Dr.Narges Bani Asadi says cancer is a genetic disease, and she is using technology to fight it. Asadi is the founder and CEO ofBina, a healthcare startup working to make personalized medicine a reality. Bina applies big data analytics to genomics, making it possible to sequence the human genome in a matter of hours rather than days or weeks. Today, Bina launched its commercial product. The platform provides physicians, clinicians, and researchers with a detailed picture of a patients health.From there, they can make data-driven diagnoses and prescribe individualized courses of treatment. Medicine today is very experimental, said founder and CEO Narges Bani Asadi in an interview with VentureBeat. Before, there was a bottle neck to crunch the massive amount of genomic data. At Bina, we have created the fastest, most highly accurate, cost-efficient processing solution available in the market today. The next step is to incorporate this genomic data into medical use. Data-driven, information-based medicined is much more targeted. Personalizing therapies for different diseases means a longer and healthier quality of life for all humans. There are thousands of genetic disorders. In 2013, over 580,000 Americans are expected to die of cancer. One in twenty babies born in the … Continue reading →

The specialists in private hearing healthcare, Hidden Hearing, have responded to new research which has found a way to prevent a form of deafness which runs in families. (PRWEB UK) 19 February 2013 Usher Syndrome causes defective sections in a genetic code and causes problems with hearing, sight and balance. In many types of Ushers Syndrome, hearing loss is tied to different errors in the patients DNA. When they try to build a protein called harmonin, which is needed to form the tiny hairs in the ears that detect sound, it does not finish the job. The study was published in Journal Nature Medicine and showed that some defects can be corrected in mice to restore some hearing. They designed a small strip of genetic material which attaches to the mutation and keeps the body building the protein. Mice with Usher Syndrome were injected with the genetic patch and grew up being able to hear and had no balance problems. More research is needed to understand how the new therapy could be used in humans. A spokesperson from Hidden Hearing said: It is exciting to hear of more developments in the treatment for different types of hearing loss. Scientists have … Continue reading →

Public release date: 18-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Alison Barbuti alison.barbuti@manchester.ac.uk 44-016-127-58383 University of Manchester Genetic medicine experts from Manchester Biomedical Research Centre at Saint Mary's Hospital and The University of Manchester have identified a new gene responsible for causing an inherited form of tumour, known as spinal meningioma. Professor Richard Marias, Director of the Paterson Institute Meningiomas are the commonest form of tumour affecting the brain and spine. Usually meningiomas can be removed by surgery and do not recur. Occasionally people can develop more than one meningioma or many members of the same family can be affected. A team led by Dr Miriam Smith, Professor Gareth Evans and Dr Bill Newman worked with families with a history of meningiomas affecting the spinal cord. Using a powerful new genetic sequencing technique called next generation sequencing, they were able to check all the genes of three individuals with multiple spinal meningiomas. This lead to the identification that changes in a gene called SMARCE1 lead to spinal meningiomas in some families. In December 2012 the government announced a focus on genetic sequencing with an aim of sequencing the genomes (a person's DNA) of 100,000 Britons with cancer and rare … Continue reading →

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., Feb. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Researchers have shown that stem cell transplantation for elderly patients with blood cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), is safe and effective, according to research presented last week in Salt Lake City at the 2013 BMT Tandem Meetings, the combined annual meetings of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT) and the Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research. Prior to this study, little was known about the safety of stem cell transplants in patients over the age of 70, who may have previously been excluded as candidates for stem cell transplantation because of their age. This news about stem cell transplants comes as Robin Roberts returns as a host of Good Morning America tomorrow, five months after her successful transplant for MDS, a pre-leukemia blood disease that affects healthy blood cell formation in the bone marrow. Although Roberts is younger, more than 80% of newly diagnosed MDS cases occur in people over the age of 60. According to the research presented at the BMT Tandem Meetings, 56 patients age 70 or older, most of whom received transplants for acute leukemia or MDS, were identified for the … Continue reading →

Washington, February 19 (ANI): A bioengineered stem cell-based trachea, composed of both artificial and biological material, has been successfully transplanted. Surgeon Paolo Macchiarini who conducted the transplant is now planning to use the technique to recreate more complex tissues, such as the oesophagus and diaphragm or organs such as the heart and lungs. He has also made an experimental attempt to regenerate brain in mice and rats. In June 2011, media all over the world reported about a ground breaking transplant, where a patient received an artificial trachea covered in his own stem cells. The result was an artificial windpipe with biological functions. To date, five operations have been carried out using this technique. "We learn something from each operation. This means we can develop and refine the technique. We are also evaluating how we can transfer our experiences to other fields, such as neurology. The aim is to make as much use of the body's own healing potential as we can", said Macchiarini, Professor of Regenerative Surgery at Karolinska Institutet, and responsible for the surgery. Using the technology, they also plan to operate a 2 year-old girl in the USA in March. The girl was born without a trachea … Continue reading →

