Category Archives: Cell Medicine

ScienceDaily (June 26, 2012) Compared to normal cells, cancer cells have a prodigious appetite for glucose, the result of a shift in cell metabolism known as aerobic glycolysis or the "Warburg effect." Researchers focusing on this effect as a possible target for cancer therapies have examined how biochemical signals present in cancer cells regulate the altered metabolic state. Now, in a unique study, a UCLA research team led by Thomas Graeber, a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology, has investigated the reverse aspect: how the metabolism of glucose affects the biochemical signals present in cancer cells. In research published June 26 in the journal Molecular Systems Biology, Graeber and his colleagues demonstrate that glucose starvation -- that is, depriving cancer cells of glucose -- activates a metabolic and signaling amplification loop that leads to cancer cell death as a result of the toxic accumulation of reactive oxygen species, the cell-damaging molecules and ions targeted by antioxidants like vitamin C. The research, which involved UCLA scientists from the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging, the Institute for Molecular Medicine, the California NanoSystems Institute, the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, and … Continue reading →

The Sugar Land company involved in Gov. Rick Perry's unlicensed adult stem-cell procedure is rife with basic manufacturing problems, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In a report one expert called a blow to the entire adult stem-cell industry, the FDA found that Celltex Therapeutics Corp. cannot guarantee the sterility, uniformity and integrity of stem cells it takes from people and then stores and grows for eventual therapeutic reinjection. "You have not performed a validation of your banking and thawing process to assure viability" of the stem cells, reads the April 27 report, meaning that the company cannot verify the cells are alive. The FDA report, which followed an April 16-27 inspection of Celltex, was released under the Freedom of Information Act Monday to the Houston Chronicle and a University of Minnesota bioethicist who complained in February that Celltex is a potential danger to patients and not in compliance with federal law. The report, partially redacted, was not accompanied by a warning letter. A former FDA official who asked not to be identified, however, said the deficiencies - 79 in all, from incorrectly labeled products to failed sterility tests - are so serious that Celltex risks being shut … Continue reading →

TAIPEI, June 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- TaiGen Biotechnology Company, Limited ("TaiGen") and Zhejiang Medicine Company, Limited ("ZMC") today announced that they have signed an exclusive agreement to manufacture and commercialize nemonoxacin, a novel broad-spectrum antibiotic, in China (excluding Hong Kong, and Macau). Nemonoxacin is a novel broad-spectrum non-fluorinated quinolone antibiotic under development for respiratory infections. TaiGen will be responsible for completing the Phase 3 clinical trial for community acquired pneumonia ("CAP") in China. ZMC will be responsible for manufacturing, sales and marketing of nemonoxacin in China through its wholly-owned subsidiary, XinChang Pharmaceuticals. TaiGen will retain full development and commercialization rights outside the licensed territory including Taiwan, the United States, European Union, and Japan. Under the terms of the agreement, TaiGen will receive an upfront payment of US$ 8 million from ZMC and will receive additional milestones as well as royalties on product sales. The term of the agreement is 20 years. Nemonoxacin has demonstrated efficacy and safety in CAP and diabetic foot infection in multinational and multi-center clinical trials conducted by TaiGen. In particular, nemonoxacin has excellent activity against drug-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and quinolone-resistant MRSA. Nemonoxacin is taken once-a-day and available in both oral and … Continue reading →

SUNRISE, Fla., June 25, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bioheart, Inc. (BHRT.OB) announced today that Kristin Comella, the company's Chief Science Officer presented at the 10th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) in Yokohama, Japan June 13 - 16, 2012. One of the world's premier stem cell research events, the ISSCR format includes international research and poster presentations from invited speakers, exceptional peer-to-peer learning and unparalleled networking opportunities. Comella presented a poster on clinical applications of adipose or fat derived stem cells (ADSCs). The ISSCR annual meeting serves as the largest forum for stem cell and regenerative medicine professionals from around the world. Through lectures, symposia, workshops, and events attendees experience innovative stem cell and regenerative medicine research, advances and what's on the horizon. The meeting features more than 1,000 abstracts, nearly 150 speakers and provides numerous networking and professional development opportunities and social events. For additional information, visit http://www.isscr.org. Kristin Comella has over 14 years experience in corporate entities with expertise in regenerative medicine, training and education, research, product development and senior management including more than 10 years of cell culturing experience. She has made a significant contribution to Bioheart's product development, manufacturing and quality … Continue reading →

