Category Archives: Rhode Island Stem Cells

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Right to Life of Michigan is opposed to research which destroys a developing human being. When stem cells are removed from human embryos, a unique individual dies. It has been proven scientifically that human life begins at conception. This fact sheet on stem cell research contains information about stem cells and their potential. It also describes the current legal situation regarding human embryonic stem cell research and federal funding, as well as information about ethical alternatives such as research on adult stem cells and blood from the umbilical cord which have provided actual treatments to patients.

What are stem cells and what is their potential?

Stem cells are the cells from which all other cells originate. In a human embryo, a large portion of the embryos cells are stem cells. As the young child grows in her mothers womb, most of these cells begin to differentiate and become the heart, liver, kidneys and all of the 210 kinds of tissue found in a human body.(1) Even though most of these cells become differentiated, all humans retain some stem cells. Stem cells are incredibly versatile cells that can be replicated indefinitely. These cells, given the correct cues, can develop into specialized cells which the body might need. Most of the potential good such research may produce has revolved around the use of stem cells from human embryos, but there is also research being done on adult stem cells, stem cells from umbilical cord blood, and induced pluripotent stem cells.

Since stem cells are so versatile and there are many diseases that result from the lack of or dysfunction of a single type of cell, there is hope within the medical community that someday cells can be reprogrammed to cure various diseases. Some of these diseases include Parkinsons, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, and heart disease.

There are many sources for stem cells. In adults, stem cells can be found in numerous kinds of tissues and organs including bone marrow, blood, fat, skin, the liver, and even baby teeth.(2) Another ethical source of stem cells is the blood found in umbilical cords and placentas after birth. Stem cells removed from these sources dont harm the patient.

Despite these multiple sources of stem cells, most of the medias attention is focused on embryonic stem cells.(3) These are cells that would eventually become a childs organs and tissues but are removed from a human embryo in the first week of life. When these cells are removed, a human embryo dies.

Advocates for human embryonic stem cell research want to use embryos that have been frozen at fertility clinics as the main source of embryonic stem cells. These leftover embryos were conceived to bring about an in vitro fertilization pregnancy, but they were never implanted into their mothers womb. When a woman gets pregnant with in vitro fertilization and not all of the embryos are implanted, fertility clinics allow couples to destroy them, donate them to another couple, or freeze them in case they want to give birth to another child at a later time. Most couples freeze their embryonic children to save them for later birth attempts.(4)

Some scientists have gone a step further by creating embryos whose sole purpose is to be used for research while others have used cloning to create human embryos that can be killed for their stem cells.

Federal funding of human embryonic stem cells research

In August 2000, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) determined that federal funds could be legally used to support research on human embryonic stem cells, despite a federal law forbidding federal funding of research that destroys human embryos. Passed in 1996, the Dickey-Wicker Amendment states that federal funds cant be used for research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death.

The NIH avoided this law by using the DHHSs rationale that stem cells arent embryos, so research using stem cells is separated from the act of obtaining those stem cells by destroying an embryo. The NIH stated that federal funds would not be used for the actual removal of the stem cells from the embryo (which kills the embryo). However, once stem cells are removed from the embryo, the NIH would provide federal funds.

The problem with the NIH Guidelines is that in order to do research on embryonic stem cells, embryos have to be destroyed. There is no way of separating the two. By providing federal funds for research on embryonic stem cells, the NIH is promoting the destruction of innocent lives.

The language of the Dickey-Wicker Amendment is obviously intended to cover more than just research whose only purpose is the destruction of embryos. The language of the law implies that research where an embryo will be destroyed, including cases where this destruction will occur in order for the research to take place, should not receive federal funds.

Before any federal funding began, President George W. Bush sought a compromise soon after his election. On August 9, 2001, he announced that he would allow federal funds for the first time to be used for human embryonic stem cell research, but only on cell lines created before August 9, 2001. These stem cell lines were created from embryos that were destroyed before the presidents decision. On the positive side, President Bush also announced that he would allocate $250 million to research involving stem cells from non-controversial sources and took a strong stand against all forms of human cloning.

Shortly after taking office, President Barack Obama issued an executive order on March 9, 2009, to remove President Bushs funding restrictions and allow the federal government to fund research on human embryonic stem cells as long as the cell lines were taken from human embryos created by in vitro fertilization for reproductive purposes and were donated by their parents. The Dickey-Wicker Amendment is still on the books, but its original intent continues to be violated.

Alternatives to human embryo research

The search for treatments and cures need not include the destruction of innocent, vulnerable human embryos. Stem cell research can move forward, alternatives to human embryonic stem cells exist.

The most promising of these alternative methods is the use of adult stem cells. Initially, adult stem cell research was not extensive because adult stem cells were thought to be less available and versatile, however, recent reports continue to show the usefulness of adult stem cells. Adult stem cells have been shown to form different tissues, including muscle, fat, cartilage and bone.(5) American and Brazilian researchers were able to use bone marrow stem cells to help 20 of 23 type-1 diabetic patients become insulin-free for a period of time.(6) Adult stem cells have already been used clinically while embryonic stem cells have yet to cure a single patient. It is also important to point out that adult stem cells taken from a persons own body dont face the risk of being rejected by the patients immune system, unlike embryonic stem cells.(7)

Proponents of embryonic stem cell research have tried to get around this problem by advocating therapeutic cloning where the patient is cloned and then stem cells from the cloned embryo are removed and transplanted.(8)

Another promising alternative to embryonic stem cell research that doesnt have ethical implications is research on stem cells found in the blood of umbilical cords. The small amount of blood found in umbilical cords after birth is rich in stem cells. Private companies and some states have cord blood banks where the stem cells can be saved for future use. Michigan Blood operates a public cord blood bank where anyone can easily donate cord blood as a part of the birthing process.

Despite ethical alternatives, many researchers still insist that embryonic stem cells are superior because they can turn into any cell in the human body. Another alternative allows all of the supposed benefits of embryonic stem cells without destroying human life. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are ordinary human skin cells that have been reverted back to an embryonic-like state by genetic reprogramming. Creating iPS cells does not harm the patient and requires no destruction of human life.(9)

These cells are pluripotent, like those taken from destroyed human embryos, which means they have the potential to change into any type of tissue in the body. The original process for making iPS cells was discovered in November of 2007 and experiments are ongoing.

