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St. Michael's receives $700,000 FedDev grant to study how to prevent brain injury complications

Posted: Published on June 15th, 2012

Public release date: 15-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Leslie Shepherd shepherdl@smh.ca 416-864-6094 St. Michael's Hospital TORONTO, June 15, 2012St. Michael's Hospital has been awarded up to $700,000 from the Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario to investigate new treatments to prevent complications following certain brain injuries. The funding, to be administered by the Ontario Brain Institute, is part of an $11 million package announced by the federal government to help accelerate the commercialization of neurotechnologies. The FedDev funds will be matched by Edge Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company based in New Jersey. Edge and St. Michael's are exploring new ways of delivering nimodipine, an oral drug that has shown good results in preventing vasospasm, a major complication of aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage (bleeding in the area between the brain and the thin tissue that covers the brain). For two weeks following a subarachnoid hemorrhage, patients are susceptible to cerebral vasospasm, which limits blood flow to the brain and can cause ischemic strokes and additional tissue damage. Nimodipine inhibits calcium ion transfer into smooth muscle, thus preventing contraction of smooth vascular muscle in the brain. Subarachnoid hemorrhage affects 10 in 100,000 people in North America each year, or … Continue reading →

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Unveilling stem cells

Posted: Published on June 15th, 2012

Unveilling stem cells LAWRENCE SERETSE Correspondent Cryo-Save, the European company that intends to establish the first stem cell bank in Botswana says stem cells do not have just one function. They can themselves become or create other types of cells such as blood cells, brain cells, tissue cells, muscle cells and the like. Stem cells can be found in every person but they are much more numerous in the body of a foetus. There are three types of stem cell banking namely, the baby stem cell banking which is the preservation and storage of cord blood and umbilical cord tissue. Adult stem cell banking is the preservation and storage of peripheral blood (from blood stream for bone marrow transplants) and fatty tissue stem cells. The reproductive cell banking deals with the preservation and storage of eggs and sperm for future fertility treatments or artificial insemination purposes. Studying stem cells helped humans understand how they transform into the dazzling array of specialised cells that make us what we are. Some of the most serious medical conditions, such as cancer and birth defects, are caused by problems that occur somewhere in this process. A better understanding of normal cell development has allowed … Continue reading →

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Researchers urge EU not to cut stem cell funding

Posted: Published on June 15th, 2012

* European Parliament debating funding for 2014 to 2020 * Scientists fear cuts to embryonic stem cell research * Experts say cutting funds would hold back entire field LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) - Leading scientists, biomedical research bodies and patient groups urged the European Parliament on Friday to maintain vital European Union funding for studies using embryonic stem cells. Hailing the field as "one of the most exciting and promising" in modern biomedical research, the group said they feared research grants currently under review may be under threat from pro-life European parliamentarians who say public funds should not be spent on embryonic stem cell work. "(EU) Commission funding must be available to continue to support scientists investigating all types of stem cells - including human embryonic stem cells - with potential to make advances in regenerative medicine," they wrote in an open letter released by the Wellcome Trust, a charitable health foundation. The European Parliament is currently debating the future outline of Horizon (Euronext: HOR.NX - news) 2020, the EU's programme for research and innovation which will run from 2014 to 2020. Draft rules provide for stem cell research funding, including embryonic stem cells but some member states have been … Continue reading →

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Six new stem cell lines now publicly available

Posted: Published on June 15th, 2012

ScienceDaily (June 14, 2012) Six new human embryonic stem cell lines derived at the University of Michigan have just been placed on the U.S. National Institutes of Health's registry, making the cells available for federally-funded research. U-M now has a total of eight cell lines on the registry, including five that carry genetic mutations for serious diseases such as the severe bleeding disorder hemophilia B, the fatal brain disorder Huntington's disease and the heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which causes sudden death in athletes and others. Researchers at U-M and around the country can now begin using the stem cell lines to study the origins of these diseases and potential treatments. Two of the cell lines are believed to be the first in the world bearing that particular disease gene. The three U-M stem cell lines now in the registry that do not carry disease genes are also useful for general studies and as comparisons for stem cells with disease genes. In all, there are 163 stem cell lines in the federal registry, most of them without major disease genes. Each of the lines was derived from a cluster of about 30 cells removed from a donated five-day-old embryo roughly … Continue reading →

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Cellerant to Present at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) 10th Annual Meeting in Japan

Posted: Published on June 15th, 2012

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 Cellerants President and CEO, Ram Mandalam, Ph.D., will be presenting at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) 10th Annual Meeting held June 13 16 in Yokohama, Japan. Dr. Mandalam will be co-chairing a session Stem Cells and Cancer and will be giving a presentation, titled Antibodies Targeting Cancer Stem Cells in Hematological Malignancies, on Saturday, June 16 at 1:30 p.m. JST (Japan time). Dr. Mandalam will provide an overview of Cellerants cancer stem cell discovery approach and new data on its therapeutic antibodies demonstrating activity against acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cancer stem cells. Cellerant scientist, Anna Sedello, Ph.D. will also be presenting Poster #1144 titled Ex vivo-Generated Mouse Myeloid Progenitor Cells Mitigate Gastrointestinal Acute Radiation Syndrome when Administered up to 5 Days after Irradiation. These results demonstrate that cryopreserved, allogeneic myeloid progenitor cells from mice prevent death from lethal radiation doses known to cause death through hematopoietic and gastrointestinal injury. These results also show that myeloid progenitor cells are one of the most promising radiation countermeasures among all therapeutics currently under … Continue reading →