SUNRISE, Fla., June 25, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bioheart, Inc. (BHRT.OB) announced today that Kristin Comella, the company's Chief Science Officer presented at the 10th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) in Yokohama, Japan June 13 - 16, 2012. One of the world's premier stem cell research events, the ISSCR format includes international research and poster presentations from invited speakers, exceptional peer-to-peer learning and unparalleled networking opportunities. Comella presented a poster on clinical applications of adipose or fat derived stem cells (ADSCs). The ISSCR annual meeting serves as the largest forum for stem cell and regenerative medicine professionals from around the world. Through lectures, symposia, workshops, and events attendees experience innovative stem cell and regenerative medicine research, advances and what's on the horizon. The meeting features more than 1,000 abstracts, nearly 150 speakers and provides numerous networking and professional development opportunities and social events. For additional information, visit http://www.isscr.org. Kristin Comella has over 14 years experience in corporate entities with expertise in regenerative medicine, training and education, research, product development and senior management including more than 10 years of cell culturing experience. She has made a significant contribution to Bioheart's product development, manufacturing and quality … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/skdhnn/translational_rege) has announced the addition of the "Translational Regenerative Medicine - Oncology, CNS and Cardiovascular-Rich Pipeline Features Innovative Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Applications" report to their offering. More Guidelines Needed to Grow Regenerative Medicine Market, Report Finds Standardized research guidelines are needed to control and encourage the development of gene therapy and stem cell treatments, according to a new report by healthcare experts GBI Research. The new report* shows how regenerative medicine is seen as an area with high future potential, as countries need ways to cope with the burden of an aging population. The stem cell market alone is predicted to grow to around $5.1 billion by 2014, while gene therapy has also shown promise despite poor understanding of some areas of regenerative medicine and a lack of major approvals (the only approvals to date being made in Asia). Up until now, securing research within clinics has been difficult, with a high number of failures and discontinuations throughout all phases of clinical study. Stem cell therapy uses bone marrow transplants as an established treatment method, but the development of the therapy into further applications and has not yet become common practice. Similarly, tissue … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (June 24, 2012) With the University of Pittsburgh's development of a cell-free, biodegradable artery graft comes a potentially transformative change in coronary artery bypass surgeries: Within 90 days after surgery, the patient will have a regenerated artery with no trace of synthetic graft materials left in the body. Research published online June 24 in Nature Medicine highlights work led by principal investigator Yadong Wang, a professor in Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering and School of Medicine's Department of Surgery, who designed grafts that fully harness the body's regenerative capacity. This new approach is a philosophical shift from the predominant cell-centered approaches in tissue engineering of blood vessels. "The host site, the artery in this case, is an excellent source of cells and provides a very efficient growth environment," said Wang. "This is what inspired us to skip the cell culture altogether and create these cell-free synthetic grafts." Wang and fellow researchers, Wei Wu, a former Pitt postdoctoral associate (now a postdoctoral associate at Yale University), and Robert Allen, a PhD student in bioengineering, designed the graft with three properties in mind. First, they chose a graft material -- an elastic polymer called PGS -- that is resorbed quickly by … Continue reading →

Public release date: 24-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: B. Rose Huber rhuber@pitt.edu 412-624-4356 University of Pittsburgh PITTSBURGHWith the University of Pittsburgh's development of a cell-free, biodegradable artery graft comes a potentially transformative change in coronary artery bypass surgeries: Within 90 days after surgery, the patient will have a regenerated artery with no trace of synthetic graft materials left in the body. Research published online June 24 in Nature Medicine highlights work led by principal investigator Yadong Wang, a professor in Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering and School of Medicine's Department of Surgery, who designed grafts that fully harness the body's regenerative capacity. This new approach is a philosophical shift from the predominant cell-centered approaches in tissue engineering of blood vessels. "The host site, the artery in this case, is an excellent source of cells and provides a very efficient growth environment," said Wang. "This is what inspired us to skip the cell culture altogether and create these cell-free synthetic grafts." Wang and fellow researchers, Wei Wu, a former Pitt postdoctoral associate (now a postdoctoral associate at Yale University), and Robert Allen, a PhD student in bioengineering, designed the graft with three properties in mind. First, they chose … Continue reading →

Public release date: 24-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Scott LaFee slafee@ucsd.edu 619-543-6163 University of California - San Diego Hemimegalencephaly is a rare but dramatic condition in which the brain grows asymmetrically, with one hemisphere becoming massively enlarged. Though frequently diagnosed in children with severe epilepsy, the cause of hemimegalencephaly is unknown and current treatment is radical: surgical removal of some or all of the diseased half of the brain. In a paper published in the June 24, 2012 online issue of Nature Genetics, a team of doctors and scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, say de novo somatic mutations in a trio of genes that help regulate cell size and proliferation are likely culprits for causing hemimegalencephaly, though perhaps not the only ones. De novo somatic mutations are genetic changes in non-sex cells that are neither possessed nor transmitted by either parent. The scientists' findings a collaboration between Joseph G. Gleeson, MD, professor of neurosciences and pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego; Gary W. Mathern, MD, a neurosurgeon at UC Los Angeles' Mattel Children's Hospital; and … Continue reading →

A new class of drugs offers hope to lung cancer patients who have a specific mutation in their tumour cells. LG LAU was in her mid-thirties when she was first diagnosed with lung cancer. She had caught a normal cold, and her early symptoms included persistent coughing, shortness of breath, loss of weight and a hoarse voice. When her cough worsened and wouldnt go away for several weeks, she went to see a doctor, who diagnosed her condition as tuberculosis. After taking the prescribed medication for about two weeks, there was no improvement in her condition. In fact, her health gradually worsened, and by the end of the third week, she had difficulty eating and started losing weight. By the end of the month, she became too weak to move around on her own and had to get about in a wheelchair. Her husband finally couldnt bear to watch her suffer any longer, and in spite of her protests, brought her to see a specialist, who ordered a chest X-ray and CT scan. The results were conclusive; although she had never smoked in her life, she was diagnosed with Stage 3B non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Her doctor insisted that … Continue reading →