Research and Development: February 2007 Archives

Cord Blood Registry(R) (CBR), the world's leading, privately-held, umbilical cord blood stem cell bank, today stated it will exceed $100 million in revenues before the end of 2007. CBR will be the first in the industry to reach this milestone.

CBR's enrollments and revenue have increased every year since inception and the company has generated positive cash flow from operations since 1999. In addition, the company continues to grow its market share position, which is currently more than 40 percent higher than the nearest competitor.

CBR chief executive officer Tom Moore credits the company's financial performance on the key strategic investments and persistent focus on quality of operations that deliver the best possible product and customer experience.

"This is a time of unprecedented demand for umbilical cord blood banking," said Moore. "By staying focused on investments in research and technology that can deliver the best stem cell recovery, CBR has established a financial leadership position in the industry, published industry-leading processing data and provided more cord blood units for transplant than others in the family banking industry."

According to Moore, the family cord blood banking industry has experienced rapid growth due to several factors: strong scientific evidence supporting therapeutic use of stem cells in more than 70 diseases; a growing number of successful cord blood transplants; increased focus on research in regenerative therapies using cord blood stem cells; and legislation at the state and federal level that encourages or requires that pregnant women receive fair and balanced education on the value of cord blood stem cells.

<a href="http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=13419516">Cord Blood Registry(R) Advances Leadership Position in Growing Family Cord Blood Banking Industry</a> (genengnews.com)

When studying the brain, researchers often focus on its problems: addictions, mental illnesses and degeneration.

Gong Chen, assistant professor of biology at Penn State, spoke Saturday about the hopes and challenges of brain repair with a decidedly brighter tone.

"Today, I hope to show you some positive things about our brain," Chen said to an audience of about 325 in Thomas Building, concluding the 2007 Frontiers of Science lecture series.

The key to possible brain repair lies in stem cell research, Chen said. A highly controversial topic, stem cell research explores the use of stem cells as a way of repairing tissue, he said.

Chen explained to the audience that embryonic stem cells are preferred to adult stem cells for research.

<a href="http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2007/02/02-27-07tdc/02-27-07dscihealth-01.asp">Lecture focuses on brain repair</a> (Margaret Miceli, collegian.psu.edu)

An important choreographer of the complicated dance of signals, enzymes and proteins that takes embryonic stem cells through the steps to becoming a beating heart muscle cell is the gene Sox17, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a report in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

To be precise, Sox17 is critical in transforming primitive mesoderm (an early layer of tissue in the embryo) into the more specialized cardiac mesoderm from which heart muscle develops, said Dr. Michael Schneider, senior researcher of the report.

"Heart muscle formation by embryonic stem cells is a complex, multi-step process," said Schneider, professor of medicine, molecular and cellular biology, and molecular physiology and biophysics at Baylor College of Medicine. "We have succeeded in uncoupling the formation of cardiac mesoderm from its antecedent steps. That discovery provides immediate insight into how one might seek to generate cardiac muscle more effectively from embryonic stem cells."

"One of the major challenges is the very meager ability of the heart muscle to restore itself after cell death," said Schneider. Heart muscle cells die acutely during heart attacks and sporadically in chronic heart failure.

"Identifying stem cells that can be encouraged along the path to becoming heart muscle is a paramount scientific goal," he said.

Embryonic stem cells are a potential source because they have the potential of becoming every type of cell in the body. However, much research remains before scientists can outline a blueprint for how these totally undifferentiated cells can be guided to the "fate" of becoming heart muscle selectively.

<a href="http://www.bcm.edu/news/item.cfm?newsID=814">Sox17 required for transformation of embryonic stem cell to heart muscle cell</a> (Ross Tomlin, bcm.edu)

A nine-year-old Town of Waukesha girl will travel with her mother to China this week for radical stem cell injections.

Roger and Nancy Schindler are hoping the experimental treatment will improve their daughter's life. Rachael is developmentally disabled and has limited mobility from a rare brain disorder.

Rachael will have a month of stem cell injections and physical therapy six days a week at a medical center there.

<a href="http://wkbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=6142824">Nine-year-old, mom travel to China for stem cell injections</a> (wkbt.com)

Doctors have long wondered what makes some cancers so hard to treat.

While some tumors wither under radiation or chemotherapy, or are easily cut away with surgery, others grow back, sometimes years later, despite even the harshest therapies. These relapses often prove fatal, taking the lives of patients who appeared cancer free.

New research suggests that a small group of especially hardy cells may be to blame. Doctors call them cancer stem cells.

Although few in number - they make up less than 1 percent of a tumor - cancer stem cells may be the driving force behind many tumors, playing a far more central and lethal role than the more numerous and ordinary cancer cells that surround them, says surgeon Diane Simeone, director of gastrointestinal oncology at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In some ways, cancer stem cells act like the roots of dandelions, says Richard Jones, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore. A gardener who wants to get rid of dandelions will make little progress by cutting away only the leaves and flowers; he has to pull up the hidden roots to eradicate the plant. If the roots remain, even after the gardener mows the lawn, they will eventually re-create a new dandelion.

Cancer stem cells seem to function the same way, Jones says. If even a
relative few survive treatment, they may be able to make a whole new tumor.

<a href="http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070226/LIFE11/70226022/1001/rss">Stem cells may have role in cancer relapse</a> (app.com)

Media outlets over the weekend trumpeted a new analysis of an old study about adult stem cells that says they show similar promise as embryonic stem cells.
Though the analysis places possible doubts on one study, many others show that adult stem cells and germ cells can be just as effective as embryonic stem cells without the moral problems of destroying human beings for research purposes.

A panel of experts commissioned by the University of Minnesota examined 2002 research by Catherine Verfaillie saying that adult stem cells taken from bone marrow can grow into an assortment of tissues that can be used in treatments.

According to an AP report, the panel said that the study was "significantly flawed, and that the interpretations based on these data, expressed in the manuscript, are potentially incorrect." It did not say whether the conclusions were wrong, only that they may possibly be invalid.

Verfaillie, who has acknowledged that parts of the study use some incorrect data but says the conclusions the study drew are still valid.

"From her perspective, the findings stand. I think the scientific community will have to make their own opinion," Tim Mulcahy, vice president of research at UM, told the Associated Press.

<a href="http://www.lifenews.com/bio1988.html">Though One Study Doubted, Adult Stem Cell Research Still as Effective </a> (lifenews.com)

An anonymous donor has quietly given Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children $5.1 million for stem-cell research.

The private gift will focus on cancer-related stem-cell research, stem cells from adults, and stem cells from human embryos, a controversial area of study.

Janet Rossant, the hospital's chief of research and a stem-cell scientist, told the Globe and Mail she's excited about the donation because it will help researchers understand how stem cells grow.

<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2007/02/26/donation-toronto.html">Sick Kids gets anonymous donation for stem-cell research</a> (cbc.ca)

Ten years ago Thursday, the public learned that Scottish scientists had cloned a sheep. On NPR’s All Things Considered, UCSF stem cell scientists Robert Blelloch, MD, PhD, and Susan Fisher, PhD, spoke with science reporter Joe Palca about their efforts to study the human embryo in a difficult political climate, and confirm that cloned human embryos will inevitably produce stem cell therapies. California announced some of the first grants for stem cell research last week. Arnold Kriegstein, MD, PhD, director the UCSF Institute for Regeneration Medicine, told NPR’s Day to Day that the assurance of state funding will allow UCSF to plan an embryonic stem cell research program into the future, which was difficult in the climate of ethical and political challenges to the research.

