Enlarge David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Slides containing DNA sit in a bay waiting to be analyzed by a genome sequencing machine. Slides containing DNA sit in a bay waiting to be analyzed by a genome sequencing machine. Ever since James Watson and Francis Crick cracked the genetic code, scientists have been fascinated by the possibilities of what we might learn from reading our genes. But the power of DNA has also long raised fears such as those dramatized in the 1997 sci-fi film Gattaca which depicted a world where "a minute drop of blood determines where you can work, who you should marry, what you're capable of achieving." That was science fiction. Just three years later, President Bill Clinton announced that the once-futuristic dream of reading someone's entire genetic code their genome had become a reality. It took hundreds of scientists nearly a decade to painstakingly piece together the first real look at the entire human genetic blueprint. It cost $3 billion just to make that rough draft. Twelve years later, the cost of deciphering a person's genetic instructions has dropped faster than the price tag on flat-screen TVs. And the sequencing can be done much quicker. Over … Continue reading →

Public release date: 17-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Nicole White nicole.white@cshs.org 310-423-5215 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center LOS ANGELES Sept. 17, 2012 Leading scientists and clinicians from across the nation will discuss the latest findings on potential stem cell treatments for diabetes and eye diseases at the second Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Scientific Symposium. WHO: Stem cell scientists, clinicians and industry leaders. The symposium is being hosted by the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute, led by Clive Svendsen, PhD. The institute brings together basic scientists with specialist clinicians, physician scientists and translational scientists across multiple medical specialties to convert fundamental stem cell studies to therapeutic regenerative medicine. FEATURED RESEARCH: The symposium's morning session will feature an overview of the current state of stem cells and diabetes, including efforts to start the first clinical trials with stem cells for the treatment of diabetes. Other research to be presented includes an update on regenerative medicine approaches to treating macular degeneration, a progressive deterioration of the eye that causes gradual loss of vision. This will include an update from Gad Heilweil , MD, on a key, stem-cell clinical trial on macular degeneration at the University of California Los Angeles. WHEN: Sept. 21, 2012 8:30 … Continue reading →

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- America Stem Cell, Inc. (ASC) today announced that it has been awarded an Advanced Technology Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health. This grant will be conducted in collaboration with scientists at the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) in Winston-Salem, NC, and will explore the combination of two technologies: ASC-101 developed by America Stem Cell and amniotic fluid-derived stem cells discovered and pioneered by Dr. Shay Soker and colleagues at WFIRM. We will examine the effect of ASC-101-treated amniotic fluid-derived stem cells in an experimental model of compartment syndrome. Compartment syndrome results from a variety of injuries such as fractures, contusions, burns, trauma, post-ischemic swelling and blast injuries such as gunshot wounds. If not addressed quickly, it can lead to considerable loss of muscle tissue. Musculoskeletal disorders are the primary cause of disability in the United States with associated costs of more than $800 billion annually. In addition to civilian injuries, more than 42,000 soldiers have been injured since the beginning of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars: the majority of these injuries were musculoskeletal in nature. America Stem Cell has demonstrated … Continue reading →

BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is when a person experiences repeated seizures, which are episodes of disturbed brain activity that causes changes in attention or behavior. There are various types of seizures that can range from simple staring spells to violent shaking and loss of alertness. The type of seizure depends on the part of the brain affected and the cause of the epilepsy. Epilepsy can be the result of medical condition or injury that affects the brain, although sometimes the cause is not known (idiopathic). A brain tumor, abnormal blood vessels in the brain, certain infections, dementia, and stroke are some things that can cause a person to develop epilepsy. The strange sensations that some people with epilepsy have before a seizure, such as tingling or smelling strange odors, are called auras. (Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). TREATMENT: When epileptic seizures are the result of a brain tumor, abnormal blood vessels, or bleeding in the brain, surgery to treat these issues can possibly make the seizures stop. Other possible treatments include medications called anticonvulsants which can help limit the number of future seizures, but if a person misses the medication, it can cause a seizure and many of the drugs cannot be used by pregnant … Continue reading →

Newswise The National Institutes of Health, recognizing UCLAs preeminence in both research and clinical care of children with autism, has announced multiple awards to the university as part of its Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) research program. The UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment (CART) was the only NIH ACE Center in the country to be awarded renewed funding for the next five years. This continued funding will support ongoing research to examine how genes link to behavior, develop new clinical interventions for those severely affected, and seek to explain why there are more boys than girls with autism. The goal of this work is to understand the full range of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), the brain disorder that causes a continuum of social deficits, communication difficulties, and cognitive delays. UCLAs CART will receive $10 million for its ongoing research into advancing treatments, the disorders genetics and biology, and improved diagnostics. New research will link genetic mutations to distinct patterns of brain development, structure, and function in children and adolescents with ASD. The research effort is led by Susan Bookheimer, the Joaquin Fuster Professor of Cognitive Neurosciences at UCLAs Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. The UCLA Center … Continue reading →