Like embryonic stem cells, iPS cells might share their risk of becoming cancer cells if they dont differentiate and grow properly. Another avenue of research being worked on is direct cell reprogamming, where scientists change a cell type without having to go through a stem cell stage, for example turning skin cells directly into blood cells.(10)

How stem cells from ethical sources have helped

While some scientists talk about the potential of embryonic stem cells, stem cells from umbilical cords and adults are already helping people. Many stories about ethical stem cell treatments arent widely discussed or make the national evening news but they are important breakthroughs for life-affirming research. Following is a list of just recent breakthroughs in research involving types of stem cells that dont require innocent human life to be sacrificed:

On May 21, 2015, FOX News reported that 29 stroke patients who recieved their own bone marrow stem cells were noted to recover motor skills and speech. The study showed that it is safe to inject the bone marrow stem cells directly by catheter through the carotid artery. On June 2, 2014, the Providence Journal in Rhode Island reported the stories of several people whose lives were saved by bone marrow stem cell treatments for their leukemia from marrow donors. The stories included a retired police office who recieved his transplant in 2011, and another man who received his transplant in 1998 after chemotherapy and a relapse. On May 5, 2014, Forbes reported on a review by the Cochrane Collaboration of 23 studies that looked at bone marrow stem cell treatments for heart disease. They found that overall, the treatments reduced the risk of death and improved heart function. Of the six studies that reported on long-term results more than a year after treatments, 3.3 percent of patients died following the adult stem cell treatments, compared to 18.5 percent who did not. On October 28, 2013, FOX 45 in Baltimore reported on the story of a Maryland man who was able to walk again following treatment using adult stem cells from bone marrow. He was paralzyed from the chest down from transverse myelitis caused by lupus.

On April 30, 2013, USA Today reported that a two-year-old girl in South Korea received an artificial windpipe made from plastic and adult stem cells taken from her own bone marrow. The experimental procedure appears to be successful so far. The girl has been unable to eat or breathe since birth. On January 28, 2013, The Daily Mail reported on a small British study that found that treating cartilage damage with umbilical cord blood stem cells led to a 67 percent improvement in tissue regeneration in patients. Other clinical trials using the procedure are ongoing.

Killing embryos for research legal in Michigan

In 2008, Michigan voters passed Proposal 2 by a margin of 53% to 47%. Proposal 2 was a ballot initiative which amended the Michigan Constitution to allow the killing of and research on human embryos who were created for fertility treatments. The language in Proposal 2 also deters legislation which would prevent, restrict, obstruct, or discourage or create disincentives for individuals who want to perform research on human embryos. Proposal 2 was supported by embryonic stem cell researchers in Michigan because, prior to Proposal 2, a 1978 law outlawed research on human embryos if that research wasnt designed to benefit the subject of the research (the embryo).

The option of embryo adoption

One of the main arguments behind embryonic stem cell research is that all of the embryos will be destroyed anyway. Why not use them to help cure diseases? Fortunately, these unique individuals dont need to die. Nightlight Christian Adoptions, a California-based adoption agency has a program called Snowflakes Embryo Adoption that allows couples to adopt leftover embryos. Parents of children who were adopted as embryos held a press conference in Washington, D.C., on March 9, 2009, to show President Obama and members of Congress that leftover embryos can grow if given the chance.

According to the Snowflakes Embryo Adoption program, there havebeen more than 500 children born who were adopted through theirprogram. Snowflakes is one of several adoption programs which facilitates embryo adoption. Some believe that stem cells from embryos are human enough for research, but not human enough to join the human family. This logic defies the reality that life begins at conception, a truth some researchers and politicians would like to ignore.

The ethics of embryonic stem cell research

One of the most important issues in the debate over stem cell research is the ethics involved. Taking the life of a human being at any stage in development for research is ethically wrong. The embryos that are being destroyed are more than just tissue. These unborn children already are alive and have the genetic blueprint that they will have for the rest of their lives. The stem cells that are taken from them would have eventually developed into, among other things, their hearts, brains, livers, and kidneys.

It is never ethically correct to sacrifice the life of one human to save another without their consent. This kind of utilitarian thinking was the same kind of rationale used by Nazi scientists or during syphilis experiments on African-Americans in Tuskegee, Alabama. Medical advancement should continue, but not through the taking of human life. No human being should be forced to be made the subject of research without their permission, especially if that research leads directly to their destruction. Even death row inmates cannot be experimented on or have their organs removed, without their consent.

Proponents of embryonic stem cell research often cite all of the potentials of the research but usually fail to mention that a human life is destroyed when stem cells are removed from an embryo. The goals of this research are noble, but that doesnt mean that we should abandon our respect for human life to attain these goals. Embryonic stem cell research is a case where the ends dont justify the means. The possibilities for stem cell research are enormous; however, we should focus on the options that protect and acknowledge all human life, not just some of it.

References: 1 - David Prentice, No Fountain of Youth, Regeneration Quarterly 6, no. 4 (2000): 14-16. 2 - Laura Wright, Potent Stem Cells Found in Baby Teeth, Scientific American, 23 April 2003. 3 - Wesley J. Smith, All the News Thats Fit to Forget, The Weekly Standard 17, no. 11 (2011). 4 - D.I. Hoffman et al., Cryopreserved Embryos in the United States and Their Availability for Research, Fertility and Sterility 79, no. 5 (2003): 1063-1069. 5 - Hysterectomies a stem cell source, BBC News, 17 June 2009. 6 - Stem cells can treat diabetes, BBC News, 15 April 2009. 7 - Immune Response May Hinder Stem Cell Treatments, HealthDay News, 18 August 2008. 8 - David Brown, Oregon scientists get stem cells from cloned human embryos, The Washington Post, 15 May 2013. 9 - Rob Stein, Researchers Create Cells That They Say May Be Equivalent to Embryonic Stem Cells, The Washington Post, 24 July 2009. 10 - Ewen Callaway, Cellular alchemy transforms skin into blood, Nature, 7 November 2010.

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Embryonic Stem Cell Research - RTL

The restorative properties of stem cells:

Stem cells are unique because they drive the natural healing process throughout your life. Stem cells are different from other cells in the body because they regenerate and produce specialized cell types. They heal and restore skin, bones, cartilage, muscles, nerves and other tissues when injured.

As a result, amazing new medical treatments are being developed to treat a range of diseases contemporary medicine currently deems difficult or impossible to treat. Among them are:

While stem cells can be found in most tissues of the body, they are usually buried deep, are few in number and are similar in appearance to surrounding cells. With the discovery of stem cells in teeth, an accessible and available source of stem cells has been identified.

The tooth is natures safe for these valuable stem cells, and there is an abundance of these cells in baby teeth, wisdom teeth and permanent teeth. The stem cells contained within teeth are capable of replicating themselves and can be readily recovered at the time of a planned dental procedure. Living stem cells found within extracted teeth were routinely discarded every day, but now, with the knowledge from recent medical research, your Doctor provides you the opportunity to save these cells for future use in developing medical treatments for your family.

