Discovery will lead to new screening protocol to better match patients & donors Newswise SEATTLE A team of scientists led by a bone marrow transplant researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has shed new light on why most bone marrow transplant patients who receive tissue-matched cells from unrelated donors still suffer acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The answer appears to lie in the discovery of previously undetected genetic differences in the DNA of patients and unrelated marrow donors. The laboratory-based study findings by Effie Petersdorf, M.D., and colleagues soon will be translated to the clinic when a Hutchinson Center transplant protocol the first of its kind opens at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance later this year to test patients and donors for these genetic differences. The goal is to further refine the tissue-matching process to reduce the incidence of GVHD, which affects about 80 percent of patients and has been a longtime, vexing challenge for transplant doctors. GVHD occurs when the donor immune system (the graft) begins to circulate in the patients bloodstream and recognizes the hosts (the patients) tissue as foreign. When this happens, the new immune system attacks the recipients tissues such as the liver, gastrointestinal system and skin. … Continue reading →

TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Not only is Internet addiction a legitimate compulsion, it may have the same genetic component as nicotine addiction, a new study suggests. Out of nearly 850 people interviewed about their Internet habits, German researchers evaluated 132 who showed signs of being hooked to the Web, while another 132 without problematic Internet behavior were selected as a control group. The addicted users said that all their thoughts revolved around the Internet during the day, and they felt that their well-being was harmed if they couldn't go online. The participants' average age was 25. The study authors conducted a genetic analysis and discovered that the people with Internet addiction were more likely than others to have a genetic mutation on the CHRNA4 gene, which is known to play a major role in nicotine addiction. The gene mutation was more common in women with online addiction than in men with the problem, according to the study. But the researchers said further research is needed to confirm this because numerous surveys have found that men are more prone to Internet addiction than women. The study was recently published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine. The study found an … Continue reading →

Public release date: 4-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Dean Forbes dforbes@fhcrc.org 206-667-2896 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center SEATTLE A team of scientists led by a bone marrow transplant researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has shed new light on why most bone marrow transplant patients who receive tissue-matched cells from unrelated donors still suffer acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The answer appears to lie in the discovery of previously undetected genetic differences in the DNA of patients and unrelated marrow donors. The laboratory-based study findings by Effie Petersdorf, M.D., and colleagues soon will be translated to the clinic when a Hutchinson Center transplant protocol the first of its kind opens at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance later this year to test patients and donors for these genetic differences. The goal is to further refine the tissue-matching process to reduce the incidence of GVHD, which affects about 80 percent of patients and has been a longtime, vexing challenge for transplant doctors. GVHD occurs when the donor immune system (the graft) begins to circulate in the patient's bloodstream and recognizes the host's (the patient's) tissue as foreign. When this happens, the new immune system attacks the recipient's tissues such as … Continue reading →

Public release date: 4-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Garth Sundem garth.sundem@ucdenver.edu University of Colorado Denver Fanconi anemia is a recessive genetic disorder affecting 1 in 350,000 babies, which leaves cells unable to repair damaged DNA. This lack of repair puts Fanconi anemia patients at high risk for developing a variety of cancers, especially leukemias and head and neck cancer. Cruelly, the condition also nixes the use of an entire class of cancer drugs, namely drugs like mitomycin C that act by encouraging DNA to crosslink together like sticky strands of bread dough generally, healthy cells can repair a few crosslinks whereas cancer cells cannot and so are killed. However, Fanconi anemia patients are unable to repair the damage done to healthy or cancerous cells done by these drugs and so treatment with mitomycin C is frequently fatal. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study funded by the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund explored the effectiveness of a novel agent in preventing cancer in this population namely, resveratrol as found in red wine. The results of this study will be presented at the 24th annual Fanconi Anemia Research Fund Scientific Symposium, September 27-30 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in … Continue reading →

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- One of the most promising and exciting treatment avenues for multiple sclerosis is the use of a patient's own stem cells to try to stop -- or even repair -- some of the disease's brain tissue damage. But injecting a patient with a dose of his or her own bone-marrow stem cells was actually a pretty crude method of treating the disease, because no one was quite sure how or why it worked. Last year, doctors at the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University began trying this for MS patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial after positive results were seen in mice. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the myelin sheaths that surround and protect nerve cells. When myelin is damaged, the nerve cells are exposed and unable to do their job, which is sending signals to the brain and back. This results in the loss of motor skills, coordination and cognitive abilities. Like many other researchers using stem cells, the local group didn't know exactly how their treatment worked, but they knew that when they gave these human mesenchymal stem cells, or MSCs, … Continue reading →

SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cellerant Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel hematopoietic stem cell-based cellular and antibody therapies for blood disorders and cancer, announced today that it has been awarded $36.4 million under an option exercised by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response of the Department of Health and Human Services, for the advanced development of CLT-008, a first-in-class, allogeneic, cell-based therapy for the treatment of Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS). This third year of funding is in addition to the $80 million committed under the two-year base period and is part of a five-year award valued at up to $169.9 million. This additional funding will continue to support Cellerants CLT-008 development strategy by providing funds for its ongoing clinical trials, process development and manufacturing activities and the nonclinical studies required for approval in ARS. If licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal government could buy CLT-008 for the Strategic National Stockpile under Project Bioshield. Project Bioshield is designed to accelerate the research, development, purchase and availability of effective medical countermeasures for the Strategic National Stockpile. We are pleased that the federal government … Continue reading →

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT; OTCBB: ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that its chief scientific officer, Robert Lanza, M.D., will be delivering the opening Keynote Speech at the 4th Annual Stem Cell Symposium 2012, being held in Singapore, September 6-7. Dr. Lanzas presentation is titled Pluripotent Stem Cells From Benchtop to Clinic. With the theme, Stem Cell Based Therapy, the symposium will have a particular focus on clinical trials and industrial application of stem cells. Sponsored by Stem Cell Society of Singapore (SCSS), the conference will include scientific presentations from key contributors from academic, clinical, and commercial organizations who are translating basic research on stem cells into therapeutics, with a focus on applying engineering technologies to provide medical solutions. In their opening statement, the organizers state, We are all keeping our fingers crossed for ACTs success, which will also bring a big boost to the stem cell community. Other topics of the conference include human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), drug screening, adult and cancer stem cells, and stem cell therapies emerging from Asia, with presentations from Indian, Korean and Japanese regenerative medicine companies. There will also be a joint session … Continue reading →