Category Archives: Texas Stem Cells

T cells in the bone marrow of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) over-express PD-1 leading to anti-tumor activity,1but checkpoint inhibitors have been shown to overcome this in mouse models.2 Cytarabine is known to suppress the expression of PD-1 allowing cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) to attack AML cells more efficiently, while idarubicin causes the release of antigens which prime CTLs to further promote anti-tumor activity. The combination of both idarubicin and cytarabine has resulted in remission rates of 80%, but despite this high initial response, only 3050% of patients with AML are disease-free long-term2. Alterations of dosing and treatment schedules of this standard induction method have had a limited effect on this outcome.

Professor Farhad Ravandi, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, US, and colleagues conducted a phase II trial to assess nivolumab in combination with idarubicin and cytarabine as a frontline treatment for patients with newly diagnosed AML. They hypothesised that the addition of a further anti-PD-1 agent may improve remission duration by enhancing the anti-tumor activity of CTLs2. Professor Ravandi previously presented this data at the 59th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition in 2017 in Atlanta (our interview with him can be found here).

In this single-arm phase II part of the phase I/II study (NCT02464657), 44 patients aged 1860 years (>60 years if eligible for intensive chemotherapy) with newly diagnosed AML (n=42) or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (n=2) who had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance (ECOG) status of 02 were eligible for inclusion induction treatment.

Induction treatment included a 1.5g/m2, 24-hour infusion of cytarabine daily on Days 14 (three days only for patients >60 years), alongside 12mg/m2 daily on days 13 of idarubicin. Nivolumab was then given on Day 24 at a dose of 3mg/kg which was repeated every two weeks for a year in responders. Initially, a run-in phase was performed with patients with relapsed AML (n=3) who received 1mg/kg nivolumab with idarubicin and cytarabine and no toxicity was observed.

Responders were given consolidation cycles of attenuated doses of idarubicin and cytarabine (up to five) or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The primary endpoint was event-free survival (EFS), with relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) as secondary outcomes. The trial would have stopped if the median EFS was less than seven months or if there was significant toxicity associated with nivolumab use (>10%) at one year.

Grade 12

n (%)

Grade 3

n (%)

Grade 4

n (%)

Nausea

1 (2)

1 (2)

0

Diarrhea

3 (7)

7 (16)

0

Mucositis or stomatitis

1 (2)

0

0

Muscle weakness

0

1 (2)

0

Syncope

0

1 (2)

0

Elevated transaminases

3 (5)

1 (2)

0

Elevated bilirubin

0

1 (2)

0

Febrile Neutropenia

1 (2)

13 (30)

1 (2)

Rash

1 (2)

2 (5)

0

Pneumonitis

1 (2)

0

0

Colitis

1 (2)

1 (2)

1 (2)

Pancreatitis

1 (2)

1 (2)

0

Cholecystitis

0

1 (2)

0

Small bowel obstruction

0

1 (2)

0

Thrombosis or embolism

1 (2)

0

0

Despite a small sample size, short follow-up and a lack of comparator population, the study demonstrates that the use of nivolumab alongside idarubicin and cytarabine as an intensified induction therapy in patients with AML (including those over 60 years old) is safe and feasible. Patients undergoing subsequent allo-HSCT showed promising responses and no increase in complications such as severe GvHD. Whether this combination produces similar outcomes compared to standard induction therapy with or without allo-HSCT needs to be confirmed in larger, randomized trials.

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Nivolumab as an addition to frontline therapy of AML in younger patients - AML Global Portal

After quite a few teaser pictures on their social media platforms since August, BIOLIFE4D finally announced one of the biggest milestones for the company: they successfully 3D printed a tiny heart. But how small is the mini heart?Actually, it is about one quarter the size of a human heart.

The ability to 3D bioprint a mini-heart now gives the biotech firm a roadmap to achieve their ultimate goal: bioprinting a full-scale human heart viable for transplant. It is now a matter of optimizing processes and scaling up the technology for the pioneering company headquartered in Illinois.

