Category Archives: Montana Stem Cells

Present and Future of Stem Cell Therapy in Montana

Cord blood banking near Montana is a significant and comparatively little-known means of getting stem cells to treat a broad range of ailments. This post looks at the possible gains and what it's, how it works. It's targeted at future parents who would like to find out more. Here is a post that is insightful into the current state of play and its possibility for the future.

Stem cell banking freezes the blood from the umbilical cords of your infant for possible future use against disorders grown by your family. This blood source can already successfully treats many serious medical conditions. It's really worth assessing the possible advantages if you live in the Montana area.

bone marrow remains the most common source for gathering stem cells in Montana to date. The downside to bone marrow transplants s that they can extremely invasive and complex and may even result in constant uncomfortableness for the donors. Embryos are also a solution for stem cells but tend to be a massively controversial issue in Montana , which leaves umbilical cord blood stem cell therapy. Its the safest and least invasive form of stem cell therapy.

Extensive studies near Montana have showed that stem cell therapy from umbilical cord blood stem cells has countless advantages over the genes of circulatory blood and marrow derived genes and bone marrow. Although currently bone marrow is ahead of umbilical cord blood for certain specific diseases and procedures, it is often agreed that favor is slowly weighing in more on the side of cord blood.

An example of blood stem cell therapy in the Montana area would be the use of stem cells for conditions such as leukemia, lymphomas, immune deficiencies, sickle cell anemia and certain cancers, all of which have proven to be deadly. On the other hand, the use of ones own stem cells to help with certain ailments may not be advisable. When ones own stem cells are used to treat something such as leukemia, it wont be effective because the stem cells will completely take over and replace the afflicted cells that caused the disease in the first place. However, if the patient has a sibling that donated stem cells then they may be a good enough match to hopefully offset the disease. It seems almost certain that the stem cell therapy industry will continue to grow in Montana.

The future looks bright for stem cell therapy by cord blood cells in Montana, despite the minority status of transfusions in the world. It is strongly believed by scientists that ones own individual cord blood will or could at some point be beneficial in the successful treatments of cancer. The reason behind this is because most adult-style cancers arent solely derived from genetics, whereas pediatric cancers are.

Researchers around Montana are also discovering ways to manipulate the gene that is leukemia so that in the future it may be a possibility that your own blood could cure your cancer, thus making umbilical cord blood banking for future stem cell therapy even more valuable than it already is. There are even animal stem cell therapy experiments that are pushing the boundaries of conventional stem cell therapy and could ultimately mean that stem cells could cure spinal problems, strokes, heart failure and even diabetes.

The possibilities of stem cell therapy in Montana are truly limitless just as all gene-related cures. Its even possible that neurological diseases and motor function disorders could tackled and cured with cord blood stem cell therapy. Other targeted possibilities on the list of stem cell therapy include Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease.

At this point in time public cord blood banks receive a small amount of umbilical cord blood for use in stem cell therapy and research. The reason for this is that many people are opting to store their umbilical cord blood privately which essentially insures their family against debilitating, deadly illnesses. Even though the amount of people storing cord blood for stem cell therapy, the more diseases that become treatable with stem cells, the amount of people that harvest theirs in Montana will skyrocket.

Whether you decide to store umbilical cord blood publically or privately there is usually a limited amount of stem cells in a unit of stored umbilical cord blood, which means that the amount of cord blood available is only really effective for treating someone up to a certain age. Processes to increase the amount of stem cells in a single unit of cord blood are being tested with clinical trials near Montana.

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Montana Stem Cell Therapy - Cordblood Search Tools

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(CNN) - Cardiac stem cells derived from young hearts helped reverse the signs of aging when directly injected into the old hearts of elderly rats, a study published Monday in the European Heart Journal demonstrated.

The old rats appeared newly invigorated after receiving their injections. As hoped, the cardiac stem cells improved heart function yet also provided additional benefits. The rats' fur fur, shaved for surgery, grew back more quickly than expected, and their chromosomal telomeres, which commonly shrink with age, lengthened.

The old rats receiving the cardiac stem cells also had increased stamina overall, exercising more than before the infusion.

"It's extremely exciting," said Dr. Eduardo Marbn, primary investigator on the research and director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. Witnessing "the systemic rejuvenating effects," he said, "it's kind of like an unexpected fountain of youth."

"We've been studying new forms of cell therapy for the heart for some 12 years now," Marbn said.

Some of this research has focused on cardiosphere-derived cells.

"They're progenitor cells from the heart itself," Marbn said. Progenitor cells are generated from stem cells and share some, but not all, of the same properties. For instance, they can differentiate into more than one kind of cell like stem cells, but unlike stem cells, progenitor cells cannot divide and reproduce indefinitely.

From his own previous research, Marbn discovered that cardiosphere-derived cells "promote the healing" of the heart after a condition known as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, which affects more than 50% of all heart failure patients.

