Public release date: 3-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Julie O'Connor julie.oconnor@wayne.edu 313-577-8845 Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research DETROIT Wayne State University researchers are testing a way to determine the status of fetal chromosomes that could lead to healthier outcomes for mothers and their babies. Supported by a two-year, $418,000 exploratory/developmental grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health, the researchers will capture human fetal cells for genetic study within the first two months of pregnancy using a newly developed, safe, noninvasive retrieval technique similar to a Pap test. D. Randall Armant, Ph.D., and Michael P. Diamond, M.D., professors of obstetrics and gynecology in Wayne State's School of Medicine, are the principal investigators of the study. Susan Land, Ph.D., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, is a co-investigator. Titled "Genetic Analysis of Human First Trimester Trophoblast in Ongoing Pregnancies," the project targets cells called trophoblasts, which surround the blastocyst, a cluster of cells that results from successful fertilization. Researchers are particularly interested in "invasive" trophoblasts, which attach the blastocyst to the uterine wall; the cells become the placenta and the … Continue reading →

Email Barbara D. Livingston Successful Dan's connections are hoping to bring the horse back from injury next year. SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. The connections of Successful Dan will attempt to bring the multiple graded stakes winner back from a third significant injury after the 6-year-old gelding was found with a strained distal sesamoidean ligament in his left foreleg. Successful Dan will undergo stem-cell therapy in a couple of weeks and then be turned out for at least two months before undergoing three to four months of active rehabilitation, according to Dr. Larry Bramlage of the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky. If everything went perfectly, wed like to have him going by mid-year, next year, Bramlage said. Trainer Charles Lopresti said owner Morton Fink would like to try and bring Successful Dan back to the races next year. Successful Dan has won 7 of 11 starts, including the Grade 2 Alysheba at Churchill Downs in which he set a track record for 1 1/16 miles. Most recently, he finished second to Fort Larned in the Grade 3 Cornhusker at Prairie Meadows. He had been training toward a start in Saturdays Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga before Lopresti noticed inflammation … Continue reading →

The latest round of a stem cell debate may have concluded, but as far as the lawyers representing an orthopedics company that has offered stem cell treatments are concerned, its a long way from over. The lawyers representing Colorado-based Regenerative Science said they were filing a notice of appeal this week after a U.S. District Court judges ruling in favor of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that its stem cell therapy is a drug. The case is being closely watched by everyone with a stake or an interest in the use of stem cells in medicine and could have significant ramifications for stem cell entrepreneurs who dont believe their procedures amount to a drug or biologic. Regenerative Science Colorado-based Regnerative Sciences Regenexx procedure is presented as an alternative to traditional surgery that can treat fractures that have failed to heal, joint cartilage problems, partial tears of tendons, muscles, or ligaments, among other problems. It works like this: A physician takes a small bone marrow sample from the back of the patients hip through a needle. Blood samples are taken from a vein in the patients arm. The samples are sent to the Regenerative laboratory where the mesenchymal stem cells … Continue reading →

Editor's Choice Main Category: Stem Cell Research Article Date: 03 Aug 2012 - 14:00 PDT Current ratings for: Stem Cell Therapy May Fix Defects From Injuries To Head And Mouth 4 (1 votes) The clinical trial was a collaboration of researchers from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research together with Ann Arbor-based Aastrom Biosciences Inc. involving 24 patients who required jawbone reconstruction after tooth removal. The researchers divided the patients into two groups, with one group receiving experimental tissue repair cells (ixmyelocel-T) and the other group receiving traditional guided bone regeneration therapy. The tissue repair cells ixmyelocel-T are currently being development at Aastrom. Leading investigator Darnell Kaigler, who is assistant professor at the U-M School of Dentistry said: Kaigler stated that the treatment is best suited for large defects, like those resulting from trauma, diseases or birth defects, since these are very challenging to treat due to their complex nature of requiring various different tissue types, including bone, skin and gum tissue. He continued saying that the key advantage of using stem cell therapy is that the patient's own cells are used to regenerate tissue instead of using man-made, foreign materials. … Continue reading →

By Tedra DeSue - August 3, 2012 | Tickers: BAX, OSIR | 0 Comments Tedra is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited. Advances continue to be made in the field of regenerative medicine, with many products and procedures being made possible from stem cell therapy. While large companies are making headway in this area, many small companies are just as active, raising much-needed funds through the capital markets. The main challenge all of these companies face is convincing naysayers that their research and subsequent results are ethical. There has been much ado about regenerative medicine efforts that involve stem cells. This has especially been the case for research and therapy involving human embryonic stem cells. For this reason, investors who may be bullish about the industry may avoid these stocks. The stem cell market is expected to grow to be a $5.1 billion industry by 2014. One of the reasons stem cell research is important to these companies is that it can help them grow their pipelines, according to a research report on the industry Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine: Benchmarking Analysis of Big … Continue reading →

Editor's Choice Main Category: Stem Cell Research Article Date: 03 Aug 2012 - 14:00 PDT Current ratings for: Stem Cell Therapy May Fix Defects From Injuries To Head And Mouth The clinical trial was a collaboration of researchers from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research together with Ann Arbor-based Aastrom Biosciences Inc. involving 24 patients who required jawbone reconstruction after tooth removal. The researchers divided the patients into two groups, with one group receiving experimental tissue repair cells (ixmyelocel-T) and the other group receiving traditional guided bone regeneration therapy. The tissue repair cells ixmyelocel-T are currently being development at Aastrom. Leading investigator Darnell Kaigler, who is assistant professor at the U-M School of Dentistry said: Kaigler stated that the treatment is best suited for large defects, like those resulting from trauma, diseases or birth defects, since these are very challenging to treat due to their complex nature of requiring various different tissue types, including bone, skin and gum tissue. He continued saying that the key advantage of using stem cell therapy is that the patient's own cells are used to regenerate tissue instead of using man-made, foreign materials. The study achieved … Continue reading →