By Brian Todd The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN BYRON Shjon Podein comes from a big extended family. Monday night at Somerby Golf Club in Byron, that family looked a lot bigger. Serving as master of ceremonies, auctioneer and standup comedian, Podein, a former NHL player and John Marshall High School graduate, worked the crowd at the 15th annual Team 25 Childrens Foundation Golf Tournament and Party. The event raises money for the A-T Childrens Project, a nonprofit organization that funds research and treatment of ataxia-telangiectasia, a childhood disorder, and a handful of charities across southeastern Minnesota. Its about quality of life, especially at this event, said Podein, referring to the A-T patients and their families. We want the kids to have their time in the sun. Thats what this event is all about. Podeins charity foundation has raised $1.2 million through the years, money that goes to research and helping improve the lives of A-T patients. Mondays event included a golf tournament and live and silent auctions. Kayla Neys, executive director of Team 25 Childrens Foundation, said people come from across the country to attend the event. This year, families came from as far as Montana and Washington, D.C. One item … Continue reading →

Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A -- a compound bearing similarities to the hormone estrogen, which is found in a lot of plastics -- meant lasting genetic changes for female mice when they reached puberty, according to new research that reinforces concerns about the link between BPA and female reproductive disorders. Yale University School of Medicine researchers presented the data Tuesday at a meeting of The Endocrine Society in Houston, Texas. The research has not yet appeared in a peer-reviewed journal. Before the mice reached puberty, the Yale team didn't see much difference in the gene expression patterns of BPA-exposed mice and control mice. But after the mice reached puberty, BPA-exposed mice showed alterations in how much of a gene's product was produced for 365 separate genes. In 208 of those genes, the researchers saw unusual patterns of DNA methylation - a chemical process that regulates how the gene is expressed. Of those 208 genes, at least 14 are known to play roles in the mouse's response to estrogen. Other studies have linked BPA's estrogen-like characteristic to breast cancer and other disorders with roots in abnormal sensitivity to estrogen, according to the researchers. Follow us Many major manufacturers have already stopped … Continue reading →

The Sugar Land company involved in Gov. Rick Perry's unlicensed adult stem-cell procedure is rife with basic manufacturing problems, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In a report one expert called a blow to the entire adult stem-cell industry, the FDA found that Celltex Therapeutics Corp. cannot guarantee the sterility, uniformity and integrity of stem cells it takes from people and then stores and grows for therapeutic reinjection. You have not performed a validation of your banking and thawing process to assure viability of the stem cells, reads the April 27 report, meaning that the company cannot verify the cells are alive. The FDA report, which followed an April inspection of Celltex, was released under the Freedom of Information Act on Monday to the Houston Chronicle and a University of Minnesota bioethicist who complained that Celltex is a potential danger to patients and not in compliance with federal law. The report, partially redacted, was not accompanied by a warning letter. A former FDA official who asked not to be identified, said the deficiencies 79 in all, from incorrectly labeled products to failed sterility tests are so serious that Celltex risks being shut down if it does not remedy … Continue reading →

Public release date: 26-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: David Eve celltransplantation@gmail.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair Putnam Valley, NY. (June 26 , 2012) Researchers in Japan who evaluated the risks and efficacy of transplanting two varieties of stem cells into mouse cochlea have concluded that both adult-derived induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells demonstrate similar survival and neural differentiation capabilities. However, there is a risk of tumor growth associated with transplanting iPS cells into mouse cochleae. Given the potential for tumorigenesis, they concluded that the source of iPS cells is a critical issue for iPS cell-based therapy. Their study is published in a recent issue of Cell Transplantation (21:4), now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/, "Hearing loss affects millions of people worldwide," said Dr. Takayuki Nakagawa of the Department of Otolaryngology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan. "Recent studies have indicated the potential of stem-cell based approaches for the regeneration of hair cells and associated auditory primary neurons. These structures are essential for hearing and defects result in profound hearing loss and deafness." The authors noted that embryonic stem cells have previously been identified as promising … Continue reading →

The Sugar Land company involved in Gov. Rick Perry's unlicensed adult stem-cell procedure is rife with basic manufacturing problems, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In a report one expert called a blow to the entire adult stem-cell industry, the FDA found that Celltex Therapeutics Corp. cannot guarantee the sterility, uniformity and integrity of stem cells it takes from people and then stores and grows for eventual therapeutic reinjection. "You have not performed a validation of your banking and thawing process to assure viability" of the stem cells, reads the April 27 report, meaning that the company cannot verify the cells are alive. The FDA report, which followed an April 16-27 inspection of Celltex, was released under the Freedom of Information Act Monday to the Houston Chronicle and a University of Minnesota bioethicist who complained in February that Celltex is a potential danger to patients and not in compliance with federal law. The report, partially redacted, was not accompanied by a warning letter. A former FDA official who asked not to be identified, however, said the deficiencies - 79 in all, from incorrectly labeled products to failed sterility tests - are so serious that Celltex risks being shut … Continue reading →