Since heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is similar to aging, Marbn decided to experiment on old rats, ones that suffered from a type of heart problem "that's very typical of what we find in older human beings: The heart's stiff, and it doesn't relax right, and it causes fluid to back up some," Marbn explained.

He and his team injected cardiosphere-derived cells from newborn rats into the hearts of 22-month-old rats -- that's elderly for a rat. Similar old rats received a placebo injection of saline solution. Then, Marbn and his team compared both groups to young rats that were 4 months old. After a month, they compared the rats again.

Even though the cells were injected into the heart, their effects were noticeable throughout the body, Marbn said

"The animals could exercise further than they could before by about 20%, and one of the most striking things, especially for me (because I'm kind of losing my hair) the animals ... regrew their fur a lot better after they'd gotten cells" compared with the placebo rats, Marbn said.

The rats that received cardiosphere-derived cells also experienced improved heart function and showed longer heart cell telomeres.

The working hypothesis is that the cells secrete exosomes, tiny vesicles that "contain a lot of nucleic acids, things like RNA, that can change patterns of the way the tissue responds to injury and the way genes are expressed in the tissue," Marbn said.

It is the exosomes that act on the heart and make it better as well as mediating long-distance effects on exercise capacity and hair regrowth, he explained.

Looking to the future, Marbn said he's begun to explore delivering the cardiac stem cells intravenously in a simple infusion -- instead of injecting them directly into the heart, which would be a complex procedure for a human patient -- and seeing whether the same beneficial effects occur.

Dr. Gary Gerstenblith, a professor of medicine in the cardiology division of Johns Hopkins Medicine, said the new study is "very comprehensive."

"Striking benefits are demonstrated not only from a cardiac perspective but across multiple organ systems," said Gerstenblith, who did not contribute to the new research. "The results suggest that stem cell therapies should be studied as an additional therapeutic option in the treatment of cardiac and other diseases common in the elderly."

Todd Herron, director of the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center's Cardiovascular Regeneration Core Laboratory, said Marbn, with his previous work with cardiac stem cells, has "led the field in this area."

"The novelty of this bit of work is, they started to look at more precise molecular mechanisms to explain the phenomenon they've seen in the past," said Herron, who played no role in the new research.

One strength of the approach here is that the researchers have taken cells "from the organ that they want to rejuvenate, so that makes it likely that the cells stay there in that tissue," Herron said.

He believes that more extensive study, beginning with larger animals and including long-term followup, is needed before this technique could be used in humans.

"We need to make sure there's no harm being done," Herron said, adding that extending the lifetime and improving quality of life amounts to "a tradeoff between the potential risk and the potential good that can be done."

Capicor, the company that grows these special cells, is focused solely on therapies for muscular dystrophy and heart failure with ongoing clinical trials involving human patients, Marbn said.

Capicor hasn't announced any plans to do studies in aging, but the possibility exists.

After all, the cells have been proven "completely safe" in "over 100 human patients," so it would be possible to fast-track them into the clinic, Marbn explained: "I can't tell you that there are any plans to do that, but it could easily be done from a safety viewpoint."

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Cardiac stem cells rejuvenate rats' aging hearts, study says - NBC Montana

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(CNN) - Pigs may someday provide organs for human transplant surgeries, yet more than a few obstacles must be overcome first.

Using the genome-editing technology CRISPR, scientists deactivated a family of retroviruses within the pig genome overcoming a large hurdle in the path to the transplant of pig organs into humans.

Transplantation from one species to another -- xenotransplantation -- holds "great promise," the American and Chinese research team believes.

"Porcine organs are considered favorable resources for xenotransplantation since they are similar to human organs in size and function, and can be bred in large numbers," they wrote in a study published Thursday in the journal Science.

Retroviruses carry their genetic blueprint in the form of ribonucleic acid (or RNA) and transcribe this into deoxyribonucleic acid, commonly known as DNA. This is a reverse of the usual transcription process, which flows from DNA to RNA. This reversal makes it possible for retrovirus genes not only to infect cells but to become permanently incorporated into a cell's genome.

In particular, the pig genome is known to carry porcine endogenous retroviruses (or PERVs), which are capable of transmitting diseases, including cancers, into humans. The presence of these PERVs means pig organs cannot now be safely transplanted into humans.

But George Church of MIT's Broad Institute and Harvard, Dong Niu of Zhejiang University and their colleagues demonstrated a new method for deactivating the retroviruses in a pig cell line as a way to eliminate the transfer of PERVs to human cells.

First, the researchers proved that PERVs can be transmitted from pig to human cells and transmitted among human cells, even in conditions in which the fresh human cells have no prior exposure to pig cells.

