Category Archives: Cell Medicine

SAN DIEGO, March 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Histogen Inc., a regenerative medicine company, and Suneva Medical, a privately-held aesthetics company, today announced that they have entered into a license agreement for physician-dispensed aesthetic products containing Histogen's proprietary multipotent cell conditioned media (CCM). Under the terms of this license agreement, Suneva Medical has acquired exclusive U.S. licensing rights to Histogen's multipotent CCM and the ReGenica branded line of products for topical applications in the licensed market. Suneva Medical will manufacture the ReGenica product line and market it to aesthetic practitioners throughout the U.S. Histogen will receive a transfer price on the CCM, as well as royalties on future sales of ReGenica and product line extensions. "First, let me say that, as the first step in expanding our business, we are very excited about this particular opportunity as the advent of regenerative medicine is upon us. One of our key business objectives is to find novel products that complement our rapidly growing dermal filler business. We believe Histogen's innovative technology coupled with our proven experience of developing and marketing aesthetic products is a winning combination as it enables us to offer our customers a differentiated product line," stated Nicholas Teti, Chairman and Chief … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -03/05/12)- February was a challenging month for stem cell stocks. TickerSpy's Stem Cell Stocks Index (RXSTM) has slipped nearly 13 percent over the last month -- underperforming the S&P 500 by close to 17 percent over that time frame. Despite the drop in investor optimism, new and promising research continues to propel the industry forward. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Biotechnology industry and provides equity research on BioTime, Inc. (AMEX: BTX - News) and Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTM - News). Access to the full company reports can be found at: http://www.fivestarequities.com/BTX http://www.fivestarequities.com/ASTM A new study at Johns Hopkins University has shown that stem cells from patients' own cardiac tissue can be used to heal scarred tissue after a heart attack. "This has never been accomplished before, despite a decade of cell therapy trials for patients with heart attacks. Now we have done it," Eduardo Marban, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and one of the study's co-authors, said in a statement. "The effects are substantial." In another study, researchers led by Jonathan Tilly, director of the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital, argue they've discovered the ovaries of … Continue reading →

A new treatment for cancer in dogs has become available in Australia. Developed by Pfizer Animal Health, the medicine is administered orally and works by killing cancer cells and cutting off the blood supply to skin-based mast cell tumours. The potentially lethal form of canine cancer can appear as wart-like lumps on the surface of the skin. Vet Rod Straw, founder of the Australian Animal Cancer Foundation and the Brisbane Veterinary Specialist Centre, was one of the first in Australia to use the new treatment. He said one in four dogs developed a tumour at some stage in their life. "When an owner is given the devastating news that their beloved pet has cancer, their primary concern is to limit their dog's day-to-day pain and suffering," Dr Straw said. "This new medicine gives vets and owners the best chance to do this." Dr Straw said before the new treatment vets had to rely on human cancer medicines as the only option for treating mast cell tumours. "Given that these medicines weren't developed with canine cancer in mind, it is only through trial and error that we as vets were able to identify a safe dose and work out how to … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire -03/05/12)- The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine issued the following statement today: "An article about stem cell treatments taking place in Texas published by Nature last week is extremely troubling. The article suggests that patients are being administered stem cell treatments that have not been systematically demonstrated to be safe and effective therapies through the established FDA regulatory process. "Cell therapy treatments, including those using adult stem cells, hold the promise of providing patients with treatments and cures for numerous diseases and disabilities. However, FDA regulation is key to ensuring that the treatments available to patients are safe and effective. "The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote increased funding and development of regenerative medicine products, believes cell therapy and regenerative medicine products, including autologous cell therapy products, must go through the rigorous safety testing that is part of the FDA regulatory process before they can be marketed to the public. These regulations are designed to promote safe collection, manufacture, storage, and use of human cells, and cellular and tissue based products. ARM members comply with these rules because they know that FDA oversight helps to prevent patients from exposure to potentially unsafe … Continue reading →

Boosting the production of certain cells could help treat liver disease, new research has suggested. Researchers at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh said they have discovered how to enhance the production of key cells needed to repair damaged liver tissue. The research could help develop treatments for diseases such as cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis. Scientists hope their work could eventually ease the pressure on waiting lists for liver transplants. Researchers said that when the liver is damaged it produces too many bile duct cells and not enough cells called hepatocytes, which the liver needs to repair damaged tissue. They found they could increase the number of hepatocyte cells - which detoxify the liver - by encouraging these cells to be produced instead of bile duct cells. Understanding how liver cells are formed could help to develop drugs to encourage the production of hepatocytes to repair liver tissue. Professor Stuart Forbes, associate director at the MRC, who is a consultant hepatologist and was the academic leader of the study, said: "Liver disease is on the increase in the UK and is one of the top five killers. Increasing numbers of patients are … Continue reading →