<a href="http://pub.ucsf.edu/today/cache/feature/200702234.html">UCSF Scientists Provide Overview on State of Therapeutic Cloning Studies</a> (pub.ucsf.edu)

One of the most high profile -- and controversial -- papers in the adult stem cell field has been called into further question this month after a university investigation raised concerns about the methods used to identify the cell population.

In a 2002 Nature paper Catherine Verfaillie and colleagues reported that cells derived from mouse bone marrow, which they called multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs), seemed able to differentiate into "most, if not all, somatic cell types." The paper, which triggered international headlines, claimed that multipotent adult progenitor cells could be an ideal source for stem cell therapy.

But the results proved difficult to replicate, and scientists have been debating the paper since its release. "It was very controversial because it has been so difficult to pin down what the cells exactly were, and how they were able to differentiate so widely," said Perry Bartlett, Foundation Chair in Molecular Neuroscience at the University of Queensland, Australia.

<a href="http://www.the-scientist.com/news/home/52892/">Adult stem cell report questioned</a> (Stephen Pincock, the-scientist.com)

South Korea yesterday restarted its stem cell research, embryonic and otherwise. The program had been stalled for more than a year. Science and Technology Minister Kim Woo-sik on Thursday yesterday chaired a government meeting that decided to pump 33 million dollars into stem cell research.

This figure is 20% more than the sum allocated in 2006. The total investment for research will amount to 430 million over the next 10 years, according to Park Jong-koo, vice minister. Park said: “No experiments are planned on embryonic stem cells for now since revisions of the Bioethics Law are still being discussed. However, we are not excluding anything,’’ Park said.

South Korea blocked all types of stem cell research last year when the experiments of the “cloning pioneer” Hwang Woo-suk were found to have been faked.

The vet, who was once a "national hero", fell into disgrace after the international scientific community and the capital's university revealed that results of his research on embryonic stem cells were fabricated in the laboratory to give the impression that he had managed to clone healthy cells from sick people stricken by diseases for which no cure is currently available.

<a href="http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=8568&size=A">Stem cell research resumes after cloning scandal</a> (asianews.it)

Too small to see with the naked eye, the microscopic cell pulses with the potential to heal the body's strongest muscle.
University researchers have discovered undeveloped adult stem cells in the hearts of animals that share many of the same characteristics of embryonic stem cells.

The study results were published in the February edition of Nature Clinical Practice Cardiovascular Medicine.

The cells have as much, if not more, potential as many of the other cells researchers have worked with previously, said paper co-author Doris Taylor, the director of the University's Center for Cardiovascular Repair.

"If you give them the right nutrients and media that they need, they'll actually develop into beating heart cells in a dish," she said.

Fellow author Dr. Harald Ott, the former scientific director of the center, said University scientists are the first to discover this specific kind of cell.

"What we've shown is that our cells actually express the same markers as embryonic stem cells," he said.

<a href="http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2007/02/22/70878">Researchers discover heart stem cells in animals</a> (Mike Enright, mndaily.com)

Public policy issues related to human embryonic stem cell research will be the topic of a half-day symposium co-sponsored by the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the WiCell Research Institute on Friday, March 2.

"The Potential of Stem Cells: Public Policy Issues Beyond the Microscope" will feature presentations by several campus experts. The symposium, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 1-5 p.m. at the Fluno Center for Executive Education, 601 University Ave.

WiCell Director Carl Gulbrandsen will open the symposium with a brief history of stem-cell research at UW-Madison, and provide an overview of current patenting, licensing and regulatory issues.

"The pioneering efforts of researchers at the University of Wisconsin have resulted in fascinating discoveries and advancements in human embryonic stem-cell research over the last decade," Gulbrandsen says. "Understanding the legal, regulatory and legislative environment within which we work is key to our future progress."

Brad Barham and Jeremy Foltz of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics will speak about patenting and licensing of scientific research by universities, while Pilar Ossorio and Alta Charo of the Law School will speak about bioethics, regulation and state policies related to stem cell research. Stephen Maurer of the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, will present on open-source biology.

"This collaboration with WiCell will advance the public policy debate on stem cell research," says Barbara (Bobbi) Wolfe, director of the La Follette School. "Stem cell research continues to be a prominent issue on the federal, state and local policy agendas. The questions that will be addressed are also important for many other scientific advances and will guide the role of universities for decades to come."

<a href="http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=89519">UW-Madison: Symposium To Link Stem Cell Research, Public Policy</a> (wisbusiness.com)

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger attended an event Friday where research grants for stem cell research were handed out. KGO-TV reports that now that grants have been given out there is still concern about how long it will take to make the research a reality. The UCSF-affiliated J. David Gladstone Institutes received grants totaling more than $2.3 million for stem cell studies already underway that can bring the research closer to results. Gladstone researchers Warner Greene, MD, PhD, and Deepak Srivastava, MD, explain what stem cells are, what they do, and the hope for using them in treating disease.

In related news, eleven UCSF faculty members, representing medical disciplines as far ranging as breast cancer, Parkinson’s disease and heart development research, were among scientists awarded funding by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for human embryonic stem cell research.

<a href="http://pubaffairs.ucsf.edu/today/cache/feature/200702205.html">Inside New Stem Cell Research</a> (pubaffairs.ucsf.edu)

Korea has restarted its stem cell engine, which has sputtered over the past year after a scandal involving the country¡¯s disgraced cloning scientist Hwang Woo-suk.

Science and Technology Minister Kim Woo-sik on Thursday chaired a meeting of the science-related ministers on measures to boost stem cell research.

The government plans to channel up to 31 billion won ($33 million) into stem cell experiments this year alone, up 20 percent from 25.8 billion won in 2006.

The total investment will amount to 430 billion won over the next 10 years, according to Park Jong-koo, vice minister for science and technology innovation.

``Some express concerns that stem cell research is stagnant here. But we are still committed to it,¡¯¡¯ Park said in a press conference.

``Regarding human embryonic stem cells, we are seeking to conclude to what extent we will allow that form of research by next month. We also plan to finish revisions of the Bioethics Law later this year,¡¯¡¯ Park said.

The National Bioethics Committee will convene early next month to discuss whether or not to permit the controversial research with cloned human embryos.

<a href="http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200702/kt2007022217562610440.htm">Korea Reignites Stem Cell Engine</a> (Kim Tae-gyu, times.hankooki.com)

Stem Cell Sciences plc, (LSE: AIM, "STEM") has licensed the use of their novel mouse neural stem cell technology to Merck & Co., Inc. for research use. Financial terms were not disclosed, but include a signing fee and milestone payments.
 
SCS believes NS cells have potential broad research applications. This includes their use in target identification/validation studies, as well as in small molecule library screening applications.

