03-02-2012 15:53 When Barry Goudy found out he had multiple sclerosis he feared the worst. Doctors told him he might lose his eye sight and the ability to walk. As a very active husband, father and hockey coach, Barry couldn't think of anything worse than losing his ability to get around. But then he learned of a new way to treat MS with a stem cell transplant. The transplant worked and today he's living proof of the miracles that can come from Adult Stem Cell Research.

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Adult Stem Cell Sucess Stories - Barry Goudy - Video

Oldsmar, Fla (PRWEB) February 07, 2012

Cryo-Cell International, Inc. (OTC:QB Markets Group Symbol: CCEL) and Stanford University announced signing a material transfer agreement to test the efficacy of mesenchymal-like stem cells derived from menstrual blood (MenSCs) in a model of pancreatic islet transplantation for type 1 diabetes treatment. Specifically, the menstrual blood stem cells provided by Cryo-Cell will be tested in vitro and in vivo to enhance pancreatic islet viability, regeneration, and function during the peritransplantation period.

Dr. Magali J Fontaine MD PhD., the principal investigator, stated “We are looking forward to this collaborative effort to contribute to the field of Type I Diabetes research”. Dr. Fontaine is an Assistant Professor of Pathology at Stanford Medical School. Dr. Fontaine is a highly trained basic scientist and pathologist specializing in Transfusion Medicine with a strong interest in cellular therapy.

Dr. Julie G. Allickson, PhD., the co-investigator, added “We are very pleased to partner with Dr. Fontaine to explore further functional capabilities of menstrual blood stem cells in a model for Type I Diabetes. We have demonstrated that MenSCs are highly proliferative mesenchymal-like stem cells with capability to differentiate to several different cell lineages.” Dr. Allickson is Vice President Laboratory Operations, Research & Development for Cryo-Cell International, Inc. Dr. Allickson’s expertise in Cell Therapy includes adult stem cell processing and banking along with research on adult stem cells for regenerative medicine.

About Cryo-Cell International, Inc.
Based in Oldsmar Florida, Cryo-Cell is the oldest and one of the largest family cord blood banks with over 240,000 clients worldwide. ISO 9001:2008 certified and accredited by the AABB, Cryo-Cell operates in a state-of-the-art Good Manufacturing Practice and Good Tissue Practice (cGMP/cGTP)-compliant facility. Cryo-Cell is a publicly traded company and trades under the symbol CCEL. Expectant parents or healthcare professionals may call 1-800-STOR-CELL (1-800-786-7235) or visit http://www.cryo-cell.com.

About Cryo-Cell’s Menstrual Stem Cell Service
Cryo-Cell’s Menstrual Stem Cell service was introduced in November 2007 as the first and only service that empowers women to collect and cryopreserve menstrual flow containing undifferentiated adult stem cells for future utilization by the donor or possibly their first-degree relatives in a manner similar to umbilical cord blood stem cells. For more information, visit http://www.cryo-cell.com.

Forward-Looking Statement
Statements wherein the terms "believes", "intends", "projects", "anticipates", "expects", and similar expressions as used are intended to reflect "forward-looking statements" of the Company. The information contained herein is subject to various risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated in such forward-looking statements or paragraphs, many of which are outside the control of the Company. These uncertainties and other factors include the success of the Company's global expansion initiatives and product diversification, the Company's actual future ownership stake in future therapies emerging from its collaborative research partnerships, the success related to its IP portfolio, the Company's future competitive position in stem cell innovation, future success of its core business and the competitive impact of public cord blood banking on the Company's business, the Company's ability to minimize future costs to the Company related to R&D initiatives and collaborations and the success of such initiatives and collaborations, the success and enforceability of the Company's Menstrual Stem Cell technology license agreements and Cord Blood Stem Cell Service license agreements and their ability to provide the Company with royalty fees, the ability of Cryology RTS to generate new revenues for the Company, and those risks and uncertainties contained in risk factors described in documents the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and any Current Reports on Form 8-K filed by the Company. The Company disclaims any obligations to subsequently revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

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Cryo-Cell International, Inc. Announces Material Transfer Agreement with Stanford University

February 7, 2012

University of Illinois researchers determined that an adult stem cell present in muscle is responsive to exercise, a discovery that may provide a link between exercise and muscle health. The findings could lead to new therapeutic techniques using these cells to rehabilitate injured muscle and prevent or restore muscle loss with age.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in skeletal muscle have been known to be important for muscle repair in response to non-physiological injury, predominantly in response to chemical injections that significantly damage muscle tissue and induce inflammation. The researchers, led by kinesiology and community health professor Marni Boppart, investigated whether MSCs also responded to strain during exercise, and if so, how.

“Since exercise can induce some injury as part of the remodeling process following mechanical strain, we wondered if MSC accumulation was a natural response to exercise and whether these cells contributed to the beneficial regeneration and growth process that occurs post-exercise,” said Boppart, who also is affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the U. of I.

The researchers found that MSCs in muscle are very responsive to mechanical strain. They witnessed MSC accumulation in muscle of mice after vigorous exercise. Then, they determined that although MSCs don’t directly contribute to building new muscle fibers, they release growth factors that spur other cells in muscle to fuse and generate new muscle, providing the cellular basis for enhanced muscle health following exercise.

