Category Archives: Illinois Stem Cells

In recent weeks, a crisis has erupted over vaping.

States have issued dire warnings, banned flavored e-cigarettes and tried, along with the federal government, to get to the bottom of what was causing hundreds of mysterious lung illnesses as well as several deaths around the country.

The crisis appeared to come out of nowhere and confusion surrounded it, sparking alarm among parents, health officials and lawmakers alike. At the heart of the issue is what is causing the lung injuries -- 530 at the CDCs last count -- and eight deaths, the last reported in Missouri. While federal officials say most of those with lung injuries have used THC-containing products, the exact cause is not known.

However, the recent warnings are not the first, with statements dating back a decade from major government entities and for years in scientific journals.

E-cigarettes and vaping started gaining popularity first in 2007 and have become more and more common since. With that, the number of official warnings has picked up steadily over time.

Here are some of them:

June 22, 2009: The Tobacco Control Act goes into effect

Then-President Barack Obama signed the Tobacco Control Act into law, which gave the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the creation and marketing of tobacco products, but doesnt specifically list or mention e-cigarettes.

July 22, 2009: FDA warns about e-cigarettes

A news release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pointed to a laboratory analysis of e-cigarette samples that found they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze.

The FDA is concerned about the safety of these products and how they are marketed to the public, Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., commissioner of food and drugs, said in the news release.

The release went on to note that the products had not been evaluated or approved by the FDA so at this time the agency has no way of knowing, except for the limited testing it has performed, the levels of nicotine or the amounts or kinds of other chemicals that the various brands of these products deliver to the user.

Sept. 24, 2013: National Association of Attorneys General wants regulation

A letter signed by 40 state and territorial attorneys general called for the FDA to test and regulate e-cigarettes, noting how at that time there was so little known about them.

Through television advertising, consumers are led to believe that e-cigarettes are a safe alternative to cigarettes, despite the fact that they are addictive, and there is no regulatory oversight ensuring the safety of e-cigarette ingredients, the National Association of Attorneys General news release stated.

The group noted that unlike cigarettes, there were no age restrictions on e-cigarettes and they had flavors that appeal to younger users.

Dec. 15, 2015: Study questions whether chronic e-cigarette use could cause lung disease

In a study in the American Journal of Physiology, researchers asked if e-cigarette smoke could have similar effects as cigarette smoke in chronic users. While they acknowledged that more study was needed, they concluded that the vapor contains toxic substances, although less so than cigarette smoke.

And they did say that it elicited a biological response in mice in the in the "vast majority" of studies.

2016: Surgeon General releases report about e-cigarette use among youth

The report warns about the significant uptick in popularity among young people in spite of the fact that gaps in scientific evidence do exist.

E-cigarette use among U.S. youth and young adults is now a major public health concern. E-cigarette use has increased considerably in recent years, growing an astounding 900% among high school students from 2011 to 2015, then-Surgeon General Vivek Muthys preface states.

Specifically, the surgeon general warned about nicotine and its effects on the developing brain. "The effects include addiction, priming for use of other addictive substances, reduced impulse control, deficits in attention and cognition, and mood disorders," the report said. There were also warnings for pregnant women and the dangers of ingestion.

But there was also much that was not known. "The health effects and potentially harmful doses of heated and aerosolized constituents of e-cigarette liquidsincluding solvents, flavorants, and toxicantsare not completely understood. However, although e-cigarettes generally emit fewer toxicants than combustible tobacco products, we know that aerosol from e-cigarettes is not harmless," the report said.

May 5, 2016: FDA issues new e-cigarette regulations

The FDA bolstered its regulations of e-cigarettes, adding requirements that affect manufacturing, ingredient labeling and not selling the product to those under the age of 18.

"We have more to do to help protect Americans from the dangers of tobacco and nicotine, especially our youth. As cigarette smoking among those under 18 has fallen, the use of other nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, has taken a drastic leap. All of this is creating a new generation of Americans who are at risk of addiction," then-Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said in a statement.

"Todays announcement is an important step in the fight for a tobacco-free generation -- it will help us catch up with changes in the marketplace, put into place rules that protect our kids and give adults information they need to make informed decisions," Burwell said.

July 7, 2016: American Lung Association warns of 'popcorn lung'

The American Lung Association warned that a chemical found in artificially buttered popcorn, diacetyl -- which caused "deaths and hundreds of cases of bronchiolitis obliterans, a serious and irreversible lung disease" -- was found in "many" e-cigarette flavors. "It is added to "e-juice" liquid by some e-cigarette companies to complement flavorings such as vanilla, maple, coconut and more," the statement said.

