Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court on Friday refused to order the Obama administration to stop funding embryonic stem cell research, despite complaints the work relies on destroyed human embryos. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld a lower court decision throwing out a lawsuit that challenged federal funding for the research, which is used in pursuit of cures to deadly diseases. Opponents claimed the National Institutes of Health was violating the 1996 Dickey-Wicker law that prohibits taxpayer financing for work that harms an embryo. But a three-judge appeals court panel unanimously agreed with a lower court judge's dismissal of the case. This is the second time the appeals court has said that the challenged federal funding of embryonic stem cell research was permissible. "Dickey-Wicker permits federal funding of research projects that utilize already-derived ESCs - which are not themselves embryos - because no 'human embryo or embryos are destroyed' in such projects," Chief Judge David B. Sentelle said in the ruling, adding that the plaintiffs made the same argument the last the time the court reviewed the issue. "Therefore, unless they have established some 'extraordinary circumstance,' the law of the case is established and … Continue reading →

By Maggie Fox, NBC News The federal government may continue to pay for controversial human embryonic stem cell research, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. The three-judge panel says the government has correctly interpreted a law that bans the use of federal funds to destroy human embryos for research. The ruling is unlikely to put the issue to rest and one of the judges pleaded for Congress to make clear what the government should and should not be able to do. The hard-to-understand case pits science against mostly religious arguments against using embryos in medical research. It's even more confusing because there are so many differenlt types of cells called stem cells. Dr. James Sherley of Boston Biomedical Research Institute and Theresa Deisher of AVM Biotechnology in Seattle, who both do research using adult stem cells and oppose the use of human embryonic stem cells, sued in 2009. They said federal guidelines violate the law and would harm their work by increasing competition for limited federal funding. Its been back and forth in the federal courts since then, and Sherley has vowed to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court. The embryonic stem cells at issue are … Continue reading →

The US government can continue funding embryonic stem cell research, after a federal appeals court upheld a lower court's decision to throw out a lawsuit challenging federal funding for the research. According to the Associated Press, opponents of stem cell research had claimed that the National Institute of Health was violating the 1996 Dickey-Wicker law, which prevents US funding for any work that could harm an embryo. Dickey-Wicker permits federal funding of research projects that utilize already-derived ESCs which are not themselves embryos because no human embryo or embryos are destroyed in such projects, Chief Judge David B. Sentelle said in the ruling, AP reported. Dr. Francis Collins, the director of NIH, said in a statement that they would "continue to move forward, conducting and funding research in this very promising area of science. The ruling affirms our commitment to the patients afflicted by diseases that may one day be treatable using the results of this research. The lawsuit was filed in 2009 by Dr. James Sherley of Boston Biomedical Research Institute and Theresa Deisher of AVM Biotechnology in Seattle, NBC News reported. The two use adult stem cells for research, but oppose the use of embryonic stem cells, stem … Continue reading →

Stem-cell scientist Alan Trounson in San Francisco. Photo: Hugh Hamilton INSTEAD of his former daily commute from Ashburton to Clayton, Australia's leading stem-cell scientist, Alan Trounson, walks to his office on San Francisco's waterfront, where he is head of the $3 billion California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the world's best-funded centre for embryonic research. It is a bustling stretch of this beautiful bayside city, where trolley cars squeak as noisily as a Melbourne tram as they travel beneath the Bay Bridge and in summer baseball fans invade in their thousands, heading to the San Francisco Giants' home ballpark just across the road from Trounson's home. But the former Monash University professor doesn't hear much of the din; he's too focused on his work. An ocean and decades away from his days in Melbourne as a pioneer of in vitro fertilisation, the 66-year-old scientist has learnt many things from working in a laboratory - chief among them is to simply stay focused. Last month the world's five-millionth IVF baby was born; something that may not have occurred had Trounson and early IVF scientists been sidelined by their detractors. Among them was the religious right, which claimed they were attempting to … Continue reading →

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Bones / Orthopedics Also Included In: Stem Cell Research Article Date: 23 Aug 2012 - 11:00 PDT Current ratings for: Osteoporosis Clue Found In Stem Cell Signalling Protein 1 (1 votes) These are the implications of a new study led by Harvard Medical School (HMS) that was published online in The Journal of Clinical Investigation on 13 August. Senior author Bjorn Olsen, Hersey Professor of Cell Biology at HMS, told the press about what they found: "It shifts the thinking about what controls the differentiation of stem cells to bone cells instead of fat cells, and how to make sure this mechanism stays active with aging." Bone is not a dead material: it is living tissue that is changing all the time, as it is continuously formed and reabsorbed. Osteoporosis is a common bone disease where bone tissue becomes progressively thinner, resulting in higher risk of fracture. It affects about 1 in 5 American women and is thought to be caused by stem cells that normally differentiate into bone-forming cells becoming fat cells instead over time. For the study, Olsen, who is professor of developmental biology and dean for research at Harvard School of … Continue reading →

