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CIRM awards $151 million in stem cell grants to 8 projects statewide

Posted: Published on July 29th, 2012

American Cancer Society/Getty Images File photo: Close up of cancer cells in the cervix. CIRM awarded UCLA $20 million for the university's study on the reprogramming of cancer cells. This week, Californias public stem-cell agency awarded more than $150 million to advance research into eight diseases now under study by researchers at several California universities, one L.A. hospital and a biotech company. The University of California Davis received the largest share of stem cell research grants from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. The voter-approved agency, also known as CIRM, awarded nearly $50 million to three UC Davis research teams studying treatments for the bone disease osteoperosis, for the genetic brain disorder known as Huntingtons Disease and for Critical Limb Ischemia, a painful condition caused by severe blockage of arteries. CIRM gave $20 million to a UCLA study on the reprogramming of cancer cells. And the agency awarded UC-Irvine and the biotech firm, StemCells, Inc. of Newark, California $20 million for their joint study into treatments for cervical spinal injuries. Cedar Sinai Medical Center also made the list with an $18 million grant to speed their research into possible treatments for Lou Gehrigs disease, a neuromuscular condition that leads to … Continue reading →

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BGI reports the latest finding on NMNAT1 mutations linked to Leber congenital amaurosis

Posted: Published on July 29th, 2012

Public release date: 29-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Jia Liu liujia@genomics.cn BGI Shenzhen July 29th, 2012, Shenzhen, China A five-country international team, led by Casey Eye Institute Molecular Diagnostic laboratory, BGI and Zhejiang University School of Medicine First Affiliated Hospital identified the NMNAT1 mutations as a cause of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), one of the most common causes of inherited blindness in children. The latest study was published online in Nature Genetics, reporting the genetic characteristics underlying some LCA patients, and providing important evidences that support NMNAT1 as a promising target for the gene therapy of LCA. LCA is an inherited retinal degenerative disease characterized by severe loss of vision at birth. It is estimated that LCA occurs in 2 to 3 per 100,000 newborns. Currently a lot of studies are being done on LCA. Scientists found that LCA could result from mutations in at least 17 genes, all of which are necessary for normal vision and play important roles in the development and function of the retina. More importantly, gene replacement therapy has been successful in animal models and in humans more studies are underway. However, the genetic characters for about 20-30% LCA patients are still … Continue reading →

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Erectile dysfunction a red flag for heart

Posted: Published on July 29th, 2012

PROVIDENCE, R.I., July 29 (UPI) -- Many think erectile dysfunction is a sign of aging, but U.S. researchers say screening should include younger and middle-age men. An article, published in the American Heart Journal, encouraged physicians to inquire about erectile dysfunction symptoms in men age 30 and older, who have cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking, obesity or family history, as well as all men with type 2 diabetes. Dr. Martin Miner, chief of family medicine and co-director of the Men's Health Center at The Miriam Hospital in Providence, R.I., said as many as 30 million U.S. men suffer from erectile dysfunction, or the inability to maintain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse. Erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease share a common cause: narrowing of the arteries -- resulting in reduced or obstructed blood flow to the organs -- caused by common risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. Penile arteries are just a fraction smaller than the arteries supplying blood to the heart, so arteriosclerosis is likely to present first in the form of erection problems. "Erectile dysfunction represents an important first step toward heart disease detection and reduction, yet many healthcare providers and patients assume … Continue reading →

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Synthetic drug use up among teens, counselor warns

Posted: Published on July 29th, 2012

The number of teens Todd Hoffe works with who use plant food dropped slightly after the drug and other synthetics were banned last summer. Maybe it was fear of prosecution, or of the powerful hallucinogen itself, the Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center adolescent counselor said last week. Either way, Hoffe said, within the past month he has noticed a resurgence. Hes also noticed constant talk about a different man-made drug synthetic marijuana, also called K2. A year-and-a-half ago, he would mention the substance and kids would ask him what is was. Now theyre educating him. A study released last December by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that one in nine high school seniors had tried synthetic marijuana in the past year. It can cause seizures and other dangerous side effects. There arent specific numbers for states or cities, but Hoffe guesses, from what he has heard, that the percentage now is much higher. To combat the use of synthetic substances and other drugs among teens, the Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center, Winona Senior High School principal Kelly Halvorsen and Cindy Althoff, director of the Miller Mentoring program, have proposed implementing a chemical-dependency treatment program this fall for high … Continue reading →

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Heroin in paradise; drug use in SLO County

Posted: Published on July 29th, 2012

When Christa Holt last used heroin in March, she was on a three-month binge. Still, she had to spin her arm in circles to pump hard-to-find veins with blood so that she could inject the drug. The 27-year-old Arroyo Grande resident was at her nadir. She had begun using methamphetamine at age 11. By her early 20s, she had become addicted to prescription pills. She turned to heroin this year after her younger brother, Andrew, died of a heroin overdose in 2011. I was just curious what was so hard-core that killed my brother. Whats so awesome about this that my brother could not stop, she explained. Holt and her 24-year-old brother tragically exemplify the growing presence of heroin in San Luis Obispo County. Law enforcement officials and treatment specialists say the drug is relatively cheap, readily available and an easy replacement for widely abused opiate-based prescription drugs that are harder to find and less potent. Black tar heroin, much of it from Mexico, is now nearly as ubiquitous as meth in the county, police officials say. (In recent years, Mexico has been second only to Afghanistan in heroin poppy cultivation, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the … Continue reading →