Next, the team created a map of the PERVs in the genome of pig fibroblast (connective tissue) cells. Having identified a total of 25 PERVs, the science team used CRISPR to edit out -- or deactivate -- all those gene sites.

The scientists grew clone cells of these edited cells but were unable to cultivate one with greater than 90% of the PERVs deleted. But they added "ingredients" during the gene modification process -- including both growth factors and growth inhibitors -- and finally succeeded.

The new cells had 100% of the PERVs deactivated.

From here, the researchers produced PERV-inactivated embryos and implanted them into sows. The resulting piglets exhibited no signs of PERVs.

Dr. Ian McConnell, emeritus professor of veterinary science at the University of Cambridge, sees the research as a "promising first step." McConnell, who was not involved in the study, added that "it remains to be seen whether these results can be translated into a fully safe strategy in organ transplantation."

Formidable obstacles remain "in overcoming immunological rejection and physiological incompatibility of pig organs in humans," he said.

In August 2016, the US National Institutes of Health announced that it was considering a revision to its policy, introduced in 2009, guiding human-animal chimera research. A chimera is a single organism containing cells (and DNA) from two or more organisms.

Scientists have been introducing human cells into animals to create models of diseases for decades, yet the 2009 policy suspended funding for chimera-based research due to ethical concerns.

With the advance of both stem cell and gene editing technologies, the ability to create more sophisticated animal-human chimeras raised concerns. Worries include human cells populating the brain of an animal thus humanizing that animal. Alternatively, human cells populating the germline of an animal could enable human genes to pass onto offspring.

The National Institutes of Health hopes a revised policy will enable research to continue -- safely.

The new research supports the value of using CRISPR to deactivate PERVs and so brings pig organs one step closer to safe transplantation, concluded the scientists.

Though more research is needed, they believe the "PERV-inactivated pig" can serve as a foundation strain that might be further engineered to "provide safe and effective organ and tissue resources" for transplantation into humans.

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Scientists edit pig genome with goal of human organ transplants - NBC Montana

A therapy that reverses aging in mice

olivialazer/ShutterstockAs we age, senescent, or damaged,cells build up in our tissues, possibly promoting age-related diseases. Scientists from the Netherlands developed a molecule that purges those cells. When tried on elderly mice, their fur regrew, their kidney function improved, and they could run twice as far as untreated mice.One scientist called it a landmark advance in the field of aging. Since we're not mice, try eating these foods to add years to your life.

via renovacareinc.comIf a burn victim's wounds are severe, home remedies for burns aren't nearly enough. So biomedical scientists have created a device that sprays stem cells onto wounds, helping them grow a new, healthy layer of skin in as few as four days. Biotech firm RenovaCare recently obtained a patent for the SkinGun and has used it to successfully treat dozens of burn patients in trials. While the device still needs FDA approval, its a game changer that could help eliminate the painful and scarring process of skin grafting.

Auscape/UIG/ShutterstockA bite from an Australian funnel-web spider could kill you in 15 minutes if not treated promptly. But scientistsdiscovered that a peptide found in the venom of one speciesmay protect brain cells from being destroyed by a stroke, even whengiven eight hours after the event. If the treatment fares well in human trials, it may become the first drug that can protect against stroke-induced brain damage. These are signs of a stroke you might be ignoring.

via imdb.comScientists in Toronto identified a new species of dinosaur and named it Zuul, after the doglike monster in the 1984 film Ghostbusters. Like its namesake, the dinosaur hadhorns behind its eyes, spikes on its face, and a barbed, sledgehammer-like tail. The dinosaurs fossilized skeleton, unearthedin Montana, is one of the most complete ankylosaursarmored, lizard-like dinosaursever found, with skull and tail club intact.

LARRY-W.-SMITH/EPA/ShutterstockScientists discovered that the slime covering the skin of a frog from southern India contains antimicrobial peptides that destroy bacteria and virusesincludingkeystrains of the human fluwhile protecting normal cells. So far, the therapy has been used only in the lab. These are 6 clear signs you have the flu.

Marko-Koni/imageBROKER/REX/ShutterstockScientists found a new antimicrobial compound in the blood of Komodo dragons, the worlds largest lizards. In the lab, the substancehealedinfected wounds on mice faster than existing options, potentially giving doctors a new tool to fight antibiotic-resistant infections. Not sure if your cut in infected?Look for these tell-tale signs.

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(CNN) - Scientists are getting one step closer to snipping inherited genetic diseases out of human offspring using a gene-editing technique called CRISPR.

For the first time, scientists said, they corrected a gene mutation linked to inherited heart conditions in human embryos using the approach. A study demonstrating the technique was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday (PDF).

Last week, the MIT Technology Review released the first news of this scientific feat, describing the research as the first-known attempt at creating genetically modified human embryos in the United States.

However, Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a co-author of the study, described it as the first in the world to demonstrate gene-editing to be safe, accurate and efficient in correcting a pathogenic gene mutation in human embryos. Previous attempts by Chinese researchers were unsuccessful at achieving this without safety concerns.

"This is the first that has been demonstrated as safe and working," said Belmonte, a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies' gene expression laboratory in La Jolla, California.

"All cells of the embryo were corrected," he said. "It seems to be working from these samples that we have chosen, but we need to do much more basic research with many other genes."

The study was a collaboration between the Salk Institute, the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland and Korea's Institute for Basic Science.

Scientists estimate that more than 10,000 human diseases may result from mutations to a single gene occurring in all cells of the body, according to the World Health Organization.

The study used 75 human zygotes in which the father carried a mutation on the MYBPC3 gene, Belmonte said. The eggs used to produce the zygotes did not carry that gene mutation. The researchers noted that they received informed consent from the donors of the eggs, sperm and embryos used in the study.

The goal was to correct a type of inherited heart condition. A mutation called MYBPC3 is associated with inherited heart conditions, including left ventricular noncompaction, familial dilated cardiomyopathy and familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which affects an estimated one in 500 people worldwide.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy also is thought to be the most common inherited or genetic heart disease in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a lab dish, the researchers used CRISPR, a gene-editing technique, to remove the harmful MYBPC3 mutation from the human zygotes. Then, the zygotes' own DNA-repair mechanism replaced what was cut out with a copy of a MYBPC3 gene from the mother, which did not carry a mutation, Belmonte said.

"A male research subject known to be heterozygous for this gene mutation was recruited for the study, as were several healthy young egg donors," Dr. Paula Amato, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Oregon Health & Science University, said Tuesday. She was a co-author of the study.

"CRISPR was introduced at the time of sperm injection," she said. "Then, DNA repair of the embryos was assessed."

The researchers found that about 72% of zygotes were properly and safely corrected on the MYBPC3 gene, Belmonte said.

This method significantly differed from studies in which scientists used the CRISPR tool to manually replace what was cut out with whatever the scientists desired.

Researchers in China were the first to reveal attempts to modify genes in human embryos using CRISPR. Three separate studies were published in scientific journals describing Chinese experiments on gene editing in human embryos.

"The previous human studies done in China had very small numbers, and one of them used abnormal embryos," Amato said. "So we think this is the first, largest study from which you could draw some reasonable conclusions."

Some gene-editing attempts in human embryos have been problematic, resulting in an issue called mosaicism, in which the corrections made in one gene failed to replicate once that cell divided into two cells, those two cells divided into four cells and so on.

"So when the baby is born, all the cells do not have the mutation anymore. ... This study, it shows that we can correct the embryo and then, after the division, all the cells are corrected, so there's not what we call mosaicism," said Belmonte, who is also a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine's committee on human gene editing.

This year, the academies published a report on human genome editing that addressed potential applications of the technology, including the possible prevention or treatment of inherited diseases or conditions.

Though the researchers have expressed enthusiasm around their new study, they also noted that the findings must be replicated in followup research before this gene-editing approach can move forward to clinical trials.

"The fact that it is, apparently, a new and poorly understood mechanism and it is not the now standard CRISPR 'cut and replace' method adds to the time needed for research into its safety and effectiveness," said Hank Greely, professor of law and genetics at Stanford University, who was not involved in the new study.

Yet future research can come with some political challenges, Amato said.

"First of all, there are regulations regarding use of federal funds for embryo research, so the (US National Institutes of Health) does not currently support embryo research, so that's one barrier. The other barrier is, the (US Food and Drug Administration) is prohibited from considering any clinical trials related to germline genetic modification," she said.

In this new study the embryos were only allowed to mature to day three after fertilization before they were disaggregated, or isolated into various components, for further analysis.

In the far-off future, a clinical trial could include transplanting corrected embryos into a uterus with the goal of establishing pregnancy and then monitoring the embryos as they develop into children.

Still, "it is way too early to contemplate implanting the edited embryos for the purpose of actually establishing a pregnancy," said Dana Carroll, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Utah who was not involved in the new study but has used CRISPR in his own research.

"The genome editing tools are currently not sufficiently efficient and specific to be reliable, and regulatory and oversight processes have not been established," Carroll said, adding that the work on the new study was "well-done" and "well-presented."

"The authors have made an important discovery regarding the repair of CRISPR-induced DNA breaks in human eggs just at the time of fertilization," he said.

"This information will help to guide ongoing research, and it demonstrates that research on early-stage human embryos will be necessary to establish safe and effective procedures in the long run," he said. "There is still a lot of work to do to understand repair processes in very early embryos and to optimize the use of the CRISPR reagents, but this study makes a valuable contribution."

Some CRISPR critics have argued that gene editing may give way to eugenics and to allowing embryos to be edited with certain features in order to develop so-called designer babies.