The cells and technology will be supplied by SCS from its newly opened facility in Cambridge, UK, where the Group offers a range of services to the bio-pharmaceutical industry through its SC Services business unit. With its state of the art automated cell culture equipment, SC Services provides the capability for the routine growth of stem cells including NS cells in the numbers required for high content drug screens and assays. Furthermore, SC Services offers conversion of serum based cell lines to serum free systems, specialist genetic engineering and contract cell production.

<a href="http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070220/sftu099.html?.v=91">Stem Cell Sciences Licenses Neural Stem Cell Technology to Merck & Co., Inc.</a> (biz.yahoo.com)
 

Everyone hopes that one day stem cell-based regenerative medicine will help repair diseased tissue. Before then, it may be necessary to decipher the epigenetic signals that give stem cells their unique ability to self-renew and transform them into different cell types.

The hype over epigenetic research is because it opens up the possibility of reprograming cells. By manipulating epigenetic marks, cells can be transformed into other cell types without changing their DNA. It is simply a question of adding or removing the chemical tags involved.

Stem cells rely heavily on epigenetic signals. As a stem cell develops, chemical tags on the DNA or its surrounding histone proteins switch genes on or off, controlling a cell’s fate.

European labs are breaking ground in both the epigenetic and stem cell arenas. To build on this expertise and stimulate the exchange on novel technologies, the European Science Foundation organised the EuroSTELLS workshop ‘Exploring chromatin in stem cells.’ The event held on 23- 24 January, 2007 attracted 106 researchers from 15 countries to Montpellier, France.

<a href="http://www.huliq.com/11788/epigenetics-shapes-stem-cell-future">Epigenetics shapes stem cell future</a> (huliq.com)

The British government on Wednesday approved plans to allow women to donate eggs for stem cell and cloning research, and said they will also be entitled to compensation for costs incurred.

Women undergoing fertility treatment will receive a discount if they donate eggs, authorities said, while others will receive up to 250 pounds (about $500 U.S.) for each fertilization cycle to cover costs such as travel or lost work time.

<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17262457/">Britain to use donor eggs for stem cell research</a> (msnbc.msn.com)

THE BUCK INSTITUTE for Age Research in Novato is among 20 academic and nonprofit research centers in California chosen to receive Proposition 71 funding to conduct human embryonic stem cell research.
The institute was awarded a $734,202 grant to research why a significant proportion of stem cells die when cultured. The objective is to find a way of extending the cells' lives and thereby their ability to continue dividing and creating more stem cells.

The grant was one of 72 made recently totaling $45 million.

<a href="http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_5271239">Buck gets $734,000 for stem cell research</a> (marinij.com)

Last Friday, the state of California distributed $45 million in research grants to approximately 20 state universities and nonprofit laboratories for stem cell research. Four other states, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey, are also funding stem cell research. California is contributing almost twice as much as the Federal government towards research. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California, said "Today, we are making history."

According to StemCellsStocks.com, the research into stem cells involves finding out how organism develops from a single cell and how healthy cells replace damaged. This research can lead to cell-based therapies to treat various diseases.

The difference between stem cells and other cells are that they renew themselves for long periods of time from cell division and they can be made to become cells with special functions. Embryonic stem cells, as opposed to adult stem cells, are isolated stem cells from human embryos that are grown in labs. The embryos used in this research were produced for infertility purposes through in vitro fertilization and later donated for research with the donor’s consent. Research is being done to treat diseases such as Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and heart disease.

<a href="http://stockerblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/stem-cell-stocks-growth-industry-of.html">Stem Cell Stocks: The Growth Industry of the Future? </a> (stockerblog.blogspot.com)

Researchers from Stanford University received more than $7 million in the first round of research grants approved by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

Stanford said its faculty received 12 grants, more than any other individual institution.

On Friday CIRM approved 72 grants to 20 academic and nonprofit research centers totaling $45 million over two years. The grants are intended to encourage scientists who are just entering the field of embryonic stem cell research, or to promote new projects for those already involved in the research.

The funded Stanford projects will investigate wide-ranging aspects of embryonic stem cell biology, from better understanding the cells to developing new therapies.

Some projects will focus on mechanisms of encouraging embryonic stem cells to mature into adult cell types that can be used in therapies, while others will look for ways of effectively delivering these cells to damaged tissues.

Other projects take on the problem of generating new embryonic stem cells, and some propose novel methods of imaging transplanted stem cells as they travel to injured tissues.

<a href="http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2007/02/19/daily3.html">Stanford gets $7M in stem-cell grants</a> (sanjose.bizjournals.com)

It may be a long shot, but Craig and Sheila Willis believe it's worth taking for the chance that he might one day walk again.

An all-terrain vehicle accident last June injured Craig Willis' spinal cord and has left him paralyzed. They're headed Feb. 27 to the 463 Hospital in Shenyang, China, where Craig will get the stem cell treatment he can't get in this country.
   
At a cost of $24,000 to $25,000, the trip is taking all their life savings, Sheila said. The treatment itself will cost $20,000. They'd like to see the miracle of "a complete recovery," but Craig said he'd just be happy "to regain some form of mobility."

"It's kind of hard to put a price on the quality of life," Craig said.
He sat Thursday in a motorized wheelchair in the living room of their McKenzie home, his wife at his side. Initially, he was only able to use his left arm. But now he can use both since coming home from the hospital in late August and starting physical therapy in Milan.

His goal is to return to his job at UGN in Jackson, where he was a senior production coordinator. His wife described the father of three sons as a workaholic who loved his job and would tell people his hobby was work.

<a href="http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070219/NEWS01/702190319/1002">McKenzie man heads to China for stem cell treatment</a> (TONYA SMITH-KING, jacksonsun.com)

 

Stem cell research is among the most exciting frontiers of medical science as it promises to cure a number of debilitating disorders. Not surprisingly then, several start-ups with innovative research programmes covering a wide range of therapeutic disorders have already been established. And, despite several regulatory, social, ethical, scientific and financial hurdles, funding increases and developing regulatory frameworks are supporting the expansion of the global stem cell therapeutics market.

Stem cells are being investigated for the treatment of several disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and cancer, which currently have no cure. Adult stem cell therapies have been around in the market for three decades now but their application has been limited. On the other hand, embryonic stem cells are widely regarded as the proverbial holy grail of medical science.

<a href="http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/m-news+article+storyid-19835.html">Increased Funding and Developing Regulatory Framework Provide Impetus to Stem Cell Therapeutics Market</a> (allamericanpatriots.com)

In an unassuming building on the University of Wisconsinâ€"Madison campus, scientists are attempting to perfect techniques that could allow them to mold embryonic stem cells into cells that emulate the functions of the cells that our own bodies produce. Like a blank page waiting to be written on, these cells have the potential to change the way we look at the world of medicine.

Not Just Monkeying Around
Operating for more than 40 years, the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center is the only primate research center in the Midwest, and one of only eight federally supported centers in the country.

Upon entering the Primate Center, you can get a close up view of a Marmoset family, one of three types of primates the center researches. According to Jordana Lenon, public relations manager for the WNPRC, areas of research include aging and metabolic disease, immunogenetics and virology and reproduction and development.

These areas may sound complicated, but they're relevant for a large segment of the population, and involve potential treatments for obesity, diabetes, HIV and early childhood developmental disorders. Included in some types of this research is the use of non-human embryonic stem cells, or primate stem cells, a tool that allows the center to embark on research that could, with time, translate into treatments or cures for humans.

