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSC). To this end ISCO has developed a sophisticated and efficient manufacturing process for neuronal cells which has now been published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports. The paper describes the technology, developed by ISCO's R&D team, for producing highly pure populations of GMP-grade neuronal cells suitable for pre-clinical studies and clinical trials. The neuronal cells created using this approach are further … Continue reading →

Stem Cell Research --- only Embryonic Stem Cell Research only Embryonic. huzaifa4246205 videos. Subscribe Subscribed Unsubscribe 0. 1 view. Like 0 Dislike 0. Like ... Former President Bill Clinton makes a HUGE gaffe on embryonic stem cell researchby utubekookdetector 808 views; 354. Watch Later Myaunew Presentation How Embryonic Stem Cells Enhance Your Healthwmvby Andy Wong 59 views; 032. Watch Later Embryonic Stem Cell Research PSAby wattsink2009 242 views; 241. Watch Later Perkins on Point Tony Perkins ... By: huzaifa424620 … Continue reading →

CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwire - Mar 14, 2013) - International Stem Cell Corporation ( OTCQB : ISCO ) (www.internationalstemcell.com), a California-based biotechnology company focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells, announced today that it raised $1 million from a number of existing long-standing investors through a private placement on the same terms as the transaction with management reported on January 22, 2013. The funds, along with those received in January 2013 from members of management, will help advance the Company's therapeutic programs towards clinical stage, building upon recently announced promising pre-clinical data for both the Parkinson's and Liver disease programs. "To have a number of existing shareholders increase their positions is gratifying and shows a high level of confidence in our ability to deliver milestones and build shareholder value," commented Dr. Andrey Semechkin, CEO and Co-Chairman of ISCO."It is very important to us that we have the trust of some of our largest shareholders and that they have a strong belief in both management's ability to execute and the technical, medical and immunological advantages of human parthenogenetic stem cells.We believe passionately that hpSC will play an important part in the development of treatments for a number of incurable diseases … Continue reading →

In the quest to be forever young, like Hollywood's ageless beauty Halle Berry, skincare gurus have come up with the most cutting-edge anti-aging ingredient - stem-cells! These renewable cells have been hailed as the medical world's next great hope with the potential to cure everything from Parkinson's to liver disease to a host of other degenerative conditions. Now, the beauty biz is jumping into stem-cell's potential to be an effective skincare ingredient. "In our bodies stem cells work to repair damaged or diseased skin. That's their role - to rejuvenate damaged tissue in our skin, the extracts from human stem cells work to identify skin that has been damaged by age and sun damage, and then repair and rejuvenate wrinkles, skin laxity and the overall complexion," explains New York City dermatologist Dr. Elizabeth K. Hale, who endorses Lifeline a stem-cell skincare line. PLAY IT NOW: Halle Berry: Did Seth MacFarlanes Boob Song Strike A Sour Note With Her? While plant stem-cells have been used in skincare products for the past few years, Lifeline is the first company to use non-embryonic human stem cells. Their product taps into the potency of stem cells to renew skin. While the ethics of stem-cell … Continue reading →