Many clinics that are offering stem cell treatments make claims about what stem cells can and cannot do that are not supported by our understanding of science. The information on this page corrects some of the misinformation that is being widely circulated. There are many different types of stem cells that come from different placesin the body or are formed at different times in our lives. These include embryonic stem cells that exist only at the earliest stages of development and various types of tissue-specific or adult stem cells that appear during fetal development and remain in our bodies throughout life. Our bodies use different types of tissue-specific stem cells to fit a particular purpose. Tissue-specific stem cells are limited in their potential and largely make the cell types found in the tissue from which they are derived. For example, the blood-forming stem cells (or hematopoietic stem cells) in the bone marrow regenerate the blood, while neural stem cells in the brain make brain cells. A neural stem cell wont spontaneously make a blood cell and likewise a hematopoietic stem cell wont spontaneously make a brain cell. Thus, it is unlikely that a single cell type could be used to … Continue reading →

Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) January 08, 2014 The top Phoenix stem cell clinic in the Valley, Arizona Pain Stem Cell Institute, is now offering PRP therapy for joint arthritis relief. Platelet rich plasma therapy offers the potential for relieving the pain from knee, hip, shoulder and spinal arthritis. For more information and scheduling with the Board Certified Phoenix pain management doctors, call (602) 507-6550. Platelet rich plasma therapy, known as PRP therapy, involves a simple blood draw. The blood is then spun in a centrifuge, which then concentrates platelets and growth factors for immediate injection into the arthritic joint. The PRP therapy then acts as an attractant for the body's stem cells. Recent published studies have shown that PRP therapy offers significant pain relief for arthritic knees and helps preserve existing cartilage. One to three injections may be necessary to obtain optimal results, which are performed as an outpatient and entail minimal risk. In addition to PRP therapy, the Arizona Pain Stem Cell Institute offers several other regenerative medicine treatments for both joint and spinal arthritis. This includes bone marrow and fat derived stem cell injections along with amniotic stem cell rich injections. These injections are offered for patients as part … Continue reading →

ALBANY, New York, January 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research "Nanomedicine Market (Neurology, Cardiovascular, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-infective, and Oncology Applications) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share,Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013-2019,"the market for nanomedicine was valued at USD 78.54 billion in 2012 and is expected to reach a value of USD 177.60 billion in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 12.3% from 2013 to 2019. Browse the full report with complete TOC athttp://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/nanomedicine-market.html The advent of new applications and technology in the field of nanomedicine will be one of the major growth factors for the global nanomedicine market. In addition, increase of funding aimed at boosting the research activities pertaining to nanomedicine by the government as well as private institutions will expedite the process of commercialization of new products and hence will drive the market. Other driving factors include rising base of geriatric population, presence of high unmet medical needs and rising worldwide incidences of chronic diseases. The global nanomedicine market by applications was dominated by the oncology market with a market share of approximately 38.0% in 2012 on account of the presence of high number of commercialized products in this segment. Development … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 8-Jan-2014 Contact: David McKeon DMckeon@nyscf.org 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation NEW YORK, NY (January 8, 2014) Scientists at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute in collaboration with scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) successfully generated a stem cell model of familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD). Using this stem cell model, researchers identified fourteen genes that may be implicated in the disease and one gene in particular that shows the importance that inflammation may play in the brain of Alzheimer's patients. In this study, published today in PLOS ONE, the team of scientists produced stem cells and neural precursor cells (NPCs), representing early neural progenitor cells that build the brain, from patients with severe early-onset AD with mutations in the Presenilin 1 (PSEN1) gene. These NPCs had elevated Abeta42/Abeta40 ratios, indicating elevation of the form of amyloid found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. These levels were greater than those in adult cells that did not have the PSEN1mutation. This elevated ratio showed that these NPCs grown in the petri dish were accurately reflecting the cells in the brains of FAD patients. "Our ability to accurately recapitulate the disease in … Continue reading →

Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto/Corbis Potential patients have offered vocal support for Staminas stem-cell treatment in Italy. A series of damning documents seen by Nature expose deep concerns over the safety and efficacy of the controversial stem-cell therapy promoted by Italys Stamina Foundation. The leaked papers reveal the true nature of the processes involved, long withheld by Staminas president, Davide Vannoni. Other disclosures show that the successes claimed by Stamina for its treatments have been over-stated. And, in an unexpected twist, top Italian scientists are dissociating themselves from an influential Miami-based clinician over his apparent support for the foundation. Stamina, based in Brescia, claims that it successfully treated more than 80 patients, mostly children, for a wide range of conditions, from Parkinsons disease to muscular dystrophy, before the health authorities halted its operations in August 2012. A clinical trial to assess the treatment formally was approved by the Italian government last May, and an expert committee was convened by the health ministry to study Staminas method and to recommend which illnesses the trial should target. Stamina says that its technique involves extracting mesenchymal stem cells from a patients bone marrow, culturing them so that they turn into nerve cells, and then injecting them … Continue reading →

SOME cancers will be able to be cured on the Gold Coast when a new stem-cell transplant service is established. The city's first public stem cell service will get under way this year at the Gold Coast University Hospital which will help "rescue" cancer patients from high-dose chemotherapy. Gold Coast Hospitals Cancer Unit Oncologist Doctor Dr Jeremy Wellwood Source: News Limited Gold Coast patients now have to travel to Brisbane for stem-cell transplants which freeze a person's good stem cells before they start on chemo and returns them after treatment. In some cases the treatment can cure certain lymphomas. More than 3000 people are diagnosed with cancer on the Coast each year. Staff will be trained in the advanced techniques in the first part of this year. A stem-cell counter is worth $180,000 while a collector has a $60,00 price tag. The service has been funded through a pool of money allocated to the planning and progression of the new hospital. Dr Jeremy Wellwood, director of haematology oncology, said one of the machines could also diagnose leukaemia. Up to 25 Gold Coasters are diagnosed with acute leukaemia each year and their samples have to be sent to Brisbane for testing. … Continue reading →

January 8, 2014 Sophie Langley Using a mouse model, US researchers have linked neurodevelopmental symptoms similar to those seen in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients to changes seen in the bacteria in the animals guts. ASD is diagnosed when individuals exhibit characteristic behaviours that include repetitive actions, decreased social interactions, and impaired communication. Many individuals with ASD also suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) issues, such as abdominal cramps and constipation. Using the co-occurrence of brain and gut problems in ASD as their guide, researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) were investigating a potentially transformative new therapy for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. The research, which was published online in the December issue of the journal Cell, is the first to demonstrate that changes in the gut bacteria can influence autism-like behaviours in a mouse model. The gut microbiota the community of bacteria that populate the human GI tract previously has been shown to influence social and emotional behaviour. Traditional research has studied autism as a genetic disorder and a disorder of the brain, but our work shows that gut bacteria may contribute to ASD-like symptoms in ways that were previously unappreciated, said Sarkis K. Mazmanian, an author of the … Continue reading →