Human embryonic stem cells are taken from a fertilized egg before it has developed into a fetus. In human stem cell research, which was pioneered at UW-Madison by James Thomson in 1998, cells are often obtained from eggs that would have ordinarily been discarded at fertility clinics from in-vitro fertilization. These cells are unique and valuable because scientists have discovered that they act like blank canvasses.

<a href="http://www.channel3000.com/health/11013996/detail.html">Madison Research Center Seeks Stem Cell Solutions </a> (Vanessa de Bruijn, channel3000.com)

They don't do it in this country, so people are going to China to get stem cell transplants. Utahns are among them. A 16-year-old girl returned home Monday, and a 23-year-old Layton man gets back this Saturday.

What are they hoping for?

While the issue of stem cell transplants remains embroiled in controversy in this country, it's not even a debate in China. In fact, surgeons there have been transplanting the cells in a variety of patients for some time now.

Earlier this year, we introduced you to Kirk Green. A snowmobile accident left him a quadriplegic two years ago. He went to China for the injection transplant, not expecting some pronounced miracle, but hoping only to regenerate some new muscle strength and mobility.

Chinese surgeons say it takes at least six to eight months to see any convincing changes. But Kirk, who is still there, already notices some differences. His dad sees them, too.

John Green, Kirk's Dad: "When he got there, he could not scoot on a mat, maybe an inch is all. And by the middle of the third week, he could push himself right off it."

Is it the stem cells alone, or a combination of the transplant, acupuncture and stringent physical therapy?

John Green, Kirk's Dad: "He's gotten stronger in the month that he was there than the six months that he was here, so there's got be something working there."

16-year-old Tori Schmanski, who has a severe brain injury from a car accident, returned home on Monday. She also had her transplant in China, but at a different hospital. Will the stem cells improve her condition, which is different from Kirk's?

<a href="http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=894620">Utah Residents Going to China for Stem Cell Research</a> (Ed Yeates, ksl.com)

As stem cell research marches on these days, there is no lack of news on how using stem cells may be able to one day cur all kinds of diseases and ailments -- and to clone mammals.

The "clone mammals" part is a little disconcerting to many, but researchers have reported as of this week that mice have been cloned using stem cells -- from the hair follicles of those same mice.

The U.S. team of researchers says that the stem cells from adult mice are relatively easy to obtain and inject. Will this be opening the door to more experimentation on the cloning of mammals from their own stem cells? Science marches on.

<a href="http://www.thatsfit.com/2007/02/14/scientists-clone-mice-from-hair-follicle-stem-cell/">Scientists clone mice from hair follicle stem cell</a> (thatsfit.com)

Scientists at the Stem Cell Research Institute in Milan, claim they’ve been able to regenerate muscles, treating a mouse as a model, using human adult stem cells.

The work has been published online in the Nature Cell Biology.

Muscular dystrophy is a hereditary and debilitating disease. The most common and severe form, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, affects one in 3,500 boys.

Scientists working on a cure at the Stem Cell Research Institute in Italy have been exploring the regeneration potential of stem cells isolated from blood vessels.

<a href="http://stemcell.taragana.net/archive/stem-cell-researchers-claims-a-significant-breakthrough-for-muscular-dystrophy/">Stem Cell Researchers Claims a Significant Breakthrough for Muscular Dystrophy</a> (stemcell.taragana.net)

Researchers presented their latest findings on stem cell transplantation for severe and often life-threatening diseases at the Feb. 8-12 Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT) Tandem Meetings in Keystone, Colorado. This is considered the premiere meeting in blood and marrow transplantation research, education and patient care.

Among this year's major findings, presentations will be made on the following new research:

-- Cancer Stem Cells May Explain Why "Cured" Cancers Come Back. A rare group of cells called cancer stem cells may explain why some cancers go away and then return, suggesting the need for a new paradigm in cancer treatment. Researcher Richard J. Jones, M.D., Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Md., will present his latest research on clinical trials under way to target cancer stem cells with novel treatments that may apply to virtually all cancers.

<a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=62891">New Cancer And Stem Cell Research - Blood & Marrow Transplantation Annual Meetings</a> (medicalnewstoday.com)

It is proven that blood cord is rich in stem cells that rejuvenate the bone marrow. Reputability of cord blood banks - In many instances, this search will provide you with numerous options, but how can you ensure the facility is reputable and working in your best interest? You need to know the processing procedures, how many subscribers they currently have, if anyone has actually needed to use the cord blood that was stored, and if so, was it still viable? Another advantage of stem cells from cord blood is that there appears to be less chance of rejection from the host once the cells are introduced making it easier in the case of transplants and other uses.

<a href="http://cordblood.blogsitereview.com/2007/02/13/umbilical-cord-blood-stem-cell-research-3/">Umbilical cord blood stem cell research</a> (cordblood.blogsitereview.com)

Leaders of national embryonic stem cell banks in the U.S. and the United Kingdom met here, in the birthplace of the field, on Monday and pledged to work together to promote research.

Representatives of the two banks said they were discussing ways to more efficiently distribute each other's cells to scientists and new standards to improve the quality of cells available.

The discussion came as Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and leaders of the National Stem Cell Bank in Madison hosted a U.K. delegation that included the director of the U.K. Stem Cell Bank and chairman of the U.K. oversight committee on stem cell research.

At a news conference, the leaders said they hoped the efforts were the beginning of a long partnership between the banks. While stem cell research is still in its early stages, scientists believe it may eventually lead to treatment and perhaps cures for diseases such as Parkinson's and juvenile diabetes.

"This is not about one side, one state or one country winning and one losing," Doyle said. "This is about a huge area of scientific research that is expanding rapidly around the world, that we in Wisconsin happen to find ourselves in a leadership position."

<a href="http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/breaking_news/16682248.htm">U.S., U.K. stem cell banks pledge cooperation to promote research</a> (RYAN J. FOLEY, twincities.com)

In response to the rapidly evolving field of stem cell research, this month's launch of StemCore marks the establishment of the first independent ethical review board focusing exclusively on stem cell research.

StemCore will function as both a Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee (SCRO), as described in several sets of voluntary guidelines for such research, and as an Institutional Review Board (IRB), as required by regulations governing human subjects research.

The StemCore board consists of highly qualified members with significant experience and expertise in molecular biology, genetics, clinical care, ethics, law, policy, clinical research, and the regulatory aspects of basic and clinical research.

This combined review eliminates delays, reduces administrative burden, avoids communication problems among boards, and facilitates a streamlined, consistent review of all issues relevant to conducting stem cell research.

"It is critical that research in this emerging area of science proceeds as quickly as possible and is subject to independent oversight to ensure ethical and regulatory compliance," said Kathi Hanna, StemCore Co-Chair.

<a href="http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=27228">StemCore first review board specializing in stem cell research</a> (antara.co.id)

TONY EASTLEY: Stem cell researchers in Italy who have been working on a cure for muscular dystrophy are claiming a significant breakthrough.

Scientists at the Stem Cell Research Institute in Milan, claim they've been able to regenerate muscles, treating a mouse as a model, using human adult stem cells.

The work has been published online in the Nature Cell Biology.

