Category Archives: Stem Cell Human Trials

Bjarki Johannesson, NYSCF This colony of embryonic stem cells, created from a type 1 diabetes patient, is one of the first to be cloned from an adult human. Two research groups have independently produced human embryonic stem-cell lines from embryos cloned from adult cells. Their success could reinvigorate efforts to use such cells to make patient-specific replacement tissues for degenerative diseases, for example to replace pancreatic cells in patients with type 1 diabetes. But further studies will be needed before such cells can be tested as therapies. The first stem-cell lines from cloned human embryos were reported in May last year by a team led by reproductive biology specialist Shoukhrat Mitalipov of the Oregon Health & Science University in Beaverton (see 'Human stem cells created by cloning'). Those cells carried genomes taken from fetal cells or from cells of an eight-month-old baby1, and it was unclear whether this would be possible using cells from older individuals. (Errors were found in Mitalipov's paper, but were not deemed to affect the validity of its results.) Now two teams have independently announced success. On 17 April, researchers led by Young Gie Chung and Dong Ryul Lee at the CHA University in Seoul reported … Continue reading →

Stem cell blood set for UK human trials within three years Blood made from stem cells will be tested in patients within three years as the UK aims to be the first to succeed in a long worldwide quest to provide an alternative to natural blood. The Wellcome Trust says that, after four years of research, its 5m Blood Pharma programme has made enough progress turning stem cells into red blood cells to start the first in-man trial by late 2016. That would be followed the following year by more extensive clinical testing, in which researchers would compare patients response to donated and man-made blood transfusions. Marc Turner, medical director of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service who is leading the programme, said: Producing a cellular therapy which is of the scale, quality and safety required for human clinical trials is a very significant challenge, but if we can achieve success with this first in-man clinical study it will be an important step forward to enable populations all over the world to benefit from blood transfusions. The researchers have been working with both human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) adult cells genetically reprogrammed to return them … Continue reading →

Abstract In recent years, clinical trials with stem cells have taken the emerging field in many new directions. While numerous teams continue to refine and expand the role of bone marrow and cord blood stem cells for their vanguard uses in blood and immune disorders, many others are looking to expand the uses of the various types of stem cells found in bone marrow and cord blood, in particular mesenchymal stem cells, to uses beyond those that could be corrected by replacing cells in their own lineage. Early results from these trials have produced mixed results often showing minor or transitory improvements that may be attributed to extracellular factors. More research teams are accelerating the use of other types of adult stem cells, in particular neural stem cells for diseases where beneficial outcome could result from either in-lineage cell replacement or extracellular factors. At the same time, the first three trials using cells derived from pluripotent cells have begun. The rapid advance of stem cell clinical trials for a broad spectrum of conditions warrants an update of the review by Trounson (2009) [1]. There has been a rapid surge in clinical trials involving stem cell therapies over the last two … Continue reading →

A team planning on trialling lab grown blood in humans by 2016 has just received 5m in funding from the Wellcome Trust. Its ultimate goal? To move the world from a donor dependant system, to a manufactured alternative. The money has been awarded to a consortium of scientists working on transforming pluripotent stem cells into red blood cells at the University of Glasgow, the University of Edinburgh, NHS Blood and Transplant and more, under the direction of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS). The team has been working on the project for six years now, mainly supported by funding from the Wellcome Trust. It has gone from delivering a proof of principle, to generating 5ml of blood in the lab with great efficiency. "Now, 90 percent of the stem cells turn into red blood cells," Joanne Mountford, from the University of Glasgow's Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, told Wired.co.uk. "Before, it was five percent." Mountford explains that the dramatic acceleration was partly down to the team "being clever" about mimicking the natural maturation processes that would go on inside the body, and replicating the right combination of chemical signals to induce that cell growth. "At the beginning, for … Continue reading →

