Category Archives: New York Stem Cells

New York, New York (PRWEB) September 24, 2014

Americord announced today that it has provided funding to support a clinical trial investigating the efficacy of autologous umbilical cord blood for the treatment of pediatric patients with cerebral palsy.

This trial is being conducted under the direction of an internationally renowned expert in umbilical cord blood transplantation. The purpose is to determine whether infusions of a child's own cord blood can lessen the symptoms of cerebral palsy. The goal of the trial explores the potential of discovering how cord blood could be used for other purposes, including reducing inflammation in the brain and producing new hormones to repair damaged brain cells.

This research for children with cerebral palsy is truly exciting, said Americord CEO Martin Smithmyer. We will be following this trial with great interest and we are thrilled to provide funding to help support it. Americords funding has been made through its corporate giving program, which was established to support research focused on the therapeutic uses of stem cells from umbilical cord blood, cord tissue, and placenta tissue.

About Americord Registry

Americord Registry is a leader in the advancement of umbilical cord blood, cord tissue and placenta tissue banking. Americord collects, processes, and stores newborn stem cells from umbilical cord blood for future medical or therapeutic use, including the treatment of more than 80 blood diseases such as sickle cell anemia and leukemia. Founded in 2008, Americord is registered with the FDA and operates in all 50 states. The company's laboratory is CLIA Certified, accredited by the AABB and complies with all federal and state guidelines and applicable licenses. Americord is headquartered in New York, NY. Visit http://americordblood.com/ for more information.

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Americord Backs Another Cord Blood Clinical Trial

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 22, 2014

Video: Preventing Diabetes After Pancreatectomy - Dr. Beth Schrope

NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center now offers autologous islet cell transplantation, or auto islet surgery, to prevent diabetes in patients who require a total pancreatectomy. The hospital is the first center in the New York metropolitan area to offer this treatment.

Every year, roughly 87,000 people in the United States receive surgical treatment for pancreatitis, a debilitating condition that causes intense abdominal pain and, potentially, diabetes. Pancreatitis can be so painful that, in some cases, patients must have the entire pancreas removed. While surgery relieves pain in 90 percent of cases, patients are left without the ability to produce insulin, causing a difficult-to-treat form of Type 1 diabetes known as brittle diabetes.

In auto islet surgery, the patient's islet cells, which produce hormones that regulate the endocrine system, are extracted from the pancreas after it is removed. The cells are then processed and reinfused into the patients liver. When auto islet surgery is successful, the reinfused cells produce insulin, acting in place of the pancreas to regulate blood sugar.

The most recent findings show that about one third of patients require no insulin therapy after autologous islet transplantation, another third require some insulin therapy after the procedure, and the procedure is unsuccessful in preventing diabetes in the remaining third.

"The goal of pancreatectomy is to relieve pain," says Dr. Beth Schrope, gastrointestinal surgeon and assistant professor of surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, who specializes in the treatment of pancreatitis. Returning to normal activities and living without pain is a tremendous improvement in patients' quality of life. Now with islet transplantation, theres an added bonusthe possible prevention of diabetes."

NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center is currently accepting patients for auto islet surgery, through a joint effort of NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia's Pancreas Center and the Stem Cell Processing and Cell Therapy Laboratory of the Department of Pathology. Patients who need a total pancreatectomy for benign diseases (such as chronic pancreatitis) may be eligible for this procedure to avoid Type 1 diabetes.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, located in New York City, is one of the leading academic medical centers in the world, comprising the teaching hospital NewYork-Presbyterian and its academic partner, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine, and is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital also comprises NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Childrens Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division, NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital. The hospital is also closely affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian/Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area, according to U.S. News & World Report, and consistently named to the magazines Honor Roll of best hospitals in the nation. For more information, visit http://www.nyp.org.

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New Treatment May Prevent Diabetes After Pancreatitis Surgery

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

TiGenix to participate or present at key conferences in the second half of 2014

Leuven (BELGIUM) - September 15, 2014 - TiGenix NV (Euronext Brussels: TIG), an advanced biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercialising novel therapeutics from its proprietary platform of allogeneic, expanded adipose-derived stem cells, or eASC's, in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, announced today the list of conferences in which it will participate during the second half of 2014.

