Page 3«..2345..1020..»

Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

Discovered Key Mechanisms to Improve Intestinal Regeneration and Alleviate the Side Effects of Radiotherapy – Imaging Technology News

Posted: September 16, 2022 at 2:30 am

September 15, 2022 The intestine is very susceptible and is affected by the harsh conditions caused by DNA-altering agents, such asradiationand chemotherapy, during cancer treatment. For example, many patients with tumors in the gastrointestinal cavity receive radiotherapy, a treatment that often also damages the healthy intestine and affects its regenerative capacity. It is therefore very important to understand how intestinal epithelial regeneration occurs. The cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in this key process are not yet fully understood.

Researchers at theSpanish National Cancer Research Centre(CNIO) have now discovered one of the cellular and molecular mechanisms essential for the regeneration of the intestinal epithelium. This finding lays the foundations for stimulating this process if it fails, and for protecting it againstdamage caused by radiotherapyand chemotherapy.

According to the study, what prompts intestinal stem cells to regenerate the mucosa depends on the communication between different cell types in the epithelial tissue. The researchers have also found a way to intervene in this communication, and thereby, boost intestinal regeneration.

The paperis published this week inJournal of Experimental Medicine. The research is led by the head of the CNIO's Growth Factors, Nutrients and Cancer Group, Nabil Djouder, and Almudena Chaves-Prez and Karla Santos-de-Frutos are first authors.

The group has spent years researching how to improve the regeneration of various organsparticularly the liver and intestinal mucosaand thus mitigate the effects of radiotherapy. Their findings during this period have been published in high-impact journals.

"Regeneration of the intestinal epithelium is very important in the proper functioning of the intestine," explains Djouder. "Until now, we knew that it was driven by powerful mitogenic factorsproteinsthat stimulate the proliferation of intestinal stem cells, but we didn't know how these factors were regulated."

This new study suggests thatunexpectedly for the researchers it is the progenitor cells involved in regenerating the epithelial mucosa that modulate the production of mitogenic factors. The process is as follows: when severe damage occurs, injury to the progenitor cells leads to tissue inflammation; this in turn slows down the production of mitogenic factors and thus the proliferation of stem cells and the subsequent regeneration of the mucous membrane.

"For us, this communication between at least four different cell types is new: progenitor cells, which differentiate to form the epithelial mucosa; cells that secrete mitogenic factors; inflammatory cells; and intestinal stem cells themselves," says Djouder. "This communication must be very well controlled, so that the tissue responds appropriately to aggressions."

"That progenitor cells communicate with inflammatory cells and coordinate the proliferation rate of intestinal stem cells is fascinating," he adds.

Djouder places particular emphasis on the new role that progenitor cells have been found to play: "Our study suggests that progenitor cells are not mere bystanders in the process of epithelial regeneration, but play an active and important role in the decisions that intestinal stem cells make in regeneration. Progenitor cells tell intestinal stem cells when and how to divide, and thus control their self-regeneration."

"This study has allowed us to better understand cell cooperation in order to find new ways to reduce adverse effects in traditional cancer treatments," say Chaves-Prez and Santos-de-Frutos, lead authors of the paper.

The group has also confirmed findings observed in previous work, namely that c-MYC oncogene plays a key role in regeneration. Due to radiation damage and the increase of c-MYC in progenitor cells, inflammation in the intestine increases and mitogenic protein levels are reduced; however, by removing or inhibiting c-MYC, the process is reversed: inflammation is reduced, mitogenic factors increase and intestinal regeneration during severe damage improves.

"Our data show an unexpected role for progenitor cells in the control of inflammatory signalling and mitogenic factor production, essential for maintaining intestinal stem cell proliferation and tissue regeneration," the authors write.

The finding, they say, breaks new ground in research into how to counteract the side effects of radiotherapy in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

The work has been funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Carlos III Health Institute, the European Regional Development Fund, the Community of Madrid and the Spanish Association Against Cancer.

For more information:https://www.cnio.es/en/

Read the original here:
Discovered Key Mechanisms to Improve Intestinal Regeneration and Alleviate the Side Effects of Radiotherapy - Imaging Technology News

Posted in Stem Cell Research | Comments Off on Discovered Key Mechanisms to Improve Intestinal Regeneration and Alleviate the Side Effects of Radiotherapy – Imaging Technology News

Global Cell Expansion Market Size to Grow at a CAGR of 15% during the Forecast Period 2022-2027 – Digital Journal

Posted: September 16, 2022 at 2:30 am

The GlobalCell Expansion Market Size,Report and Forecast 2022-2027 by Expert Market Research gives an extensive outlook of the global cell expansion market, assessing the market on the basis of its segments like product, cell type, application, end-use, and major regions.

Get a Free Sample Report with Table of Contents https://www.expertmarketresearch.com/reports/cell-expansion-market/requestsample

The key highlights of the report include:

Market Overview (2017-2027)

Historical Market Size (2021): USD15.1 billion Forecast CAGR (2022-2027):15% Forecast Market Size (2027): USD35 billion

The global cell expansion market is expected to gain momentum in the upcoming years on account of the upsurge in the utilisation of automated solutions in the applications of cell expansion.

Automated systems reduce the manpower requirements along with costs sustained while the fabrication of gene therapies, cell therapy products, and other biologics that leads to reliable and robust processes. This is further expected to propel the market growth of cell expansion.

The increasing consumption of cell expansion in various industries including hospitals, pharma and biotech companies, research activities, and academics, among others are further expected to fuel the market growth. The surging prevalence of chronic diseases along with the rising emphasis on personalized medicine is boosting the demand for cell expansion in the medical industry.

With an increase in incidences of diseases like cancer and diabetes, there is an increased demand for deep research to build new treatment alternatives. Moreover, there are government initiatives like investments for cell-based research and a growing emphasis on the research and development of cell-based therapies. These initiatives, along with the rising Good Manufacturing Practices certifications for cell therapy production facilities are further likely to bolster the cell expansion market growth during the forecast period.

Cell expansion is a significant cellular procedure for plant growth, which has a net outcome of internal turgor pressure as well as irreversible cell wall extension.

Cell-wall-associated proteins of the expansion family are major components in this procedure. It needs the synthesis of new cell wall material as well as the controlled loosening of the wall to permit it to stretch and rise in the area.