FRIDAY, March 2 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers report they have developed a blood test that can predict which sickle cell patients are most likely to experience the most severe symptoms of the disease. When the blood illness is at its worst, patients can suffer intense pain, internal organ damage and shortened lives. While about 13 million people worldwide are thought to have the disease, which is caused by a genetic mutation, it's not well understood. "We still don't have effective enough therapies, and we don't have a good feel for how the disease manifests itself differently in different people," Sangeeta Bhatia, a professor of health sciences and technology and electrical engineering and computer science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, said in a news release from the institute. "When a patient has high cholesterol, you can monitor their risk for heart disease and response to therapy with a blood test. With sickle cell disease, despite patients having the same underlying genetic change, some suffer tremendously while others don't, and we still don't have a test that can guide physicians in making therapeutic decisions." Bhatia and colleagues developed a test that measures the flow of samples of blood to determine … Continue reading →

29-02-2012 17:57 Learn more at http://www.cordblood.com CBR's team of dedicated professionals is prepared to guide you through every step of the banking process and beyond. Meet Sherry, CBR's transplant coordinator. As Sherry says, her employer is CBR, but she works for the families who need newborn stem cell medicine. She is the voice parents hear over the phone when they need to use their stored cord blood stem cells. Sherry's dedication and passion to deliver exceptional customer service to clients is one example of the many people at Cord Blood Registry who are committed to helping families live longer, healthier lives. Continued here: Cord Blood Registery Helps Families Use Stem Cells - Video … Continue reading →

Newswise UCLA stem cell researchers have discovered a critical placental niche cell and signaling pathway that prevent blood precursors from premature differentiation in the placenta, a process necessary for ensuring proper blood supply for an individuals lifetime. The placental niche, a stem cell safe zone, supports blood stem cell generation and expansion without promoting differentiation into mature blood cells, allowing the establishment of a pool of precursor cells that provide blood cells for later fetal and post-natal life, said study senior author Dr. Hanna Mikkola, an associate professor of molecular cell and developmental biology and a researcher at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA. Mikkola and her team found that PDGF-B signaling in trophoblasts, specialized cells of the placenta that facilitate embryo implantation and gas and nutrient exchanges between mother and fetus, is vital to maintaining the unique microenvironment needed for the blood precursors. When PDGF-B signaling is halted, the blood precursors differentiate prematurely, creating red blood cells in the placenta, Mikkola said. The study, done in mouse models, appears March 1, 2012, in the peer-reviewed journal Developmental Cell. We had previously discovered that the placenta provides a home for a … Continue reading →

Public release date: 1-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Kim Irwin kirwin@mednet.ucla.edu 310-206-2805 University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences UCLA stem cell researchers have discovered a critical placental niche cell and signaling pathway that prevent blood precursors from premature differentiation in the placenta, a process necessary for ensuring proper blood supply for an individual's lifetime. The placental niche, a stem cell "safe zone," supports blood stem cell generation and expansion without promoting differentiation into mature blood cells, allowing the establishment of a pool of precursor cells that provide blood cells for later fetal and post-natal life, said study senior author Dr. Hanna Mikkola, an associate professor of molecular cell and developmental biology and a researcher at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA. Mikkola and her team found that PDGF-B signaling in trophoblasts, specialized cells of the placenta that facilitate embryo implantation and gas and nutrient exchanges between mother and fetus, is vital to maintaining the unique microenvironment needed for the blood precursors. When PDGF-B signaling is halted, the blood precursors differentiate prematurely, creating red blood cells in the placenta, Mikkola said. The study, done in mouse models, … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Mar. 1, 2012) UCLA stem cell researchers have discovered a critical placental niche cell and signaling pathway that prevent blood precursors from premature differentiation in the placenta, a process necessary for ensuring proper blood supply for an individual's lifetime. The placental niche, a stem cell "safe zone," supports blood stem cell generation and expansion without promoting differentiation into mature blood cells, allowing the establishment of a pool of precursor cells that provide blood cells for later fetal and post-natal life, said study senior author Dr. Hanna Mikkola, an associate professor of molecular cell and developmental biology and a researcher at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA. Mikkola and her team found that PDGF-B signaling in trophoblasts, specialized cells of the placenta that facilitate embryo implantation and gas and nutrient exchanges between mother and fetus, is vital to maintaining the unique microenvironment needed for the blood precursors. When PDGF-B signaling is halted, the blood precursors differentiate prematurely, creating red blood cells in the placenta, Mikkola said. The study, done in mouse models, appears March 1, 2012, in the peer-reviewed journal Developmental Cell. "We had previously discovered that the placenta provides a … Continue reading →