24-09-2010 12:47 "60 Minutes" hidden cameras expose medical con men who prey on dying victims by using pitches that capitalize on the promise of stem cells to cure almost any disease. Scott Pelley reports Visit link: 21st Century Snake Oil, Part 1 - Video … Continue reading →

28-03-2011 15:41 Cell therapies often rely on the delivery of cells, including stem/progenitor cells, gelled together using large quantities of polymer biomaterials to heal tissue or organ defects. This lecture will explore how polymer gels can accommodate the growth of cells, including stem/progenitor cells in the regeneration of tissues and organs. Jeremy Mao, Edward V. Zegarelli Professor of Dental Medicine and Senior Associate Dean for Research in the College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University See the original post: Cells and Gels for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine - Video … Continue reading →

Untreatable conditions can be helped with reprogrammed adult stem cells In just two years, the celebrated adult stem cell researcher Shinya Yamanaka hopes that clinical trials will begin on curing the once-untreatable spinal injuries with the help of “reprogrammed” adult cells or ‘induced pluripotent stem' (iPS) cells. Animal trials have shown promising results of transplanting iPS cells to treat paralytic spinal injury, said Professor Yamanaka, delivering a lecture on “New Era of Medicine with iPS Cells” here on Monday. The lecture was organised as part of the Cell Press-TNQ India Distinguished Lectureship Series. Prof. Yamanaka, who started his career as a physician 25 years ago and “tried to be an orthopaedic surgeon”, said: “I soon realised I was not so good at surgery. I also realised that even a good surgeon can't help many patients suffering from untreatable diseases and injuries.” This inspired him to change his career and get back to studying “basic medicine”. That's where he “met” the iPS cell, which led him to his major scientific breakthrough in 2007 allowing him to “reprogramme” adult human skin cells into embryonic-like stem cells. The iPS cells have revolutionised research on regenerative medicine: they are free from debates over ethics … Continue reading →

Public release date: 30-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Krista Conger kristac@stanford.edu 650-725-5371 Stanford University Medical Center STANFORD, Calif. ? Mouse skin cells can be converted directly into cells that become the three main parts of the nervous system, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is an extension of a previous study by the same group showing that mouse and human skin cells can be directly converted into functional neurons. The multiple successes of the direct conversion method could refute the idea that pluripotency (a term that describes the ability of stem cells to become nearly any cell in the body) is necessary for a cell to transform from one cell type to another. Together, the results raise the possibility that embryonic stem cell research and another technique called "induced pluripotency" could be supplanted by a more direct way of generating specific types of cells for therapy or research. This new study, which will be published online Jan. 30 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is a substantial advance over the previous paper in that it transforms the skin cells into neural precursor cells, as opposed to neurons. While … Continue reading →

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), today announced that ErivedgeTM (vismodegib) capsule was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adults with a type of skin cancer, called basal cell carcinoma (BCC), that has spread to other parts of the body or that has come back after surgery or that their healthcare provider decides cannot be treated with surgery or radiation. Erivedge is the first FDA-approved medicine for people with advanced forms of the most common skin cancer. It is a capsule that is taken orally once-a-day. Basal cell carcinoma is generally considered curable if the cancer is restricted to a small area of the skin. However, in rare cases, lesions can become disfiguring and invade surrounding tissue (locally advanced) or spread to other parts of the body (metastasize). In these cases of advanced BCC, the disease cannot be effectively treated with surgery or radiation. Advanced BCC often results in severe deformity or loss of function of affected organs. “Today’s approval provides a new treatment for people with advanced basal cell carcinoma who, until now, had no approved medicines to help shrink disfiguring … Continue reading →