Public release date: 20-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Samuli Ripatti samuli.ripatti@helsinki.fi 358-405-670-826 University of Helsinki The study comprised over 24,000 Finnish subjects and was led by Professor Samuli Ripatti. The results revealed that a panel of 28 genetic markers improved detection of individuals with high risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) (10-year risk 20%) over traditional risk factors. Identification of high-risk individuals is an important preventive strategy for CHD, because the current guidelines recommend statin treatment for the high-risk group. "The results indicate that genetic markers could be useful in CHD prevention, when used in addition to traditional risk factor screening", said Professor Veikko Salomaa from National Institute for Health and Welfare. The study shows that genetic screening of individuals at intermediate risk (10-20%) based on traditional risk factors would reclassify 12% of them into the high-risk group. "Statin treatment of the reclassified individuals could prevent hundreds or even thousands of CHD events in Finland. The results are based on large population cohorts but should nevertheless be tested in a clinical setting. Pilot projects studying the effect of this new genetic information on health behavior are now being carried out", said Professor Samuli Ripatti. Genetic markers improved … Continue reading →

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE MKT: CUR) today reported that Eva Feldman, MD, PhD, principal investigator, presented updated Phase I data from its spinal cord-derived human neural stem cell (NSI-566) trial in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) at the neuro diabetes special medical symposium in Bucharest, Romania, on Friday. In a talk called "Recent Therapeutic Advances in Stem Cell Therapy," Dr. Feldman outlined the design of the trial, which started with unilateral lumbar injections in non-ambulatory patients, and eventually progressed to bilateral lumbar injections, combined with unilateral cervical spinal injections, in ambulatory patients. She presented detailed data on all 15 patients and 18 procedures in the trial (three patients received additional transplants), including the clinically validated Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS) ratings. The ALSFRS is a scale used to assess disability in ALS patients. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061221/DCTH007LOGO ) Dr. Feldman reported that six study patients have a stable, very slowly progressing or improved disease course at more than 700-to-approximately-850 days post-surgery. Furthermore, she stated that these patients all share two common clinical characteristics: They had no bulbar features of ALS, a form of the disease that destroys motor neurons … Continue reading →

JUPITER, Fla., May 20,2013 /PRNewswire/ --BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. ("BRT" or the "Company") (OTCBB: BRTX),a life sciences company focused on developing stem cell based therapies for various personal applications, announces the signing of a consulting agreement with Dexterity, Inc. ("Dexterity"). Dexterity is a product design and bioengineering firm that will provide services to further the development and production of BRT's proprietary therapeutic delivery device for its intervertebral disc stem cell therapy program, "brtxDISC," (Disc Implanted Stem Cells). Dexterity's work is intended to advance the design and production of the disc therapeutic delivery device, towards a final version, to be eventually used in a clinical trial as a stem cell delivery system for the treatment of bulging and herniated discs. BRT expects to have a pre-IND/IDE meeting with the FDA to discuss the clinical trial by fourth quarter of this year. The Company's brtxDISC program is being developed as an alternative to surgical intervention for patients suffering from bulging or herniated discs and could bridge the gap between non-invasive and invasive surgical back procedures. The therapy is a regeneration repair process using a patient's own stem cells that are implanted using BRT's proprietary therapeutic delivery device. The Company has data on treated … Continue reading →

SEOUL, South Korea, May 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- RNL BIO Co. Ltd., a stem cell biotechnology company dedicated to the commercialization of autologous cell therapyproducts for a variety of degenerative, ischemic and other indications, announces the availability of adult stem cell banking in the United States beginning on June 20, 2013. RNL BIO previously offered these services through another company, but will now provide the latest, safest technologies directly. As the sole global provider of its stem cell banking services, RNL BIO will provide clients with continuous quality assurance and constant innovation in adult stem cell technologies. RNL BIO operates facilities in Maryland, Los Angeles and a FDA-registered stem cell banking facility in the Houston, Texas metroplex. It has opened a 15,000 square foot GMP laboratory facility in Sugar Land, Texas with extensive, state-of-the-art stem cell research and banking equipment, staffed by highly qualified scientists. No human mesenchymal stem cell-based drug is presently approved for treatment in the United States. The only pathway to legal stem cell therapy is through FDA-approved clinical trials. RNL BIO has filed anInvestigational New Drug application (IND) with the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) atthe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin clinical … Continue reading →

