PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 23-Jan-2014 Contact: Heiko Lickert heiko.lickert@helmholtz-muenchen.de 49-893-187-3760 Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen - German Research Center for Environmental Health The findings of the scientists of the Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research (IDR) at Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen (HMGU) provide new insights into the molecular regulation of stem cell differentiation. These results reveal important target structures for regenerative therapy approaches to chronic diseases such as diabetes. During embryonic development, organ-specific cell types are formed from pluripotent stem cells, which can differentiate into all cell types of the human body. The pluripotent cells of the embryo organize themselves at an early stage in germ layers: the endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm. From these three cell populations different functional tissue cells arise, such as skin cells, muscle cells, and specific organ cells. Various signaling pathways are important for this germ layer organization, including the Wnt/-catenin signaling pathway. The cells of the pancreas, such as the beta cells, originate from the endoderm, the germ layer from which the gastrointestinal tract, the liver and the lungs also arise. Professor Heiko Lickert, director of the IDR, in collaboration with Professor Gunnar Schotta of LMU Mnchen, showed that the Wnt/-catenin signaling pathway regulates Sox17, which in turn regulates … Continue reading →

Dennis Douda (@ddouda) published a blog post January 17th, 2014 Mayo Clinic Discovery Leads to FDA Approval for Stem Cell Trial for Heart Failure Patients U.S. FDA Approves Phase III Cardiopoietic Stem Cell Trial for Heart Failure Patients Based on a Mayo Discovery Cardio3 BioSciences, an international Mayo Clinic collaborator, has received FDA approval for a phase III pivotal clinical trial of its stem cell therapy.The trial will test the Mayo Clinic discovery of cardiopoietic (cardiogenically-instructed) stem cells designed to improve heart health in people suffering from heart failure.The multisite U.S. trial, called CHART-2, will aim to recruit 240 patients with chronic advanced symptomatic heart failure. Cardio3 BioSciences is a bioscience company in Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium. "Regenerative medicine is poised to transformthe way we treat patients," says Andre Terzic, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine. Watch the video below to see how stem cells are being used to treat people with heart failure. Journalists: Video b-roll of today's news conference, plussound bites with Dr. Terzic and Christian Homsy, M.D., CEO of Cardio3 BioSciences, areavailable in the downloads. The video pkg. is also available in the downloads in MOV format. Cardio3 Biosciencescardiopoetic Dr. Andre Terzic Dr Terzic … Continue reading →

As the Florida Legislature and citizens debate the issues of medical marijuana, our hearts are with the families struggling to find answers for their children who live with severe forms of epilepsy like Dravet Syndrome. Yet, as physicians and researchers specializing in the treatment of this challenging spectrum of disorders we must ensure that our professional and lay community does not make treatment decisions that are not based in sound research and science. While there are a number of anecdotal reports of positive outcomes from a particular strain of marijuana used for treating patients with epilepsy, robust scientific evidence for the use of marijuana for treatment of epilepsy is lacking. The lack of information does not mean that marijuana is ineffective for epilepsy. It merely means that we do not know if marijuana is a safe and efficacious treatment for epilepsy. In addition, little is known about the long term effects of using marijuana in infants and children on memory, learning and behavior. This is of particular concern because of both clinical data in adolescents and adults and laboratory data in animals demonstrating potential negative effects of marijuana and its derivatives on their critical neurological functions. Such safety concerns coupled … Continue reading →

HATFIELD, England, January 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- PRESS RELEASE FOR EUROPEAN MEDIA ONLY NOT FOR U.S. MEDIA Zonegran also receives Swissmedic approval as adjunctive therapy for children and adolescents Zonegran(zonisamide) has received reimbursement in Switzerland by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) as monotherapy in the treatment of partial seizures, with or without secondary generalisation, in adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy. The reimbursement for zonisamide follows Swissmedic approval earlier this year. Zonisamide is also now available for the treatment of partial epilepsy in children and adolescents in Switzerland following the paediatric license extension approval by the European Commission in October 2013. Already available in Switzerland as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial seizures with or without secondary generalisation in patients over the age of 18, once-daily zonisamide is a second generation anti-epileptic drug (AED) with multiple mechanisms of action and a chemical structure unrelated to any other AEDs.[1]Monotherapy is the favoured approach in managing newly diagnosed epilepsy as most people with epilepsy may be successfully managed with the first or second monotherapy. In comparison with polytherapy, monotherapy also reduces the potential for adverse drug interactions.[2] "Effective seizure management still remains a challenge for up to a third of … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 22-Jan-2014 Contact: Kris Van der Beken kris.vanderbeken@vib.be 32-473-7834 VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) A European consortium of epilepsy researchers has reported the discovery of a new gene involved in severe childhood epilepsy. Using a novel combination of technologies, including trio exome sequencing of patient/parental DNA and genetic studies in the tiny larvae of zebrafish, the EuroEPINOMICS RES consortium found that mutations in the gene CHD2 are responsible for a subset of epilepsy patients with symptoms similar to Dravet syndrome a severe form of childhood epilepsy that is in many patients resistant to currently available anti-epileptic drugs. The discovery of CHD2's role in epilepsy offers new diagnostic tools for families and clinicians of children with Dravet syndrome and related genetic epilepsies. In addition, the creation of a zebrafish model for CHD2 encephalopathy may facilitate the discovery of new drugs that can treat patients with this form of epilepsy. Dravet syndrome is a severe genetic epilepsy with onset during infancy, with initial seizures often triggered by fever. For most Dravet patients these seizures cannot be treated adequately with currently available anti-epileptic drugs, and therefore the syndrome is classified as pharmacoresistant. Dravet patients usually develop moderate to severe cognitive … Continue reading →

Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. WorldNow and this Station make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you have any questions or comments about this page please contact pressreleases@worldnow.com. SOURCE UCB, Inc. -- UCB-sponsored data include the first presentation of investigational data of VIMPAT (lacosamide) as monotherapy for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults with epilepsy ATLANTA, Nov. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company focusing on CNS and immunology treatment and research, will be sponsoring 15 data presentations at the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society in Washington, D.C., December 610. The poster presentations on VIMPAT (lacosamide) C-V include investigational data evaluating VIMPAT as monotherapy and further studies of VIMPAT as add-on therapy for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults with epilepsy. VIMPAT is indicated as an adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults with epilepsy (ages >/= 17 in the U.S., ages >/= 16 years in the EU).1,2 The most common adverse reactions reported in pivotal trials and occurring in 10 percent or more of VIMPAT-treated patients, and greater than placebo, were dizziness, headache, nausea, and diplopia. Lacosamide is not … Continue reading →