http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/adultstemcells/ en-us Fri, 1 Aug 2008 01:02:53 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2054620/posts Reprogrammed cells may offer insight into neurodegenerative disease. Skin cells from an elderly patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been ‘reprogrammed’ to generate motor neurons, the type of nerve cells that die as the disease progresses. It is the first time that an induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell line has been created from a patient with a genetic illness (J. T. Dimos et al. Science doi:10.1126/science.1158799; 2008). Like embryonic stem cells, iPS cells have the potential to develop into almost any of the body’s cell types and offer new disease insights. Patient-specific motor neurons, with a transcription factor called... Nature News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2054620/posts#comment Fri, 1 Aug 2008 01:02:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045009/posts Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have demonstrated for the first time that transplanted muscle stem cells can both improve muscle function in animals with a form of muscular dystrophy and replenish the stem cell population for use in the repair of future muscle injuries. "I'm very excited about this," said lead author Amy J. Wagers, Ph.D., Principal Investigator in the Joslin Section on Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, principal faculty member at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and Assistant Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University. "This study indicates the presence of renewing muscle stem cells... ScienceDaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045009/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 02:49:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2043734/posts Treating lung diseases is a high priority--chronic lung diseases are the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. Now a Canadian team has successfully treated a rare, progressive lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, using the patient's own genetically-modified adult stem cells.   The company Osiris has also started a Phase II clinical trial using its adult stem cell product, Prochymal, for moderate to severe chronic obstructive lung disease. Researchers at Vermont College of Medicine have also shown that cord blood stem cells has the potential to regenerate lung tissue. Family Research Council http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2043734/posts#comment Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:28:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2043728/posts Spray Gun Shoots Adult Stem Cells Onto Wound One goal of the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine is a way to quickly seal battlefield wounds and promote more rapid healing. One method already being tested is a skin spray gun; it sprays skin stem cells onto a wound. The technique also utilizes an innovative wound dressing that acts as a bioreactor, nurturing the sprayed-on cells. The method, which uses the patient's own cells, has already been successfully tested on 16 burn patients at the Berlin Burn Center, providing faster and more efficient healing than typical skin grafts. The patient's... Family Research Council http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2043728/posts#comment Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:14:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2043723/posts In the ongoing debate about stem cell research, few people differentiate between adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. Also, few know that there are over 70 successful treatments from adult stem cells and none from embryonic.1What has many up in arms is that the production of embryonic stem cells endangers the life of a very small, but distinctly human, person. Once a human egg has been fertilized, a new cell results, called a zygote. This single cell contains all the instructions required to mature and develop a full-term baby and is therefore rightly considered an immature person. The... icr http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2043723/posts#comment Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:08:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2043722/posts Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have demonstrated for the first time that transplanted muscle stem cells can both improve muscle function in animals with a form of muscular dystrophy and replenish the stem cell population for use in the repair of future muscle injuries. “I’m very excited about this,” said lead author Amy J. Wagers, Ph.D., Principal Investigator in the Joslin Section on Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, principal faculty member at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and Assistant Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University. “This study indicates the presence of renewing muscle stem cells... newswire http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2043722/posts#comment Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:00:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2042585/posts UF McKnight Brain Institute director honored by Italian scientists Dennis Steindler, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida. He recently was honored for his contributions to... Click here for more information. GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Dennis Steindler, executive director of the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida, was honored for his contributions to neuroscience at a ceremony with officials from the Catholic University in Rome, the university's teaching hospital — the Gemelli University Polyclinic — and the Italian government.  