A cancer patient holds the IV tubes during chemotherapy. STORY HIGHLIGHTS (TIME.com) -- While more effective chemotherapy agents have improved cancer survival, not all patients benefit from the drugs. Now, a team of researchers from Academia Sinica and the National Taiwan University College of Medicine say they have identified an eight gene "signature" that predicts how long cancer patients might survive without relapse after undergoing chemotherapy. Predicting how well patients respond to chemotherapy drugs, the toxic agents that can decimate not just tumor cells but healthy ones as well, involves a complicated calculation of how active tumor genes are, how likely cancer cells are to spread to other sites, and how effective the chemotherapy drugs are in targeting and destroying abnormally growing cells. To find the genetic markers in cancer cells that might provide clues to their response to chemotherapy, the researchers relied upon the the National Cancer Institute's panel of 60 human cancer cell lines, known as NCI-60, which represent leukemia, melanoma, lung, colon, ovarian, renal, breast and prostate cancers, among others. From this panel, they identified 633 genes that were associated with a cancer cell's ability to spread, or invade other healthy tissues. They then compared how these … Continue reading →

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE MKT: CUR) announced that it has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commence a Phase II trial using NSI-566 spinal cord-derived human neural stem cells in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease). This Phase II dose escalation and safety trial will expand to two centers, Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, where Phase I was recently completed, and ALS Clinic at the University of Michigan Health System, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, subject to approval by the Institutional Review Board at each institution. The trial is designed to treat up to 15 patients, in five different dosing cohorts. All of the patients will be ambulatory and reside within close geographic proximity to the research center where they will participate. The first 12 patients will receive injections in the cervical region of the spinal cord only, where the stem cells could help preserve breathing function. The final three patients will receive both cervical and lumbar injections. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061221/DCTH007LOGO ) "The aim of this Phase II trial is to obtain the maximum tolerated dose using the same route of administration as in Phase I, which … Continue reading →

Durham, NC (PRWEB) April 16, 2013 Can stem cell therapy outperform a drug commonly considered the gold standard for treating rheumatoid arthritis? A new study in rodents published in the current issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine indicates perhaps so. The findings could lead to a faster, safer, more effective way to bring relief to the up to 70 million people estimated to suffer from this disease worldwide. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic condition that causes pain, stiffness, swelling and limited motion and function of many joints. While it can affect any joint, RA tends to settle mainly in a patients hands and feet. The results can be debilitating. People who have RA overproduce a protein called tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which causes the inflammation and damage to the bones, cartilage and tissue. Anti-TNF drugs can block the action of the protein and reduce inflammation. Etanercept (marketed under the trade name Enbrel) is a type of anti-TNF drug called a biologic that for years has been prescribed to treat RA. However, it cant be targeted specifically to the site of the arthritis and, thus, requires higher doses that can cause serious side effects including fatal infections, multiple sclerosis, seizures, … Continue reading →

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Apr 17, 2013) - Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (TSX VENTURE:SSS), a biopharmaceutical company developing cancer stem cell-related technologies, today announced the execution of a definitive license agreement with University Health Network ("UHN"), Toronto, Canada. The agreement, developed in collaboration with MaRS Innovation, provides Stem Cell Therapeutics ("SCT") with exclusive worldwide rights to an innovative clinical cancer stem cell program. As announced on November 6, 2012, the technology licensed by SCT is based on Dr. Aaron Schimmer's discovery that an FDA-approved antibiotic, tigecycline, selectively targets leukemia cells and leukemic stem cells by inhibiting mitochondrial protein synthesis and thus shutting down the cells energy supply. A Phase I multicenter dose- escalation clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is nearing completion and data are expected this summer. Dr. Schimmer will join Dr. John Dick as a scientific advisor to SCT. Furthermore, a clinical advisory board, chaired by Dr. Schimmer, will be assembled in the near term to guide and assist in the future development of the program. "Using tigecycline to eradicate cancer stem cells, which are resistant to conventional chemotherapy and believed to be responsible for disease relapse, is an innovative and potentially curative … Continue reading →

Phoenix, Az (PRWEB) April 17, 2013 Select Physical Therapy physical therapists and Dr. Thongtrangan, spine specialist with Valley Orthopedics, gathered to discuss the stem cell procedure, how to identify appropriate candidates and learn about the benefits of the new procedure. As explained by Dr. Thongtrangan during the April 9th seminar, stem cell therapy uses autologous adult stem cells found in specialized areas of many tissues, including bone marrow. With stem cell therapy, clinicians are able to tap into the healing potential provided by these cells by injecting them into diseased or injured areas of the body. When injected, these adult stem cells can then develop into healthy specialized cells needed to repair damaged tissue. Common conditions treated with stem cell therapy for orthopedic and spine patients include cervical and lumbar degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis, partial ligament tears, partial rotator cuff tears, labral tears and certain muscle strains and sprains. All of these conditions are commonly seen at Select Physical Therapy and Lauren Pille, Business Development Manager, stated, it is always good to learn about new and innovative options for patients. This seminar was a great opportunity for our physical therapists to get a chance to discuss stem cell therapy with … Continue reading →

ROCHESTER, NY--(Marketwired - Apr 16, 2013) - NaturalNano, Inc. (OTCBB: NNAN) (www.naturalnano.com) announced that Dr. Michael King, of Cornell University, published his most recent study featuring the use of NaturalNano's Halloysite Natural Tubes (HNT) in Journal of Nanomaterials (http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/si/895020/). The Study demonstrated that the capture of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood can be targeted more effectively by the incorporation of HNT onto the surface of devices used for the capture of CTCs in blood. King's Lab has been developing new methods for the isolation of intact, viable cancer cells from patient blood, based on the physiological adhesion of selectin proteins in micro-scale flow devices. Here is a link to the freely accessible paper: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2012/831263/ Dr. King, a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University, states, "The ability to create stable coatings of HNT using an extremely thin layer of poly-L-lysine allows the creation of nanostructured surfaces to which living cells respond. The Microtubes with HNT incorporated onto their surface were found to enhance the natural CTC's rolling mechanism allowing the target cells to be exposed to specific therapeutic agents or isolated and collected for diagnostic and research purposes." James Wemett, NaturalNano CEO, said, "We are pleased to have our … Continue reading →