Monthly Archives: September 2014

ViaCyte starts diabetes trial

Posted: September 10, 2014 at 1:49 pm

ViaCyte is developing a drug delivery system that enables implanted pancreatic progenitor cells to survive and differentiate into functioning insulin-producing islet cells.

Correction: The number to call for more information on the diabetes clinical trial is 858-657-7039. An incorrect number was originally provided.)

ViaCyte has started a clinical trial of its diabetes treatment derived from stem cells, the first such treatment ever tested in people.

UC San Diego said Tuesday it is hosting the Phase 1 trial in partnership with San Diego-based ViaCyte. The biotech company grows islet cells from human embryonic stem cells. The cells are placed into a semi-permeable envelope and implanted into the patient. In animals, the stem cells mature into islet cells, successfully controlling blood sugar.

The treatment could provide what the company calls a virtual cure for Type 1 diabetes, which is caused by a lack of insulin-producing "islet" cells in the pancreas. About 40 people are being sought for the trial. Those interested should call Todd May at 858-657-7039.

Success would not only provide a tremendous boost for the privately held biotech company, but also California's stem cell agency, which has provided nearly $40 million in funding.

The agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, is scheduled to vote Wednesday on approving a recommended $16.6 million for ViaCyte to help with clinical trials. CIRM will eventually have to get more money as the $3 billion approved by California voters under Prop. 71 in 2004 is used up.

Paul Laikind, CEO of ViaCyte, which is making a treatment for diabetes from human embryonic stem cells.

The ViaCyte trial's goals are to assess safety and whether the cells are actually making insulin, said Paul Laikind, ViaCyte's chief executive. A longer-term goal is to determine if the cells made other hormones that regulate blood sugar levels. These are glucagon, which in contrast to insulin raises blood sugar levels, and somatostatin, which regulates both insulin and glucagon.

If the full array of hormones are produced, it's hoped that ViaCyte's product will perform like a natural pancreas, Laikind said. While the trial is starting at UCSD, Laikind said the company intends to expand it to other centers.

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ViaCyte starts diabetes trial

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Washington DC Resources – Stem Cells: Get Facts on Uses …

Posted: September 10, 2014 at 1:48 pm

WebMD Physician Directory Washington, District of Columbia

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After FDA Approval, Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy Patient Receives First Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Treatment in the …

Posted: September 10, 2014 at 1:48 pm

Wichita, KS (PRWEB) September 10, 2014

Ryan Benton, a 28 year-old Duchennes muscular dystrophy patient from Wichita, Kansas, received his first umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cell treatment yesterday following US FDA approval of his doctors application for a single patient, investigational new drug (IND) for compassionate use.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a rapidly progressive form of muscular dystrophy that occurs primarily in boys. It is caused by an alteration (mutation) in a gene, called the DMD gene, which causes the muscles to stop producing the protein dystrophin. Individuals who have DMD experience progressive loss of muscle function and weakness, which begins in the lower limbs and leads to progressively worsening disability. Death usually occurs by age 25, typically from lung disorders. There is no known cure for DMD.

This trial, officially entitled Allogeneic transplantation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSC) for a single male patient with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) marks the first time the FDA has approved an investigational allogeneic stem cell treatment for Duchennes in the United States.

Ryan received his first intramuscular stem cell injections from allergy and immunology specialist, Van Strickland, M.D at Asthma and Allergy Specialists in Wichita, Kansas. He will receive 3 more treatments this week on consecutive days. Dr. Strickland will administer similar courses to Ryan every 6 months for a total of 3 years.

This is not the first time Ryan has undergone umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell therapy. Since 2009, Ryan has been traveling to the Stem Cell Institute in Panama for similar treatments. Encouraging results from these treatments prompted Dr. Strickland to seek out a way to treat Ryan in the United States.

The stem cell technology being utilized in this trial was developed by renowned stem cell scientist Neil H. Riordan, PhD. Dr. Riordan is the founder and president of the Stem Cell Institute in Panama City, Panama and Medistem Panama. Medistem Panama is providing cell harvesting and banking services for their US-based cGMP laboratory partner.

Funding for this trial is being provided by the Aidan Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Dr. Riordan in 2004 to provide financial assistance for alternative therapies to people like Ryan.

About Van Strickland, MD

Dr. Strickland came to Wichita in 1979 from his fellowship at the National Jewish Hospital in Denver. Since then he has spent one year in Wyoming, one year in Dallas, Texas and one year in Lees Summit Missouri before returning to full-time practice in Wichita, Kansas.

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After FDA Approval, Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy Patient Receives First Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Treatment in the ...

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Barrett Foot & Ankle Institute Stem Cells – Video

Posted: September 10, 2014 at 8:47 am


Barrett Foot Ankle Institute Stem Cells

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Could stem cells from your hip repair your heart after an attack?

Posted: September 10, 2014 at 8:47 am

Father-of-two James Cross, 55, suffered a heart attack in February Surgeons at the London Chest Hospital offered him a unique chance Experimental therapy involved injecting stem cells from Mr Cross's hip into his heart in the hope they would encourage the organ to repair itself It appears to have worked as Mr Cross's heart muscle function has increased from 21% after the attack to 37% and it is still improving Experts hope the new technique will increase survival rates by a quarter

By John Naish

Published: 20:38 EST, 8 September 2014 | Updated: 07:12 EST, 9 September 2014

James Cross, 55,was offered experimental treatment after suffering a heart attack in February

After James Cross had a heart attack in February, he was given a unique chance for a new life.