Ravi Birla

With the structure of a full-sized heart and four internal chambers, the mini heart is replicating partial functional metrics compared to a full-sized heart as close as anyone has gotten to producing a fully functional heart through 3D bioprinting.The scientific milestone was accomplished at the companysresearch facility at JLABS in Houston, led by Ravi Birla, Chief Science Officer of BIOLIFE4D

3DPrint.com asked Birla about their achievement to understand how functional it is and how this project could lead to a fully beating organ in the future.

The functional performance of our mini-heart is not the same as a normal mammalian heart, though this is a future objective of the research, explained Birla. Our mini-heart is intended for use in drug cardiotoxicity screening, which means that the bar that it must achieve is less than the bar required for a viable transplanted organ. This is why the performance requirements for our mini-heart do not need to mimic a fully-functional animal heart at this point.

Bioprinting at BIOLIFE4D

As we move forward we will be optimizing our bioink as well as the bioprinting parameters which are needed for optimal functional performance, suggested the expert, who also previously served as the Associate Director of the Department of Stem Cell Engineering at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston.

So how did they do it? First on their list was developing a proprietary bioink using a very specific composition of different extracellular matrix compounds that closely replicate the properties of the mammalian heart. There is still no formal name to the bioinkas it was developed in-house and for now, it is currently intended for BIOLIFE4D use only.

Then, they got around creating a novel and unique bioprinting algorithm, consisting of printing parameters optimized for the whole heart. Coupling its proprietary bioink with patient-derived cardiomyocytes and its enabling bioprinting technology, BIOLIFE4D was able to bioprint a heart. Birla suggested that because of the strategic partnerships that they have developed, they have access to and utilize most of the commercially available printers which are on the market, but the mini-heart was essentially biofabricated in their labs using a CELLINK INKREDIBLE+.

We currently used a commercial source of human cells, through the expected use of the technology in using patient derived autologous cells, claimed Birla. Utilizing patient specific cells is really a cornerstone to our technology.

Currently those lucky enough to receive a donor heart transplant are really only trading one disease for another. The donor heart will save their life, but to prevent rejection the patient needs to take a large regiment of immunosuppressant therapy which causes many significant challenges for the patient. By bioengineering the heart out of the patients own cells we eliminate the need for that immunosuppressant therapy which could allow for a much better quality of life for the patient, he continued.

With this platform technology in place, BIOLIFE4D is now well-positioned to build upon it and work towards the development of a full-scale human heart. This latest milestone also positions the company as one of the top contenders at the forefront of whole heart bioengineering, a field that is rapidly advancing.

However, beyond the scientific advancements the mini-heart represents, this is also an opportunity to provide the pharmacological industry and drug discovery companies a new tool for cardiotoxicity testing of new drugs and compounds. Until now the model used for predicting the cardiotoxicity effects of a new drug or compound was essentially limited to the animal model.But BIOLIFE4D intends to ultimately provide the mini-hearts as a more reliable model of predicting cardiotoxicity, claiming that there is no better predictor of how a human heart will react than a human heart. This also represents an opportunity to reduce the number of animals used for testing purposes, something which is already banned in quite a few regions,including India, the European Union, New Zealand, Israel, and Norway.

We are already working closely with companies that provide cardiotoxicity testing services to the Pharma and drug discovery industries. All drugs, new compounds and anything else that currently undergoes cardiotoxicity testing requirements prior to entering the human market could be candidates for the mini-heart. After all, what would provide a better predictive model of how a human heart will respond than a human heart (albeit a scaled-down version)? revealed Birla.

The mini-heart has many of the features of a human heart even though BIOLIFE4D has not been able to recreate the full functionality of a human heart yet.

While we have bioengineered mini-hearts, and this in itself is a major accomplishment, a significant advancement in the field of whole heart engineering and moves us closer to bioprinting human hearts for transplantation, this accomplishment does not provide us with a specific time-line or a significant guidance on when the fully funcitional heart will be available.

According to Birla, the most difficult part to 3D print a human heart at this point is the valves, due to the complex tri-leaflet geometry. But as they begin to scale up, they can anticipate that the complex vasculature that is needed to keep an organ viable could prove to be a big challenge.

