Category Archives: Cell Medicine

Cesca Therapeutics subsidiary acquires assets of Sacramento's SynGen Inc. Sacramento Bee Rancho Cordova's Cesca Therapeutics Inc., a stem cell medicine and medical technology company, announced Monday that its subsidiary has acquired the assets SynGen Inc., the privately held Sacramento medical device company specializing in cell ... Cesca Therapeutics Acquires the Cell Processing Systems of SynGen Under Asset Acquisition AgreementNasdaq all 13 news articles » The rest is here: Cesca Therapeutics subsidiary acquires assets of Sacramento's SynGen Inc. - Sacramento Bee … Continue reading →

In what's reported to be a world-first, last Tuesday, a Japanese man received a pioneering retinal cell transplant grown from donor stem cells instead of his own. Doctors took skin cells from a donor bank and reprogrammed them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which can be coaxed to grow into most cell types in the body. For this procedure, the physicians grew the iPS cells into atype of retinal cell, and then injected them into the retina of the patient's right eye. The test subject was a man in his 60s who has been living with age-related macular degeneration-a currently incurable eye disease that slowly leads to loss of vision. If this news sounds somewhat familiar, it's because the same team of Japanese doctors successfully performed a similar transplant in 2014. But in that case, the iPS cells came from the patient's own skin, not from a donor. The 2014 treatment involved culturing a patient's cells into a thin sheet of retinal pigment epithelium cells, which they transplanted directly under her retina. One year later, their results showed that the patient's disease had not progressedas it would have without any treatment, and she continues to do well. But a … Continue reading →

In one of the famous scenes of American animated sitcom Family Guy, which was aired on January 2008, the main character, Peter Griffin, is seen entering a stem cell research lab with half his body paralyzed, as a result of a stroke, and walking out completely healthy. Growing a heart on a plate (PR photo) Imagination plays an important role in dealing with stem cells. Theoretically, cells that, in a lab, can differentiate into any specialized cell present countless options of playing with the human bodyfrom treating any physical medical failure, through preparing a bank of human spare parts, to producing a new race of perfect human beings, completely flawless and immune. That is only in theory, however, at least at this stage. In practice, the possibilities inherent in stem cells are still imaginary, and using them for actual treatment is still very limited. Torontos skyline is dotted with multi-story buildings, each with a series of elevators that fly visitors within second from the ground floor to the upper floors. The 35th floor of Eaton Centre, a shopping mall and office complex located near Dundas Squarewhich locals say is like Times Square, only a lot less impressiveoverlooks almost all parts … Continue reading →

Researchers at the Universities of Dundee and Edinburgh in Scotland are looking to work with the pharmaceutical industry to improve understanding of the biological processes that could form the basis of new therapies to support tissue regeneration or repair. The National Phenotypic Screening Centre (NPSC) at the University of Dundee and the Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) at the University of Edinburgh have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work more closely together on translating novel biological discoveries into new stem cell therapies that could address a wide range of conditions. The UK Regenerative Medicine Platform-funded Engineering and exploiting the stem cell niche Hub, led by the CRM, is dedicated to increase understanding of the biology of stem cell niches and to exploiting this knowledge therapeutically to improve organ regeneration through endogenous repair and cell transplantation. Finding new drugs which can activate endogenous regenerative pathways requires the development of cell-based assays able to reproduce the complex behaviour of the cells and tissues in patients; the NPSC specialises in developing such assays so they can be systematically screened using large libraries of drug-like molecules to uncover agents that can alter cell and tissue behaviour. The alliance between … Continue reading →

Bobby Paultauf and his band will play the throwdown. Those in the Redding, Easton area are probably aware of what happened to Joel Barlow High School student Zach Standen in the summer of 2016. Zach was in a devastating auto accident that left him partially paralyzed. He needs hope and support from as many people as possible. He needs countless medical procedures in order to gain movement to his legs again through stem cell treatment due to a tragic car accident that made him paralyzed. To help support Standens recovery, local musicians Bobby Paltauf, of the Bobby Paltauf Band, and Grayson Hugh, of Grayson Hugh & the Moon Hawks, will play a benefit show on Saturday, March 11 at the Fairfield Theater Company. The family has started a GoFundMe account where people are able to donate to this expensive treatment. Lets all get together and help him walk again, Paultaufs mother, Tiffany, wrote in a press release. Bobby Paltauf is a senior at Joel Barlow High School, where Standen goes. Lets all get together and support local live music, especially where it benefits the hope of Zach being able to walk again, his mother wrote. For the concert benefitting Standen, … Continue reading →