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 23, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SmallCapVoice announced today that a new audio interview with International Stem Cell Corporation (ISCO) (www.internationalstemcell.com), a California-based biotechnology company focused on therapeutic and research products, is now available. The interview can be heard at http://smallcapvoice.com/blog/8-16-12-smallcapvoice-interview-with-international-stem-cell-corporation-otcbb-isco The interview includes an overview of the markets being targeted by ISCO and its subsidiary companies, the goals for the companies in 2012, and the major achievements of the companies to date. About International Stem Cell Corporation International Stem Cell Corporation is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs). hpSCs avoid ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial background with minimal immune rejection after transplantation. hpSCs offer the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell(TM). ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for … Continue reading →

While a draft plank in the Republican Partys platform supporting a constitutional amendment banning abortion has gotten plenty of attention, so far unnoticed is another culture war provision tucked right alongside it an opposition to federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. We oppose the killing of embryos for their stem cells. We oppose Federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, the draft language reads, mirroring previous years platforms. Youd be forgiven for having dj vu from 2004, when stem cell research was at the top of the agenda of both parties and sparked fierce and emotional debate. Its completely vanished from the political scene since what happened? Stem cells used to be one of the big three social issues dividing Americans, along with abortion and gay rights. It was a cultural debate engulfing our country today, as then-Kansas Sen. and now Gov. Sam Brownback, a staunch social conservative, saidin 2004. The issue played a major role in that years presidential race, with Democrat John Kerry suggesting that millions of lives were at stake by President Bush preventing federal funds from going to the medical research. Bush, buoyed into office by the Christian right, opposed the taxpayer dollars going to … Continue reading →

CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwire -08/23/12)- International Stem Cell Corporation (ISCO) (www.internationalstemcell.com) ("ISCO" or "the Company"), a California-based biotechnology company focused on therapeutic and research products, announced today that Dr. Simon Craw, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Investor Relations, will present at the 2012 Southern California Investor Conference on Thursday, August 30, 2012, at 2:30 pm PT / 5:30 pm ET. The conference will be held at the Marriott Hotel in Newport Beach, California. Southern California Investor ConferenceDate: Thursday, August 30, 2012 Time: 2:30 pm PT / 5:30 pm ET Location: Marriott Hotel, Newport Beach, CA Please contact the conference organizers if you have an interest in attending these conferences 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. Conference participation is limited by capacity and registration is required. For more information on the conference, please visit the conference website at http://www.californiastocks.com. About International Stem Cell Corporation International Stem Cell Corporation is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. … Continue reading →

An interview with Roberto Bolli, MD. University of Louisville cardiologist Roberto Bolli, MD, led the stem cell study that tested using patients' own heart stem cells to help their hearts recover from heart failure. Though that trial was preliminary, the results look promising -- and may one day lead to a cure for heart failure. Here, Bolli talks about what this work means and when it might become an option for patients. 2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved. "Realistically, this will not come... for another three or four years, at least," Bolli says. "It may be longer, depending on the results of the next trial, of course." Larger studies are needed to confirm the procedure's safety and effectiveness. If those succeed, it could be "the biggest advance in cardiovascular medicine in my lifetime," Bolli says. A total of 20 patients took part in the initial study. All of them experienced significant improvement in their heart failure and now function better in daily life, according to Bolli. "The patients can do more, there's more ability to exercise, and the quality of life improves markedly," Bolli says. Bolli's team published its findings on how the patients were doing one year after stem … Continue reading →

Two men in landmark heart stem cell study tell their stories. Jim Dearing of Louisville, Ky., one of the first men in the world to receive heart stem cells, might have helped start a medical revolution that could lead to a cure for heart failure. Three years after getting the experimental stem cell procedure, following two heart attacks and heart failure, Dearings heart is working normally. 2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved. The difference is clear and dramatic -- and it's lasting, according to findings now being made public for the first time. Dearing first showed "completely normal heart function" on an echocardiogram done in 2011, says Roberto Bolli, MD, who is leading the stem cell trial at the University of Louisville. Those results have not been published before. That was still true in July 2012, when Dearing again showed normal heart function on another echocardiogram. Based on those tests, Bolli says, "Anyone who looks at his heart now would not imagine that this patient was in heart failure, that he had a heart attack, that he was in the hospital, that he had surgery, and everything else." It's not just Dearing who has benefited. His friend, Mike Jones, who … Continue reading →