Category Archives: Maryland Stem Cells

Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health

Head, National Institutes of Health Stem Cell Technology Facility

The NIH invites applications from outstanding candidates to establish and direct a Stem Cell Technology Facility (SCTF) located within the intramural program of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. The new Facility is part of a new phase of the NIH Center for Regenerative Medicine, an NIH Common Fund program (http://commonfund.nih.gov/stemcells/index ). The successful candidate will hold a doctoral degree in a relevant field and be a recognized expert and accomplished leader in the field of stem cell biology. S/he must have a strong track record in generating and working with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), embryonic stem cells, and/or adult stem cells, investigating their biology, differentiation to distinct cell types, screening using small molecules or other modalities, and potential iPSC therapeutic applications.

The Head will direct the scientific operation of the new Facility, comprised of 6 biological scientists with further informatics, automation, compound management, and project management support. The mission of the Facility is to address the top methodological or technical hurdles that currently impede therapeutic use of induced pluripotent stem cells and to rapidly deliver the resulting protocols, standards, data, and tool molecules to the public. The Head will be expected to create a world-class collaborative research group that will catalyze new approaches and uses of iPSCs and differentiated cells derived from them, transforming anecdotal reports into replicable, robust protocols, and creating tools and data that facilitate stem cell research and regenerative medicine. High-priority technology research areas for the Facility include, but are not limited to, derivation of a detailed set of QC standards to assess the differentiation state at specific stages leading to mature differentiated cell types of desired lineages, development of methods to assess heterogeneity of cultures and the functional role of this heterogeneity during directed differentiation, development of methods to produce mature differentiated cells with high efficiency, with the likely requirement for development of 3-dimensional culture conditions, and further advancement of modern gene-editing technologies in the context of iPSCs. The Facility will collaborate with researchers to validate the methods developed within for suitability in regenerative medicine applications. The ideal candidate will be highly innovative, interactive, and collaborative, and will serve as a spokesperson for the Facility at national and international forums.

Salary will be commensurate with experience. A full package of benefits, including retirement, health, life, long-term care insurance, and a Thrift Savings Plan, is available.

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Head, National Institutes of Health Stem Cell Technology ...

RIDGEFIELD, Conn., Sept. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --For patients with serious eye disease, going blind is a constant fear. The loss of vision experienced from retinal or optic nerve problems may be progressive with devastating impact on a person's ability to live a full life. Treatment with Bone Marrow DerivedStem Cellsmay hold the key to reversing blindness and restoring vision. But the concern has been whether such stem cell treatments have enough published reports and studies to show effectiveness in a convincing way.MD Stem Cellshopes to help provide that evidence.

MD Stem Cells is Collaborator for the new Stem Cell Ophthalmology Treatment Study, abbreviated asSCOTS. Dr. Steven Levy, President of MD Stem Cells, will function as Study Director for the clinical trial expected to continue through August 2017. The Retinal Associates of South Florida is the study Sponsor and Dr. Jeffrey Weiss, retinal surgeon and physician, is the Principle Investigator and provider of the ophthalmic stem cell treatments.

"We are extremely pleased to have helped design and implement this broadly encompassing retinal and optic nerve disease study," Dr. Levy exclaimed. "We believe ours is the largest, most comprehensive registered ophthalmology stem cell study to date. We have taken great care in powering the study and expect to obtain statistically meaningful results. SCOTS is being conducted under an Institutional Review Board whose evaluation was rigorous."

SCOTS is registered with the National Institutes of Health and listed on their website http://www.clinicaltrials.govwith identifierNCT01920867. Patients interested in whether they may participate and healthcare providers may reach Dr. Levy at info@mdstemcells.com or 203-423-9494 Eastern Time USA.

"We hope that the treatment will be shown to improve vision in the vast majority of individuals who are enrolled in SCOTS. Patients considering treatment should understand that this is clinical research and individual responses cannot be predicted," stated Dr. Levy. He added, "Our previous anecdotal experience with eye disease treated with stem cells has been positive. With SCOTS we hope to provide strong evidence of the effectiveness of these treatments to the medical community."

SOURCE MD Stem Cells

RELATED LINKS http://www.mdstemcells.com

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MD Stem Cells Begins the Largest Stem Cell Eye Treatment ...

By Nick Sohr, Managing Editor, MDBIZNews

Seven-year-old biotech firm Lentigen has found an unlikely ally in its effort to best some of the most debilitating diseases, viruses and genetic disorders.

The Gaithersburg company is using viruses to manufacture and deliver what it hopes are life-saving vaccines and therapies to patients suffering from AIDS, brain cancer and a host of other maladies.

Think about this as a disruptive technology, said Tim Ravenscroft, Lentigens CEO. Were not looking here at incremental improvements for patients. Were looking at disease cures and really transforming a lot of these diseases for patients. This is not like a slight improvement on an existing therapy. Were trying to really transform the way patients are managed.