Lindy Kerin reports.

LINDY KERIN: Muscular dystrophy is a hereditary and debilitating disease. The most common and severe form, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, affects one in 3,500 boys.

Scientists working on a cure at the Stem Cell Research Institute in Italy have been exploring the regeneration potential of stem cells isolated from blood vessels.

And now they claim to have found a way to regenerate muscles in a mouse model of muscular dystrophy using human adult stem cells.

The Institute's Director is Professor Giulio Cossu.

GIULIO COSSU: The major finding is the identification of a subset of parasite able to repair dystrophic muscle in an immunodeficient dystrophic mouse.

LINDY KERIN: Professor Cossu says it raises new hope for treating muscular dystrophy using patient's own cells.

GIULIO COSSU: Given the fact the these cells has so far have appeared to have a better myogenic potential than the corresponding dog or mouse cells.

We are relatively optimistic that they may do the same job inside a human muscle. We're not rushing to a clinical trial but we think now we have all the elements, the basic science elements in hand to proceed in this direction.

Dr Robert Kapsa is the Senior Research Scientist with the National Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre in Melbourne

He's welcomed the research findings from the Italian research team.

<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s1845584.htm">Muscular Dystrophy breakthrough using stem cell research</a> (Lindy Kerin, abc.net.au)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major public health concern in the developed world. More and more people are succumbing to AD every year and it is estimated that AD was the 7th leading cause of death in the United States in 2004. This video explains how stem cell research could transform the lives of people living with Alzheimer’s and the need for supporting this most promising form of research.

<a href="http://www.perthnorg.com.au/2007/02/12/stem_cell_research_can_reverse_alzheimers/">Stem cell research can reverse Alzheimer’s</a> (perthnorg.com.au)

British women may be offered a “natural” form of breast enlargement that uses stem cells and fat from a woman’s own body, under plans being considered by doctors.

The technique, pioneered in Japan, results in breasts that look and feel smoother than conventional cosmetic surgery using implants. This is because the stem cells enable the fat to grow its own blood supply, thus becoming an integral part of the breast rather than a foreign lump.

Stem cells have the potential to change into any cells in the body. They are found in most tissues, especially fat.

Dozens of women in Japan have received the breast enlargements during trials. Last week German medical authorities gave approval to the process. Under Brussels rules, this means that the procedure is now legal throughout the European Union, including Britain.

Doctors here said last week they found the technique “appealing”. The technique’s long-term effectiveness without side â€" effects still needs further tests, but doctors are already enthusiastic.

“I’m newly convinced,” said Venkat Ramakrishnan, a specialist in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust. “A lot more people have to use it and prove it, but it does seem to have something to it.”

<a href="http://health.dewantoro.org/2007/02/11/scientists-develop-natural-breast-implants/">Scientists Develop ‘Natural’ Breast Implants</a> (health.dewantoro.org)

The medical, moral and political debate over the need for embryonic stem-cell research remains fierce, with multiple medical reports in the past 18 months describing ways to produce disease-treating stem cells without destroying human embryos.
    
Stem cells are the body's master cells, the basic building blocks from which a person's tissue and organs develop. Scientists say the cells hold promise for treating -- and perhaps curing -- diseases such as Parkinson's, diabetes and cancer.
   
Proponents of embryonic stem-cell research think these types of cells hold the greatest potential for medical breakthroughs because they have the ability to grow into any type of cell in the body if scientists learn how to direct their development.
   
But critics of embryonic stem-cell research, including President Bush, say destroying or tampering with a human embryo is immoral.
   
"We recoil at the idea of growing human beings for spare body parts or creating life for our own convenience," Mr. Bush has said.
   
The president and others favor research that involves stem cells from adults and children, which can be obtained without harming the donor. Examples include stem cells taken from bone marrow and other organs and tissue, and from placentas left over from live births.
   
Some stem-cell researchers and others who closely observe the field think scientists will find viable alternatives to embryonic stem cells that are not morally objectionable.

<a href="http://washingtontimes.com/specialreport/20070210-115413-3552r.htm">Stem-cell researchers look beyond the embryo</a> ( Joyce Howard Price, washingtontimes.com)
 

The University of Connecticut has purchased a building near its health center in Farmington for a new research center, which officials hope will boost the state's efforts to remain at the forefront of stem cell research.



The university's Board of Trustees approved the purchase of the 113,000-square-foot FarmTech building for approximately $8 million at its meeting on Jan. 30, an official said.

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The university's new "Center of Innovation" will focus on stem cell research, but will also incorporate other disciplines, like biology and genetics, officials said.

It will cost $35 billion to renovate the building, located on 24 acres across the street from the university's health center campus, according to a news release. The facility is expected to open in 2009.

No federal money will be used for the renovations, in compliance with an order by President Bush that restricts federal funding for stem cell research.

<a href="http://www.journalinquirer.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17835177&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161556&rfi=6">New facility could boost stem cell research </a> (Jennifer Hoyt, journalinquirer.com)
 

Michael Fumento wrote on his blog about a discovery in stem cell research that has many in the research community excited.  But it has received scant notice in the MSM.  Why?  Could it be because the discovery doesn’t invovle embroynic stem cells, rather amniotic stem cells that have the attributes of embryonic stem cells but function like adult stem cells, and they can be harvested without killing the fetus?

<a href="http://www.anklebitingpundits.com/content/?p=1710">The Stem Cell Breakthrough The Media Hasn’t Told You About</a> (anklebitingpundits.com)

Major roadblocks remain before human embryonic stem cells could be transplanted into humans to cure diseases or replace injured body parts, a research pioneer said Thursday night.


University of Wisconsin scientist James Thomson said obstacles include learning how to grow the cells into all types of organs and tissue and then making sure cancer and other defects are not introduced during the transplantation.

"I don't want to sound too pessimistic because this is all doable, but it's going to be very hard," Thomson told the Wisconsin Newspaper Association's annual convention at the Kalahari Resort in this Wisconsin Dells town. "Ultimately, those transplation therapies should work, but it's likely to take a long time."

Thomson and his colleagues in 1998 became the first scientists to isolate a line of stem cells from a human embryo.

Scientists believe embryonic stem cells may help them unlock cures to diseases such as juvenile diabetes and Parkinson's because they can theoretically grow into any tissue or organ of the body.

One day, some believe the cells will become sources of brain tissue, muscle and bone marrow to replace diseased or injured body parts.

<a href="http://www.madison.com/tct/news/index.php?ntid=118338&ntpid=1">Stem cell pioneer sees tough road ahead </a> (Ryan J. Foley, madison.com)

A new discovery in stem cell research may mean big things for cancer patients in the future. Gary Van Zant, PhD, and a research team at the University of Kentucky published their findings in Nature Genetics, an international scientific journal.
   
University of Kentucky researchers genetically mapped a stem cell gene and its protein product, Laxetin, and building on that effort, carried the investigation all the way through to the identification of the gene itself. This particular gene is important because it helps regulate the number of adult stem cells in the body, particularly in bone marrow.

This is the first time such a complete study on a stem cell gene has been carried out. Now that it has been identified, researchers hope the gene, along with its protein product Latexin, can be used clinically, such as for ramping up the stem cell count in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation.