Birla is convinced that the algorithm used as a fundamental part of the mini-heart could change the way labs will bioprint organs in the future.Weused very specific and highly customized printing parameters to bioprint the mini-heart which we have customized for our use in our lab and for our specific purposes. Some of the process ultimately could be leveraged for the bioengineering of other organs, but our overall process to bioengineer a human heart is unique to a heart.

One of the huge advantages BIOLIFE4D enjoys is that they have been able to form strategic partnerships with various major research institutions and hospitals to provide them access to some of the most state-of-the-art facilities and equipment. Nevertheless, because of the highly confidential nature of their work, most of it is done in-house at the labs and by their own researchers.

The successful demonstration of a mini heart is the latest in a string of scientific milestones from BIOLIFE4D as it seeks to produce the worlds first 3D bioprinted human heart viable for transplant. Earlier in 2019, they successfully 3D bioprinted various individual heart components, including valves, ventricles, blood vessels, and in June of 2018 they 3D bioprintedhuman cardiac tissue(a cardiac patch).

The company states that their innovative 3D bioprinting process provides the ability to reprogram a patients own white blood cells to iPS cells, and then to differentiate those iPS cells into different types of cardiac cells needed to 3D bioprint individual cardia components and ultimately, a human heart viable for transplant.

This is crucial for a company that seeks to disrupt how heart disease and other cardiac impairments are treated, particularly by improving the transplant process so that in the future they can eliminate the need for donor organs. Heart disease is the number one cause of death of men and women in the United States each year. Heart diseases even claim more lives each year than all forms of cancer combined, yet countless individuals who need transplants are left waiting as there are not enough donors to meet demand and every 30 seconds, someone dies in the US of a heart disease-related event.

While we have come a long way, and we are moving forward at a fast pace, we just dont know how long it will take to achieve a full-scale heart. We have to keep in mind that mother nature had millions of years to perfect this process inside our bodies, while we just arent sure exactly how long it is going to take us to perfect the process outside of the body, concluded Birla.

At BIOLIFE4D, they know there are still challenges on the way to the full-size human heart viable for transplantation, however, this achievement signals that they are on the right path. They highlighted that their success, as well as the significant advancements they have been able to achieve already,are a result of an incredible team effort,a multi-disciplinary group of researchers working on the project, from bioengineers to life scientists.Their team consists of people with specific skill sets and areas of expertise, all working hard to bring this incredible life-saving technology to the market in the shortest time possible.

Here is the original post:
Interview: BIOLIFE4D is The First US Company to Bioprint a Mini-Heart (for Cardiotoxicity Testing) - 3DPrint.com

People who suffer catastrophic breaks to their long leg bones usually face multiple surgeries, and all too often, amputation.

Scientists at the University of Arizona have been working for more than 20 years to improve the treatment protocol.

Now, they're using a patient's own fat and 3D printing to regrow long bones.

Yudith Burreal broke her leg when an ATV rolled on her a year ago.

"It was completely missing. They didn't know, it was a big chunk of my bone. It was my tibia bone," she recalled.

Her doctors used her bone and marrow to fix the break. But Burreal ended her plans to go into the military, believing her leg wouldn't support her in training.

University of Arizona researchers are developing a way to fix broken long bones with stem cells, a 3D-printed scaffold and a sensor to monitor exercise that helps bones heal.

"If we can fill our scaffold with these cells, the bone will start to form throughout the length of the scaffold," Dr. John A. Szivek explained.

Stem cells are multiplied in a lab and run with calcium particles through the scaffold between the bone ends. A rod holds it in place for six to nine months. The bone grows in and around the scaffold.

"Lately, we have been successful with removing all of the supporting hardware and showing that supporting the bone that we're regrowing is actually functional tissue, to show that it does not need any additional orthopedic hardware in order to function," Dr. David Margolis said.

This work is funded by a $2 million grant from the United States Department of Defense.

"We believe that using this type of approach could regrow the bones for the soldiers, and they would be able to return to active military service," Szivek said.

