Category Archives: Stem Cell Human Trials

Cancer Health Home>>Cancer>>Health news Written by: BEN HIRSCHLER, Reuters Sep. 12, 2012 A 10-month-old female Gerbil is seen in this file photo. (QMI Agency) Scientists have restored hearing to deaf gerbils using human embryonic stem cells in an advance that could eventually help people with an intractable form of deafness caused by nerve damage. The procedure needs further animal research to assess safety and long-term effectiveness but researchers said on Wednesday the experiment was an important proof of concept, marking a further advance in the growing field of regenerative medicine. Marcelo Rivolta from Britains University of Sheffield, who led the research, said the first patients could receive cell therapy for hearing loss in clinical trials in a few years. If this was a human patient, it would mean going from being so deaf as to be unable to hear a lorry or truck on the street to being able to maintain a conversation, Rivolta told reporters. What we have shown here is functional recovery using human stem cells, which is unique. Gerbils were selected for the test because their hearing range is similar to that of humans, while mice - the usual choice for laboratory tests - hear at higher … Continue reading →

TORONTO Researchers have restored the ability to hear in deaf gerbils using implanted human embryonic stem cells, achieving what they call a first step in potentially overcoming some causes of hearing loss in people. While more study is needed to ensure the technique is safe for humans, principal researcher Dr. Marcelo Rivolta of the University of Sheffield said the work shows that stem cells can indeed regenerate nerve cells needed for hearing. It is early days, but we believe this is a substantial step forward because what we have here is the proof of concept that we can use human stem cells derived from human embryonic stem cells to repair the ear, Rivolta said from Sheffield, England. The researchers describe their work in a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The progenitor cells implanted in the gerbils were produced in the lab from a line of human embryonic stem cells approved for use in research. Embryonic stem cells give rise to virtually all tissue types in the body, from the various organs to neurons to skin. Progenitor cells generated from the stem cells have been manipulated to produce only certain kinds of cells. These otic progenitors differentiate into cells … Continue reading →

London, Sep 10: Ladies, you may not have to depend upon painful Botox injections and expensive cosmetic surgery for long to look young. A British firm is trialling a new natural method which involves injecting the patients own stem cells to restore skins youthful elasticity. Researchers believe they will spur the growth of new skin cells, called fibroblasts, which make the elastic ingredient collagen which is produced in large quantities when we are young, but declines as we age, the Daily Mail reported. The company Pharmacells, based in Glasgow, plans to begin clinical trials in 12 months, using stem cells harvested from a blood sample from the patients. They believe the procedure could be commercially available in just three years, potentially revolutionising the market for anti-ageing treatments. By using the bodys own cells, it is billed as a more natural approach to reducing the signs of ageing than Botox, a chemical which freezes the facial muscles to smooth wrinkles. The company has licensed the technology to harvest a new type of stem cell called a blastomere-like stem cell (CORR) which is found circulating in the blood. Like other types of stem cells, it is unspecialised and can develop into many … Continue reading →

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 10, 2012 Scientists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a subpopulation of cells that display cancer stem cell properties and resistance to chemotherapy, and participate in tumor progression. This breakthrough could lead to the development of new tests for early cancer diagnosis, prognostic tests, and innovative therapeutic strategies, as reported in Cancer Cell. Resistance to chemotherapy is a frequent and devastating phenomenon that occurs in cancer patients during certain treatments. Unfortunately, tumors that initially respond to chemotherapy eventually become resistant to it, contributing to tumor progression and death. The study reveals that these new cancer stem cells, which have not been differentiated into more specific cell types, are capable of multiplying despite being exposed to chemotherapy, while differentiated cells die. Led by Carlos Cordon-Cardo, MD, PhD, Chair of Pathology, and Josep Domingo-Domenech, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology at Mount Sinai, the research team generated cellular models of drug resistance by treating prostate tumor cell lines with increasing doses of the common chemotherapy drugs, including docetaxel. They identified a cell population expressing markers of embryonic development. In addition, these cells displayed cancer stem cell functions, including the capacity to initiate tumor cell growth. … Continue reading →

Newswise Scientists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a subpopulation of cells that display cancer stem cell properties and resistance to chemotherapy, and participate in tumor progression. This breakthrough could lead to the development of new tests for early cancer diagnosis, prognostic tests, and innovative therapeutic strategies, as reported in Cancer Cell. Resistance to chemotherapy is a frequent and devastating phenomenon that occurs in cancer patients during certain treatments. Unfortunately, tumors that initially respond to chemotherapy eventually become resistant to it, contributing to tumor progression and death. The study reveals that these new cancer stem cells, which have not been differentiated into more specific cell types, are capable of multiplying despite being exposed to chemotherapy, while differentiated cells die. Led by Carlos Cordon-Cardo, MD, PhD, Chair of Pathology, and Josep Domingo-Domenech, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology at Mount Sinai, the research team generated cellular models of drug resistance by treating prostate tumor cell lines with increasing doses of the common chemotherapy drugs, including docetaxel. They identified a cell population expressing markers of embryonic development. In addition, these cells displayed cancer stem cell functions, including the capacity to initiate tumor cell growth. Next, the team evaluated human tissue … Continue reading →

