PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 12-Jun-2014 Contact: Hannah Postles h.postles@sheffield.ac.uk 01-142-221-046 University of Sheffield A time-lapse study of human embryonic stems cells has identified bottlenecks restricting the formation of colonies, a discovery that could lead to improvement in their use in regenerative medicine. Biologists at the University of Sheffield's Centre for Stem Cell Biology led by Professor Peter Andrews and engineers in the Complex Systems and Signal Processing Group led by Professor Daniel Coca studied human pluripotent stem cells, which are a potential source of cells for regenerative medicine because they have the ability to produce any cell type in the body. However, using these stem cells in therapies is currently hampered by the fact they can acquire genetic changes during prolonged culture which are non-random and resemble mutations in cancer cells. Researchers used time-lapse imaging of single human embryonic stem cells to identify aspects of their behaviour that restrict growth and would be targets for mutations that allow cells to grow more efficiently. Dr Ivana Barbaric, from the University of Sheffield's Department of Biomedical Science, said: "We study pluripotent stem cells, which have huge potential for use in regenerative medicine due to their ability to become any cell in the human … Continue reading →

Dr. Ruth Roberts - Stem Cell Therapy For Pets Dr. Ruth Roberts visits Lowcountry Live! to discuss the benefits of Stem Cell Therapy for pets. By: Ruth Roberts … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 16-Jun-2014 Contact: Colin Poitras colin.poitras@uconn.edu 860-486-4656 University of Connecticut Scientists in the University of Connecticut's Technology Incubation Program have identified a novel approach to treating multiple sclerosis (MS) using human embryonic stem cells, offering a promising new therapy for more than 2.3 million people suffering from the debilitating disease. The researchers demonstrated that the embryonic stem cell therapy significantly reduced MS disease severity in animal models and offered better treatment results than stem cells derived from human adult bone marrow. The study was led by ImStem Biotechnology Inc. of Farmington, Conn., in conjunction with UConn Health Professor Joel Pachter, Assistant Professor Stephen Crocker, and Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) Inc. of Massachusetts. ImStem was founded in 2012 by UConn doctors Xiaofang Wang and Ren-He Xu, along with Yale University doctor Xinghua Pan and investor Michael Men. "The cutting-edge work by ImStem, our first spinoff company, demonstrates the success of Connecticut's Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine funding program in moving stem cells from bench to bedside," says Professor Marc Lalande, director of the UConn's Stem Cell Institute. The research was supported by a $1.13 million group grant from the state of Connecticut's Stem Cell Research Program that was awarded … Continue reading →

Court in Catania tells Brescia hospital to perform treatment (ANSA) - Brescia, June 24 - Italian Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin said she was "perplexed" Tuesday after a court in Catania ordered hospital authorities in Brescia to administer the controversial Stamina stem-cell treatment. The Catania order followed earlier orders from courts in Pesaro and Venice for the Brescia hospital to administer the treatment, which has been largely discredited and according to some investigations, actually harmful. Lorenzin said that such court orders undermine Italy's image internationally. "I am perplexed by what is happening, it is bizarre and undermines the image of Italy," as a nation that follows science-based treatments. She said strong action from government and parliament will be needed "for the protection of patients and their families". The Brescia Civic Hospital said Tuesday that it had started to search for doctors and nurses willing to administer the treatment as ordered by the Catania court. Stamina's credibility has long been suspect, and last fall the health ministry ruled that the Stamina Foundation would no longer be allowed to test the treatment on humans. The foundation was also stripped of its non-profit status after a study found its treatment was "ignorant of stem-cell … Continue reading →