Aside from being the most convenient stem cells to access, dental stem cells have significant medical benefits in the development of new medical therapies. Using ones own stem cells for medical treatment means a much lower risk of rejection by the body and decreases the need for powerful drugs that weaken the immune system, both of which are negative but typical realities that come into play when tissues or cells from a donor are used to treat patients.

Further, the stem cells from teeth have been observed in research studies to be among the most powerful stem cells in the human body. Stem cells from teeth replicate at a faster rate and for a longer period of time than do stem cells harvested from other tissues of the body.

Stem cells in the human body age over time and their regenerative abilities slow down later in life. The earlier in life that your familys stem cells are secured, the more valuable they will be when they are needed most.

Accessible The stem cells contained within teeth are recovered at the time of a planned procedure: Extraction of wisdom teeth, baby teeth or other healthy permanent teeth.

Affordable when compared with other methods of acquiring and preserving life saving stem cells: Peripheral blood, Bone Marrow, Cord blood etc, recovering Stem Cells from teeth is the most affordable and least invasive.

Convenience the recovery of stem cells from teeth can be performed in the doctors office anytime when a healthy tooth is being extracted.

Ease of Use The recovery of stem cells from teeth does not add any additional time on to a planned procedure. Your doctor does not require any additional equipment or training.

Healthy dental pulp contains stem cells that are among the most powerful stem cells in the body and replicate at a faster rate and for a longer period of time than other types of stem cells.Stem cells from teeth show great promise for future regenerative medical treatments of neurodegenerative diseases, heart disease, diabetes, bone diseases and brain and nerve injuries.

Any extracted tooth with a healthy pulp contains stem cells. Wisdom teeth, baby teeth and other permanent teeth i.e. healthy teeth that are fractured and teeth recommended for extraction for orthodontic purposes are all candidates for stem cell recovery and cryopreservation.

Age does not seem to play a major factor. All extracted healthy teeth contain stem cells. The younger you are then the younger the cells and these may be more beneficial in future regenerative therapies.

Diseases of different severity or tissue defects of different size will undoubtedly require different amounts of stem cells to heal. Conceptually, the more teeth are banked, the greater the potential for sufficient stem cells to treat various diseases.

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Stem Cells Wakefield Rhode Island, South County Oral ...

We provide blood throughout the state and regionally for patients being treated at leading hospitals.

Community sponsors host over 1,000 mobile blood drives per year.

370,000 people in RI are eligible to give blood each year, but only about 5% of the population donates.

RIBC supplies blood and blood products to over 40 hospitals throughout New England.

Units of blood are needed from donors every single day for the patients and hospitals we serve.

The Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC) was founded in 1979 as a non-profit community blood center. For over 35 years, we have been the primary supplier of blood and blood products to patients being cared for in hospitals throughout Rhode Island and in neighboring states. Our mission is to help save lives by ensuring a safe, plentiful and cost-effective blood supply.

RIBC is much more than just a blood collection organization or blood bank. We register people for the National Marrow Donor Program and collect stem cells of donors who match recipients needing bone marrow transplants right at our Providence Center. We provide therapeutic treatments for patients in local hospitals. Our state-of-the-art laboratory conducts human leukocyte antigen (HLA) histocompatibility and red cell typing, immunogenics, as well as DNA and relationship testing. We are also involved in a variety of local and national research programs in an effort to improve all aspects of the blood supply.

RIBC has long-standing relationships with many organizations in the community who sponsor blood drives. These sponsors help inspire, educate and encourage the many volunteer blood donors needed to supply over 200 units of blood and blood products that must be collected each day to meet the needs of patients and hospitals we serve in Rhode Island and throughout New England.

The Rhode Island Blood Center is dedicated to steady growth and improvement in our community blood program.

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About Us | Rhode Island Blood Center - ribc.org

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has made eight awards totaling $41.7 million for projects aimed at building capacity to research a national priority area: understanding the relationship in organisms between genetic material, or genotype, and physical characteristics due to gene expression and environmental influences, or phenotype.

The genotype-to-phenotype relationship has significant societal and economic implications across scientific fields and areas of industry, including but not limited to medicine, agriculture, biotechnology and ecology. An enhanced understanding of this relationship holds the potential for improved food crop yields, better prediction of human disease risk and new drug therapies. Through these investments, NSF aims to provide the scientific community with new tools and resources for future discoveries.

Over the past several decades, scientists and engineers have made massive strides in decoding, amassing and storing genomic data, said Denise Barnes, Head of NSFs Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Program. But understanding how genomics influence phenotype remains one of the more profound challenges in science. These awards lay the groundwork for closing some of the biggest gaps in biological knowledge and developing interdisciplinary teams needed to address the challenges.

The awards are made through NSF EPSCoR as part of its Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Track-2 investment strategy. RII Track-2 is intended to build national research strength by initiating research collaborations across institutions in two or more EPSCoR jurisdictions. The four-year awards involve 21 institutions in 16 eligible jurisdictions.

EPSCoR is a program designed to fulfill NSFs mandate to promote scientific progress nationwide. Currently, 24 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam are eligible to compete for EPSCoR RII funding. Through this program, NSF establishes regional partnerships with government, higher education and industry that create lasting improvements in a states or territorys research infrastructure and research and development capacity.

Each of the new awards will support research and require recipient institutions to invest in developing a highly skilled, diverse workforce particularly early-career faculty researchers that can sustain research development in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) both in academia and in industry.

This years eight awards are for four years each and involve 21 institutions in 16 EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions.

The project titles, principal investigators and lead institutions are listed below.

Using Natural Variation to Educate, Innovate, and Lead (UNVEIL): A collaborative research network to advance genome-to-phenome connections in the wild: Zac Cheviron, University of Montana

This project capitalizes on complementary research strengths at the University of Montana and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to address fundamental scientific questions that can advance understanding of how organisms function in complex environments and how they acclimate and adapt to environmental challenges. The team seeks to use newly developed genomic technologies to understand the genetic basis of traits that influence the survival of wild animals and plants in changing environments. Their findings will have major implications that extend to conservation biology, agriculture and medicine.

Comparative genomics and phenomics approach to discover genes underlying heat stress resilience in cereals: Harkamal Walia, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

To ensure global food security, there is an urgent need to improve crop resilience to high night-temperature stress-induced losses to yield and quality. This project will focus on rice and wheat, which together provide more than 50 percent of caloric intake for humans worldwide. This project builds upon complementary expertise and infrastructure in Nebraska, Kansas and Arkansas for studying rice and wheat crops at the laboratory and field scales. The project will translate these discoveries into genetic and phenotypic markers for public and private breeding programs and develop a broad continuum for plant science research and education. Collaboration with key industry partners will ensure the prompt translation of promising research findings into applications that can benefit farmers.

