Sony increases net loss forecast to 130 billion yen The Nation - Thursday 1st May, 2014 Tokyo - Sony Corp Thursday increased its predicted net loss to 130 billion yen (1.27 billion dollars) for the last financial year due to additional costs on its personal computer business and disc ... The Nation - Thursday 1st May, 2014 Jakarta (dpa) - A five-year-old Indonesian boy jumped to his death in Jakarta after his mother forbade him viewing the movie Spiderman, local media reported ... The Nation - Thursday 1st May, 2014 CHENNAI, India (AFP) - Twin bombs planted on a train killed one person and wounded 14 others in the southern Indian port of Chennai Thursday, the latest attack during ongoing national elections, ... West Australian - Thursday 1st May, 2014 Bangkok (AFP) - A Thai comedian and prominent "Red Shirt" political activist lost an appeal Thursday against a two-year prison term under the kingdom's strict royal defamation law. ... Rigzone - Thursday 1st May, 2014 Excerpt from: Stem cell treatment repairs damaged heart tissue in monkeys … Continue reading →

Elbit Medical Technologies Ltd. (TASE:EMTC) and Clal Biotechnology Industries Ltd. (TASE: CBI) announced this morning that talks to sell stem cell cancer treatment developer Gamida Cell have broken down. Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS; LSE: NOV; SWX: NOVZ) had been in talks to acquire Gamida Cell for $200-300 million cash with the potential for a further three hundred million dollars in milestone payments and royalties. Sources inform "Globes" that Novartis decided not to approve the deal. It is not clear what is Novartis's reason for pulling out of the deal. Novartis had never publicly acknowledged that there were talks in the first place, although they had signed a memorandum of understanding including the exact financial conditions of the deal.It is unusual for a deal to reach such an advanced stage and not be realized, even though this was a very advanced deal and it was related to future strategic directions. The main casualties of the decision were Gamida Cell's shareholders - Elbit Medical (30%) and Clal Biotechnology (22%). Gamida Cell has proprietary technology for growing the number and density of stem cells within a specific blood sample. This capability could be a basis for all stem cell activity. The company seeks to … Continue reading →

University of Adelaide researchers have discovered that stem cells taken from teeth can grow to resemble brain cells, suggesting they could one day be used in the brain as a therapy for stroke. In the University's Centre for Stem Cell Research, laboratory studies have shown that stem cells from teeth can develop and form complex networks of brain-like cells. Although these cells haven't developed into fully fledged neurons, researchers believe it's just a matter of time and the right conditions for it to happen. "Stem cells from teeth have great potential to grow into new brain or nerve cells, and this could potentially assist with treatments of brain disorders, such as stroke," says Dr Kylie Ellis, Commercial Development Manager with the University's commercial arm, Adelaide Research & Innovation (ARI). Dr Ellis conducted this research as part of her Physiology PhD studies at the University, before making the step into commercialisation. The results of her work have been published in the journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy. "The reality is, treatment options available to the thousands of stroke patients every year are limited," Dr Ellis says. "The primary drug treatment available must be administered within hours of a stroke and many … Continue reading →