Researchers will report the recent success they've had with procedures on sheep to the Food and Drug Administration. If the agency accepts it, a Phase 1 trial of fewer than 10 people could start soon at Banner-University Medical Center in Phoenix.

MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHSRESEARCH SUMMARYTOPIC: STEM CELLS REGROW LONG BONESREPORT: MB #4630

BACKGROUND: Long bones include the humerus, radius, ulna, femur, tibia and fibula. Fracturing one of these bones can result in an acute, comminuted, or stress fracture. Acute fractures have a dramatic presentation, whereas a stress fracture is not as noticeable and a little more subtle. A comminuted fracture is when the bone is broken down into many little pieces. Normally it takes a massive force to break a long bone, like a car or motorcycle accident. Most car or motorcycle accidents cause a comminuted fracture. Sports injuries like falling while skiing or running into someone during a soccer or football game can also result in the breaking of a long bone. (Source: https://www.texashealth.org/thpg/texas-foot-ankle-orthopedics/conditions-we-treat/lower-extremity-trauma/long-bone-fracture & https://bestpractice.bmj.com/topics/en-us/386)

TREATMENT: Treatments include surgical and non-surgical treatments depending on a patient's health and severity of the fracture. Initial treatment may involve your physician applying a splint to provide comfort and support. Another non-surgical method is a cast and functional brace. Surgical treatment is needed if the patient has an open fracture with wounds that need monitoring or if the fracture never healed after a non-surgical treatment. Surgical procedures include intramedullary nailing, plates and screw, and external fixation. (Source: https://www.texashealth.org/thpg/texas-foot-ankle-orthopedics/conditions-we-treat/lower-extremity-trauma/long-bone-fracture)

REGROWING BONES: John A. Szivek, PhD, Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery, William and Sylvia Rubin Chair of Orthopedic Research, Director, Robert G. Volz Orthopedic Research Laboratory, and Senior Scientist at the Arizona Arthritis Center explains how stem cells are helping regrow bones so that patients do not have to use cadaver bone to replace what was damaged. "The way we're doing that is we start off with creating what's called a scaffold. The scaffold is just a template. That template will help that new bone form in the right shape and structure. And we fill these scaffolds for the patients with their own stem cells. We call them adult stem cells. And we extract those stem cells from the patient's own fat," said Szivek. He adds that there are more benefits to this than former procedures, saying, "The advantage of doing that is there's no rejection potential because we're using the person's own cells. And the other advantage is that if we can fill our scaffold with these cells, the bone will start to form throughout the length of that scaffold." (Source: John Szivek, PhD)

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Stem cells regrow leg's long bones - WNDU-TV

A team researchers, with help from a UF scientist, have figured out how to grow the bacteria, which could lead to treatments and disease-resistant trees.

Washington is known for apples but researchers at Washington State University along with colleagues at the University of Florida may have discovered a long-sought holy grail in the quest to stem citrus greening, the disease that has decimated the Floridas flagship crop.

WSU scientists are able to grow the bacteria that causes citrus greening a major step in the creation of resistant plants or treatments for the disease. Among the researchers is David Gang, professor and director of the Tissue Imaging and Proteomics Laboratory at WSU.

The expertise of everybody involved came together in the perfect combination. Thats how we were able to come up with the idea to do this, Gang said. We figured that there had to be something that everybody was missing something about how the bacterium grows that people just werent considering.

To grow the bacteria, researchers first needed samples of it. And thats where Nabil Killiny, UF associate professor in the Department of Plant Pathology Citrus Research and Education Center, comes in.

As part of his research, Killiny grows the insects that transmit the bacteria to trees and studies the nutrients they require. Killiny provided leaves and stems from infected Hamlin orange trees to the scientists at WSU.

From that, scientists were able to find the right recipe of oxygen, salts, acids, vitamins and other ingredients needed to promote long-term growth of a bacteria something that had stymied earlier efforts.

We always had the bacteria for short term, and then we would lose it. Now we have the bacteria for more than two years and can replicate it very nicely. Its perfect, Killiny said. All of the samples are from Florida. Bacteria have so many strains, and it is possible that the strains in Texas are different from the strains in Florida or the strains in California. Now we have the Florida strain in culture, so Florida will be the first state to get benefits.