Genome to fitness: An analysis of the stress response in Peromyscus: Hippokratis Kiaris, University of South Carolina at Columbia

This collaborative project involving the University of South Carolina, Claflin University and Auburn University aims to dissect the genomic basis of stress response in mammals. The stress responses vary among cells and tissue types and the impact of these responses on animals functions and survival is not well understood. This project applies a combination of genomic analyses coupled with stress tests at cellular and organismal levels to understand the fitness of mammals. The research will use the North American deer mouse as a model.

Advanced biomanufacturing: Catalyzing improved host development and high-quality medicines through genome to phenome predictions: Sarah Harcum, Clemson University

This project brings together Clemson University, the University of Delaware, Tulane University and Delaware State University to study the basis for genomic instability in ovary cell lines, using the Chinese hamster as the organism for study. The study aims to expand the quantitative understanding of the complex interactions between the genome and environment that generates variable phenotypes. A lack of understanding of the fundamental link between genome stability and the phenome significantly limits the ability to improve cell lines. This study will provide foundational genotype-phenotype knowledge to overcome those limitations, thus solving biopharmaceutical manufacturing challenges to improve medicines and patient access to medicines.

Using biophysical protein models to map genetic variation to phenotypes: Frederick Ytreberg, University of Idaho

One of the great challenges in modern biology is understanding how changes in amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins lead to changes in the characteristics of a living organism. This project tackles this aspect of the genotype-phenotype challenge by focusing on protein biophysical models and using a diverse set of experimental systems, molecular and mathematical modeling. The project builds upon complementary expertise and infrastructure in Idaho, Vermont and Rhode Island. The research has significant societal implications for its potential to lead to advances in biotechnology and health sciences.

Building Genome-to-Phenome Infrastructure for Regulating Methane in Deep and Extreme Environments (BuG ReMeDEE): Rajesh Sani, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Globally, about 60 percent of methane emissions are related to human-caused activity. Most of those human-related emissions are attributed to microbes involved with the decomposition of biomass, including waste in landfills and sediment at the bottom of bodies of water. However, a large gap in scientific knowledge is associated with methane cycles in deep, extreme areas of Earths biosphere. The BuG ReMeDEE consortium brings together experts from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Montana State University and University of Oklahoma to investigate methane cycling in such environments and develop new biological mechanisms for converting methane into value-added products.

Genomic logic underlying adaptive morphological divergence: Riccardo Papa, University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras

Understanding the genotype-phenotype relationship is an important goal for evolutionary biology, but it remains a challenge due to the complexity of interpreting the connections between networks of interacting genes and evolutionary development mechanisms. This project builds on the complementary expertise of the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras and Mississippi State University and uses butterfly wing color patterns as a mechanism to study genotype-phenotype relationships in Heliconius butterflies. Disentangling these relationships will provide a major advance in understanding how morphological diversity develops and ultimately originates, which would inform research into other organisms.

G2P in VOM: An experimental and analytical framework for genome to phenome connections in viruses of microbes: Eric Wommack, University of Delaware

The proposed research will test genome to phenome hypotheses in viruses of microbes, focusing on phenomic features influencing viral impacts within ecosystems. Viruses are now known to play important and possibly indispensable roles in the biology and ecology of cellular organisms. Most viruses observed within ecosystems infect microbes. During infection, viruses can alter the phenome of host cells in ways that change the population biology of microbial communities and the flow of nutrients and energy within ecosystems. The details of these processes are largely a mystery. This project will work to connect the genomic features of viruses of microbes with phenotypic life-history traits, using these connections to advance scientific understanding about the role of such viruses in ecosystems. The team is formed by experts from University of Delaware, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a primarily undergraduate university in Rhode Island, Roger Williams University.

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NSF EPSCoR awards new projects - Gears Of Biz

Our approach to facial rejuvenation is different from the standard facelift. We perform a specialized facial rejuvenation that is artistically tailored for each patients individual needs and desires. Our specialty is to give each patient a very natural and more rested, youthful appearance. With facial rejuvenation from our board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Patrick K. Sullivan can dramatically reduce signs of age in the face with results that look beautiful and natural.

Facial rejuvenation cant stop the aging process. What it can do is turn back the clock, improving the most visible signs of aging by removing excess fat from the neck and jowl area, tightening and lifting underlying tissues back into a more youthful position, sculpting, enhancing cheek bones, and redraping the skin of your face and neck. Facial rejuvenation is done under intravenous sedation with an overnight stay in a recovery facility with our private nurse. Although there will be some bruising and swelling after the procedure, this will typically fade significantly in about 2 to 3 weeks (see The Kindest Cut). The final results from facelift surgery is usually most apparent after 4 to 6 weeks, or sooner, with continued improvement for several months.

It has been just over one year since my rejuvenation and I am feeling wonderful. My 32nd high school reunion is this weekend (we are celebrating our 50th birthdays!) and this gal is gonna shine. My best to all, and appreciation. Name omitted for patient privacy

Facts on Chin Augmentation

Additional procedures that may enhance the results include: forehead rejuvenation, eyelid surgery, nose reshaping, earlobe reduction, or placement of fat and stem cells into areas of the face to enhance lips, cheeks and jawlines or to fill in deep creases.

Segment 1: Meet Pam

I always said to myself that when I got older, I would want to age like Katherine Hepburn-Pam, actual patient

Segment 2: The Procedure

I try to handle each person very much as an individual and that takes a lot of planning.-Dr. Patrick Sullivan

Segment 3: The Results I think its made me feel more confident and energetic. It feels natural and Dr. Sullivan did a really beautiful job in maintaining my character.-Pam, actual patient

Please contact Dr. Patrick K. Sullivan to schedule a consultation for facelift surgery in the Rhode Island area. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have. If you would like to view more actual patient results, please visit our facial rejuvenation gallery.

Karen had lost a significant amount of weight and was working hard trying to get into great shape. She is a ballroom dancer and has a tremendous amount of energy. She wanted her face to reflect the energy and youthfulness that she felt on the inside.

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*Results May Vary

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Facelift Face Lift Surgery Providence Rhode Island RI

NEED STEM CELL INFO RELEVANT TO YOU? Go to the MEDICAL CONDITION column to the left to search our extensive database of stem cell treatment articles.