"So while diacetyl was swiftly removed from popcorn products since it could cause this devastating disease among factory workers, e-cigarette users are now directly inhaling this harmful chemical into their lungs," the statement said.

Citing a study from Harvard, the ALA said diacetyl was found in 39 of 51 e-cigarette brands it tested and other harmful chemicals -- 2,3 pentanedione and acetoin -- were found as well.

Aug. 8, 2016: FDA gets authority over e-cigarettes

The FDAs deeming rule went into effect for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), which meant that the Center for Tobacco Products gained regulatory authority over e-cigarettes, vapes and other products.

Since late 2016, FDA has worked at maximal speed to regulate this rapidly evolving class of new tobacco products, but our policies and procedures in this area are still evolving, an FDA overview of their oversight states.

On that date, it became illegal to sell e-cigarettes and other ENDS to people under 18 years old, the FDA stated.

March 5, 2018: Report notes presence of toxic chemicals

A report in the medical journal Pediatrics showed vaping could lead to the presence of concerning levels of toxic chemicals in the bodies of those who smoked as well as vaped or those who just vaped alone.

Almost 100 teens from the San Francisco Bay area were examined in the University of California-San Francisco study: 67 teens used e-cigarettes only, 16 used both e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes and 20 didn't smoke or vape at all.

Urine and salivary gland testing looked for breakdown products of toxic chemicals that have been associated with cancer -- and found them in both smokers and vapers -- but not those who didnt smoke at all.

June 8, 2018: CDC report notes popularity decrease after massive uptick

In the CDCs Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), it stated that at this time, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among middle school and high school students.

E-cigarettes had experienced a massive increase in use starting in 2011, but decreased after 2015.

Aug. 13, 2018: Journal suggests that vaping may increase toxic effects of e-liquid

A study in the journal Thorax indicated a "significant increase in cytotoxicity [on certain lung immune cells] caused by the vaping process itself."

The authors noted that exposures of the cells to the vapor during the in vitro experiment "induced many of the same cellular and functional changes...seen in cigarette smokers and patients with COPD."

"While further research is needed to fully understand the effects of e-cigarette exposure in humans in vivo, we suggest continued caution against the widely held opinion that e-cigarettes are safe," the authors said.

Sept. 11, 2018: Retailers warned and manufacturers highlighted

The FDA went so far as to call e-cigarettes an epidemic among children and issued warning letters to retailers over unlawfully selling to minors.

"We're seeing an acceleration in the use of the cigarettes to levels that simply aren't tolerable, then-FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb told ABC News.

We have access to data that tells us that the growth in youth use of the cigarettes has reached what I'm calling epidemic proportions and we need to step in and take action to try to stem that use to try to bring the rates of use among young people down, particularly high school students, he said at the time.

Sept. 18, 2018: FDA launches e-cigarette prevention campaign

E-cigarettes have become an almost ubiquitous and dangerous trend among youth that we believe has reached epidemic proportions, said Gottlieb.

This troubling reality is prompting us to take even more forceful actions to stem this dangerous trend, including revisiting our compliance policy that extended the compliance dates for manufacturers of certain e-cigarettes, including flavored e-cigarettes, to submit applications for premarket authorization, Gottlieb said in a statement.

Dec. 18, 2018: Surgeon General issues advisory, calls e-cigarette surge cause for great concern

The U.S. surgeon general issued a strong warning against e-cigarette use by young people, called it "unsafe" in any form and termed vaping an "epidemic."

"Two years after my predecessor sounded the alarm bells, youth e-cigarette use has skyrocketed -- so much so today that I am officially declaring e-cigarette use among youth an epidemic in the United States," said U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, known as the "nation's doctor," at a news conference.

An associated CDC report noted that after leveling off a bit in 2016 and 2017, e-cigarette use skyrocketed again in 2018. The report cited the effects of nicotine exposure as well as the dangers of flavored products being marketed to youth.

"And I don't want there to be any misconceptions about this. I don't use that word, epidemic, which means a sudden increase about normally expected numbers, I do not use that word lightly," Adams said.

Aug. 14, 2019: Minneapolis officials call for investigation

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) asked health care providers to be on alert for lung diseases related to vaping and e-cigarette use among young adults after a Minnesota hospital reported several severe cases.

Childrens Minnesota hospital has reported four cases of severe lung injury in the Minneapolis area that it says are similar to cases recently reported in Wisconsin and Illinois. The hospital also said it is too early to say whether they are connected.

The patients spent several weeks in the hospital and some were admitted to the intensive care unit for symptoms including shortness of breath, fever, cough, vomiting and diarrhea. Other symptoms reported by some patients included headache, dizziness and chest pain.

