What: Honors Forum on Faith and Intellect; topic is bioethics When: Noon to 1 p.m. today Where: Hardin-Simmons University, in the multipurpose room of the Johnson Building. Keynote speaker: Dr. Peter Dysert II, chief of pathology, Baylor University Medical Center Topic: "Precision Medicine: A Technology-driven Revolution" Registration fees: $20 for conference and all meals ($10 for HSU employees and students); $5 each for keynote address and meal; no charge for presentations only. Photo by Joy Lewis Joy Lewis/Reporter-News Dr. James Denison, director of the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, talks with guests before his keynote address, "Precision Medicine: Ethical Imperatives and Challenges" at Hardin-Simmons University on Thursday. The day may come when some diseases are greatly diminished or even eliminated through genetic testing before people are even conceived that's the good news. But what if that same testing can predict a child's future capabilities when conception occurs? Will that knowledge affect a couple's decision to have a child or even to marry? Excerpt from: Ethics questions posed by 'precision medicine' are weighty, speaker tells HSU forum … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dublin - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/2fee68d4/progenitor_and_ste) has announced the addition of Woodhead Publishing Ltd's new book "Progenitor and Stem Cell Technologies and Therapies" to their offering. Progenitor and stem cells have the ability to renew themselves and change into a variety of specialised types, making them ideal materials for therapy and regenerative medicine. "Progenitor and stem cell technologies and therapies" reviews the range of progenitor and stem cells available and their therapeutic application. Part one reviews basic principles for the culture of stem cells before discussing technologies for particular cell types. These include human embryonic, induced pluripotent, amniotic and placental, cord and multipotent stem cells. Part two discusses wider issues such as intellectual property, regulation and commercialisation of stem cell technologies and therapies. The final part of the book considers the therapeutic use of stem and progenitor cells. Chapters review the use of adipose tissue-derived stem cells, umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cells, bone marrow, auditory and oral cavity stem cells. Other chapters cover the use of stem cells in therapies in various clinical areas, including lung, cartilage, urologic, nerve and cardiac repair. With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, "Progenitor and stem cell technologies and … Continue reading →

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ)One of the last search and rescue dogs from 9/11 lives here in Maryland. She was suffering from a painful condition until her owner took action with breakthrough technology. Mary Bubala has the story. Red is a search and rescue dog from Annapolis, but has traveled across the country. Her missions include Hurricane Katrina, the La Plata tornadoes and the Pentagon after 9/11. They credit them with finding 70 percent of the human remains so that helped a whole lot of those families actually get closure, said Heather Roche, Reds owner. Sept. 11 was Reds first search. Today shes one of the last 9/11 search and rescue dogs still alive. She retired last summer due to severe arthritis. It would be nice if her arthritis, if she felt better, that she could do those kinds of things that she misses, Reds owner said while fighting back tears. Alright I am going to cry. Roche did some research and found an animal hospital in northern Virginia that uses breakthrough stem cell therapy to treat arthritis in dogs. The Burke Animal Clinic is one of just a few across the country that use stem cell therapy. The vet harvests 1 … Continue reading →

POWAY, CA--(Marketwire -03/22/12)- Vet-Stem announced today the introduction of StemInsure. The StemInsure service provides banked stem cells that can be grown to supply a lifetime of stem cell therapy for dogs. One fat collection, in conjunction with another anesthetized procedure, gives access to a lifetime of stem cells. Vet-Stem has trained over 3,500 veterinarians, provided stem cells for over 8,000 animals in the US and Canada and currently banks more than 25,000 doses for future therapeutic use. Many veterinarians and their clients have requested a method to collect and store stem cells when a dog is young, before it needs the regenerative cells for therapy. StemInsure was designed to meet this need. A Vet-Stem credentialed veterinarian can collect as little as 5 grams of fat (about the size of a grape) from a dog or puppy during an anesthetized procedure. Many veterinarians and owners are electing to do this fat collection in conjunction with a spay or neuter. This small amount of fat is processed and stem cells are cryopreserved in Vet-Stem's state-of-the-art facility. The cells can be cultured in the future to provide enough stem cells to last for the lifetime of the dog. More information can be found … Continue reading →

Written by Nannette Miranda, ABC7 SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, CIRM, is about to enter a crucial stage in stem cell research: going to clinical trials. The most promising experiments could cure: diabetes, HIV, sickle cell and blindness in the elderly. "You don't really get to find out whether the potential of the treatment is really going to be effective until you start with patients, the human subjects," CIRM's Alan Trounson said. CIRM's board is discussing how much to allocate for that trial phase. Through voter-approved bonds under Proposition 71, it has already given out or spent half of the $3 billion, but despite the medical promise, there's little to show for it beyond basic research and several high-tech labs. But the agency said the breakthroughs will come over the next few years, way ahead of the rest of the world. "This would all be happening in California, all driven by this Proposition 71 money," Trounson said. The bond money is expected to last only several more years. One option is to ask voters to approve more bonds, something taxpayer groups oppose. Original post: California institute fights to continue stem cell research … Continue reading →

SACRAMENTO (KABC) -- Eight years ago voters agreed to fund California's stem cell agency, hoping it would yield new treatments for various conditions. Now the agency is running out of funds and any practical cures are still years away. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is about to enter a crucial stage in stem cell research: going to clinical trials. The most promising experiments could cure diabetes, HIV, sickle-cell anemia and blindness in the elderly. "You don't really get to find out whether the potential of the treatment is really going to be effective until you start to treat the patients," said Alan Trounson, president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. CIRM's board is discussing how much to allocate for that trial phase. Through voter-approved bonds under Proposition 71 (The California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act), it has already given out or spent half of the $3 billion, but despite the medical promise, there's little to show for it beyond basic research and several high-tech laboratories. But the agency says the breakthroughs will come over the next few years, way ahead of the rest of the world. "This would all be happening in California, all driven by … Continue reading →