http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?fid4ct=3071 Tue, 29 Jan 2008 04:48:00 EST Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:38:00 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss RapidFeeds v0.1 -- http://www.rapidfeeds.com http://www.msrc.co.uk/images/gallery/HIGHNOLINES146x150.jpg http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?fid4ct=3071 149 150 Japanese researchers said Thursday they had created functioning human brain tissues from stem cells, a world first that has raised new hopes for the treatment of disease. Stem cells taken from human embryos have been used to form tissues of the cerebral cortex, the supreme control tower of the brain, according to researchers at the government-backed research institute Riken. The tissues self-organised into four distinct zones very similar to the structure seen in human foetuses, and conducted neuro-activity such as transmitting electrical signals, the institute said. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=2678237 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=2678237 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:02:00 EST Autologous transplantation of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been performed safely in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a phase 1/2 trial. This procedure is feasible, presenter Dimitrios Karussis, MD, neurologist-neuroimmunologist said. It's not science fiction. We have passed from theory and discussion about stem cells to action. The results were presented here at the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis: 2008 Joint Meeting of the American, European, and Latin America Committees on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS, ECTRIMS, LACTRIMS). Enhancing Regeneration We do have good medications to stop inflammation [in neurodegenerative disease], but still we see that disability accumulates over time and irreversible damage occurs to the neurons and axons, Dr. Karussis said. In addition to immunomodulation, we need something that can help or enhance the regeneration mechanisms of the brain. Bone-marrow-derived MSCs have strong neurotrophic and immunomodulatory properties, the authors write, and have been shown to be beneficial in several experimental models of neurological diseases, including experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, a model of MS. The ability to easily obtain MSCs from the patient, expand them in culture, and reintroduce them as an autologous graft, as well as the lack of risk for malignant transformation, make these cells excellent candidates for cell therapy, they write. Dr. Karussis and colleagues conducted a phase 1/2 trial in 19 patients with ALS and 15 with MS. The MS patients had progressive disease with accumulation of disability and had failed prior immunomodulatory therapy. Bone-marrow-derived MSCs were collected from the patients, cultured for 2 months, and then reinjected both intravenously and intrathecally. Patients received a mean of 64.4 million cells. After injection, the patients were followed up monthly for up to 25 months. Treatment was safe. By far the most common adverse effects were mild fever and headache, which generally started soon after the injection and resolved within 2 to 3 days. Injection-site reactions were mild, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed no unexpected pathologies............................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : Multiple Sclerosis Specific Stem Cell Research http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=2385889 multiple sclerosis, stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=2385889 Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:48:00 EST Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. has been issued Australian Patent No. 2003250697, entitled "Oligodendrocyte Production from Multipotent Neural Stem Cells". This patent covers methods of producing oligodendrocytes from neural stem cells using granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin 3 (IL-3), or interleukin 5 (IL-5), either in vivo or in cell culture, as well as oligodendrocyte compositions produced by such methods. This is the first patent to issue in this patent family. Dr. Alan Moore, President and CEO, commented as follows: "This technology adds to the depth of our patent portfolio by expanding the repertoire of pharmaceutical agents we can use to activate neural stem cells, in this case to produce oligodendrocytes. Neurodegenerative demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis are associated with loss of myelin-producing oligodendrocytes. Further, GM-CSF fits into our "repurposing" approach of using old drugs in new indications for expediting entry into the marketplace. Whether we develop this technology in-house or utilize it as an out-licensing opportunity, this patent adds to our arsenal of commercialization opportunities.........." For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : Multiple Sclerosis Specific Stem Cell Research http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=2373260 multiple sclerosis, stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=2373260 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:29:00 EST The Harvard Stem Cell Institute said yesterday that it is one step closer to creating induced pluripotent stem cells that would be safe for human use. Konrad Hochedlinger and other scientists from HSCI, Mass. General Hospital and the Joslin Diabetes Center announced that they have created mouse iPS cells using adenoviruses, according to a press release. Researchers have previously attempted to create iPS cells using retroviruses, though it was feared these could activate cancer genes. Adenoviruses do not implant in the DNA of their human host and, thus, pose a reduced threat of cancer. Thus far, none of the mice in the study have shown any sign of tumor growth................ For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : General Stem Cell Research http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=2328099 multiple sclerosis http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=2328099 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 02:31:00 EST At a talk on stem cells and spinal cord injuries, professor Wise Young of Rutgers University described what happened once he began a series of five clinical trials in China. Americans told him they wanted to go to China to join the clinical trials. "It got me deep down," said Young, chairman of the Rutgers department of cell biology and neuroscience. "We should not be sending Americans to clinical trials in China. We should be doing clinical trials here in the U.S. It's shameful." On the closing day of the World Stem Cell Summit, speakers confronted a complex but inevitable question. After all of the talk about promising results when stem cells have been placed in animals and in laboratory dishes, has the science reached the point when stem cells can be tested in human patients? "I really believe that stem cell technology is at or approaching the tipping point, where this technology is really going to start to bring new therapies to patients," said John McNeish, the executive director of regenerative medicine at the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. "We believe that in the future, and perhaps not so far in the distant future, cells will actually be therapies............." For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : General Stem Cell Research http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=2312940 Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=2312940 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:03:00 EST In a promising finding for the field of regenerative medicine, stem cell researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC have identified a source of adult stem cells found on the walls of blood vessels with the unlimited potential to differentiate into human tissues such as bone, cartilage and muscle. The scientists, led by Bruno Péault, PhD, deputy director of the Stem Cell Research Center at Children's Hospital, identified cells known as pericytes that are multipotent, meaning they have broad developmental potential. Pericytes are found on the walls of small blood vessels such as capillaries and microvessels throughout the body and have the potential to be extracted and grown into many types of tissues, according to the study. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=2292321 Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=2292321 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:29:00 EST Human embryonic stem cells injected by Hadassah University Medical Center scientists in the brains of mice with an animal model of multiple sclerosis have for the first time halted the progress of the disease. The clinical and pathological symptoms of the potentially devastating autoimmune neurological disorder, which include muscle weakness and paralysis, were significantly reduced, the researchers said................ For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : Multiple Sclerosis Specific Stem Cell Research http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=2151956 Multiple Sclerosis, Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=2151956 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:47:00 EST Reaching a milestone in stem cell research, scientists at Harvard and Columbia universities reported yesterday that they created the first stem cell lines from a sick person, then coaxed these cells to become nerve cells genetically matched to those that had gone bad in a patient's spinal cord. In a paper published online in the journal Science, the team claimed success at what researchers have long been racing to do: create in the laboratory a plentiful supply of cells that have the same genetic makeup as a patient with a particular disease. The work was done with patients suffering from ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, but the researchers said the same technique can be used to study many other genetic diseases. By comparing diseased cells to normal cells in a Petri dish, scientists hope to better understand what causes disease and test new drugs......... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1945210 http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1945210 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:59:00 EST An Edinburgh scientist is nearing a breakthrough that will revolutionise the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis and change the lives of generations of future sufferers. Edinburgh University's Professor Charles ffrench-Constant, whose work has largely been funded with £2 million from the author JK Rowling, below, is working on a way of using stem cells to halt the deterioration of sufferers. He is carrying out tests on mice and rats to try to find a way of using the cells to repair damage to the brain. Combined with the earliest possible detection of MS in patients, Prof ffrench-Constant's work offers the best hope of eradicating its devastating effect on patients. He recently appeared in a documentary made by journalist and MS sufferer Elizabeth Quigley, who sees his tests as a possible "cure", although sadly for future generations rather than herself. Prof ffrench-Constant, head of the Edinburgh University Centre for Translational Research, is reluctant to talk so boldly, but is confident that progress can be made in combating the disease which affects about 10,000 Scots..................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : Multiple Sclerosis Specific Stem Cell Research http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1927637 Multiple Sclerosis http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1927637 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:29:00 EST Adult stem cells originate in a different part of the brain than is commonly believed, and with proper stimulation they can produce new brain cells to replace those lost to disease or injury, a study by UC Irvine scientists has shown. Evidence strongly shows that the true stem cells in the mammalian brain are the ependymal cells that line the ventricles in the brain and spinal cord, rather than cells in the subventricular zone as biologists previously believed. Brain ventricles are hollow chambers filled with fluid that supports brain tissue, and a layer of ependymal cells lines these ventricles. Knowing the cell source is crucial when developing stem cell-based therapies. Additionally, knowing that these normally dormant cells can be coaxed into dividing lays the groundwork for future therapies in which a patient's own stem cells produce new brain cells to treat neurological disorders and injuries such as Parkinson's disease, stroke or traumatic brain injury..................