Category Archives: Kentucky Stem Cells

Posted on October 31st, 2013 Krystal Deutsch

The University of Louisvilles Suzanne Ildstad is shown with research coordinator Thomas Miller. Ildstad, her company Regenerex, UofL and Novartis recently signed a global licensing pact to develop her facilitating cell therapy that could make

UofL enters licensing agreement to develop stem cell therapy

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ The University of Louisville today announced that researcher Dr. Suzanne Ildstad, representing Regenerex LLC, has entered into a license and research collaboration agreement with Novartis to provide access to stem cell technology that has the potential to help transplant patients avoid taking anti-rejection medicine for life and could serve as a platform for treatment of other diseases.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131030/DC07303)

The University of Louisville and Regenerex LLC announced the research collaboration agreement which will significantly enhance the universitys Institute for Cellular Therapeutics ability to carry out cutting edge research related to the Facilitating Cell, a novel cell discovered by Ildstad, a professor of surgery and director of the institute at UofL as well as CEO of Regenerex. Underpinning this collaboration is an exclusive global licensing and research collaboration agreement between Regenerex and Novartis.

Ildstad published results in a March 2012 Science Translational Medicine demonstrating the efficacy of this process, known as Facilitating Cell Therapy, or FCRx which is currently undergoing Phase II trials. Five of eight kidney transplant patients were able to stop taking about a dozen pills a day to suppress their immune systems. It was the first study of its kind where the donor and recipient did not have to be biologically related and did not have to be immunologically matched.

In a standard kidney transplant, the donor agrees to donate a kidney. In the approach being studied, the individual is asked to donate part of their immune system as well. The process begins about one month before the kidney transplant, when bone marrow stem cells are collected from the blood of the kidney donor using a process called apheresis. The donor cells are then processed, where they are enriched for developing facilitating cells believed to help transplants succeed. During the same time period, the recipient undergoes pre-transplant conditioning, which includes radiation and chemotherapy to suppress the bone marrow so the donors stem cells have more space to grow in the recipients body.

One day after the kidney is transplanted into the recipient, the donor stem cells engraft in the marrow of the recipient and give rise to other specialized blood cells, like immune cells. The goal is to create an environment where two bone marrow systems co-exist and function in one person. Following transplantation, the recipient takes anti-rejection drugs which are decreased over time with the goal to stop a year after the transplant.

In 1998, Ildstad was one of the first recruits to the University of Louisville under the Commonwealths Bucks for Brains initiative, advanced by former Gov. Paul Patton. As the Jewish Hospital Distinguished Chair in Transplantation Research, Ildstad brought a team of 25 families from Philadelphia to join the University of Louisville. In the following years the team has continued to examine the facilitating cell (FCRx) platform technology for the treatment of kidney transplant recipients as well as considering its potential for the treatment of red blood cell disorders, inherited metabolic storage disorders of childhood, and autoimmune disorders.

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Tag louisville Archives - Advance Stem Cell ...

Chris Goodman said its one of the most rewarding things hes ever done.

His stem cells reside inthe blood of a woman hes never met.

Goodman, a junior at Western Kentucky University, is working with a drive sponsored byWKU Greek Life and WKU student-athletesto register people for potential bone marrow donations. Donated stem cells, which are extracted from bone marrow, can be used to help people recover from serious illnesses.

The drive is April 20-22 at Raymond B. Preston Health and Activities Center. The hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.April 20 and 21 and from 10 a.m.to 7 p.m.April 22 in the Blue Court. Goodman will be working at the drive April 21, he said.

Goodman, 20, is from Knoxville, Tenn., and is a backstroke swimmer for WKU. Hes studying speech pathology and communications disorders and wants someday to work with kids who have speech difficulties.

A five-minute swab of your cheek could help save a life, Goodman said.

Goodman received a short note from the woman who was helped by his donation.

The letter I received from my patient was one which was very short in length but nonetheless very impactful, he said in an email. She and her family were very grateful that a complete stranger would give so much to someone they dont know.

His journey to becoming a bone marrow donator began when he registered withDelete Blood Cancer DKMSas a potential donor in April 2013. In October, Delete Blood Cancer sent him to Washington, D.C., and he donated stem cells during a five-day process.

He watched movies while sitting in his hospital bed as the procedure occurred. Having never even given a blood donation before, Goodman said the process did leave him a bit weak, although he participated in a swim meet for WKU within a week following the procedure, he said.