Epilepsy Treatment in India by Dr Nirmal Surya of Epilepsy Foundation India-480p This video shows the current scenario and challenges faced by people with epilepsy in India and the work done by Epilepsy Foundation India for its treatment ... By: Jay Mishra … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 16-Jun-2014 Contact: Anita Kar anita.kar@mcgill.ca 514-398-3376 McGill University This news release is available in French. An international team of researchers has discovered a significant genetic component of Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy (IGE), the most common form of epilepsy. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by sudden, uncontrolled electrical discharges in the brain expressed as a seizure. The new research, published in this week's issue of EMBO Reports, implicates a mutation in the gene for a protein, known as cotransporter KCC2. KCC2 maintains the correct levels of chloride ions in neurons, playing a major part in regulating excitation and inhibition of neurons. The results indicate that a genetic mutation of KCC2 might be a risk factor for developing IGE. "We found a clear statistical association between two variants of KCC2 and severe IGE in a large French-Canadian patient sample," said Dr. Guy Rouleau, Director of the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital-The Neuro, at McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre, and senior author of the study. "Our data not only corroborate recent findings by other groups but vastly extend them from genetic, physiological and biochemical standpoints." The first authors on the paper are Dr. Kristopher Kahle, chief neurosurgery … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 13-Jun-2014 Contact: Peter Kent pkent@clemson.edu 864-723-0491 Clemson University GREENWOOD, S.C. Seven research projects from Greenwood Genetic Center and Clemson University faculty were selected to receive the first round of funding provided by Self Regional Healthcare (SRHC). In February, SRHC announced a partnership with Clemson and GGC to serve as the lead hospital partner in the collaborative. As part of that commitment, the hospital pledged a total of $5.6 million toward the project, including $1.2 million per year for three years to fund genetic research. Fourteen projects were submitted from faculty at both Greenwood Genetic Center and Clemson University. Each project was evaluated by an independent team, and final selections were announced this week by Dr. Steve Skinner, director of the Greenwood Genetic Center, and Steve Kresovich, the Robert and Lois Coker Trustees Chair of Genetics/SmartState Chair of Genomics at Clemson. Five of the funded projects focus on the understanding and treatment of autism spectrum disorders, while two proposals were combined to study improved diagnostics for hereditary cancers. "The blending of research teams from both Clemson and GGC will allow our institutions to build on the strengths of one another," said Skinner. "Self Regional's commitment to supporting these … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 10-Jun-2014 Contact: CJ Volpe cj.volpe@autismspeaks.org 646-385-8532 Autism Speaks New York, N.Y. (June 10, 2014) Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, today announced a collaboration with Google to develop the world's largest database of genomic sequence information on individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their family members. The collaboration represents a significant milestone in advancing genomic research of the disorder, and could lead to breakthroughs into the causes, subtypes and better diagnosis and treatment for ASD. The Autism Speaks Ten Thousand Genomes Program (AUT10K) is valued at $50 million dollars. Autism Speaks will store data from AUT10K on Google Cloud Platform. Most significantly, this database will be an open resource to support autism research. Autism Speaks has accumulated the largest private collection of DNA samples, known as the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) from 12,000 autism cases with diagnoses and detailed phenotyping. AGRE has been a strategic resource for the autism research community for over 15 years and is valued at $25 million dollars. The amount of data collected by AUT10K creates unique challenges for storing, analyzing, and providing remote access to the research. Google Cloud Platform provides the engineering innovation needed to … Continue reading →

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - After spending at least $200,000 - he says he stopped counting around there - Bob Damelio went bankrupt trying to pay for Applied Behavior Analysis therapy for his autistic son, Christopher. Now he is fighting along with a multimillion-dollar nonprofit to make North Carolina the latest state to mandate health coverage for the therapy, which autism advocates say is scientifically validated and necessary, but insurance companies say will inflate already high medical costs. Damelio is one of thousands of volunteers across the country working with Autism Speaks, a national nonprofit based in New York City; founded in 2005 by former NBC Universal Chairman Bob Wright. The $55 million organization has led the effort to get ABA, a type of repetitive conditioning therapy that helps one adopt new, useful behaviors and reduce those that cause harm, covered by state-regulated health plans across the country. What families needed most is a way to pay for treatments doctors were prescribing, said Lorri Unumb, who works on state-level advocacy for the group. The N.C. House passed a bill last year, championed by House Speaker and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Thom Tillis doing just that. Tillis district, which includes parts of … Continue reading →