Category Archives: Cell Medicine

The Spanish start-up Aglaris Cell is close to launching onto the market the world's first bioreactor that cultures cell in a fully automated way, without using toxic additives. The device has attracted interest from the University of Oxford and the pharmaceutical giant, Merk. David Horna, a 33-year-old from Madrid and one of the co-founders of Aglaris Cell, whose offices are located in the Madrid Scientific Park (PCM), is in London this week to meet with investors to secure a second round of funding. Horna, alongside his two partners, Miquel Costa and Manuel A. Gonzlez de la Pea, created the company a little over two years ago with the aim of developing a device that would automate stem cell cultures thereby making advances in the production of 'live' medicines. As David Horna explained, after four years of intensive research and development, the prototype called Aglaris Facer 1.0, patented in 2012 in Spain and in the process of obtaining its international patent, "is practically ready to be sold on the market." The idea of developing this device came about when the partners, who worked in various fields of biotechnology, noticed that more and more industries were using cells and tissues in their … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 26-May-2014 Contact: Andrew Gould andrew.gould@plymouth.ac.uk University of Plymouth A research team from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry has received funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council for research to better understand a cell defect that contributes to diseases such as cancer. Their work could directly lead to the development of drug therapies to halt these diseases at the very earliest stages of diagnosis. The team is led by Dr. Bing Hu, Associate Professor in Oral and Dental Health Research at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry. The project will last for three years and has received funding of almost half a million pounds. Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) is a fundamental cellular mechanism that controls growth and development by aligning cells and tissues. Scientists know that a defect in PCP contributes to many human diseases, and that changes in PCP are often the earliest 'cellular events' that lead to conditions such as cancer. Little is understood about the mechanism behind these changes and the role of PCP genes. If scientists can discover how the mechanism works, the way may be open for the development of drug therapies to treat PCP-related diseases. … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise May 25, 2014 (Bronx, NY) Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered a signaling pathway in cancer cells that controls their ability to invade nearby tissues in a finely orchestrated manner. The findings offer insights into the early molecular events involved in metastasis, the deadly spread of cancer cells from primary tumor to other parts of the body. The study was published today in the online edition of Nature Cell Biology. To migrate from a primary tumor, a cancer cell must first break through surrounding connective tissue known as the extracellular matrix (ECM). The cancer cell does so by forming short-lived invadopodiafoot-like protrusions these cells use to invade. Invadopodia release enzymes that degrade the ECM, while other protrusions pull the cancer cell along, much like a locomotive pulls a train. The invading cancer cell relies on the cycle of invadopodium formation/disappearance to successfully travel from the tumor and enter nearby blood vessels to be carried to distant parts of the body. Weve known for some time that invadopodia are driven by protein filaments called actin, said study leader Louis Hodgson, Ph.D., assistant professor of anatomy and structural … Continue reading →

University of Barcelona's researchers led by Professor Carles Enrich, from the Department of Cell Biology, Immunology and Neurosciences of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Barcelona (UB) and CELLEX Biomedical Research Centre of IDIBAPS, have found that cholesterol plays a key role in cell mobility and tissue invasion. The results of the study prove that the accumulation of LDL cholesterol cells -- the one carried by low-density lipoproteins -- may play a crucial role in promoting cell mobility. On the contrary, high levels of HDL cholesterol -- the one carried by high-density lipoproteins -- may avoid cell propagation. This is a key study to better understand cancer metastasis, the process in which cancer cells invade healthy tissues, and foster the discussion on the relationship between cholesterol levels and cancer incidence. Daniel Grinberg and Llusa Vilageliu, from the Department of Genetics of the Faculty of Biology, and Joan Blasi, from the Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapy of the Faculty of Medicine, participated in the paper, published on the journal Cell Reports. Researchers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, the University of Sidney (Australia), Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane, Australia) and the University of Hamburg (Germany) also collaborated … Continue reading →