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ASCTCs most advanced product is an assay that can detect, very early in the drug development pipeline, drug candidates that will ultimately fail because of their toxicity to tissue stem cells.The companys patent portfolio contains biotechnologies that solve the two main technical problems production and quantification.In addition, the portfolio includes novel technologies for isolating cancer stem cells and producing iPSCs.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) August 29, 2014

A major challenge before new biotechnology start-up companies, especially ones in the biotech start-up dense realm of Boston-Cambridge, is gaining visibility that can lead to important strategic alliances and able investors. James Sherley, the Director of Bostons Adult Stem Cell Technology Center, LLC (ASCTC), has made increasing the local and national visibility of his company an important priority since he started the company in September 2013.

In addition to a social media marketingcampaignlaunched earlier in July of this year, Director Sherley has targeted research and development conferences both nationally andinternationallyto increase industry awareness of ASCTCs unique portfolio of intellectual property available for licensing and its current commercial development targets. The company is focused on producing two products to address two important needs in drug development and regenerative medicine, respectively, that it is uniquely positioned to address.

ASCTCs most advanced product is an assay that can detect, very early in the drug development pipeline, drug candidates that will ultimately fail because of their toxicity to tissue stem cells. ASCTC developed the new technology in partnership withAlphaSTAR, Corporation, located in Long Beach, California. Currently, such lurking drugs are not detected until after expensive animal testing, more expensive clinical trials, or worse, after marketing. Director Sherley refers to the second product as, A future of pounds and pounds of normal adult tissue stem cells. The company holds a patented technology for mass production of human tissue stem cells. The initial production target is human liver stem cells that can be used to make mature human liver cells for use in drug development and to support liver transplant patients. The company also holdspatentsfor production of pancreatic stem cells and hair follicle stem cells.

The sponsor the 2014 Stem Cells & Regenerative MedicineConference, in Boston, September 15-16, Terrapinn, Inc., invited ASCTC to attend as a VIP guest. Although ASCTC will not make a formal presentation at this conference, Director Sherley will participate in a roundtable discussion on the topic, Articulating value for up-and-coming regenerative medicine, stem cell and cell-based therapies.

Later in September (22-24), Director Sherley will present one of the selected Next Generation Presentations for new companies atBioPharm America 2014, also taking place in Boston. In addition to the public presentation, ASCTC will also participate in confidential partnering meetings with potential investors and strategic alliance partners arranged by conference organizers.

In October, Director Sherley will present to a primarily academic research audience a more detailed accounting of ASCTCs computer simulation technology for quantifying tissue stem cells in culture. This technology is the basis for the companys new assay for tissue stem cell toxicity. Director Sherley is particularly interested in the response from several experts in tissue stem cell growth dynamics who are invited speakers. The symposium, which will take place at Rhode Island Hospital, a medical affiliate of Brown University in Providence, has the goal of presenting emerging disruptive research in the area of Novel Stem Cells and Vesicles. Director Sherley is a member of the symposium organizing committee. ***************************************************************************************** The Adult Stem Cell Technology Center, LLC(ASCTC) is a Massachusetts life sciences company established in September 2013. ASCTC Director and founder, James L. Sherley, M.D., Ph.D. is the foremost authority on the unique properties of adult stem cells. The companys patent portfolio contains biotechnologies that solve the two main technical problems production and quantification that have stood in the way of successful commercialization of human adult tissue stem cells for regenerative medicine and drug development. In addition, the portfolio includes novel technologies for isolating cancer stem cells and producing iPSCs. Currently, ASCTC is employing its technological advantages to pursue commercialization of mass-produced therapeutic human liver cells and facile assays that are early warning systems for drug candidates with catastrophic toxicity due to adverse effects against adult tissue stem cells.via

During the Second International Adult Stem Cell conference at the Vatican, a boy who had his windpipe replaced with one grown using his own stem cells won the Pontifical Hero Award for his courage. Ciaran Finn-Lynch, 14, was born withlong-segment tracheal stenosis,a condition that resulted in a narrow windpipe and made it hard for him to breathe.The operation involved taking a donor trachea and seeding it with stem cells taken from Ciarans bone marrow. The result of the procedure was that after six months, his trachea looked almost normal. Further more, the operation used his own cells, preventing the need for anti-rejection drugs.

Vatican Honors Boy for Courage During Stem Cell Trachea Transplant Operation that Used His Own Cells

During the Second International Adult Stem Cell conference at the Vatican, a boy who had his windpipe replaced with one grown using his own stem cells won the Pontifical Hero Award for his courage.

Ciaran Finn-Lynch, 14, was the second person to receive the award, and he made the trip from Northern Ireland to the Vatican to receive it.

Ciaran is a shining example of what this result has shown, said his father, Paul Finn, in an April 12 interview with CNA.

His mother, Colleen Finn, said we need to have faith in God to get through all of this.

This has made our faith stronger because we need more and more prayers all the time, she added.

Ciaran was born with long-segment tracheal stenosis, a condition that resulted in a narrow windpipe and made it hard for him to breathe.

He had a major transplant surgery to rebuild his trachea when he was two years-old.

Doctors placed metal stents to hold his windpipe open and he went without any major issues until he was 10 years-old.

One day after school, the stents that had been placed in his windpipe started to cut into his aorta, the main blood vessel coming out of his heart.

He was taken to intensive care at Belfast Hospital and then later transferred to Londons Great Ormond Childrens Hospital.

He had several operations but he had more bleeding from his stents, said Doctor Paolo De Coppi, head of the surgery unit at University College Londons Institute of Child Health, during the April 12 morning session of the conference.

The leader of our team didnt know what to do next, but an option was to do an operation done before on an adult in Barcelona. But we didnt have the time to do that, De Coppi explained.

But we did something similar and it was a quite difficult operation, he said.

The operation involved taking a donor trachea and seeding it with stem cells taken from Ciarans bone marrow.

The result of the procedure was that after six months, his trachea looked almost normal.

Ciaran is doing really well and I think he has a chance to become a rock star, since he plays the drums so well, De Coppi commented after showing a video of Ciaran playing with a band.

Ciaran told CNA that it felt good to receive the award and that he was happy with his life.

His father noted that the stem cells have been a great contribution to Ciarans procedure.

What weve heard here these last couple of days (at the conference) has been amazing, knowing theyre talking about building other organs, Paul Finn said.

Ciarans mother noted that she was happy that her son is not on any medication, since the operation used his own cells, preventing the need for anti-rejection drugs.

You just have to keep going on for him, and you cant show that youre scared or teary and you just have to put a brave face on, said Colleen.via

Parkinson's: Adult Stem-Cell Use Proves Successful Once Again!

LifeNews.com reports the results were published in the February issue of the Bentham Open Stem Cell Journal. Dr. David Prentice, a fellow with the Family Research Council, says the research features only one patient.

The gentleman was treated with stem cells into only half of his brain, and he went almost five years (without symptoms), he explains. Now his symptoms did start to return after that, and obviously hed like the other half of his brain treated.