The researchers agreed that this very process is not only interesting, but important because of its usefulness in a wide variety of future genetics studies.

"We're thinking about cancer in a big way," Van Zant said. "This is a great example of translational research - from the most basic type of genetic research all the way to possible treatments for patients."

<a href="http://www.newsrx.com/articles/461183.html">Researchers are the first to map a gene that regulates adult stem cell growth</a> (newsrx.com)

Women who donate their eggs for stem cell research or in vitro fertilization are not at increased risk of health complications, and most of the risks are a result of the hormones used to stimulate their bodies to release more than one egg, according to a report commissioned by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine and released Tuesday by the Institute of Medicine, Bloomberg reports. CIRM decided to assess the risk of human egg donation before administering grants under Proposition 71 to researchers who would use donated eggs (Waters, Bloomberg, 2/7). The process of donating eggs involves inserting a thin needle through the vagina into the ovary. Prior to the usual procedure, donors undergo a course of hormone injections to help the process of obtaining five to 15 eggs (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 10/02/06). These treatments can cause mild pain, slight enlargement of the ovaries and infrequent nausea in the women, Linda Giudice -- chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California-San Francisco and co-chair of the IOM panel that produced the report -- said. Studies of women who used hormones to provide eggs that could be used for IVF found that between 2% and 5% of the women developed ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. The report said that although most cases of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome were mild and temporary, in rare cases the condition could lead to serious complications, including kidney failure or death. Fewer than 0.2% of women taking the hormones experience symptoms such as blood clots or reduce blood flow to the kidneys, and about 1.4 of every 100,000 women undergoing fertility treatments experience kidney failure, the report said.

<a href="http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=42821">Women Who Donate Eggs for Stem Cell Research Face Few Health Risks, Institute of Medicine Report Says</a> (kaisernetwork.org)

With authorization from the Board of Trustees, the University has purchased the former FarmTech building near the Health Center in Farmington.

Officials plan to renovate the nearly 113,000-square-foot structure to establish a Center of Innovation that will include the University’s new stem cell institute, along with cutting edge cell biology and genetics research.

The new center will unite UConn scientists in a cross-disciplinary, collaborative setting to enhance Connecticut’s role as a leader in stem cell research and accelerate discoveries that ultimately could lead to therapies treating a broad range of diseases and disorders.

The new facility, located on 24 acres in the 400 block of Farmington Avenue, is expected to open in 2009.

“Our goal is to maximize the state’s investment in stem cell research and establish an internationally recognized program focused on human embryonic stem cells and regenerative medicine,” says Dr. Marc Lalande, chair of the Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology and associate dean for research planning and coordination at the Health Center.

“The Center of Innovation will also allow us to bring together our best researchers to drive research aimed at bringing human stem cell therapies across the street to the Health Center, where someday they can be applied clinically to patients.”

<a href="http://www.advance.uconn.edu/2007/070212/07021202.htm">Research building purchased to house Stem Cell Institute</a> (David Bauman, advance.uconn.edu)

The Sawai Man Singh (SMS) medical college here will set up a stem cell research laboratory by April to undertake research in biotechnology, genetics and stem cells.

The laboratory, to be part of an advance research laboratory to come up in the state government-run institute, has been taken up under Rs 70 million-project approved by the central government's department of science and technology.

"Not only would it enhance the diagnostic facilities in the city, the stem cell research would also make treatment of degenerative diseases easier,” said principal of the SMS college Ashok Pangariya.

The laboratory would provide a platform to the college faculty to understand the advances in research on diseases, he said. A special stem cell bank would also be created at the medical college.

<a href="http://www.ibnlive.com/news/stem-cell-research-lab-to-open-in-jaipur/33138-17.html">Stem cell research lab to open in Jaipur </a> (ibnlive.com)

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are one of the few cell types able to resist infection with HIV-1 despite expressing the cell surface molecules to which HIV-1 binds before entering a cell.

In a study that appears in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers from Harvard Medical School, Boston, show that HSC expression of a protein known as p21Waf1/Cip1/Sdi1 (p21) is required for HSCs to be resistant to infection with HIV-1.

David Scadden and colleagues showed that HSCs in which expression of p21 was decreased were more susceptible to infection with HIV-1 than cells expressing normal levels of p21.

<a href="http://stemcell.taragana.net/archive/hematopoietic-stem-cells-able-to-resist-infection-with-hiv-1/">Hematopoietic Stem Cells able to Resist Infection With HIV-1</a> (stemcell.taragana.net)

CBR (Cord Blood Registry) has announced that the initial validation testing of the company's proprietary CellAdvantage system using new automation technology for cell processing has passed with flying colors. The process, developed by ThermoGenesis and distributed by GE Healthcare, is the industry's first functionally-closed, automated cord blood stem cell processing technology. The tests demonstrated that CBR's new system can meet or exceed the company's current mononucleated cell (MNC) -- or stem cell -- recovery rate of 98 percent, which is the highest published cell recovery rate in the industry.

"Achieving these extremely high cell recovery rates through automation is a very significant advancement for our company and for the families we serve," said Tom Moore, chief executive officer of CBR. "Our business is experiencing dramatic growth as expectant parents increasingly choose to preserve their baby's cord blood stem cells with us. By integrating AXP automation technology into our CellAdvantage system, CBR is the only family bank that will be able to increase our cell processing capacity and at the same time maintain or exceed our industry-leading cell recovery rates."

Cord Blood Registry is the first and only family cord blood bank to adopt this cutting-edge technology and offer it to consumers who wish to cryopreserve their own genetically-related stem cells for future therapeutic use. The world's largest public donation bank, The New York Blood Center, has also adopted AXP processing.

Cord blood stem cells are obtained from the blood remaining in an umbilical cord immediately after birth. It is a rich source of stem cells (so-called "adult" stem cells) that can be collected easily and painlessly without risk to the newborn or mother. And unlike the hyped-up, wishful thinking surrounding embryonic stem cell research, no one dies. "Adult" stem cell research thus represents science at its best: moral, professional and genuinely helpful to patients.

Cord blood stem cells have been used therapeutically for nearly 20 years and in more than 10,000 transplants worldwide. Today, they are used successfully to treat a wide range of blood diseases, genetic and metabolic disorders, immunodeficiencies and certain forms of cancer. A number of medical research studies have demonstrated that cord blood stem cells are able to differentiate into multiple cell types and may have potential use in regenerative medical therapies, such as treating diabetes, cardiac disease and several neurological disorders.  

<a href="http://vitalsignsblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/progress-continues-cord-blood-cell.html">The Progress Continues: Cord Blood Cell Technologies Make New Breakthrough</a> (vitalsignsblog.blogspot.com)

Doctors to conduct research on use of stem cells in improving functioning of heart damaged by an attack.

The Heart Care Clinic, a group of Indian cardiovascular consultants, is planning to collaborate with the Cardiovascular Center in Aalst, Belgium in making stem cell therapy useful for helping patients with heart disease.

The collaboration, which is in the form of research, will be done to improve functioning of the heart in the patients suffering from heart failure or heart attack.