Surgeons at the London Chest Hospital offered the 55-year-old experimental therapy that involved injecting his own stem cells into the damaged organ.

This was done in the hope that it would encourage his heart to repair itself.

The injected stem cells should prevent the hearts muscle tissue from becoming increasingly damaged after suffering a lack of oxygen during the heart attack.

And it seems to have worked.

After the heart attack, I had 21 per cent of my heart muscle functioning, as opposed to the normal 61 per cent, says James.

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Could stem cells from your hip repair your heart after an attack?

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Combining Antibodies, Iron Nanoparticles and Magnets Steers Stem Cells to Injured Organs

Posted: September 10, 2014 at 8:47 am

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Newswise LOS ANGELES (STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL SEPT. 10, 2014 at 5 A.M. EDT) Researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute infused antibody-studded iron nanoparticles into the bloodstream to treat heart attack damage. The combined nanoparticle enabled precise localization of the bodys own stem cells to the injured heart muscle.

The study, which focused on laboratory rats, was published today in the online peer reviewed journal Nature Communications. The study addresses a central challenge in stem cell therapeutics: how to achieve targeted interactions between stem cells and injured cells.

Although stem cells can be a potent weapon in the fight against certain diseases, simply infusing a patient with stem cells is no guarantee the stem cells will be able to travel to the injured area and work collaboratively with the cells already there.

Infusing stem cells into arteries in order to regenerate injured heart muscle can be inefficient, said Eduardo Marbn, MD, PhD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, who led the research team. Because the heart is continuously pumping, the stem cells can be pushed out of the heart chamber before they even get a chance to begin to heal the injury.

In an attempt to target healing stem cells to the site of the injury, researchers coated iron nanoparticles with two kinds of antibodies, proteins that recognize and bind specifically to stem cells and to injured cells in the body. After the nanoparticles were infused into the bloodstream, they successfully tracked to the injured area and initiated healing.

The result is a kind of molecular matchmaking, Marbn said. Through magnetic resonance imaging, we were able to see the iron-tagged cells traveling to the site of injury where the healing could begin. Furthermore, targeting was enhanced even further by placing a magnet above the injured heart.

The Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute has been at the forefront of developing investigational stem cell treatments for heart attack patients. In 2009, Marbn and his team completed the world's first procedure in which a patient's own heart tissue was used to grow specialized heart stem cells. The specialized cells were then injected back into the patient's heart in an effort to repair and regrow healthy muscle in a heart that had been injured by a heart attack. Results, published in The Lancet in 2012, showed that one year after receiving the stem cell treatment, heart attack patients demonstrated a significant reduction in the size of the scar left on the heart muscle.

Earlier this year, Heart Institute researchers began a new study, called ALLSTAR, in which heart attack patients are being infused with allogeneic stem cells, which are derived from donor-quality hearts.

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Combining Antibodies, Iron Nanoparticles and Magnets Steers Stem Cells to Injured Organs

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MS stem-cell breakthrough led by Italians

Posted: September 10, 2014 at 8:41 am

'So far appears safe, without side effects'

(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 Genoa's 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.

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MS stem-cell breakthrough led by Italians

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Barrett Foot & Ankle Institute Stem Cells – Video

Posted: September 9, 2014 at 10:44 pm


Barrett Foot Ankle Institute Stem Cells

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Delaware Stem Cell Treatment | Stem Cell Treatments

Posted: September 9, 2014 at 2:50 pm

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Call 800-234-1693 and speak with a representative regarding your stem cell therapy needs and requirements.

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Kiessling lab finds impact of surface conditions on stem cell growth

Posted: September 9, 2014 at 2:48 pm

University of Wisconsin-Madison chemistry professor Laura Kiessling and her lab published new findings regarding stem cell differentiation Monday, according to a university press release.

Kiesslings study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, describes how the qualities of surfaces on which pluripotent stem cells are grown affect the fate of these cells.

Kiesslings lab conducted research by placing pluripotent stem cells on brain tissue-like surfaces and observing their differentiation. Among other conclusions, the researchers found surface quality alone could influence cells to become neurons, according to the release.

Pluripotent stem cells are those that have yet to be assigned a specific role, thus they have potential to develop into any adult cell in the body.

The lab, directed by Kiessling and led by UW-Madison chemistry graduate student Samira Musah, created three types of gels to mimic liver, muscle and brain tissue.

The researchers found the cells on stiffer surfaces maintained a stem cell state, whereas those moved to a softer surface started to become neurons.

It was stunning to me that the surface had such a profound effect, Kiessling said in the release.

According to the release, the researchers believe the brain tissue-like surface quality affects the yes-associated protein 1, a potent oncogene, inside the cell.

YAP can be found either in the cytoplasm or nucleus of a cell. When located in the nucleus, YAP regulates gene expression.

Kiesslings study reports YAP is excluded from the nucleus when on soft surfaces, which helps direct the stem cells into brain cell development.

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