15-16 September Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine Congress 2014, Boston, USA Participant: Claudia Jimenez, Senior Director Business Development

17 September Regener8, Leeds, UK Presenter: Wilfried Dalemans, Chief Technical Officer

30 September-1 October 14th Biotech in Europe Forum for Global Partnering and Investing, Basel, Switzerland Participant: Claudia Jimenez, Senior Director Business Development

2-3 October 14th Large & Midcap Event, Paris, France Participant: Claudia D'Augusta, Chief Financial Officer

6-8 October Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa, California, USA Presenter: Eduardo Bravo, Chief Executive Officer

18-22 October 22nd United European Gastroenterology Week (UEGW), Vienna, Austria Participant: Mary Carmen Diez, VP Medical Affairs and New Product Commercialisation

3-5 November BIO-Europe 2014, Frankfurt, Germany Participant: Claudia Jimenez, Senior Director Business Development

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TiGenix: TiGenix to participate or present at key conferences in the second half of 2014

Boston, MA (PRWEB) September 11, 2014

A promising first-in-class drug that stimulates the creation of new nerve cells in the brains of "Alzheimer's mice," will soon be tested in the brains of human patients with the promise it can help people in the early stages of the disease.

New research by Dr. Sam Gandy of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and recently published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry outlines the extraordinary promise of the drug, known as an "mGluR2/3 blocker."

The learning behavior of Alzheimer's mice being treated with the mGluR2/3 blocker has been sustained at normal levels, Gandys study has revealed, in contrast to the steady decline of mice not being treated.

"It's extraordinary that, in such a short time, we have moved from ordinary skin cells to induced pluripotent stem cells in a Petri dish, to lab-generated human nerve cells, and now to a drug that could potentially create those cells inside a human brain," said Gandy.

"We realize that we are unlikely to have much impact in late stage Alzheimer's, but we are cautiously hopeful that this drug might arrest Alzheimer's disease at an early stage so that patients can remain functional for more extended periods."

The drug originally caught the attention of Gandy and his team for its possible ability to inhibit production of the toxic amyloid beta 42, associated with Alzheimer's disease. Created by the Japanese pharmaceutical firm Taisho and originally studied for depression, the drug acts by stimulating stem cells in the hippocampus to divide and form new nerve cells.

With funding from Cure Alzheimer's Fund, Gandys team conducted a pilot study of the drug's effects on a particular strain of mice. That study produced such promising results that it has drawn $1 million in funding from the Veterans Administration "MERIT Review" program that supports Gandy's lab at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx. The Louis B. Mayer Foundation and the Sarah and Gideon Gartner Foundation provided additional funding.

The mGluR2/3 blocker has also been administered to healthy young human subjects, and so far has seen to be safe. The next step for Gandy's team will be to treat elderly human subjects with the drug to test safety in this population before gearing up to test the drug in Alzheimer's patients.

The mGluR2/3 blocker is one of the few drugs being researched that holds promise for repairing brains damaged by neurodegenerative disease.

Link:
New Drug Study Offers Promise of Brain Cell Regeneration for Alzheimers Patients

Updated: 09/05/2014 6:04 PM Created: 09/05/2014 5:38 PM WNYT.com By: Benita Zahn

Blood transfusions go hand in hand with high dose chemotherapy to save the lives of cancer patients. But too often, doctors worry there will be blood when it's needed.

Dr.Sami Brake is a cancer specialist at New York Oncology- Hematology. He says "We run short of platelets, of blood products all the time. So it's important for people in the community to be aware of this problem that we have all the time."

Many of the treatments he relies on depress a patient's ability to make new blood cells, so donated blood is critical to their survival. When there's a lag between ordering treatment and blood arriving, sometimes from hours away, it's worrisome. And it's not something cancer patients like Cindy Applebaum need to have on their mind.

" When they basically tell you they're killing everything inside of your body. Your entire immune system is completely wiped out" says Cindy.

That's what she endured in advance of her stem cell transplant with her own stem cells to fight her blood cancer: multiple myeloma. In short, without donated blood she could never have survived the treatment that's her only chance for remission of her disease.

" You're at rock bottom, I guess, is the best way to describe it. And the blood and platelets actually help enhance the growth of the new cells that you need to survive" she says.

Cindy's two, grown kids were at her side through her treatment - along with her brothers, other family and dear friends. All critical to her well being. But she's clear -- while their support and love is invaluable, it was the kindness of strangers who gave the gift of life, that gave her the chance for survival.

