Category Archives: Mesenchymal Stem Cells

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 22-May-2014 Contact: Shawna Williams shawna@jhmi.edu 410-955-8236 Johns Hopkins Medicine Working with mice, Johns Hopkins researchers report they have identified chemical signals that certain breast cancers use to recruit two types of normal cells needed for the cancers' spread. A description of the findings appears in the online early May edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Blocking one of these cell-recruiting signals in a mouse's tumor made it much less likely to metastasize or spread," says Gregg Semenza, M.D., Ph.D., a professor and director of the Vascular Biology Program in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Institute for Cell Engineering. "If a drug can be found that safely blocks the same signal in humans, it could be a very useful addition to current breast cancer treatment particularly for patients with chemotherapy-resistant tumors." Semenza's research group studies a chemical signal called hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), which cells release to help them cope with low-oxygen conditions. Earlier, the group determined that HIF-1 helps breast tumor cells survive the low-oxygen conditions in which they often live, and spread to other parts of the body such as the lungs. "In breast cancer, it's not the original tumor … Continue reading →

San Francisco, California (PRWEB) May 22, 2014 The global market for stem cells is expected to reach USD 170.15 billion by 2020, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing prevalence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and liver disease, diabetes and cancer coupled with the presence of high unmet medical needs in these disease segments is expected to drive market growth during the forecast period. Moreover, increasing government support pertaining to funding R&D initiatives and the growing demand for medical tourism and stem cell banking services is expected to boost the demand for stem cells over the next six years. The future of this market is expected to be driven by opportunities such as the growing global prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases, increasing demand for contract research outsourcing services and the substitution of animal tissues by stem cells in the The stem cells technology market was valued at USD 12.88 billion in 2013 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 12.0% during the forecast period. This market was dominated by the cell acquisitions technology segment in terms of share in 2013 owing to the fact that this technology serves as the foremost step to … Continue reading →

Members from the Houston medical community, along with friends and supporters of the Arthritis Foundation, recently gathered to kick off the organizations Houston Salon Series titled Breaking Science; Breaking Silence at the River Oaks Country Club on May 13. The series is aptly named as it reveals the breaking science for the nations most debilitating yet silent disease of arthritis. The VIP reception of 60 prominent guests featured the three pioneers of commercial stem cell banking and therapy, David Eller, Dr. Stanley Jones and Donna Lee. The host committee of this engaging evening included Dr. Carolyn Farb, hc, Dr. Bill Bryan, Dr. Philip Salem and Mrs. Wadad Salem, Mr. Tommy Proctor, JD, and George and Sallie Alcorn. Eller, Jones and Lee engaged supporters of the Arthritis Foundation in stimulating conversation pertaining to the groundbreaking advancements in adult stem cell research and the new possibilities in treatments and therapies for arthritis patients. Although stem cells have been researched extensively and used safely and successfully for over 50 years, widespread therapeutic use of stem cells outside of academic institutions remains at the frontier of medicine. Eller, a leader in the world of Bio Technology, gave a historical perspective of how Celltex, a … Continue reading →

Home > News > health-news Washington, May 18 : Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital have found a potential solution for how to more effectively kill tumor cells using cancer-killing viruses. The investigators report that trapping virus-loaded stem cells in a gel and applying them to tumors significantly improved survival in mice with glioblastoma multiforme, the most common brain tumor in human adults and also the most difficult to treat. The work was led by Khalid Shah, MS, PhD, an HSCI Principal Faculty member. Shah heads the Molecular Neurotherapy and Imaging Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital. Cancer-killing or oncolytic viruses have been used in numerous phase 1 and 2 clinical trials for brain tumors but with limited success. In preclinical studies, oncolytic herpes simplex viruses seemed especially promising, as they naturally infect dividing brain cells. However, the therapy hasn't translated as well for human patients. The problem previous researchers couldn't overcome was how to keep the herpes viruses at the tumor site long enough to work. Shah and his team turned to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-a type of stem cell that gives rise to bone marrow tissue-which have been very attractive drug delivery vehicles because they … Continue reading →

Mice have been poked, prodded, injected and dissected in the name of science. But there are limits to what mice can teach us especially when it comes to stem cell therapies. For the first time, researchers haveturned skin cells into bone in a creature more closely related to humans: monkeys. In a study published Thursday in the journal Cell Reports, scientists report that they regrew bone in 25rhesus macaques using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) taken from the creatures skin. Since macaques are more closely related to humans, their discovery could help push stem cell therapies into early clinical trials in humans. While this is the good news, the bad news is that iPSCs can also seed tumors in monkeys; however, the tumors grew at a far slower rate than in previous studies in mice. This finding further emphasizes the key role primates likely will play in testing the safety of potential stem cell therapies. Repairing Bone Researchers used a common procedure to reprogram macaque skin cells, and coaxed them into pluripotent cells that were capable of building bone. They seeded these cells into ceramic scaffolds, which are already used by surgeons used to reconstruct bone. The cells took, and … Continue reading →