Read Full Report with Table of Contents https://www.expertmarketresearch.com/reports/cell-expansion-market

Based on product, the market is segmented into:

Consumables Reagents, Media, and Serum Disposables Instruments Cell Expansion Supporting Equipment Bioreactors Automated Cell Expansion Systems

By cell type, the cell expansion market is bifurcated into:

Human Cells Animal Cells

On the basis of application, the market is segregated into:

Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research Cancer and Cell-Based Research Others

Based on end use, the market is divided into:

Biotechnology and Biopharmaceutical Companies Research Institutes Cell Banks Others

By region, the market is segmented into:

North America Latin America Asia Pacific Europe Middle East and Africa

The rising employment of cell expansion in the research and development of medicines to treat various diseases is expected to drive cell expansion market growth. Cell expansion is utilized in the production of drugs, therapeutics, antibiotics, and vaccines. With the innovation of products in the growth of cell expansion augmenting the healthcare industry and evolving technology, the market for cell expansion is anticipated to grow during the forecast period.

Based on product, the consumables segment is holding a significant segment in the market share for cell expansion. This is due to the accessibility of a broad variety of commercial media along with reagent products that are devoted to a particular type of cell. The surging production of vaccines along with other biologics in the biotechnology as well as biopharmaceutical industries is driving the consumable segment growth in the market.

Meanwhile, the instrument segment is likely to gain momentum in the cell expansion market growth on account of the automation in bioreactors as well as other expansion platforms to boost the efficiency of culturing processes. The start of automated stages regulates the process as well as enables process tracking, thereby minimizing the hands-on time. This facilitates more effective usage of the time of skilled personnel.

On the basis of end-use, the research institutes segment is expected to drive the market growth. This is on account of the rise in the engagement of researchers in various studies in the biomedical field coupled with augmented funding for regenerative drugs as well as stem cell research.

The major players in the global cell expansion market report are:

The report covers the market shares, capacities, plant turnarounds, expansions, investments and mergers and acquisitions, among other latest developments of these market players.

The report studies the latest updates in the market, along with their impact across the market. It also analysis the market demand, together with its price and demand indicators. The report also tracks the market on the bases of SWOT and Porters Five Forces Models.

Related Reports

High-Speed Motor Market:https://www.expertmarketresearch.com/reports/high-speed-motor-market

Nitric Acid Market: https://www.expertmarketresearch.com/reports/nitric-acid-market

Omega 3 Market: https://www.expertmarketresearch.com/reports/omega-3-market

Sake Market: https://www.expertmarketresearch.com/reports/sake-market

Lithium Ion Battery Companies:https://www.expertmarketresearch.com/articles/top-lithium-ion-battery-companies

About Us:

Expert Market Research (EMR)is leading market research company with clients across the globe. Through comprehensive data collection and skillful analysis and interpretation of data, the company offers its clients extensive, latest, and actionable market intelligence which enables them to make informed and intelligent decisions and strengthen their position in the market. The clientele ranges from Fortune 1000 companies to small and medium scale enterprises.

EMR customises syndicated reports according to clients requirements and expectations. The company is active across over 15 prominent industry domains, including food and beverages, chemicals and materials, technology and media, consumer goods, packaging, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals, among others.

Over3000 EMR consultantsand more than 100 analysts work very hard to ensure that clients get only the most updated, relevant, accurate and actionable industry intelligence so that they may formulate informed, effective and intelligent business strategies and ensure their leadership in the market.

Media Contact:

Company Name: Claight CorporationContact Person: Sophia Grace, Corporate Sales Specialist U.S.A.Email: [emailprotected]Toll Free Number: +1-415-325-5166 | +44-702-402-5790Address: 30 North Gould Street, Sheridan, WY 82801, USAWebsite: http://www.expertmarketresearch.comLinkedIn:-https://www.linkedin.com/company/expert-market-research

Continue reading here:
Global Cell Expansion Market Size to Grow at a CAGR of 15% during the Forecast Period 2022-2027 - Digital Journal

Posted in Stem Cell Research | Comments Off on Global Cell Expansion Market Size to Grow at a CAGR of 15% during the Forecast Period 2022-2027 – Digital Journal

The American Cancer Society Awards $2.1 Million to Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center to Support Cancer Research and Tackle Inequities – Yahoo Finance

Posted: September 16, 2022 at 2:30 am

Funding to Advance Novel Treatments and Strengthen MECC's Robust Patient Navigation Program

BRONX, N.Y., Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Cancer Society (ACS) has awarded Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center (MECC) more than $2.1 million to support cancer research and reduce individual and systematic barriers that prevent people from accessing cancer care.

Edward Chu, M.D., M.M.S., director of the MECC; vice president for cancer medicine at Montefiore Health System; and the Carol and Roger Einiger Professor of Cancer Medicine and professor of medicine, of oncology, and of molecular pharmacology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Approximately 40% of people born in the United States will receive a cancer diagnosis. In the Bronxthe nation's poorest urban county where 29.7% of residents live below the poverty lineMECC sees more than 3,500 people with new cancer diagnoses each year. Bronx residents are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages of disease, compared to the national average. This disparity is consistent with other historically marginalized communities and is an area of active research at the cancer center.

Developing New Cancer TreatmentsThe largest ACS grantsfor $792,000 and $660,000support research by Haiying Cheng, M.D., Ph.D., and Kira Gritsman, M.D., Ph.D., respectively. Dr. Cheng, a member of MECC and associate professor of oncology and of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, focuses on people with lung cancer, the majority of whom develop metastatic disease. She found that a gene called RICTOR is amplified in a group of lung cancer patients who face a high risk that their lung tumors will spread to the brain. With her ACS grant, Dr. Cheng hopes to determine if targeting RICTOR can treat lung cancer metastases or even prevent them from forming.

In studies of blood cancers called myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), Dr. Gritsman, co-leader of MECC's stem cell and cancer biology research program and professor of oncology, of medicine, and of cell biology at Einstein, found that crizotiniba drug approved for treating lung cancerproved effective in a people with a type of MPN. The ACSsupport assists her lab in determining if crizotinib prevents out-of-control blood-cell division in mouse models of MPN, with the goal of moving the drug swiftly into clinical trials. In addition, she will investigate a protein inhibited by crizotinib, RON kinase, as a new target for MPN.

Story continues

Addressing Socioeconomic BarriersThe ACS grants will also enable MECC to add navigators to streamline appointments, such as imaging studies, lab assessments and treatments, for individuals with locally advanced, non-metastatic cancer who would benefit from neoadjuvant therapy (NAT), which is intended to shrink a tumor prior to surgery. This new initiative is particularly important in the Bronx, where only 60% of MECC's patients complete all intended NAT visits and up to 40% miss at least one due to treatment toxicity or socioeconomic factors.

"We pride ourselves on delivering the most research-driven cancer care, but if we don't fully understand and address the social factors that interfere with scheduling and attending appointments, we're never going to reach our ultimate goal healing people so they can return to living their lives," said Edward Chu, M.D., M.M.S., director of the MECC; vice president for cancer medicine at Montefiore Health System; and the Carol and Roger Einiger Professor of Cancer Medicine and professor of medicine, of oncology, and of molecular pharmacology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "By deepening our partnership with the ACS, we're advancing our ability to recognize infrastructural biases, identify new treatments relevant to our community and provide the very best support to our patients and their families."