"It really takes everybody in the community fighting for it."

You can donate blood on Monday, September 8 at our Save a Life Blood Drive.

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Donate blood and join in on the fight against cancer

Aug. 6, 2014

Colleagues of Yoshiki Sasai, leading Japanese life science researcher, say he has taken his own life; Sasai was co-author of discredited stem cell study published in journal Nature that was retracted due to factual errors and allegations of misconduct. MORE

Journal Nature retracts two scientific papers it published that initially electrified biologists by describing easy way to make stem cells; says papers were error-filled and had not been verified by anyone else. MORE

Op-Ed article by evolutionary geneticist Svante Paabo warns against using sequenced genomes of Neanderthals to re-create Neanderthal individuals; contends from an ethical perspective such an idea should be condemned, and argues that using stem cells to create cells and tissues in test tubes for research is far more ethically defensible and technically feasible. MORE

Scientists, reporting in journal Cell Stem Cell, move step closer to goal of creating stem cells perfectly matched to a patients DNA in order to treat diseases; say they have created patient-specific cell lines for 'therapeutic cloning' out of skin cells of two adult men. MORE

Japanese research institute concludes that study published in journal Nature that was once hailed as breakthrough in creating stem cells contains fabricated and doctored images that cast doubt on its findings; singles out study's lead author Haruko Obokata, stem cell biologist, saying she had altered or misrepresented illustrations in her research papers. MORE

Japanese research institute acknowledges that study billed as breakthrough in stem cell research contained spliced image, material recycled from lead author's doctoral thesis, and other mistakes; disclosure threatens to discredit newly acclaimed researcher Haruko Obokata, whose team found that simple acid bath might turn cells in the body into stem cells; findings appeared in journal Nature. MORE

Teruhiko Wakayama, one of the authors of startling study that claimed to have found a simple way to make stem cells, says he is no longer sure of its conclusions; calls for its retraction. MORE

Study published in journal Nature finds that simple acid bath might turn out to be quicker and easier source of multipurpose stem cells than methods now in use; technique was developed by researchers at Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan, and Brigham and Womens Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston MORE

Stem cell clinics in United States and Mexico, like Regenerative Medicine Institute in Tijuana, are offering unproven stem cell treatments for high price to desperate clients, posing challenge for scientists who are moving cautiously and seeking more data; efficacy and safety of such treatments remains in question. MORE

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Stem Cells - The New York Times

SYDNEY, Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Novogen Ltd. (ASX: NRT, NASDAQ: NVGN) today announced that Graham Kelly PhD, CEO, will present at the Rodman & Renshaw 16th Annual Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, September 10th in New York. Dr. Kelly will provide an overview of the two Novogen first-in-class drug technology platforms in the field of oncology. His presentation will take place at the New York Palace Hotel and will begin at 10:25am.

About Novogen Limited

Novogen is a public, Australian drug-development company whose shares trade on both the Australian Securities Exchange ('NRT') and NASDAQ ('NVGN'). The Novogen Group includes a New Haven CT-based joint venture company, CanTx Inc, with Yale University.

Novogen has two main drug technology platforms: super-benzopyrans (SBPs) and anti-tropomyosins (ATMs). SBP compounds have been created to kill the full range of cells within a tumor, but particularly the cancer stem cells. The ATM compounds target the microfilament component of the cancer cell and when used in conjunction with standard anti-microtubular drugs, result in comprehensive and fatal destruction of the cancer cell's cytoskeleton. Ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer, malignant ascites, prostate cancer, neural cancers (glioblastoma, neuroblastoma) and melanoma are the key clinical indications being pursued, with the ultimate objective of employing both technologies as a unified approach to first-line therapy.

Further information is available on the Company's website,www.novogen.com.

For more information please contact:

Corporate Contact

Media enquiries

Executive Chairman & CEONovogen GroupGraham.Kelly@novogen.com+61 (0) 2 9472 4100

In the USA:

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Novogen Announces Presentation at Rodman & Renshaw 16th Annual Healthcare Conference

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

28-Aug-2014

Contact: James Devitt james.devitt@nyu.edu 212-998-6808 New York University

New York University biologists have identified a mechanism that helps explain how the diversity of neurons that make up the visual system is generated.

