Category Archives: Regenerative Medicine

AGENDA PROCEEDINGS

Congratulations to trainees who won prizes!From left: Marissa Scavuzzo (RU), Gautham Yepuri (HMRI), Samantha Paulsen (RU), Danielle Wu (RU), and John Leach (BCM). Not pictured: Alexander Tatara (RU)

Stem Cell Category: Trainee Speakership and Award: John Leach, Baylor College of Medicine Hippo signaling deletion in heart failure reverses functional declineLeach J, Heallen T, Zhang M, Rahmani M, Martin J

1st Place Poster Award: Marissa Scavuzzo,Baylor College of Medicine Isl1 Directs Cell Fate Decisions in the Pancreas by Specifying Progenitor Cells Towards Different Endocrine LineagesScavuzzo MA, Yang D, Sharp R, Wamble K, Chmielowiec J, Mumcuyan N, Borowiak M

2nd Place Poster Award: Gautham Yepuri, Houston Methodist Research Institute Proton Pump Inhibitors Impair Vascular Function By Accelerating Endothelial SenescenceYepuri G, Sukhovershin R, Nazari-shafti TZ, Ghebremariam YT, Cooke JP

Tissue Engineering Category: Trainee Speakership and Award: Samantha Paulsen, Rice University 3D printing vascularized tissues: Closing the loop between computational and experimental models Paulsen SJ, Miller JS

1st Place Poster Award: Alexander Tatara, Rice University Using the Body to Regrow the Body: In vivo Bioreactors for Craniofacial Tissue EngineeringTatara AM, Shah SR, Lam J, Demian N, Ho T, Shum J, Wong ME, Mikos AG

2nd Place Poster Award: Danielle Wu, Rice University Building Salivary Cell Mini-Modules: A First Step Toward Reconstruction of the Human Salivary GlandWu D, Pradhan-Bhatt S, Cannon K, Chapela P, Hubka K, Harrington D, Ozdemir T, Zakheim D, Jia X, Witt RL, Farach-Carson MC

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2015 Cluster for Regenerative Medicine Symposium

regenerative medicine,cartilage: bronchus repair using bioartificial tissue transplantationHospital Clinic of Barcelona/APthe application of treatments developed to replace tissues damaged by injury or disease. These treatments may involve the use of biochemical techniques to induce tissue regeneration directly at the site of damage or the use of transplantation techniques employing differentiated cells or stem cells, either alone or as part of a bioartificial tissue. Bioartificial tissues are made by seeding cells onto natural or biomimetic scaffolds (see tissue engineering). Natural scaffolds are the total extracellular matrixes (ECMs) of decellularized tissues or organs. In contrast, biomimetic scaffolds may be composed of natural materials, such as collagen or proteoglycans (proteins with long chains of carbohydrate), or built from artificial materials, such as metals, ceramics, or polyester polymers. Cells used for transplants and bioartificial tissues are almost always autogeneic (self) to avoid rejection by the patients immune system. The use of allogeneic (nonself) cells carries a high risk of immune rejection and therefore requires tissue matching between donor and recipient and involves the administration of immunosuppressive drugs.

A variety of autogeneic and allogeneic cell and bioartificial tissue transplantations have been performed. Examples of autogeneic transplants using differentiated cells include blood transfusion with frozen stores of the patients own blood and repair of the articular cartilage of the knee with the patients own articular chondrocytes (cartilage cells) that have been expanded in vitro (amplified in number using cell culture techniques in a laboratory). An example of a tissue that has been generated for autogeneic transplant is the human mandible (lower jaw). Functional bioartificial mandibles are made by seeding autogeneic bone marrow cells onto a titanium mesh scaffold loaded with bovine bone matrix, a type of extracellular matrix that has proved valuable in regenerative medicine for its ability to promote cell adhesion and proliferation in transplantable bone tissues. Functional bioartificial bladders also have been successfully implanted into patients. Bioartificial bladders are made by seeding a biodegradable polyester scaffold with autogeneic urinary epithelial cells and smooth muscle cells.

Another example of a tissue used successfully in an autogeneic transplant is a bioartificial bronchus, which was generated to replace damaged tissue in a patient affected by tuberculosis. The bioartificial bronchus was constructed from an ECM scaffold of a section of bronchial tissue taken from a donor cadaver. Differentiated epithelial cells isolated from the patient and chondrocytes derived from mesenchymal stem cells collected from the patients bone marrow were seeded onto the scaffold.