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WKU plans bone marrow registry drive

Georgetown University Medical Center's Center for Cell Reprogramming Focuses on research in conditional reprogramming and its application to cancer biology and regenerative medicine. Harvard Stem Cell Institute Supports research into all aspects of stem cell biology, with special emphasis on those areas with the greatest potential for improving human health. Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering (ICE) Represents the stem cell research effort at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where faculty, fellows, postdocs and students and staff study some of the most exciting problems in stem cell science today. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine Established for University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center scientists and clinical faculty working to develop tissue engineering, cellular therapies, biosurgery, and artificial and biohybrid organ devices. National Human Neural Stem Cell Resource Provides neural stem cells harvested from the post-natal, post-mortem, human brain to the research community for stem cell research. New York Stem Cell Science (NYSTEM) Supports basic, applied, translational or other research and development activities that will advance scientific discoveries in fields related to stem cell biology. Pittsburgh Development Center of Magee-Womens Research Institute Explores the molecular biology of cell function, including the potential of stem cells for treating human disease. Sloan-Kettering Institute Part of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the world's oldest and largest private institution devoted to patient care, education, and research into cancer. Stanford University School of Medicine/Institute for Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine Explains Stanford's involvement and perspective on stem cell issues, with links to related sites. Texas Heart Institute Stem Cell Center Dedicated to the study of adult stem cells and their role in treating cardiovascular disease, including clinical trials (in human patients), as well as many preclinical studies (in the laboratory) using stem cells. Tulane Center for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine Developing new therapies for a series of common diseases including osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, Parkinsonism, spinal cord injury, stroke, diabetes and Alzheimers disease. The Center also provides educational programs for career development, job training and life-long learning of citizens. University of California, San Francisco/Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program Highlights of UCSF human embryonic stem cell research. University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine's Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute ISCI's goal is to spearhead cell based therapies for a host of untreatable diseases. Its focus includes research in basic cell biology, hematology, oncology, cardiology, dermatology, diabetes and endocrinology, neurology, orthopaedics, pediatrics, and ethics and science policy. University of Minnesota: Stem Cell Institute Works to enhance understanding of stem cells' potential to improve human and animal health. University of Pennsylvania: Institute for Regenerative Medicine IRM was created to promote basic discoveries in stem cell biology and regeneration, and to translate those discoveries into new therapies that may alleviate suffering and disease. Additionally, education and outreach at the IRM aims to ensure students from kindergarten through graduate school are exposed to exciting and accurate education about regenerative biology and stem cell research. University of Wisconsin/Embryonic Stem Cell Research Scientists at UW-Madison were the first to successfully isolate and culture human embryonic stem cells. Yale Stem Cell Center The mission of the Yale Stem Cell Center is to advance our understanding of stem cell biology and to harness its potential to improve human health.

The links included here connect you to other Internet sites that operate independently of the NIH. The NIH is not responsible for the availability or content of other sites. Permission to reproduce information at other sites may be required. The NIH does not endorse, warrant, or guarantee the information, services, or products described or offered at these external sites.

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Research Programs at Universities and Institutions [Stem ...

http://newdiabetescure.evgta.com THE ONLY NATURAL TREATMENT FOR DIABETES THAT REALLY CURES DIABETES AND REALLY WORKS!!!

Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes

Diabetes has been one of those diseases which cause many other diseases within the same person. A diabetic person may already have to face many other disorders only due to this disease. One of the basic reasons for this is that the person's immunity lowers to great extent. It makes the diseased person weak and unable to cure little injuries even bruises. In this disease, the particular person fails to extract sugar molecules form the blood and they get excreted out of the body with urine which causes weakness in a person. Moreover, the body fails to produce chemical named insulin which controls the absorption of glucose form the blood. But now stem cell therapy for diabetes ensures a permanent cure form this disease.

This therapy is a new concept in the field of biotechnology. With the help of this technique doctors are now able to cure a long list of chronic diseases. These diseases include spinal cord injuries, organ repair like renal and liver, autism, multiple sclerosis, autism, cardiovascular diseases and pulmonary disorders, joint impairments, cerebral palsy, anti aging, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, depression etc.

