BOTHELL, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc. announced today an exclusive licensing agreement with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine under which Iverson receives global exclusive commercialization rights for molecular diagnostics that are designed to help physicians to assess cardiovascular risk in men and women and infertility risk in women. In this new era of personalized medicine, it is now possible to more accurately determine if the healthy cholesterol fraction, HDL, and its partner protein, scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI), affect risk for heart disease in men and women as well as hormonal and fertility outcomes in women. Mutations within the SR-BI gene (SCARB1) are common and work by Annabelle Rodriguez-Oquendo, M.D. at John Hopkins University School of Medicine has suggested that variations within theSCARB1gene show associations with heart disease risk in men and women as well as hormonal and fertility problems in women. Leroy Hood, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder of the Institute for Systems Biology and a member of Iverson Genetic Diagnostics Board of Directors, commented, The importance of finding gene variants that affect the metabolism of cholesterol, especially the healthy fraction, and hormones--hence causing disease--is incredibly important for personalized medicine. This agreement between Iverson and Johns Hopkins … Continue reading →

Public release date: 11-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: David McKeon dmckeon@nyscf.org 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation NEW YORK, NY (October 11, 2012) For the second day, The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Seventh Annual Translational Stem Cell Research Conference hosts the world's most preeminent stem cell scientists to present their findings on how advances in stem cell science lead to better treatments and cures for disease and injury. The conference is held at The Rockefeller University in Manhattan on October 10-11. Today, in disease-specific sessions, scientists will share their latest finds in moving stem cell research to treatments in the following areas: cancer and blood disease; diabetes and autoimmunity; heart and muscles; neurodegeneration and spinal cord injury. In Cancer and Blood Disease, Elaine Fuchs, PhD, The Rockefeller University, will share findings on identification of skin cancer stem cells, which have implications in understanding other cancers as well as stem cells. Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, Duke University, will discuss her work developing therapies for disease with autologous cord blood transplants. Ravi Majeti, PhD, Stanford University, will describe his recent insights into acute myeloid leukemia and how stem cell technologies can lead to new cancer treatments. Dieter Egli, … Continue reading →

Public release date: 11-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Deborah Mann Lake deborah.m.lake@uth.tmc.edu University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston HOUSTON (Oct. 11, 2012) Early results of a Phase II intra-arterial stem cell trial for ischemic stroke showed no adverse events associated with the first 10 patients, allowing investigators to expand the study to a targeted total of 100 patients. The results were presented today by Sean Savitz, M.D., professor of neurology and director of the Stroke Program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), at the 8th World Stroke Congress in Brasilia, Brazil. The trial is the only randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled intra-arterial clinical trial in the world for ischemic stroke. It is studying the safety and efficacy of a regenerative therapy developed by Aldagen Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cytomedix, Inc., that uses a patient's own bone marrow stem cells, which can be administered between 13 and 19 days post-stroke. The therapy, called ALD-401, consists of stem cells that are identified using Aldagen's proprietary technology to isolate cells that express high levels of an enzyme that serves as a marker of stem cells. Pre-clinical studies found that these cells enhance recovery after … Continue reading →

SAN DIEGO & MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cytori Therapeutics (CYTX) announced the initiation of the FDA approved ATHENA clinical trial to investigate Cytoris cell therapy in patients who suffer from a severe form of refractory (untreatable) heart failure due to chronic myocardial ischemia. Cytoris cell therapy is based on a patients own adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells (ADRCs) processed by the Companys proprietary Celution System technology, making this the first FDA approved trial in the U.S. to evaluate ADRCs for cardiovascular disease. This first patient was treated by co-principal investigator Timothy Henry, M.D., Director of Research, at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation in September and has undergone a seven day follow-up assessment. More details on the ATHENA trial may be found at http://www.theathenatrial.com. Patients with refractory heart failure have no options except for heart transplant, for which there are few hearts available, said Dr. Henry. Cell therapy such as Cytoris has the potential to delay, halt, or even reverse this progression. We believe this is accomplished by the cells ability to promote angiogenesis and regulate the immune response to help revive damaged tissue that is alive yet not necessarily contributing to its fullest capacity toward the pumping ability of the heart. ATHENA … Continue reading →