Public release date: 27-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Anita Kar anita.kar@mcgill.ca 514-398-3376 McGill University This release is available in French. A new study shows significant differences in brain development in high-risk infants who develop autism starting as early as age 6 months. The findings published in the American Journal of Psychiatry reveal that this abnormal brain development may be detected before the appearance of autism symptoms in an infant's first year of life. Autism is typically diagnosed around the age of 2 or 3. The study offers new clues for early diagnosis, which is key, as research suggests that the symptoms of autism - problems with communication, social interaction and behavior - can improve with early intervention. "For the first time, we have an encouraging finding that enables the possibility of developing autism risk biomarkers prior to the appearance of symptoms, and in advance of our current ability to diagnose autism," says co-investigator Dr. Alan Evans at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital the Neuro, McGill University, which is the Data Coordinating Centre for the study. "Infancy is a time when the brain is being organized and connections are developing rapidly," says Dr. Evans. "Our international research … Continue reading →

Several tests are now available that can analyse fetal DNA present in a pregnant woman's blood. BSIP/PHOTOTAKE Genetic tests that analyse fetal DNA from a pregnant woman's blood are arriving in a rush, giving parents powerful tools for gleaning information about their unborn offspring. Three companies have launched versions of such tests in the past 12 months, and a fourth plans to do so later this year. But the commercialization of these tests has brought a legal battle that could not only affect corporate profits, but also limit which patients will be able to access the tests and under what terms. The tangle of lawsuits may also offer a taste of future conflicts in the rapidly growing medical-genomics industry. If a single company has a monopoly on the market, it will essentially be able to dictate the standard of care and the quality of care, says Mildred Cho, a bioethicist at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California. The four firms are all based in California Sequenom in San Diego, Ariosa Diagnostics in San Jose, and Verinata Health and Natera, both in Redwood City and use similar techniques to identify fetal DNA in maternal blood samples. The tests can … Continue reading →

Public release date: 27-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Brian Lin brian.lin@ubc.ca 604-822-2234 University of British Columbia An international team led by human genetic researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health has identified the latest gene associated with typical late-onset Lewy body Parkinson's disease (PD), with the help of a Canadian Mennonite family of Dutch-German-Russian ancestry. Twelve of the 57 members of the Saskatchewan family who participated in the study had previously been diagnosed with PD. UBC Medical Genetics Prof. Matthew Farrer, who led the research, notes that unequivocal confirmation of the gene's linkage with PD required DNA samples from thousands of patients with PD and healthy individuals. He refers to the new discovery as the "missing link," as it helps to unify past genetic discoveries in PD. "A breakthrough like this would not be possible without the involvement and support of the Saskatchewan Mennonite family who gave up considerable time, contributed clinical information, donated blood samples, participated in PET imaging studies and, on more than one occasion following the death of an individual, donated brain samples," says Farrer, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Neurogenetics and Translational Neuroscience and the Dr. Donald Rix BC … Continue reading →

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Stem Cell Research Also Included In: Eye Health / Blindness;Diabetes;Multiple Sclerosis Article Date: 27 Jun 2012 - 9:00 PDT Current ratings for: Stem Cell Breakthrough Significant For Degenerative Diseases 5 (2 votes) But it is a long journey from showing something works in the research lab to using it safely and ethically in patients, and there are many hurdles. One such hurdle is providing stem cells lines "developed under stringent ethical guidelines, from traceable and tested donors, preferably in an animal-free, GMP-grade culture system," write the researchers in a comprehensive paper published online on 20 June in the open access journal PLoS ONE. Another, is to ensure the hESCs meet safety criteria, and do not have traces of animal components, such as from mice and cows, as these can introduce the risk of animal pathogens running amok in the patient's body. Now after 12 years of painstaking work, researchers at the Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, have announced they have created three new lines of "xeno-free and GMP-grade human embryonic stem cells". In their paper, lead investigator professor Benjamin Reubinoff, a world-renowned stem-cell pioneer and the new chairman of obstetrics/gynecology at the Ein … Continue reading →

Johannesburg, South Africa (PRWEB) June 27, 2012 After three-year-old Isabella Pippie Kruger was burned on over 80% of her body in a tragic accident, her mother was left searching for a viable option to repair her extremely damaged skin and save her life. The solution came from across the globe in the form of a company called Genzyme in Boston, MA. Genzyme has developed a protocol for cultivating autologous epidural stem cells in order to generate new skin for patients who have suffered extreme skin trauma. Genzyme was able to graft 41 sheets of new skin that was made of Pippies own genetic material. This was then flown across the world to South Africa, where the procedure of grafting her new skin took place. It was the first time this type of procedure was administered in South Africa. Global collaboration in the administration of stem cell therapies to treat previously untreatable conditions is accelerating the paradigm shift in the medical community for the treatment of disease, trauma and injury; a shift that is spearheaded by the utilization of autologous stem cells. The use of the patients own stem cells in emerging regenerative therapies eliminates the chance of rejection of the … Continue reading →

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Concluding a series of conference presentations in recent months, California Stem Cell (CSC) Medical Director and Principal Investigator Robert O. Dillman, M.D. will be delivering an oral presentation at todays Biotherapeutics & Stem Cell Processing Symposia in London, UK. The presentation will provide details and phase II clinical trial results from a promising therapy for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, recently acquired by CSC from Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach. In two previous presentations at both the AACR and ASCO conferences in Chicago, Dr. Dillman compared pooled data from this and two other phase II immunotherapies for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. Data pooled from three successive phase II trials were compared in order to determine the impact on overall survival rates of patient specific immunotherapies utilizing antigens from autologous cancer stem cells. Results demonstrated that autologous dendritic cells loaded with antigens from cancer stem cells significantly improved survival rates and time to recurrence when compared with treatments using irradiated cancer cells alone. 2-year overall survival rates tracked at 72%, as compared to 45% from the therapy using only irradiated cancer stem cells. 5-year median survivals of patients tracked over 50%, double that of any other current … Continue reading →

VATICAN CITY, Italy, June 27, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, as part of an ongoing mission to advance scientific research on adult stem cell therapies and explore their cultural and ethical implications, Monsignor Tomasz Trafny of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture, joined Dr. Robin Smith, CEO of NeoStem (NYSE MKT:NBS) and Chairman and President of the Stem for Life Foundation, and Dr. Max Gomez, trustee of the Stem for Life Foundation, to present the first copy of their forthcoming book, Our Stem Cells: The Mystery of Life and Secrets of Healing, to The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. The book is the result of a unique collaboration between the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture (via its charitable foundation STOQ International) and the Stem for Life Foundation, and will be available later this year. It includes a special address by His Holiness Benedict XVI, urging increased support and awareness for advancements in adult stem cell research in order to alleviate human suffering. The book focuses on concepts discussed at the First International Vatican Adult Stem Cell Conference (2011) and presents the reader with an engaging, comprehensive overview of adult stem cells and their vital role in a future of regenerative … Continue reading →