There are few clinical examples of allogeneic cell and bioartificial tissue transplants. The two most common allogeneic transplants are blood-group-matched blood transfusion and bone marrow transplant. Allogeneic bone marrow transplants are often performed following high-dose chemotherapy, which is used to destroy all the cells in the hematopoietic system in order to ensure that all cancer-causing cells are killed. (The hematopoietic system is contained within the bone marrow and is responsible for generating all the cells of the blood and immune system.) This type of bone marrow transplant is associated with a high risk of graft-versus-host disease, in which the donor marrow cells attack the recipients tissues. Another type of allogeneic transplant involves the islets of Langerhans, which contain the insulin-producing cells of the body. This type of tissue can be transplanted from cadavers to patients with diabetes mellitus, but recipients require immunosuppression therapy to survive.

Cell transplant experiments with paralyzed mice, pigs, and nonhuman primates demonstrated that Schwann cells (the myelin-producing cells that insulate nerve axons) injected into acutely injured spinal cord tissue could restore about 70 percent of the tissues functional capacity, thereby partially reversing paralysis.

embryonic stem cell: scientists conducting research on embryonic stem cellsMauricio LimaAFP/Getty ImagesStudies on experimental animals are aimed at understanding ways in which autogeneic or allogeneic adult stem cells can be used to regenerate damaged cardiovascular, neural, and musculoskeletal tissues in humans. Among adult stem cells that have shown promise in this area are satellite cells, which occur in skeletal muscle fibres in animals and humans. When injected into mice affected by dystrophy, a condition characterized by the progressive degeneration of muscle tissue, satellite cells stimulate the regeneration of normal muscle fibres. Ulcerative colitis in mice was treated successfully with intestinal organoids (organlike tissues) derived from adult stem cells of the large intestine. When introduced into the colon, the organoids attached to damaged tissue and generated a normal-appearing intestinal lining.

In many cases, however, adult stem cells such as satellite cells have not been easily harvested from their native tissues, and they have been difficult to culture in the laboratory. In contrast, embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can be harvested once and cultured indefinitely. Moreover, ESCs are pluripotent, meaning that they can be directed to differentiate into any cell type, which makes them an ideal cell source for regenerative medicine.

Studies of animal ESC derivatives have demonstrated that these cells are capable of regenerating tissues of the central nervous system, heart, skeletal muscle, and pancreas. Derivatives of human ESCs used in animal models have produced similar results. For example, cardiac stem cells from heart-failure patients were engineered to express a protein (Pim-1) that promotes cell survival and proliferation. When these cells were injected into mice that had experienced myocardial infarction (heart attack), the cells were found to enhance the repair of injured heart muscle tissue. Likewise, heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) derived from human ESCs improved the function of injured heart muscle tissue in guinea pigs.

Derivatives of human ESCs are likely to produce similar results in humans, although these cells have not been used clinically and could be subject to immune rejection by recipients. The question of immune rejection was bypassed by the discovery in 2007 that adult somatic cells (e.g., skin and liver cells) can be converted to ESCs. This is accomplished by transfecting (infecting) the adult cells with viral vectors carrying genes that encode transcription factor proteins capable of reprogramming the adult cells into pluripotent stem cells. Examples of these factors include Oct-4 (octamer 4), Sox-2 (sex-determining region Y box 2), Klf-4 (Kruppel-like factor 4), and Nanog. Reprogrammed adult cells, known as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, are potential autogeneic sources for cell transplantation and bioartificial tissue construction. Such cells have since been created from the skin cells of patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer disease and have been used as human models for the exploration of disease mechanisms and the screening of potential new drugs. In one such model, neurons derived from human iPS cells were shown to promote recovery of stroke-damaged brain tissue in mice and rats,
and, in another, cardiomyocytes derived from human iPS cells successfully integrated into damaged heart tissue following their injection into rat hearts. These successes indicated that iPS cells could serve as a cell source for tissue regeneration or bioartificial tissue construction.

Scaffolds and soluble factors, such as proteins and small molecules, have been used to induce tissue repair by undamaged cells at the site of injury. These agents protect resident fibroblasts and adult stem cells and stimulate the migration of these cells into damaged areas, where they proliferate to form new tissue. The ECMs of pig small intestine submucosa, pig and human dermis, and different types of biomimetic scaffolds are used clinically for the repair of hernias, fistulas (abnormal ducts or passageways between organs), and burns.

