MONTREAL, Oct. 15, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - A team of researchers at the IRCM, supervised by Dr. Jacques Drouin, reprogrammed the identity of cells in the pituitary gland and identified critical mechanisms of epigenetic cell programming. This important discovery, published today by the scientific journal Genes & Development, has implications for reprogramming of stem cells and could eventually lead to new pharmacological targets for the treatment of Cushing's disease. Dr. Drouin's team studies the pituitary, the master gland located at the base of the skull that secretes hormones to control all other glands of the endocrine system. Disruption of pituitary function has dire consequences on growth, reproduction and metabolism. Within the pituitary gland, each hormone is produced by cells of a different lineage. Unique cell identities are created by cell-specific genetic programs that are implemented during development. Appropriate cell programming is a critical process that needs to be harnessed in order to exploit the therapeutic benefits of stem cell research. In their work, the IRCM researchers showed that a transcription factor Pax7 has pioneering ability, meaning that it is able to open the tightly-packed chromatin structure of specific regions of the genome. This unmasking of a subset of the genome's … Continue reading →

14-10-2012 23:59 - Angeles Health initiated the Adult Autologous Stem Cell (A-ASC) Therapy program to manage a variety of syndromes, including COPD. Like many other conditions COPD is treated using autologous adult stem cells. Read this article: stem cell treatment for copd - Video … Continue reading →

Washington, Oct. 15 (ANI): Japanese researcher Hisashi Moriguchi, who said that he had implemented the world's first clinical trial using a trailblazing stem cell technology, has admitted that most of what he claimed in an academic conference presentation about the procedure was false. "While the treatment was implemented, it was only one procedure. At the end of the day, I lied," Moriguchi said at a news conference in New York. He earlier said treatment using induced pluripotent stem cells was conducted on a total of six people, including the first case on a man with a failing heart in February this year. According to the Japan Times, he said he was present during the procedure allegedly undertaken in the United States and showed his passport record to reporters. Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he claimed that the trial was conducted, said that there are no records of him having undertaken the procedure or of applying for approval to carry it out. Moriguchi has been staying in New York after a presentation of his alleged treatment at a two-day stem cell research conference that ran from Wednesday at Rockefeller University. On the timing of the surgery procedure, Moriguchi said: "It … Continue reading →

Gamida Cell Ltd., whose shareholders include Clal Biotechnology Industries Ltd. (CBI) and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA), is in talks with European regulators to define a review process for its flagship product. The stem cells developer said the European Medicines Agency accepted a units stance that positive results from the Phase III trial of its StemEx product would constitute the basis for approval, according to a statement to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The unit, Gamida Cell-Teva Joint Venture, expects to release results of a 100-patient trial this year. Efforts to advance the treatment in Europe come after a setback in talks with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA told Gamida to update its control group in its Phase III study and that the regulator is no longer obligated to a Special Protocol Assessment, according to a Tel Aviv Stock Exchange announcement dated Aug. 20. Clal Biotechnology said Gamida will apply for StemEx approval in the U.S. in the beginning of 2013. The route with the FDA is not going as smoothly as they had hoped so they are seeking to advance the product with another regulator as well, said Steven Tepper, an analyst at Harel Finance Ltd. … Continue reading →

Monday, Oct. 15, 2012 NEW YORK/BOSTON Hisashi Moriguchi, a Japanese researcher who had said he implemented the world's first clinical trial using a trailblazing stem cell technology, admitted Saturday most of what he claimed in an academic conference presentation about the procedure was false. At a news conference in New York, Moriguchi said, "While the treatment was implemented, it was only one procedure. At the end of the day, I lied." He earlier said treatment using induced pluripotent stem cells was conducted on a total of six people, including the first case on a man with a failing heart in February this year. He also corrected the timing of the trial to June last year. He said he was present during the procedure allegedly undertaken in the United States and showed his passport record to reporters. Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he claimed that the trial was conducted, said Friday there are no records of him having undertaken the procedure or of applying for approval to carry it out. Moriguchi has been staying in New York after a presentation of his alleged treatment at a two-day stem cell research conference that ran from Wednesday at Rockefeller University. On the … Continue reading →

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE MKT: CUR) announced that data on Neuralstem's NSI-566 spinal cord-derived neural stem cell line in a rat model of ischemic stroke was presented in a poster, "Histopathological Assessment of Adult Ischemic Rat Brains after 4 Weeks of Intracerebral Transplantation of NSI-566RSC Cell Line," at The Society for Neurosciences Annual Meeting (http://www.sfn.org/AM2012/). This study was conducted independently in the laboratory of Dr. Cesar Borlongan, who is the director at the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. Post-mortem histology was conducted in collaboration with Neuralstem. Rats that suffered ischemic stroke by middle cerebral artery occlusion, were transplanted 7 days post-stroke with increasing doses of NSI-566 into the stroke area. The animals were followed for safety and behavioral response for 56 days post-transplantation. Researchers reported Saturday that there was significant improvement in both motor and neurological tests in the stem cell-treated rats. There were significant dose-dependent differences in the behavioral improvement across treatment groups at post-transplantation periods, with the highest dose showing the most significant improvement in both motor and neurological tests. Similarly, there were significant differences in the behavioral performance among treatment … Continue reading →

The Grekos hearing is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Administration Building, room 1-140A, 5775 Osceola Trail, Naples. It is scheduled for four days. Photo by Allie Garza Zannos Grekos BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs physician Zannos Grekos, whose license is in jeopardy for controversial stem cell therapy, is getting his day before a judge. Barring a last-minute delay or settlement, an administrative hearing is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Naples for the 47-year-old. He is fighting to get his license back in good standing from a suspension order, while the state Department of Health is pursuing more discipline and potentially revocation of his license. Trained as a cardiologist, he's been licensed in Florida since 1996. The trial-like proceeding, without a jury, is scheduled for four days before an administrative law judge. The proceeding is open to the public. The case against Grekos has garnered considerable media attention, including CNN and inquiries from European media. A Texas father, Jimmy Bell, will be tracking what happens. Last year, he paid $57,000 upfront for his 5-year-old son, Jason, to undergo stem cell therapy to fight pulmonary hypertension. Despite pleas that his boy was weakening by the … Continue reading →