Category Archives: Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Published 23 January 2015 TiGenix, an advanced biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercialising novel therapeutics from its proprietary platform of allogeneic expanded adipose-derived stem cells in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) has issued European Patent EP2292736 relating to an adipose-derived stem cell composition. The patent is entitled " Identification and isolation of multipotent cells from non-osteochondral mesenchymal tissue ". The claims of the granted patent cover both a specified population of expanded adipose-derived multipotent cells and their therapeutic uses, as well as pharmaceutical compositions of such cells. TiGenix is developing injectable products from its proprietary platform of allogeneic expanded adipose-derived stem cells (eASCs) for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Cx601 is a solution of allogeneic eASCs for local injection currently in Phase III of clinical development for the treatment of complex perianal fistulas in patients with Crohn's disease. Clinical results from the on-going European Phase III trial are expected in the third quarter of 2015, and, if positive, may allow the company to file for Marketing Authorisation in Europe. Cx611 is an intravenously-administered product of allogeneic eASCs, which TiGenix is currently developing for patients with early rheumatoid arthritis and for patients with severe sepsis. … Continue reading →

Naples, Florida (PRWEB) January 23, 2015 The Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center announces a series of free public seminars on the use of adult stem cells for various degenerative and inflammatory conditions. They will be provided by Dr. Thomas A. Gionis, Surgeon-in-Chief and Dr. Nia Smyrniotis, Medical Director and Surgeon. The first seminar will be held on Sunday, January 25, 2015, at 11:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm at the Hilton Naples, 5111 Tamiami Trail North, Naples, FL 34103. Please RSVP at (561) 331-2999. The Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center (Miami; Boca Raton; Orlando), along with sister affiliates, the Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center (Irvine; Westlake Villages, Ca.) and the Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group (Manhattan, New York), abide by approved investigational protocols using adult adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) which can be deployed to improve patients quality of life for a number of chronic, degenerative and inflammatory conditions and diseases. ADSCs are taken from the patients own adipose (fat) tissue (found within a cellular mixture called stromal vascular fraction (SVF)). ADSCs are exceptionally abundant in adipose tissue. The adipose tissue is obtained from the patient during a 15 minute mini-liposuction performed under local anesthesia in the doctors office. SVF is a … Continue reading →

Yorba Linda, CA (PRWEB) January 22, 2015 Advances in stem cell biology have raised great expectations that diseases of the central nervous system may be ameliorated by the development of non-haematopoietic stem cell medicines. Yet, the application of stem cells as therapeutics is challenging and the interpretation of some of the outcomes ambiguous. The initial idea that stem cell transplants work only via structural cell replacement has been challenged by the observation of consistent intercellular information exchange between the graft and the host. Sustained stem cell graft-to-host exchange of signals has led to remarkable trophic effects on endogenous brain cells and beneficial modulatory actions on innate and adaptive immune responses that ultimately promote the healing of the injured CNS. Among a number of promising candidate stem cell sources, mesenchymal/stromal stem cells (MSCs) and neural stem/precursor cells (NPCs) are being extensively investigated for their capacities to signal to the immune system upon transplantation in experimental CNS diseases. Beckman Coulter is sponsoring a new educational webinar, How Stem Cells Speak with Immune Cells, which will be focused on defining whether the form of cellular signaling mediated by extracellular membrane vesicles (EVs) exists for neural stem/precursor cells (NPCs), and on its molecular signature … Continue reading →

Nutech Mediworld - Pioneering human embryonic stem cell therapy An audio visual that features patients suffering from conditions considered incurable or terminal. And how they experienced significant improvement with human embryonic stem cell therapy at... By: Resonance Consulting … Continue reading →

Stem cell therapy may have helped patients with a form of multiple sclerosis, according to a preliminary study. Patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis showed signs of improvement after being treated with their own, or autologous "nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cells," a class of blood-forming stem cells, the study found. It was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Half, or 41 patients, tested two years after treatment experienced significant improvement on the Expanded Disability Status Scale, a measure of disability. And of patients tested at 4 years, 23, or 64 percent, showed significant improvement. Four-year relapse-free survival was 80 percent and progression-free survival was 87 percent. "To our knowledge, this is the first report of significant and sustained improvement in the EDSS score following any treatment for MS," stated the study. It was led by Dr. Richard K. Burt of Northwestern University in Chicago. However, only limited conclusions can be drawn from the uncontrolled study, according to scientists who examined the results. While the therapy was associated with improvement, the stem cell transplant may not have been key. A conditioning regimen that partially depleted the stem cells before transplantation may have been responsible, said Dr. Stephen L. Hauser … Continue reading →

