Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

NEWARK, Calif., Oct. 16, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StemCells, Inc. (STEM) announced today the launch of four new SC Proven human neural stem cell (NSC) kits for use in neuroscience research. Each kit will contain high purity, multipotent NSCs derived from a different area of the human central nervous system (CNS), and will provide researchers with a reproducible and scalable serum-free platform with which to perform a broad range of assays. With these kits, researchers will now have the ability to compare and contrast the biological, functional and neural differentiation properties of human NSCs isolated from specific CNS regions, as well as to screen for the effects of different compounds on such cells.1,2 "These kits represent the first in a new family of human cell-centric products we are adding to the SC Proven portfolio to provide researchers with a unique set of tools to realize the promise of regenerative medicine," said Stewart Craig, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Development and Operations at StemCells, Inc. "Stem cell research is flourishing and these kits will enable investigators to derive and characterize human neural lineage cells using published methods, or the ability to customize their own assay formats up to and including scale-up for … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Oct. 15, 2012) A new method of using adult stem cells as a model for the hereditary condition Gaucher disease could help accelerate the discovery of new, more effective therapies for this and other conditions such as Parkinson's, according to new research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine reprogrammed stem cells to develop into cells that are genetically similar to and react to drugs in a similar way as cells from patients with Gaucher disease. The stem cells will allow the scientists to test potential new therapies in a dish, accelerating the process toward drug discovery, according to the paper published online in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on Oct. 15. "We have created a model for all three types of Gaucher disease, and used stem cell-based tests to evaluate the effectiveness of therapies," says senior author Ricardo Feldman, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and a research scientist at the University of Maryland Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. "We are confident that this will allow us to test more … Continue reading →

12-10-2012 18:24 Shinya Yamanaka and British scientist John Gurdon have won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discoveries relating to stem cell research. The Japanese researcher found out how to create tissue that would act like embryonic cells, without the need to harvest human embryos. Watch more at linkasia.org. IMAGE Kyoto University Professor Shinya Yamanaka talks with Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Nada by a mobile phone during a news conference in Kyoto: REUTERS/Kyodo See the original post: 'Cell Reprogramming' Wins Nobel for Japanese Scientist (LinkAsia: 10/12/12) - Video … Continue reading →

BioProtein Technology, a company that manufactures therapeutic proteins in the form of growth factors, has announced an alliance with Stem Longevity Research, a company partnered by Dr. Joseph Purita and CNC Reid Eckert. (PRWEB) October 15, 2012 Stem Longevity Research has expertise in the medical applications of stem cells. Dr. Purita and Eckert will offer their high level of credibility to increase the exposure of BioProtein Technology's products on the part of physicians across the United States. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Purita and Reid Eckert to our team, as they are among the world's most respected stem cell researchers, said Paul Morave, National Sales Director for BioProtein Technology. With their endorsement of our products, we immediately gain a tremendous level of credibility in the eyes of doctors and medical professionals. Were very excited to begin our work with Stem Longevity Research and are looking forward to leveraging the knowledge they bring to our company. Dr. Joseph Purita is one of the pioneers of PRP and stem cell injection research. His passion for stem cell research has helped him create the Institute of Regenerative and Molecular Orthopedics, where the standard is set for orthopedic stem cell treatments. Doctors from … Continue reading →

Madison - The Nobel Prize in medicine last week went for research offering a possible alternative to embryonic stem cells, but voters attuned to questions of medical research and morality can still consider their alternatives in candidates. President Barack Obama and U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Baldwin support federal funding for the full range of stem cell research going on in labs like those at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney hasn't directly said, while a spokeswoman for U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Thompson, the Republican challenging Baldwin, said he supports federal funding for research on some embryonic stem cell lines but not others. The issue has gotten less attention nationally this election season but is still important in Wisconsin, the birthplace of human embryonic stem cell research and a leader in the study of how the tissues in our bodies grow. Embryonic stem cell research holds great promise to cure many diseases but is controversial because stem cell lines require the destruction of embryos already discarded by fertility clinics. Conservative groups are confident that both Romney and Thompson would at least roll back Obama's expansion of federal funding for embryonic stem cells. "The way we read (a Romney … Continue reading →