The key to Lentigens approach is lentiviral vectors, viruses that the company cooks up from scratch to accomplish their goals.

These lentiviruses are a subset of retroviruses, which hijack cells and splice in segments of DNA to force the captive cells to reproduce the virus.

What these viruses biologically were designed to do, or evolved to do, is to enter cells and take over their genetic machinery to produce more of themselves, Ravenscroft said. Weve modified that ability so that they now do what we want them to do.

Diseases caused by single gene defects are great targets for Lentigens technology, Ravenscroft said.

The company is working on a therapy for hemophilia A. The genetic blood disorder leaves victims without enough of a protein essential to clotting and is treated now with regular injections to make up for the deficiency.

Lentigens therapy calls for stem cells to be extracted from a patient. The cells are exposed to a lentivirus of the companys design that enters the cells and inserts DNA that will allow the cells to produce the missing protein. The stem cells are then returned to the patient who, the company hopes, will be able to produce the protein on his own.

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SAN DIEGO (CNS) - UC San Diego Health System announced Monday that human testing of injected neural stem cell therapies are underway at its Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center.

Researchers are conducting three different trials -- one on a 26-year-old woman paralyzed after a traffic crash, and others on diabetes and leukemia patients.

"What we are seeing after years of work is the rubber hitting the road," said Lawrence Goldstein, director of the UC San Diego Stem Cell program and Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center.

"These are three very ambitious and innovative trials," he said. "Each followed a different development path -- each addresses a very different disease or condition. It speaks to the maturation of stem cell science that we've gotten to the point of testing these very real medical applications in people."

The first tests are being made with low doses in order to ensure the safety of the patients, Goldstein said.

Working with Maryland-based Neuralstem Inc., neural stem cells were injected into the site of the paralyzed woman's spinal cord injury on Sept. 30, and she is recovering at home without complications or adverse effects, said Dr. Joseph Ciacci, a neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health System. Her name was not released.

The researchers hope that the transplanted cells will develop into neurons that bridge the gap created by the injury, replace severed or lost nerve connections and restore at least some motor and sensory function. According to UCSD, testing in laboratory rats with spinal cord injuries were promising.

A two-year trial on about 40 Type 1 diabetes patients will involve implanting cells under the skin that were derived from embryonic stem cells, with the hope they will safely mature into pancreatic beta and other cells able to produce a continuous supply of needed insulin and other substances, according to the researchers. The first procedure is expected to take place sometime this month, according to UCSD.

Type 1 diabetes, which usually onsets during childhood and has no cure, causes the pancreas to produce little or no insulin. Patients have to inject insulin daily and rigorously manage their diet and lifestyle.

The third trial will involve a potential drug to fight chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the most common form of blood cancer in adults. Patients in the test will receive the drug via an intravenous infusion every 14 days at the UCSD Moores Cancer Center.

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UCSD Stem Cell program begins human testing

Unique: Researchers are piecing together the complex workings of the human eye.

When the body of Dr Yoshiki Sasai, an eminent Japanese biologist, was discovered in August, his death was widely mourned across the world of science. Not just for the abrupt end to his glittering career,for which he had won several awards, including the 2010 Osaka Science Prize. Nor because of the tragic manner of his death the 52-year-old was found hanged in his own laboratory an apparent suicide, some say, after a scandal over a research paper he'd co-authored in January.

Instead, the scientific world lamented what, perhaps, Dr Sasai was about to achieve. As one of the directors at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, in Kobe, he was one of the world's leading experts in stem cell technology.

His team had pioneered incredible new techniques for creating organ-like structures making giant strides towards a future where replacements for our failing human organs could be grown in a Petri dish.

The late Dr Yoshiki Sasai, stem cell pioneer. Photo: AFP

And most tragically, the months before his death had heralded Sasai's biggest achievement. His team had already grown partial pituitary glands and even bits of the brain, but now he'd coaxed embryonic stem cells into forming the functioning tissue of arguably the most complex and scrutinised organ in the entire animal kingdom.

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Sasai had grown an eye. In doing so, he'd also helped resolve a scientific obsession that had lasted centuries.

In very basic form, the eye is thought to have first developed in animals about 550 million years ago. But such is its perfect design its infinite adaptability, and irreducible complexity that many argue it is proof of the divine itself.

Even today, Christians and creationists argue that Charles Darwin himself was troubled by its existence seizing upon an (oft-misquoted) aside in Origin of Species, where Darwin remarked that the idea that something so flawless "could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree".

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Under the lid - the mysteries of the eye are being unveiled

Eye of the beholder: The miracle of our sight.