However, the researchers wrote in their study that they hope CRISPR could be considered as an alternative option to preimplantation genetic diagnosis, also known as PGD, for couples at risk of passing on an inherited disease.

PGD, developed about a quarter-century ago, is a genetic testing procedure typically conducted after in vitro fertilization to diagnose a genetic disease or condition in an embryo before it is implanted.

Since the human genome contains two copies of each gene -- paternal and maternal alleles, or variant forms of genes -- a mutation affecting only one allele is called heterozygous.

When only one parent carries a heterozygous mutation on a gene, about half of the embryos from that parent should be mutation-free while the others would have the mutation. Selectively, the parents' doctor would chose the healthy embryos to be implanted and discard the embryos with the mutations, Belmonte said.

Sometimes, "a couple that wants to have a baby and they have a mutation, they may not have enough embryos to choose from," he said. This is when CRISPR can come in.

"This technology, independent of the embryos that are there, it would go on and correct all of them. ... This opens up the possibility for those embryos," he said. "That's important because after the first implantation, if it doesn't work, you can do it again."

The researchers wrote in their study, "PGD may be a viable option for heterozygous couples at risk of producing affected offspring. In cases when only one parent carries a heterozygous mutation, 50% of embryos should be mutant. In contrast, targeted gene correction can potentially rescue a substantial portion of mutant human embryos, thus increasing the number of embryos available for transfer."

Nonetheless, using CRISPR in that way remains a long way off.

Shoukhrat Mitalipov, director of the Oregon Health & Science University's Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, helped lead the new study. In 2013, Mitalipov and his colleagues reported the first success in cloning human stem cells, reprogramming human skin cells back to their embryonic state. In 2007, a research team led by Mitalipov announced that they created the first cloned monkey embryo and extracted stem cells from it.

Now, when it comes to using CRISPR to correct gene mutations in embryos, Mitalipov said Tuesday, "We've done some ground work. ... There is still a long road ahead, and it's unclear at this point when we will be allowed to move on."

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Scientists edit disease-causing gene mutation in human embryos - NBC Montana

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(CNN) - America reportedly has moved ahead in a controversial race to tinker with human DNA -- but the scientific feat is shrouded in unanswered questions.

The MIT Technology Review published on Wednesday a news report about the first-known experiment to create genetically modified human embryos in the United States using a gene-editing tool called CRISPR.

Shoukhrat Mitalipov, director of the Oregon Health & Science University's Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, reportedly led the new research. Mitalipov and the university would not confirm details of the research to CNN.

"Results of the peer-reviewed study are expected to be published soon in a scientific journal. No further information will be provided before then," according to an emailed statement from the university's press office. Another researcher cited in the MIT report, the Salk Institute's Jun Wu, did not reply to CNN's request for comment.

Mitalipov also declined to comment in the MIT Technology Review report, referencing that the research results have not been published yet in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, which is considered the gold standard for scientific research. The author of the MIT report would not confirm to CNN whether he had seen the paper.

Previously, Mitalipov and his colleagues reported the first success in cloning human stem cells in 2013, successfully reprogramming human skin cells back to their embryonic state. In 2007, a research team led by Mitalipov announced they created the first cloned monkey embryo and extracted stem cells from it.

The MIT Technology Review reported that the researchers in Portland, Oregon, edited the DNA of a large number of one-cell embryos, specifically targeting genes associated with inherited diseases in those embryos. The MIT Technology Review could not determine which disease genes had been chosen for editing in the new research.

"I'm not surprised that they were looking at genetic diseases to try and see if they could target them, because that's exactly where I think the future inevitably leads," said Arthur Caplan, a professor and founding head of the division of bioethics at New York University Langone Medical Center, who was not involved in the research.

Previously, scientists in China were the first in the world to reveal attempts to modify genes in human embryos using CRISPR. Three separate papers were published in scientific journals describing various studies in China on gene editing in human embryos.

When it comes to the new research, "my reaction was, this is an interesting incremental step, and boy, I bet it's going to get blown up as being more important than it is," said Hank Greely, professor of law and genetics at Stanford University, who was not involved in the research.

"It's not the first time anybody has CRISPR-ed human embryos. It's not the first time anybody's CRISPR-ed viable human embryos. It's certainly not the first time people have CRISPR-ed viable mammalian embryos," Greely said. "It's the first time it's been done in the US, but the embryos don't care where they are."

Yet the research has already generated attention and controversy.

"This is pushing the research faster than I thought we would see," said Dana Carroll, professor of biochemistry at the University of Utah, if the MIT Technology Review report rings true. Carroll has used CRISPR in his own studies, but was not involved in the new research.

He pointed out that the new research reportedly involved earlier, more delicate embryos, and CRISPR reportedly was still demonstrated as efficient.

