Top New Zealand freeskier Jossi Wells has undergone experimental stem cell surgery to try and alleviate his long-term knee problems. A trailblazer for the sport and the eldest of the talented Wells freeskiing clan, the 23-year-old has battled knee pain since he was 15-years-old. Wells underwent stem cell surgery in the patella tendons of both knees in May. The procedure involves taking cells from the healthy areas of his knees and placing them into damaged tissue. "It's been something I've had to deal with for my whole career, but in the last few seasons it's just gotten worse and worse and worse. I had a breaking point recently and decided to look a bit more deeply into it, at what remedies were out there." Wells' coach and father Bruce Wells discovered stem cell therapy and after some research it was decided to take a punt on the relatively new procedure. "The whole team behind me looked into it and it looked like a good idea. Right now it's a little too early to tell how successful it's going to be, but I've been back on the snow now for two weeks, I've been taking it really easy and where I'm … Continue reading →

Newswise LOS ANGELES (July 24, 2013) Timothy D. Henry, MD, an expert known for his innovative work in developing stem cell treatments for advanced heart disease patients, has joined the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute as director of Cardiology. Henry comes to Cedars-Sinai from Minneapolis, where he was director of research for the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. As Henry begins his tenure, Prediman K. Shah, MD, the renowned cardiologist who has led the Division of Cardiology for nearly 20 years, is stepping down to focus on patient care and on basic and clinical research, including his quest to develop a vaccine and mutant-gene-based therapies that would thwart heart attacks by preventing and possibly reversing arterial cholesterol buildup. Shah, the Shapell and Webb Family Chair in Clinical Cardiology, director of Oppenheimer Atherosclerosis Research Center and director of the Atherosclerosis Prevention and Treatment Center, also will continue treating patients and teaching medical residents and cardiology trainees. Dr. Shah has been a wonderful colleague and a highly respected national leader, accelerating the pre-eminence of our Cardiology Division, and Dr. Henry will be starting his new position from a robust platform built over many … Continue reading →

The three blind mice might get the chance to see because of groundbreaking stem cell research being done in Britain. Scientists in the UK took stem cells from mice embryos, put them in a petri dish and coaxed them into becoming photoreceptors, the cells in the retina that catch light. After collecting 200,000 of the stem cells turned photoreceptors the scientists then injected the cells into the eyes of blind mice, and some of the cells integrated into the host retina and restored sight. The rodents were then run through a maze and examined by optometry to confirm that they did indeed respond to light. Shutterstock The groundbreaking work was published by Britain's Medical Research Council and in the science journal "Nature Biotechnology." While the work is still years away from helping humans, it is an extremely promising start to curing blindness caused by photoreceptor loss like retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. The biggest breakthrough that the team in England was able to achieve was turning the finicky stem cells into stable photoreceptors, instead of deadly cancer cells. Additionally, researchers in the past could turn stem cells into rod cells which are a component of the complex network of … Continue reading →

Public release date: 24-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Alison Barbuti alison.barbuti@manchester.ac.uk 44-016-127-58383 University of Manchester Scientists from The University of Manchester have used stem cell gene therapy to treat a fatal genetic brain disease in mice for the first time. The method was used to treat Sanfilippo a fatal inherited condition which causes progressive dementia in children but could also benefit several neurological, genetic diseases. Researchers behind the study, published in the journal Molecular Therapy this month, are now hoping to bring a treatment to trial in patients within two years. Sanfilippo, a currently untreatable mucopolysaccharide (MPS) disease, affects one in 89,000 children in the United Kingdom, with sufferers usually dying in their mid-twenties. It is caused by the lack of SGSH enzyme in the body which helps to breakdown and recycle long chain sugars, such as heparan sulphate (HS). Children with the condition build up and store excess HS throughout their body from birth which affects their brain and results in progressive dementia and hyperactivity, followed by losing the ability to walk and swallow. Dr Brian Bigger, from the University of Manchester's Institute of Human Development who led the research, said bone marrow transplants had been … Continue reading →