Aug. 18, 2019: Federal investigations launched

Federal health officials are investigating potential links between lung illnesses and e-cigarettes.

Since June 28, there have been at least 94 cases reported across several states involving people with "severe pulmonary disease" possibly tied to vaping, with the majority of those affected being teenagers and young adults, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At least 30 of those cases were reported in Wisconsin, the CDC said in a statement.

Aug. 23, 2019: First possible vaping death reported

An investigation was launched in Illinois into more than 30 cases where individuals experienced respiratory illness after using e-cigarettes or vaping, state officials said.

One such case involved an individual who allegedly recently vaped before being hospitalized with severe respiratory illness. That individual, whose name, gender and age were not publicly released, died, according to Illinois Department of Public Health.

"The severity of illness people are experiencing is alarming and we must get the word out that using e-cigarettes and vaping can be dangerous," IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in the news release.

The type of e-cigarettes used by these individuals were not disclosed.

Sept. 9, 2019: Melania Trump speaks out against e-cigarettes, and movement in New York

First Lady Melania Trump tweeted about vaping, saying she is "deeply concerned about the growing epidemic."

That same day, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that he wants to ban flavored e-cigarettes amid growing national health concerns about vaping.

The New York Department of Health is also launching an investigation into companies producing vaping substances and will require shops that sell e-cigarettes to post a warning to "let people know this is a risky endeavor," he said.

"This is a frightening public health phenomenon," Cuomo said at a news conference.

As part of the investigation, Cuomo said subpoenas will be issued to learn more about the chemical makeup of vaping products.

He added that "common sense" would suggest that "if you dont know what you are smoking, dont smoke it, and right now we dont know."

Sept. 11: 2019: President Trump calls for ban on flavored e-cigarettes

President Donald Trump, with the first lady at his side, announced that his administration is moving to ban flavored e-cigarette products after a sixth person recently died from a vaping-related lung illness.

"We are looking at vaping strongly, it's very dangerous, children have died and people have died," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "We're going to have some very strong rules and regulations."

The president said kids are coming home from school and saying, "Mom, I want to vape."

Sept. 19, 2019: Warning not to buy products from the street

The FDA, working with their criminal investigation unit, says it has collected 150 samples from several states to analyze and is testing for "chemicals, nicotine, THC, opioids, cutting agents, additives, poisons, toxins, pesticides."

The investigators say they did not plan to pursue prosecutions immediately, just that theyre trying to trace the supply chain for the problem vaping products.

Its crucial, they say, that vapers who use those products arent afraid of prosecution, or they wont report information that could help the search.

Those who use vaping products were warned not to add anything to the vape cartridge and not to buy products from the street.

ABC News Stephanie Ebbs, Anne Flaherty, Quinn Owen, Karma Allen, Allie Yang and Meridith McGraw contributed to this report.

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Vaping and e-cigarette warnings have been hiding in plain sight - ABC News

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine will launch a new center that will focus on understanding tissue regeneration and pioneering future developments in stem cell biology as a means to repair diseased organs and tissues.

The new centerwill partner with colleges and departments across the University of Illinois System.

Asrar Malik, Schweppe Family distinguished professor and head of pharmacology, UIC College of Medicine

Researchers in the University of Illinois Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine will investigate the molecular signals that drive stem cellsto matureinto different cell types, such as blood, heart and blood vessel cells. The center will also study the epigenetic regulation of stem cells; determine the best approaches to transplant engineered cells, tissues and organs; and look for ways to efficiently produce the regenerative cells neededfor novel treatments.

The center will use a team-oriented multi-disciplinary approach that incorporates experts in biochemistry, biophysics, bioengineering and the clinical sciences to investigate stem cell biology and tissue regeneration, says Asrar Malik, the Schweppe Family Distinguished Professor and head of pharmacology in the UIC College of Medicine, who is guiding the effort. Asearch is underway to recruit a director and additional faculty members, he said.

The current program in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine already includes seven faculty members, most within the department of pharmacology, who together have more than $10 million in research grants from the National Institutes of Health. Malik saidthat the intent in the next few years will be to carry out additional recruitments with other departments, to build from this interdisciplinary foundation and capitalize on our strengths.

Three new faculty members have joined the center in the last two years. Owen Tamplin studies stem cells in zebrafish; Kostandin Pajcini investigates the role of stem cells in the development of leukemia; and Jae-Won Shin engineers stem cells and tissues with an eye towards transplantation.

This will be the only dedicated stem cell and regenerative medicine center in Chicago with a focus on basic biology and translational science, and will affirm UICs leadership role in these fields, and help attract additional talent to our team, said Malik.