When the body of Dr Yoshiki Sasai, an eminent Japanese biologist, was discovered in August this year, his death was widely mourned across the world of science. Not just for the abrupt end to his glittering career,for which he won several awards including the 2010 Osaka Science Prize, and was appointed the laureate of the 2012 Inoue Prize for Science. Nor because of the tragic manner of his death: the 52-year-old was found hanged in his own laboratory - an apparent suicide, some say, after a scandal over a research paper he'd co-authored in January.

Instead, the scientific world lamented what, perhaps, Dr Sasai was about to achieve. As one of the directors at the RIKEN Centre for Developmental Biologyin Kobe, he was one of the world's leading experts in stem cell technology. His team had pioneered incredible new techniques for creating organ-like structures - making giant strides towards a future where replacements for our failing human organs could be grown in a Petri dish.

Most tragically, the months before his death had heralded Sasai's biggest achievement. His team had already grown partial pituitary glands and even bits of the brain, but now he'd coaxed embryonic stem cells into forming the functioning tissue of arguably the most complex and scrutinised organ in the entire animal kingdom.

An optic cup made from embryonic stem cells. Photo: M. Eiraku and Y.Sasai at RIKEN C

Sasai had grown an eye. And in doing so, he'd also helped resolve a scientific obsession that had lasted centuries.

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In very basic form, the eye is thought to have first developed in animals about 550 million years ago. But such is its perfect design - its infinite adaptability, and irreducible complexity - that many argue it is proof of the divine itself. Even today, Christians and creationists argue that Charles Darwin himself was troubled by its existence - seizing upon an (oft-misquoted) aside in Origin of Species, where Darwin remarked that the whole idea of something so flawless "could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree".

The eye has become a focal point for biologists, ophthalmologists, physicists and many other branches of science ever since. So when the Spanish neuroscientist Santiago Ramon y Cajal made the first anatomical diagrams of neurons and the retina in 1900, it stoked a century of attempts by biologists to unlock the eye's secrets.

And there have been several discoveries. Unlike our ears and nose, for example, which never stop growing our entire lives, our eyes remain the same size from birth. Then there's the complicated process of irrigation, lubrication, cleaning and protection that happens every time we blink an average of 4,200,000 times a year.

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Why the eye is nature's miracle

Studio City, CA 91604 (PRWEB) September 16, 2014

A unique , Enhanced Turmeric+ Formula won an Excellence in Health Product Innovation Award presented at the Emord & Associates 20th Anniversary GALA celebration, Sept. 5th & 6th in Cambridge Maryland.

The award was presented to Christian Wilde honoring his research into the healing properties of turmeric and development of turmeric formulations. http://www.abigon.com/buying_turmeric.html Wilde had previously authored two landmark health books, Hidden Causes of Heart Attack and Stroke, (inflammation, cardiologys new frontier) and Miracle Stem Cell Heart Repair documenting how a patients own stem cells or those of a donor are rejuvenating the hearts of no option heart failure patients. He is the author of the Christian Wilde Stem Cell and Turmeric Research Report. Many notables in the health, journalistic, public policy, medical research and integrated medicine fields were honored before an audience of 300 invited guests. Among those receiving awards were, Dr. Julian Whitaker, Dr. Joseph Mercola, Dr. Steven Sinatra, Dr. Joel Wallach, Dr. Andrew Weil, Mike Adams, Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw and Sean Hannity. The Christian Wilde Enhanced Turmeric+ Formula contains 7 synergizing ingredients, to learn what makes this formula unique visit http://www.abigon.com/buying_turmeric.html, NOW WELCOMING AFFILIATES. The event theme was, The Sacred Fire of Liberty as introduced by George Washington in his inaugural address of 1789.

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Turmeric Shows Benefit for 530 Health Conditions And Studied for Alzheimer's, Osteo and Rheumatoid Arthritis ...

Austin, TX (PRWEB) September 12, 2014

Representatives with Capitol Pain Institute announced today that Dr. Raimy Amasha and Dr. Anjuli Desai have completed their first year at Capitol Pain Institute while Jasmine Nelson, FNP has reached three years of service.

Dr. Matthew Schocket, founder of Capitol Pain Institute, went on to note that the medical institute also has 10 medical students or doctors who started their careers as medical assistants at Capitol Pain Institute.

Dr. Amasha is a Board Certified Anesthesiologist who completed his Anesthesiology residency at the University of Michigan and his Pain Management fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland.

His academic background is hallmarked by undergraduate training at Duke University in North Carolina, medical training at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, and a focused research year studying stem cell biology at Stanford University in California.

As for Dr. Anjuli Desai: She is board certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and completed her fellowship training in Interventional Pain Medicine.

Areas of expertise include the treatment of back and neck pain, headaches, musculoskeletal and joint disorders, neuromodulation, including spinal cord stimulation, and acute pain management. She also performs a variety of outpatient pain management procedures including fluoroscopic-guided spine injections, nerve blocks and spinal cord stimulator trials.