Data from Florida Citrus Mutual, a cooperative association of citrus growers, shows how the commercial growth of oranges has shriveled.

In 2003-04, Florida produced about 240 million boxes of the fruit, communications director Andrew Meadows said. Greening was found in 2005, and since then, about 70 million boxes a year have been harvested. About 850,000 acres were planted in oranges; now its about 425,000 acres.

Not all of the decline is due to citrus greening, but Meadows said a big portion of it is. Meadows said the bacteria breakthrough is big.

Its a step forward, most definitely. The research community has been trying to culture the bacteria since we started this fight more than a decade ago, so this is a huge advancement, Meadows said.

The biggest financial impact of the disease is on commercial growers. But citrus greening also kills trees that Florida residents have in their yards and love for the free fruit they provide.

Citrus greening is caused by the candidatus liberibacter asiaticus bacteria and is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid insect, which feeds on the stems and leaves, according to the Florida Department of Citrus.

WSU was awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture two years ago to try to develop the bacteria. Killiny said UF got $500,000 from the grant for its role in the project. A researcher from the University of Arizona also worked on the project.

Citrus greening bacteria create biofilm groups of cells that protect themselves by secreting protective or slimy compounds. The plaque on your teeth is from biofilm bacteria. So is methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, the superbug known as MRSA.

WSU has experts in the field of reproducing bacteria, including Haluk Beyenal, an expert in biofilm culturing. He was able, using the right ingredients in the culturing medium, to grow the bacteria and keep it growing.

The biofilm was pretty much the critical thing. Haluk has figured out how to grow different biofilms, Gang said. Were convinced that anybody who follows the methods we put together will be able to grow this bacteria. Weve been able to make it grow now from different trees that have been infected.

More research needs to be done, but Killiny and Gang said eventually the work will lead to the development of orange trees that are more resistant to greening or to treatments for the disease.

It will be much faster now, in my opinion. You can imagine how many compounds we can test now, Killiny said.

View original post here:
A breakthrough in the battle against citrus greening - Gainesville Sun

Mymetics (OTCMKTS:MYMX) and Crispr Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) are both medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Volatility and Risk

Mymetics has a beta of -0.18, suggesting that its stock price is 118% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Crispr Therapeutics has a beta of 3.14, suggesting that its stock price is 214% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Mymetics and Crispr Therapeutics net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Mymetics and Crispr Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.

Crispr Therapeutics has a consensus target price of $58.30, indicating a potential upside of 20.63%. Given Crispr Therapeutics higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Crispr Therapeutics is more favorable than Mymetics.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

50.3% of Crispr Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. 54.2% of Mymetics shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 21.4% of Crispr Therapeutics shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Mymetics and Crispr Therapeutics revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Mymetics has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Crispr Therapeutics.

Summary

Crispr Therapeutics beats Mymetics on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

Mymetics Company Profile

Mymetics Corporation, a vaccine company, focuses on developing vaccines for infectious diseases primarily in Switzerland. The company's product pipeline includes vaccine candidates, such as HIV-1/AIDS, intra nasal influenza, malaria, chikungunya, herpes simplex virus, and the respiratory syncitial virus (RSV) vaccine. It has a collaboration agreement with Texas Biomedical Research Institute; PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative; the Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop and produce virosome based vaccine formulations for a malaria transmission-blocking vaccine candidate; RSV Corporation for developing the RSV vaccine; and Sanofi Pasteur Biologics, LLC to investigate the immunogenicity of influenza vaccines. The company was formerly known as ICHOR Corporation and changed its name to Mymetics Corporation in July 2001. Mymetics Corporation was founded in 1990 and is based in Epalinges, Switzerland.