This post is sponsored by DIA. Regenerative medicines and the latest regulatory issues surrounding them will be a hot topic for discussion at the DIA 2014 50th Annual Meeting. This years Annual Meeting will be in San Diego from June 15 to 19 and will feature a session titled Pioneering Regenerative Medicine: Trends in Regulations for New Therapy, under the Nonclinical and Translational Development/Early Phase Clinical Development track. The session, to be held on June 16 from 8:30-10:00 AM, will introduce the first clinical research of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell products in Japan and review the current regulatory status and governmental efforts surrounding regenerative medicine. Speakers will also identify issues in the application of the new technology and discuss possible solutions. iPS cells hold great promise in the field of regenerative medicine because they can propagate indefinitely, as well as give rise to every other cell type in the body such as neurons, heart, pancreatic, and liver cells, and therefore represent a single source of cells that could be used to replace those lost to damage or disease. iPS cell technology was pioneered by Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto, Japan, who was awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize for the … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Embargo: May 18, 2014 at 1 p.m. EDT Newswise LOS ANGELES (STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL MAY 18, 2014 AT 1 P.M. EDT) Researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have identified a heart-specific form of a protein, BIN1, responsible for sculpting tiny folds in pockets that are present on the surface of heart muscle cells. The study provides the first direct evidence of a previously theoretical fuzzy space or slow diffusion zone that protects against irregular heartbeats by maintaining an ideal concentration of electrochemical molecules. The findings help us understand how heart cells are organized, but more importantly, they give us insight into the way heart cells change when hearts start to fail, said Robin Shaw, MD, PhD, cardiologist and expert in heart failure and rhythm abnormalities at the Heart Institute. In addition, the results have diagnostic implications and eventually could lead to therapeutic options, said Shaw, senior author of an article in the May 18 issue of Nature Medicine that describes the study, which was conducted in laboratory mice. By measuring the BIN1 level in the heart or in the bloodstream, we believe we can approximate the health of the heart and prognosticate patient … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise May 13, 2014 (BRONX, NY) Healthy stem cells work to restore or repair the bodys tissues, but cancer stem cells have a more nefarious mission: to spawn malignant tumors. Cancer stem cells were discovered a decade ago, but their origins and identity remain largely unknown. Today, the Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University hosted its second Stem Cell Symposium, focusing on cancer stem cells. Leading scientists from the U.S., Canada and Belgium discussed the latest advances in the field and highlighted the challenges of translating this knowledge into targeted cancer treatments. These exceptional scientists are pioneers in the field and have made enormous contributions to our understanding of the biology of stem cells and cancer, said Paul Frenette, M.D., director and chair of Einsteins Stem Cell Institute and professor of medicine and of cell biology. Hopefully this symposium will spark productive dialogues and collaborations among the researchers who attend. The presenters were: Cancer Stem Cells and Malignant Progression, Robert A. Weinberg, Ph.D., Daniel K. Daniel K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research Director, Ludwig Center of … Continue reading →

The discovery of a crucial mechanism that controls the activation of T cells, a blood cell whose primary job is to fight infection in the body, may enable the development of new drugs to treat autoimmune disease, transplant rejection, and similar disorders in which T cells play a major role. The finding, "T Cell Receptor Signals to NF-kB Are Transmitted by a Cytosolic p62-Bcl10-Malt1-IKK Signalosome," was published in the May 13 issue of Science Signaling. A team of Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) researchers led by Dr. Brian Schaefer, Associate Professor in USU's Department of Microbiology and Immunology, has demonstrated that the "POLKADOTS signalosome" (named for its dot-like appearance in cells) activates a protein called "NF-kappaB" in T cells. A signalosome is a cluster of proteins that works together inside a cell to control the activity of other proteins. NF-kappaB is a protein that turns on many different T cell functions, including those that contribute to autoimmunity and rejection of transplants. Dr. Schaefer's team, including lead author, Dr. Suman Paul, had previously shown that the POLKADOTS signalosome, in addition to activating this protein, also limits how much NF-kappaB is turned on. Because the POLKADOTS signalosome is a … Continue reading →

Beverly Hills, California (PRWEB) May 12, 2014 The top Beverly Hills pain management doctors at BZ Pain are now offering stem cell procedures for those with joint arthritis and pain. The outpatient regenerative medicine procedures are typically able to relieve pain and help patients avoid the need for joint replacement surgery of the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle. Call (310) 626-1526 for more information and scheduling. Over a million joint replacement procedures are performed each year in America. These procedures should be considered an absolute last resort, since the implants are not meant to last forever. There are potential complications with joint replacement. Therefore, stem cell procedures are an excellent option. They often help repair and regenerate damaged tissue, which is very different than what occurs with steroid injections. The stem cell procedures include options derived from amniotic fluid, fat tissue, or one's bone marrow. Initial studies are showing the benefits of stem cell procedures for degenerative arthritis. With exceptionally low risk, there is a significant upside with the stem cell pain management therapies. Dr. Zarrini at BZ Pain is a Double Board Certified Los Angeles pain management doctor, and is able to provide both medical and interventional therapies. The … Continue reading →

This article was originally distributed via PRWeb. PRWeb, WorldNow and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. SOURCE: Xcelthera Inc and its joint research partner San Diego Regenerative Medicine Institute are granted U.S. Patent No. 8,716,017 entitled, Technologies, Methods, and Products of Small Molecule-Directed Tissue and Organ Regeneration from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. San Diego, CA (PRWEB) May 08, 2014 Xcelthera Inc, a major innovator in the stem cell research market and one of the first U.S. companies formed for clinical applications of human embryonic stem cell (human ES cell) therapeutic utility for unmet medical needs, and its joint research partner San Diego Regenerative Medicine Institute announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted Patent No. 8,716,017 entitled, Technologies, Methods, and Products of Small Molecule-Directed Tissue and Organ Regeneration from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. This newly-issued patent is the first among a portfolio of intellectual property of Xcelthera Inc covering PluriXcel human stem cell technology platform for large-scale production of high quality clinical-grade pluripotent human ES cell lines and their functional human neuronal and heart muscle cell therapy products. Neurodegenerative and heart diseases are major health problems and cost the worldwide healthcare system … Continue reading →