ScienceDaily (Mar. 19, 2012) Research from a Kansas State University professor may make it easier to recover after spinal cord injury or to study neurological disorders. Mark Weiss, professor of anatomy and physiology, is researching genetic models for spinal cord injury or diseases such as Parkinson's disease. He is developing technology that can advance cellular therapy and regenerative medicine -- a type of research that can greatly improve animal and human health. "We're trying to build tools, trying to build models that will have broad applications," Weiss said. "So if you're interested in neural differentiation or if you're interested in response after an injury, we're trying to come up with cell lines that will teach us, help us to solve a medical mystery." Weiss' research team has perfected a technique to use stem cells to study targeted genetic modifications. They are among a handful of laboratories in the world using these types of models for disease. The research is an important step in the field of functional genomics, which focuses on understanding the functions and roles of these genes in disease. The researchers are creating several tools to study functional genomics. One such tool involves developing new ways to use … Continue reading →

Public release date: 19-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Karen Kreeger karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu 215-349-5658 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine PHILADELPHIA A growing body of evidence underscores the importance of human gut bacteria in modulating human health, metabolism, and disease. Yet bacteria are only part of the story. Viruses that infect those bacteria also shape who we are. Frederic D. Bushman, PhD, professor of Microbiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, led a study published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that sequenced the DNA of viruses -- the virome -- present in the gut of healthy people. Nearly 48 billion bases of DNA, the genetic building blocks, were collected in the stools of 12 individuals. The researchers then assembled the blocks like puzzle pieces to recreate whole virus genomes. Hundreds to thousands of likely distinct viruses were assembled per individual, of which all but one type were bacteriophages viruses that infect bacteria -- which the team expected. The other was a human pathogen, a human papillomavirus found in a single individual. Bacteriophages are responsible for the toxic effects of many bacteria, but their role in the human microbiome … Continue reading →

Dr. Charis Eng For the promise of personalized medicine to be realized, the health industry needs more people who can interpret genetic data and make that data meaningful to patients, according to a prominent Cleveland Clinic geneticist. The ability to tailor treatment to a patients genetic profile plus, the rapidly declining cost of technology to analyze genetic data holds lots of possibilities for improving health, but also brings risks, according to Dr. Charis Eng, chair of Cleveland Clinics Genomic Medicine Institute. For example, data analyzed incorrectly could be dangerous, while data presented badly could create unjustified fears in patients, Eng told MIT Technology Review. Advertisement The people who are very facile at interpreting [information] to the patient are very few and far between, she said. Eng spoke with Technology Review about a recent paper in the journal Cell, in which a Stanford University genetics professor for two-and-a-half years tracked a host of his own personalized health data at the molecular level. This article reminds us that the future is now, Eng said. Eng placed at No. 31 in MedCity News list of the The 50 best Cleveland Clinic doctors. Ever. In 2010, she was elected to the Institutes of Medicine. … Continue reading →

Public release date: 19-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Marla Paul marla-paul@northwestern.edu 312-503-8928 Northwestern University CHICAGO --- A genetic pathway previously known for its role in embryonic development and cancer has been identified as a target for systemic sclerosis, or scleroderma, therapy. The finding, discovered by a cross-disciplinary team led by John Varga, MD, John and Nancy Hughes Distinguished Professor of Rheumatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, was recently published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism. "We showed, for the first time, that the Wnt signaling pathway is abnormally activated in scleroderma patients," said Varga, who is also a physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "This is significant for three reasons. First, it gives a better picture of scleroderma and fibrosis in general. Second, it provides a strategy for assessing disease severity, progression, and activity. And third, it opens a door for the design of treatments that aim to block the Wnt pathway and restore its normal controlled activity." Varga's laboratory collaborated with a pulmonary team at Northwestern, along with teams at Case Western Reserve University and Dartmouth University on the discovery. Researchers studied skin and lung biopsies from scleroderma patients and found that the Wnt pathway … Continue reading →