"From the perspective of research that would ultimately make germline editing safer and more effective, the earlier embryos will provide more relevant information," he said.

CRISPR -- an acronym for clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats -- allows scientists to cut and edit small pieces of DNA at precise areas along a DNA strand, essentially modifying DNA.

Once scientists discovered that they could develop a system that modifies pieces of DNA, they tested the gene-editing technology in microbes, then non-human mammals, then non-human primates, and then, by 2015, human embryos.

The controversy surrounding gene-editing in human embryos partly stems from concern that the changes CRISPR makes in DNA can be passed down to the offspring of those embryos later in life, from generation to generation. Down the line, that could possibly impact the genetic makeup of humans in erratic ways.

"There is also considerable concern about off-target effects, such as making mutations at sites in the genome other than the intended target," Carroll said. In other words, an edit made in one area of DNA possibly could cause problems in another, as a ripple or domino effect, which could be concerning.

Some CRISPR critics also have argued that gene-editing may give way to eugenics and to allowing embryos to be edited with certain features in order to develop so-called designer babies.

Though, not all experts are too concerned.

"Some people are worried about, where's this all going to head? Are we going to wind up with super babies and eugenics? And to me, I don't find that an interesting objection. It's too soon for that objection," Caplan said. "Clearly, if we're going to let this research proceed, it's going to be to treat diseases and prevent diseases."

The enthusiasm surrounding gene-editing in human embryos partly stems from the promise CRISPR has shown in editing away and treating devastating intractable diseases. Earlier this year, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published a report on human genome editing, addressing potential applications of gene editing, including the possible prevention or treatment of disease.

"I hope the applications will be for the treatment of serious diseases and in cases where a sensible alternative is not available, as the National Academies' report proposes," Carroll said.

Greely said: "The National Academy of Sciences came out with a big report on Valentine's Day this year about genome editing in humans, and I thought they very usefully divided it into three categories: basic research, treating living people, and making changes that will pass down from generation to generation."

As for the reported new research, "this is category one. This is basic research," he said. "Category three is the ethically crucial one; this isn't that. We're still a long way from that."

Other strides have been made recently in CRISPR research. Scientists at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York used the technology to genetically engineer immune cells to target and kill tumor cells in mice.

The mouse study was published in the journal Nature in February. More research is needed to determine whether similar results would appear in humans.

Last year, scientists in the Netherlands published a study in the journal PLOS Pathogens demonstrating that CRISPR could be used to edit the DNA of three types of herpes viruses in a petri dish. More research is needed to see whether this tool could be used to fight herpes in actual humans.

Other examples of diseases where CRISPR could show promise as a treatment or preventive approach in the future include cystic fibrosis, sickle cell, hemophilia, and mitochondrial diseases, such as the rare degenerative condition that the terminally-ill British infant Charlie Gard has, Caplan said.

"There are what are called point mutations where you can go in and fix one genetic error. The simpler the genetic error, the easier it might be to try to repair it using a CRISPR gene-insertion technique," Caplan said about genetic diseases.

"I think rather than trying to treat cystic fibrosis, or treat sickle cell, or treat hemophilia, it does make ethical sense to figure out ways to prevent it," he said. "Now, obviously if it's too risky we won't do it. If it's too dangerous or maybe it won't work, we still don't know. We're in the early, early days (of research), but I don't think it's fear of eugenics that should stop us."

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Report: Scientists edit human embryos for first time in US - NBC Montana

(Cynoglossum officinale) Common Names

Gypsy flower, rats and mice, dog bur, beggers lice

Houndstongue is a biennial forb that forms a deep tap root and basal rosette the first year. It forms a flowering stem in its second year. The rosette leaves are broad, oblong, petioled and resemble a dogs tongue in shape. Leaves are alternate, up to one foot in length and up to three inches wide. They have smooth margins and are soft and velvety to touch. In the second year, stems form and often branch at the top of the plant. Plants can grow up to four feet in height. Flowers are five petaled, reddish-purple in color and produce four triangular, rounded seeds. They typically bloom in June and July. Seeds are small brown nutlets about 1/3 inch in length that easily attach to animals, vehicles, and humans. The entire plant has soft white hairs on it. The single tap root of houndstongue is thick, black and woody. Houndstoungue reproduces from seed only and each plant can produce up to 2,000 seeds. The plant dies after its second year.

The soft white hairs covering the plant, the basal leaves that resemble a hounds tongue, and the little brown burrs that stick to everything.

Houndstongue prefers well drained, relatively sandy and gravelly soils. It can also be found in shady areas and especially under the canopy of forests and wetter grasslands. It can be found in pastures and meadows, along roadsides and in disturbed sites.