The ACS funding is also helping MECC tackle transportation barriers, which are strongly associated with no-show visits, and is adding more free cancer screenings and continuing education courses for doctors and nurses aimed at improving racial equity.

"As a nationwide leader in cancer education and advocacy, we are proud to partner with Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center to better understand the biology of cancer and how socioeconomic factors impact care access and cancer outcomes," said Connie Bordenga, MD, MS, Cancer Support Strategic Partnerships Manager at the American Cancer Society. "Our work in tackling inequities is only the beginning of a larger shift in how we as a country will redefine the future of cancer care."

About Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center

Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center (MECC) is a national leader in cancer research and care located in the ethnically diverse and economically disadvantaged borough of the Bronx, N.Y. MECC combines the exceptional science of Albert Einstein College of Medicine with the multidisciplinary and team-based approach to cancer care of Montefiore Health System. Founded in 1971 and a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Center since 1972, MECC is redefining excellence in cancer research, clinical care, education and training, and community outreach and engagement. Its mission is to reduce the burden of cancer for all, especially people from historically marginalized communities.

About the American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is on a mission to free the world from cancer. We invest in lifesaving research, provide 24/7 information and support, and work to ensure that individuals in every community have access to cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. For more information, visit cancer.org.

Connie Bordenga, MD, MS, Cancer Support Strategic Partnerships Manager at the American Cancer Society

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-american-cancer-society-awards-2-1-million-to-montefiore-einstein-cancer-center-to-support-cancer-research-and-tackle-inequities-301625814.html

SOURCE Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center

Go here to read the rest:
The American Cancer Society Awards $2.1 Million to Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center to Support Cancer Research and Tackle Inequities - Yahoo Finance

Posted in Stem Cell Research | Comments Off on The American Cancer Society Awards $2.1 Million to Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center to Support Cancer Research and Tackle Inequities – Yahoo Finance

Hair Restoration Market | Stem Cell hair Restoration and Low-level Laser Therapy (LLLT) segment are Expected to Witness Significant CAGR – MDC…

Posted: August 30, 2022 at 3:05 am

Market Data Centre

Hair Restoration Market 2022 - 2030 - Vendor Assessment (Company Profiles, Market Positioning, Strategies, Recent Developments, Capabilities & Product Offerings / Mapping), Technology Assessment (Developments & Economic Impact), Partner & Customer Ecosystem (Product Services, Proposition & Key Features) Competitive Index & Regional FootPrint by MDC Research

Pune, Aug. 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hair Restoration Market by Vendor Assessment, Technology Assessment, Partner & Customer Ecosystem, type/solution, service, organization size, end-use verticals, and Region Global Hair Restoration Market Forecast to 2030, published by Market Data Centre, The Hair Restoration Market is projected to grow at a solid pace during the forecast period. The presence of key players in the ecosystem has led to a compsetitive and diverse market. The advancement of digital transformation initiatives across multiple industries is expected to drive the worldwide Hair Restoration Market during the study period.

This COVID-19 analysis of the report includes COVID-19 IMPACT on the production and, demand, supply chain. This report provides a detailed historical analysis of the global Hair Restoration Market from 2017-to 2021 and provides extensive market forecasts from 2022 to 2030 by region/country and subsectors. The report covers the revenue, sales volume, price, historical growth, and future perspectives in the Hair Restoration Market.

Download Free Sample PDF@ https://www.marketdatacentre.com/samplepdf/15138

Regional Analysis:

On the basis of Geography, the Global Hair Restoration Market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW). North America is expected to hold a considerable share in the global Hair Restoration Market. Due to increasing investment for research and development process and adoption of solutions in the region whereas Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at a faster pace during the forecasted period.

Story continues

The growing number of Hair Restoration Market players across regions is expected to drive market growth further. Moreover, increasing investments by prominent vendors in product capabilities and business expansion is expected to fuel the market during the study period. Many market players are finding lucrative opportunities in emerging economies like China and India, where the large populations are coupled with new innovations in numerous industries.

List of the Companies Covered in the Hair Restoration Market Report:

Market Assessment

Technology Assessment

Vendor Assessment

Market Dynamics

Key Innovations

Product Breadth and Capabilities

Trends and Challenges

Adoption Trends and Challenges

Technology Architecture

Drivers and Restrains

Deployment Trends

Competitive Differentiation

Regional and Industry Dynamics

Industry Applications

Price/Performance Analysis

Regulations and Compliance

Latest Upgrardation

Strategy and Vision

In deep ToC includes

233 Tables

45 Figures

300 Pages

The U.S. economy will likely tip into recession during the first quarter of 2023 and shrink 0.4% for the full year as the combination of high inflation and tightening monetary policy bedevils consumers and businesses, Experts forecast for growth this year to 0.1% from 1.2%. However the Europe Market reacts to a dip by up to 6%, predominantly Hungary, Slovakia, Italy and Czech Republic. Shut down on Russian gas supply would negate the GDP by 6% for EU Countries to lead them to recession.

Talk to our experts to know more about the investment in coming span of time.

To Know more speak to our Domain experts - https://www.marketdatacentre.com/analyst/15138

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION1.1. Market Definition1.2. Market Segmentation1.3. Geographic Scope1.4. Years Considered: Historical Years 2017 & 2020; Base Year 2021; Forecast Years 2022 to 20301.5. Currency Used2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2.1. Research Framework2.2. Data Collection Technique2.3. Data Sources2.3.1. Secondary Sources2.3.2. Primary Sources2.4. Market Estimation Methodology2.4.1. Bottom-Up Approach2.4.2. Top-Down Approach2.5. Data Validation and Triangulation2.5.1. Market Forecast Model2.5.2. Limitations/Assumptions of the Study3. ABSTRACT OF THE STUDY4. MARKET DYNAMICS ASSESSMENT4.1. Overview4.2. Drivers4.3. Barriers/Challenges4.4. Opportunities5. VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS6. PRICING ANALYSIS7. SUPPLY CHAIN ANALYSIS8. MARKET SIZING AND FORECASTING8.1. Global - Hair Restoration Market Analysis & Forecast, By Region8.2. Global - Hair Restoration Market Analysis & Forecast, By Segment8.2.1. North America Hair Restoration Market, By Segment8.2.2. North America Hair Restoration Market, By Country8.2.2.1. US8.2.2.2. Canada8.2.3. Europe Hair Restoration Market, By Segment8.2.4. Europe Hair Restoration Market, By Country8.2.4.1. Germany8.2.4.2. UK8.2.4.3. France8.2.4.4. Rest of Europe (ROE)8.2.5. Asia Pacific Hair Restoration Market, By Segment8.2.6. Asia Pacific Hair Restoration Market, By Country8.2.6.1. China8.2.6.2. Japan8.2.6.3. India8.2.6.4. Rest of Asia Pacific (RoAPAC)8.2.7. Rest of the World (ROW) Hair Restoration Market, By Segment8.2.8. Rest of the World (ROW) Hair Restoration Market, By Country8.2.8.1. Latin America8.2.8.2. Middle East & Africa

ToC can be modified as per clients' business requirements*

Read Overview of the Report @ https://www.marketdatacentre.com/hair-restoration-market-15138

Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How does our product and services portfolio compare to leading competitors?