The opening of the center will be commemorated with a June 12 symposium on stem cell and regenerative medicine from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Faculty Alumni Lounge, UIC College of Medicine West building, 1853 W. Polk Street.

Speakers include:

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UIC launches Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative ...

The Illinois Pain Institute is committed to staying at the forefront of medical techniques and has observed positive outcomes in specific stem cell therapy protocols. This is why the physicians of the Illinois Pain Institute are proud members of The Regenerative Stem Cell Institute, an organization committed to providing high quality stem cell therapy.

Conditions studied include:

Orthopedic (knees, hips, spine, elbows, hands, shoulders, feet, etc.) Neurologic (Parkinsons, concussions, stroke recovery, MS, ALS) Urologic (Peyronies, erectile dysfunction, and interstitial cystitis) Cardiac / Pulmonary (Asthma, COPD, hypertension, lung disease) Auto-Immune (Lupus, Crohns, Rheumatoid Arthritis) Ophthalmologic (Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration)

WHAT IS STEM CELL THERAPY AT THE REGENERATIVE STEM CELL INSTITUTE?Stem cell therapy at The Regenerative Stem Cell Institute uses adult autologous adipose- derived stem cells harvested from the patients own tissues for a variety of conditions by possibly stimulating healing and tissue regeneration and reducing inflammation caused by disease.

HOW ARE STEM CELLS HARVESTED?Fat harvesting is used to extract adipose tissue from the patient during an outpatient procedure. After the extraction, the adipose tissue is separated into its different components and injected through IV and potentially at the affected site.

WHAT DO ADULT STEM CELLS DO?Adult stem cells are progenitor cells. This means they remain dormant unless they detect some level of tissue injury or inflammation. When a person with a degenerative condition receives their stem cell deployment, the stem cells tend to go to that area of need and stimulate the healing process.

WILL STEM CELL THERAPY WORK FOR ME?Outcome data, while promising for certain conditions, varies by individual and condition. Some patients may not experience significant improvement and others may see dramatic regeneration of tissue. Upon consultation, our team can provide more specific information.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF STEM CELL THERAPY?The risk of stem cell therapy at The Regenerative Stem Cell Institute is minimal because the cells are sources from your own body, which decreases the risk of rejection and complications, such as allergic reactions. Our research team has performed over 7,000 stem cell procedures with no serious adverse events.

For more questions, call us today or visit our affiliated organization, The Regenerative Stem Cell Institute.

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Stem Cell Therapy | Illinois Pain Institute

For Rising 11th-12th Graders6-8 Weeks Beginning June 17, 2019

Application deadline extended to April 8, 2019.

Rising high school juniors and seniors (current 10th-11th grade) are invited to participate in an authentic STEM research experience at a world-class research university for 6 weeks during the summer. Participants will work full-time in the laboratories of established researchers, gaining hands-on experience in areas at the forefront of various STEM fields; cancer immunology, pharmacogenomics of anticancer agents, physics, biophysics, bioengineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, experimental cancer therapeutics, cancer disparities, and more!

Additionally, students can plan to participate in weekly seminars on various topics including research projects, college readiness and scientific communication. The ultimate goal of this program is to make students feel comfortable in a university setting, form a science identity and build confidence.

In order to ensure our young scholars success in our program, our program consists of multiple layers of mentorship. Young scholars will have a chance to interact with faculty, post doctoral researchers, graduate students, undergraduate students and local high school teachers as they journey through their STEM research adventure at the U of I. At the end of their 6-week adventure, our young scholars will have the opportunity to present a poster and discuss the science research they learned. Students will also receive a (taxable) $2000 stipend for their work.

Program dates: June 17, 2019 July 26, 2019

This is a non-residential program forstudents who can travel to and from campus on a daily basis (Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). City bus passes will be provided.

Application deadline extended to April 8, 2019.

PhYSics: Young Scholars doing physics research

POETS Young Scholars: Power Optimization of Electro-thermal Systems

SpHERES: Sparking High Schoolers Excitement for Research in Engineering & Science

researcHStart: Illinois Cancer Center (applications closed)June 17, 2019-August 9, 2019

New labs are joining this program from across Illinois Engineering departments, so even if you dont see the area of engineering you are most interested in listed here, be sure to apply anyway. We will use your personal statement to match you to a best-fit lab.

The Alleyne Research Group focuses on dynamic modeling of complex systems as well as development and implementation of advanced control algorithms on a number of different testbeds. As vehicle electrification increases, thermal management becomes increasingly important. To study the challenges imposed by increasing power and thermal demands, we developed a fluid-based experimental testbed that emulates features of vehicle thermal management systems. This hands-on project will modify a stock on/off solenoid valve so that it can be operated at intermediate positions between on and off and will allow the Young Scholar and teacher to explore multiple areas of study including; mechanical and circuit design, computer programming and mathematical modeling.