The patients motor skills improved by over 80 percent in the first five years after the procedure. Prentice says he was able to have an active lifestyle. During that time he was traveling all around the world and living a full life, he points out.

David Prentice (FRC)No human embryos were killed in the research. They used the gentlemans own adult stem cells, so obviously theres no chance of transplant rejection, no tumors, Prentice notes, and of course, adult stem cells really work in patients.

UCLA researchers will now expand their work to 15 humans.via

Revolutionaryfindings in study by researchers in Korea suggest the first real breakthrough toward preventing Alzheimer's and helping millions of patients and families by relieving its symptoms. Researchers announced this week the results of a study that suggests an astounding possibility: adult stem cells may not only have a positive effect on those suffering from Alzheimer's disease, theycanprevent the disease.Using fat-derived adultstem cells from humans,adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, researchers were able to cause Alzheimer's disease brains in animal models to regenerate. For the first time in history, stem cells were used toidentify the mechanism that is key to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and demonstrated how to achieve efficacy as well as prevention of the symptoms of Alzheimer's with adult stem cells, a "holy grail" of biomedical scientists for decades.

In the first study of its kind, researchers at Korea's leading university and the RNL Bio Stem Cell Technology Institute announced this week the results of a study that suggests an astounding possibility: adult stem cells may not only have a positive effect on those suffering from Alzheimer's disease, theycanprevent the disease.Using fat-derived adultstem cells from humans [scientific term:adMSCs, orhuman, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells], researchers were able to cause Alzheimer's disease brains in animal models to regenerate. The researchers, for the first time in history, used stem cells toidentify the mechanism that is key to treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and demonstrated how to achieve efficacy as well as prevention of the symptoms of Alzheimer's with adult stem cells, a "holy grail" of biomedical scientists for decades.

Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia (loss of brain function), is the 6th leading cause of death, and affects 1 in 8 people -- more than breast cancer. As of 2010, there were 35.6 million people with Alzheimer's disease in the world, but this number is expected to double every 20 years. It is estimated that the total cost of Alzheimer's is US$604 billionworldwide, with 70% of this cost in the US andEurope. To put that in perspective, Alzheimer's care costs more than the revenues of Wal-Mart (US$414 billion) and Exxon Mobil (US$311 billion), according to the British World Alzheimer's Report of ADI. The cost of Alzheimer's is at the top of health economists' list of the disorders of aging that could topple nations' entire economies, and that regularly ruin not only the lives of patients but of their relatives.

According to the results of this first major study, Alzheimer's may soon be a preventable disease, or even a thing of the past. Equally important, the safety human administration of the kind of adult stem cells used in this experiment has been established in multiple articles and government-approved clinical trials.

THE RESEARCH:

The study was jointly led by SeoulNational UniversityProfessorYoo-Hun Suhand RNL Bio Stem Cell Technology Institute (SCTI) director Dr.Jeong-Chan Ra.

The researchers and their teams injected stem cells into mice genetically designed to have the core symptoms and physiology of Alzheimer's disease. They were able to identify that these human stem cells, derived from adipose tissue, behave in a very special way when injected into the tail vein of mice subjects. The cells migrated through the blood brain barrier, thought by many to be impossible for adult stem cells to cross, and went into the brain. In fact,fluorescent labeled cells were monitored for distribution in subjects and the team identified that the infused cells migrated throughout the bodiesincluding brainexcept the olfactory organ, and therefore confirmed that IV infused stem cell can reach to the brain across the blood brain barrier.

The team infused human adipose stem cells intravenously in Alzheimer model mice multiple times two weeks apart from three month to 10 month.Once there, the mice who received cells improved in every relevant way: ability to learn, ability to remember, and neuropathological signs. More important, for the first time ever, Alzheimer model mice showed the mediation of IL-10, which is known for anti-inflammation and neurological protection.

The team also found that stem cell restored special learning ability from Alzheimer model subjects with great reduction of neuropathy lesions.This was found using tests used for Alzheimer's disease: behavioral assessment. In assessment it was found, amazingly, that stem cells' therapeutic effect on Alzheimer's disease was tremendous. This was also found in pathological analysis. The key though was prevention: the scientists showed that stem cells, when infused into Alzheimer's mice, decreased beta amyloid and APP-CT, known to cause brain cell destruction, leading to dementia and Alzheimer's disease. In the lab it was clear that stem cells increased neprilysin, which hydrolyzes toxic proteins. No other compound or treatment has ever suggested so strongly the potential to prevent, as well as stop, this epidemic of incurable dementia sweeping across suffering patients and their families.

Stopping Alzheimer's disease, let alone preventing it, is the focus of thousands of researchers worldwide. Speaking of their breakthrough discovery,Professor Yoo-Hun Suh, who led the study, said, "It is a ground breaking discovery that such a simple method as IV injection of the safest autologous adipose stem cells, without causing any immune rejection, or any ethical issues, opened a new door to conquering Alzheimer's disease, one of the most horrible, expensive and incurablediseases of our time." Joining him, leader of the RNL Bio Stem Cell Technology InstituteDr.Jeong-Chan Rasaid, "It has never been more clear that it is an ethical imperative for governments to provide patients with incurable diseases with their right to participate not only in studies like this but in therapies with such obvious potential, once they have been tested as many times for safety as has our technology." Both scientists stressed that the real breakthrough in their complex research is the prevention of the onset of symptoms.

Specifically, stem cells grafted in the brain, in another part of the study, were identified to induce cell division and neuro differentiation of endogenous neuro progenitor cells around the hippocampus and its surrounding cells and increase in great deal the stability of dendrites and synapses. Stem cell also contributed various anti-inflammatory and neuro growth factors, especially increased the expression of IL-10. This again suppressed apoptosis of brain neurons, the prevention effect against Alzheimer's disease.

Dr. Ra of RNL Bio noted that, "RNL Bio has already completed government-approved clinical trials confirming the efficacy of RNL Bio stem cells in the management and treatment of other diseases, including osteoarthritis, limb ischemia, and progressive hemifacial atrophy (Romberg's disease)."

This study was published in a recent volume of the renowned, peer-reviewed U.S. medical journalPLOS ONE. Images, plans for future efforts, and impact on this crushing disease will be discussed when the scientists discuss the details of this revolutionary study in a press conference inSeoulonSeptember 27th.via

SOURCE RNL BIO CO., LTD.

Type 2 Diabetes Trial Using Mesoblasts Proprietary Adult Stem Cells Yields Positive Results

MELBOURNE, Australia, June 18, 2014 Results from the Phase 2 trial of Mesoblasts proprietary adult stem cells in type 2 diabetes patients have been presented at the scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association annual meeting.