Stem and Progenitor Cell-Based Therapy of the Central Nervous System: Hopes, Hype, and Wishful Thinking Goldman, SA Cell Stem Cell 2016-02-04 17.05 | Feb 8 Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Renal Transplantation: Opportunities and Challenges Casiraghi, F; Perico, N; Cortinovis, M; Remuzzi, G Nat Rev Nephrol 2016-02-08 17.05 | Feb 8 Manufacturing of AcMNPV Baculovirus Vectors to Enable Gene Therapy Trials Kwang, TW; Zeng, X; Wang, S Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2016-01-27 17.04 | Feb 1 Targeted Approaches to Induce Immune Tolerance for Pompe Disease Therapy Doerfler, PA; Nayak, S; Corti, M; Morel, L; Herzog, RW; Byrne, BJ Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2016-01-27 17.04 | Feb 1 Hurdles to the Introduction of New Therapies for Immune-Mediated Kidney Diseases Anders, HJ; Jayne, DRW; Rovin, BH Nat Rev Immunol 2016-01-25 17.03 | Jan 25 Megakaryocyte and Megakaryocyte Precursor Related Gene Therapies Wilcox, DA Blood 2016-01-19 17.03 | Jan 25 Gene Therapy Approaches against Cancer Using In Vivo and Ex Vivo Gene Transfer of Interleukin-12 Hernandez-Alcoceba, R; Poutou, J; Ballesteros-Briones, MC; Smerdou, C Immunotherapy 2016/01/20 17.03 | Jan 25 Biology and Applications of CRISPR Systems: Harnessing Natures Toolbox for Genome Engineering Wright, AV; Nunez, JK; Doudna, JA Cell 2016-01-14 17.02 | Jan … Continue reading →

Home Molecular & Cellular Medicine Menu Research in the Molecular and Cellular Medicine department spans a wide range of biological processes, from structure and function of biomolecules to cell physiology. Emphasis is placed on understanding normal and abnormal biological function at the molecular and cellular levels. Using state-of-the-art biophysical technologies, research programs at the molecular level focus on understanding how proteins are synthesized, folded, assembled into functional macromolecules and trafficked throughout the cell. Reverse genetic approaches are used to elucidate the roles of newly discovered proteins and define functional protein domains. Research programs that bridge molecular and cellular levels focus on understanding mechanisms of basic cellular physiology (DNA replication, transcription, translation and protein sorting), molecules that control complex regulatory pathways (signal transduction, gene regulation, epigenetics, development and differentiation) and the molecular basis for cancer. Many faculty members have strong collaborative ties with Texas A&M University research groups in the Chemistry and Biochemistry/Biophysics departments or belong to multi-disciplinary research groups affiliated with Texas A&M University, including programs in Genetics, Neurosciences and Virology. 440 Reynolds Medical Building College Station, TX 77843-1114 Phone: (979) 436-0856 Fax: (979) 847-9481 Toll Free: (800) 298-2260 (U.S. only) Last edited by: chauhan 09/22/2015 Excerpt from: Molecular & … Continue reading →

Cell phones may help bring expensive medical devices to people in need. A lifesaving phone call. I'm Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update. In the developing world, many doctors don't have access to high-tech imaging systems, like ultrasound and MRI, and if they do, the machines are often broken. University of California at Berkeley bioengineer Boris Rubinsky has a solution: call up a working machine with an ordinary cell phone. He explains that you can do the scanning part with relatively cheap instruments, and send the raw data to a remote server as a cell phone text message. That server would then convert the raw data into a high-resolution image. Rubinsky: And the central processing facility can send back the image the way you would send a photo through your cellular phone. To prove the concept, his team performed a kind of tumor-detecting electrical scan via cell phone, and it worked. He says the technique could also help control health care costs here at home. I'm Bob Hirshon for AAAS, the Science Society. It's hard to believe that cell phones are a relatively recent technology, since they're everywhere you look these days. Today's phones not only make calls, but … Continue reading →

There are many ways in which human stem cells can be used in research and the clinic. Studies of human embryonic stem cells will yield information about the complex events that occur during human development. A primary goal of this work is to identify how undifferentiated stem cells become the differentiated cells that form the tissues and organs. Scientists know that turning genes on and off is central to this process. Some of the most serious medical conditions, such as cancer and birth defects, are due to abnormal cell division and differentiation. A more complete understanding of the genetic and molecular controls of these processes may yield information about how such diseases arise and suggest new strategies for therapy. Predictably controlling cell proliferation and differentiation requires additional basic research on the molecular and genetic signals that regulate cell division and specialization. While recent developments with iPS cells suggest some of the specific factors that may be involved, techniques must be devised to introduce these factors safely into the cells and control the processes that are induced by these factors. Human stem cells are currently being used to test new drugs. New medications are tested for safety on differentiated cells generated … Continue reading →

Bone marrow transplant offers the only potential cure for sickle cell anemia. But finding a donor is difficult and the procedure has serious risks associated with it, including death. As a result, treatment for sickle cell anemia is usually aimed at avoiding crises, relieving symptoms and preventing complications. If you have sickle cell anemia, you'll need to make regular visits to your doctor to check your red blood cell count and monitor your health. Treatments may include medications to reduce pain and prevent complications, blood transfusions and supplemental oxygen, as well as a bone marrow transplant. Medications used to treat sickle cell anemia include: Hydroxyurea (Droxia, Hydrea). When taken daily, hydroxyurea reduces the frequency of painful crises and may reduce the need for blood transfusions. Hydroxyurea seems to work by stimulating production of fetal hemoglobin a type of hemoglobin found in newborns that helps prevent the formation of sickle cells. Hydroxyurea increases your risk of infections, and there is some concern that long-term use of this drug may cause tumors or leukemia in certain people. However, this hasn't yet been seen in studies of the drug. Hydroxyurea was initially used just for adults with severe sickle cell anemia. Studies on … Continue reading →