Stem cell therapy for diabetes has opened new doors and horizons for all diabetic people all around the world. These are the source of the treatment of diabetes in this technique. Let us see how this technique helps in getting cure from this disease: It involves the injection of stem cells into the body where damage is occurring. As these cells have the ability to transform into any other type of the cell, they cure the disease by developing and transforming into the required cell type. These new and healthy cells replace the damaged cells. These cells are efficient in repairing the cells because they have the ability to divide without any restriction and take on the same personality as the damaged cells except they are new and fresh. In a simple word it can be said that such cells act as photocopy machines, reduplicating themselves according to the requirement of the body until damage is completely repaired.

In case damage caused by diabetes is extensive. Extreme cases of diabetes leads to stem cell therapy for diabetes where cells are taken a placenta of a woman who has just delivered a baby. It is because diabetes may be a genetic disorder. Taking cells from the placenta may eliminate this factor and will lead to desired result. Once these cells reach their targeted organ or area in the body they will be producing millions of new cells which repair the damaged cells and lead to a healthier life.

In short it is not at all wrong to say that stem cell therapy for diabetes has become a ray of hope and a new life for the diabetic patients to start living a life free of this disease..

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Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes - YouTube

Nicholasville, Kentucky (PRWEB) January 16, 2015

MediVet Biologics a company known for their focus on companion animal health with world-class lab facilities was selected by the University of Kentuckys researchers to investigate the potential of a canine cancer treatment. The team of researchers in charge of developing the K-9 ACV veterinary cancer vaccine service have dedicated decades of research toward a better understanding of how the immune system responds to cancer cells with the goal of improving cancer treatment. Leading researcher John Yanelli, Ph.D has spent over 20 years conducting successful NIH-funded clinical trials in humans with lung cancer. Dr. Yannelli has published nearly 100 articles and book chapters on the immunotherapy of human cancer and continues research to improve immunotherapeutic approaches to treat cancer. With this strong knowledge base, this outstanding team now extends their efforts toward developing an effective and affordable personalized cancer vaccine service for veterinary medicine. MediVet Biologics has successfully implemented other cutting edge human medical grade technologies in the Veterinary space such as regenerative medicine in Veterinarian clinics across the world.

Nearly 6 million dogs are diagnosed with cancer every year and greater than fifty percent of dogs over the age of ten will eventually develop cancer, making cancer the leading cause of disease-related death in dogs. Many of the dogs diagnosed have no mode of viable treatment. Cancer screening for early detection in dogs lags far behind human medicine. Consequently, canine cancers are usually diagnosed in later stages of disease, making them more difficult to treat effectively and increasing the likelihood of recurrence. Therapeutic options for treatable tumors include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The side effects associated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy can seriously affect quality of life, making it difficult for pet owners to justify current cancer treatments for their dogs. The average cancer treatment expense is over $5,000 and could be well over $35,000.

MediVet Biologics approach is to use the entire tumor cell as the basis for the vaccine. When combined with surgical resection of primary tumors, this activates the immune system, leading to better clinical outcomes for canine cancers. This form of immunotherapy, developed at the NCI by researchers, including Dr. John Yannelli, has been used at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center to treat humans with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (J. Clin Oncol., 22:2808, 2004). Read more about K9-ACV in the February issue of VPN (Veterinary Practice News).

MediVet Biologics reputation and success with in-clinic stem cell therapy adaptation and development make them an excellent fit for an autologous canine tumor vaccine service. The service in which resected tumor tissue will be processed at The University of Kentucky and MediVets lab into a therapeutic vaccine to be administered to dogs with cancer is a personalized medicine approach. MediVet Labs is set-up for state of the art maneuverability with animal biologics as well as superior high-end quality controls, SOPs and protocols.

According to the CEO, Jeremy Delk, MediVet Biologics is excited to make this announcement and offer an additional service to our existing customers as well as future customers. Most of all we look forward to offering an affordable treatment alternative to the animals and owners that need it. This initiative is part of a broader research and development program with MediVet Biologics. Along with the further development and marketing of our veterinary and stem cell business in the United States, more announcements of novel products will come throughout the year.

Veterinarians and patients are being sought in vaccine efficacy studies. To inquire about enrolling a patient please contact MediVet Biologics.

About MediVet Biologics

MediVet Biologics headquartered just outside Lexington, KY and Sydney Australia is a subsidiary of Medical Australia (MLA: ASX). MediVet Biologics has global reach including established partners in 26 countries around the world as well as strong market positioning in North America. The company provides novel treatment options based in science to the Veterinary market and provides unique customer specific service plans to ensure implementation and growth of its progressive products and services.

