Category Archives: Stem Cell Human Trials

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- LifeMap Sciences, Inc., a subsidiary of BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX), announced today the release of LifeMap DiscoveryTM version 1.1 (discovery.lifemapsc.com). LifeMap DiscoveryTM is a key component in LifeMaps integrated database suite, a discovery platform for biomedical and stem cell research, which also includes GeneCards, the leading human gene database, and MalaCards, the human disease database. LifeMap DiscoveryTM version 1.1 includes significant enhancements of content related to disease targets for stem cell therapy, cells involved in various diseases (such as Parkinsons disease and age related macular degeneration), and a large number of newly added genes relevant to developmental and stem cell biology. According to Google Analytics, the integrated database suite had more than 13,000,000 page views and more than 2,000,000 unique visitors in the past 12 months. LifeMap clients and partners include dozens of large, fee-paying pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as leading government patent offices, and its products are used free of charge by scientists at more than a thousand academic institutions worldwide. The integrated database suite also provides a technological foundation for thepotential development of additional LifeMap databases and services that will leverage significant and growing web traffic. Moreover, the platform drives life scientists … Continue reading →

UCI March 16, 2013 Q A with Dr. Keirstead and Dr. Cummings, about FDA approval process for Stem Cell treatment, at the UCI. By: AjmeriBaba … Continue reading →

LONDON, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Mar 25, 2013) - Sernova Corp. ("Sernova" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:SVA) a clinical stage company today announced that it has been awarded a third non-refundable financial contribution of up to $254,000 from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) for the optimization of its Sertolin technology within its Cell Pouch for the treatment of chronic diseases. This award brings the total contribution of IRAP to Sernova's Research and Development programs of over $1.0M since July 2009. Sernova's proprietary Sertolin technology protects therapeutic cell types, such as insulin producing islets from immune system attack locally within the Cell Pouch. Sernova believes its Sertolin technology has the potential to reduce or eliminate the need for expensive lifelong daily antirejection drug cocktails that make subjects susceptible to serious infections. The new IRAP financial contribution is being used for a key series of studies to optimize the long-term safety and efficacy of Sertolin with insulin-producing islets in the Cell Pouch. Data derived from this research will be used in a regulatory package for potential future testing in human clinical trials. "We are quite pleased to receive NRC-IRAP support once again," said Dr. Philip Toleikis President … Continue reading →

SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - Mar 22, 2013) - Medistem Inc. (PINKSHEETS: MEDS) announced today it published an update on its RECOVER-ERC congestive heart failure Phase II clinical trial in a peer-reviewed journal (link to paper http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/pdf/1479-5876-11-56.pdf). The publication reports safety of its proprietary stem cell population, termed "Endometrial Regenerative Cells" (ERC), as well as data supporting the patent-pending 30 minute catheter-based retrograde delivery technique through which the stem cells are administered. "To date, all stem cell trials in the cardiac space use bone marrow and adipose tissue sources.Unlike the painful and highly invasive process of collecting bone marrow and adipose stem cells, our collection processes involves extraction of a small amount of menstrual blood from young healthy donors.In our FDA-cleared manufacturing protocol, one donor generates 20,000 doses," said Alan Lewis, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Medistem. "ERC are administered without tissue matching or the requirement for immune suppressive drugs. Our product is delivered to the point-of-care as a cryogenically preserved allogeneic therapy that is ready to use, without need for end user manipulation.This feature could make it practical for clinicians to efficiently deliver stem cell therapy to large numbers of heart failure patients." "This is the first time that the … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, March 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Stem for Life Foundation, NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE MKT:NBS), The Pontifical Council for Culture, and STOQ International today released details on the program of The Second International Vatican Adult Stem Cell Conference: Regenerative Medicine A Fundamental Shift in Science & Culture, taking place from within The Vatican, April 11-13, 2013. This event is part of a five-year collaboration between The Stem for Life Foundation, a not-for-profit organization devoted to raising global awareness of the therapeutic potential of adult stem cells, NeoStem, a leader in the emerging cellular therapy industry, The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture and its foundation, called STOQ International (Science, Theology and the Ontological Quest). "Regenerative medicine is poised to revolutionize disease management by finding new ways to boost the body's ability to heal itself. Whereas today, treatment for many diseases is a matter of managing symptoms, regenerative medicine seeks to reverse the course of the disease by targeting its cause and repairing diseased or defective tissues or organs," said Dr. Robin Smith, President of The Stem for Life Foundation and CEO of NeoStem. "This conference brings together a notable group of adult stem cell researchers, educators, policy experts, ethicists, … Continue reading →