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : General Stem Cell Research : Neural Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1891842 Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1891842 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:24:00 EST GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to sponsor at least $25 million in work at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute in Cambridge, one of the largest investments in stem cell research ever by a major pharmaceuticals company. As part of the five-year agreement, GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to support research at Harvard University and four Harvard-affiliated hospitals to try to find cures for cancer, obesity, diabetes, and neurological, cardiac, and musculoskeletal diseases. The company also agreed to help fund Harvard's "seed grant" program, which supports early stage research. "We think stem cell research has huge potential to aid in the discovery of new medicines," said GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman Melinda Stubbee.................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : General Stem Cell Research http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1891840 Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1891840 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:17:00 EST Embryos near the very beginning of development can yield stem cells for therapeutic applications without being destroyed in the process, research has shown. The discovery raises the prospect of overcoming many of the ethical objections to working with human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Stem cells from human embryos have the ability to develop into virtually any part of the body. Potentially they could be used to treat a host of disorders, including currently incurable diseases such as type 1 diabetes and Parkinson's. But many people cannot accept the fact that to harvest the cells embryos have to be destroyed. To date stem cells have been obtained from five-day-old embryos called blastocysts consisting of around 100 cells. The cells are strongly bonded together so the embryo has to be broken apart........... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : General Stem Cell Research : Embryonic Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1722236 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1722236 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:19:00 EST In recent years, stem cell researchers have become very adept at manipulating the fate of adult stem cells cultured in the lab. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies achieved the same feat with adult neural stem cells still in place in the brain. They successfully coaxed mouse brain stem cells bound to join the neuronal network to differentiate into support cells instead. The discovery, which is published ahead of print on Nature Neuroscience's website, not only attests to the versatility of neural stem cells but also opens up new directions for the treatment of neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, stroke and epilepsy that not only affect neuronal cells but also disrupt the functioning of glial support cells. "We have known that the birth and death of adult stem cells in the brain could be influenced be experience, but we were surprised that a single gene could change the fate of stem cells in the brain," says the study's lead author, Fred H. Gage, Ph.D., a professor in the Laboratory for Genetics and the Vi and John Adler Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases........................ For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : General Stem Cell Research : Adult Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1620412 Multiple Sclerosis, Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1620412 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:16:00 EST Scientists at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research have, for the first time, genetically programmed embryonic stem (ES) cells to become nerve cells when transplanted into the brain, according to a new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience. The research, an important step toward developing new treatments for stroke, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurological conditions showed that mice afflicted by stroke showed tangible therapeutic improvement following transplantation of these cells. None of the mice formed tumors, which had been a major setback in prior attempts at stem cell transplantation. The team was led by Stuart A. Lipton, M.D., Ph.D., professor and director of the Del E. Webb Neuroscience, Aging, and Stem Cell Research Center at Burnham. Dr. Lipton is also a clinical neurologist who treats patients with these disorders. Collaborators included investigators from The Scripps Research Institute. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1546246 Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1546246 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:05:00 EST Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center claim to have made a small molecule that stimulates nerve stem cells to begin maturing into nerve cells in culture. The researchers hope that someday their work might open the door for a potential new technology to grow a person's own nerve stem cells outside the body, stimulate them into maturity, and then re-implant them as working nerve cells to treat various diseases. "This provides a critical starting point for neuro-regenerative medicine and brain cancer chemotherapy," Nature magazine quoted Dr. Jenny Hsieh, assistant professor of molecular biology, as saying. She said that creation of the molecule helped her team uncover some of the biochemical steps that happen as nerve cells mature, and showed that large-scale screening of compounds could provide starting points for developing drugs to treat disorders like Huntington's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, traumatic brain injury or cancer........... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1426141 Multiple Sclerosis, Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1426141 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:32:00 EST A Nobel Prize-winning scientist says it could be tougher than first thought to harness the healing power of stem cells in medicine. It had been hoped a single "master" cell could potentially be used to repair all damage in a single organ. Professor Mario Capecchi, from the University of Utah, found surprising clues that different stem cells might be working together in the same organ. This means experimental treatments relying on the wrong type might fail. Professor Capecchi, writing in the Nature Genetics, said the finding suggested stem cell biology could be "more complicated" than previously thought, which could be bad news for patients hoping for the swift arrival of new therapies.............. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1309810 Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1309810 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:01:00 EST Multiple sclerosis victim Janice Reed thought her prayers had been answered when she read about a pioneering cure that injected sufferers with stem cells. Advanced Cell Therapy promised a 90 per cent success rate and claimed one wheelchair- bound victim walked again. But mum-of-two Janice, 47, is £15,000 out of pocket and still needs a walking stick. And the people behind her treatment in Holland are on the run after being indicted on fraud charges by the FBI. Janice is one of hundreds who claim ACT bosses Laura Brown and Steve Van Rooyen exploited their desperation. She said: "I saw no improvement at all. Now I'm sure it was all just a lot of baloney................." http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1300389 Multiple Sclerosis, Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1300389 Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:28:00 EST Two companies that produce different types of stem cells have signed contacts to sell their products to drugmakers, showing the new technology will be used to help discover medicines not just to repair or replace damaged cells. California Stem Cells Inc., an Irvine, California, biotechnology company that turns embryonic stem cells into neurons, said today it's selling the brain cells to researchers trying to find drugs to treat Lou Gehrig's disease. CellDesign Inc., of New Haven, Connecticut, said it has contracts with four drugmakers seeking to use its product to find new medicines for conditions such as Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. The efforts of these two closely held companies indicate stem cells will aid in the search for old-fashioned drugs long before they're infused into patients. It also suggests that the first businesses to benefit from stem cell technology will be traditional pharmaceutical companies and their suppliers not developers of new kinds of therapies. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1074627 Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1074627 Wed, 21 May 2008 04:55:00 EST Scientists have been given the green light to use animal-human hybrid embryos for medical research after MPs yesterday resisted calls for an outright ban. After hours of anguished debate over the ethics and science behind embryonic research, they decided to back the use of hybrid embryos in the search for medical cures and greater understanding of serious illnesses and allow parents of children suffering serious diseases to use in-vitro fertilisation to select "saviour siblings" who can act as donors for transplants to save their sick brothers and sisters. A proposed ban on hybrid embryos was voted down by 336 to 176, as the substantive part of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill sailed through the Commons. It will make Britain one of the few countries that regulates and sanctions the use of hybrid, or "admix", embryos and could also provide a boost to the bioscience industry in research centres such as at Edinburgh University................ http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1061162 Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1061162 Tue, 20 May 2008 02:40:00 EST Australian researchers have discovered stem cells in the brain that are vital for learning and memory. They have also worked out how to activate the cells so they produce new neurons, a discovery that could eventually lead to better treatments for degenerative brain conditions of ageing, such as dementia. The director of the Queensland Brain Institute, Perry Bartlett, said neuroscientists knew there had to be stem cells somewhere in the hippocampus - the part of the brain involved in important functions such as learning and memory - because people and other animals produced large numbers of new neurons in this region throughout life. But the stem cells had proved extremely difficult to find............................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1051499 Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1051499 Mon, 19 May 2008 08:02:00 EST Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on Sunday for members of parliament to support research using embryonic stem cells, including human-animal hybrid embryos, ahead of an important vote in parliament. The issue of embryonic cell research has divided Brown's government -- some members of his cabinet oppose it on religious grounds -- at a time when he is faring poorly in opinion polls. Brown has allowed a "free vote" in parliament on Monday on some of the most controversial parts of a human reproduction bill, allowing members of his Labour Party to oppose them if they choose without being required to resign from the cabinet. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1048140 Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=1048140 Mon, 19 May 2008 04:16:00 EST The Geron Corporation announced Wednesday that its plans to begin the first clinical trial using embryonic stem cells had been delayed by federal regulators. The company, based in Menlo Park, Calif., had planned to begin a human trial soon to test its stem cell compound in patients with spinal cord injuries. The company received oral notice about the delay from the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday and is awaiting a letter from the agency explaining its decision, said Geron’s chief executive, Thomas B. Okarma. Ren Benjamin, an analyst with Rodman & Renshaw, said the F.D.A. action was not surprising and was likely to delay rather than stop the trial.................. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=994341 Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=994341 Thu, 15 May 2008 08:06:00 EST An experiment that went wrong may provide a new way to treat multiple sclerosis, a Canadian researcher said on Tuesday. Patients who got bone marrow stem-cell transplants -- similar to those given to leukemia patients -- have enjoyed a mysterious remission of their disease. And Dr. Mark Freedman of the University of Ottawa is not sure why. "Not a single patient, and it's almost seven years, has ever had a relapse," Freedman said.................. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=917134 Multiple Sclerosis, Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=917134 Wed, 07 May 2008 03:57:00 EST Stem cell company, Neuralstem, Inc., announced today that the European Patent Office has granted Neuralstem a European patent EP0915968, covering the "Isolation, Propagation and Directed Differentiation of Stem Cells from Embryonic and Adult Central Nervous System of Mammals." The European patent has been validated in several European countries including France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.......... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=826523 Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=826523 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:57:00 EST Stem-cell treatment could be used to help reverse the effects of multiple sclerosis within 15 years, a leading expert on the disease has said. Professor Charles ffrench-Constant, the director of a groundbreaking MS research centre in Edinburgh, said the treatment could be used to halt the decline of patients suffering from the debilitating nerve condition. In an interview with The Herald newspaper, Prof ffrench-Constant said stem cells could be used to help repair nerve damage caused by MS. He said he wanted to find a way to make the body rebuild myelin - the sheath which protects nerve fibres - using stem cells, which have the ability to turn into different types of tissue................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=743496 Multiple Sclerosis, Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=743496 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:53:00 EST Chronic inflammation triggers bone marrow-derived blood cells to travel to the brain and fuse with a certain type of neuron up to 100 times more frequently than previously believed, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine. After the fusion, the blood-cell nuclei begin to express previously silent, neuron-specific genes. The surprise finding in mice suggests that the creation of the fused cells, called heterokaryons, may possibly play a role in protecting neurons against damage and may open new doors to cell-mediated gene therapy. "This finding was totally unprecedented and unexpected," said senior author Helen Blau, PhD, the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Professor and director of the Baxter Laboratory in Genetic Pharmacology. "We're getting hints that this might be biologically important, but we still have a lot to learn." The research, led by Clas Johansson, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in Blau's laboratory, was published online in Nature Cell Biology on April 20............. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=711346 Multiple Sclerosis http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=711346 Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:37:00 EST Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. announced today that a preclinical study utilizing the Company's PLacental eXpanded (PLX) cells showed a statistically significant advantage in ameliorating functional deficiencies in a standard Multiple Sclerosis (MS) animal model. PLX cells are mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) obtained from the placenta and expanded using Pluristem's proprietary 3D PluriX™ technology............. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=648291 Multiple Sclerosis, Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=648291 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:13:00 EST Paralysed people could gain the use of their limbs again after scientists found a 'messaging system' that could be used to control adult stem cells. Researchers found the cells respond to chemical signals which instruct them to help repair tissue. The work, funded by the Medical Research Council, could eventually lead to the development of techniques to tell adult stem cells to mend the body. Scientists at the University of Manchester made the discovery while studying mesenchymal stem cells found in human bone marrow. These have the ability to relocate and develop into several types of cells and tissue. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=593787 Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=593787 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:54:00 EST Scientists have taken skin cells from patients with eight different diseases and turned them into stem cells. The advance means scientists are moving closer to using stem cells from the patient themselves to treat disease. This would mean they could circumvent the ethical and practical problems of using embryonic stem cells, which has sparked much opposition. Researcher Dr Willy Lensch, of Harvard Medical School, said the technique had "incredible potential". He said it could help scientists understand the earliest stages of human genetic disease............. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=590581 Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=590581 Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:05:00 EST The creation of the U.K.'s first part-human, part-animal embryos may increase pressure on Parliament for tougher regulations on stem cell research. Lyle Armstrong and colleagues at Newcastle University made embryos using human cells and a cow egg, the college said yesterday in a statement on its Web site. Debate in the U.K. over the so-called hybrid embryos increased after Catholic leaders, in Easter sermons, attacked the technique used for making stem cells. Cardinal Keith O'Brien of Edinburgh said creating such embryos were ``experiments of Frankenstein proportion.'' Parliament is discussing changes to a 1990 law that governs stem cell research, including the hybrid work. U.K. scientists, who can conduct research U.S. President George W. Bush restricted in 2001, are concerned that they'll fall behind other countries if legislation before Parliament is defeated. Chinese and U.S. academics already have produced stem cells extracted from part- human, part-animal embryos................ http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=586513 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=586513 Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:38:00 EST Embryo research has pitted scientists against bishops, caused a cabinet split and divided the country. Religion, politics, medicine and ethics all collide in a debate that boils down to the question above. Is a bunch of cells just that: a bunch of cells, as scientists would have it, or is it, as the Catholic Church insists, a human being with a soul? It is the dispute that lies at the heart of the controversy over the Embryo Bill and it is as fundamental a difference of opinion as it is possible to imagine. Gordon Brown performed a political climbdown yesterday and promised Labour MPs a free vote on the most emotive measures in the Bill, in effect throwing open the debate to the entire country. It is a piece of legislation that challenges our deepest notion of what it is to be human and what it is right to sanction in the interests of scientific progress................ http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=577419 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=577419 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EST A midnight flight from Ottawa to Vancouver delivered something of a miracle to Jacky and Tom Telder of Surrey, B.C. There she was, the Telders' youngest child, Leah, walking towards them in the airport lobby late Monday amidst the disembarking passengers, grinning and waving a greeting. "That was amazing. She walked off. . . . I mean, there she was, actually walking," said Jacky of the moment. Months earlier Leah, 24, had taken a similar flight, in the opposite direction. That time, she was among the last to board the plane, hobbling unsteadily on a walker like an old woman. The multiple sclerosis that has afflicted her since her teens had, by that point, robbed her of most of her independence, blurred her vision, muddled her thinking and sapped her strength................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=568651 Multiple Sclerosis, Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=568651 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:01:00 EST Most cells in the human brain are not nerve cells, but supporting cells (glial cells). They serve as a framework for nerve cells and play an important role in the wound reaction that occurs with injuries to the brain. However, what these 'reactive glial cells' in the brains of mice and men originate from, and which cells they evolve into was hitherto unknown. Now, the study group of Prof. Dr. Magdalena Götz is able to show that after injury, these reactive glial cells in the brains of mice restart their cell division. They then become stem cells from which nerve cells can form yet again under favourable cell culture conditions.......... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=562974 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=562974 Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:33:00 EST When human umbilical cord blood cells (UCBC) were injected into aged laboratory animals, researchers at the University of South Florida (USF) found improvements in the microenvironment of the hippocampus region of the animals' brains and a subsequent rejuvenation of neural stem/progenitor cells. The research presented the possibility of a cell therapy aimed at rejuvenating the aged brain. "Brain cell neurogenesis decreases dramatically with increasing age, mostly because of a growing impoverishment in the brain's microenvironment," said co-author Alison Willing, PhD, of the USF Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair. "The increase in neurogenesis we saw after injecting UCBCs seemed to be due to a decrease in inflammation." According to lead author Carmelina Gemma, Ph.D., of the James A. Haley Veterans Administration Medical Center (VA) and USF, the decrease in neurogenesis that accompanies aging is a result of the decrease in proliferation of stem cells, not the loss of cells. "In the brain, there are two stem cell pools, one of which resides in the hippocampus," explained graduate student and first author Adam Bachstetter. "As in other stem cell pools, the stem cells in the brain lose their capacity to generate new cells. A potent stressor of stem cell proliferation is inflammation................." http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=562101 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=562101 Tue, 11 Mar 2008 04:54:00 EST A Californian biotech company claims that it has used carbon nanotubes to ‘reprogramme’ adult human cells to an embryonic-like state — a breakthrough that removes the elevated risk of cancer that blights other techniques. But uncertainties about the cells, which have yet to be reported in a peer-reviewed journal, have left many sceptical. Last year, researchers led by Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University demonstrated that by using just four genes it was possible to reprogramme adult human skin cells to a stem-cell-like pluripotent state — meaning that they could develop into any of the body’s cell types. These ‘induced pluripotent stem’ (iPS) cells hold tremendous therapeutic potential. But to insert the genes into the cells, researchers have had to use viral vectors, which can turn the cells cancerous. PrimeGen, based in Irvine, claims to have got around this problem by using single-walled carbon nanotubes — cylinders of carbon molecules only a few nanometers in diameter — to introduce a complex of around a dozen proteins, including the ones coded for by the four genes used by Yamanaka, plus a fifth called Nanog. The researchers used the nanotube delivery system to introduce genes into human testicular and retinal cells, and PrimeGen reports that they were quickly taken up by an impressive 80% of the cells. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=561233 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=561233 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 05:01:00 EST American researchers have developed a novel stem cell technique that may make it easier to study and treat thousands of disorders, including Huntingtons disease, muscular dystrophy, and diabetes. The developers of the new technique at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) describe it as a dramatically improved method for genetically manipulating human embryonic stem cells. As regards how the technique works, the researchers have revealed that it blends two existing cell-handling methods to improve cell survival rates, and to increase the efficiency of inserting DNA into cells. They claim that this procedure is 100 times more efficient than current methods at producing human embryonic stem cells with desired genetic alterations.................. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=561225 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=561225 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 04:42:00 EST After Barry Goudy was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1995, he began losing feeling in his left leg, then his vision started to go. "You sit and you cry and you wonder why you and then I went back to my neurologist and said tell me how I can fight this," he said. Barry enrolled in a clinical trial in 2003. After five days of chemotherapy to destroy his immune system doctors used his own stem cells to rebuild it. "I have no symptoms of MS. I do no treatment for MS, I do no shots," he said........................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=547587 Multiple Sclerosis, Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=547587 Wed, 27 Feb 2008 04:40:00 EST Neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells helped repair stroke-related damage in the brains of rats and led to improvements in their physical abilities after a stroke, in a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. This study marks the first time researchers have used human embryonic stem cells to generate neural cells that grow well in the lab, improve a rat’s physical abilities and consistently don’t form tumors when transplanted.......... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=536561 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=536561 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:47:00 EST US scientists said they have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells to behave exactly as embryonic stem cells. The research was published in the Feb. 11 edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences. This is the third such confirmation that the technique is feasible. "Our reprogrammed human skin cells were virtually indistinguishable from human embryonic stem cells," lead author Kathrin Plath, an assistant professor of biological chemistry at UCLA and a researcher with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, said in statement.... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=530335 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=530335 Thu, 14 Feb 2008 04:10:00 EST President George W. Bush said Monday the US is increasing funds for "ethical" stem cell research that does not involve destroying human embryos. In his annual State of the Union address before Congress, Bush hailed the discovery announced last November of methods to re-program adult skin cells to act like embryonic stem cells. Such developments show "the potential to move us beyond the divisive debates of the past by extending the frontiers of medicine without the destruction of human life," Bush said, referring to the creation of stem cell lines for research that involves destroying human embryos..................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=514709 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=514709 Tue, 29 Jan 2008 04:48:00 EST A doctor who worked for the couple accused of stem cell fraud, and who are currently fighting extradition to the US, is back in business in Cape Town. And one of his former patients, paraplegic Justine Asher, has warned off an Eastern Cape family desperate to find a treatment for a degenerative kidney disease that has already taken the life of one son and is now threatening the life of a second. However, the doctor's new employee, Regenecell, has denied any link between them and his previous employers, who are on the FBI's most-wanted list and face a 51-count indictment handed down by a federal grand jury in Atlanta in March 2006. The doctor in question, Jeff Peimer from Cape Town, was among those who offered her hope that she would walk again, Asher said. She paid R120 000 for stem cell therapy, including substantial costs to travel abroad to have the treatment. The treatment had no effect and Asher is now suing Peimer's previous employers, South African Stephen van Rooyen and his American girlfriend, Laura Brown, for damages amounting to R430 000................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=513899 multiple sclerosis, stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=513899 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 03:49:00 EST A tiny, implantable device can pull adult stem cells out of a living rat with greater purity than any present technique, a U.S. study found. The device was designed by Michael R. King, who was studying how white blood cells, called neutrophils, know how to migrate to a point of infection. He observed that near an injury, the walls of the nearby blood vessels expressed an adhesive protein and if passing neutrophils brushed against selectins they stick to the vessel wall, but did remain struck, the neutrophils rolled to the site................ http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=513893 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=513893 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 03:41:00 EST UK scientists are objecting to a new law that would require researchers wishing to work on embryonic stem cells to obtain consent from the cells' donors. Yesterday, 29 researchers, including three Nobel laureates, published a letter in the Times arguing that while such consent should be required in the future, obtaining it retroactively for cell lines and disease-specific tissue banks already inexistence would be impossible, since many donors were anonymous.............. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=508351 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=508351 Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:29:00 EST Abstract A number of practical problems need to be addressed before any form of cell therapy can be widely applied in patients with multiple sclerosis. The choice of cell type is one considered elsewhere in this issue; others include the question of axon loss, that of continuing inflammatory disease activity, the mode of delivery of cells (bearing in mind the presence of innumerable lesions scattered throughout the CNS), the problem of measuring directly or indirectly the impact (if any) of an intervention, the timing of any treatment and perhaps above all the safety of the patient. All converge on the one increasingly relevant underlying question: when should stem cell treatments begin to be tested in patients.................? http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=508350 multiple sclerosis, stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=508350 Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:27:00 EST British scientists will try to create human-animal embryos for the first time after receiving the go-ahead from the government's fertility regulator yesterday. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority said it had offered year-long licences to two teams of scientists that hope to use the embryos to study stem cells, the body's master cells that have the potential to form any tissue or organ. The decision ends 12 months of delay during which the HFEA has sought to clarify whether the creation of embryos by fusing animal and human tissues is legal and scientifically justified...................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=501629 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=501629 Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:38:00 EST A group of UC Irvine scientists recently published a study on a more efficient way to differentiate stem cells in the international journal, “Stem Cells.” This new method will significantly enhance opportunities to examine stem cells, which have the ability to self-renew and develop into numerous different types of mature cells. Stem cells have the potential to reverse the effects of widespread diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by relieving the loss of brain cells, spinal cord injuries and various other conditions through the replacement of dying cells. The new DEP device uses dielectrophoresis to sort neural cells using their electric charges. The study found that different types of cells have different electric properties; therefore, stem cells intended to become astrocytes would react differently than those intended to become neurons. Specific frequencies will attract only certain types of cells.......... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=497538 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=497538 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 04:59:00 EST Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. together with colleagues announced today the development of five human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines without the destruction of embryos. These new results have the potential to end the ethical debate surrounding the use of embryos to derive stem cells. In fact, the NIH report to the President refers to this technology as one of the viable alternatives to the destruction of embryos................ http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=494690 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=494690 Fri, 11 Jan 2008 02:40:00 EST In a groundbreaking experiment published in Cloning & Stem Cells, scientists from International Stem Cell (ISC) Corp. derived four unique embryonic stem cell lines that open the door for the creation of therapeutic cells that will not provoke an immune reaction in large segments of the population. The stem cell lines are “HLA-homozygous,” meaning that they have a simple genetic profile in the critical areas of the DNA that code for immune rejection. The lines could serve to create a stem cell bank as a renewable source of transplantable cells for use in cell therapy to replace damaged tissues or to treat genetic and degenerative diseases..................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=471993 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=471993 Fri, 21 Dec 2007 02:30:00 EST Two young faculty members at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have received major grants for stem cell research from the California Insitute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). The five-year grants totalling $4.5 million will support the research of Bin Chen, assistant professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology, and Camilla Forsberg, assistant professor of biomolecular engineering. The grants are among 22 New Faculty Awards announced yesterday by CIRM to fund stem cell research at various California institutions. UCSC has now received a total of more than $9 million from CIRM to fund the campus's growing stem cell research program. "It is really remarkable how successful we've been at getting started in this new area of research," said Stephen Thorsett, dean of physical and biological sciences at UCSC. "Our proposals to CIRM have garnered more funding than those of any other institution that doesn't have a medical school....................." http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=462560 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=462560 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 05:04:00 EST Thousands of patients with ailments such as multiple sclerosis and sickle cell disease have been given new hope that cell transplants could offer a more effective way to treat them. An important step towards the goal of transplanting the parent stem cells that give rise to red blood cells to treat genetic blood diseases, such as sickle cell disease, is reported by an American team. Using the same method, it should be possible to treat a person with an autoimmune disease, such as multiple sclerosis, in which immune cells attack the person's own body. An immune system transplant, much like a liver, kidney or heart transplant, would give the person a different set of white blood cells that might not attack the body, offering an effective treatment.................. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=436658 multiple sclerosis, stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=436658 Fri, 23 Nov 2007 02:38:40 EST Human skin cells have been reprogrammed by two groups of scientists to mimic embryonic stem cells with the potential to become any tissue in the body. The breakthrough promises a plentiful new source of cells for use in research into new treatments for many diseases. Crucially, it could mean that such research is no longer dependent on using cells from human embryos, which has proved highly controversial. The US and Japanese studies feature in the journals Science and Cell. Until now only cells taken from embryos were thought to have an unlimited capacity to become any of the 220 types of cell in the human body - a so-called pluripotent state. But campaigners have objected to their use on the grounds that it is unethical to destroy embryos in the name of science........... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=434469 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=434469 Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:26:30 EST A new study finds that neural stem cells may be able to save dying brain cells without transforming into new brain tissue, at least in rodents. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, report that stem cells rejuvenated the learning and memory abilities of mice engineered to lose neurons in a way that simulated the aftermath of Alzheimer's disease, stroke and other brain injuries. Researchers expect stem cells to transform into replacement tissue capable of replacing damaged cells. But in this case, the undifferentiated stem cells, harvested from 14-day-old mouse brains, did not simply replace neurons that had died off. Rather, the group speculates that the transplanted cells secreted protective neurotrophins, proteins that promote cell survival by keeping neurons from inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death). Instead, the once ill-fated neurons strengthened their interconnections and kept functioning. "The primary implication here is that stem cells can help rescue memory deficits that are due to cell loss," says Frank LaFerla, a professor of neurobiology and behavior at U.C. Irvine and the senior author on a new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience. If the therapeutic benefit was indeed solely due to a neurotrophic factor, the door could be opened to using that protein alone as a drug to restore learning ability................. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=408345 multiple sclerosis, stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=408345 Fri, 02 Nov 2007 03:44:06 EST Immune Ablation and Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for Aggressive Multiple Sclerosis Immunoablative therapy plus autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) completely abrogates Multiple Sclerosis relapses and MRI events related to ongoing inflammation for up to 5 years, researchers reported here at the 23rd Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). Mark S. Freedman, MD, Steering Committee Member and Professor of Neurology, University of Ottawa, and Director, Multiple Sclerosis Research Unit, Ottawa Hospital-General Campus, Ottawa, Canada, presented the 5-year interim analysis from a 3-year phase 2 study. "If we completely remove the diseased immune system, we should halt ongoing immune-mediated damage, because we would have removed the mistake," Dr. Freedman said during his presentation. Furthermore, the purified stem cells should be capable of restoring a functional immune system, and might even be capable of stimulating repair.............. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=394799 multiple sclerosis, stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=394799 Tue, 23 Oct 2007 05:09:50 EST New nerves grown from stem cells taken from a patient's fat could be available by 2011, researchers have said. They could potentially be used to repair peripheral nerves left severed by surgery or accidents. Manchester University scientists plan to place the new nerve tissue inside a biodegradable plastic tube, which can be used to rejoin the two broken ends. The findings of their study on rats, in Experimental Neurology, could help hundreds of people a year, they say. At the moment, only limited techniques are available to help repair nerves outside the spinal cord, even though they have a limited capacity to regrow. Other nerves from elsewhere in the patient are often used, which does not restore perfect function and can cause further damage. The Manchester technique uses stem cells - immature cells which the body naturally uses to create different tissue types............... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=393351 multiple sclerosis, stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=393351 Mon, 22 Oct 2007 05:01:14 EST Patients in Oman and the Gulf suffering from chronic degenerative diseases of the brain and spinal cord and the liver, including alcoholic and viral cirrhoses, generally regarded as 'incurable illnesses', have a new hope. Stem cell therapy, that has virtually revolutionised the world of medicine in recent years, is now within their reach after the Health Ministry yesterday gave the go-ahead for an Indian hospital, which has done pioneering research in the field, to set up a referral centre in Muscat. Tie-up The 'Referral Centre for Advanced Stem Cell Therapy', which will be the first of its kind in the region and the result of a tie-up between Chennai-based Lifeline Hospitals and Al Hayat Polyclinic in Qurum, is expected to start functioning next month................ http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=379404 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=379404 Wed, 10 Oct 2007 04:50:37 EST The pharmaceutical industry on Tuesday announced its first direct involvement in research using human embryonic stem cells. Three companies have set up a consortium with the government to develop stem cells for safety testing of new drugs through a public-private partnership. The launch of Stem Cells for Safer Medicines, or SC4SM, is significant because “big pharma” has been reluctant to engage in embryonic stem cell research. Companies fear the reaction in markets such as the US, where the use of human embryos is controversial, and they have left the field to universities and biotechnology businesses. GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Roche are inaugurating SC4SM in collaboration with several government departments............. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=371815 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=371815 Wed, 03 Oct 2007 04:01:34 EST Three teams in Scotland have managed to derive and grow stem cells without using any animal cells that might contaminate them, overcoming one of the obstacles of using human embryonic stem cells to treat diseases, a media report has said. The approach has led to the hope that embryonic stem cells (ESCs), the primitive cells in embryos from which all our tissues originate, can be grown into transplantable tissues for treating many disorders, from diabetes to osteoporosis, the New Scientist Magazine said on Thursday................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=370224 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=370224 Sun, 30 Sep 2007 04:21:16 EST A new treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) is being pioneered near Bristol. Six patients at Frenchay Hospital are being injected with their own stem cells in the hope that they will repair damage to the brain. Approximately 60,000 people in the UK suffer from MS, an incurable disease of the nervous system. Prof Neil Scolding, of the Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, said: "We know stem cells are attracted into the brain, into these areas of damage." He added that he hoped the stem cells would "help those areas to stop getting worse" and "repair damage"........... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=368777 multiple sclerosis, stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=368777 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 03:13:19 EST Stem Cell Sciences plc will lead an EU-funded, multinational novel drug screening collaboration using stem cells. The project, named NEUROscreen, will use Stem Cell Sciences' proprietary neural stem (NS) cell technology and has received a contribution from the EU's 6th Framework Program for Research and Technical Development (FP6). The EU's contribution to the NEUROscreen project is worth 2.4 million euro over three years, of which approximately 420,000 euro will flow directly to SCS over the three year period.............. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=368032 stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=368032 Wed, 26 Sep 2007 07:53:20 EST A team of Auckland researchers which has spent two years growing cultures of cells taken from adult human brains is investigating whether stem cells could be used to combat neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis or Alzheimer's disease. Professor Mike Dragunow's Auckland University team is one of only a handful of laboratories worldwide pioneering work with human brain cells. It plans to use a three-year Marsden Fund grant of $750,000 from the Government to work on nerve cells called astrocytes, which support and feed neurons, with process and transfer signals in the brain.................. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=353493 Stem Cells, Multiple Sclerosis http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=353493 Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:35:15 EST Stem cells transplanted into the brains of mice generate more numerous and more mature nerve cells if the brain cells called astrocytes are not activated. This discovery at the Sahlgrenska Academy is an important step forward for stem cell research. The study was performed by a research team at the Center for Brain Repair and Rehabilitation at the Sahlgrenska Academy. The findings are being published in the journal Stem Cells. Many see the transplantation of stem cells and activation of the body's own stem cells as a promising future treatment for several neurological disorders.............. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=331253 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=331253 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 02:13:57 EST In response to “unexpected” positive results, a local research facility conducting a bone marrow stem cell transplant therapy trial has been awarded additional funding. The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada announced Tuesday that the Ottawa Health Research Institute, a University of Ottawa-affiliated arm of the Ottawa Hospital, will receive $2.4 million over five years to continue and further develop the trial begun in October 2000. The procedure, which early on resulted in one death and carries potentially serious side effects, involves employing a patient’s bone marrow cells to replace a diseased immune system with a new, purified one.............. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=271420 Multiple Sclerosis, Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=271420 Wed, 18 Jul 2007 05:23:44 EST Some people with incurable diseases may be misled about how stem cell research can help them, a leading neurologist has told Irish Medical Times. Speaking ahead of next week’s annual Neurology Update Meeting, focusing on the use of stem cells in neurology, Dr Orla Hardiman said some of her patients have been “exploited” by the stem cell industry, and have travelled to places like Ukraine in the hope that stem cell therapy will cure their disease. “It is important to put into context the potential benefits, but also the current limitations, in the use of stem cells,” said Dr Hardiman, a consultant neurologist in Beaumont Hospital............... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=270046 Multiple Sclerosis, Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=270046 Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:34:01 EST Breakthrough at new McMaster institute will dramatically change focus for human stem cell science. A startling discovery on the development of human embryonic stem cells by scientists at McMaster University will change how future research in the area is done. An article published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature this week reports on a new understanding of the growth of human stem cells. It had been thought previously that stem cells are directly influenced by cells in the local environment or ‘niche’, but the situation may be more complex. Human embryonic stem cells are perpetual machines that generate fuel for life.......... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=260932 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=260932 Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:18:29 EST Adult neural stem cells in mice are a diverse, restricted set of progenitors. Adult neural stem cells in the mouse brain are less plastic than previously thought, according to a study published online this week in Science. The authors found that a stem cell's position in the brain determines the type of neuron it generates. As a result, it may be more difficult to coax adult neural stem cells into becoming various types of neurons than some researchers have predicted, according to senior author Arturo Alvarez-Buylla of the University of California, San Francisco............. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=251708 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=251708 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 03:27:17 EST Scientists at Britain's two leading universities have made a massive breakthrough in stem cell research. The two independent teams based at Cambridge University and Oxford University have discovered a new type of embryonic stem cell in mice and rats, which is very similar to human embryonic stem cells. The discovery, and its virtually simultaneous verification, is likely to accelerate understanding of stem cell development and help the derivation of stem cells in other species - including livestock and disease-prone mice used in research........... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=225956 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=225956 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 08:21:26 EST President Bush vetoed the second embryonic stem cell research bill that passed Congress while he has been in office. The only spending bill the President vetoed while the Republicans controlled the congress was the other previous embryonic stem cell research bill. Many Democrats and some Republicans in congress promised voters they would support the legislation if elected. It is very unlikely the House of Representatives or Senate can muster the votes for an override.................... For the full story please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : General Stem Cell Research http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=208582 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=208582 Thu, 21 Jun 2007 04:18:47 EST In developing embryos, stem cells have an unlimited capacity for self-renewal and give rise to all the different types of cells that make up the body – skin, muscle, nerve, brain, blood and roughly 250 other specialised cells. Many scientists believe that the flexibility and regenerative powers of embryonic stem cells hold enormous promise in treating disease and that, one day, they may be used to repair damaged hearts, kidneys, livers or other tissue, or even to grow new organs for transplant. Working with mice, the University of Ottawa's Michael Rudnicki and his colleagues have figured out what makes stem cells so special – at a molecular level. They say they have identified the network of genes at work during the unique period when stem cells are building a body. There are 1,155 of these genes, says Dr. Rudnicki, but they are all ultimately controlled by a single gene called Oct4....... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=205418 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=205418 Wed, 20 Jun 2007 06:51:47 EST Human eggs discarded in fertility treatments could provide a new source of embryonic stem cells, scientists have said. Up to 30% of eggs used during in vitro fertilisation are found to be unusable and are discarded. But now researchers have extracted stem cells from one of these unusable eggs. This discovery could provide a much-needed resource in the fight against diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, liver disease and diabetes, researchers from Midlothian-based Roslin Cells Ltd said.................. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=205124 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=205124 Wed, 20 Jun 2007 03:57:34 EST US scientists say they have for the first time created stem cells from cloned primate embryos, bringing human therapeutic cloning one step closer. The announcement, by Dr Shoukhrat Mitalipov of the Oregon National Primate Research Centre in Portland, was made at the International Society for Stem Cell Research meeting in Cairns, this week. The development means that human therapeutic cloning is a step closer to reality, says Australian stem cell expert Professor Alan Trounson, who was at the meeting. Scientists can't properly judge the work until it has been published, says Trounson, but he is "cautiously optimistic" about its potential.......... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=199422 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=199422 Tue, 19 Jun 2007 09:37:16 EST Scientists say they have developed a method in mice for creating the equivalent of embryonic stem cells without using eggs or destroying an embryo, a finding that could help circumvent the controversy surrounding the promising research. The finding, which was published online by Nature, comes as the U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on a bill relaxing restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research and a separate bill that would authorise cloning for therapeutic purposes. Sean Tipton, president of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, an organisation that supports embryonic stem cell research, said the new research, while important, probably won't have a significant impact on the current political debate. "It will change the talking points a little, but I don't think it's going to change any votes," Tipton told United Press International..................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=171446 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=171446 Fri, 08 Jun 2007 05:48:37 EST StemCells, Inc. today announced the publication of a paper describing a new technique for non-invasive tracking of human neural stem cells transplanted into the brains of mice. The technique involves tagging the human neural stem cells with Feridex(R), a commonly used magnetic resonance imaging agent approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in humans. Tagging the human neural stem cells in this way does not appear to alter the stem cells' function or viability. The paper, entitled "Long-term monitoring of transplanted human neural stem cells in developmental and pathological contexts with magnetic resonance imaging," appears in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences........ http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=166945 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=166945 Tue, 05 Jun 2007 08:29:53 EST ReNeuron Announces New Data Concerning its ReNcell Neural Stem Cell Lines. ReNeuron Group plc today announces new data concerning its ReNcell CX and ReNcell VM neural cell lines. These cell lines are marketed through Millipore Corporation as drug discovery tools for academic and commercial research. The data were generated in collaboration with Drs Roberta Donato and Frances Edwards at the Department of Physiology, University College London (UCL). The results demonstrate that the ReNcell®CX and ReNcell®VM lines can be continuously expanded in monolayer culture and will differentiate into the three principal neural cell types: neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. In the case of the ReNcell®VM line, a renewable source of stable, functional and electrophysiologically active dopaminergic neurons was demonstrated..................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=165554 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=165554 Mon, 04 Jun 2007 08:46:16 EST Three rats paralyzed due to spinal ischemia returned to near normal ambulatory function six weeks after having received human spinal stem cells (hSSCs) developed by Neuralstem, Inc. Researchers reported online in the journal, NEUROSCIENCE (www.neuroscience-ibro.com/). Three other rats, while not able to stand up two months after treatment, showed significant improvement in the mobility of all three lower extremity joints and increased muscle tone. In all the grafted animals, the majority of transplanted hSSCs cells survived and became mature neurons. The study was conducted at the University of California at San Diego. The rats suffered from Ischemic Spastic Paraplegia (ISP), a painful form of extreme spasticity and rigidity that causes permanent and untreatable loss of motor function and paralysis. In humans, ISP can result from surgery to repair aortic aneurysms, an operation that is performed on thousands of patients a year in the United States.................................. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=158786 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=158786 Wed, 30 May 2007 10:05:34 EST Thailand's Board of Investment has announced its approval for TheraVitae, an Israeli-Thai company, thus paving the way for the company to expand its research and development and provide therapies using adult stem cells. President of TheraVitae Thailand, Mr Narin Apichairuk, said, "We are delighted to gain BOI approval because it means we can continue with our plans to open a laboratory near Bangkok and proceed with expansion of our services. To date over two hundred no-option heart patients have been treated with our patented product, VesCell, here in the kingdom. This approval means that we are seen by the Thailand government as being transparent and accountable in our operations and thus opens the way for tremendous growth and expansion." The company can now proceed with planning the world's largest stem cell laboratory. When completed the facility will be able to produce 1000 batches of stem cells per month. At present blood withdrawn from patients has been flown to Israel for the processing of the stem cells into therapeutic numbers............. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=158542 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=158542 Wed, 30 May 2007 06:13:15 EST Study finds a window of adaptability in newly formed brain cells; may lead to stem cell therapies for neurodegenerative disorders. Researchers have identified a "critical period" during which new nerve cells in adult brains have the same capacity to learn as those in developing brains. The finding in mice, reported in this week's Neuron, provides the promise of therapies that may one day limit or perhaps even reverse the damage of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's. Scientists first observed neurogenesis—the creation of new neurons in the adult brain—in animal brains in the 1960s but did not find evidence of it in humans until the late 1990s, says senior study author Hongjun Song, an assistant professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore...................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=151714 Multiple Sclerosis, Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=151714 Thu, 24 May 2007 04:36:17 EST ProtoKinetix Inc. has just received the results of studies conducted by ITTEC Stem, Inc. at the University of Finland. These outstanding results using AAGP™ in the cryopreservation process for stem cells demonstrate the vital importance of this molecule in the rapidly expanding stem cell industry. This is the first series of tests using AAGP™ on human embryonic stem cells. Using standard cryogenic protocol for stem cell storage, the addition of 2mg/ml of AAGP™ resulted in an amazing recovery of 87%. Traditional recovery rates after cryopreservation with DMSO (Dimethyl Sulphoxide) are typically between 30% and 40%. Stem cells grown, after cryopreservation with AAGP™, maintain their identity as stem cells, not differentiated. Differentiation occurs when a stem cell has started to change into another defined cell, such as kidney, liver, skin, or even nerve cells. It is critically important that stored embryonic stem cells do not differentiate during storage........... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=150745 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=150745 Wed, 23 May 2007 08:41:57 EST The government has announced a U-turn on its ban on the creation of human-animal embryos and has now proposed allowing them to be used to develop new treatments for incurable diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. The proposal in a new draft fertility bill published today would allow scientists to create three different types of hybrid embryos. Scientists would be allowed to grow the embryos in a lab for no more than two weeks, and it would be illegal to implant them in a human.................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=144460 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=144460 Thu, 17 May 2007 08:20:28 EST A group of top German scientists called for lawmakers to relax restrictions on stem-cell research, warning that Germany risks losing its status as a leader in research -- not to mention lucrative contracts. The group of esteemed German researchers appeared before a parliamentary committee in Berlin on Wednesday including neurolobiologist Oliver Brüstle, the first German researcher to apply to import embryonic stem cells, in 2000. Brüstle and others urged lawmakers to give them increased access to the stem cells -- cells at an early stage of development, which have the potential to turn into different types of tissue. But stem-cell research is controversial because the cells are culled from human embryos. In 2001, the Bundestag passed a law that banned the production of stem cells from human embryos. They also ruled that research on human stem cells was only allowed if the cells were imported to Germany before Jan. 1, 2002........... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=137118 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=137118 Thu, 10 May 2007 11:57:38 EST Researchers are now able to study stem cells from the brains of adult mice and their neurogenesis in long-term cell cultures. Harish Babu an Dr. Gerd Kempermann, from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, have developed a new method which allows them to generate exactly those neurons from stem cells in cell culture as those that would develop in the living brain. They isolated the stem cells from a region of the hippocampus, the dentate gyrus, which is an island for neurogenesis in the adult brain. First, they demonstrated that the hippocampus of adult mice does indeed have cells with stem cell properties – which had previously been debated upon – and, furthermore, that these stem cells develop into neurons of the hippocampus under certain conditions.... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=124018 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=124018 Mon, 30 Apr 2007 04:22:42 EST Hopkins researchers have identified a backup supply of stem cells that can repair the most severe damage to the nerves responsible for our sense of smell. These reservists normally lie around and do nothing, but when neighbouring cells die, the scientists say, the stem cells jump into action. A report on the discovery will appear online next week in Nature Neuroscience. “These stem cells act like the Army Reserves of our nose,” explains lead author Randall Reed, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins, “supporting a class of active-duty stem cells that help repair normal wear and tear. They don’t come in until things are really bad.............” http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=123788 Multiple Sclerosis http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=123788 Sun, 29 Apr 2007 14:28:16 EST Scientists at the Schepens Eye Research Institute, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, have identified a key mechanism for successfully transplanting tissue into the adult central nervous system. The study found that a molecule known as MMP-2 (which is induced by stem cells) has the ability to break down barriers on the outer surface of a damaged retina and allow healthy donor cells to integrate and wire themselves into remaining recipient tissue. The finding, reported in the current issue (April 25, 2007) of the Journal of Neuroscience, holds great promise not only for patients with retinal disease, but also for those suffering from spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer's Diseases. "This is a very significant finding," says Dr. Michael Young, associate scientist at the Schepens Eye Research Institute and principal investigator of the study. "We believe that it will ultimately make retinal transplantation and restoration of vision a possibility." He adds that transplantation of donor photoreceptors (in whole retina transplants) may prove to be more beneficial than transplanting stem cells alone, as these retinal transplants contain a complete organised supply of cells necessary for proper vision.......................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=118873 Multiple Sclerosis, Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=118873 Fri, 27 Apr 2007 03:33:23 EST [i]MEPs have approved new EU rules for testing and authorising modern medical therapies and rejected calls by conservative members to exclude ethically-sensitive medicines from the bill's scope. The legislation passed on Wednesday (25 April) sets out the technical details on regulating at EU level so called "advanced therapies" - gene therapy, adult stem cell therapy and tissue engineering. Stem cell therapy - which experts believe could in future be crucial for the treatment of blindness, spinal cord injury, as well as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's - is the most controversial as it can involve cells being extracted from human embryos. The practice is currently legal only in a few countries, such as the UK, and the new rules uphold the right of individual member states to ban both research and sales of medicines developed from embryonic cells from human beings............[/i] For the full report please go to [link=http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=show&pageid=1406&CFID=2397189&CFTOKEN=31743057 newwindow]MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : General Stem Cell Research[/link] http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=118068 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=118068 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 05:41:33 EST With the help of high-priced lawyers and legal bureaucracy, an American couple wanted by the FBI for selling unapproved stem cell treatments are hiding out in South Africa. The couple, Laura Vanessa Brown and Steven van Rooyen, face a 51 charges of alleged fraud and the distribution of unapproved drugs. But by the time the indictment was issued in March 2006, they'd already fled South Africa. Disagreement over the validity of the nation's extradition treaty has kept the U.S. from bringing them back..................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=117854 Multiple Sclerosis, Stem cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=117854 Wed, 25 Apr 2007 14:53:02 EST One gene directs both embryonic and adult stem cells to perform the self-renewal function that is crucial in their potential broad use in medical treatments, researchers said yesterday. While the biology of these types of stem cells is very different, a study published in the journal Cell showed that they share at least this one key feature — a gene called Zfx that controls their ability to self-renew....................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=107384 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=107384 Fri, 20 Apr 2007 17:11:24 EST Europe may miss the boat on promising new stem cell and other advanced therapies unless a deadlock over regulation is broken, leaders of the biotech industry said on Tuesday (17/04/07). Informal talks between the European Parliament, Council and Commission over a centralised process for approving new tissue and cell engineering therapies were terminated two weeks ago by lead negotiator Miroslav Mikolasik of Slovakia................. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=99675 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=99675 Wed, 18 Apr 2007 03:33:45 EST A newly published study by UConn researchers confirms the potential of reprogramming cells by cell fusion. The technique can create stem cells for use in research, without harming embryos. The study is likely to intensify mounting scientific interest in reprogramming ordinary adult cells – somatic cells – back to their pristine condition when they were stem cells in the embryo. The researchers, led by Theodore Rasmussen of UConn’s Center for Regenerative Biology; Rachel O’Neill of the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology; and Winfried Krueger of the UConn Health Center’s Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, reported their findings in the online edition of Stem Cells, a highly regarded journal that focuses on stem cell research. Dominic Ambrosi, a doctoral student in molecular and cell biology, is first author on the paper.............. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=81581 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=81581 Mon, 02 Apr 2007 04:39:31 EST The European Commission Thursday (29/03/07) said it will spend over EUR1 million to fund a registry for human embryonic stem cell lines, providing researchers with information on all the human embryonic stem cell lines available in the European Union. "The E.U. is 100% committed to the highest possible standards of ethics in regard to its research program and this includes the use of human embryonic stem cells," said E.U. Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik. "This registry plays an important part, making the most effective use of existing stem cell lines and avoiding the unnecessary creation of new ones." The registry will be operated jointly by the Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona and by the Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies in Berlin..... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=79246 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=79246 Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:05:47 EST Stemagen has acquired the exclusive rights to a patent for a groundbreaking technique that allows the development of embryonic stem cells appearing to have a markedly enhanced potential for therapeutic use - uniparental embryonic stem cells. Because these extraordinary stem cells are created without fertilization, they may represent an acceptable alternative for those who oppose the traditional method that requires the use of embryos that are potentially capable of reproduction. "Because Stemagen has been successful in developing human uniparental embryonic stem cell lines, we believe we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on this patent," said Stemagen CEO Samuel H. Wood, M.D., Ph.D............................ http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=76988 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=76988 Tue, 27 Mar 2007 10:16:55 EST Medistem Laboratories, Inc. announced today its second pipeline candidate, Tolerostem(TM), a cellular therapy platform aimed at controlling harmful immunological responses through the use of adult stem cells undergoing a proprietary modification. If approved for human use, the Tolerostem(TM) platform could make a significant contribution in the treatment of multiple autoimmune diseases ranging from rheumatoid arthritis, to multiple sclerosis, to Type I diabetes. Additionally, Tolerostem(TM) offers the possibility of "tricking" the immune system of transplant recipients, so as to prevent the need for chronic immune suppression, which has been shown to cause significant adverse effects. The Tolerostem(TM) platform is based on the fundamental concept that the regulatory T cell, a type of anti-inflammatory cell in the immune system is activated by stem cells of specific lineages. Regulatory T cells subsequently home to areas of pathological inflammation and "teach" the inflammatory cells to stop attacking the host's tissue. If successful, Tolerostem(TM) opens the door to a therapeutic approach whereby the body regulates itself without the need for other types of medical intervention............... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=71348 Stem Cells, Multiple Sclerosis http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=71348 Wed, 21 Mar 2007 10:00:00 EST A newly discovered small molecule called IQ-1 plays a key role in preventing embryonic stem cells from differentiating into one or more specific cell types, allowing them to instead continue growing and dividing indefinitely, according to research performed by a team of scientists who have recently joined the stem-cell research efforts at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Their findings are being published today in an early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This discovery takes scientists another step closer to being able to grow embryonic stem cells without the “feeder layer” of mouse fibroblast cells that is essential for maintaining the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells, says the study’s primary investigator, Michael Kahn, Ph.D., who was recently named the first Provost’s Professor of Medicine and Pharmacy at USC. Such a layer is needed because it is currently the only proven method to provide the stem cells with the necessary chemical signals that prompt them to stay undifferentiated and to continue dividing over and over................. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=70243 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=70243 Tue, 20 Mar 2007 05:00:00 EST Eight UCSF faculty members intent on using human embryonic stem cells to explore treatment strategies for a variety of disorders -- heart disease, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and blood disorders -- were among the 29 scientists awarded major grants today by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Seven of the UCSF grants were awarded to scientists based at UCSF and one was awarded to a researcher at the UCSF-affiliated J. David Gladstone Institutes. The comprehensive grants to UCSF faculty, totaling $20.6 million, were chosen from among 70 applications from researchers at 23 non-profit institutions in California. They are to fund four years of research. The grants are designed to support the work of leading scientists who are already carrying out promising studies with animal or human stem cells but need additional funding to fuel or advance their research into human embryonic stem cells........ http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=67755 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=67755 Sat, 17 Mar 2007 16:00:00 EST A new licensing deal will allow Millipore to supply researchers with a commercial source of neural stem cells for the first time. Millipore believe the neural stem cells will provide an important tool for neural research, especially with regards to Alzheimers, spinal cord injury and depression research. Under the deal with Aruna Biomedical, the ENStem neural stem cells will be sold and marketed by Millipore as a kit with an optimised serum-free growth media and substrates. A major problem for neuroscientists has been the availability of human brain cells, who have had to rely on animal models or small amounts of human cells which are hard to culture. This has slowed research into neurodegenerative diseases and made the study of new drug targets more difficult............... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=66389 Multiple Sclerosis http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=66389 Fri, 16 Mar 2007 13:00:00 EST Scientists are preparing for a large clinical trial in 2008 which aims to use stem cells to help 400 patients with spinal cord injuries in Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan grow new cells and nerve fibres. Stem cells from umbilical cord blood will be injected into the spinal cords of the participants, who will also be given lithium to help stimulate cell regeneration, said Wise Young, a leading neuroscientist and spinal cord injury researcher. "What we'd like to do is study a broad range of patients, not just (those with) complete (spinal cord injuries)," said Young, professor at Rutgers' department of cellbiology and neuroscience. Rutgers is the state university in New Jersey in the U.S. Researchers are now giving lithium to 20 patients in Hong Kong in the phase 1 safety and feasibility trial. Lithium is a chemical element that is believed to boost cell regeneration.... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=58861 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=58861 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 07:00:00 EST The Irish public is being asked to give its opinions on stem cell research. The Irish Council for Bioethics is launching a consultation forum on Monday (05/03/07) to get as many views as possible on whether this research should be allowed in this country. Stem cell research is valuable for devising therapies and treatments, but has been controversial when it involves embryonic stem cells (ESTs). These are a basic form of cell which can be manipulated into becoming any of a variety of mature tissue cells. Adult stem cells from tissue such as bone marrow, brain and skin, are already legally used in research in Ireland.......... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=54715 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=54715 Sun, 04 Mar 2007 10:00:00 EST A recent discovery that a natural botanical extract can increase the number of stem cells released into the blood stream may offer a non-controversial way to benefit from stem-cell research. Christian Drapeau, director of research and development at Desert Lake Technologies in Oregon, is the co-inventor of StemEnhance, a natural botanical extract that triggers the release of adult stem cells from bone marrow into the bloodstream. Through a natural process, those stem cells then travel to areas of the body where they are most needed, said Drapeau, who holds a master’s degree from the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery of the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University. StemEnhance, a blend of two compounds extracted from the aquatic botanical aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA), affects the stem-cell system of regeneration, added Drapeau, who has more than 13 years of research experience in the fields of natural foods and nutrition.................... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=51235 http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=51235 Wed, 28 Feb 2007 10:05:20 EST Stem cells nearly as powerful as embryonic stem cells can be found in the amniotic fluid that protects babies in the womb, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday. They used them to create muscle, bone, fat, blood vessel, nerve and liver cells in the laboratory and said they believe the placenta and amniotic fluid can provide one more source of the valued cells, which scientists hope will someday transform medicine. They would also provide a non-controversial source of the cells, which are found with difficulty throughout the body and in days-old embryos. Embryonic cells are considered the most malleable of the various types of stem cells, but these amniotic fluid-derived cells are a close second, said Dr. Anthony Atala, of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, who led the study.......... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=50553 Stem Cells http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=50553 Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:17:57 EST When studying the brain, researchers often focus on its problems: addictions, mental illnesses and degeneration. Gong Chen, assistant professor of biology at Penn State, spoke Saturday about the hopes and challenges of brain repair with a decidedly brighter tone. "Today, I hope to show you some positive things about our brain," Chen said to an audience of about 325 in Thomas Building, concluding the 2007 Frontiers of Science lecture series. The key to possible brain repair lies in stem cell research, Chen said. A highly controversial topic, stem cell research explores the use of stem cells as a way of repairing tissue, he said. Chen explained to the audience that embryonic stem cells are preferred to adult stem cells for research. He said all human embryonic stem cells were extracted from in-vitro fertilized eggs, which were voluntarily donated. It was believed until recently that neurons in the brain could not be renewed. Research has shown that neural stem cells can divide and renew, or differentiate, Chen said....... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=50362 Multiple Sclerosis http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=50362 Tue, 27 Feb 2007 09:38:04 EST A scientific panel says a 2002 study that suggested adult stem cells might be as useful as embryonic ones was flawed and its conclusions may be wrong, a finding that raises questions about the promise of a less controversial source for stem cells. The research by Catherine Verfaillie at the University of Minnesota concluded that adult stem cells taken from the bone marrow of mice could grow into an array of biological tissues, including brain, heart, lung and liver. So far only embryonic stem cells, which are commonly retrieved by destroying embryos at an early stage of development, are known to hold such regenerative promise. Many scientists believe they might one day be used to treat certain diseases and other conditions. Opponents of stem cell research seized on the 2002 findings as evidence that stem cell science could move forward without destroying embryos. But Verfaillie has acknowledged flaws in parts of the study after inquiries from the British magazine New Scientist, which first publicised the questions last week.................. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=50361 Multiple Sclerosis http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=50361 Tue, 27 Feb 2007 09:35:39 EST Researchers from Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC) at University of Copenhagen have identified a new group of proteins that regulate the function of stem cells. The results are published in the new issue of Cell. All living organisms, including human beings, consist of a number of specialised cell types that all originate from the same type of primal cell; the embryonic stem cell. Stem cells can develop into any type of cell through a carefully regulated process referred to as cellular differentiation. During differentiation, specific genes are switched on while other genes are switched off. The genes that are activated during differentiation determine which type of cell the stem cell will become. The result is that cells in a particular organ, e.g. a liver, only express genes specific to that organ. Director of BRIC, Professor Kristian Helin led the research team consisting of Jesper Christensen, Karl Agger and Paul Cloos. Last year, the same research group published an article in Nature on how a group of Jumonji proteins regulate the growth of cancer cells and are involved in the development of specific cancer types...... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=50360 Multiple Sclerosis http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=50360 Tue, 27 Feb 2007 09:34:34 EST Canadian scientists have produced neurons from human skin stem cells in a breakthrough that might revolutionise neurodegenerative disease treatments. The Laval University researchers succeeded in producing neurons in vitro using stem cells extracted from adult human skin. That marks the first time such an advanced state of nerve cell differentiation has been achieved from human skin, according to lead researcher professor Francois Berthod. The scientists say the breakthrough could eventually lead to revolutionary advances in the treatment of neurodegenerative illnesses such as Parkinson's disease and Multiple Sclerosis..... http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=50359 Multiple Sclerosis http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=50359 Tue, 27 Feb 2007 09:33:36 EST The British government on Wednesday approved plans to allow women to donate eggs for stem cell and cloning research — and said they will also be entitled to compensation for costs incurred. The eggs would be used to create cloned embryos, with the hope of extracting stem cells. Because stem cells have the potential to become any cell in the body, scientists believe studying them could lead to cures for numerous diseases, including Parkinson‘s, Alzheimer‘s, or Multiple Sclerosis diseases. "It‘s exploitative because there will be women attracted even by the thought of getting 250 pounds from this," said Dr. Stephen Minger, director of the Stem Cell Laboratory at King‘s College. London. "I‘m very uncomfortable with the idea of selling tissue and body parts." But the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority — which advised the government — stressed that payment would strictly cover expenses only............................ http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=50358 Multiple Sclerosis http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=50358 Tue, 27 Feb 2007 09:32:36 EST