Steindler... eureakalert http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2042585/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jul 2008 21:15:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2042224/posts Rachel Wright gave her mother nearly an extra three years of life and together they played a pioneering role in the battle against a rare form of cancer called mantle-cell lymphoma. In the fall of 2005, Rachel, an Eisenhower graduate living in Seattle, allowed researchers to harvest her stem cells for transplantation into her mother, longtime Yakima resident Mary Roche Wright. Mary received a new immune system from her daughter that would hopefully fight off the lymphoma cells. The odds that Rachel would even be a donor were only 1 in 10,000. "We often don't even check the daughter because... red orbit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2042224/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jul 2008 04:32:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2039529/posts 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... science daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2039529/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jul 2008 02:07:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2039528/posts There's been a lot of controversy over the use of embryonic stem cells in recent years, but adult stem cells, which few people oppose using, are already giving some patients a new lease on life. Donald Reid is hoping adult stem cells will give him more time. The 57-year-old has clogged arteries and heart disease so bad he's not a candidate for surgery. Instead, he's joined an experimental study. It involves a machine that takes his blood and pulls out stem cells. But these aren't stem cells from an embryo. These are Donald's own adult stem cells. In the coming... wbztv http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2039528/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jul 2008 02:03:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2039526/posts Study: Stem Cells Used To Fix Your Broken Heart It's Called The Marvel Study The Largest Clinical Trial Investigating Adult Stem Cells To Treat Congestive Heart Failure For More Info, Call Jim Moran Heart & Vascular Center At (954) 229-8400 MIAMI (CBS4) ― Doctors are discovering a new way to fix your broken heart. A study is underway in South Florida that could revolutionize the way heart attack patients help their damaged hearts by using their own stem cells. It's called The Marvel Study and under the direction of Dr. Alan Neiderman with the Jim Moran Heart & Vascular Research... cbs http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2039526/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jul 2008 02:00:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2039522/posts Mumbai: Seven years after its inception amid much fanfare, Reliance Life Sciences, or RLS, is finally rolling out stem cell-based therapies in India, beginning with a treatment that can restore or improve vision. “This is the first commercial stem cell treatment in ophthalmology in the country,” said K.V. Subramaniam, CEO and president, RLS, part of the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance group. The company, which has invested around Rs1,000 crore in the business, has lined up other stem cell therapies for cardiac infarction, diabetic ulcer, and stable vitiligo or leukoderma (a skin disease), among others, to be offered in clinics in the... live mint http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2039522/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jul 2008 01:54:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038996/posts A spinal surgeon in Aurora, Colo., recently performed what's being called the first disc surgery in the United States using adult stem cells to help repair a man's injured lower back. "Stem cells have shown great promise over the past three years for treating back pain," Dr. Jeffrey Kleiner said. "In combination with the diskectomy, we hope to offer patients long-term relief from their back pain and to decrease their risk of needing additional surgeries." Adult stem cells have been injected into patients' backs and joints to promote tissue growth, but this is the first time stem cells have been... Citizen Link http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038996/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jul 2008 05:04:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038994/posts Spine surgeons at Pine Creek Medical Center in Dallas have established themselves as the leaders of a cutting-edge surgical procedure that utilizes a patient's own adult stem cells to regenerate tissue.   Doctors Douglas Won, Michael Rimlawi, and Francisco J. Battle, all spine surgeons, have extensive experience in harvesting adult stem cells during routine spinal procedures and delivering those cells back to their patients to aid in the treatment of severe back pain.  According to the World Research Group, disorders of the spine are one of the largest public health problems in the U.S. and as the population ages, incidents of... street insider http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038994/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jul 2008 04:59:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038399/posts Adult Stem Cells to treat ALS: UBC Study Vancouver researchers pioneer safe pathway to slow ALS using stem cells A unique pilot study has established a safe pathway for using bone-marrow stem cells to slow down and potentially treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease without cure. The study, published in the journal, Muscle & Nerve and led by Dr. Neil Cashman, professor of neurology at The University of British Columbia and director of the ALS program at Vancouver Coastal Health and VCH Research Institute, tested the use of a growth factor stimulant in ALS patients and found... exacom http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038399/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:40:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038394/posts The progress in using stem cell therapy may have hit a minor bump, according to a new study. The study indicated that using stem cells to regenerate damaged tissue, a step that can be used in the treatment of diseases, may turn out to be a complicated affair, after all.  Nobel laureate and geneticist from the University of Utah Mario Capecchi conducted the study jointly with Eugenio Sangiorgi, another geneticist. It was conducted on mice and involved the use of a gene called Bm1 to indicate that adult stem cells were present in the intestine of the mice. While that... the med guru http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038394/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:31:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038393/posts Some of Australia's leading bio-scientists are taking a closer look at a new, ethically acceptable stem cell research route that avoids the use of human embryos in the search for possible cures for degenerative diseases.  While not yet convinced that the "exciting" new method is as promising as using embryonic stem cells, they are studying the relative merits of the two approaches.  