Nanostructures such as semiconductor quantum dots are collections of hundreds of atoms and can behave like an individual enlarged atom. These nanostructures exhibit electronic states that resemble the typical s and p atomic orbitals which can be imaged by a technique we use known as single-molecule absorption scanning tunneling microscopy (SMA-STM). At UIUC we use SMA-STM to observe the excited state structures and intra/inter-molecular dynamics of nanomaterials relevant to a wide variety of scientific subdisciplines. Our Young Scholar will assist with imaging and analysis of excited quantum dots and nanomaterials using SMA-STM. We will also modify our system by adding laser alignment automation using an Arduino microcontroller system.

Development of micro fluidic devices for analysis of cells and proteins from blood. The student will learn to make microfluidic PDMS devices and apply these devices for analysis of proteins and cells that are important for diagnosis and stratification of sepsis. Work performed under the guidance of Dr. Enrique Valera in the Rashid Bashir laboratory at Carle Hospital.

CISL uses chemical imaging and designed structures to understand molecular compositions and functions in a range of problems. The activities in the group are divided broadly into three categories: theory, modeling, and simulations; instrumentation and analysis algorithms; and applications of the first two to a range of problems, notably in cancer pathology, polymeric systems, and food grain analysis. In cancer pathology, we are interested in developing new imaging technology to use molecular changes in the tumor and its microenvironment for better diagnoses, using an integrated approach termed systems pathology. The YS will learn about disease diagnosis using pathology and will be involved in handling and analyzing infrared spectroscopic images.

Magnets come about through the combination of quantum mechanics and interactions between the electrons in materials. In this project, the Young Scholar will help perform and analyze many-body simulations of electrons in magnetic materials. By analyzing these simulations, we will understand better how magnets work and how to modify their properties at the atomic scale for new and interesting functionality.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and malignant form of brain cancer in adults, with a median survival time of 12-15 months. GBM tumors present with chemo- and radio-resistance and diffusive invasiveness, making them impossible to completely resect and resulting in high rates of recurrence. Our student will work in the context of glioblastoma, particularly the crosstalk that exists between GBM cells and microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain. Image: GBM from recently published Biomaterials Science Article.

The research in Kalsotra laboratory brings together critical ideas in the fields of molecular and developmental biology and offers a robust framework to better understand how, when, and where particular mRNAs are translated into proteins. We are interested in screening for ESRP2 function and localization in human disease. The students project will be to conduct Immunofluorescent staining of liver sections and image them for different protein markers in disease. Image Description: LEGO model of a liver. Alternative splicing generates mRNA diversity to support liver development.

The adult skeletal muscle can regenerate robustly upon injury, but aging and pathological conditions impair this regenerative capacity. Our goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms by which muscle regeneration is regulated, so that potential therapeutic targets can be identified in the future. We use both cell culture (in vitro) and a mouse model (in vivo) to investigate the roles of muscle-secreted cytokines and their signaling pathways in modulating muscle formation.Work performed under the guidance of graduate student, Dongwook Kim in the laboratory of Dr. Jie Chen.

This project is inspired by natures ability of using lipid materials to guide the perfect organization of light harvesting proteins in plants. In this project we intend to extract energy conversion membranes from natural systems and combine them with artificial materials to generate new nature-inspired light harvesting and storage materials. Specifically, students will be developing strategies to extract light harvesting membranes from spinach and re-assemble them with synthetic lipid and polymer thin films.

ATLAS uses collisions of protons and Pb-ions to discover fundamental building blocks of matter and study their interactions. The Zero Degree Calorimeter (ZDC) observes the non-interacting nuclear fragments from Pb-Pb ion collisions. The current ZDC operates at radiation doses beyond the levels tolerable by existing detector technology and requires regular repair. The ATLAS group at UIUC is developing a new calorimeter that can be operated continuously under very high radiation exposure. We tested novel high purity fused silica materials in the LHC tunnel at CERN. The YS will help to characterize the modified optical properties of the quartz samples after irradiation at CERN.

The students learned about disease diagnosis using pathology and will beinvolved in handling and analyzing infrared spectroscopic images. Work performed under the guidance of graduate student, Saumya Tiwari in the laboratory of Dr. Rohit Bhargava.