Medivet Biologics' mission is to set standards of excellence providing biologic solutions to the veterinary market. Our companys success, which is characterized by responsiveness and clinical excellence, has been founded on our dedication and quality innovative technologies. Veterinarians and pet owners trust MediVet Biologics to provide the quality care they expect and deserve. By providing services as though each pet were a member of our family, MediVet Biologics strives to be the preferred provider of Veterinary Regenerative Medicine products, equipment and services.

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Medivet Biologics launches newest service, K9-ACV a personalized medicine approach to canine cancer.

Course Date: September 27 October 3, 2015

Deadline: July 7, 2015 | Online Application Form

2014 Agenda (PDF)

Contact for more information: pdc@pdc.magee.edu

Directors: Jennifer Morgan, MBL; and Gerald P. Schatten, University of Pittsburgh

The Stem Cells and Regeneration Course (formerly known as FrHESC) is a dynamic, evolving laboratory and lecture course that includes the complete array of biological and medical perspectives from fundamental basic biology of stemness and mechanisms of regeneration through evaluation of pluripotent stem cells for therapeutic benefit.

The NIH sponsored course is designed for postdoctoral fellows, newly independent scientists, and established investigators seeking comprehensive and sophisticated training in research strategies and state-of-the-art cellular, molecular and genetic approaches for advancing human embryonic stem cell research.

The course consists of daily lectures from resident faculty and other invited speakers, discussions and informal seminars, laboratory exercises and demonstrations, and one-on-one tutorials.

The Stem Cells and Regeneration Course will exclusively use human embryonic stem cell lines on the NIH Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry and being routinely cultured at the Pittsburgh Development Center.

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Frontiers in Stem Cells & Regeneration - Marine Biological ...

Good News: Large Majorities Support Embryonic Stem CellResearch

Posted by mattusmaximus on October 11, 2010

I just wanted to share a bit of good news which came across my computer screen recently: it seems that, in a reversal from 10 years ago, large majorities of people in the United States (from across multiple demographics) support government-funded embryonic stem cell research. In my opinion, progress on this particular branch of scientific research has been slow, but steadily public attitudes have been improving with science winning out over the more shrill, erroneous and Luddite-like voices out there who would like to compare it to abortion. It just goes to show what can happen when the scientific community & its public supporters sticks to their guns the fight may be long, but we can win 🙂

Americans overwhelmingly support embryonic stem cell research, and that backing stretches across a broad range of demographic groups, including Republicans, Catholics and born-again Christians, according to a new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll.

Almost three-quarters (72 percent) of the adults surveyed believe that scientists should be allowed to use embryonic stem cells left over from in vitro fertilization procedures to search for potential treatments or ways to prevent diseases such as Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers, diabetes and other conditions.

Only 12 percent oppose using stem cells for biomedical research, numbers that mirror those from a similar poll conducted in 2005.

There is now overwhelming public support for using embryonic stem cells in biomedical research, said Humphrey Taylor, chairman of the Harris Poll, a service of Harris Interactive. Even among Catholics and born-again Christians, relatively few people believe that stem cell research should be forbidden because it is unethical or immoral.

**Note: A more detailed breakdown of the poll results can be found here.

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Good News: Large Majorities Support Embryonic Stem Cell ...

By eHow Contributor

There are some good reasons to be cautiously optimistic about looking at stem cell companies as investment opportunities. Pres. Obama has already removed Bush administration restrictions on federal funding of controversial embryonic stem cell research, for example. Washington lawmakers have introduced legislation to futher loosen restrictions. Some stem cell companies are likely to benefit from that in the form of National Institutes of Health and other federal research grants, though perhaps not as much as universities and other biomedical research institutions. But remember that most stem cell companies are working with stem cells derived from other sources: fat tissue, umbilical cord blood, placentas, amniotic fluid, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from tissues like skin, etc. One company actively involved in embryonic stem cell research is Geron Corp., which in January 2009 announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had finally lifted a seven-month hold on its application for clinical trials of a human embryonic stem cell-based treatment that can be applied within seven to 14 days of acute spinal cord injuries. But some analysts were less than impressed with the announcement, noting that it will be a long time (summer 2009) before the trial starts. And there's no guarantee the Phase I safety trial will succeed and move on to Phase II. Some analysts have been very critical of the company, noting that its only real success has been in raising money, not bringing drugs to market. (This can be said of a lot of stem cell companies.)