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regenerative medicine | Britannica.com

Download Cord Blood Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine PDF
Download PDF Here: http://bit.ly/1GSodzZ.

By: Monet Siler

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Download Cord Blood Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine PDF - Video

Regenerative Medicine is the process of engineering living, functional cell and tissue-based therapies and administering these to patients to repair or replace tissue or organ function lost due to age, disease, damage, or congenital defects. Target diseases include cancers, diabetes, heart disease, ALS and target disorders include spinal/movement, hearing loss, vision loss, and neurological (i.e., stroke).

Nearly all currently available and development stage regenerative medicine products and therapies utilize biopreservation processes and products in the acquisition of source material, isolation and manipulation of specific cells, and storage and shipment of a final product dose to a patient location. System optimization is critical and biopreservation economics greatly impact product commercialization potential through shelf life impact on distribution, and clinical dose efficacy following preservation.

This market is comprised of nearly 700 commercial companies and numerous other hospital-based transplant centers developing and delivering cellular therapies such as stem cells isolated from bone marrow, peripheral and umbilical cord blood as well as engineered tissue-based products. MedMarket Diligence, LLC, estimates that the current worldwide market for regenerative medicine products and services is growing at 20 percent annually. We expect pre-formulated biopreservation media products such as our HypoThermosol and CryoStor to continue to displace home-brew cocktails, creating demand for clinical grade preservation reagents that will grow at greater than the overall end market rate.

We have shipped our proprietary biopreservation media products to over 200 regenerative medicine customers. We estimate that our products are now incorporated into 30 to 40 regenerative medicine cell- or tissue-based products in pre-clinical and clinical trial stages of development. While this market is still in an early stage, we have secured a valuable position as a supplier of critical reagents to numerous regenerative medicine companies and university based centers.

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Regenerative Medicine - Biolife Solutions, Inc.

Researchers find that brain activity promotes the growth of brain cancer
Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine researcher Michelle Monje, MD, PhD, has found that normal brain activity creates factors that promote the growth of a brain...

By: institutesofmedicine

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Researchers find that brain activity promotes the growth of brain cancer - Video

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Scientists and physicians from the region interested in regenerative and reparative medicine techniques, such as helping aging stem cells stay focused on making strong bone, will meet in Augusta April 24 to hear updates from leaders in the field and strategize on how to move more research advances to patients.

The daylong Regenerative Medicine and Cellular Therapy Research Symposium, sponsored by the Georgia Regents University Institute for Regenerative and Reparative Medicine, begins at 8 a.m. in Room EC 1210 of the GRU Health Sciences Building.

"We think this is a terrific opportunity for basic scientists and physicians to come together and pursue more opportunities to work together to get better prevention and treatment strategies to patients," said Dr. William D. Hill, stem cell researcher and symposium organizer.

Dr. Arnold I. Caplan, Director of the Skeletal Research Center at Case Western Reserve University and a pioneer in understanding mesenchymal stem cells, which give rise to bone, cartilage, muscle, and more, will give the keynote address at 8:45 a.m. Mesenchymal stem cell therapy is under study for a variety of conditions including multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, diabetes, emphysema, and stroke.

Other keynotes include:

The GRU Institute for Regenerative and Reparative Medicine has a focus on evidence-based approaches to healthy aging with an orthopaedic emphasis. "As you age, the bone is more fragile and likely to fracture," Hill said. "We want to protect bone integrity before you get a fracture as well as your bone's ability to constantly repair so, if you do get a fracture, you will repair it better yourself."

Bone health is a massive and growing problem with the aging population worldwide. "What people don't need is to fall and wind up in a nursing home," said Dr. Mark Hamrick, MCG bone biologist and Research Director of the GRU institute. "This is a societal problem, a clinical problem, and a potential money problem that is going to burden the health care system if we don't find better ways to intervene."

The researchers are exploring options such as scaffolding to support improved bone repair with age as well as nutrients that impact ongoing mesenchymal stem cell health, since these stem cells, which tend to decrease in number and efficiency with age, are essential to maintaining strong bones as well as full, speedy recovery.

Dr. Carlos Isales, endocrinologist and Clinical Director of the GRU institute, is looking at certain nutrients, particularly amino acids, and how some of their metabolites produce bone damage while others prevent or repair it. Isales is Principal Investigator on a major Program Project grant from the National Institutes of Health exploring a variety of ways to keep aging mesenchymal stem cells healthy and focused on making bone. "I think the drugs we have reduce fractures, but I think there are better ways of doing that," Isales said. "We are always thinking translationally," said Hill.