The Standard Model of particle physics has been very successful in explaining the Universe we observe. This theory is not complete as it does not answer fundamental questions such as why there is more matter than anti-matter or where does dark mater come from. We can search for new physics through precision measurements other than using high energy colliders. The electric dipole moment of the neutron is an experiment that is sensitive to new physics at TeV energy scales. nEDM at Oakridge National Lab promises to improve the current sensitivity by two orders of magnitude. At UIUC, we will use modern simulation tools to understand the light collection process and use the simulation to optimize the detector design. We will also build a mock up experimental cell.

In the universe, the dominance of matter over anti-matter is thought to have originated at the time of the Big Bang. In the neutron Electric Dipole Moment (nEDM) experiment, we are looking for a tiny echo of the Big Bang in the properties of the neutron. We will begin learning how to make these precision measurements at the Institut Laue Langevin in Grenoble, France, the site of the worlds strongest source of slow neutrons. These measurements require extremely accurate magnetometers which we will work on developing in Urbana this summer.

We use computational and analytic techniques to study dynamical problems ranging from the origin of the Moon to the observational appearance of black holes. A key part of these studies is thoroughly understanding simple model fluid flow problems. The Scholar will study a model problem called the Orszag-Tang vortex. They will do this by running codes in C language on a linux system developed by the group. They will learn about the underlying physical model, learn how to operate the model, learn how to analyze the output and produce animations from the results.

Condensation is a phase change phenomenon encountered in nature and in industry applications including power generation, thermal management, desalination, and environmental control. Experimental setup consists of tube samples with cold water flowing through. The entire system is enclosed within a chamber where vapors of the working fluid are injected. The vapor condenses on the tube samples with the chamber pressure and cooling water temperatures continuously monitored and recorded. The team will be running the experiment cycle with condensation on different tube samples. Scholars will study their own variables/conditions and produce a set of data. They will learn about the two modes of condensation; filmwise and dropwise and will experience high speed imaging.

PhYSics:Nuclear Physics Lab

POETS: Power Optimization of Electro-thermal Systems

SPHERES: Sparking High Schoolers Excitement for Research in Engineering & Science

researcHStart: Illinois Cancer Center

First Young Scholar program

Link:
High School Summer STEM Research Programs Worldwide ...

Rush University, Northwestern University and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) are funding medical programs to advance the field of regenerative medicine. In June of 2017, UIC launched a new Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center. The new center will be researching; molecular signals that cause stem cells to mature into different types of cells, the best methods for transplanting engineered cells and methods for efficiently producing regenerative cells. Rush University is currently researching the use of stem cells for orthopedic injury including; rotator cuff injury, osteoarthritis of the knee, and spinal cord injuries. Northwesterns Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine department is focused on; diseases of the nervous system, cardiovascular disease and pediatric disease.

The research conducted at leading universities like Rush and Northwestern will help advance the field of regenerative medicine in the United States and globally. With their ability to self-renew and replicate, stem cells are the building blocks of life, and are essential to every living organism. The capability of stem cells to regenerate organs and tissues opens a wide spectrum of treatment possibilities for diseases that were considered incurable.

In the United States, the only FDA approved stem cell therapies include bone marrow for bone marrow transplants and cord blood for certain blood disorders. Patients in Chicago that want access to stem cell treatments for other degenerative disorders need to look outside of the United States. The Stem Cells Transplant Institute in Costa Rica provides government approved stem cell therapy for; Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, aging, COPD, diabetes, neuropathy, cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, critical limb ischemia, and erectile dysfunction.

United and American airlines offer daily flights from Chicago airport to San Jose, making it easy to escape the hot, humid summer temperatures or the cold winters in the windy city and enjoy the fabulous year-round temperatures of Costa Rica. Stem cell treatment at the Stem Cells Transplant Institute is a safe, non-invasive, same-day procedure that takes only a few hours. Contact the experts at the Stem Cells Transplant Institute to see if stem cell therapy is right for you.

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With all of the debate out there on stem cells and human cloning, a review of the issue should be helpful. Much of the following information on stem cells, what they are and what they do, was taken from the National Institutes of Health website over the years (http://stemcells.nih.gov/). Quotations from #1 below are from the NIH website on stem cells [Stem Cell Basics].

Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

Stem cells are distinguished from other cell types by two important characteristics. First, they are unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell division, sometimes after long periods of inactivity. Second, under certain physiologic or experimental conditions, they can be induced to become tissue- or organ-specific cells with special functions. In some organs, such as the gut and bone marrow, stem cells regularly divide to repair and replace worn out or damaged tissues. In some adult tissues, such as bone marrow, muscle, and brain, discrete populations of adult stem cells generatereplacements for cells that are lost through normal wear and tear, injury, or disease.

