23.04.2012 - (idw) Stiftung Tierrztliche Hochschule Hannover Hannover Veterinary University Scientists sequenced the complete motilin gene in German Holstein cows Left-sided displacement of the abomasum (LDA) is an economically important disease in Holstein dairy cattle populations all over the world. The bovine abomasum is the equivalent to the stomach in monogastric species and its pathologic displacement is usually preceded by bloating due to reduced gastrointestinal contractions. Over the past 50 years, the incidence of LDA has considerably increased. Despite surgical veterinary treatments, LDA affected cows show a long convalescence. Scientists of the Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation in cooperation with the clinic for cattle of Hannover and the Clinic for Ruminants and Swine, Faculty for Veterinary Medicine at the Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, sequenced the complete motilin gene in German Holstein cows. They identified a single nucleotide polymorphism showing significant association with LDA and affecting a transcription factor binding site. An expression study gave evidence of a significantly decreased motilin expression in cows carrying the mutant allele. The study indicates motilin to be involved in the etiopathogenesis of LDA in German Holstein cattle. It provides a first step towards the understanding of the … Continue reading →

MOBILE, Alabama -- At the end of this past season with the Oakland Raiders, an aching Rolando McClain gave an assignment to his agent: Find out more about stem cell therapies for injuries, like other athletes are trying. Ive been having two seasons of nagging pain in my knee, the former University of Alabama standout said. Not long afterward, McClain was on his way to Gulf Shores. There, radiologist Jason R. Williams performed liposuction on McClain and then injected stem cells from the linebackers own fat cells into his knee and into the area of a high ankle sprain. It feels a lot better, McClain said in an interview last week, adding that hes working out four days a week with the Raiders, running, lifting weights, doing squats and even sprinting with hardly any pain at all. About three months ago, Williams, 38, began the new procedure in which he injects patients -- two of them being McClain and former University of Alabama receiver Marquis Maze -- with their own stem cells in an effort to repair damaged joints and muscles. This is going to be the future of medicine, said Williams, who owns Precision StemCell, which includes a diagnostic … Continue reading →

Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative Pursues Cutting-Edge Stem Cell Research and Therapies Newswise NEW YORK (April 23, 2012) -- The Starr Foundation is continuing its historic commitment to stem cell research with a $50 million gift in support of the Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative (Tri-SCI), which was established through a generous grant from the Foundation in 2005. The new gift, awarded to the original Tri-SCI members -- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medical College, all in New York City -- will support and enhance collaborative, pioneering stem cell research at the three adjacent Manhattan campuses. With support from The Starr Foundation, Tri-SCI laboratories are investigating the properties of embryonic stem cells, which have the potential to differentiate into any cell type in the body, and adult stem cells, which are found in various tissues and can give rise to specific cell types. These studies are opening new avenues for understanding a range of health conditions, including developmental disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. The knowledge gained through this research is also laying the groundwork for the design of regenerative therapies to replenish tissues lost to illness or injury. Under the Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative, investigators work across … Continue reading →

ZUTPHEN, the Netherlands, April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In line with its continuous efforts to improve internal stem cell procedures, Cryo-Save proudly announces the appointment of the highly knowledgeable stem cell expert Dr. Marcin Jurga. Dr. Jurga will supervise new process validation at the Cryo-Save labs and study new processing techniques for umbilical cord blood, cord tissue and fat tissue, to ensure quality and use of the highest technology available on the market. Marcin Jurga is specialized in adult stem cells biology, neuroscience and tissue engineering. His field of interest focuses on developing new methods for adult stem cell applications in in-vitro toxicology and regenerative medicine. Part of his validation study and internal research at Cryo-Save includes studies on fresh and frozen cells isolated from fat tissue and cord tissue, to explain the quality of these and their ability for extensive growth in vitro and multilineage differentiation. "Cryo-Save is truly committed to the advancement of stem cell therapy. Storing stem cells is utterly important and our core business, but we are also committed to increasing the potential use of these stem cells and building the tools needed to tackle un-met medical needs with stem cells", said Arnoud Van Tulder, CEO … Continue reading →

Oakland Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain turned to stem-cell therapy to deal with the aches and pains that come with being a professional football player, the Mobile Press-Register reported Sunday. Reuter: Impact LB prospects According to the newspaper, McClain, who missed only one game last season but was hampered by knee pain and an ankle injury, had stem cells taken from his own fat and injected into his knee and leg. McClain credits the procedure for helping him do what he needs to do to prepare for the 2012 season. "It feels a lot better," McClain told the newspaper, adding he has been able to work out "with hardly any pain at all." Jason R. Williams, the radiologist who performed the procedure in Alabama, called the experimental therapy "the future of medicine." However, the newspaper also reported that the FDA has warned consumers about the possible pitfalls of stem-cell treatments. "There is a potential safety risk when you put cells in an area where they are not performing the same biological function as they were when in their original location in the body," said Stephanie Simek, deputy director of the FDA's Office of Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies, in a statement. … Continue reading →

ZUTPHEN, the Netherlands, April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In line with its continuous efforts to improve internal stem cell procedures, Cryo-Save proudly announces the appointment of the highly knowledgeable stem cell expert Dr. Marcin Jurga. Dr. Jurga will supervise new process validation at the Cryo-Save labs and study new processing techniques for umbilical cord blood, cord tissue and fat tissue, to ensure quality and use of the highest technology available on the market. Marcin Jurga is specialized in adult stem cells biology, neuroscience and tissue engineering. His field of interest focuses on developing new methods for adult stem cell applications in in-vitro toxicology and regenerative medicine. Part of his validation study and internal research at Cryo-Save includes studies on fresh and frozen cells isolated from fat tissue and cord tissue, to explain the quality of these and their ability for extensive growth in vitro and multilineage differentiation. "Cryo-Save is truly committed to the advancement of stem cell therapy. Storing stem cells is utterly important and our core business, but we are also committed to increasing the potential use of these stem cells and building the tools needed to tackle un-met medical needs with stem cells", said Arnoud Van Tulder, CEO … Continue reading →