Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 27, 2012) - International Stem Cell Corporation ( OTCQB : ISCO ) (www.internationalstemcell.com) ("ISCO" or "the Company"), a California-based biotechnology company focused on therapeutic and research products, today announced that Executive Vice President, Dr. Simon Craw will attend and present at the SeeThru Equity Fall Smallcap and Microcap Conference on October 2, 2012 at the Cornell Club in midtown Manhattan, NY. SeeThru Equity Fall Smallcap and Microcap Conference Date: Tuesday, October 2, 2012 Time: 8:30 am EDT Location: The Cornell Club in midtown Manhattan, NY Please contact the conference organizers if you have an interest in attending the conference or if you would like to arrange a meeting with International Stem Cell's management team. You may also contact Mark McPartland with MZ Group via email markmcp@mzgroup.us or phone 1-212-301-7130 to arrange a meeting with management. You may register for the conference by clicking SeeThruEquity Fall Conference Attendee Registration or visting the SeeThru Equity website http://www.seethruequity.com Additional information of the investor presentation will be available on the investor relations section of the Company's website http://www.internationalstemcell.com. A video replay webcast will be available for viewing approximately 24hours after the company presentation. About International Stem Cell Corporation International Stem … Continue reading →

Pluripotent embryonic stem cells encapsulated in the fiber scaffold developed at IBN. Credit: A*STAR Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology Thanks to the ability of pluripotent stem cells to self-renew and differentiate into a wide variety of specialized cell types, they are expected to revolutionize the treatment of illnesses such as type I diabetes and Parkinson's disease. Before this becomes a reality, however, scientists must develop culture systems to mass-produce these cells. To overcome the limitations of previous single-layer-substrate systems, a research team in Singapore has developed three-dimensional scaffolds that stimulate stem cell proliferation and differentiation under defined chemical conditions. Importantly, the system can be scaled up. The scaffolds consist of microscopic fibers obtained by weaving together polymer strands bearing opposite charges. Hongfang Lu and Andrew Wan from the A*STAR Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology led the research. Wan notes that the fiber-based scaffold not only avoids the need to consume large quantities of key growth factors, but it would also shield the cells from the shear stresses generated in large-scale bioreactors. To manufacture the scaffold, the researchers opted for a positively charged biopolymer called chitin, which they extracted from crab shell, and a negatively charged polymer called sodium alginate. After … Continue reading →

Public release date: 27-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Kim Polacek kim.polacek@moffitt.org 813-745-7408 H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have discovered that the micro ribonucleic acid miR-214 plays a critical role in regulating ovarian cancer stem cell properties. This knowledge, said the researchers, could pave the way for a therapeutic target for ovarian cancer. The study appears in a recent issue of the The Journal of Biological Chemistry. According to the study's lead author, Jin Q. Cheng, Ph.D., M.D., senior member of the Molecular Oncology Department and Molecular Oncology and Drug Discovery Program at Moffitt, certain miRNAs can cause therapeutic resistance and cancer metastasis by regulating multiple gene targets. Previous work has shown that one microRNA miR-214 is elevated in cancer. In ovarian cancer, up-regulated miR-214 has been associated with late-stage and high-grade tumors. In past research, miR-214 has also been associated with resistance to the chemotherapy drug cisplatin, but the role played by miR-214 in cancer stem cells had not been determined. "Evidence suggests that cancer stem cells are responsible for cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, chemoresistance and relapse," Cheng said. "Data are emerging to support the role of both miRNAs … Continue reading →

September 26, 2012 Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online Scientists from the La Jolla, California-based Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute recently discovered kinase inhibitors, which could help facilitate the production of stem cells in the laboratory as well as increase the amount of cells for projects related to disease research and drug development. Researchers were initially interested in quickening the process utilized in the production of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a special group of stem cells that can be derived from any kind of an adult cell in the laboratory. iPSCs have been used to produce cells of all types, including cells from the brain, heart and muscles. The team of investigators found that kinase inhibitors could limit the activity of kinase, enzymes that assist in cellular communication, growth and survival. When they combined starter cells along with kinase inhibitors, they discovered that they could produce more iPSCs than the method that has been used in the past by scientists. Generating iPSCs depends on the regulation of communication networks within cells, remarked the studys senior author Tariq Rana, program director in Sanford-Burnhams Childrens Health Research Center, in a prepared statement. So, when you start manipulating which genes are … Continue reading →

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Celprogen Inc., a leader in the Stem Cell Research and Therapeutics industry for the development of stem cell technologies for regenerative medicine, today announced that they obtained a Patent for Treating Lactose Intolerance Utilizing Genetically Engineered Bacteria US8,236,297B2. Acquired lactase deficiency is the most common disorder of complex carbohydrate absorption throughout the world, affecting 75% of world population. In the United States 15% of Caucasians, over 50% of Hispanics and over 80% of African-Americans suffer from lactose intolerance. The present invention relates to genetically engineered bacteria that are able to colonize the mammalian intestine and actively produce mammalian lactase. This lactose-digesting enzyme is stable and active under the conditions normally found in the mammalian small intestine. Experimental subjects colonized with the genetically engineered bacteria show improved ability to digest lactose in dairy foods. About Celprogen Inc. Celprogen Inc. is a global Stem Cell Research & Therapeutics company which is developing a proprietary portfolio of unique therapeutics products and life science research tools that includes genetic engineering technologies, stem cell technologies for regenerative medicine, as well as bio-engineering products for tissue & organ transplants. Headquartered in San Pedro, California, Celprogen is committed to the research, development, and manufacture … Continue reading →