Science has found that adult stem cells work in the body to repair and replace the cells and tissues of some organ. For years, scientists have taken bone marrow, containing adult stem cells, from a healthy person and transplanted it into the bone marrow of a cancer patient whose immune system has been weakened by disease and/or treatments. The transplanted bone marrow contains stem cells to help regenerate cells and the immune system of the patient.

The National Marrow Donor Program website (www.marrow.org) lists quite a number of diseases currently treatable by stem cell transplants, including acute and chronic leukemias, Hodgkins Disease and Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, sickle cell disease, and various cancers.

Cord blood stem cells are currently being used in the treatments of a wide range of cancers, genetic diseases, immune system deficiencies and blood disorders in similar ways. Viacord, a commercial cord blood bank, states on its website (www.viacord.com) that cord blood (stem cells) is used in the treatment of nearly 80 life-threatening diseases, including leukemias, lymphomas, various anemias, and cancers. Additionally, adult stem cells have helped people with diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinsons disease.

None! There is not one study showing that any person has been helped with human embryonic stem cells! There have been trials, but no final conclusions. Supporters of embryonic stem cells had many opportunities to show the benefits of human embryonic stem cells, but produced nothing. Those who opposed using embryonic stem cell research have showed the many benefits to humans from adult and cord blood stem cells. Adult stem cells and cord blood stem cells help thousands of people each year. Some researchers complain they could make progress with human embryonic stem cells if only they could get funding and get their hands on live human embryos from in-vitro fertilization clinics. However, destroying new human lives for experimentation is immoral and unethical, and it is clear that the advances these researchers seek canprobably be done better and sooner with adult stem cells.

Human cloning is the term used by scientists to describe the process of creating new life by making duplicates of biological material. The cloning technique used to clone Dolly the sheep is called somatic cell nuclear transplantation. This is the same technique for cloning a human being. The process involves removing the nucleus of an unfertilized egg and replacing it with the nucleus of a somatic cell. [A somatic cell is any cell of the human body, except sperm or ovum cells (called germ cells). Thus, your skin cell is a somatic cell and contains in its nucleus the 46 chromosomes that you received from your mother (23 chromosomes) and your father (23 chromosomes) that make you unique.] The unfertilized egg with the now transplanted nucleus is stimulated by an electrical stimulus to make it start to divide and grow and if it does begin to grow, it is a live human being.

As Frankensteinian and unnatural as this is, a new human life will be created by human cloning. Supporters of embryonic stem cell research, besides promoting human embryonic stem cell research, also promote research of somatic cell nuclear transplantation, and say that this cloned product is not a human being since the embryo was not fertilized with a sperm. However, Dolly the sheep was cloned in the same manner without a sheep sperm and it was implanted into a sheep and was born a sheep.

Researchers in Illinois seek human cloning because they know that cloning will produce human embryos and they can take the stem cells from these embryos (which will kill these new human lives). They know there are not enough human embryos at Illinois in-vitro fertilization clinics (live human embryos at these clinics are estimated at around 4,000) to supply all the stem cells they want to use. Publicly sanctioned cloning is important to these researchers.

Prepared by Ralph Rivera with Illinois Right to Life Action.

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Stem Cells and Human Cloning - Illinois Right to Life

Umbilical cord cells include stem cells, growth factors and a range of other beneficial proteins and compounds. We use blood from the umbilical cord which has been purified to get rid of any harmful substances that might cause rejection of the treatment by your body. We inject the treated cord blood into the affected area, where the various active compounds found in cord cells go to work immediately to begin inflammation reduction and the promotion of healthy cell division and renewal. Some of the active compounds at work include VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor), IL-LRA (Interleukin-1, a receptor antagonist, stem cell factors (SCF), FGF-2 (Fibroblast Growth Factor-2) and Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-beta). Each of these compounds has a slightly different effect, but the net result is that the damaged cells in your joints are given the ingredients they need to kick-start healthy renewal and regeneration. The injection changes the chemistry inside the joint, creating a healthier environment that encourages positive, healing changes to take place. A better blood supply to the area, a reduction in damaging chronic inflammation and stimulation of healthy tissue growth are all typical consequences of the minimally invasive stem cell treatments we provide. By using umbilical cord cells in this way, its possible to transform joint therapy into a holistic healing process that prompts the body to enhance its own regenerative efforts. This results in a natural process of joint health improvement in the weeks or months following the injection.

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R3 Stem Cell offers regenerative treatment options throughout the US that bring patients hope along with relief. Hope that surgery may be avoided, and regeneration and repair of damaged tissue without surgery. The person may then be able to participate in desired activities like swimming, biking, hiking, football, golf, playing with your kids again and being Pain Free!