Doctors perform eye surgery in an operating room at Shiley Eye Center Wednesday. The center recently received a $6.5 million gift to help establish a new stem cell research laboratory. A $6.5 million donation from an unnamed patient will help the Shiley Eye Center at UC San Diego strengthen its focus on stem cells, which hold the promise of repairing damage done by diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. Dr. Robert Weinreb, the centers director and a widely-published glaucoma researcher, said hes conducting a worldwide search for stem cell scientists to come to Shiley, which last year ranked fourth in National Institutes of Health funding among ophthalmology research centers nationwide. Stem cells are known for their ability to transform themselves into nearly any other type of cell in the body, and scientists are exploring ways to use this Rosetta stone of biology to repair damage caused by cancer, diabetes and a range of other diseases. Theres also huge potential for stem cells and the human eye. Were going to use the stem cells to treat retinal diseases including macular degeneration, to rescue the optic nerve in glaucoma, as well as to replace the diseased layers of the cornea in … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 4-Apr-2014 Contact: Harry Dayantis h.dayantis@ucl.ac.uk 44-020-310-83844 University College London A new way to artificially control muscles using light, with the potential to restore function to muscles paralysed by conditions such as motor neuron disease and spinal cord injury, has been developed by scientists at UCL and King's College London. The technique involves transplanting specially-designed motor neurons created from stem cells into injured nerve branches. These motor neurons are designed to react to pulses of blue light, allowing scientists to fine-tune muscle control by adjusting the intensity, duration and frequency of the light pulses. In the study, published this week in Science, the team demonstrated the method in mice in which the nerves that supply muscles in the hind legs were injured. They showed that the transplanted stem cell-derived motor neurons grew along the injured nerves to connect successfully with the paralyzed muscles, which could then be controlled by pulses of blue light. "Following the new procedure, we saw previously paralysed leg muscles start to function," says Professor Linda Greensmith of the MRC Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases at UCL's Institute of Neurology, who co-led the study. "This strategy has significant advantages over existing techniques that use electricity to … Continue reading →

Patients with severe ischemic heart disease and heart failure can benefit from a new treatment in which stem cells found in bone marrow are injected directly into the heart muscle, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. "Our results show that this stem cell treatment is safe and it improves heart function when compared to placebo," says Anders Mathiasen, research fellow in the Cardiac Catherization Lab at Rigshospitalet Univ. Hospital Copenhagen, and lead investigator of the study. "This represents an exciting development that has the potential to benefit many people who suffer from this common and deadly disease." Ischemic heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, is the number one cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. It results from a gradual buildup of plaque in the heart's coronary arteries and can lead to chest pain, heart attack and heart failure. The study is the largest placebo-controlled double-blind randomized trial to treat patients with chronic ischemic heart failure by injecting a type of stem cell known as mesenchymal stromal cells directly into the heart muscle. Six months after treatment, patients who received stem cell injections had improved heart … Continue reading →

Patients with severe ischemic heart disease and heart failure can benefit from a new treatment in which stem cells found in bone marrow are injected directly into the heart muscle, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. "Our results show that this stem cell treatment is safe and it improves heart function when compared to placebo," said Anders Bruun Mathiasen, M.D., research fellow in the Cardiac Catherization Lab at Rigshospitalet University Hospital Copenhagen, and lead investigator of the study. "This represents an exciting development that has the potential to benefit many people who suffer from this common and deadly disease." Ischemic heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, is the number one cause of death for both men and women in the United States. It results from a gradual buildup of plaque in the heart's coronary arteries and can lead to chest pain, heart attack and heart failure. The study is the largest placebo-controlled double-blind randomized trial to treat patients with chronic ischemic heart failure by injecting a type of stem cell known as mesenchymal stromal cells directly into the heart muscle. Six months after treatment, patients who received stem cell injections … Continue reading →

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) March 26, 2014 Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc., a specialty biopharmaceutical company that manufactures best-in-class allogeneic adult stem cells and Smart Living, a subsidiary of Smart Global, a $2 billion (USD) globally diversified conglomerate, are pleased to announce an international educational collaboration. Smart Living currently organizes dynamic One World educational conferences designed to introduce breakthrough technologies and educational programs focused on health care and regenerative medicine to countries throughout the world. High profile leaders in medicine, science, business, education, government and community organizers are brought together at these international forums to participate in presentations, discussions and educational programs. Stemedica, a global leader in regenerative medicine focused on stem cell research and clinical trials, has been selected to introduce breakthrough technologies in the dynamic field of stem cells and their role in translational medicine. In addition to the educational outreach, Smart Living is making significant advances in health care with its Smart Health City model. This model, anticipated to go global, was developed to be an all-inclusive health care destination offering services including multispecialty hospitals, medical office buildings, medical rehabilitation centers, international patient care centers, medical education and training, clinical research, on campus staff residence, research and technology … Continue reading →

Durham, NC (PRWEB) March 19, 2014 In a study just published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, a group of researchers have discovered what appears to be an easy way to collect large quantities of viable stem cells that can be banked for future regenerative medicine purposes all from the simple prick of a finger. We show that a single drop of blood from a finger-prick sample is sufficient for performing cellular reprogramming, DNA sequencing and blood typing in parallel. Our strategy has the potential of facilitating the development of large-scale human iPSC banking worldwide, said Jonathan Yuin-Han Loh, Ph.D., of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore. He is principal investigator on the study that also included scientists from other Singapore facilities as well as those in the United States and Great Britain. The medical world in general is excited about the potential of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for studying diseases and for therapeutic regenerative medicine. Stem cells harvested from bone marrow and cord blood are highly amenable to reprogramming. Some methods can result in negative side effects, and then you have bone-marrow harvesting, which is invasive, while cord blood is limited to individuals who have … Continue reading →