LEUVEN, BELGIUM--(Marketwire -07/17/12)- TiGenix (EURONEXT:TIG), the European leader in cell therapy, announced today that after obtaining national reimbursement for ChondroCelect in the Netherlands last month, the company has now contracted with four major hospitals to make its innovative cartilage repair therapy available to their patients on a routine basis: University Medical Center Utrecht, University Hospital Maastricht, Martini Hospital Groningen, and, most recently, the Elisabeth Hospital Tilburg. Discussions with other Cartilage Expert Centers are ongoing. Reimbursement for ChondroCelect in the Netherlands is retroactive per January 1, 2011. "Our close collaboration with the Dutch hospitals is key to making ChondroCelect available to patients in the Netherlands," said Eduardo Bravo, CEO of TiGenix. "Dutch scientists and clinicians have made important contributions to the development of this innovative cartilage repair therapy. Patients who suffer from cartilage lesions in the knee that cause recurrent pain and can be incapacitating can now be routinely treated and literally find their footing again. We expect to soon expand the number of hospitals in the Netherlands where ChondroCelect is available." Damage to the articular cartilage in the knee can be caused by sports or professional activities in which the knee is repeatedly and forcefully impacted. It is a condition … Continue reading →

THE discovery of a unique marker on stem cells from the gut, liver and pancreas could eventually allow scientists to diagnose cancer earlier and develop new treatments, a Melbourne scientist says. Professor Martin Pera from Stem Cells Australia and an international team developed an antibody that identifies and isolates the marker, which sits on the outer surface of stem cells and another type of cell called a progenitor. These cells are particularly hard to find in the pancreas and liver. By identifying the markers, the cells can be isolated and extracted for study in the laboratory, where scientists can observe what happens to the cells during the disease process and in repair and regeneration. Prof Pera, who is also chair of Stem Cell Sciences at the University of Melbourne, said the number of cells with the marker expanded during pancreatic and esophageal cancer, and liver cirrhosis. "It may well be that they are precursors of the cancers," Prof Pera told AAP. He said if the marker could be found in the blood of cancer patients, it could allow sufferers to be diagnosed earlier and provide new approaches to treatment, which could involve developing drugs to target the marker on cancer … Continue reading →

Public release date: 16-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: David McKeon dmckeon@nyscf.org 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation NEW YORK, NY (July 16, 2012) A team of scientists at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Laboratory led by Scott Noggle, PhD, NYSCFCharles Evans Senior Research Fellow for Alzheimer's Disease, has developed the first cell-based model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by reprogramming skin cells of Alzheimer's patients to become brain cells that are affected in Alzheimer's. This will allow researchers to work directly on living brain cells suffering from Alzheimer's, which until now had not been possible. Andrew Sproul, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in Dr. Noggle's laboratory, will present this work on Thursday, July 19 at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) held in Vancouver. Dr. Noggle and his team reprogrammed skin cell samples taken from twelve patients diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's and from healthy, genetically related individuals into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which can differentiate into any cell type. The team of scientists used these iPS cells to create cholinergic basal forebrain neurons, the brain cells that are affected in Alzheimer's. These cells recapitulate the features and cellular-level functions of patients suffering from Alzheimer's, a devastating … Continue reading →

Man blinded after attack to undergo stem cell treatment By Jimmy Woulfe, Mid-West Correspondent Tuesday, July 17, 2012 A blind and paralysed Limerick man flies to China today hoping a revolutionary stem cell treatment can restore the life he had three years ago. Brian Hogan, 35, suffered brain damage after an unprovoked attack in Nottingham when he was assaulted by a British national. During the incident, Brian, from Ballykeeffe, hit his head on a pavement and subsequently spent three months in a coma at Queens Hospital in the city. After months of rehabilitation, he relearned how to talk, but has been left blind and must use a wheelchair. Brian said the treatment he will undergo in China has attracted controversy but anybody in his position would try everything to get their life back on track. He will receive stem cell infusions once every two days over a three-week period, as well as other therapies. His sister Nevis said: "This is finally happening. Were all very excited, but were also sick with nerves. We know it may or may not work but we have to try for Brians sake. Anyone in our position would do the same. Its a medical trial, … Continue reading →

The regenerative medicine company Juventas Therapeutics, which had already said it added Takeda Pharmaceuticals to its roster of investors, said this weekend it has raised enough money to take its treatments for heart failure and a severe form of peripheral artery disease through its latest round of clinical trials. The $22.2 million investment will be used to complete a pair of phase 2 trials one for chronic heart failure and the other for critical limb ischemia. Juventas stem cell treatment, JVS-100, uses a protein naturally produced by the heart (stromal cell-derived factor 1) that attracts stem cells to damaged tissue, keeps cells from dying and restores blood flow. Data from the trials should be available by late next year, at which point Juventas would begin seeking a partner to commercialize their treatment and talk with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about further trials, CEO Rahul Aras said. If all goes well with clinical trials, FDA approval could come as soon as 2016. Juventas competitors include everyone from Michigan startup Aastrom Biosciences to the Israeli public company Pluristem Therapeutics. Theyre chasing a massive market. Some estimates indicate 1 million people suffer from critical limb ischemia in the United States, which … Continue reading →

(Phys.org) -- An international team of researchers led by renowned stem cell scientist Professor Martin Pera has discovered a novel marker that plays an important role in our understanding of how cancer develops in the liver, pancreas and oesophagus. The study, published in the journal Stem Cell, adds to our understanding of the role of stem and next stage progenitor cells in tissue regeneration and in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. While stem cells are known to reside in organs such as the liver and pancreas, they are difficult to isolate. The new findings show that an antibody developed by the team can be used to capture the stem cells. Professor Pera, program leader for Stem Cells Australia and Chair of Stem Cell Sciences at the University of Melbourne, said the antibody was able to detect progenitor cells in disease states such as cirrhosis of the liver, and in cancers such as pancreatic adenocarcinoma and oesophageal carcinoma. By being able to identify these cells, we hope to be able to learn more about their role in tissue regeneration and in cancer especially in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer, he said. Cancers of the liver, pancreas and oesophagus … Continue reading →