A major research breakthrough announced in Japan and the U.S. last November revealed that human "adult" skin cells can be reprogrammed into a new kind of cell -- an induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell -- that shares an... cns news http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038393/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:27:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038381/posts Scientists to issue stem-cell guide Their goal is to keep people desperate for treatment from falling prey to quacks. The world's leading group of stem-cell researchers yesterday announced it would issue guidelines for turning basic stem-cell research into safe, effective therapies. The International Society for Stem Cell Research's recommendations are aimed at halting "stem-cell tourism" - the growing parade of patients traveling to developing countries for costly, unproven and potentially harmful stem-cell treatments. "They're basically selling the 'snake oil' we've seen in medical fraud for many centuries," George Q. Daley, president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR),... Philly.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038381/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:04:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038371/posts NICE, France: In patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), immunosuppressive therapy followed by autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation elicited high response rates and improved quality of life for up to 6 years. The results of the study were presented here at the 18th Meeting of the European Neurological Society (ENS) by Tatiana Ionova, MD, PhD, Department of Haematology, Pirogov National Medical Surgical Center, Moscow, Russia. During the last decade, high-dose immunosuppressive therapy followed by autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been used with increasing frequency as a therapeutic option for patients with MS. "The aim of the study was to assess... psl group http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038371/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:33:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038364/posts New York is set to spend $600 million in taxpayer dollars on stem cell research. A recently released draft plan drooling over the potential of embryonic cells to cure a variety of diseases has drawn this blast from Rev. Ruben Diaz, the state senate's sole pro-life Democrat: June 13, 2008Judy Doesschate, J.D.Director of Board OperationsWadsworth CenterNew York State Department of HealthEmpire State Plaza, Box 509Albany, NY 12208-0509Dear Ms. Doesschate:This letter is to express my response to the Empire State Stem Cell Board’s strategic framework that will guide New York State’s $600 Million, 11-year investment in stem cell research. The... national review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038364/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:20:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038363/posts Dr. Rodriguez discussed use of stem cells for treating SUI (Stress Urinary Incontinence). A stem cell is embryonic, adult, or engineered. Embryonic stem cells come from the blastocyst which is totipotent or pluripotent. These cells are immortal, identical clonal cells with long-term self renewal. Controversies include possible tumor formation, the difficulty maintaining cell cultures and ethical issues. Embryonic stem cells can differentiate into ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm. Adult stem cells include hematopoetic stem cells, such as derived from bone marrow. This requires a bone marrow harvest, with low yield and difficulty to expand clones. A variety of other tissues have... medicalnewstoday http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038363/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:11:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038333/posts Australian scientists have discovered that stem cells found in the back of a patient's nose can produce the chemical which is missing in people with Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease occurs when the brain cells that produce the chemical dopamine stop working.  Without dopamine, nerve cells cannot function, leading to muscle problems. Researchers from Griffith University and the University of Queensland harvested adult stem cells from the noses of Parkinson's disease patients.  They found that once the nose cells were cultured and infused into animals with Parkinson's disease, the cells began to produce dopamine.  Professor Peter Silburn from the University of... abc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038333/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:16:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038330/posts New therapies offer promise for patients, say researchers at SNM's 55th Annual Meeting, June 14-18 NEW ORLEANS, La.—Using noninvasive molecular imaging technology, a method has been developed to track the location and activity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the tumors of living organisms, according to researchers at SNM's 55th Annual Meeting. This ability could lead to major advances in the use of stem cell therapies to treat cancer.  "Stem cell cancer therapies are still in the early stages of development, but they offer great promise in delivering personalized medicine that will fight disease at the cellular level," said Hui... eureakalert http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038330/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:13:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038324/posts iZumi Bio has agreed to license some patents from the J. David Gladstone Institutes as they begin to work together on new adult stem cell technology involved in devising cardiovascular therapies. ReportStem cell transplants were used to restore the sight of six blind patients at a London hospital. StorySome 2,500 delegates attended the recent International Society for Stem Cell Research in Philadelphia. And insiders say that the development of induced pluripotent stem cells has clearly energized the entire field. ReleaseIn a new study regarding age-related diseases, researchers identified two key regulatory pathways that control how well adult stem cells... fierce bioresearcher http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038324/posts#comment Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:58:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038299/posts Stem cells may force Crohn's disease into retreat, say Long Island medical investigators who are embarking on a pioneering analysis that targets patients who've failed other therapies. Cases of Crohn's disease have skyrocketed since World War II, jumping tenfold in the United States and raising questions about the disease's genetics and demography. It is one of two disorders -- the other is ulcerative colitis -- that are known as inflammatory bowel diseases. Before the 20th century there was no recorded evidence of either. Dr. Robert Richards, director of clinical research in the gastroenterology division at Stony Brook University Medical Center,... Newsday http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038299/posts#comment Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:32:27 GMT