"Our research uncovers a process that dictates both timing and cell survival in order to engender the heterogeneity of neurons used for vision," explains NYU Biology Professor Claude Desplan, the study's senior author.

The study's other co-authors were: Claire Bertet, Xin Li, Ted Erclik, Matthieu Cavey, and Brent Wellsall postdoctoral fellows at NYU.

Their work, which appears in the latest issue of the journal Cell, centers on neurogenesisthe process by which neurons are created.

A central challenge in developmental neurobiology is to understand how progenitorsstem cells that differentiate to form one or more kinds of cellsproduce the vast diversity of neurons, glia, and non-neuronal cells found in the adult Central Nervous System (CNS). Temporal patterning is one of the core mechanisms generating this diversity in both invertebrates and vertebrates. This process relies on the sequential expression of transcription factors into progenitors, each specifying the production of a distinct neural cell type.

In the Cell paper, the researchers studied the formation of the visual system of the fruit fly Drosophila. Their findings revealed that this process, which relies on temporal patterning of neural progenitors, is more complex than previously thought.

They demonstrate that in addition to specifying the production of distinct neural cell type over time, temporal factors also determine the survival or death of these cells as well as the mode of division of progenitors. Thus, temporal patterning of neural progenitors generates cell diversity in the adult visual system by specifying the identity, the survival, and the number of each unique neural cell type.

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NYU researchers ID process producing neuronal diversity in fruit flies' visual system

(Complete report available in pdf format - 1.6 MB)

Executive Summary I. Introduction II. Methodology and Scope III. The Potential of stem cell research and NYSTEM IV. Findings V. Observations and Recommendations from the NY stem cell research community

Directory of Principal Investigators (available in the PDF above) An updated directory of stem cell scientists in New York State is now available.

This report summarizes data obtained from responses to written surveys and structured personal interviews with stem cell scientists in New York State between June and October, 2007. The findings are accompanied by a directory of the scientists interviewed. The objectives of this initial inquiry were threefold: (i) identify institutions and scientists in New York State with ongoing stem cell research programs; (ii) develop an overview of the scope and directions of these researchers' activities and (iii) solicit the views of the stem cell science community in New York regarding the potential scope and mechanisms of funding by NYSTEM. Letters were sent to 42 institutions that were identified through publicly available funding and publication records as having relevant research efforts. Overall, from 28 responding institutions we received feedback from 162 principal investigators (PI) at 23 institutions in time for inclusion in this report. The first interviews took place July 20 and the most recent visit was October 4; in this span of 10 weeks we interviewed investigators from 21 institutions representing all geographic areas of the state.

Importantly, this inquiry identified a strong community of stem cell scientists across the state, as judged by publications and external funding, with diverse interests and expertise, who are well positioned to take immediate advantage of the opportunities that will be provided by NYSTEM. Within the limits of our surveys and interviews, we estimate that more than 200 scientists head laboratories conducting stem cell related research, and that roughly two-thirds of these have a major focus in some aspect of stem cell science. Our survey demonstrated that 52% of PIs have NIH funding. Based on an examination of public databases in 2006, the research scientists have attracted $39.5 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for stem cell research, as well as substantial foundation, industry and other types of support for which no comprehensive figures are available. Based on survey responses, their work has resulted in at least 115 patents and 16 licenses. Moreover, we estimate that approximately 1,000 scientists, trainees and support staff are currently employed in their academic and private laboratories conducting stem cell research. The data provide fuel for the need for traineeships. At present, only 58% of PIs have graduate students working on stem cells. The situation is similar but slightly better with postdocs as 67% of PIs report having a postdoc.

Stem cell research in New York is broad in scope and highly collaborative, as about 80% of the investigators reported at least one collaboration. One objective of our inquiry was to ascertain the scope of this research within New York State and determine if there are dominant themes or specific areas of strength. Based on data from 162 scientists, the largest fractions had a focus on cancer, neural disease or aging. Other major topics included hematopoietic and musculoskeletal disease and diabetes. The data also showed that many investigators are engaged in studies of fundamental aspects of stem cell biology. Of the 162 respondents, nearly half reported that their research significantly concerned basic stem cell biology.