What are the key developments in customer demand given the changing economy?

What are the new pricing and consumption models in the marketplace and how should we align our portfolio?

What are the key decision drivers for services buyers?

How can we accelerate our bidding process?

What is the potential of the Hair Restoration Market?

What is the impact of COVID-19 on the global Hair Restoration Market?

What are the top strategies that companies adopting in Hair Restoration Market?

What are the challenges faced by SMEs and prominent vendors in Hair Restoration Market?

Which region has the highest investments in Hair Restoration Market?

What are the latest research and activities in Hair Restoration Market?

Who are the prominent players in Hair Restoration Market?

What is the potential of the Hair Restoration Market?

Vendor Assessment

Vendor assessment includes a deep analysis of how vendors are addressing the demand in the Hair Restoration Market. The MDC CompetetiveScape model was used to assess qualitative and quantitative insights in this assessment. MDC's CompetitiveScape is a structured method for identifying key players and outlining their strengths, relevant characteristics, and outreach strategy. MDC's CompetitiveScape allows organizations to analyze the environmental factors that influence their business, set goals, and identify new marketing strategies. MDC Research analysts conduct a thorough investigation of vendors' solutions, services, programs, marketing, organization size, geographic focus, type of organization and strategies.

Technology Assessment

Technology dramatically impacts business productivity, growth and efficiency.Technologies can help companies develop competitive advantages, but choosing them can be one of the most demanding decisions for businesses. Technology assessment helps organizations to understand their current situation with respect to technology and offer a roadmap where they might want to go and scale their business. A well-defined process to assess and select technology solutions can help organizations reduce risk, achieve objectives, identify the problem, and solve it in the right way. Technology assessment can help businesses identify which technologies to invest in, meet industry standards, compete against competitors.

Business Ecosystem Analysis

Advancements in technology and digitalization have changed the way companies do business; the concept of a business ecosystem helps businesses understand how to thrive in this changing environment. Business ecosystems provide organizations with opportunities to integrate technology in their daily business operations and improve research and business competency. The business ecosystem includes a network of interlinked companies that compete and cooperate to increase sales, improve profitability, and succeed in their markets. An ecosystem analysis is a business network analysis that includes the relationships amongst suppliers, distributors, and end-users in delivering a product or service.

Get a Sample Copy of the Report @ https://www.marketdatacentre.com/sample/15138

Regions and Countries Covered

North America (US, Canada), Europe (Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, Australia, India, Rest of Asia-Pacific), and Rest of the World (RoW).

Report Coverage

Hair Restoration Market Dynamics, Covid-19 Impact on the Hair Restoration Market, Vendor Profiles, Vendor Assessment, Strategies, Technology Assessment, Product Mapping, Industry Outlook, Economic Analysis, Segmental Analysis, Hair Restoration Market Sizing, Analysis Tables.

Buy Exclusive Report @ https://www.marketdatacentre.com/checkout/15138

About MDC:

Market Data Centre (Subsidiary of Yellow Bricks Global Services Private Limited)

Market Data Centre offers complete solutions for market research reports in miscellaneous businesses.These decisions making process depend on wider and systematic extremely important information created through extensive study as well as the most recent trends going on in the industry.The company also attempts to offer much better customer-friendly services and appropriate business information to achieve our clients ideas.

Read the original:
Hair Restoration Market | Stem Cell hair Restoration and Low-level Laser Therapy (LLLT) segment are Expected to Witness Significant CAGR - MDC...

Posted in Stem Cell Research | Comments Off on Hair Restoration Market | Stem Cell hair Restoration and Low-level Laser Therapy (LLLT) segment are Expected to Witness Significant CAGR – MDC…

Stem Cell Therapy for Parkinson’s: Current Developments – Healthline

Posted: August 5, 2022 at 2:09 am

Parkinsons disease is a neurological disorder with symptoms that become more severe over time. It affects about 1% of people ages 60 years and older in industrialized nations. The exact cause of the disease isnt known, but experts believe that both genetic and environmental factors play a role.

Parkinsons disease causes neurons to die in certain parts of your brain, leading to a decrease of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter. Cells in your brain release dopamine as a way of sending signals to other nearby cells.

When you have Parkinsons, a decrease in dopamine activity can lead to such symptoms as:

Theres no cure for Parkinsons disease. But over the past few decades, researchers have been studying stem cell therapy to provide better treatment options.

Read on to learn more about current and future developments in using stem cell therapy to treat Parkinsons disease.

Stem cells are special because theyre undifferentiated, meaning they have the potential to become many types of specialized cells.

You might think of stem cells as natural resources for your body. When your body needs a specific type of cell from bone cells to brain cells an undifferentiated stem cell can transform to fit the need.

There are three main types of stem cells:

Stem cell therapy is the use of stem cells usually from a donor, but sometimes from your own body to treat a disorder.

Because Parkinsons disease leads to the death of brain cells, researchers are trying to use stem cells to replace brain cells in the affected areas. This could help treat the symptoms of Parkinsons disease.

Researchers are exploring various approaches to use stem cells to treat Parkinsons disease.

The current idea is to introduce stem cells directly into the affected areas of your brain where they can transform into brain cells. These new brain cells could then help regulate dopamine levels, which should improve the symptoms of the disease.

Its important to note that experts believe this would only be a treatment for Parkinsons disease and not a cure.

While stem cell therapy has the potential to replace the brain cells destroyed by Parkinsons disease, the disease would still be present. Parkinsons disease would likely destroy the implanted stem cells eventually.

Its unclear right now whether stem cell therapy could be used multiple times to continue to reduce symptoms of Parkinsons disease or if the effect would be the same after multiple procedures.

Until the discovery of the process of creating iPSCs, the only stem cell therapies for Parkinsons disease required the use of embryonic stem cells. This came with ethical and practical challenges, making research more difficult.

After iPSCs became available, stem cells have been used in clinical trials for many conditions involving neural damage with overall mixed results.