The anniversaries and additions of 10 medical assistants are significant, according to Dr. Schocket, due to the fact that his staff was the first to bring stem cells therapy to Austin to relieve chronic pain.

Dr. Schocket, according to company representatives, is a recognized world-leader in the field of Pain Management.

He has lectured at multiple national and international conferences, including the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, the American Academy of Pain Management, the International Spine Injection Society, the Israeli Pain Society, and the International Neuromodulation Society.

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Capitol Pain Institute Celebrating Three Employee Anniversaries and the Addition of Ten Medical Assistants

By Nick Sohr, Managing Editor, MDBIZNews

Maryland approved state funding for 40 researchers studying human stem cells and their applications in treating a wide range of diseases and other medical conditions.

The awards, approved Thursday by the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, will be paid from the Maryland Stem Cell Research Funds $12.4 million budget for fiscal 2012.

The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission recommended the 40 winners after whittling down the list of 179 applicants seeking funding through the program.

These projects address a diverse array of debilitating and costly diseases and conditions, some of which are traditionally underfunded, said Margaret Conn Himelfarb, chairwoman of the commission. Marylands investment in cutting-edge stem cell research continues to advance the field and strengthens our states national leadership position in the life sciences.

This year, the commission focused on regenerative medicine proposals, selecting research that targets sickle cell anemia, schizophrenia, type 1 diabetes, nerve injury, Parkinsons disease, Crohns disease, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, osteoarthritis, and Lou Gehrigs disease, among others.

The commission will also fund a Maryland researcher working with counterparts funded by California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. They are studying stem cell differentiation and bone repair.

See the full list of recipients here.

All but two are academics and most come from Johns Hopkins University. Researchers from University of Maryland, Baltimore and University of Maryland, College Park also received funding.

Nine received investigator-initiated research grants worth up to $600,000 over three years to further work that has turned up preliminary data that support their hypotheses.

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Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund - MDBIZNews

What Are Stem Cells?

Stem cells are your bodys repair team. They divide limitlessly and go around your body providing nourishment to all your other cells. As long as youre alive, stem cell ensure all the cells in your body are healthy, happy, and serving you well. There are two types of stem cells embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells.

As the name suggest, these stem cells come from the embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro. In vitro fertilization clinics donate these stem cells for research purposes with the informed consent of the donors. Its important to note that these eggs are not derived from eggs fertilized in a womans body. These particular cells are isolated from the inner mast of a blastocyst. These pluripotent stem cells can give rise to any type of cell in the fully developed body. In the lab, embryonic stem cells keep reproducing themselves until they are turned into specific types of cells. In the body, these cells eventually disappear, so a human adult body no longer contains cells that can generate any kind of cell. A problem often encountered with embryonic stem cells is tissue rejection, which is similar to the rejection in a liver or blood transplant. This can limit the therapeutic usefulness of these particular stem cells.

Adult stem cells are found in small numbers within most adult tissues like bone marrow or fat. They are the maintenance crew of your body they make sure everything is in tip-top shape by being multipotent in that they give rise to several kinds of cells in their home tissues. They regenerate cells damaged by disease, injury, and everyday wear and tear. By dividing, they become specialized to repair or replace surrounding differentiated cells. Just like embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells have the ability to differentiate into more than one cell type, but unlike embryonic stem cells, they are often restricted to certain lineages. There are three types of adult stem cells. Two types are located within the bone marrow, and the other type is known as a fat stem cell.

Stem cells are removed from the bone marrow at the back of the patients pelvis via suction. The substance is then removed using a syringe. The process is only slightly uncomfortable with local anesthetic. Typically, only 2 oz. of bone marrow aspirate is required. This aspirate contains platelets, mesenchymal stem cells, and other kinds of stem cells that are used in adult stem cell therapy. After its taken, it is placed inside a special container, which is then placed into a machine known as a centrifuge. This begins spinning at a high speed until the platelets and stem cells separate from the other blood products. This particular concentration of bone marrow is called BMAC or Bone Marrow Aspiration Concentrate. This is then re-introduced into the injured area during stem cell therapy.

Once the BMAC is reintroduced into the injured area, the platelets are released and start to go to work repairing the area. They signal proteins and growth factors that activate the stem cells. These signal proteins and growth factors are called cytokines, which are sort of the traffic directors of the operation, telling the stem cells where to go to repair your body.

The typical repair process is two to three months. However, in most cases, great improvement can be seen before then. About four to six weeks after the stem cell injection, the patient will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection on the afflicted area followed by another injection four to six weeks after that. Patients are advised to minimize alcohol consumption as it can deter healing. To boost healing, patients are advised to take a compound called StemXcell, which contains supplements such as carnosine, blueberry extract, vitamin D3, and green tea extract.

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