Crispr Therapeutics Company Profile

CRISPR Therapeutics AG, a gene editing company, focuses on developing transformative gene-based medicines for the treatment of serious human diseases using its regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats associated protein-9 (CRISPR/Cas9) gene-editing platform in Switzerland. Its lead product candidate is CTX001, an ex vivo CRISPR gene-edited therapy for treating patients suffering from dependent beta thalassemia or severe sickle cell disease in which a patient's hematopoietic stem cells are engineered to produce high levels of fetal hemoglobin in red blood cells. The company is also developing CTX110, a donor-derived gene-edited allogeneic CAR-T therapy targeting cluster of differentiation 19 positive malignancies. In addition, it is developing allogeneic CAR-T programs targeting B-Cell maturation antigen and CD70; CTX120, a CAR-T cell product candidate for the treatment of multiple myeloma; CTX130 for the treatment of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies; programs to treat Hurler Syndrome and severe combined immunodeficiency disease, as well as glycogen storage disease Ia; and programs targeting diseases, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis. It has a collaboration agreements with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Incorporated and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Europe) Limited to develop, manufacture, commercialize, sell, and use various therapeutics; and StrideBio LLC to develop adeno-associated viral capsids. The company also has research collaboration agreements with Neon Therapeutics for developing neoantigen-based therapeutic vaccines and T cell therapies; Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center to develop T cell therapies for cancer; ViaCyte, Inc. for designing, developing, and commercializing gene-edited allogeneic stem cell therapies for the treatment of diabetes; and ProBioGen AG to develop novel in vivo delivery modalities for CRISPR/Cas9. CRISPR Therapeutics AG is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland.

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Comparing Mymetics (OTCMKTS:MYMX) & Crispr Therapeutics (OTCMKTS:CRSP) - TechNewsObserver

Stem cell therapy is a ground-breaking method of treating degenerative and chronic diseases. It is ideal for treating painful, and debilitating conditions such as Osteoarthritis, muscle & joint pain, and acute injuries. These treatments involve using products from living organisms to regenerate tissue and improve the bodys ability to heal itself naturally.

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There are many stem cell treatments, but here at Texas Regional Health & Wellness, we use Human Umbilical Cord Therapy (HUCT) stem cells.Umbilical cord tissue provides an abundant supply of mesenchymal stem cells. They are used to help reduce inflammation, control the immune system and aid in the regeneration of the central nervous system. We chose HUCT stem cells because theyre less mature than other cells making them more efficient in treating medical conditions. Also, since the bodys immune system is unable to recognize these stem cells as foreign, they are not rejected.

There is no need for us to collect stem cells from the patients hip bone or fat under anesthesia, which especially for small children and their parents, can be an unpleasant ordeal.

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STEM CELL THERAPY & TREATMENTS Texas Regional Health

Darwin Prockop, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Texas A&M Health Science Center Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Scott & White, answers your questions about this complex and rapidly developing field.

Stem cells have the ability to divide and create more cellsboth new stem cells and differentiated cellsindefinitely.

Were still discovering some of the amazing capabilities of these cells, but based on research at the Texas A&M Health Science Center recently, we do know that they can help repair bone and potentially both cause and cure cancer.

Stem cells have long been thought to hold the key for curing disease, regenerating organs and even keeping a body young. Weve since learned its a lot more complicated than that, but they still hold possibilities for the future of medicine.

Stem cells can be broadly split into three categories: embryonic, adult and induced pluripotent.

One major difference between the various types of stem cells is in how many different types of cells they can create. Multipotent cells can develop into more than one cell type of the body. Pluripotent cells are able to form, or differentiate into, all tissues types. However, they are not able to create a new animal. Totipotent cells, on the other hand, are pluripotent cells that are able to give rise to the supporting extra-embryonic structures of the placenta.

Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are isolated from an embryohuman or otherwiseabout five days after fertilization and grown in a dish. The benefit of these cells is that they have the potential to become any type of cell in the body. These are what most people think of when they think stem cells, but theyve largely fallen out of favor in the scientific community, both for ethical and practical reasons. Researchers have found that ES cells really only function properlywithout creating tumorsin a developing embryo.

Adult stem cells, which are also called somatic stem cells or tissue-specific stem cells, can be found in several places within the body. Each location holds a specific type of stem cell, specialized to that part of the body.