The first clinical trial using iPSCs to treat Parkinsons disease was in 2018 in Japan. It was a very small trial with only seven participants. Other trials have been completed using animal models.

So far, trials have shown improvement to symptoms affecting movement as well as nonmotor symptoms such as bladder control.

Some challenges do arise from the source of the stem cells.

Stem cell therapy can be thought of as being similar to an organ transplant. If the iPSCs are derived from a donor, you may need to use immunosuppressant drugs to prevent your body from rejecting the cells.

If the iPSCs are derived from your own cells, your body might be less likely to reject them. But experts believe that this will delay stem cell therapy while the iPSCs are made in a lab. This will probably be more costly than using an established line of tested iPSCs from a donor.

There are many symptoms of Parkinsons disease. Theyre often rated using the Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) or the Movement Disorder Societys updated revision of that scale, the MDS-UPDRS.

Clinical trials today are generally looking to significantly improve UPDRS or MDS-UPDRS scores for people with Parkinsons disease.

Some trials are testing new delivery methods, such as intravenous infusion or topical applications. Others are looking to determine the safest number of effective doses. And other trials are measuring overall safety while using new medical devices in stem cell therapy.

This is an active area of research. Future trials will help narrow down the most safe and effective approach to stem cell therapy for Parkinsons disease.

Clinical trials are usually conducted in three phases. Each phase adds more participants, with the first phase usually limited to a few dozen people and several thousand in the third phase. The purpose is to test the treatments safety and effectiveness.

Clinical trials testing stem cell therapy for Parkinsons disease are still in the early phases. If the current trials are successful, it will likely still be 4 to 8 years before this treatment is widely available.

The goal of stem cell therapy for Parkinsons disease is to replace destroyed brain cells with healthy, undifferentiated stem cells. These stem cells can then transform into brain cells and help regulate your dopamine levels. Experts believe this can relieve many of the symptoms of Parkinsons disease.

This therapy is still in the early stages of clinical testing. Many trials are either proposed, currently recruiting, or already active. The results of these trials will determine how soon stem cell therapy might become widely available as a treatment for Parkinsons disease.

At the moment, its not believed that stem cell therapy will cure Parkinsons disease. But it might be an alternative to existing treatments such as drug therapies and deep brain stimulation.

Read the rest here:
Stem Cell Therapy for Parkinson's: Current Developments - Healthline

Posted in Stem Cell Research | Comments Off on Stem Cell Therapy for Parkinson’s: Current Developments – Healthline

‘Off the shelf’ CAR T cells for cancer treatment? – Boston Children’s Answers – Boston Children’s Discoveries

Posted: August 5, 2022 at 2:09 am

In CAR T-cell immunotherapy, T cells from a patients own blood are engineered to carry so-called chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) that enable the T cells to attack and kill tumor cells. While CAR-T therapy is a powerful approach for certain leukemias and lymphomas, its not available for many patients who need it. It can be difficult to gather enough functional T cells from patients blood, and manufacturing CAR T cells for each individual patient is expensive and takes time time patients may not have on their side.

A new technique developed by the lab of George Q. Daley, MD, PhD, in the Boston Childrens Hospital Stem Cell Program could make CAR T-cell therapy more widely accessible. Using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), the researchers developed a method to make generic CAR T cells that could be produced at scale for use in multiple patients. They reported their findings in Cell Stem Cell on August 4.

We show that generic iPS cells can be converted to CAR T cells not only more efficiently, but more effectively creating an enhanced CAR T cell that more faithfully resembles the gold-standard clinical-grade cells we currently use, says Daley, the projects senior investigator and a member of the Dana-Farber/Boston Childrens Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. Our strategy could enable off-the-shelf CAR-T therapies and help more patients access these treatments.

While iPS cells are, in theory, a limitless source of different cell types, Daley, first author Ran Jing, PhD, and their colleagues had to overcome the challenge of deriving mature, fully functioning T cells from which CAR T cells could be made. In the past, researchers have struggled with this because of the tendency for iPS cells to produce immature, embryonic cells in the Petri dish.

Looking at epigenetic factors involved in blood development, the team zeroed in on the enzyme EZH1, which restricts the differentiation of mature lymphoid cells. Suppressing EZH1, they found, gave iPS cells the ability to make mature T cells. The team also developed a culture system that avoids co-culture with mouse-derived cells, which is cumbersome and yields T cells that arent sufficiently mature.

When the iPS-cell-derived T cells were further transformed into CAR T cells, they showed anti-tumor activity comparable to that of CAR T cells derived by methods currently used for clinical therapies. These new cells had an enhanced ability to kill cancer cells in the lab and to clear cancer cells in live mice when compared to T cells made with prior iPS-cell methods.

After many years of promise, it seems that iPS cells are finally yielding new therapeutic approaches to the treatment of diseases like cancer, says Daley.

Boston Childrens and ElevateBio, a technology-driven company focused on cell and gene therapy development, are forming a new company (not yet named) around the technology. The study was supported by grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the Emerson Collective Cancer Research Fund.

Learn more about the Stem Cell programs research

Read this article:
'Off the shelf' CAR T cells for cancer treatment? - Boston Children's Answers - Boston Children's Discoveries

Posted in Stem Cell Research | Comments Off on ‘Off the shelf’ CAR T cells for cancer treatment? – Boston Children’s Answers – Boston Children’s Discoveries

Inflammation accelerates aging of the hematopoietic system – EurekAlert

Posted: August 5, 2022 at 2:09 am

In mice, inflammation in early to mid-life leads to a permanent decline in functional blood stem cells, according to a recent publication by scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Stem Cell Institute HI-STEM*. The ability of the blood stem cells to regenerate was suppressed for at least one year after challenge with inflammation, suggesting that infection and inflammation may act as a prominent driver of age-associated functional decline in tissues. In line with this, mice exposed to such challenges in early life developed clinically relevant features of aging that are often observed in elderly humans.

Blood stem cells in the bone marrow provide a lifelong replenishment of the different cell types making up the blood system. In addition, they are also of capable of making new stem cells, in a process called self-renewal. In older people, diseases of the hematopoietic system often occur, such as anemia or certain forms of blood cancer. Such diseases are thought to be caused by an age-associated decline in stem cell self-renewal. However, mouse models housed under highly controlled, pathogen-free conditions, rarely spontaneously develop such age-related diseases.

According to experts, the cause of this age-related loss of function of the hematopoietic system is a chronic low-grade inflammatory condition called inflammaging, that only develops in later life and impairs the function blood stem cells. However, the question that we wanted to answer was whether inflammation and infections in early life can permanently damage blood stem cells and thus promote aging of the blood system, says Mick Milsom of the German Cancer Research Center and the Stem Cell Institute HI-STEM. "We have therefore carried out time-consuming experiments to determine for how we observe an inhibitory effect on stem cell function following infection and inflammation, and came to the surprising conclusion that we never see any evidence of stem cell recovery, suggesting that this process is long-lasting or perhaps even irreversible."

