Category Archives: Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are being used by researchers in the fields of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, to artificially reconstruct human tissue which has been previously damaged. Mesenchymal stem cells have the capacity to become any type of fully developed cell, which can contribute to replacing muscle tissues or internal organs. To help discover the therapeutic uses of these stem cells they are grown in laboratories or by using medication to stimulate new cell growth within the human body.[1][2][3] In MSC therapy the cells are extracted from the adult patients bone marrow via a procedure called bone marrow aspiration. This usually involves inserting a needle into the back of the patients hip bone and removing the sample from there. These cells are then grown under controlled in vitro conditions in a lab, so that they can multiply and same time mature( also referred to as differentiated. This process may take two to three weeks.[1] The kind of mature, fully differentiated cell phenotype and the number of those cells created though this can be influenced in three ways. Firstly by varying the initial seed density in the culture medium, secondly through changing the conditions of the medium during expansion, … Continue reading →

The Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in treatment of Transverse Myelitis Barbara Krynska, MS, PhD | Shriners Hospitals Pediatric Research Center and Temple University 2013 Rare Neuro-Immunologic Disorders Symposium Repair and Recovery, Today and in the Future... By: transversemyelitis … Continue reading →

(PRWEB) December 21, 2013 Stem cell therapy has a tremendous potential to cure various illnesses and injuries. Recent news items have highlighted possibilities that it could treat damaged spinal cords or revitalize hip joints. Scientists are working on stem cell remedies for dementia, heart disease and diabetes. Doctors in some countries have begun using this therapy to grow replacement body tissue and treat leukemia. However, stem cell treatments remain controversial. Some people object to them on ethical or religious grounds. Others express concern about the safety of these newfound cures. Animal testing has revealed that minor mistakes can result in impurities that cause cells to produce tumors and other ill effects. Some patients have died after receiving experimental therapies that weren't adequately tested. The producers of the "Leading Edge" TV series plan to release a new segment that examines this fascinating yet contentious health topic. Presenter Jimmy Johnson will offer an update on important facts and recent developments in the world of stem cell research. Viewers can benefit from the program's concise and unbiased perspective on an issue that many people have yet to learn about. "Leading Edge" is independently distributed to local public TV broadcasters across the U.S. The … Continue reading →

Stem Cell Therapy - Facet Syndrome Patients Relieve Back and Neck Pain Dr Robert Wagner - NSPC How to know if the cause of your back or neck pain is Facet Syndrome. Discover how biologic regenerative treatments are able to pick up where traditional tre... By: StemCell Arts … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise Researchers at UCLAs Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research have discovered a mechanism in adult stem cells by which the cells suppress their ability to initiate cancer during their dormant phase, an understanding that could be exploited for better cancer prevention strategies. The study was led by Andrew White, post-doctoral fellow, and William Lowry, associate professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology in the life sciences and the Maria Rowena Ross Term Chair in Cell Biology. The study was published online ahead of print in Nature Cell Biology on December 15, 2013. Hair follicle stem cells (HFSC), the tissue-specific adult stem cells that generate the hair follicles, are also the cells of origin for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a common skin cancer. These HFSCs cycle between periods of activation, during which they can grow, and quiescence, when they remain dormant. Using mouse models, White and Lowry applied known cancer-causing genes (oncogenes) to HFSCs and found that during cell quiescence, the cells could not be made to initiate SCC. Once the HFSC were in their active period, they began growing cancer. We found that this tumor … Continue reading →

Dec. 17, 2013 A systematic survey of the scientific literature shows that stem cell therapy can have a statistically significant impact on animal models of spinal cord injury, and points the way for future studies. Spinal cord injuries are mostly caused by trauma, often incurred in road traffic or sporting incidents, often with devastating and irreversible consequences, and unfortunately having a relatively high prevalence (250,000 patients in the USA; 80% of cases are male). High-profile campaigners like the late actor Christopher Reeve, himself a victim of sports-related spinal cord injury, have placed high hopes in stem cell transplantation. But how likely is it to work? This question is addressed in a paper published 17th December in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Ana Antonic, David Howells and colleagues from the Florey Institute and the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Malcolm MacLeod and colleagues from the University of Edinburgh, UK. Stem cell therapy aims to use special regenerative cells (stem cells) to repopulate areas of damage that result from spinal cord injuries, with the hope of improving the ability to move ("motor outcomes") and to feel ("sensory outcomes") beyond the site of the injury. Many studies have been performed that … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 18-Dec-2013 Contact: Neha Okhandiar n.okhandiar@qmul.ac.uk 020-788-27927 Queen Mary, University of London Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have shown for the first time that the specialised role stem cells go on to perform is controlled by primary cilia tiny hair-like structures protruding from a cell. Stem cells are capable of becoming any cell type within the body through the process of differentiation. The discovery has the potential for application in the development of new therapies for a range of medical treatments where scientists aim to replace or regenerate tissues that have become diseased or dysfunctional. Publishing in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers found that growing adult stem cells on micro-grooved surfaces disrupts the biochemical pathway that determines the length of the primary cilia. This change in length of the structure ultimately controls the subsequent behaviour of the stem cells. "Primary cilia are a thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair and are a ubiquitous feature of most cell types but were once thought to be irrelevant. However, our research shows that they play a key role in stem cell differentiation," explains co-author Professor Martin Knight from Queen Mary's School of Engineering and … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 18-Dec-2013 Contact: Robert Miranda cogcomm@aol.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair Putnam Valley, NY. (Dec. 18, 2013) Multiple sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory autoimmune disease affecting more than one million people worldwide, is caused by an immune reaction to myelin proteins, the proteins that help form the myelin insulating substance around nerves. Demyelination and MS are a consequence of this immune reaction. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been considered as an important source for cell therapy for autoimmune diseases such as MS because of their immunosuppressive properties. Now, a research team in Brazil has compared MSCs isolated from MS patients and from healthy donors to determine if the MSCs from MS patients are normal or defective. The study will be published in a future issue of Cell Transplantation but is currently freely available on-line as an unedited early e-pub at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/content-ct1131. "The ability of MSCs to modulate the immune response suggests a possible role of these cells in tolerance induction in patients with autoimmune diseases, and also supports the rationale for MSC application in the treatment of MS," said study corresponding author Dr. Gislane Lelis Vilela de Oliveira of the Center for … Continue reading →

Stemcell treatment for hair and skin, Autologous Adipose Stem Cell Treatment Through the history of stem cell therapy and stem cell research, animal stem cells have been used, human embryonic stem cells, and now research has led us to... By: Ojas Aesthetic … Continue reading →

By Dalia Dangerfield, Reporter Last Updated: Saturday, December 14, 2013, 8:48 PM TAMPA -- USF researchers believe stem cell therapy can help men and women with mild brain injuries. This is quite a phenomenal observation, said Dr. Cesar Borlongan, a neuroscientist from USF Health. In our hands, stem cell therapy may offer this hope for the soldiers to prevent the progression of the disease and hopefully we can stop the disease process at the early stage." In a recent study Borlongan injected adult stem cells in rats with traumatic brain injury. The stem cells served as a bridge, allowing new brain cells to move up to the damaged part of the brain. That's a new concept, it's like the cells are very smart, said Borlongan. Over time the adult stem cells helped partially repair the brain damage in rats. Professor Borlongan believes the same may be true for humans allowing them to slowly get better. Read more: New study shows stem cell therapy helps brain injuries … Continue reading →