Berlin, Germany, July 24, 2013 - MagForce AG (Frankfurt, Xetra: MF6), a leading medical device company in the area of nanotechnology with a focus on oncology, published today its first "Shareholder Letter". Subsequently, such shareholder letters shall be published quarterly in order to keep shareholders well informed about the ongoing developments and progress. The shareholder letter can be downloaded here: http://www.magforce.de/en/presse-investoren/aktionaersbriefe.html Key points are About MagForce AG MagForce AG is a leading medical device company in the field of nanomedicine in oncology, listed in the entry standard (MF6). The Company`s proprietary, NanoTherm therapy, enables the targeted treatment of solid tumors through the intratumoral generation of heat via activation of superparamagnetic nanoparticles. NanoTherm, NanoPlan, and NanoActivator(TM) are components of the therapy and have received EU-wide regulatory approval as medical devices for the treatment of brain tumors. MagForce, NanoTherm, NanoPlan, and NanoActivator(TM) are trademarks of MagForce AG in selected countries. For more information, please visit http://www.magforce.com. Full Resume Dr. Ben Lipps Dr. Ben J. Lipps became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Management Board of Fresenius Medical Care in May 1999. In December 2012 he stepped down as Chairman of the Management Board and CEO. During his term, Fresenius Medical Care`s … Continue reading →

TULSA, Oklahoma - A controversial therapy that's not available for humans is being used on their pets. Stem cells are helping dogs and cats heal faster and get rid of pain as the animals get older. Mandy Clinton loves her dog and she'd do just about anything for her. "I've had her for 14 years. She's my homegirl," Clinton said about Libbi. But Libbi has come up with a hitch in her giddy up. She tripped while walking up the stairs and tore her ACL. Clinton was looking into surgery when she learned about stem cell therapy and its ability to help dogs heal faster and reduce pain. "I had no idea. I had no idea. It blew my mind, but I've had Libbi for 14 years, and so I was ready to do it if it was possible," she said. Dr. Joe Landers at Heritage Veterinary Hospital will be performing Libbi's surgery on Wednesday. They'll harvest stem cells from Libbi's stomach, process and stimulate them, then implant the stem cells on her leg joint. "If you've ever cut your skin, deeply with a knife or something, you've had stem cell repair," said Dr. Joe Landers, DVM. Follow this link: … Continue reading →

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jul 23, 2013) - Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (TSX VENTURE:SSS)(SCTPF), a biopharmaceutical company developing cancer stem cell-related therapeutics, today announced the appointment of ProActive Capital Group as its new Capital Markets Advisory and Digital Media Strategies firm. "We are very pleased to have retained the services of ProActive Capital Group," stated Stem Cell Therapeutics' Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Niclas Stiernholm. "They are an extremely focused firm with an excellent reputation in the industry and we are excited to adopt an effective capital markets and digital media program. With upcoming key milestones quickly approaching, we feel that now is the opportune time to embark on a significant new and expanded program so that we can achieve a fair valuation that clearly reflects the intrinsic value of our scientific programs." "We are delighted to have been selected by Stem Cell Therapeutics, a leading company in the cancer stem cell space," stated Jeff Ramson, Founder and CEO of ProActive Capital Group. "We look forward to developing and implementing a quality capital markets and digital media strategy to increase SCT's visibility among the investment community. We strongly believe that the company has significant prospects as it executes its growth strategy." The … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Verastem, Inc., (VSTM) focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by the targeted killing of cancer stem cells, announced that lead cancer stem cell inhibitor, VS-6063 (defactinib), has received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment of mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer. The designation is designed to encourage the development of drugs which may provide significant benefit to patients suffering from rare diseases. Mesothelioma is among the most aggressive and lethal cancers but has limited treatment options, said Robert Forrester, Verastem President and Chief Executive Officer. We are pleased that the FDA recognizes the significant unmet medical need in mesothelioma. We previously received orphan medicinal product status for defactinib in Europe and these two designations are an important component of our development strategy. Verastem recently outlined details of the registration-directed clinical study of defactinib in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. This study is designed as a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with an expected enrollment of approximately 350-400 patients at clinical sites in 11 countries. We are in discussions with the regulatory agencies and clinical investigators worldwide, said Dr. Joanna Horobin, Verastem Chief Medical Officer. We … Continue reading →