In this image, the top row shows the stem cells transplanted into the mouse spinal cord. The lower row shows a close-up of the stem cells (brown). By day 7 post-transplant, the stem cells are no longer detectable. Within this short period of time, the stem cells have sent chemical signals to the mouses own cells, enabling them to repair the nerve damage caused by MS. (image: Lu Chen) For patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), current treatment options only address early-stage symptoms of the debilitating disease. Now, new research has found a potential treatment that could both stop disease progression and repair existing damage. In a study published in Stem Cell Reports, researchers utilized a group of paralyzed mice genetically engineered to have an MS-like condition. Initially, the researchers set out to study the mechanisms of stem cell rejection in the mice. However, two weeks after injecting the mice with human neural stem cells, the researchers made the unexpected discovery that the mice had regained their ability to walk. This had a lot of luck to do with it; right place, right time co-senior author Jeanne Loring, director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute in … Continue reading →

Mice have been poked, prodded, injected and dissected in the name of science. But there are limits to what mice can teach us especially when it comes to stem cell therapies. For the first time, researchers haveturned skin cells into bone in a creature more closely related to humans: monkeys. In a study published Thursday in the journal Cell Reports, scientists report that they regrew bone in 25rhesus macaques using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) taken from the creatures skin. Since macaques are more closely related to humans, their discovery could help push stem cell therapies into early clinical trials in humans. While this is the good news, the bad news is that iPSCs can also seed tumors in monkeys; however, the tumors grew at a far slower rate than in previous studies in mice. This finding further emphasizes the key role primates likely will play in testing the safety of potential stem cell therapies. Repairing Bone Researchers used a common procedure to reprogram macaque skin cells, and coaxed them into pluripotent cells that were capable of building bone. They seeded these cells into ceramic scaffolds, which are already used by surgeons used to reconstruct bone. The cells took, and … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise LA JOLLA, CAMay 15, 2014Mice crippled by an autoimmune disease similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) regained the ability to walk and run after a team of researchers led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), University of Utah and University of California (UC), Irvine implanted human stem cells into their injured spinal cords. Remarkably, the mice recovered even after their bodies rejected the human stem cells. When we implanted the human cells into mice that were paralyzed, they got up and started walking a couple of weeks later, and they completely recovered over the next several months, said study co-leader Jeanne Loring, a professor of developmental neurobiology at TSRI. Thomas Lane, an immunologist at the University of Utah who co-led the study with Loring, said he had never seen anything like it. Weve been studying mouse stem cells for a long time, but we never saw the clinical improvement that occurred with the human cells that Dr. Loring's lab provided, said Lane, who began the study at UC Irvine. The mices dramatic recovery, which is reported online ahead of print by the journal Stem Cell Reports, could lead to new ways … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 15-May-2014 Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary moleary@cell.com 617-397-2802 Cell Press Researchers have shown for the first time in an animal that is more closely related to humans that it is possible to make new bone from stem-cell-like induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) made from an individual animal's own skin cells. The study in monkeys reported in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports on May 15th also shows that there is some risk that those iPSCs could seed tumors, but that unfortunate outcome appears to be less likely than studies in immune-compromised mice would suggest. "We have been able to design an animal model for testing of pluripotent stem cell therapies using the rhesus macaque, a small monkey that is readily available and has been validated as being closely related physiologically to humans," said Cynthia Dunbar of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. "We have used this model to demonstrate that tumor formation of a type called a 'teratoma' from undifferentiated autologous iPSCs does occur; however, tumor formation is very slow and requires large numbers of iPSCs given under very hospitable conditions. We have also shown that new bone can be produced from autologous iPSCs, as a model … Continue reading →

Researchers have shown for the first time in an animal that is more closely related to humans that it is possible to make new bone from stem-cell-like induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) made from an individual animal's own skin cells. The study in monkeys reported in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports on May 15th also shows that there is some risk that those iPSCs could seed tumors, but that unfortunate outcome appears to be less likely than studies in immune-compromised mice would suggest. "We have been able to design an animal model for testing of pluripotent stem cell therapies using the rhesus macaque, a small monkey that is readily available and has been validated as being closely related physiologically to humans," said Cynthia Dunbar of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. "We have used this model to demonstrate that tumor formation of a type called a 'teratoma' from undifferentiated autologous iPSCs does occur; however, tumor formation is very slow and requires large numbers of iPSCs given under very hospitable conditions. We have also shown that new bone can be produced from autologous iPSCs, as a model for their possible clinical application." Autologous refers to the fact that the … Continue reading →