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Regenerative Medicine Symposium set for April 24 at GRU

Asterias Biotherapeutics
Pedro Lichtinger, President CEO (NYSEMKT: AST) Headquarters: Menlo Park, CA Asterias develops products based on its core technology platforms of pluripotent stem cells and allogeneic dendritic.

By: Alliance for Regenerative Medicine

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Asterias Biotherapeutics - Video

Regenerative medicine uses cells harvested from the patient's own body to heal damaged tissue. Fraunhofer researchers have developed a cell-free substrate containing proteins to which autologous cells bind and grow only after implantation. Samples of the new implants will be on show at the Medtec expo.

Donor organs or synthetic implants are usually the only treatment option for patients who have suffered irreparable damage to internal organs or body tissue. But such transplants are often rejected. Implants based on autologous cells are more likely to be accepted by the human organism. But in order to grow, these cells require a compatible structural framework. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart are working on a project to develop suitable substrates -- known as scaffolds -- in collaboration with the university hospital in Tbingen and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Their solution is based on electrospinning, a process in which synthetic and biodegradable polymers such as polylactides are spun into fibers using an electrical charge. These fibers are then used to create a three-dimensional non-woven fabric.

Growing cells inside the patient's body

The scientists have chosen a novel approach in which proteins are added to the polymeric material during the electrospinning process, and become incorporated in the resulting hair-thin fibers. In this way, the material serves as a substrate to which the patient's own cells will bind after it has been implanted. "Electrospinning enables us to create a cell-free substrate on which cells can grow after it has been implanted in the patient's body. Each type of protein attracts specific cells, which adhere to the scaffold and grow there. By selecting the appropriate protein, we can build up heart tissue or regenerate other damaged organs," explains Dr. Svenja Hinderer, one of the research scientists working on this project at Fraunhofer IGB in Stuttgart.

The substrate is spun into a fine sheet and cut to the required size. To repair damage to the heart muscle, for instance, a scaffold corresponding to the extent of the damaged area is placed like a blanket over the muscular tissue. The polymeric fibers gradually degrade in the human organism over a period of approximately 48 months. During this time, the cells that bind to the proteins find an environment that is conducive to their growth. They construct their own matrix and restore the functions of the original tissue.

Successful bioreactor test results

The results of initial laboratory experiments and bioreactor tests have been very successful so far. The researchers have been able to demonstrate that esophageal/tracheal cells, which are difficult to culture in-vitro, are capable of binding to decorin protein fibers in the substrate and growing there. Another protein -- the stromal-cell derived growth factor SDF-1 -- binds with progenitor cells, a special type of stem cell necessary for constructing heart valves and for regenerating heart muscle cells after an infarction. "The implants we have fabricated using electrospinning demonstrate the same mechanical and structural properties as a normal heart valve. Like the original version, they close and open at a blood pressure of 120 to 80 mmHg during tests in a bioreactor," says Hinderer. The next step for the researcher and her colleagues is to test the protein-coated scaffolds in animal models.

The hybrid materials composed of polymeric and protein fibers can be produced and stored in large quantities. The IGB team is working to bring the novel substrate to market as a rapidly implementable alternative to conventional heart valve replacements. "We can't yet say how long this will take, though," comments the researcher. One of the advantages of cell-free implants is that they are classified as medical devices and not as novel therapeutic drugs, which means less time waiting for approval. "Even so, the process of obtaining approval for medical devices that are populated with human cells prior to implantation is very long and expensive," explains Hinderer. The researchers will be presenting samples of the polymeric scaffolds at the Medtec expo in Stuttgart from April 21 to 23, in the joint Fraunhofer booth (Hall 7, Booths 7B04/7B10). Exhibits also include a bioreactor for cell culture on these substrates.

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The above story is based on materials provided by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Novel tissue substitute made of high-tech fibers

Watchung, New Jersey (PRWEB) April 01, 2015

One of the fastest growing sectors of non-surgical orthopedic treatment is the exciting new subspecialty of Regenerative Medicine, which is more descriptively referred to as ortho-biologics. The deconstructed term relates to, ortho referring to orthopedic medicine and biologics, relating to a substance derived from human sources (usually stem cells or growth factors) to treat diseased or dysfunctional tissue.