R3 Stem Cell partners with the top pain and orthopedic practices nationwide to offer stem cell and PRP therapy to those desiring state-of-the-art treatment by compassionate, Board Certified providers. R3 Stem Cell offers the top stem cell therapy providers in Chicagoland. R3 is proud to help patients receive regenerative therapies with the latest effective technology available.

Conventional pain treatments have been very good at reducing pain by masking discomfort in a band aid fashion with oral or injected medications like steroids, narcotics, or NSAIDs. These therapies unfortunately do not fix the underlying problem.

So how is the condition actually repaired, whether its shoulder/knee/hip/ankle arthritis, back or neck pain, golfers or tennis elbow, rotator cuff tendonitis or a ligament injury?

Regenerative Medicine has the potential to restore anatomy with stem cells, growth factors and platelets to facilitate a healing response in ones own body.

Stem Cells are like a blank slate and may differentiate into any number of cell types for tissue regeneration. This is in large part dependent on the environment in which they are placed.

Stem cell injection treatments include:

These are all minimally invasive, same day, low risk, outpatient procedures.

Initial studies are showing these stem cell therapies to offer substantial promise in healing injury while reducing pain. For example, most professional sports leagues have approved of PRP therapy along with the World Anti-Doping Association.

Pro athletes who have received regenerative medicine treatment include the likes of Rafael Nadal, Dwight Howard, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Bartolo Colon and many more.

The treatments are also producing exceptional outcomes for degenerative arthritis, COPD, kidney failure, neuropathy, Lyme disease, heart failure and more.

All of the treatments are performed by highly experienced providers.

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Regenerative Care Clinics of Illinois | Stem Cell Therapy ...

TREATMENTS

Regenerative revolutionary cord blood stem cell therapies along with PRP therapy that are effective, nonsteroidal, outpatient & repairdamaged tissue.

Repair and regenerate damaged joints, tendons, ligaments and cartilage from sports injuries or arthritis. Back and neck pain, COPD, Kidney/Heart Failure and more!

Your most common questions answered about cord blood regenerative therapies and how they can help you obtain relief, increase function and avoid potentially risky surgery.

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Stem Cell Therapy Has Been Groundbreaking For Pain Relief

Avoid Surgery with Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Therapy and PRP (888) 885-8675!At Regenerative Care Clinics of Illinois

I wanted to avoid joint replacement since my first one resulted in a scary blood clot. Had the procedure 6 months ago - no pain since!*

Theresa M, Phoenix AZ

I had it done on my knee and it worked great.*

David G, Oroville CA

Had stem cells in both knees years ago. Still have not had to have two total knees that I had been told to do since both were bone on bone!*

Gayle F, Cape Coral Florida

I know about these clinics. Know some treated people who could not move without severe pain..they now lead a miraculously beautiful life..amazing stories.*

Gail M, Palm Springs CA

Avoid Surgery with Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Therapy and PRP (888) 885-8675!At Regenerative Care Clinics of Illinois

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Stem Cell Therapy Chicago Illinois, Buffalo Grove ...

An Overview on Stem Cell Rotator Cuff Repair

The shoulder is considered the most mobile joint in the human body and is prone to a number of injuries, including a rotator cuff tear. The rotator cuff is a critical structure found within the shoulder joint that provides strength and allows overhead movements of the arm. A rotator cuff tear is quite common in the athletic community and involves a partial or complete tear of one or more of the four muscle-tendon units. Many patients in the Chicago, Westchester, Oak Brook and Hinsdale, Illinois area who experience a rotator cuff tear require treatment to alleviate shoulder pain, weakness and loss of mobility. Stem cell therapy for rotator cuff tears may be a valuable treatment option for patients involved in an active lifestyle who want to eliminate the need for surgery. Dr. Nikhil Verma, orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist, offers patients stem cell rotator cuff repair.

The rotator cuff is composed of four muscle-tendon units that attach the upper arm bone to the shoulder blade and provides strength and stability to the shoulder. When one of these units becomes torn during athletic activities or from chronic overuse, patients experience pain, weakness and loss of motion.

Orthopedic specialists often begin treatment for a torn rotator cuff with rest, medications, cortisone injections and physical therapy. Surgery is commonly the next step if conservative measures fail. Dr. Verma offers stem cell rotator cuff repair so patients can use their own adult stem cells found throughout their body either at the time of repair or in select patients as a possible alternative to undergoing surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation program.

If you would like to see the leading research on the outcomes of biologic/regenerative treatments, please visit our research library.

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Stem Cell Therapy for Rotator Cuff Tears | Stem Cell ...