British firm is trialling new method by injecting patient's own stem cells to restore skin's youthful elasticity By Tamara Cohen PUBLISHED: 10:40 EST, 9 September 2012 | UPDATED: 02:12 EST, 10 September 2012 Scientists will begin clinical trials in 12 months, using stem cells harvested from a blood sample from the patients Scientists are working on a new weapon in the war against wrinkles. There are not many things women have not tried in the quest for a youthful complexion from lotions and potions to Botox and cosmetic surgery. But a British firm is trialling a new method which involves injecting the patients own stem cells to restore skins youthful elasticity. Researchers believe they will spur the growth of new skin cells, called fibroblasts, which make the elastic ingredient collagen which is produced in large quantities when we are young, but declines as we age. The company Pharmacells, based in Glasgow, plan to begin clinical trials in 12 months, using stem cells harvested from a blood sample from the patients. They believe the procedure could be commercially available in just three years, potentially revolutionising the market for anti-ageing treatments. Read more here: Could this stem cell cure for wrinkles end … Continue reading →

Public release date: 10-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Mount Sinai Press Office newsmedia@mssm.edu 212-241-9200 The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine Scientists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a subpopulation of cells that display cancer stem cell properties and resistance to chemotherapy, and participate in tumor progression. This breakthrough could lead to the development of new tests for early cancer diagnosis, prognostic tests, and innovative therapeutic strategies, as reported in Cancer Cell. Resistance to chemotherapy is a frequent and devastating phenomenon that occurs in cancer patients during certain treatments. Unfortunately, tumors that initially respond to chemotherapy eventually become resistant to it, contributing to tumor progression and death. The study reveals that these new cancer "stem" cells, which have not been differentiated into more specific cell types, are capable of multiplying despite being exposed to chemotherapy, while differentiated cells die. Led by Carlos Cordon-Cardo, MD, PhD, Chair of Pathology, and Josep Domingo-Domenech, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology at Mount Sinai, the research team generated cellular models of drug resistance by treating prostate tumor cell lines with increasing doses of the common chemotherapy drugs, including docetaxel. They identified a cell population expressing markers … Continue reading →

>>UC Irvine photos The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine awarded $63 million in CIRM Disease Team Therapy Development Awards to four research teams. UCLA's Stanley Nelson and collaborators also are recipients, for research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy. CIRM also granted Basic Biology IV awards to a number of UC researchers: UC Berkeley: Robert Tjian UC Davis: Deborah Lieu UCLA: Kathrin Plath, Owen Witte UC San Diego: George Sen, Gene Yeo, Maike Sander, Ananda Goldrath, Miles Wilkinson, David Traver UC San Francisco: Jeremy Reiter, Barbara Panning, Miguel Ramalho-Santos >>CIRM press release IRVINE Efforts to begin human clinical trials using stem cells to treat Alzheimer's disease and retinitis pigmentosa received a $37.3 million boost from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine during its most recent round of funding on Wednesday (Sept. 5). UC Irvine scientists will be part of two research teams garnering CIRM Disease Team Therapy Development Awards, which are designed to accelerate collaborative translational research leading to human clinical trials. In one, Dr. Henry Klassen, an associate professor of ophthalmology in UC Irvine's Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, and his collaborators at UC Santa Barbara and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, received $17.3 million to cultivate therapeutically potent retinal … Continue reading →

Collaborations set to advance Alzheimers disease and retinitis pigmentosa treatments Irvine, Calif., September 06, 2012 UC Irvine scientists will be part of two research teams garnering CIRM Disease Team Therapy Development Awards, which are designed to accelerate collaborative translational research leading to human clinical trials. In one, Dr. Henry Klassen, an associate professor of ophthalmology in UC Irvines Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, and his collaborators at UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, received $17.3 million to cultivate therapeutically potent retinal progenitor stem cells to treat the blinding effects of retinitis pigmentosa. In the other, StemCells, Inc. in Newark, Calif., received $20 million and will collaborate with Frank LaFerla and Mathew Blurton-Jones neurobiologists with the stem cell research center and the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND) to advance research using the companys proprietary purified human neural stem cells to improve memory in people with Alzheimers disease. CIRMs support for UC Irvines efforts to advance stem cell-based treatments for a variety of diseases is extremely gratifying, said Peter Donovan, director of the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center. Henrys work on retinitis pigmentosa and Frank and Mathews on Alzheimers … Continue reading →

SOURCE: VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 6, 2012) - VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCBB: VSTA) (OTCQB: VSTA), a biotechnology company applying stem cell technology for drug rescue and novel pharmaceutical assays for predictive heart and liver toxicology and drug metabolism screening, today announced that Platinum Long Term Growth VII, LLC (Platinum) purchased a $750,000 secured convertible promissory note from the Company, supplementing its purchase in July 2012 of a similar note in the principal amount of $500,000.VistaGen currently anticipates that all amounts due under the two notes will be rolled into a proposed financing by Platinum expected to result in gross proceeds to VistaGen of at least $3.25 million, including $1.25 million from the two outstanding notes. In addition, VistaGen announced the strategic restructuring of approximately $2.38 million of long-term indebtedness to Morrison & Foerster LLP (M&F), its intellectual property counsel. The restructuring is expected to result in VistaGen's issuance of restricted common stock to M&F, at a price of $1.00 per share, as payment for approximately $1.38 million of the principal amount of such long-term indebtedness. "We are very pleased with these recent endorsements from our largest institutional investor and our highly-regarded, long-time intellectual property counsel," … Continue reading →