Type 2 diabetes and its complications are considered to have an underlying immunological component associated with excessive pro-inflammatory cytokines.

The immunomodulatory properties of Mesoblasts Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs) provided the rationale for conducting the study.

The Phase 2 randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, dose escalation trial was conducted across 18 U.S. sites. The trial evaluated the effects of a single intravenous infusion of 0.3, 1.0 or 2.0 million MPCs/kg or placebo over 12 weeks in 61 patients who were inadequately controlled on metformin alone or with one other glucose-lowering agent. Mean diabetes duration was 10 years.

The key findings from the study:

The study investigators concluded there was sufficient evidence to support further evaluation into the use of MPCs in type 2 diabetes and its complications, and to explore further the effects of MPCs on disease mechanisms.

Multiple Sclerosis - Italians Lead Clinical Trial Testing Safety and Effectiveness of Stem Cell Transplantation MS Patients

(ANSA) Boston, September 9 Mesenchymal stem cell therapy to treat multiple sclerosis so far appears safe and without side effects, according to data released Tuesday and obtained through clinical trials on patients as part of the international Mesems project coordinated by University of Genoa neurologist Antonio Uccelli.

The results were announced ahead of the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis opening in Boston Wednesday through Saturday. The Mesems project involves researchers from nine countries Italy, Spain, France, Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Canada and Australia.

It is the first large phase II international multicentre clinical trial to determine the safety of a consensus treatment protocol established by the International Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transplantation Study Group to obtain information on its effectiveness on multiple sclerosis patients.

So far, 81 patients have been involved in the project half of the 160 needed for the whole clinical trial. About 73 or 90% of those involved in blind testing were given at least one injection with mesenchymal therapy or got a placebo while 51 or 63% were given both injections and 27 33% completed the study.

The promising result is that so far none of these 27 people have suffered significant adverse events, which means that, so far, the treatment appears to be safe, said Uccelli. The neurologist warned that caution is necessary and that the effectiveness of the therapy can only be determined once the study is completed in 2016.

Uccelli however added that preliminary studies on animals have persuaded researchers that mesenchymal stem cells can halt inflammation on the central nervous system and probably succeed in protecting nervous tissue, even repairing it where damage is minor. Out of the 81 patients recruited so far, 28 are Italian and 10 of them have completed the study, Uccelli said, adding that all patients over the past year did relatively well except for one who was treated with placebo.

The neurologist expressed the hope that data in 2016 will give final confirmation that the therapy is effective so we can take the subsequent step with a larger phase III study aimed at demonstrating the role of stem cells as neurorepairers. Meanwhile Genoas bioethics committee has approved a two-year extension of the project, which will be called Mesems Plus, to verify, beyond the year of observation provided for by Mesems, the long-term safety of treatments in the study and the potential insurgence of adverse events in all those treated, said Uccelli.

A study last week showed statin use increases the risk of diabetes by 46 per cent, and those who take the cholesterol-lowering drugs are more than twice as likely to develop Parkinsons disease in later life than those who do not.The Parkinsons research carried out over 20 years suggests cholesterol may have a vital role in protecting the brain and nervous system.The findings have alarmed experts who say if applied to the number of Britons deemed eligible for statins it couldequate to 150,000 extra patients with Parkinsons.The work has also fuelled concerns that statins, now recommended for up to half the adult population over 50 by government drug policy adviser the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, may be doing many patients more harm than good.

Dr Kailash Chand, deputy chairman of the British Medical Association, was speaking following research which found those who take the cholesterol-lowering drugs are more than twice as likely to develop Parkinsons disease in later life than those who do not.

A study last week showed statin use increases the risk of diabetes by 46 per cent.

It has led to calls to end to the widespread use of the drugs.

The Parkinsons research carried out over 20 years, and involving nearly 16,000 people, suggests cholesterol may have a vital role in protecting the brain and nervous system.

The findings have alarmed experts who say if applied to the number of Britons deemed eligible for statins it could equate to 150,000 extra patients with Parkinsons, a central nervous system disorder affecting one in 350 mostly older people.

The work has also fuelled concerns that statins, now recommended for up to half the adult population over 50 by government drug policy adviser the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, may be doing many patients more harm than good.

Doctors used to prescribe the drugs only to those who had a 30 per cent or greater risk of suffering a heart attack within a decade, but this was lowered to 20 per cent in 2005.

A 10-year plan has been introduced to reduce this further and include low-risk patients who have just a 10 per cent chance of a heart attack within a decade.

Nice believes this could save thousands of lives.

Other studies have shown a link between the cholesterol-lowering drugs and potentially disabling side effects including cataracts, diabetes, muscle pains, fatigue and memory loss.

Researchers warn that the mass roll-out of statins leaves 150,000 people at risk

Dr Chand, who suffered debilitating muscle pains while taking statins, said of the Parkinsons research:

This research has been done over a considerable amount of time and on a considerable number of people and it is very worrying.

Speaking in a personal capacity, he added:

"The risks of side-effects of these drugs are far greater than any potential benefits and it is high time these drugs were restricted in the low-risk population" - Dr Kailash Chand

Dr Xuemei Huang, who led the research, recently published in the journal of Movement Disorders, expressed concerns about the widespread prescription of statins.

If we blanket prescribe statins to people we could be creating a huge population of people with neurological problems.

Does mother nature create cholesterol for a reason?

"I think doctors are over-enamoured with statins and think it is a cure-all.

But the body is not just for the heart, it is also for the brain.

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Don Margolis - Adult Stem Cell Research

Published on June 29th, 2017 | by Joshua S Hill

June 29th, 2017 by Joshua S Hill

Sunrun, one of the United States leading residential solar developers, announced this week that it has recently completed expanding into seven new US state markets, nearly doubling its market reach in just under four months.

The California-based company bills itself as the largest dedicated residential solar, storage, and energy services company, though it falls behind larger companies like SolarCity. However, while its nationwide ranking may not explode immediately, Sunrun has just finished expanding its market share, extending its reach into seven new markets New Mexico, Rhode Island,Texas,Vermont,Wisconsin,Washington D.C., and Florida states which, according to recent analysis, add nearly 12 million candidate homes for residential solar systems. This effectively doubles the companys addressable market, thanks also to expanding operations in Pennsylvania, and re-entering Nevada after the states policymakers passed legislation re-allowing solar net metering. (Vivint Solar, another of Sunruns competitors, similarly announced that it was re-launching its Nevada services following the passing of the same legislation.)

These recent expansions subsequently bring Sunruns total market reach up to 22 states and Washington, D.C., and according to the companys announcement, offer another proof point of the inevitability of solar.It demonstrates that falling solar installation costs, combined with strong consumer demand for energy choice, are increasing homeowners access to solar power.