IMAGE:Stem Cells and Development is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 24 times per year in print and online. The journal is dedicated to communication and objective analysis of developments in... view more Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers New Rochelle, NY, January 20, 2015-- Multipotent cells isolated from the human umbilical cord, called mesenchymal stromal cells (hUC-MSCs) have shown promise for use in cell therapy to treat a variety of human diseases. However, intriguing new evidence shows that hUC-MSCs isolated from women with gestational diabetes demonstrate premature aging, poorer cell growth, and altered metabolic function, as reported in an article in Stem Cells and Development, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Stem Cells and Development website until February 17th, 2015. Jooyeon Kim and coauthors from University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul, Korea, compared the growth and viability characteristics of hUC-MSCs from the umbilical cords of pregnant women with and without gestational diabetes. They evaluated cell growth, cellular senescence, mitochondrial function-related gene expression as a measure of metabolic activity, and the stem cells' ability to differentiate into various … Continue reading →

Mesenchymal stem cells possess a cell-surface protein called ALK2. ALK2 acts as a receptor for bone-inducing growth factors. ALK2, for example, is expressed in cartilage and if mesenchymal stem cells express a constantly-active form of ALK2, known as caALK2, these cells are driven to become cartilage-making cells (known as chondrocytes). Can this receptor be used to drive bone formation? It turns out that manipulating ALK2 can drive fat-based stem cells (ASCs) to become bone making cells that ultimately improve bone tissue engineering. Researchers from the laboratory of Benjamin Levi at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts have fiddled with ALK2 in mesenchymal stem cells to for formation of bone from ASCs, and to enhance bone regeneration in a living animal. To do this, Levis team genetically manipulated mice so that they expressed a form of ALK2 that was constantly turned on known as caALK2. The fat-based MSCs were then isolated and analyzed for their ability to make bone in culture. caALK ASCs were much more responsive to bone-inducing growth factors. These cells also expressed a whole host of bone-specific genes (e.g., Alp, Runx2, Ocn, Ops) after seven days. Since the caALK2 MSCs did so well in culture, they were then tested … Continue reading →

Abstract Introduction Different mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have been successfully isolated and expanded in vitro and nowadays they are tested in clinical trials for a wide variety of diseases. Whether all MSC express the same cell surface markers or have a similar secretion profile is still controversial, making it difficult to decide which stromal cell may be better for a particular application. We isolated human mesenchymal stromal cells from bone marrow (BM), adipose tissue (AT) and Whartons jelly (WJ) and cultured them in fetal bovine serum supplemented media. We evaluated proliferation, in vitro differentiation (osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic potential), expression of cell surface markers and protein secretion using Luminex and ELISA assays. Cell proliferation was higher for WJ-MSC, followed by AT-MSC. Differences in surface expression markers were observed only for CD54 and CD146. WJ-MSC secreted higher concentrations of chemokines, pro-inflammatory proteins and growth factors. AT-MSC showed a better pro-angiogenic profile and secreted higher amounts of extracellular matrix components and metalloproteinases. Mesenchymal stromal cells purified from different tissues have different angiogenic, inflammatory and matrix remodeling potential properties. These abilities should be further characterized in order to choose the best protocols for their therapeutic use. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are a small … Continue reading →

Why is there controversy surrounding the use of stem cells? Embryonic stem cells and embryonic stem cell lines have received much public attention concerning the ethics of their use or non-use. Clearly, there is hope that a large number of treatment advances could occur as a result of growing and differentiating these embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. It is equally clear that each embryonic stem cell line has been derived from a human embryo created through in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or through cloning technologies, with all the attendant ethical, religious, and philosophical problems, depending upon one's perspective. Routine use of stem cells in therapy has been limited to blood-forming stem cells (hematopoietic stem cells) derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood. Bone marrow transplantation is the most familiar form of stem cell therapy and the only instance of stem cell therapy in common use. It is used to treat cancers of the blood cells (leukemias) and other disorders of the blood and bone marrow. In bone marrow transplantation, the patient's existing white blood cells and bone marrow are destroyed usingchemotherapy and radiation therapy. Then, a sample of bone marrow (containing stem cells) from a healthy, immunologically matched … Continue reading →

Stem cell facts Stem cells are primitive cells that have the potential to differentiate, or develop into, a variety of specific cell types. There are different types of stem cells based upon their origin and ability to differentiate. Bone marrow transplantation is an example of a stem cell therapy that is in widespread use. Research is underway to determine whether stem cell therapy may be useful in treating a wide variety of conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's disease, and spinal cord injury. What are stem cells? Stem cells are cells that have the potential to develop into many different or specialized cell types. Stem cells can be thought of as primitive, "unspecialized" cells that are able to divide and become specialized cells of the body such as liver cells, muscle cells, blood cells, and other cells with specific functions. Stem cells are referred to as "undifferentiated" cells because they have not yet committed to a developmental path that will form a specific tissue or organ. The process of changing into a specific cell type is known as differentiation. In some areas of the body, stem cells divide regularly to renew and repair the existing tissue. The bone marrow and … Continue reading →