<a href="http://stemcell.taragana.net/archive/stem-cells-to-improve-functioning-of-heart-in-patients-suffering-from-heart-failure-or-heart-attack/">Stem Cells to Improve Functioning of Heart in Patients Suffering from Heart Failure or Heart Attack</a> (stemcell.taragana.net)

Stem cell treatments have the potential to revolutionize medicine. It could be possible to develop stem cell-based treatments to address both diseases (including chronic heart disease, Type I diabetes, and Parkinson's disease) and tissue damage (including spinal cord damage, brain damage caused by a stroke, or damage to heart muscles caused by a heart attack).

In California, in recognition of this potential, Proposition 71 set up a 10-year, $3 billion program to build facilities for stem cell studies and to fund research with the ultimate goal of helping to develop therapies based on stem cells.

This research, however, would require a steady supply of stem cells, particularly human embryonic stem cells. Those embryonic stems cells are collected from developing human embryos that are created from eggsâ€"or oocytesâ€"harvested from the ovaries of female donors.

The oocyte donation process is not without its risks to the donors, and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine contracted with the National Academies (NAS) to assemble a workshop that would bring together experts from various areas to address the questions of what is known about these risks, what needs to be known, and what can be done to minimize them. In response, the NAS formed the Committee on Assessing the Medical Risks of Oocyte Donation for Stem Cell Research that held a workshop in San Francisco on September 28, 2006, devoted to those issues.

<a href="http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3740/36353/40105.aspx">Medical Risks of Oocyte Donation for Stem Cell Research: Workshop Summary</a> (iom.edu)

According to the website of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (HSFC) some 140,000 volunteers are actively fundraising for the organization during "Heart month", which is this month.  Many of those volunteers, however, do not know that the HSFC is open to funding embryonic stem cell research.

The foundation commenced its association with the controversial practice in 2003 when it issued a "Human Stem Cell Research Policy Statement" admitting to funding destructive research on human embryos as well as research on aborted baby body parts. "In sum, the Foundation will fund research that derives stem cells from i) existing human embryos or, ii) human fetal material resulting from elective abortions".

Since then, pro-life leaders in Canada have warned pro-life Canadians against donating to and volunteering for HSFC and other organizations which support destructive research on human embryos

Volunteers for HSFC at both lower and higher levels have been uninformed about HSFC's support for embryonic stem cell research.  And whether or not such confusion is deliberate is hard to determine.

<a href="http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/feb/07020504.html">Canada's Heart and Stroke Foundation Continues to Fund Embryonic Stem Cell Research</a> (John-Henry Westen, lifesite.net)

Cryo-Save, the largest private stem cell bank in Europe, has announced today that on 30th January agreement was reached with Osidea, an Italian non-profit making organization promoting the public storage of umbilical cord blood stem cells. In future through this mutual engagement parents will have the possibility to donate umbilical cord blood stem cells for the child's own use as well as for the solidarity or public use. Osidea, the dedicated association to the public health and well-being of the Sardinian community, is facing high numbers of serious blood pathologies such as microcitemia, thalassemia and leukaemias.

Cryo-Save was selected and contacted by Osidea because of its professional storage activities, social responsibility, pan-European reach and research on adult stem cells from the cord blood. Through its pan- European presence, Cryo-Save is developing further collaborations with public stem cell banks in 18 European Member States and in 7 other countries.

For the first time ever parents will have the opportunity to choose private and public storage. In the case of of public storage parents will be informed that the possibility now exists that the stemcells of their child might be needed for the treatment of another child.

<a href="http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070205/ukm019.html?.v=60">Cryo-Save Makes Stem Cells Available for Public Medical use</a> (biz.yahoo.com)

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute granted $17.9 million for the research of stem-cell treatments for cardiovascular disease to the UT School of Public Health Coordinated Center for Clinical Trials.

The school was established in 1967 as part of the UT Health Science Center in Houston.

<a href="http://stemcell.taragana.net/archive/institute-grants-for-stem-cell-heart-research/">Institute Grants for Stem Cell Heart Research</a> (stemcell.taragana.net)

A little-known lipid, ceramide, plays a big role in helping us grow from a hollow sphere of stem cells into human beings, researchers have found.

They found that in the first few days of life, ceramide helps stem cells line up to form the primitive ectoderm from which embryonic tissues develop, says Dr. Erhard Bieberich, biochemist at the Medical College of Georgia.

Probably 90 per cent of ceramide gathers at the top or apical end of these early stem cells, literally helping cells have direction. “We have cell polarity, an up and down, a head and foot of the cell, and that is what ceramide most likely regulates,” says Dr. Bieberich. “Cell polarity is absolutely essential for differentiation; otherwise you have a ball of cells, not organized tissue.”

In fact, we start out as a wad of cells, but within 24 hours, some cells die and others become part of the hollow sphere with an inner layer â€" the primitive ectoderm â€" that will further differentiate into an embryo, and an outer layer â€" the primitive endoderm â€" that sustains the embryo during development.

“Ceramide distributes to the apical end of the cell,” says Kannan Krishnamurthy, MCG graduate student and first author of the study. “In this case, the basal end, or lower end, is attached to the outer layer while the apical end points toward the sphere’s cavity.”

<a href="http://www.scientistlive.com/17199/ceramide-lipid-aids-stem-cell-polarity.thtml">CERAMIDE LIPID AIDS STEM CELL POLARITY</a> (scientistlive.com)

In a corner of his dad's front room, Michael Mobley slumps in a blue recliner.

A powder-blue diaper peeks above the waistband of the teenager's sweatpants.

His head droops forward and to the right. At regular intervals, the 15-year-old jerks it up and around, making fleeting eye contact with others.

That may be a sign that the therapy Michael traveled 9,000 miles to receive is starting to work. His father, David Mobley, took Michael all the way to China, where doctors repeatedly injected stem cells into his spine and bloodstream.

David is afraid to hope his son will heal.

The Fort Walton Beach man is equally afraid not to.

"Believe me, when you're in this condition, you look for any change you can," he said.

<a href="http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/16624410.htm">Father, son undertake journey for therapy</a> (WENDY VICTORA, bradenton.com)

Although treatment regimens involving the infusion of tumor-reactive T cells into patients with skin cancer (melanoma) have shown clinical benefit, there is plenty of room to improve the protocols to increase therapeutic benefit. Regimens currently being investigated in humans involve pre-treatment with agents that transiently decrease the number of immune cells (and that are known as nonmyeloablative agents), enabling the subsequently infused tumor-reactive T cells to increase in number in vivo.

In a study that appears in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Nicholas Restifo and colleagues from the National Institutes of Health show that in mice, pre-treatment with more intense immune cellâ€"depleting strategies (known as myeloablative strategies) and a hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation enabled infused tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells to increase in number more than pre-treatment with nonmyeloablative agents.

<a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070204112030.htm">Tumor-reactive T Cells Boosted By Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation</a> (sciencedaily.com)

Pioneering brain scientist Richard Faull came to Marlborough on Friday with a message of hope for people suffering from Alzheimers and other neurological conditions.


More than 200 people packed into Blenheim's Wesley Centre to hear the Auckland University professor talk about his ground-breaking research into adult stem cell transplants.

Stem cells are cells that divide and differentiate into other cell types, acting as a repair system by replenishing destroyed or damaged cells in the body.