Mice were challenged several times with a pro-inflammatory substance or bacteria, with four-week intervals between injections. The lack of stem cell recovery between each round of challenge meant that these treatments resulted in an additive inhibitory effect, supporting a model that explains age-associated tissue dysfunction and disease: where separate instances of infection or inflammation can have a cumulative inhibitory effect on stem cell function, even if separated by months or years.

The researchers subsequently identified the cause of the dysfunctional hematopoiesis: Blood stem cells failed to self-renew as they were forced to divide in response to the inflammatory stimuli. The long-term consequence of a lack of self-renewal is that the hematopoietic system becomes exhausted. "This observation in mice contradicts common doctrine: we had previously believed that, after inflammatory challenge, blood stem cells revert into a so-called dormant state that preserves their capacity for self-renewal," says Milsom, explaining this surprising aspect of his work.

Importantly, the inflammation in young mice led to persistent changes in the hematopoietic system resembling age-related changes often found in elderly people. These include anemia and decreased number of cells in the bone marrow. "Inflammation and infection at a young age appear to accelerate the aging of the hematopoietic system," Milsom said, summarizing the findings. "Our next challenge is to explore whether prophylactic anti-inflammatory treatment could delay the development of age-related diseases of the blood system, while still preserving the immune response against pathogens."

Ruzhica Bogeska, Ana-Matea Mikecin, Paul Kaschutnig, Malak Fawaz, , Marleen Bchler-Schff, Duy Le, Miguel Ganuza, Angelika Vollmer, Stella V. Paffenholz, Noboru Asada, Esther Rodriguez-Correa, Felix Frauhammer, Florian Buettner, Melanie Ball, Julia Knoch, Sina Stble, Dagmar Walter, Amelie Petri, Martha J. Carreo-Gonzalez, Vinona Wagner, Benedikt Brors, Simon Haas, Daniel B. Lipka, Marieke A.G. Essers, Vivienn Weru, Tim Holland-Letz, Jan-Philipp Mallm, Karsten Rippe, Stephan Krmer, Matthias Schlesner, Shannon McKinney Freeman, Maria Carolina Florian, Katherine Y. King, Paul S. Frenette, Michael A. Rieger, Michael D. Milsom:

Inflammatory exposure drives long-lived impairment of hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal activity and accelerated aging.

CELL Stem Cell 2022, DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2022.06.012

Share Link: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1fRPY6tu0CiH2q

(valid until September 7, 2022)

The German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) with its more than 3,000 employees is the largest biomedical research institution in Germany. More than 1,300 scientists at the DKFZ investigate how cancer develops, identify cancer risk factors and search for new strategies to prevent people from developing cancer. They are developing new methods to diagnose tumors more precisely and treat cancer patients more successfully. The DKFZ's Cancer Information Service (KID) provides patients, interested citizens and experts with individual answers to all questions on cancer.

Jointly with partners from the university hospitals, the DKFZ operates the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) in Heidelberg and Dresden, and the Hopp Children's Cancer Center KiTZ in Heidelberg. In the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), one of the six German Centers for Health Research, the DKFZ maintains translational centers at seven university partner locations. NCT and DKTK sites combine excellent university medicine with the high-profile research of the DKFZ. They contribute to the endeavor of transferring promising approaches from cancer research to the clinic and thus improving the chances of cancer patients.

The DKFZ is 90 percent financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and 10 percent by the state of Baden-Wrttemberg. The DKFZ is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

See the original post here:
Inflammation accelerates aging of the hematopoietic system - EurekAlert

Posted in Stem Cell Research | Comments Off on Inflammation accelerates aging of the hematopoietic system – EurekAlert

New patent-pending method mass-produces antitumor cells to treat blood diseases and cancer – Purdue University

Posted: August 5, 2022 at 2:09 am

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. A Purdue University chemical engineer has improved upon traditional methods to produce off-the-shelf human immune cells that show strong antitumor activity, according to a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports.

Xiaoping Bao, a Purdue University assistant professor from the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, said CAR-neutrophils, or chimeric antigen receptor neutrophils, and engraftable HSCs, or hematopoietic stem cells, are effective types of therapies for blood diseases and cancer. Neutrophils are the most abundant white cell blood type and effectively cross physiological barriers to infiltrate solid tumors. HSCs are specific progenitor cells that will replenish all blood lineages, including neutrophils, throughout life.

These cells are not readily available for broad clinical or research use because of the difficulty to expand ex vivo to a sufficient number required for infusion after isolation from donors, Bao said. Primary neutrophils especially are resistant to genetic modification and have a short half-life.

Bao has developed a patent-pending method to mass-produce CAR-neutrophils from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), that is, cells that self-renew and are able to become any type of human cell. The chimeric antigen receptor constructs were engineered to express on the surface of the hPSCs, which were directed into functional CAR-neutrophils through a novel, chemically defined protocol.

The method was created in collaboration with Qing Deng at Purdue's Department of Biological Sciences, Hal E. Broxmeyer, now deceased, at Indiana University School of Medicine, and Xiaojun Lian at the Pennsylvania State University.

We developed a robust protocol for massive production of de novo neutrophils from human pluripotent stem cells, Bao said. These hPSC-derived neutrophils displayed superior and specific antitumor activities against glioblastoma after engineering with chimeric antigen receptors.

Bao disclosed the innovation to the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization, which has applied for an international patent under the Patent Cooperation Treaty system of the World Intellectual Property Organization. The innovation has been optioned to an Indiana-headquartered life sciences company.

We will also work with Dr. Timothy Bentley, professor of neurology and neurosurgery,and his team at the Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine to run clinical trials in pet dogs with spontaneous glioma, Bao said.

This research project was partially supported by the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering and College of Engineering Startup Funds, Purdue Center for Cancer Research, Showalter Research Trust and federal grants from the National Science Foundation and National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last four years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://stories.purdue.edu.

About Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization

The Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the universitys academic activities through commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property. The office is housed in the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration in Discovery Park District at Purdue, adjacent to the Purdue campus. In fiscal year 2021, the office reported 159 deals finalized with 236 technologies signed, 394 disclosures received and 187 issued U.S. patents. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. In 2020, IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation and in the top 20 for patents. The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org for more information.

