FARMINGTON, Conn., May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Global Information Inc. is pleased to announce two significant new reports Opportunities in Human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC) ProductsHuman embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, the stage reached 4 to 5 days after fertilization. They are the most pluripotent of all stem cell types, able to develop into any of over 200 different cell types in the human body, rending them tremendously useful for their therapeutic potential. However, human embryonic stem cell research is heavily encumbered by patents held by the University of Wisconsin's Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), which creates significant challenges for guidance for companies seeking to develop new products. BioInformant's new Opportunities in Human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC) Products market research report explores the complex IP landscape affecting development of human embryonic stem cell products, providing clear guidance for companies entering or already within the market. Over the past 15 years, WARF has been the major "gatekeeper" in determining which research product companies are able to conduct research, create commercial products, and develop novel therapies using hESCs. To date, WARF has entered into licensing agreements with only 27 commercial partners … Continue reading →

LEUVEN, BELGIUM--(Marketwire -05/08/12)- TiGenix (TIG), a leader in the field of cell therapy, announced today that during the months of May and June the company will present at a number of key events in Europe and the U.S. geared at investor, industry, and academic audiences to highlight the commercial potential of ChondroCelect, the only approved cell therapy in Europe, and of the company's innovative proprietary allogeneic stem cell platform with programs in Phase I, II, and III for a range of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. May 15-16 BioEquity, Marriott Hotel, Frankfurt, Germany Presenter: Eduardo Bravo, CEO Date & time: Tuesday, May 15, 16:00-16:25 Room: Level 1, Room Gold 1 May 21-23 World Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Congress, Victoria Park Plaza, London, UK Presenter: Eduardo Bravo, CEO Date & time: Monday, May 21, 15:25 -15:50 Title: Cell Therapy & Regenerative Medicine - Progressing into phase III with an orphan indication May 24 Knowledge for Growth, ICC Ghent, Belgium Presenter: Eduardo Bravo, CEO Time: 11:30 Keynote speech - Advanced therapies: this time it is for real June 5-8 18th International Stem Cell Therapy Sociey Annual Meeting, Sheraton Seattle, WA, U.S. Presenter: Eduardo Bravo, CEO Date & time: June 7, 13:45-15:15 Title: … Continue reading →

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Almost halfway through a $600 million state program supporting stem cell research, eight medical schools around New York are reporting progress on projects such as replicating liver cells and eradicating leukemia cells. A new report from Associated Medical Schools of New York updates work at the institutions where hundreds of researchers are starting to unravel causes and potential treatments for conditions ranging from autism to heart disease and cancer. Stem cells are self-renewing and have the ability to develop into other types of cells. The Mount Sinai School of Medicine reported finding a method to transform human skin cells into stem cells and turned differentiated human stem cells into heart cells. Those findings are expected to result in better understanding of how heart disease develops and allow initial testing of new treatments on stem cells before they are used on human subjects. Dr. Ihor Lemischka, director of the Black Family Stem Cell Institute at Mount Sinai, said recreating heart cells in a dish from a patient with LEOPARD Syndrome, a disease caused by a genetic mutation, has opened ongoing avenues for researching the disease and screening potential drugs. "It was a major achievement," Lemischka said. The … Continue reading →

LEBANON Retired Dartmouth College professor Roger Smith said he had nothing to lose by joining a stem cell therapy clinical trial. In fact, if he didn't join, he did have something to lose possibly his leg. In the end it appears the experiment saved his leg. And Smith, who'd already lost two toes to amputation, said he's proud to have played a part in a study that could dramatically improve the outcome for many other patients facing lower-limb amputations resulting from diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, genetic predisposition and other causes. The three-year study that ended last year was led by vascular surgeons at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, who believe the treatment may offer new hope to sufferers of peripheral artery disease, a condition that causes nearly 60,000 lower-limb amputations every year. Dr. Richard J. Powell, chief of vascular surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, was the lead investigator of the second-phase national study, which included 72 patients from 20 different sites across the United States. It's a winner, Powell said. For me, it was dramatic, because there has been nothing that has been shown to work. The results of the third-stage trial are to be presented to the Food and Drug Administration … Continue reading →

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Neuralstem, Inc. (CUR) announced that the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the return of three patients from earlier cohorts in its ongoing Phase I safety trial to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) with its spinal cord stem cells (HSSC's). These patients will be permitted to return to the trial for second treatments as the next cohort of patients, provided they meet inclusion requirements at the scheduled time. They will be the first to receive stem cell transplantation along the length of the spinal cord. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061221/DCTH007LOGO ) The first twelve patients in the trial, which is taking place at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, received stem cell transplants in the lumbar (lower back) region of the spinal cord only. Thelast cohort of three, completed in April, received transplants in the cervical (upper back) region of the spinal cord, where stem cell transplantation could help support breathing, a key function that is lost as ALS progresses. The next cohort of three patients is designed to receive 10 HSSC injections in the lumbar region and 5 in the cervical, for a total of 15 injections along the length of the … Continue reading →