They are found all over the body, as they are needed to replace cells that get worn out or damaged. For example, epithelial stem cells in the gut can make more cells to replace the gut lining and neural stem cells can give rise to new brain cells.

The hematopoietic stem cellsin bone marrow and umbilical cord blood, which make red and white blood cells as well as platelets, are the easiest to isolate, and have been used in therapy for decades. Bone marrow stromal cells are a different type of adult stem cell, also found in bone marrow, that can make many types of cells. A multipotent subset of this type, bone marrow stromal stem cells, which are also called skeletal stem cells, are able to form bone, cartilage, stromal cells that support blood formation, fat and fibrous tissue. Other places in the body known to have adult stem cells include the brain, heart, skin, teeth, liver and skeletal muscle.

Sometimes transdifferentiationthe process of a specialized type of stem cell creating cells of a different type of tissuecan occur, but for the most part, these stem cells can only make more the same cell type. Even with their limitationsor maybe because of themadult stem cells are safer and more predictable than other types of stem cells.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are something like a combination of adult and embryonic stem cells in that they are derived from adult tissue but behave like ES cells. They divide without limit and can differentiate into nearly any type of cell.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs, also sometimes called mesenchymal stromal cells) are somewhat confusing, because although they currently mean adult stem cells from non-blood tissues, some people are also starting to use it to mean the similar cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells to create multipotent cells that can differentiate into bone, muscle, cartilage and fat.

Our preclinical data were the basis of the first clinical trial of MSCs, which focused on children with a genetic disease called osteogenesis imperfecta that causes severe brittleness of bone. The children improved, and although the improvement was temporary, the results opened the door to the further clinical trials of the cells.

In the United States, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have sponsored a multi-center trial for use of MSCs for treating acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Induced pluripotent stem cells are an important area of active research because they have most of the benefits of embryonic stem cells but none of the ethical issues. However, there are still major regulatory problems because an intrinsic property of the cells is that they form tumors in animal models, an ominous sign that they may form cancers in patients. They are used in clinical trials, primarily for treating macular degeneration, because it is relatively easy to detect and tumors in the eyes and remove them.

Adult stem cells are a far more active area of clinical trial research, with over 400 clinical trials using MSCs alone. Thousands of patients have received the cells and there have been no documented cases of any adverse events. Most of these trials have been too small for thorough evaluation, but most have been generating promising results.

Darwin Prockop, M.D., Ph.D., professor of molecular and cellular medicine, is the director of the Texas A&M Health Science Center Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Scott & White and a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine. He will be receiving the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in Cell Therapy by the International Society for Cell Therapy, the leading organization in the field, in Singapore on May 26, 2016. Papers from his laboratory have been cited over 24,000 times by other scientists.

Christina Sumners

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Fast Facts: Stem Cells 101 Vital Record

The Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas is helping Keller, Texas patients stop chronic pain with customized non-invasive treatment options to address your unique health needs and meet your health goals. We specialize in Advanced Regenerative Cell Therapy that offers safe and effective solutions for patients with a wide array of conditions. Our expert staff focuses on total body health and works with you to design your personal path to ending your chronic pain and reclaiming your life. Our innovative Advance Regenerative Cell Therapy has been proven effective in treating degenerative arthritic conditions, hip, knee, shoulder and elbow joint conditions, rotator cuff tendonitis, Achilles tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Traditional treatment plans often rely on medications with dangerous side effects and risky invasive surgeries but, The Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas in Keller is focused on providing patients an alternative path to healing and living a pain free life with Advanced Regenerative Cell Therapy that helps you avoid these harmful options. Patients living with chronic pain from degenerative joint conditions like hip osteoarthritis regularly endure steroid injections, never-ending pain medication protocols and joint replacement surgery often with little to no relief from their pain. Advanced Regenerative Cell Therapy treatments work to heal the underlying cause of your chronic pain and gives patients long-term results they can trust instead of just masking symptoms.

At The Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas we take creating a personalized patient experience seriously so its only natural that we provide a revolutionary treatment like Advanced Regenerative Cell Therapy that works with your body on a cellular level with cutting edge healing power. Advanced Cell Therapy commands growth factors and cytokines to the affected area and helps to repair and regenerate bone, ligaments, tendons and cartilage. Our skilled staff is dedicated to helping you stop chronic pain with a healthy, safe, non-invasive treatment. Call our Keller, Texas team today and discover how Advanced Regenerative therapy can change your life.