PITTSTON, ME--(Marketwire - Feb 19, 2013) - YaFarm Technologies, Inc. ( PINKSHEETS : YFRM ) (YaFarm, or the Company) has reached several important milestones since signing the definitive agreement with The Integrative Stem Cell Institute (ISCI). YaFarm has appointed top level management for ISCI by announcing David Audley as CEO and Juan A. Castillo as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Dr. Castillo is a pioneer in regenerative medicine and has successfully treated over 250 patients using adult stem cells, while Mr. Audley successfully managed the International Cellular Medicine Society (ICMS) for nearly 4 years. Under Mr. Audley's leadership, the organization grew from 7 physicians to over 3500 members from 35 countries. As a result of these appointments, ICSI has secured a definitive agreement with the Hospital Galenia in Cancun, Mexico to provide stem cell treatments at the medical center. Galenia is a state of the art medical facility with a staff of highly trained and globally respected medical professionals. ISCI has begun construction of a class 10,000, ISO 7 clean room for the processing of autologous, mesenchymal cells for point-of-care therapies. The ISCI lab is housed in the Hospital Galenia in Cancun, Mexico. ISCI believes that the design and … Continue reading →

VAIL The Vail Athletic Club, part of the Vail Vitality Center wellness experience at Vail Mountain Lodge, introduces a lecture which offers an in-depth look at new developments in cellular therapy for the treatment of joint pain. Stem Cell Therapy is a groundbreaking procedure that uses a patient's own stem cells to repair or replace damaged joint tissue. Dr. Scott Brandt of ThriveMD in Edwards is one of few physicians in the country trained in this procedure. Brandt will present details about this innovative new therapy at the Vail Athletic Club on Friday at 6 p.m. Stem cell therapy is a minimally invasive procedure that begins with harvesting a patient's stem cells from his or her own fat reserves most often from the abdominal region. The tissue is isolated in a state-of-the-art cell-processing laboratory. The cells are then injected into the damaged joint using a minimally invasive technique with the assistance of fluoroscopic guidance. Once injected, the cells can sense proteins generated from cartilage damage and, in response, those cells have the ability to make chondrocytes cells found in healthy cartilage. This new procedure relieves the pain and limitations of arthritic joint disease without resorting to an invasive joint replacement … Continue reading →

Feb. 18, 2013 Surgeon Paolo Macchiarini has made his name by successfully transplanting bioengineered stem cell-based trachea, composed of both artificial and biological material. He now plans to use the technique to recreate more complex tissues, such as the esophagus and diaphragm or organs such as the heart and lungs. He has also made an experimental attempt to regenerate brain in mice and rats. This is part of the news he will be presenting during his seminar at the scientific AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston. In June 2011, media all over the world reported about a ground breaking transplant, where a patient received an artificial trachea covered in his own stem cells. The result was an artificial windpipe with biological functions. To date, five operations have been carried out using this technique. "We learn something from each operation. This means we can develop and refine the technique. We are also evaluating how we can transfer our experiences to other fields, such as neurology. The aim is to make as much use of the body's own healing potential as we can," says Paolo Macchiarini, Professor of Regenerative Surgery at Karolinska Institutet, and responsible for the surgery. At the AAAS Annual Meeting, … Continue reading →

A Halifax veterinarian is using stem cells to treat dogs suffering from arthritis. Eamon Draper, a vet at the Fairview Animal Hospital, said they take stem cells from the dog's fat and inject that into its joints. The procedure takes a few hours and Draper says the improvements can last for years. "What we're looking for is an animal that's more comfortable and moving around more easily," he said. The $1,900 process encourages extra blood flow and repairs damage. David Peyton's 12-year-old black lab Athena was hobbled by arthritis, but the procedure helped her. "She was sore moving. Getting up and out of her bed and taking her out for her walk, she would come back limping and sore," he said. A week after the treatment, he said she is moving easier. He's planning a long walk with her at Point Pleasant Park this weekend. "We wanted to make sure that the last few years of her life were comfortable and pain free and that she can still have a nice quality of life for her senior years," Peyton said. Draper has treated eight dogs so far. It's a new use of the technology. See original here: Arthritic dogs helped … Continue reading →

COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (OSIR), the leading company focused on developing and marketing stem cell products to treat serious medical conditions, announced today the successful conclusion of a patent challenge in Australia by an opponent whose identity under Australian law was not disclosed. The patent at issue covers the administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), including Prochymal (remestemcel-L), for the treatment of inflammatory conditions involving the gastrointestinal tract, including Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis. As acknowledged in the Australian Official Journal of Patents Supplement, all claims to the patent will be maintained in full. The claims specifically include the use of allogeneic MSCs, an attribute central to making an off-the-shelf MSC product possible. In 2012, Prochymal, an intravenous formulation of MSCs, became the world's first stem cell drug to gain approval by an internationally recognized regulatory authority. Prochymal is also the first drug approved for acute graft versus host disease (GvHD) - a devastating complication of bone marrow transplantation that kills up to 80 percent of children affected, many within just weeks of diagnosis. Prochymal is now approved in Canada and New Zealand, and is currently available in seven other countries including the United States under an Expanded … Continue reading →