Business | Events | Policy | People | Research | Trend watch Database case The American Chemical Society (ACS), the worlds largest scientific society, is likely to have to pay US$11.5million in compensation to a small start-up company after a ruling by the Ohio Supreme Court on 18September. The court ruled that the ACS, based in Washington DC, filed a lawsuit to unfairly suppress chemical-informatics firm Leadscope of Columbus, Ohio. See page482 for more. Drug-makers unite Ten giant pharmaceutical companies have formed a non-profit organization called TransCelerate BioPharma, with the goal of making clinical trials more efficient. By setting universal standards in trial design and data collection, the group could shave time and expense off the drug-development process, says Garry Neil, head of TransCelerate and a former vice-president of science and technology at Johnson & Johnson. Smaller companies are invited to join the team. See go.nature.com/jj2sky for more. Dark Energy Survey Collaboration/FERMILAB First light for dark-energy lens A camera designed to hunt for signs of dark energy, a force thought to be responsible for the Universes rapid expansion, snapped its first images on 12September. The images from the Dark Energy Survey camera (Nature 489, 190191; 2012), which is mounted on … Continue reading →

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) - Deborah K. Lieu, a stem cell scientist in cardiovascular medicine at UC Davis Health System, has received a $1.3 million research grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to develop stem cells that could serve as a biological alternative to the electronic pacemakers that people now use to regulate heart rhythm. According to Lieu, each year 350,000 cardiology patients with abnormal heart rhythms receive electronic pacemakers to maintain a normal heart beat. The devices, while effective, have several disadvantages, including limited battery life and poor response to changing heart rates, such as when a person is exercising. Lieu, who is working with colleague Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, the Roger Tatarian Endowed Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at UC Davis, plans to examine ways to improve the generation of pacemaking cells using human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), potentially creating what she calls a "biopacemaker." "There are more than 3 million patients around the country who are dependent on electronic pacemakers," said Lieu. "Each one costs about $58,000 to implant and requires follow-up surgery about every 5 to 10 years to change batteries. Creating a biopacemaker from stem cells would avoid the burden of battery replacement and provide the physiological … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/j9wdgd/cell_culture_life) has announced the addition of the "Cell Culture Life Science Dashboard Series 4 (China)" report to their offering. The growth and propagation of mammalian cells in culture is a routine but critical precursor to the investigation of such fundamental cellular processes as gene expression and protein function and to the development of therapeutics. Cell culture products are widely used not only by scientists working with traditional cell lines but also by researchers engaged in experiments with such emerging model systems as stem cells and engineered cell lines. This Cell Culture Dashboard for the Chinese market was developed based upon the aggregated responses to a 21-question survey and completed by 398 scientists actively engaged in mammalian cell culture predominantly located in China. This Dashboard reveals key market indicators for the research market for cell culture products as a whole as well as for the following product segments: - Basal media - Fetal bovine serum - Animal sera - Balanced salt solutions - Serum free media - Dry powdered media More here: Research and Markets: Cell Culture Life Science Dashboard Series 4 (China) … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Cancer Stem Cells Drug Pipeline Update 2012 http://www.reportlinker.com/p0980850/Cancer-Stem-Cells-Drug-Pipeline-Update-2012.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Biological_Therapy Treatments designed to target and destroy cancer stem cells may come to revolutionize how we treat cancer. This unique product covers both explicit cancer stem cell drug development and cancer drugs which are inhibitors of the Hedgehog, Notch, and WNT Pathway. These developmental pathways are frequently activated in neoplasms, and particularly in the rare subpopulation of cancer stem cells. There are today 203 companies plus partners developing 243 cancer stem cells and developmental pathways drugs in 684 developmental projects in cancer. In addition, there are 3 suspended drugs and the accumulated number of ceased drugs over the last years amount to another 123 drugs. Cancer Stem Cells Drug Pipeline Update lists all drugs and gives you a progress analysis on each one of them. Identified drugs are linked to 165 different targets. These targets are further categorized on in the software application by 38 classifications of molecular function and with pathway referrals to BioCarta, KEGG and NetPath. How May Drug Pipeline Update Be of Use? * Show investors/board/management that you are right … Continue reading →

Public release date: 24-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: David Eve celltransplantation@gmail.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair Putnam Valley, NY. (Sept. 24, 2012) Two studies in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (21:6), now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/, demonstrate how the use of magnetic particles are a factor that can positively impact on the targeted delivery of transplanted stem cells and to also provide better cell retention. A research team from the University of British Columbia used focused magnetic stem cell targeting to improve the delivery and transport of mensenchymal stem cells to the retinas of test rats while researchers from Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute (Los Angeles) injected magnetically enhanced cardiac stem cells to guide the cells to their target to increase cell retention and therapeutic benefit in rat models of ischemic/reperfusion injury. According to study co-author Dr. Kevin Gregory-Evans, MD, PhD, of the Centre for Macular Degeneration at the University of British Columbia, degeneration of the retina - the cause of macular degeneration as well as other eye diseases - accounts for most cases of blindness in the developed world. To date, the transplantation of mensenchymal stem cells to the damaged retina … Continue reading →