A key element to the Illinois team’s method was in exercising the mice before isolating the cells to trigger secretion of beneficial growth factors. Then, they dyed the cells with a fluorescent marker and injected them into other mice to see how MSCs coordinated with other muscle-building cells.

In addition to examining the cells in vivo, the researchers studied the cells’ response to strain on different substrates. They found that MSC response is very sensitive to the mechanical environment, indicating that conditions of muscle strain affect the cells’ activity.

“These findings are important because we’ve identified an adult stem cell in muscle that may provide the basis for muscle health with exercise and enhanced muscle healing with rehabilitation/movement therapy,” Boppart said. “The fact that MSCs in muscle have the potential to release high concentrations of growth factor into the circulatory system during exercise also makes us wonder if they provide a critical link between enhanced whole-body health and participation in routine physical activity.”

Next, the group hopes to determine whether these cells contribute to the decline in muscle mass over a person’s lifetime. Preliminary data suggest MSCs become deficient in muscle with age. The team hopes to develop a combinatorial therapy that utilizes molecular and stem-cell-based strategies to prevent age-related muscle loss.

“Although exercise is the best strategy for preserving muscle as we age, some individuals are just not able to effectively engage in physical activity,” Boppart said. “Disabilities can limit opportunities for muscle growth. We’re working hard to understand how we can best utilize these cells effectively to preserve muscle mass in the face of atrophy.”

The team published its findings in the journal PLoS One. The Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute, the Ellison Medical Foundation and the Mary Jane Neer Foundation supported this work.

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Source: University of Illinois

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Muscle Stem Cells Activated By Exercise

Enlarge Andrei Tchernov/iStockphoto.com

There's a funding tempest in a cell culture.

Andrei Tchernov/iStockphoto.com

There's a funding tempest in a cell culture.

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation has been in the news because of its clash with Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

But another aspect of Komen's activities hasn't received much attention: Komen's position on research using human embryonic stem cells.

Despite raising millions of dollars for breast cancer research, Komen hasn't funded any of this work, prompting questions about whether that decision is rooted in politics.

"We find this disappointing and really fairly ironic for a group that is 'for the cure' to walk away from research that many scientists think could unlock cures for diseases, including cancer," said Sean Tipton of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, which lobbies for research with human embryonic stem cells.

Many scientists think human embryonic stem cells could lead to cures for many ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, some forms of blindness and possibly cancer. But human embryos have been destroyed to obtain some of the cells. So the research has long been controversial.

"Anything that involves reproductive biology, whether it's a sex survey among high school students or it's contraceptive services, abortion, immediately stirs up political passions," said Daniel Greenberg, who studies the intersection of science and politics.

No one from Komen agreed to be interviewed for this story. But officials maintained that the group doesn't have a formal ban on research involving human embryonic stem cells. They say they just haven't found anything worth funding yet.

But Tipton and others say there are many ways stem cells could help fight breast cancer. "Embryonic-stem-cell work is a powerful research tool for all kinds of diseases and conditions, and breast cancer would certainly be one of those candidates," Tipton said.

For example, stem cells could be used to study the genetic causes of breast cancer, decipher the basic biology of breast cancer tumors and perhaps test new drugs to treat the disease, Tipton and others said.

Now, it turns out, Komen isn's alone. Neither the American Cancer Society nor the American Heart Association funds research with human embryonic stem cells. That's frustrating for many scientists.

"Funding science is supposed to be based on merit," said George Q. Daley, a stem-cell researcher at Harvard University. "Scientific funding should support the best ideas. And if someone has a brilliant idea relevant to breast cancer research or heart disease that uses human embryonic stem cells, it'd be a huge lost opportunity to have one of these foundations refuse to fund it."

Charitable groups can be skittish about politically sensitive research because of fears of alienating some of the legions of volunteers and donors they depend on for survival, Greenberg said.

"These groups live on handouts from the public and they are very, very concerned about offending any donors or potential donors. It's very easy to scare them off," Greenberg said. "Various groups that have a particular issue to push know about this sensitivity and vulnerability of charitable organizations and they're able to manipulate it very well."

Rose Marie Robertson, chief science officer at the American Heart Association. acknowledged that embryonic stem cells could lead to breakthroughs for the nation's leading killer. That's why, she said, her group supports federal funding of the research. But the heart association has banned funding the work itself because of fears of offending volunteers and donors.

"There are people who have varying views in terms of whether they find this personally or ethically, or from a religious perspective, something that is reasonable," Roberton said. "If, in fact, donors chose not to support the heart association because of a particular view in terms of human-embryonic-stem-cell research that would really be harmful."

The American Cancer Society wouldn't make anyone available for an interview. In a statement, the group said it funds research into promising alternatives to human embryonic stem cells. But the "nature" of human embryonic stem cell research "make it imperative that it be pursued under appropriate protections," the groups said. And the federal government, not the cancer society, is "best suited" to "oversee it," according to the statement.

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Controversy Over Stem-Cell Research Keeps Charities On Sidelines