Expanding to these new markets will give homeowners the opportunity to power their homes directly from their rooftops, making energy more affordable and the electric grid cleaner and more reliable, saidLynn Jurich, CEO of Sunrun. Better yet, we provide this service by creating one of our countrys other great needs: new, highly paid jobs that can be neither exported nor automated.

The move takes advantage of larger global swings in solar cost momentum, which has surprised just about everybody even the optimists among us. A new report published this week by GTM Research Solar Analyst Ben Gallagher predicts that the average global solar price could decline by 27% by 2022 and theres very little that is likely to stem this downward trend.

Unless you are a solar company in America, each of which is currently waiting to hear whether the countrys International Trade Commission (ITC) will rule in favor of a trade filing by Chinese-backed solar company, Suniva, which has asked fora$0.40/watt tariff for cells and a floor price of $0.78/watt on modules. Separate reports from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research have expanded on just what a Suniva favorable ruling could do, with SEIA explaining that 88,000 jobs, or a third of the countrys solar workforce, would be lost, while GTM warns the ruling could slash two-thirds of expected installations through to 2022.

One cannot help but hope that Sunrun havent unintentionally stretched themselves too thin on pretenses which will prove false if the ITC rules in favor of Suniva.

Check out our new 93-page EV report.

Join us for an upcoming Cleantech Revolution Tour conference!

Tags: Florida, itc, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, suniva, sunrun, Texas, US Solar, Vermont, Vivint Solar, Washington D.C., Wisconsin

Joshua S Hill I'm a Christian, a nerd, a geek, and I believe that we're pretty quickly directing planet-Earth into hell in a handbasket! I also write for Fantasy Book Review (.co.uk), and can be found writing articles for a variety of other sites. Check me out at about.me for more.

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Sunrun Expands Into Seven New States, Nearly Doubles Market Reach - CleanTechnica

3/27/2013

Current stem cell studies include research into new treatments for leukemia, lymphoma and liver, kidney and bone marrow damage

Rhode Island Hospital is expanding its research space in the citys bio-med-focused Knowledge District with the opening of a new hematology-oncology laboratory, the COBRE Center for Stem Cell Biology. The lab, which is located in Lifespans research hub the Coro Building -- provides researchers with the state-of-the-art technology needed to support ongoing research in the areas of cancer, tissue injury and basic stem cell biology.

The new 11,000-square-foot hematology-oncology research lab was made possible by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH conferred more than $300,000 to Peter Quesenberry, MD, director of hematology oncology at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals, specifically for the construction of the new lab.

This new lab space will help us to further study the use of stem cells for the treatment of many illnesses various forms of cancer, tissue and organ damage and much more, Quesenberry said. Creating this research hub provides our researchers with the best possible resources, and places us in close proximity to the hospitals, allowing us to more appropriately collaborate with our peers, and truly bring research from the bench to the bedside.

Quesenberry continued, Additionally, by working closely with the physicians, we are developing new studies that stem from the patient essentially, creating research in reverse, from the bedside to the bench, in an effort to develop new treatments for all-too-common and debilitating illnesses.

The cancer studies being conducted are directed toward revising drug resistance in prostate cancer, chronic myelocytic leukemia and breast cancer. Additionally, cutting-edge studies to develop better treatments for prostate and breast cancer are being conducted, as are studies of mesenchymal stem cells for their ability to reverse pulmonary hypertension. The laboratory also will support research in novel anti-cancer treatments for pediatric and adult malignancies, and will continue to examine therapeutic mechanisms underlying refractory leukemia and lymphoma. The new lab space can accommodate 14 laboratory benches, and can accommodate 10 funded investigators, as well as their technicians and students.

Part of Rhode Island Hospitals mission is to be at the forefront of patient care by creating, applying and sharing the most advanced knowledge in health care, said Peter Snyder, PhD, senior vice president and chief research officer for Lifespan.. One of the ways we do that is by providing our researchers with the tools they need to conduct cutting-edge research in order to discover and create improved diagnostic measures and treatments. This new research space is the first step in a major renovation project at the Coro Building that we believe will serve as a focal point for clinical research in Rhode Island, and propel us to the forefront of academic medicine in the U.S.

More here:
Rhode Island Hospital Unveils New COBRE Center for Stem ...

I Was Saved:

After years of cancer treatment, Wesley needed her perfect match to cure her. She found it in aperfect stranger she now considers her blood sister for eternity.

Michaela's spur-of-the-moment decision turned out to be Wesley's life-saving marrow match -- herperfectone-in-a-million match.

One patient. One donor. That is how life-saving marrow transplant matchesare made. Every three minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer like leukemia. Thecure isin the hands of ordinarypeople, and it could be you.Through the Rhode Island Blood Center's partnership withBe The Match, the National Marrow Donor Program, you may find you are theone and only match forsomeone who doesn't have one in their family. Make today the day you sign up to save someone's life.

Complete some health questions and forms right here online to sign up. We will send you a cheek swab kit to do the rest. You can also register to become a marrow donor in person at any of the Rhode Island Blood Center's six blood donation centers or mobile blood drives.

A simple cheek swab you can easily complete yourself is all it takes. Donors and patients are matched by their HLA (human leukocyte antigen) type, which is different from matching blood types, and the results of the cheek swab tell us your type.

Once you are on the registry, doctors search for a close match for their patients. You may match someone who has been waiting for a transplant now, or end up being someone's match in the future.

About 1 in 540 people on the National Marrow Donor Registrygo on to donate. The most important thing to remember is that you could be someone's only match and chance at a cure. If you do match, our team will provide a personal information session to learn all the details about the actual donation process.

Stem cells needed for thepatient's marrowtransplant are collected right at the Rhode Island Blood Center througha process that is similar to donating blood platelets or red cells. It's called a PeripheralBlood Stem Cell Donation.You would receive five daily shots in the back of your armto boost thenumber of stem cells in your blood stream. Then you make thedonation, which takes about six hours. Donors can experience bone pain from the stem cell boost. Recovery is usually quick, however --just one ortwo days after the donation is made.

25 percent of donations are made at a hospital under anesthesia soyou do not feel any pain. Doctors remove a small amountof marrowfrom your pelvicbone with a needle. Recoveryis usually quick, though some donors may have aches and pains for several days to a few weeks. Your marrow naturally replenishes itself in fourto sixweeks.

If you match a patient, you have the right to change your mind. However, a late decision to not donate can be life-threatening to a patient. Please think seriously about your commitment before joining the registry. Take the pledge:

Some conditions that would prevent you from becoming a marrow donor:

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Donate Marrow | Rhode Island Blood Center