SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire -03/05/12)- VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC.BB: VSTA.OB - News) (OTCQB: VSTA.OB - News), a biotechnology company applying stem cell technology for drug rescue, and Duke University, one of the country's premier academic research institutions, have entered into a strategic research collaboration aimed at combining their complementary expertise at the forefront of cardiac stem cell technology, electrophysiology and tissue engineering. The initial goal of the collaboration is to explore potential development of novel, engineered, stem cell-derived cardiac tissues to expand the scope of VistaGen's drug rescue capabilities focused on heart toxicity. The research will be led at Duke, by Dr. Nenad Bursac, Associate Professor in the Departments of Cardiology and Biomedical Engineering, and at VistaGen, by Dr. Ralph Snodgrass, President and Chief Scientific Officer. "We are pleased to be collaborating with Dr. Bursac and his team at Duke," said Dr. Snodgrass. "Our human stem cell-derived heart cells combined with Dr. Bursac's cutting-edge technology relating to cardiac electrophysiology and cardiac tissue engineering will permit us to use micro-patterned cardiac tissue to significantly expand the approaches we use in our Drug Rescue Programs to quantify drug effects on functional human cardiac tissue -- in effect, synthetic human heart muscle." Dr. … Continue reading →

SILVER SPRING, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB:NVLX), an emerging biotechnology provider of cell and gene therapy solutions, released information today about the companys cell encapsulation technology and the breakthrough in stem cell research which overcomes specific fundamental challenges faced in stem cell therapyhost rejection and migration of implanted cells away from the target site. Stem cell therapy is believed by many medical researchers as holding a key to treating cancer, Type 1 diabetes mellitus, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Celiac Disease, cardiac failure, muscle damage, neurological disorders, and other chronic, debilitating diseases. There are presently >1,400 registered trials using stem cells that are recruiting patients (ClinicalTrials.gov). The encapsulation technology being advanced allows live stem cells to be implanted into robust, flexible and permeable capsules where they can replicate inside the capsules at the target site free from attack by the bodys immune system and free to undergo natural changes to become the appropriate cell type needed. The Goldman Small Cap Research report, issued February 29, 2012, noted some inherent difficulties encountered in stem cell treatments, such as keeping stem cells alive for significant periods of time, potential rejection of the cells and subsequent destruction by the recipients immune system, and the … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -03/05/12)- February was a challenging month for stem cell stocks. TickerSpy's Stem Cell Stocks Index (RXSTM) has slipped nearly 13 percent over the last month -- underperforming the S&P 500 by close to 17 percent over that time frame. Despite the drop in investor optimism, new and promising research continues to propel the industry forward. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Biotechnology industry and provides equity research on BioTime, Inc. (AMEX: BTX - News) and Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTM - News). Access to the full company reports can be found at: http://www.fivestarequities.com/BTX http://www.fivestarequities.com/ASTM A new study at Johns Hopkins University has shown that stem cells from patients' own cardiac tissue can be used to heal scarred tissue after a heart attack. "This has never been accomplished before, despite a decade of cell therapy trials for patients with heart attacks. Now we have done it," Eduardo Marban, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and one of the study's co-authors, said in a statement. "The effects are substantial." In another study, researchers led by Jonathan Tilly, director of the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital, argue they've discovered the ovaries of … Continue reading →

NICHOLASVILLE A partnership with a larger distribution company means that MediVet America will bring more jobs to Jessamine County. MediVet, headquartered in Nicholasville, is a two-year-old company that makes stem-cell kits for the treatment of animals. Late last month, MediVet announced its partnership with Butler Schein Animal Health to sell and distribute stem-cell kits to veterinarians around the world. That means a bigger sales force pitching MediVet's products and that, in turn, means the company will hire more people and bring manufacturing to Jessamine County, said MediVet CEO Jeremy Delk. The company's products are now manufactured in Australia. MediVet employs 12 full-time people in Nicholasville, and Delk anticipates that Jessamine County will gain five to seven sales jobs and 10 to 20 manufacturing jobs in the "next three to six months." Butler Schein, headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, sells all kinds of equipment and supplies to veterinarians, and has nearly 400 sales representatives. That sales force means "more feet on the ground" to tout MediVet's products and services to veterinarians, Delk said. Stem cells are simple cells in the body that can develop into any one of various kinds of cells, such as blood cells, skin cells, etc. They can regenerate … Continue reading →