Call Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas Keller today to set up a consultation for one of our services, including stem cell therapy and neuropathy.

Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas offers functional medicine, including physical therapy in Keller, TX, 76132 and Arlington, TX, 76010. For yourFREE consultation, call us today at817-618-6443 in Fort Worth or 817-678-8509 in Keller.

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Keller, TX Stem Cells | Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas

The Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas is helping Arlington, Texas patients stop chronic pain with customized non-invasive treatment options to address your unique health needs and meet your health goals. We specialize in Advanced Regenerative Cell Therapy that offers safe and effective solutions for patients with a wide array of conditions. Our expert staff focuses on total body health and works with you to design your personal path to ending your chronic pain and reclaiming your life. Our innovative Advance Regenerative Cell Therapy has been proven effective in treating degenerative arthritic conditions, hip, knee, shoulder and elbow joint conditions, rotator cuff tendonitis, Achilles tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Traditional treatment plans often rely on medications with dangerous side effects and risky invasive surgeries, but The Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas in Arlington is focused on providing patients an alternative path to healing and living a pain free life with Advanced Regenerative Cell Therapy that helps you avoid these harmful options. Patients living with chronic pain from degenerative joint conditions like hip osteoarthritis regularly endure steroid injections, never-ending pain medication protocols and joint replacement surgery often with little to no relief from their pain. Advanced Regenerative Cell Therapy treatments work to heal the underlying cause of your chronic pain and gives patients long-term results they can trust instead of just masking symptoms.

At The Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas we take creating a personalized patient experience seriously so its only natural that we provide a revolutionary treatment like Advanced Regenerative Cell Therapy that works with your body on a cellular level with cutting edge healing power. Advanced Cell Therapy commands growth factors and cytokines to the affected area and helps to repair and regenerate bone, ligaments, tendons and cartilage. Our skilled staff is dedicated to helping you stop chronic pain with a healthy, safe, non-invasive treatment. Call our team Arlington, Texas today and discover how Advanced Regenerative therapy can change your life.

Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas offers functional medicine, including physical therapy in Fort Worth, TX, 76132 and Arlington, TX, 76010. For yourFREE consultation, call us today at817-618-6443 in Fort Worth or 817-678-8558 in Arlington.

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Arlington Stem Cells | Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas

Research in Houston supports the discovery of stem cell-based therapies and cures for diseases, and teaches and train the next generation of leading stem cell scientists. So far, stem cell therapy has demonstrated to be safe, with no adverse effects and with great results. Diseases like Multiple Sclerosis, liver diseases, arthritis, diabetes and many other inflammatory and degenerative diseases have now, new medical treatment options.

The increasing knowledge and research-based efficacy of stem cell therapies in Houston, TX and around the country has opened up a range of treatment options for patients not available even a few years ago. However, only a few clinics in the United States have legally approved therapies.

Residents from Richmond, Sugar Land, Katy, The Woodlands, Oak Ridge North, Manvel and Pearland, can now be part of the stem cells trend at the best place in Costa Rica. Wecan evaluate your condition and see if you are a candidate for stem cell therapy. Contact us now.

The Stem Cells Transplant Institute of Costa Rica specializes in the legal treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Critical limb isquemia, Parkinson, Cardiovascular Disease, Knee Injury, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Osteoarthritis, Erectile Dysfunction, Chronic Obstructive pulmonary disease, Alzheimer, Myocardial infarction, Neuropathy and Diabetes.Contact us.

Stem Cells Transplant Institute in Costa Rica is a pioneer in the field of providing health care for patients who may benefit from the deployment of stem cells. We want to offer our patients from Houston the option to access to these therapies with the highest standard of healthcare and responsibility. We have world-class technology and the best environment at Costa Rica. Get legally approved stem cell therapies now.

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Houston, Texas Stem Cell Transplants, Richmond, Sugar Land ...