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Hopes dashed for pharmacy degree

Posted: Published on July 29th, 2012

HAVING just obtained a diploma in pharmacy at a private college with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of above 3.8 , I was looking forward to furthering my studies and getting a degree in pharmacy. I made enquiries and applied to a few colleges. The colleges which told me at first that I could take a degree in pharmacy later sent me a letter offering a different course. They explained that the pharmacy boards new rules state that in order to pursue a degree in pharmacy, one must have a diploma with a CGPA of above 3.8, and a minimum of Grade B in five science subjects in the SPM: Additional Mathematics, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. I was not accepted for a degree programme because I did not score a B in one of those five subjects. Earlier, when my fellow students and I signed up for the diploma course, we were accepted with credits in those subjects, and told that enrolment for a degree programme would be based on the diploma CGPA only. We have studied for three years to obtain the diploma and now it seems that all our hard work is worthless. Last year, the … Continue reading →

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Lame dogs brought to heal with stem cells

Posted: Published on July 29th, 2012

Stem cell injections in dogs will become routine in the next two years and will probably cost less than $1000. The first data, collated last week, into the use of the procedure where cultured cells are injected into the joints of dogs with hip dysplasia or canine osteoarthritis has shown a success rate of 96 per cent. The procedure will be made available to veterinary clinics, promoted at dog shows and possibly in a television campaign. It has been transformed in little more than a year with stem cells from one animal used to treat other dogs. Previously, an invasive procedure was necessary, with incisions to remove subcutaneous or fatty tissue from the affected dog and stem cells isolated in a laboratory before being injected back into the dog. The procedure resulted in a culture containing only about 10 per cent to 15 per cent stem cells, while the culture from a donor in a breed with a genetic line clear of arthritis can been screened to provide a culture containing 100 per cent stem cells. The figures were collected from vets by Australian Veterinary Stem Cells, which supplies stem cell treatments and has a partnership with the immunology and … Continue reading →

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Medical Megatrends – Stem Cells – Part II of III

Posted: Published on July 28th, 2012

Imagine a man with a recent severe heart attack who has the muscle repaired with stem cells or a child with a severe bladder defect repaired with stem cells grown on a biodegradable scaffold. Sounds like science fiction but these are actual clinical studies in progress today. Stem cell therapies promise to be one of those scientific breakthroughs that will have an enormous impact on health care in the future. Stem cells will bring us closer to the goal of personalized medicine, just as genomics is doing. The course of a disease will change once we have the technology to develop and then insert stem cells into the human body to actually create a tissue. For example, a person with a heart attack will not go on to live the rest of his or her life with damaged heart muscle and resultant heart failure. Instead, stem cells will repopulate the heart muscle and make it whole again. Similarly, a person with Parkinsons disease will recover full faculties thanks to the ability of stem cells to regenerate the damaged area of the brain. The person with type I diabetes will be free of the disease because of the formation of new … Continue reading →

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Jamie’s dad to be stem cells donor

Posted: Published on July 28th, 2012

Father of Jamie Inglis to be stem cells donor 9:37am Saturday 28th July 2012 in News By Kate Liptrot, kate.liptrot@thepress.co.uk THE father of a six-year-old boy bravely fighting cancer is likely to be a stem cell donor for medical treatment which could potentially save his life. Jamie Inglis has a 75 per cent chance of survival if he successfully goes through a clinical trial in Germany, according to his oncologist at Leeds General Infirmary, an expert on neuroblastoma. This form of cancer is so aggressive that treatment in the UK is inadequate and will prolong Jamies life only for months, so his family are in the process of raising 250,000 to fund the treatment. They have currently raised about 80,000. Jamies parents, John and Vicky, of Kelfield, near Selby , have been tested to see who would be the most appropriate donor. John has been chosen by the experts because he has the best properties to assist Jamies immune system, which does not recognise cancer cells. He is due to travel to Germany in early August, when he will have tests to detect any defects and to clarify that he can definitely be a donor. Mr Inglis said: We are … Continue reading →

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Stem cells for neck injury: $20 million

Posted: Published on July 28th, 2012

Stem cells for neck injury: $20 million July 27th, 2012, 3:45 pm posted by Pat Brennan, science, environment editor Human neural stem cell. Image courtesy StemCells Inc. The states stem-cell institute has awarded $20 million to UC Irvine researchers, along with a private company, to prepare the way for human testing of a treatment for spinal-cord injuries in the neck region one that could restore movement and independence for some of the 1.3 million spinal-cord injury sufferers in the United States. The treatment, developed by the husband and wife research team, Aileen Anderson and Brian Cummings, along with StemCells Inc. of Newark, Ca., would involve injecting versatile human neural stem cells into the neck area. The cells, capable of transforming themselves based on cues from the body, could then migrate to the injured area and perhaps repair the protective sheaths, known as myelin, around nerve cells. If the treatment works as expected, it would restore movement and body control for patients with debilitating injuries. While the treatment has the potential to allow the paralyzed to walk again, more modest gains are more likely and well worth the effort, Anderson said Friday. UC Irvine husband-wife research team, Brian Cummings and Aileen … Continue reading →

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