Houndstongue carries an alkaloid poison that can kill livestock through loss of production of liver cells. Animals wont normally graze on it, but if cured in hay, it will remain toxic. Sheep are more resistant to this plant than cattle and horses. Horses are especially susceptible and symptoms of houndstongue ingestion include loss of weight, diarrhea, convulsions and even coma. As with many invaders, houndstongue does have medicinal properties as well and has been used as a remedy to acne, corn callus, eczema, and as a fever remedy.

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Photo credits:Photo Credits: Nancy Chow; Matt Lavin; Photo by Richard Old, http://www.xidservices.com

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Stem Cellular Anti-Wrinkle Moisturizer: Juice Beauty proprietary blend of fruit stem cells, apple buds, grape buds & lemon bark. Organic juices of Pyrus Malus (Organic Apple Juice)*, Vitis Vinifera (Organic White Grape Juice)*, Citrus Medica Limonum (Organic Lemon Juice)*, Aloe Barbadensis (Organic Aloe Juice)*, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis (Organic Jojoba Seed Oil)*, Cetearyl Alcohol, Vegetable Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Helianthus Annuus (Organic Sunflower Seed Oil)*, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Xanthan Gum, Butyrospermum Parkii (Organic Shea Butter)*, Malus Sylvestris (Apple Buds), Vitis Vinifera (Grape Buds) & Citrus Limonum (Lemon Bark), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Organic Essential Fatty Acids Of Oenothera Biennis (Organic Evening Primrose)*, Linum Usitatissimum (Organic Linseed Oil)*, Borago Officinalis (Organic Borage Seed Oil)*, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Allantoin, Citrus Reticulata (Mandarin), Litsea Cubeba (May Chang) And Cinnamomum Camphora (Ho Wood) Pure Essential Oils.

Stem Cellular Anti-Wrinkle Booster Serum: Juice Beauty proprietary blend of fruit stem cells, apple buds, grape buds & lemon bark. Organic juices of Pyrus Malus (Organic Apple Juice)*, Vitis Vinifera (Organic White Grape Juice)*, Citrus Medica Limonum (Organic Lemon Juice)*, Aloe Barbadensis (Organic Aloe Juice)*, Vegetable Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Organic Shea Butter)*, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Helianthus Annus (Organic Sunflower Seed Oil)*, Malus Sylvestris (Apple Buds), Vitis Vinifera (Grape Buds) & Citrus Limonum (Lemon Bark), Organic Plant Oils Of Simmondsia Chinensis (Organic Jojoba Seed)*, Oenothera Biennis (Organic Evening Primrose Oil)*, Linum Usitatissimum (Organic Linseed Oil)*, Borago Officinalis (Organic Borage Seed Oil)*, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Stearic Acid, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate (Vegetable Hyaluronic Acid), Citrus Reticulata (Mandarin), Litsea Cubeba (May Chang) And Cinnamomum Camphora (Ho Wood) Pure Essential Oils.

Stem Cellular Lifting Neck Cream: Juice Beauty proprietary blend of fruit stem cells, apple buds & grape buds. Organic juices of Pyrus Malus (Organic Apple Juice)*, Vitis Vinifera (Organic Grape Juice)*, Aloe Barbadensis (Organic Aloe Juice)*, Vegetable Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate (Plant Derived), Helianthus Annus (Organic Sunflower Seed Oil)*, Glyceryl Stearate (Plant Derived), Diheptyl Succinate (Plant Derived), Sucrose Stearate (Plant Derived), Stearyl Alcohol, Sucrose Polystearate (Plant Derived), Cetearyl Olivate (Plant Derived), Sorbitan Olivate (Plant Derived), Caprylyl Glycol, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Malus Sylvestris (Apple Buds), Vitis Vinifera (Grape Buds), Borago Officinalis (Organic Borage Seed Oil)*, Linum Usitatissimum (Organic Linseed Oil)*, Rosa Canina (Organic Rosehip Fruit Oil)*, Camellia Sinensis (Organic White Tea Leaf Extract)*, Chamomilla Recutita (Organic Chamomile Extract)*, Lavandula Angustifolia (Organic Lavender Extract)*, Arnica Montana (Organic Arnica Flower Extract)*, Vitis Vinifera (Grapeseed Oil), Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle Extract), Algae Extract, Squalane (Plant Derived), Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Carya Ovata (Hickory Extract), Stearic Acid (Plant Derived), Ethylhexylglycerin (Plant Derived), Pullulan, Allantoin, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Phytate (Plant Derived), Menthyl Lactate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Isomalt (Plant Derived), Sodium Hydroxide, Litsea Cubeba (May Chang) And Cinnamomum Camphora (Ho Wood) Essential Oils.