Newswise The Stem Cell Research Italy Association (www.stemcellitaly.org) and the Sbarro Health Research Organization (www.shro.org) make a public plea for a correct use of stem cell therapy in Italy and Europe. Stem Cell Research Italy (SCR Italy) strongly endorses the point of view of eminent scientists who published a commentary on the regulation of stem cell therapy in Europe (Bianco et al Regulation of stem cell therapies under attack in Europe: for whom the bell tolls EMBO J. 2013 May 3. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2013.114). In the present plea SCR quotes the hot topic issues that were addressed in the commentary. The Italian Parliament is debating a new law that would make it legal to practice an unproven stem cell treatment in public hospitals. The treatment, offered by a private non-medical organization, may not be safe, lacks a rationale, and violates current national laws and European regulations. This case raises multiple concerns, most prominently the urgent need to protect patients who are severely ill, exposed to significant risks, and vulnerable to exploitation. It must be underlined that stem cells are not a homogeneous class of cells; stem cells are not one-size-fits-all cures. There are different kinds of stem cells in different tissues, … Continue reading →

Bringing a New Stem Cell Treatment to Cancer Patients: Dr. Karen Aboody, M.D. at TEDxAJU Dr. Aboody is an Associate Professor both in the Department of Neurosciences and Division of Neurosurgery at City of Hope. Her research focuses on using stem... By: TEDxTalks … Continue reading →

JUPITER, Fla., May 20,2013 /PRNewswire/ --BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. ("BRT" or the "Company") (OTCBB: BRTX),a life sciences company focused on developing stem cell based therapies for various personal applications, announces the signing of a consulting agreement with Dexterity, Inc. ("Dexterity"). Dexterity is a product design and bioengineering firm that will provide services to further the development and production of BRT's proprietary therapeutic delivery device for its intervertebral disc stem cell therapy program, "brtxDISC," (Disc Implanted Stem Cells). Dexterity's work is intended to advance the design and production of the disc therapeutic delivery device, towards a final version, to be eventually used in a clinical trial as a stem cell delivery system for the treatment of bulging and herniated discs. BRT expects to have a pre-IND/IDE meeting with the FDA to discuss the clinical trial by fourth quarter of this year. The Company's brtxDISC program is being developed as an alternative to surgical intervention for patients suffering from bulging or herniated discs and could bridge the gap between non-invasive and invasive surgical back procedures. The therapy is a regeneration repair process using a patient's own stem cells that are implanted using BRT's proprietary therapeutic delivery device. The Company has data on treated … Continue reading →

An experimental stem-cell treatment has restored the sight of a man blinded by the degeneration of his retinal cells. The man, who is taking part in a trial examining the safety of using human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to reverse two common causes of blindness, can now see well enough to be allowed to drive. People undergoing treatment had reported modest improvements in vision earlier in the trial, which began in 2011, but this individual has made especially dramatic progress. The vision in his affected eye went from 20/400 essentially blind to 20/40, which is considered sighted. "There's a guy walking around who was blind, but now can see," says Gary Rabin, chief executive officer of Advanced Cell Technology, the company in Marlborough, Massachusetts that devised the treatment. "With that sort of vision, you can have a driver's licence." In all, the company has so far treated 22 patients who either have dry age-related macular degeneration, a common condition that leaves people with a black hole in the centre of their vision, or Stargardt's macular dystrophy, an inherited disease that leads to premature blindness. The company wouldn't tell New Scientist which of the two diseases the participant with the dramatic … Continue reading →