Transmission electron microscopy shows clusters of quantum dots. In application, each cluster is encased in a single capsule with an average size near 50 nanometers. Credit: University at Buffalo A pioneering study to gauge the toxicity of quantum dots in primates has found the tiny crystals to be safe over a one-year period, a hopeful outcome for doctors and scientists seeking new ways to battle diseases like cancer through nanomedicine. The research, which will appear on May 20 in Nature Nanotechnology online, is likely the first to test the safety of quantum dots in primates. In the study, scientists found that four rhesus monkeys injected with cadmium-selenide quantum dots remained in normal health over 90 days. Blood and biochemical markers stayed in typical ranges, and major organs developed no abnormalities. The animals didn't lose weight. Two monkeys observed for an additional year also showed no signs of illness. Quantum dots are tiny luminescent crystals that glow brightly in different colors. Medical researchers are eyeing the crystals for use in image-guided surgery, light-activated therapies and sensitive diagnostic tests. Cadmium selenide quantum dots are among the most studied, with potential applications not only in medicine, but as components of solar cells, quantum … Continue reading →

Tim and Padma Vellaichamy of Parramatta have had their new born child's umbilical cord stored cryogenically for future treatment. Pictured with their as yet unnamed three week old daughter. Picture: Adam Ward Source: The Daily Telegraph IT'S current preservation for future regeneration - and now umbilical cord tissue is going on ice in Australia for the first time. Usually discarded after birth, umbilical tissue from newborn babies is being collected and cryogenically frozen to be used one day for regenerative and stem cell medicine. And it doesn't just have potential for the babies involved, either. Experts say stem cells could also be used for family members who are genetically compatible. It is hoped the cells will eventually be able to be used to repair damaged tissues and organs, with researchers investigating its uses for treating diseases like multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and diabetes, as well as for bone and cartilage repair. Although cord blood storage has been available for many years, Cell Care Australia has added cord tissue storage in anticipation of new discoveries in the regenerative medicine field. Cell Care Australia medical director associate professor Mark Kirkland said the storage process - already popular in the US, Europe and … Continue reading →

Tim and Padma Vellaichamy of Parramatta have had their new born child's umbilical cord stored cryogenically for future treatment. Pictured with their as yet unnamed three week old daughter. Picture: Adam Ward Source: The Daily Telegraph IT'S current preservation for the future regeneration - and now umbilical cord tissue is going on ice in Australia for the first time. Usually discarded after birth, umbilical tissue from newborn babies is being collected and cryogenically frozen to be used one day for regenerative and stem cell medicine. And it doesn't just have potential for the babies involved, either. Experts say stem cells could also be used for family members who are genetically compatible. It is hoped the cells will eventually be able to be used to repair damaged tissues and organs, with researchers investigating its uses for treating diseases like multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and diabetes, as well as for bone and cartilage repair. Although cord blood storage has been available for many years, Cell Care Australia has added cord tissue storage in anticipation of new discoveries in the regenerative medicine field. Cell Care Australia medical director associate professor Mark Kirkland said the storage process - already popular in the US, Europe … Continue reading →

Indian clinic's stem cell therapy real? STORY HIGHLIGHTS For more of CNN correspondent Drew Griffin's investigation of India's experimental embryonic stem cell therapy, watch "CNN Presents: Selling a Miracle," at 8 and 11 p.m. ET Sunday on CNN. New Delhi (CNN) -- Cash Burnaman, a 6-year-old South Carolina boy, has traveled with his parents to India seeking treatment for a rare genetic condition that has left him developmentally disabled. You might think this was a hopeful mission until you learn that an overwhelming number of medical experts insist the treatment will have zero effect. Cash is mute. He walks with the aid of braces. To battle his incurable condition, which is so rare it doesn't have a name, Cash has had to take an artificial growth hormone for most of his life. His divorced parents, Josh Burnaman and Stephanie Krolick, are so driven by their hope and desperation to help Cash they've journeyed to the other side of the globe and paid tens of thousands of dollars to have Cash undergo experimental injections of human embryonic stem cells. The family is among a growing number of Americans seeking the treatment in India -- some at a clinic in the heart … Continue reading →

Editor's Choice Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health Also Included In: Stem Cell Research Article Date: 20 May 2012 - 11:00 PDT Current ratings for: 'World's First Stem Cell Drug From Osiris : Approved!' 5 (1 votes) The decision is a historic one, as it's both the first stem cell drug going into formal use, as well as the first treatment for GvHD. The disease is a devastating breakdown occurring after a bone marrow transplant and kills around 80% of children affected, often within a matter of weeks. Andrew Daly, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Medicine and Oncology at the University of Calgary, Canada and Principal Investigator in the phase 3 clinical program for Prochymal confirmed : The approval process for Prochymal was implemented under Health Canada's Notice of Compliance with conditions (NOC/c) pathway. The basis of the procedure allows a new drug to come onto the market where there are unmet medical needs. The approval is granted with the provision that the drug has demonstrated risk / reward benefits in previous clinical trials and that the manufacturer agrees to undertake additional confirmatory clinical testing. C. Randal Mills, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Osiris confirmed his' companies … Continue reading →