Stem Cellular Eye Treatment: Juice Beauty proprietary blend of fruit stem cells, apple buds, grape buds & lemon bark. Organic juices of Pyrus Malus (Organic Apple Juice)*, Vitis Vinifera (Organic White Grape Juice)*, Citrus Medica Limonum (Organic Lemon Juice)*, Aloe Barbadensis (Organic Aloe Juice)*, Vegetable Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Stearate, Ethyhexyl Palmitate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Organic Plant Oils Of Helianthus Annuus (Organic Sunflower Seed Oil)*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Organic Jojoba Seed Oil)*, Oenothera Biennis (Organic Evening Primrose Oil)*, Linum Usitatissimum (Organic Linseed Oil)*, Borago Officinalis (Organic Borage Seed Oil)*, Malus Sylvestris (Apple Buds), Vitis Vinifera (Grape Buds) & Citrus Limonum (Lemon Bark), Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Stearic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii (Organic Shea Butter)*, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate (Vegetable Hyaluronic Acid)

*certified organic ingredient

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Juice Beauty STEM CELLULAR Anti-Wrinkle Solutions Kit

The stems and vascular tissue of plants serve several vital functions. Stems provide support for leaves, helping to keep the leaves in light, as well as support for flowers and fruits. Stems also produce new living tissue allowing plants to grow and reproduce. The vascular tissue within stems forms the plants system for moving water, minerals, nutrients and the products of photosynthesis throughout the plant, much like the human vascular system. Lastly, stems can store nutrients and water for later use. A minor function of stems is to produce carbohydrates via photosynthesis. However, photosynthesis in stems is usually not significant compared to leaves. There are some exceptions; for example, in some plants, such as cacti, photosynthetic processes within stems account for most of the plants carbon fixation.

Figure 7.12: Stem showing internode, nodes, a leaf, and a petiole. Image from URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

A stem is a collection of plant tissues that are joined together and arranged as nodes and internodes. Nodes are locations where leaves attach to stems, and internodes are the leafless parts of stems that occur between nodes. New growth occurs at the nodes; nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescences (flowers), cones or other stems. The internodes act as spaces that distance one node from another.

Special note: Non-vascular plants have no roots, stems, or leaves, since each of these structures is defined as containing vascular tissue. The lobes (rounded parts) of the liverwort may look like leaves, but they are not true leaves because they have no xylem or phloem. Likewise, mosses and algae have no such tissues.

The stem is one of the two main structural axes of the vascular plant. (The other main structural axis of plants are the roots.)In most plants, stems are located above the soil surface, but some plants have underground stems.Rhizomes, tubers and bulbs are all examples of underground stems.

Figure 7.13: Plant tissue types. Image from URL: http://www.scq.ubc.ca/capturing-the-sun-an-exploration-into-the-world-of-plant-science/

When we look at the structure of a stem, we can see the stems function reflected in it. The stems internal structure has both conducting and supporting tissues. While the tissues are basically the same in all of the plants parts, how the tissues are arranged in the stems (and the roots) are what differentiate the stem from other plant parts.

Dermal tissue or the epidermis is a single layer of closely packed cells. It both covers and protects the plant. It can be considered as the plants skin. In plants that undergo secondary growth, the epidermis is replaced by periderm, also called bark. The periderm protects the plant from pathogens, prevents excessive water loss and provides insulation.

Vascular tissue, which transports materials essential for plant survival between the roots and shoots, can be divided into two types: xylem and phloem. The xylem is the innermost ring of the vascular tissue. Xylem functions to transport water and minerals from the roots to the shoots. In contrast, the phloem surrounds the xylem and transfers food produced from leaves back down to the roots. The ground tissue which forms the bulk of the plant has many functions including photosynthesis, storage, and support.

Figure 7.14: Examples of leaf arrangements on stems. Image from URL: http://www.scarborough.k12.me.us/high/projects/trees/leafarrang.gif

The three most common types of leaf arrangement are: 1) alternate; 2) opposite; and 3) whorled.As the name implies, in plants displaying an alternate leaf arrangement, the leaves are arranged in a pattern alternating on either side of the stem. In this arrangement, just one leaf (can be a simple or compound leaf) is attached to one node. Plants displaying an opposite leaf arrangement have leaves growing opposite each other in pairs on the stem, so two leaves are attached to one node. In the third type, whorled leaf arrangement, three or more leaves are attached at each node on the stem. A whorl can occur as a basal structure. In this instance, all the leaves are attached at the base of the shoot and the internodes are small or absent. A basal whorl with a large number of leaves spread out in a circle is called a rosette.

As already noted with other plant parts, evolution has led to several examples of modified stems that are used for special functions. Modified stems can grow above as well as below the ground. Modified stems located below the ground surface include bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and tubers. Modified stems located above ground include crowns, stolons, runners, tendrils, and spurs. For more information and pictures of modified stems, refer to this link from Backyardnature.net.

Figure 7.15: Examples of different kinds of modified stems. Image from URL: http://www.anbg.gov.au/glossary/webpubl/glosstu.htm

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Stems & Vascular Tissue : Montana Science Partnership