A new test may be better at detecting potentially harmful genetic changes in children before they are born than current methods, researchers say. The test, called a chromosomal microarray, detected more irregularities that could result in genetic diseases such as missing or repeated sections of genetic code than did karyotyping, which is the current standard method of prenatal testing. For instance, children who are missing a small portion of chromosome 22 will be born with DiGeorge syndrome, which can cause severe heart defects and developmental delays. In the study, a chromosomal microarray detected this missing section and diagnosed the condition, whereas a karyotype is not able to find the change. Microarrays also identified some genetic changes linked to autism not revealed by karyotyping. The findings suggest microarray should replace karyotyping as the standard method of finding genetic irregularities in fetuses, said study researcher Dr. Ronald Wapner, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Columbia University in New York. Microarrays are already used to diagnose genetic conditions in children with developmental disabilities and birth defects. However, experts cautioned that microarrays could provide more information than is useful. Some abnormalities identified by the test are new, and have unknown or uncertain consequences, which can … Continue reading →

A pioneer of stem cell research is suing the assembly that awards the Nobel medicine prize, in a first such lawsuit, over claims it made about this year's winners, a spokeswoman said Thursday. Rongxiang Xu, who describes himself as the founder of "human body regenerative restoration science" claims he made a key discovery credited to the Nobel winners a decade before they did. He filed a lawsuit in California this week against the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, which awarded this year's prize to Shinya Yamanaka of Japan and John Gurdon of Britain. The two scientists won the prize in October for work in cell programming, a research area that has nourished dreams of replacement tissue for people crippled by disease. Specifically, they found that adult cells can be transformed back to an infant state called stem cells, the key ingredient in the vision of regenerative medicine. In awarding the prize, the Nobel jury said: "Their findings have revolutionised our understanding of how cells and organisms develop," and "created new opportunities to study diseases and develop methods for diagnosis and therapy." Describing his lawsuit as a first against the Nobel assembly, Xu said he discovered "regenerative" cells in 1984 while … Continue reading →

GAITHERSBURG, MD--(Marketwire - Dec 6, 2012) - Cytomedix, Inc. ( OTCQX : CMXI ) (the "Company"), a regenerative therapies company commercializing and developing innovative platelet and adult stem cell technologies, announced today the signing of an agreement with NIH to collaborate on a Phase 2 clinical study in patients with intermittent claudication (IC).IC is caused by peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a condition causing reduced flow of blood and oxygen to muscles of the leg. The study is being funded by NHLBI/NIH and managed by the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network (CCTRN), which is also responsible for enrolling patients. The CCTRN is a network that includes seven centers in the United States with experience and expertise in stem cell clinical trials studying treatments for cardiovascular heart diseases. The Phase 2 PACE (Patients with Intermittent Claudication Injected with ALDH Bright Cells) study is an 80 patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial intended to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of ALD-301 (Bright Cells) in patients diagnosed with IC.The primary endpoints of the study are safety and the change in peak walking time at 6 months compared to baseline.Additionally, changes in leg collateral arterial anatomy, calf muscle blood flow, and tissue perfusion as determined by … Continue reading →

Nano TMII move v2 Sinai's Nanomedicine Lab is moving to the newly build Hess Institute for Science and MedicineFrom:wjmmulderViews:0 0ratingsTime:00:42More inScience Technology View original post here: Nano TMII move v2 - Video … Continue reading →

Nanotechnology instrument manufacturer Izon Science (www.izon.com) has released the first commercially available method to simultaneously measure the charge and size of nano- and submicron particles on a particle by particle basis. This innovative high resolution analysis developed for Izons qNano platform will provide researchers with a new tool to better understand and advance their work in a range of fields, including drug delivery, diagnostics and exosomes and microvesicles. Hans van der Voorn, Executive Chairman of Izon Science says, "Researchers can now use a qNano to distinguish particles by charge as well as size. This unique analysis capability will enable researchers to accurately measure and understand their samples in a way not previously possible. We anticipate that this detailed information will lead to better experimental results and more acceptance of lab based nanomedicine innovations for clinical use." Researchers working in the field of nanoparticle and liposome based drug delivery will find particular interest and benefits from Izons new analysis capability. This is because the therapeutic delivery efficacy, circulation time, effluent pathway, localized accumulation, cellular uptake, drug release profile and potential toxicity of drug delivery particles is mainly dependent on their size, charge, and concentration. The Izon qNano now provides the ability … Continue reading →