Writer: Steve Martin, sgmartin@prf.org

Source: Xiaoping Bao, bao61@purdue.edu

ABSTRACT

Engineering chimeric antigen receptor neutrophils from human pluripotent stem cells for targeted cancer immunotherapy

Yun Chang, Ramizah Syahirah, Xuepeng Wang, Gyuhyung Jin, Sandra Torregrosa-Allen, Bennett D. Elzey, Sydney N. Hummel, Tianqi Wang, Can Li, Xiaojun Lian, Qing Deng, Hal E. Broxmeyer, Xiaoping Bao

Neutrophils, the most abundant white blood cells in circulation, are closely related to cancer development and progression. Healthy primary neutrophils present potent cytotoxicity against various cancer cell lines through direct contact and via generation of reactive oxygen species. However, due to their short half-life and resistance to genetic modification, neutrophils have not yet been engineered with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to enhance their antitumor cytotoxicity for targeted immunotherapy. Here, we genetically engineered human pluripotent stem cells with synthetic CARs and differentiated them into functional neutrophils by implementing a chemically-defined platform. The resulting CAR-neutrophils presented superior and specific cytotoxicity against tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, we established a robust platform for massive production of CAR-neutrophils, paving the way to myeloid cell-based therapeutic strategies that would boost current cancer treatment approaches.

Go here to read the rest:
New patent-pending method mass-produces antitumor cells to treat blood diseases and cancer - Purdue University

Posted in Stem Cell Research | Comments Off on New patent-pending method mass-produces antitumor cells to treat blood diseases and cancer – Purdue University

Cell Therapy Technologies Market worth $8.0 billion by 2027 – Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets – PR Newswire

Posted: August 5, 2022 at 2:09 am

CHICAGO, Aug. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Cell Therapy Technologies Marketis projected to grow from USD 4.0 billion in 2022 to USD 8.0 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 14.6% from 2022 to 2027, according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets.Growth in the market can be attributed to number of cell therapy clinical trials related to cancer. Furthermore, increasing incidence of communicable diseases and the growing risk of pandemics are also expected to fuel the market growth.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=213334978

Browse in-depth TOC on "Cell Therapy Technologies Market"202 Tables48 Figures218 Pages

The cell therapy equipment segment accounted for the second largest share of the product segment in the cell therapy technologies market in 2021.

The second largest share of cell therapy equipment segment can be attributed to the growing demand for these equipments. Cell therapy equipment is used in cell processing (such as cell isolation, expansion, and harvesting), cell preservation and handling, and process monitoring and quality control. The segment market is further sub-segmented into cell processing equipment, single-use equipment, and other equipment (flow cytometers, cell counters, microscopes, etc).

The stem cells segment accounted for the second largest share of the cell type segment in the cell therapy technologies market in 2021.

Rising awareness regarding the use of stem cells in the treatment of various diseases and the growing focus of players on stem cell research are driving the growth of this market segment. Rising collaboration between universities and biotechnology & biopharmaceutical companies for stem cell research and government support (availability of funding) are other important drivers.

Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=213334978

The Asia Pacific region is the fastest-growing region of the cell therapy technologies market in 2021.

The Asia Pacific is estimated to be the fastest-growing segment of the market. The growth of the market of the region is mostly driven by their low labor and manufacturing costs, which has drawn huge investments by biopharma giants to these countries. The increasing disposable income, growing prevalence of lifestyle and age-related chronic diseases also contribute to the high growth of the regional market.

Key players in the cell therapy technologies market include Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (US), Merck KGaA (Germany), Danaher Corporation (US), Lonza Group (Switzerland), Sartorius AG (Germany), Terumo BCT (US), Becton, Dickinson and Company (US), Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA (Germany), Avantor, Inc. (US), Bio-Techne Corporation (US), Corning Incorporated (US), FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific (US), MaxCyte Inc. (US), Werum IT Solutions GmbH (Germany), RoosterBio Inc. (US), SIRION Biotech GmbH (Germany), TrakCel (UK), L7 Informatics, Inc. (US), Miltenyi Biotec GmbH (Germany), STEMCELL Technologies (Canada), GPI Iberia (Spain), MAK-SYSTEM (US), OrganaBio, LLC (US), IxCells Biotechnology (China), and Wilson Wolf Manufacturing Corporation (US).

Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=213334978

Browse Adjacent Market: Biotechnology MarketResearch Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

Cell Culture Marketby Product (Consumables (Media, Serum, Reagent, Vessels), Equipment (Bioreactor, Centrifuge, Incubator)), Application (Vaccines, mAbs, Diagnostics, Tissue Engineering), End User (Pharma, Biotech, Hospital) - Global Forecast to 2026

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

Contact:Mr. Aashish MehraMarketsandMarkets INC.630 Dundee RoadSuite 430Northbrook, IL 60062USA: +1-888-600-6441Email: [emailprotected]Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/cell-therapy-technologies-market.aspVisit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/cell-therapy-technologies.asp

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets

See the original post here:
Cell Therapy Technologies Market worth $8.0 billion by 2027 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets - PR Newswire

Posted in Stem Cell Research | Comments Off on Cell Therapy Technologies Market worth $8.0 billion by 2027 – Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets – PR Newswire

Twenty-Five Years After My House Call To Dolly: What Have We Learned About Cloning And How Did We Learn It? – Forbes

Posted: August 5, 2022 at 2:09 am

Twenty-five years ago, the scientific breakthrough of mammalian cloning marked a monumental moment in medicine and science. Anticipating the collision it would have with ethical decision making in medicine, I, the only physician-scientist in the U.S. Senate at the time, journeyed to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland to personally visit Sir Ian Wilmut at his research lab at the Roslin Institute.

My house call to Dolly in 1997: I stand with Dolly, the first ever mammal to be cloned from an adult ... [+] somatic cell, during my journey to visit her creator and caretaker, Sir Ian Wilmut.

Professor Wilmut just months before in 1996 had cloned a sheep from an adult somatic cell, shocking the world. This was the first successful attempt of its kind. All over the world people were wondering: would we be cloning a human being next? We talked science, we talked ethics, and we talked about his creations potential impact on altering the course of human history. I also met and examined the cloned sheep, Dolly, in her stall.

Dolly, named after Tennessees own Dolly Parton, was a Finnish Dorset sheep cloned from a single, adult mammary gland cell. Her creation, birth, and short life were scientific feats that immediately sparked global concern and discourse on the increasingly complex moral and ethical dilemmas posed by a sudden discovery of life-manipulating science.

Wilmut and colleagues published their achievement in February 1997, having kept Dolly secret for seven months. We, as a society, were quickly forced to answer difficult, probing questions. A few months later on the Senate floor, I borrowed a question that the Washington Post editorial board had posed a few years before: Is there a line that should not be crossed even for scientific or other gain, and if so where is it?