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Life Technologies Signs Licensing Agreement with iPS Academia Japan for Global Patent Portfolio Rights to Induced …

Posted: Published on June 15th, 2012

CARLSBAD, Calif., June 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Life Technologies Corporation (LIFE) today announced that it has deepened its commitment to stem cell research and its customers by signing a non-exclusive agreement with iPS Academia Japan for its induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell patent portfolio. The worldwide license will enable Life Technologies, a leading provider of innovative life science solutions, to expand its range of products and services for the iPS cell research community. By leveraging its expertise in stem cell tool manufacturing and its global distribution network, Life Technologies is now positioned to develop and commercialize products designed to create iPS cells and differentiate them into any cell type for use in drug discovery and pre-clinical research. In additional to directly selling iPS cells, the license enables the company to provide iPS cell creation, differentiation and screening services for scientists around the world. "iPS Academia Japan is pleased to grant a non-exclusive license and build a relationship with Life Technologies Corporation. Because iPS cells are gaining greater attention for uses in drug discovery and disease research as well as other areas of biotechnology, distribution of iPS cell products or provision of services is important for gaining momentum in iPS cell research," … Continue reading →

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Unborn genetic tests being perfected at UW for 3K disorders

Posted: Published on June 15th, 2012

by Cathy Marshall kgw.com Posted on June 15, 2012 at 6:01 AM Updated today at 6:09 AM With a blood sample from the mother and a swab of saliva from the father scientists could soon be able to screen unborn babies for more than 3,000 genetic disorders. Currently the only routine test if for Downs Syndrome. This might give peace of mind if they dont find problems. On the other hand what do you do about problems? Can you treat them? Will lit lead to more abortions? said CNN Medical Correspondent Dr. Bruce Hensel. Scientists at the University of Washington were able to map the genetics of a fetus with 99 percent accuracy. The breakthrough can detect genetic mutations like if a child is predisposed to cancer. If you think of a genome as a book and a healthy person has two copies of every chapter. We are trying to pick up the typos and single words on a single page, explained UW researcher Dr. Jay Shendure. Some of the mutations are certain, telling if a child will be born with a disability. Others are less certain, indicating a baby has a greater likelihood of developing a disorder. Link: Unborn … Continue reading →

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Stem cell treatment helps heal stroke victims

Posted: Published on June 15th, 2012

"So it's interesting to see that in all the patients so far they have improved slightly over the course of their involvement in the study." The six patients suffered strokes between six months and five years before they were treated, and all had been left with limb weakness. The patients were assessed using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale which ranked the first five patients with a median score of eight before the treatment and four points three months afterwards. The sixth patient was treated less than three months ago. Six further patients will be treated as part of this Phase 1 trial. Professor Muir said he was "intrigued" by the early results. He added: "We know that if you're involved in a trial you are going to see patients change in behaviour, particularly if you're doing something invasive, so we need to be very cautious indeed in interpreting these results. "However, that said, it is not something we'd anticipated seeing in this group of patients." Further trials are needed to establish whether stem cells actually help the brain repair damaged tissue. Michael Hunt, chief executive officer of the company developing the treatment, ReNeuron, said: "The clinical trial is … Continue reading →

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Orgenesis' Sarah Ferber, Ph.D on Using a Diabetes Patient's Own Liver Cells as a Novel Source of Insulin

Posted: Published on June 15th, 2012

Diabetes currently afflicts approximately 285 million people worldwide, about 6.4 percent of the global population. The World Health Organization projects that this number is set to rise to 366 million by the year 2030. According to the American Diabetes Association, 1.9 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older in 2010, an estimated 7.0 million Americans have undiagnosed diabetes, and another 79 million have pre-diabetes. In addition, approximately 25.8 million children and adults in the United States-8.3% of the population-have diabetes. Several kinds of treatment for diabetes are currently available, but all of them present specific drawbacks to the patient. For example, insulin therapy can trigger everything from weight gain to hypoglycemia, and its administration must be constantly controlled and monitored by the patient. A novel approach to this problem is currently being pursued by a small biotech company named Orgenesis, which initiated its approach by asking the following question: What if a diabetes patient`s own cells-extracted from his or her own mature tissue-could be made to produce insulin, secreting the compound automatically when needed? This particular variety of cell therapy is a form of what has been dubbed "autologous cell replacement." For years, … Continue reading →

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Cellerant Appoints Gisela Schwab, M.D., to Its Board of Directors and Names Lowell Sears as Chairman of the Board

Posted: Published on June 15th, 2012

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 the appointment of Gisela Schwab, M.D. to its Board of Directors and the appointment of Lowell Sears as Chairman of the Board. Richard Rathmann, Cellerants former Chairman of the Board, will remain a director on the Board. Dr. Schwab joins Cellerants Board with more than 20 years of experience in the development of oncology therapeutics. She currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Exelixis. Previously, she held the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Abgenix, Inc., a human antibody-based drug development company. Prior to Abgenix, Dr. Schwab held positions of increasing responsibility at Amgen Inc., most recently as Director of Clinical Research and Hematology/Oncology Therapeutic Area Team Leader. Dr. Schwab also serves as a member of the board of directors of Topotarget A/S, a publicly-held biopharmaceutical company. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Heidelberg, trained at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and the National Cancer Institute and is board certified in internal medicine and hematology and oncology. Dr. Schwab is an accomplished … Continue reading →

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