The types and sources of stem cells that researchers use in their studies are diverse. The majority of investigators use rodent or other non-human sources to supply stem cells for their research. However, nearly half of the investigators use stem cells of human origin, most of whom employ non-embryonic derived cells of a variety of types: hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells from marrow and umbilical cord blood, amniotic stem cells, and organ-specific cells derived from skin, cardiac, liver, kidney and other sources. Also included in this list are cancer stem cells. A smaller but still significant fraction of investigators use human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in their work, or hold approved protocols and plan to use hESCs in the immediate future. Of 39 investigators, 24 reported using only NIH-approved ("registry") hESC lines and 15 reported using "non-registry" lines. Investigators planning to derive new stem cell lines from embryos deemed non-viable, were included in the "non-registry" hESC group. Several of those involved in hESC work were doing so only through collaborations with investigators at other institutions, and only about half of those using hESCs in their work reported that it represented a large fraction of their effort.

In terms of funding preferences, there was strong, but not universal agreement for the use of an investigator-initiated NIH R01-like grant mechanism that would provide substantial funding to individual laboratories for multiple years. Many also favored an additional mechanism of investigator-initiated funding analogous to the NIH R21 vehicle which encourages higher risk with the promise of greater reward. Many interviewees supported institution-based multi-investigator grants in which several researchers at one institution, or investigators at several institutions, collaborate on complementary aspects of a particular research problem. There was considerable support for individual postdoctoral fellowships or young investigator grants as a mechanism for bringing new talent into the stem cell field. Likewise there was considerable enthusiasm for short -term funding for "sabbaticals" in which investigators could visit another laboratory (inside or outside NYS) to acquire specific training in stem cell science or a field that would benefit particular aspects of stem cell research. In contrast, there was little support for institutional training grants, in which graduate students or postdocs are supported en masse, often to work in assigned labs.

It is clear that the area of hESC research has been constrained by inadequate federal support, and that an important focus of NYSTEM should be to enhance opportunities for hESC studies within appropriate ethical guidelines as established by the Board. Concurrent with this opinion, there was unanimity among these researchers that NYSTEM funding should not be restricted to hESC work, since it is unknown at this time which human stem cell types (embryonic or adult) will be best suited for application to particular diseases. Several investigators involved in translational research noted that there is a major gap in available federal funding for pre-clinical studies that move important findings from animal models to human systems. New York State funding for advanced biotechnology core facilities was identified as important by a number of individuals. In particular, researchers working with non-registry hESC indicated that the duplication of equipment required by current federal funding restrictions was a hardship.

Link:

Stem Cell Research in New York State | NYSTEM

Dr. Spivak is a board-certified Neurosurgeon who specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery and stem cell therapies. He has dedicated himself to helping heal your back!

Back pain is a major source of pain and suffering throughout America. Almost everyone suffers from back pain at least at least once in his or her lifetime. Back pain can cause depression and cause problems with work and family. There is no reason to prolong your suffering, as many different treatments are available to provide you with back pain relief. The most common cause of back pain is caused by injury to the lower back. Damage to the disks is called Degenerative Disk Disease. Damaged disks can herniate and pinch spinal nerves. This can cause the searing pain in the legs known as sciatica. Sometimes chiropractic treatment or physical therapy will help relieve back pain, but sometimes interventional surgical procedures must be undertaken when a person does not recover after less intensive treatment. There are many types of invasive treatments, some of which can be quite effective but none of them actually repair the damaged disk. Much progress has been made in experimental stem cell treatments that can actually heal the damage that has been done to the disk, restoring it to like new condition. This procedure is called Disk Regeneration; it produces new disk cells inside the disk itself, so that it can rebuild itself. The Disk Regeneration procedure is short and minimally invasive. Bone marrow is extracted from the patients hip bone and stem cells are separated out using a centrifuge. The stem cells are then injected into the disk using the guidance of an x-ray. The patient is then free to go home and recover.

Dr. Spivak is known for his innovative minimally invasive approach to spine repair, as well as his focus on research and developing cutting edge endoscopic techniques.

Dr. Spivak began his study of medicine at theUniversity of Winnipeg and completed his residency in Neurological Surgery at theUniversity of Saskatchewan. He has also completed several fellowships at prestigious medical schools throughout the United States, where he further refined his surgical techniques.

He has also held several faculty positions at esteemed universities, including Stanford Medical School and Columbia Medical School, and has contributed to several clinical journals, such as the Journal of Neurosurgery.

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New York Stem Cell | Regenerative Disk Therapy for Spine NY