July 23, 2012 redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online Researchers from several prominent medical institutions claim that they have identified several genetic mutations responsible for medulloblastoma, the most common malignant type of childhood brain tumor. There are four recognized subtypes of medulloblastomas, which occur in the part of the brain responsible for controlling balance and other complex motor functions (the cerebellum), Boston Childrens Hospital researchers explained in a recent statement. These tumors are treated through a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, and while survival rate for this form of cancer is approximately 70%, hospital officials note that those who overcome the disease are usually not able to live independently due to side-effects related both to the tumor and the treatment methods. Doctors have historically classified medulloblastoma patients as either standard or high risk based on biopsy results, but have long suspected that what we call medulloblastoma could actually be several different diseases, they said. Over the last two years, studies by researchers have bolstered this view by dividing medulloblastoma into four molecular subtypes based on gene expression profiles and copy number variations. Each subtype has a distinct survival rate, ranging from 20 to 90 percent. Now, Dr. … Continue reading →

Editor's note: The previously posted story should have stated that the 66-year-old patient was discharged from Zannos Grekos practice and appeared still sedated and was carried into her home, where her condition worsened and she was hospitalized. Tests revealed significant brain swelling. The story has been corrected below. K.K.Yankopolus Photo by Allie Garza Dr. Zannos Grekos, a cardiologist whose practice is in Bonita Springs, speaks with a seminar attendant after one of his educational seminars about stem cell treatment, using one's own stem cells, for treating heart disease and other medical conditions, on Monday, March 14, 2011, at the Collier County Library. Allie Garza/Staff FORT MYERS _ A Fort Myers physician has rejected a settlement agreement with state regulators over his role in a stem cell treatment with a patient who later died. The deal that Dr. Konstantine Yankopolus turned down had him paying a fine of $25,000 and the state Department of Health's case expenses of $12,200. He would have been on probation for two years with another physician indirectly supervising him. Yankopolus, who has a primary-care practice in Fort Myers, assisted Dr. Zannos Grekos in March with the controversial stem cell treatment on a 77-year-old Indiana man, according … Continue reading →

2012-07-23 19:43 Tel Aviv - A clinical trial of ALS patients conducted by BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics shows its adult stem cell therapy is well-tolerated, appears to be safe and does not present undue risk, according to an interim safety review. Moreover, in some patients signs of stabilisation of the disease were detected. Israel-based BrainStorm is developing NurOwn for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. "It's very uncommon to give at such an early point in a clinical study efficacy data, but we cannot ignore the fact on an individual basis we could see improvement in many of the patients involved, each one in different areas," Moshe Neuman, CEO of Biomedical Research Design, which serves as a contract research organisation for the trial, said. In some patients breathing improved, in others it was muscle strength and in others it was speech, he told Reuters. Neuman said a final report was expected by the end of the year after each patient has been observed for nine months. BrainStorm President Chaim Lebovits said the preliminary results demonstrate that the stem cells have … Continue reading →

A clinical trial of ALS patients conducted by BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics shows its adult stem cell therapy is well-tolerated, appears to be safe and does not present undue risk, according to an interim safety review. Moreover, in some patients signs of stabilization of the disease were detected. Israel-based BrainStorm is developing NurOwn for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. "It's very uncommon to give at such an early point in a clinical study efficacy data, but we cannot ignore the fact on an individual basis we could see improvement in many of the patients involved, each one in different areas," Moshe Neuman, CEO of Biomedical Research Design, which serves as a contract research organization for the trial, said. In some patients breathing improved, in others it was muscle strength and in others it was speech, he told Reuters. Neuman said a final report was expected by the end of the year after each patient has been observed for nine months. BrainStorm President Chaim Lebovits said the preliminary results demonstrate that the stem cells have the potential not only to … Continue reading →