Here are my remarks in the Senate chamber in 1998:

So it is vital that our public debate and reflection on scientific developments keep pace, and even anticipate and prepare for new scientific knowledge. The moral and ethical dilemmas inherent in the cloning of human beings may well be our greatest test to date. We do not simply seek knowledge, but the wisdom to apply that knowledge. As with each of the mind-boggling scientific advances of the last century, we know that there is the potential for both good and evil in this technology. Congressional Record February 2, 1998

Years removed, I now reflect back on the confusion, questions, and status quo that Dolly challenged.

Dolly was the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult somatic cell, which is any type of bodily cell that is not a reproductive germ cell. The process Wilmut developed is technically called somatic cell nuclear transfer, colloquially known as cloning. It is the process of transferring the nuclear DNA of a donor somatic cell into an enucleated oocyte, followed by embryo development and then transfer to a surrogate recipient, followed by live birth.

Dollys creation in a test tube and eventual birth marked a major milestone in scientific research, suggesting that an animal could be cloned to create an exact replica using genetic material derived from theoretically any type of body cell. It opened the world to staggering new possibilities in reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning.

Soon after Dollys birth, another parallel and similarly monumental finding was made: in 1998 embryonic stem cells were discovered. These cells are a highly unique type of unprogrammed somatic cell with the exceptional ability to both reproduce unlimited exact copies of themselves and develop into more specialized cell types, such as heart, lung, kidney or skin cells. And though seemingly miraculous in potential, these cells could not be created or programmed from any other type of cell and could only be collected from embryos an ethical dilemma because collection for research required destruction of the embryo itself.

Dolly changed this. Her successful creation paved the way for future scientists to develop a technique to independently produce equally powerful pluripotent stem cells by reprogramming other adult somatic cells, revolutionizing genetic therapy, and completely nullifying the ethical dilemma of collecting embryonic stem cells from embryos. Similarly, Dolly also highlighted the potential for scientists to create new tissues and organs for diseased patients, and to preserve the genetic material of endangered species.

But, along with these positive contributions came widespread concern about the ethics of cloning, especially around potential attempts to clone another human being. Many, including myself, feared this type of technology, if left unregulated, would be misused and abused. Indeed, cloning evoked great scientific power that demanded even greater ethical responsibility, and there were no established ethical guardrails at the time to monitor this duty.

In retrospect, these fears have diminished in part due to proactive measures and to the inherent complexities of the human genome (cloning an entire human being is, after all, a large jump from cloning a sheep). Importantly, legislative and scientific communities have been resolute and unified in their opposition to cloning human beings.

Though a human embryo was indeed successfully cloned in 2013, no known progress has been made when it comes to attempts to clone a human being. Yet the technique to create Dolly has been repurposed widely and has led to numerous scientific innovations.

In 2003, six years after her birth, Dolly became sick and was euthanized. Her decline in health was due to the development of tumors in her chest; some examinations of her cells suggested that she was also aging prematurely.

Despite her relatively short life (the average sheep lifespan is ~10-12 years), Dollys influence on the scientific community has been profound. Not only did she force scientists and researchers to redefine the ethics of their field, but she also laid the foundation for other significant scientific advancements in the fast-evolving new field we know today as regenerative medicine.

One powerful example is gene therapy and editing, where specific genes are targeted, edited, and repaired to protect against disease, cancer, autoimmune disorders, and even rewiring immune system cells for treatment-resistant cancer patients. This revolutionary innovation is made possible by CRISPR technology (the same technology that enabled rapid vaccine development for COVID-19), which is currently celebrating its 10-year anniversary.

Genetic cloning was also made possible thanks to Dolly. This is a type of cloning where scientists create copies of genes within DNA segments to combine with plasmid DNA, or self-replicating genetic material, and then place this new plasmid into a host organism, such as a bacterium, yeast, or mammal cell. This process is used to develop vaccines and antigen tests and is also used to identify useful genetic traits in plants, which can be replicated on a larger scale through the genetic modification of seeds.

Further, cloning techniques have also helped to advance agricultural practices. Farmers can use cloning technology to quickly introduce favored characteristics of prize livestock (such as the ability to produce large amounts of high-quality milk) into a herd by cloning and breeding. These livestock will then further reproduce using traditional breeding or assisted reproductive technology.

Despite advances in genetic cloning and agricultural practices, cloning especially the additional attempts at cloning whole organisms remains variable and highly inefficient.

Successful attempts have been made by companies like Sooam Biotech Research and ViaGen Pets to clone dogs and kittens for wealthy pet owners. But, even today, the success rate of animal cloning is estimated to be less than 30%. In fact, many animal rights activists oppose the practice citing animal welfare. In 2015, the European Union banned the practice of livestock cloning.

Overall interest in cloning slowed as advances in adult stem cell research gained traction in the 2000s. This resulted primarily from scientists newfound ability to take adult human cells, for example skin cells, and reprogram them back into an earlier, more primitive but more powerful embryonic-like, pluripotent cells.

This technique was pioneered by Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka in 2006, for which he was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Yamanakas discovery of reprogramming already specialized adult cells to create induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS) took the ethical issue of destroying embryos for research off the table. Some scientists continue to look to cloning as a way to develop genetically unique stem cells that can be used to reduce the risk of triggering an immune response.

Notes taken shortly after my visit with Dolly: "She has been seen by 2.5 billion people."

We have come a long way since my exploratory journey from the Senate floor in Washington, DC, to the stall and research laboratory that housed Dolly in Edinburgh in 1997.

For all the controversy that Dolly sparked during her short life, her contributions to society have been nothing short of remarkable. She forced thought leaders, researchers, and policymakers around the world to confront the ethics of cloning. And, she encouraged us, as a society, to weigh in and engage on the ethical considerations of increasingly frequent scientific discoveries.

On all of these fronts, we worked tirelessly to instill and adhere to a strong scientific code, focusing on the bettering of science, innovation, and technology for societal good. Cloning gave us that first glimpse into the future.

As I said on the floor of the Senate on February 3, 1998:

This cloning debate, I think, maybe for the first time in the history of this body [the US Senate], forces us to address what is inevitable as we look to the future, and that is a rapid-fire, one-after-another onslaught of new scientific technological innovation that has to be assimilated into our ethical-social fabric. Congressional Record February 3, 1998

What I said then still holds true today, Science and ethics must march hand in hand. Congressional Record February 11, 1998

See more here:
Twenty-Five Years After My House Call To Dolly: What Have We Learned About Cloning And How Did We Learn It? - Forbes

Posted in Stem Cell Research | Comments Off on Twenty-Five Years After My House Call To Dolly: What Have We Learned About Cloning And How Did We Learn It? – Forbes

Page 3«..2345..1020..»