But Geron is only one of 27 companies involved in stem cell research that are conducting or recruiting for clinical trials in a wide range of diseases and disorders. (Another 60+ companies aren't even close to testing a therapy on humans.) Fourteen of the 27 are publicly traded, here and abroad. With that in mind, here are some tips if you are interested in investing in stem cell research companies sooner or later.

Computer

Internet connection

Start watching these companies closely, paying attention to the progress of their clinical trials, their financial health, strategic research partnerships, etc. Go to their Web sites and add yourself to the press release or financial report distribution list. (There's a link in the Resources section below to a Web page that provides contact and clinical trial information on both the public and private companies with products being tested in the clinic.)

Pay close attention to companies that are in partnerships with bigger, more established pharmaceutical firms with deep pockets. Pfizer, for example, is actively embracing smaller companies with promising technologies or products (like stem cells for research). Pfizer already has arrangements with companies like Stem Cell Sciences (UK) and EyeCyte (U.S.), and more may be in the works. PerkinElmer bought and absorbed ViaCell in 2007. Watch for developments involving GlaxoSmithKline in the future. Biomedical research supply company Invitrogen (now Life Technologies) last year took a minority position in a stem cell company called Q Therapeutics.

Remember that most stem cell research companies are at the preclinical (animal research) stage (or are just emerging from that stage) and have no products on the market. Their revenue, if any, is derived from licensing of patented technology, from venture capital and public financing, from "milestone" payments related to research partnerships, and from research grants. So the old rule of thumb about sales and earnings doubling every decade is inappropriate in this context.

No matter what companies you're interested in, pay attention to another old rule of thumb: stay away from companies that are too heavily in debt, even if the debt is held by inside shareholders.

Take a close look at the management. It's always good when top executives are major stock owners. They have a real incentive to get the company growing and keep it growing.

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How to Invest in Stem Cell Companies | eHow

Published November 21, 2014

A class of drugs used for three decades by people infected with the virus that causes AIDS may be effective in treating a leading cause of blindness among the elderly.

HIV drugs called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), including AZT and three others, blocked age-related macular degeneration in mice and worked well in experiments involving human retinal cells in the laboratory, researchers said on Thursday.

In HIV-infected people, NRTIs block an enzyme the virus uses to create more copies of itself. The new research shows the drugs also block the activity of a biological pathway responsible for activating inflammatory processes in the body.

It is that previously unrecognized quality that makes NRTIs promising for treating macular degeneration as well as graft-versus-host disease, a rarer ailment that can occur after a stem cell or bone marrow transplant, the researchers said.

University of Kentucky ophthalmologist Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati, who led the study published in the journal Science, said macular generation affects an estimated 50 million people worldwide.

"With the aging of the population, it is projected to affect 200 million people by the year 2020. It is therefore critical that we develop new and improved treatments for this disease, which is growing like an epidemic," Ambati said.

Macular degeneration causes cells to die in the macula, a part of the eye located near the center of the retina that permits vision in fine detail.

The chronic disease has two forms: "dry" and "wet." Several treatments exist for "wet" macular degeneration but only about a third of patients get significant vision improvement. There are no approved treatments for the "dry" form, which is much more common but less severe.

The "wet" type occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow under the macula and leak blood and fluid. The "dry" form occurs when cells in the macula break down.

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HIV drugs show promise in treating common eye disease

WASHINGTON A class of drugs used for three decades by people infected with the virus that causes AIDS may be effective in treating a leading cause of blindness among the elderly.

HIV drugs called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), including AZT and three others, blocked age-related macular degeneration in mice and worked well in experiments involving human retinal cells in the laboratory, researchers said Thursday.

In HIV-infected people, NRTIs block an enzyme the virus uses to create more copies of itself. The new research shows the drugs also block the activity of a biological pathway responsible for activating inflammatory processes in the body.

It is that previously unrecognized quality that makes NRTIs promising for treating macular degeneration as well as graft-versus-host disease, a rarer ailment that can occur after a stem cell or bone marrow transplant, the researchers said.

University of Kentucky ophthalmologist Dr. Jaya-krishna Ambati, who led the study, published in the journal Science, said macular degeneration affects an estimated 50 million people worldwide.

Macular degeneration causes cells to die in the macula, a part of the eye located near the center of the retina that permits vision in fine detail.

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