CLEARWATER, FL--(Marketwire -03/19/12)- Biostem U.S., Corporation (OTCQB: BOSM.PK - News) (Pinksheets: BOSM.PK - News) (Biostem, the Company), a fully reporting public company in the stem cell regenerative medicine sciences sector, announced today the addition of Perinatologist Sanford M. Lederman, MD to its Scientific and Medical Board of Advisors (SAMBA). As Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, Dr. Lederman is consistently recognized by New Yorker Magazine's list of "Top Doctors" in New York. A specialist in high-risk pregnancy issues, Dr. Lederman has authored a number of scientific papers and is a highly regarded public speaker. He adds a very important dimension to the Biostem Scientific and Medical Board of Advisors by bringing specialized knowledge regarding the potential use of stem cell applications for the health of women and children. Biostem President Dwight Brunoehler said, "Dr. Lederman is one of the most highly respected Obstetric and Gynecological physicians in the country. Sandy and I have worked together very actively on stem cell projects for over 18 years, including setting up a cord blood stem cell national donation system where all expectant moms have a chance to donate their baby's cord blood to benefit … Continue reading →

BURKE, Va. (WUSA) -- Red, a black lab from Annapolis, has spent the last ten years as a search and rescue dog. Her missions have included Hurricane Katrina, the La Plata tornadoes, and the Pentagon after 9/11. "The search and rescue dogs at the Pentagon are credited with finding 70% of the human remains," said Heather Roche, Red's owner and handler. "That helped a whole lot of those families actually get closure." At just under two years old, 9/11 was Red's first search. Today, she's one of the last 9/11 search and rescue dogs still alive. She retired last July due to severe arthritis. "The last few months, she would like to be a couch potato but she can't even get on the couch any more," said Roche. "It would be nice if she could do those kinds of things that she misses." Roche brought Red to the Burke Animal Clinic for stem cell regenerative therapy compliments of MediVet America, the company that developed the in-clinic stem cell technology. "This is a small something that we can give back as a way of saying thanks for what you guys have done for us," said Dr. John Herrity at the Burke … Continue reading →

Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Huntingtons Disease Also Included In: Stem Cell Research Article Date: 19 Mar 2012 - 10:00 PDT email to a friend printer friendly opinions Current Article Ratings: 4 (1 votes) 3 (1 votes) However, according to a study published March 15 in the journal Cell Stem Cell, a special type of brain cell created from stem cells could help restore the muscle coordination deficits that are responsible for uncontrollable spasms, a characteristic of the disease. The researchers demonstrated that movement in mice with a Huntington's-like condition could be restored. Su-Chun Zhang, a University of Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientist and the senior author of the study, said: In the study Zhang, who is an expert in creating various types of brain cells from human embryonic or induce pluripotent stem cells, and his team focused on GABA neurons. The degradation of GABA cells causes the breakdown of a vital neural circuit and loss of motor function in individuals suffering from Huntington's disease. According to Zhang, GABA neurons generate a vital neurotransmitter, a chemical that helps support the communication network in the brain that coordinates movement. Zhang and his team at the UW-Madison Waisman Center, discovered how to generate large … Continue reading →

Stem Cell Therapy Helping Heroic Dogs Recover News4's Darcy Spencer explains how a breakthrough treatment is helping search and rescue dogs like Red recover after years of working in disaster zones. A breakthrough treatment is helping area search-and-rescue dogs that played key roles on Sept. 11, 2001, and during other disasters. Red's first assignment as a search, rescue and recovery dog was at the Pentagon following the 9/11 attacks. Years of rescue work and a 12-foot fall from a ladder have taken a toll. Arthritis forced Red into retirement in July and turned her into a couch potato. The 12-year-old black lab received a breakthrough stem cell treatment today that will ease her pain and give her more mobility. Her veterinarian, Dr. John Herrity, of the Burke Animal Clinic, has done more than two dozen of the stem cell operations developed by Medivet America, which also donated the cost of the procedure. The treatment won't bring Red back out of retirement, but it is expected to put spring back in her step within a couple of months. Two other 9/11 search-and-rescued dogs have been treated with stem cell therapy and are back to their normal activities. Link: Hero Dog Receives … Continue reading →