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 12th, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Prominent stem cell scientists, physicians, and advocates from leading medical facilities and research institutions across Texas and California will highlight the 3rd Annual Stem Cell Research Symposium: Spotlight on Texas, on October 19, 2012, at the Texas State Capitol. This free, public symposium, produced and co-hosted by the Austin-based nonprofit Texas Cures Education Foundation (Texas Cures), is designed to educate the public about the exciting stem cell research andclinical trials currently under way in Texas.The event will also include a discussion of recent Texas laws affecting stem cell research, the potential economic impact of stem cell research and highlight the current progress in one of the most promising areas of medicine. This year, more than a dozen local and national advocacy groups, institutions and foundations showed their support for the efforts of the hosting organizations Texas Cures and Texans for Stem Cell Research including the Genetics Policy Institute, Alliance for Regenerative Medicine and Texans for Advancement of Medical Research. The symposium begins at 8:30 a.m. in the Capitol Extension Auditorium (E1.004), located at the Texas State Capitol Building. Admission is free and open to the public.Registration is recommended. This program unites the diverse … Continue reading →

NOKOMIS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The awarding of the Nobel Prize this week to two scientists who have revolutionized stem cell research could lead to an influx of investment capital into the industry, said Rainbow Coral Corp. (RBCC) CEO Patrick Brown on Wednesday. Japans Shinya Yamanaka and Britain's John Gurdon were jointly awarded the medicine prize for proving that adult cells can be regressed back into stem cells, creating cells known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) that allow for stem-cell research that doesnt necessitate the destruction of a fetus. The tremendous recognition of this groundbreaking research that the Nobel Prize brings could spark a host of medical breakthroughs, investment interest and business developments in the stem cell field, Brown said. Its a very exciting time to be part of a young company striving to grow alongside this explosive industry. Wire service AFP reported this week that Yamanaka will likely get up to 30 billion yen ($383 million) for his stem cell research over the next decade. RBCC is currently working to help speed up the research of Yamanaka and others into potential cures for deadly diseases by commercializing the use of a groundbreaking new technology in select markets around the world. … Continue reading →

Japan's Nobel prize-winning Shinya Yamanaka will likely get up to 30 billion yen ($383 million) for his stem cell research over the next decade, an official said Wednesday. The Japanese science and technology ministry is looking at giving at least 2.7 billion yen of extra money to support Yamanaka's work over the next fiscal year alone, a ministry official said. "The government plans to continue this programme for the following 10 years, while Dr Yamanaka will also receive other subsidies as well," he said on condition of anonymity, adding the grant was already planned before his Nobel prize was announced. The total subsidies likely to be given to the scientist are estimated to be worth up to 30 billion yen over the decade. Yamanaka and Britain's John Gurdon were jointly honoured with the medicine prize for discovering that adult cells can be transformed back to an infant state called stem cells, the key ingredient in the vision of regenerative medicine. The Japanese was singled out for his work in the field of so-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. So-called "nuclear reprogramming" uses a fully-developed adult cell to create an iPS cell -- a kind of blank slate that has the … Continue reading →

Oct. 10, 2012 -- New research suggests that stem cell transplants to treat certain brain and nervous systemdiseases such as multiple sclerosis may be moving closer to reality. One study found that experimental stem cell transplants are safe and possibly effective in children with a rare genetic brain disease. Another study in mice showed that these cells are capable of transforming into, and functioning as, the healthy cell type. The stem cells used in the two studies were developed by study sponsor StemCells, Inc. Both papers appear online in Science Translational Research. The work, while still in its infancy, may have far-reaching implications for the treatment of many more common diseases that affect the brain and nervous system. Researchers out of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), looked at the how neural stem cells behaved when transplanted into the brains of four young children with an early-onset, fatal form of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD). PMD is a very rare genetic disorder in which brain cells called oligodendrocytes cant make myelin.Myelin is a fatty substance that insulates the nerve fibers of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves (central nervous system), and is essential for transmission of nerve signals so that … Continue reading →

09-10-2012 13:43 Gladstone and UCSF leaders celebrated news of the Nobel Prize for Yamanaka, MD, PhD, a senior investigator at the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institutes and a UCSF professor of anatomy, who discovered a way to reprogram ordinary human skin cells into stem cells that could be used to grow tissues for organ transplantation and for other medical applications. His discovery came nearly 50 years after John Gurdon, PhD, of the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge, England -- with whom Yamanaka shares the Nobel Prize -- showed in frogs that the genetic program of a mature cell could be "reset" to its embryonic state. The stem cell discovery by Shinya Yamanaka that won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine not only has transformed the research landscape, but it has revolutionized medicine over the coming decade, colleagues at the Gladstone Institutes and UCSF say. See original here: Gladstone, UCSF Leaders Reflect on Shinya Yamanaka's Nobel Prize - Video … Continue reading →