Public release date: 7-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Peter Tarr tarr@cshl.edu 516-367-8455 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cold Spring Harbor, NY In collaboration with colleagues at Cornell University, a team of cancer researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has discovered cells with stem-cell properties in the ovary that can mutate to form tumors. The team demonstrated that when two important tumor suppressor genes are inactivated, a previously unknown subset of ovarian stem-like epithelial cells undergoes cancerous transformation. The findings, published today in the journal Nature, have important implications for our knowledge about ovarian cancer. "Sources of cells that make ovarian tumors are not really known," says Grigori Enikolopov, Ph.D., one of the co-authors and team leader at CSHL. Dr. Alexander Nikitin is the corresponding author and team leader at Cornel University. "We demonstrated that a stem cell population sits in a portion of the ovary called the hilum, and can repair the ruptures of the ovarian tissue during ovulation, and that these cells are easily transformed into tumor cells," Enikolopov explains. The idea that cells with stem cell properties can spontaneously mutate to become seeds of cancer has been gaining momentum. Some epithelial cancers such as cancers … Continue reading →

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage company developing novel therapeutics that target cancer stem cells (CSCs), or tumor-initiating cells, today announced that patient dosing has begun in a Phase 1 clinical trial of OMP-52M51 in patients with advanced, refractory solid tumors. OMP-52M51, OncoMeds fifth product candidate, entered clinical testing in hematologic cancers in December 2012 and is now also being tested in patients with selected solid tumors. OMP-52M51 is a proprietary monoclonal antibody that targets the Notch1 receptor. The Phase 1 clinical trial of OMP-52M51 in solid tumors is an open-label dose escalation and expansion study in patients with advanced, refractory solid tumors. These patients will be assessed for safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and initial evidence of efficacy, and the clinical trial will also assess a predictive biomarker-based patient selection approach. The trial is being conducted at several sites in the United States including the South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics (START). According to Dr. Amita Patnaik of START, who treated the first patient with OMP-52M51 on the solid tumor trial, It is exciting to begin a clinical trial with this therapeutic, with a novel anti-cancer stem cell mechanism of action, to patients with advanced solid tumors. The companion … Continue reading →

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 7, 2013) - NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S.NEWSWIRE SERVICES Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (TSX VENTURE:SSS) ("SCT"), a life sciences company developing stem cell-related technologies, announced todaythat it intends to file a prospectus supplement in each of the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia by way of a prospectus supplement to SCT's base shelf prospectus of March 1, 2011 in respect of its previously announced offering of securities. The offering consists of up to 14,000,000 units ("Units") which will be offered at $0.25 each for gross proceeds of up to $3.5 million. Each Unit will be comprised of one common share and one common share purchase warrants (the "Warrants"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase an additional common share for $0.40 for a period of 60 months following the closing of the offering. Euro Pacific Canada Inc. is acting as the agent for the offering. The purpose of the offering is to provide the resources necessary to conclude the acquisition of Trillium Therapeutics Inc. by SCT, announced February 4th, 2013, and to trigger a condition precedent to permit the exercise of the option … Continue reading →

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Minerva Biotechnologies, a leading cancer and stem cell development company today announced a major breakthrough in human stem cell research. Minerva scientists converted established human stem cells to the elusive nave state and maintained them there indefinitely simply by culturing the cells in the dimeric form of a natural, but newly discovered human growth factor, called NM23-H1. It is widely believed that figuring out how to stably induce nave pluripotency in human stem cells is critical for realizing the promise of human stem cell therapies. This is very exciting, said Dr. Cynthia Bamdad, Minerva President and Chief Executive Officer, Until now scientists had only been able to temporarily convert human stem cells to the nave state by genetically modifying the cells or by treating the cells with a cocktail of biochemical inhibitors. This appears to be the natural growth factor that keeps stem cells in the truly pluripotent nave state and overcomes what had been a major impediment to developing human stem cell therapies. Scientists have recently become quite interested in getting human stem cells into the ground or nave state because only these cells are truly pluripotent and able to properly differentiate into any cell in … Continue reading →