Trends Mol Med. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 June 8. Published in final edited form as: PMCID: PMC2881950 NIHMSID: NIHMS202644 Department of Medicine, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology 65 Landsdowne Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA Corresponding author: Karp, J.M. (Email: jkarp/at/rics.bwh.harvard.edu) Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is poised to establish a new clinical paradigm; however, recent trials have produced mixed results. Although MSC were originally considered to treat connective tissue defects, preclinical studies revealed potent immunomodulatory properties that prompted the use of MSC to treat numerous inflammatory conditions. Unfortunately, although clinical trials have met safety endpoints, efficacy has not been demonstrated. We believe the challenge to demonstrate efficacy can be attributed in part to an incomplete understanding of the fate of MSC following infusion. Here, we highlight the clinical status of MSC therapy and discuss the importance of cell-tracking techniques, which have advanced our understanding of the fate and function of systemically infused MSC and might improve clinical application. Imagine a simple intravenous cell therapy that can restore function to damaged or diseased tissue, avoid host rejection and reduce inflammation throughout the body without the use … Continue reading →

Mayo Clin Proc. 2009 October; 84(10): 893902. From the Endocrine Research Unit (A.H.U., S.K.) and Division of Orthopedic Research (J.J.W., M.J.Y.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Individual reprints of this article are not available. Address correspondence to Sundeep Khosla, MD, Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905 (Email: khosla.sundeep/at/mayo.edu). Human mesenchymal stem cells offer a potential alternative to embryonic stem cells in clinical applications. The ability of these cells to self-renew and differentiate into multiple tissues, including bone, cartilage, fat, and other tissues of mesenchymal origin, makes them an attractive candidate for clinical applications. Patients who experience fracture nonunion and metabolic bone diseases, such as osteogenesis imperfecta and hypophosphatasia, have benefited from human mesenchymal stem cell therapy. Because of their ability to modulate immune responses, allogeneic transplant of these cells may be feasible without a substantial risk of immune rejection. The field of regenerative medicine is still facing considerable challenges; however, with the progress achieved thus far, the promise of stem cell therapy as a viable option for fracture nonunion and metabolic bone diseases is closer to reality. In this review, we update the biology and clinical applicability of human mesenchymal stem cells for bone repair … Continue reading →

Jan. 14, 2014 Breast cancer stem cells exist in two different states and each state plays a role in how cancer spreads, according to an international collaboration of researchers. Their finding sheds new light on the process that makes cancer a deadly disease. "The lethal part of cancer is its metastasis so understanding how metastasis occurs is critical," says senior study author Max S. Wicha, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Oncology and director of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. "We have evidence that cancer stem cells are responsible for metastasis -- they are the seeds that mediate cancer's spread. Now we've discovered how the stem cells do this." First, on the outside of the tumor, a type of stem cell exists in a state called the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) state. These stem cells appear dormant but are very invasive and able to get into the bloodstream, where they travel to distant parts of the body. Once there, the stem cells transition to a second state that displays the opposite characteristics, called the mesenchymal-epithelial transition state (MET). These cells are capable of growing and making copies of themselves, producing new tumors. "You need both forms of cancer stem cells to … Continue reading →

Panama City, Panama (PRWEB) January 14, 2014 Translational Biosciences, a subsidiary of Medistem Panama has received the countys first clinical trial approval for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from the Comit Nacional de Biotica de la Investigacin Institutional Review Board (IRB). Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease in which the patients immune system generates cellular and antibody responses to various components of the joint such as type I collagen. As a result of this immune response, not only does joint destruction occur, but also other secondary complications such as pulmonary fibrosis, renal damage, and even heart damage. RA affects approximately 0.5-1% of the population in the United States. Mesenchymal stem cells harvested from donated human umbilical cords after normal, healthy births possess anti-inflammatory and immune modulatory properties that may relieve RA symptoms. Because they are immune privileged, the recipients immune system does not reject them. These properties make MSC interesting candidates for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disorders. Each patient will receive five intravenous injections of umbilical cord stem cells over the course of 5 days. They will be assessed at 3 months and 12 month primarily for … Continue reading →

European researchers have announced a breakthrough in the development of artificial bone marrow which expands the ability of scientists to reproduce stem cells in the lab and could lead to increased availability of treatment for leukemia sufferers. One of the main treatments for the blood cancer is the injection of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). These HSCs can either be harvested from a compatible donor or cultivated from the patients own bone marrow in the lab. The greatest challenges in producing HSCs in the lab has been their limited longevity outside of the bone marrow environment. This problem may soon be circumvented with the creation of an artificial bone marrow by the Young Investigators Group for Stem Cell Material Interactions. Headed by Dr. Cornelia Lee-Thedieck the group consists of scientists from the KIT Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG), the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, and Tbingen University. The cultivation of HSCs with current methods is limited as they quickly change into mature blood cells in culture in a process known as differentiation. HSCs are capable of developing into one of 10 different cell types. These mature cells are short lived and are not capable of self-renewal. HSCs, however, can … Continue reading →