Within each cell, mitochondria are constantly splitting in two, a process called fission, and merging back into one, called fusion. Before a cell can divide, the mitochondria must increase their numbers through fission and separate into two piles, one for each cell. By reversing an imbalance of the signals that regulate fusion and fission in rapidly dividing cancer cells, researchers were able to dramatically reduce cell division, thus preventing the rapid cell proliferation that is a hallmark of cancer growth. Increasing production of the signal that promotes mitochondrial fusion caused tumors to shrink to one-third of their original size. Treatment with a molecule that inhibits fission reduced tumor size by more than half. "We found that human lung cancer cell lines have an imbalance of signals that tilts them towards mitochondrial fission," said Stephen L. Archer, MD, the Harold Hines Jr. Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago Medicine and senior author of the study. "By boosting the fusion signal or blocking the fission signal we were able to tip the balance the other way, reducing cancer cell growth and increasing cell death. We believe this provides a promising new approach to cancer treatment." "This could be a potential … Continue reading →

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Celling Biosciences announces a sponsorship of the 7th Annual Stem Cell Summit being held on February 21st at Bridgewaters New York in New York City. The Stem Cell Summit is consistently the premiere venue for the world's leaders in regenerative medicine to network and promote next generation technologies and cell therapies. The meeting will feature more than 30 thought leaders in stem cell therapy including Dr. Kenneth Pettine of the Orthopedic Stem Cell Institute in Loveland, Colorado.  Dr. Pettine has teamed up with Celling Biosciences' SpineSmith Division to present "Adult Stem Cell Therapy for Orthopedic and Spine Conditions Resulting from Injury or Aging."  Dr. Pettine has become an innovator in the regenerative cell therapy market and believes "regenerative therapies will become the next standard of care in treating many orthopedic conditions."  Following the Stem Cell Summit, Dr. Pettine will be presenting a discussion on regenerative therapies to the trainers and medical staff attending this year's NFL combine.  The NFL has recently gained attention from Peyton Manning going oversees to receive a cell therapy treatment for his cervical spine condition.  Dr. Pettine envisions a day when these professional athletes stop going to foreign countries to … Continue reading →

ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwire -02/21/12)- VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC.BB: VSTA.OB - News) (OTCQB: VSTA.OB - News), a biotechnology company applying stem cell technology for drug rescue and cell therapy, has retained MissionIR, a national investor relations consulting firm, to develop and implement a strategic investor relations campaign. Through a network of investor-oriented online websites and full suite of investor awareness services, MissionIR broadens the influence of publicly traded companies and enhances their ability to attract growth capital and improve shareholder value. "VistaGen's work with human stem cell technology is groundbreaking," said Sherri Snyder, Director of Marketing at MissionIR. "The company's versatile platform, Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube™, provides clinically relevant predictions of potential heart toxicity of new drug candidates long before they are ever tested on humans. Guided by a management team with decades of experience, VistaGen's stem cell technology can potentially save billions of dollars in the healthcare industry while recapturing prior R&D investment in once-promising new drug candidates." "We are pleased to bring MissionIR on board as our external investor relations partner," said Shawn Singh, VistaGen's Chief Executive Officer. "The crucial work our company is doing can fundamentally change the way medicine is developed. Paired with MissionIR's global … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 21, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pathfinder Cell Therapy, Inc. ("Pathfinder," or "the Company") (OTCQB:PFND.PK - News), a biotechnology company focused on the treatment of diabetes and other diseases characterized by organ-specific cell damage, today presented preliminary data highlighting the potential of the Company's unique cell-based therapy for treating diabetes at the 7th Annual New York Stem Cell Summit. Richard L. Franklin, M.D., Ph.D., Founder, CEO and President of Pathfinder, provided an overview of the Company's Pathfinder Cell ("PC") technology, and presented preclinical evidence demonstrating how treatment with PCs was able to reverse the symptoms of diabetes in two different mouse models. Pathfinder Cells are a newly identified non-stem cell mammalian cell type that has the ability to stimulate regeneration of damaged tissue without being incorporated into the new tissue. In today's presentation, Dr. Franklin showed how recent experiments performed using a non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse strain were supportive of earlier data that demonstrated complete reversal of diabetes in mice. The earlier results, which used a drug-induced diabetic mouse model, were published in Rejuvenation Research1. Though preliminary, the recent results are encouraging because the NOD mouse model is widely used and highly regarded as being predictive of human … Continue reading →