Mar. 20, 2013 The promise of repairing damaged hearts through regenerative medicine -- infusing stem cells into the heart in the hope that these cells will replace worn out or damaged tissue -- has yet to meet with clinical success. But a highly sensitive visualization technique developed by Stanford University School of Medicine scientists may help speed that promise's realization. The technique is described in a study published March 20 in Science Translational Medicine. Testing the new imaging method in humans is probably three to five years off. Human and animal trials in which stem cells were injected into cardiac tissue to treat severe heart attacks or substantial heart failure have largely yielded poor results, said Sam Gambhir, PhD, MD, senior author of the study and professor and chair of radiology. "We're arguing that the failure is at least partly due to faulty initial placement," he said. "You can use ultrasound to visualize the needle through which you deliver stem cells to the heart. But once those cells leave the needle, you've lost track of them." As a result, key questions go unanswered: Did the cells actually get to the heart wall? If they did, did they stay there, or … Continue reading →

Public release date: 20-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Bruce Goldman goldmanb@stanford.edu 650-725-2106 Stanford University Medical Center STANFORD, Calif. The promise of repairing damaged hearts through regenerative medicine infusing stem cells into the heart in the hope that these cells will replace worn out or damaged tissue has yet to meet with clinical success. But a highly sensitive visualization technique developed by Stanford University School of Medicine scientists may help speed that promise's realization. The technique is described in a study to be published March 20 in Science Translational Medicine. Testing the new imaging method in humans is probably three to five years off. Human and animal trials in which stem cells were injected into cardiac tissue to treat severe heart attacks or substantial heart failure have largely yielded poor results, said Sam Gambhir, PhD, MD, senior author of the study and professor and chair of radiology. "We're arguing that the failure is at least partly due to faulty initial placement," he said. "You can use ultrasound to visualize the needle through which you deliver stem cells to the heart. But once those cells leave the needle, you've lost track of them." As a result, key questions go … Continue reading →

GAITHERSBURG, MD--(Marketwire - Mar 18, 2013) - Cytomedix, Inc. ( OTCQX : CMXI ) (the "Company"), a regenerative therapies company commercializing and developing innovative platelet and adult stem cell technologies, announced today that the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued reimbursement coding and claims payment instructions to its regional contractors for the use of autologous PRP in chronic non-healing wounds.The assignment of a Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code establishes the reimbursement mechanism for physicians and other providers submitting claims for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries. A new HCPCS code, G-0460, has been assigned for: "Autologous platelet rich plasma for chronic wounds/ulcers, including phlebotomy, centrifugation, and all other preparatory procedures, administration and dressings, per treatment." Martin Rosendale, Chief Executive Officer of Cytomedix, commented, "The assignment of a HCPCS code for the use of AutoloGel is another critical element to the near term clinical treatment of chronic non-healing wounds with commercial reimbursement.We recently received protocol approval under the Coverage with Evidence Development (CED) program, and detailed coding and payment instructions have now been issued to CMS' regional contractors and fiscal intermediaries.Our interaction with CMS continues to be productive and appropriately collaborative.We are enthusiastic that Medicare beneficiaries will … Continue reading →

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX), today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2012 and highlighted its fourth quarter and recent corporate accomplishments. Fourth Quarter and Recent Highlighted Corporate Accomplishments We have positioned 2013 to be a very pivotal year in the development of our product opportunities as BioTime begins human clinical trials for Renevia, OncoCyte initiates its PanC-Dx clinical study, LifeMap Sciences expands its revenue generating product offerings, and we move to close our transaction with BAC and Geron, said Michael D. West, Ph.D., BioTime's President and Chief Executive Officer. The proceeds from our recent equity financings will support the funding of our operations and cash commitment to BAC through this year. Financial Results Revenue For the quarter ended December 31, 2012, on a consolidated basis, total revenue was $1.2 million, down $0.5 million from $1.7 million for the same period one year ago. The decrease in fourth quarter revenue is primarily attributable to lower grant revenue related to the completion of BioTimes research grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), and a decrease in the sale of research products, partially offset by subscription and advertising revenues from LifeMap … Continue reading →

A new study in the latest issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine shows how stem cells can be used to successfully repair the mandible after a molar extraction and, years later, the new bone is still functioning properly. Durham, NC (PRWEB) March 15, 2013 Interestingly, the regenerated bone is also hard, rather than the spongy kind normally found in the jaw. The new study is a follow-up to previous investigations by an international team of researchers in which they discovered that mesenchymal stem cells taken from dental pulp and seeded on a collagen scaffold successfully repaired the mandible bone. In this latest work, they checked on patients who had received the mandible bone grafts three years earlier to assess the stability and quality of the regenerated bone and vessel network. They found the new bone had normal function and was richly vascularized, although was much more compact than the spongy type normally found in the mandible. The team theorized that, most probably, regeneration of compact bone occurs because grafted dental-pulp stem cells do not follow the local signals of the surrounding spongy bone. The mandible is constructed from spongey bone on account of its role linked to the presence of … Continue reading →