Anyone who follows a professional sports team and their superstar players, has undoubtedly heard of the cutting-edge procedures of stem cell therapy and Platelet Rich Plasma therapy (PRP). These therapies are most often discussed for the treatment of rotator cuff and meniscus tears, golfers and tennis elbow, osteoarthritis of hip and knee, plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendon injuries, to name but a few. Until recently, these treatments were only available to elite athletes. Fortunately, this technology is now available at Performance Rehabilitation & Integrated Medicine for both athletes and non-athletes that desire conservative, non-surgical solutions to pain reduction and to return to full function.

The following information is to provide the reader with some fundamental information regarding the science, application and indications for the use of stem cell and PRP treatments for common injuries seen in the non-surgical orthopedic practice.

The Basics of Adult Stem Cells (ASCs).

Adult stem cell (ASC) therapy is an exciting new procedure within the sub-specialty of Regenerative Medicine that is offering non-surgical, orthopedic solutions to otherwise potentially surgical conditions. ASCs are the wave of the future for treating chronic, unresponsive tendon conditions.

Stem Cell Therapy is quit simple, ASCs are obtained directly from the patient in a simple, pain-free procedure done in the office and reintroduced back to the patient (analogous), during a same day during a one-hour procedure. ASCs are different than the controversial embryonic stem cells. ASCs procedures are FDA-cleared and safe for human application.

Adult Stem Cells are undifferentiated, special cells found in bone marrow (hip and lower leg) and adipose tissue (buttock and abdomen fat) which have been proven to repair and regenerate damaged tissue as well as regeneration of bone, ligament, tendon, cartilage and muscle when grafted to the injured site, under the aide of ultra sound guided imaging. It is important to make the distinction that ASCs are obtained directly from the patient and reintroduced back to the patient (analogous). They are different than the controversial embryonic stem cells. ASC procedures are FDA-cleared and are safe for human use.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injectionThe Catalyst.

Stem cell injections are typically followed up with one or more Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) procedures. It is believed that PRP is the catalyst of the regenerative process by turning on growth factors and bio-active proteins that are essential for complete healing. A common metaphor I use with patients to help explain the process is the stem cells are the lawn seed and the PRP is the fertilizer. Both are essential for complete repair and healing of tissue.

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Performance Rehabilitation & Integrated Medicine in Watchung, NJ offers the latest 21st Century Non Surgical ...

IMAGE:This is the cover of Nanomedicine, MEDLINE indexed Impact factor: 5.824 (2013). view more

Credit: Future Science Group

31 March, 2015 - Nanomedicine has published a special focus issue on the combined force of nanomedicine and regenerative medicine; two fields that continue to develop at a dramatic pace.

Titled 'Engineering the nanoenvironment for regenerative medicine', the issue is guest edited by Professor Matthew J. Dalby (University of Glasgow, UK, and associate editor of Nanomedicine) and Dr Manus J.P. Biggs (National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland). It comprises 9 primary research articles and 3 reviews covering topics relevant to the current translation of nanotopography and nanofunctionalization for nanoscale regenerative strategies in medicine.

Indeed, the field of 'nanoregeneration' has grown exponentially over the last 15 years, and fields of study focusing on the nanobiointerface now include nanotopographical modification, formulation of existing biomaterials and modification of the extracellular matrix, as well as the development of targeting techniques using nanoparticles.

Nanoscale platforms are becoming increasingly recognized as tools to understand biological molecules, subcellular structures and how cells and organs work. Therefore, they could have real applications in regenerative medicine and increase our knowledge of how stem cells work, or in drug discovery and cell targeting.

"The fields of nanomedicine and regenerative medicine continue to evolve at a dramatic pace, with new and exciting developments almost a daily occurrence. This special focus issue highlights the translational research, reviews current thinking and 'shines a light' on the future potential of a field where nanomedicine converges with regenerative medicine," said Michael Dowdall, Managing Commissioning Editor of Nanomedicine. "We feel this is an important subject for our readers to have a comprehensive and contextual overview of. The special focus issue helps provide this context for researchers, by framing the potential applications of nanomedicine/nanoengineering in terms of the current 'state of the art' regenerative medicine techniques."

Professor Dalby commented: "This special focus issue on nanoscale regenerative strategies focuses on basic and translational aspects of nanotopography and nanofunctionalization, and also gives perspective to future fundamental developments in the field, helping provide a future translational pipeline."

Members of RegMedNet, the online community for those working in the field of regenerative medicine, can access select articles from the special focus issue through the online platform.

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Nanomedicine shines light on combined force of nanomedicine and regenerative medicine