Neuroscientists at the university, working on rats, have for the first time successfully transplanted a viable number of adult stem cells, enabling brain cells destroyed by diseases such as Alzheimers, Huntingtons and Parkinsons to be replaced.

<a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/marlboroughexpress/3951870a6563.html">New research may help alzheimers sufferers </a> (stuff.co.nz)

August, 2002. Chuck Melton, a burly 24-year-old factory worker, is living a good life in southern Illinois. He has a growing family: Son Blake is 3 and daughter Bailey is 1. An outdoorsman, Melton fishes, hunts deer, and rides four-wheelers at all-terrain-vehicle parks. Today he has gone for a swim with some friends in a local lake. His pals dive in, and then Melton does, too. But something is wrong about the way he enters the water. Instead of dipping lightly beneath the surface like the others, he strikes his head on the bottom.

A few hours later, at a hospital in St. Louis, he receives the grim news: His spinal cord is severely injured, and he is paralyzed from the chest down. In the ensuing months, he learns what life is like in a wheelchair, suffering uncontrollable leg spasms 20 to 30 times a day. The injury also affects his body's internal controls. He loses the ability to perspire, so he can't be outside during the summer months for more than a few minutes.

<a href="http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_07/b4021061.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_businessweek+exclusives">Stem-Cell Refugees </a> (businessweek.com)

The DTI has funded a three year research programme directed at the use of stem cells in more rapidly determining conditions for their consistent differentiation. The programme brings together a leading stem cell bioprocessing group (UCL), the National Standards Centre for the field and the site of the UK Stem Cell Bank (NIBSC) and the Plasticell company which has pioneered a combinatorial biology approach for stem cell differentiation created initially at the Cambridge MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology.

This approach allows the selection of optimal conditions for stem cell growth and differentiation from a range of conditions much wider than is possible in other ways. Linked with the power of advanced cell imaging at NIBSC and automated microwell-based methods at UCL the research will produce a step change in the field of understanding and controlling stem cell differentiation.

The postdoc will collaborate closely with staff and two other dedicated postdocs in the three centres. The UCL based postdoc will require a good grasp of the experimental methods needed to work with stem cells also a knowledge of cell imaging, molecular biology, microwell-based methods and stem cell differentiation would be valuable.

<a href="http://biojobs.blogspot.com/2007/02/stem-cell-senior-research-fellow.html">Stem Cell Senior Research Fellow</a> (biojobs.blogspot.com)

Stem cell research is as controversial a topic as the death penalty. In December 2006, 17 research grants of about $300,000 each were awarded by the State of New Jersey to scientists in New Jersey. And the application process for this year’s awards has already begun. Regardless of the emotional and religious issues surrounding it, scientists are confident stem cell research will lead the way to understanding and curing many of the diseases humans suffer from today.

One disease which could benefit from such research is diabetes. Stanley Kelly, a resident of Sparta, was diagnosed with late onset Type 1 diabetes in 1995. Type 1 diabetes was previously know as Juvenile Diabetes because it was mainly diagnosed in children, but the number of cases that have been diagnosed in teens and adults has risen.

Patients with Type 1 are unable to produce insulin, a hormone necessary “to convert sugar (glucose), starches and other food into energy needed for daily life,” according to the American Diabetes Association. Type 1 patients have a lack of beta cell function. This autoimmune deficiency leaves the body to attack the cells in the pancreas so that it can no longer produce insulin on its own.

Kelly was diagnosed 12 years ago, after spending an entire night with an incredible thirst for water. He went to an endocrinologist immediately and was diagnosed with Type 1. The normal range of sugar levels according to the ADA is from 70 to 120. Kelly’s gluscose was tested at 600.

He knows it is unlikely, regardless of the number of grants and the speed of research, that stem cell research will actually help him soon, but, he said, “It gives me hope for the future.”

<a href="http://www.strausnews.com/articles/2007/02/02/advertiser_news/news/18.txt">Stem cell research supported by those with diabetes, other illnesses.</a> (Margaret Witt, strausnews.com)

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (OTCBB:ACTC), applying proprietary human embryonic stem (ES) cell technology to the emerging field of regenerative medicine, has announced that Dr. Robert Lanza, the Company's Vice President of Research and Scientific Development, has been recognized for his groundbreaking research and contributions in stem cell science and biology with a special award from Brown University's Biotechnology Interest Group.

The Brown University biotech group made the award for "Outstanding Contribution in Contemporary Biology" to Dr. Lanza at the organization's 5th Annual Biotech Expo, held February 1, 2007, at Brown's Providence, R.I., campus. Dr. Lanza also delivered a keynote address at the conference.

Dr. Lanza is a noted pioneer in the field of stem cell science, with more than 25 years' experience in the application of stem cells in regenerative medicine. He has published several hundred papers, patents and innovations relating to stem cell science, among them ACTC's Single Cell Blastomere method to derive human embryonic stem cells without harming the donor embryos' potential for life.

"This award helps bring additional notice to the stem cell industry at a point when the field is entering an exciting period of clinical development," said Dr. Lanza. "At ACTC and at institutions around the world, we are focused on the development of powerful new products that have the potential to revolutionize treatment for a growing number of serious diseases and injuries."

<a href="http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=12148480">Advanced Cell Technology Senior Scientist Dr. Robert Lanza Awarded for Outstanding Contributions to Biology by Brown University Biotech Group</a> (genengnews.com)

Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical Center have, for the first time, identified human pancreatic cancer stem cells. Their work indicates that these cells are likely responsible for the aggressive tumor growth, progression, and metastasis that define this deadly cancer.

In the February 1 issue of Cancer Research, the researchers demonstrate that only 100 of these stem cells are needed to produce human pancreatic cancer in half of mice tested. They also found these cells are at least 100 times more tumorigenic than cancer cells that did not have one of three protein markers they believe to be associated with pancreatic cancer stem cells.

<a href="http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2007/02/02/scientists_identify_pancreatic_cancer_stem_cells.html">Scientists identify pancreatic cancer stem cells</a> (biologynews.net)

British Scientists will develop robotics to automate important stem cell research, meaning thousands of experiments will be able to be conducted at once, rather than just a handful being possible by a single scientist at work.

The Department of Trade and Industry is providing £1.1 million for development of this technology to a consortium led by Plasticell Ltd, a London-based biotechnology company which is developing drugs to regenerate tissues of the body, to automate its Combicult research experiments.

Today's announcement coincides with first meeting of the UK/Medicon Valley (a Danish/Swedish biotechnology cluster) collaboration, which will focus on stem cell research and regenerative medicine. Academics and biotech companies will hold workshops and visit London, Edinburgh and Cambridge.

Minister for Science and Innovation, Malcolm Wicks, said:

"The UK is an acknowledged leader in this field and we want to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of stem cell research. That's why we're supporting the Plasticell consortium on this project, which provides a great opportunity to harness the UK's world-class expertise and use it to boost our economy and, potentially, our health.

"Stem cell research has tremendous potential to tackle some of the most devastating diseases. It could benefit patients with conditions such as Parkinson's disease, juvenile diabetes and heart disease."

<a href="http://alwayson.goingon.com/permalink/post/9324">£1.1m to develop robotic stem cell research </a> (Jennifer Lahl, goingon.com)

Read a copy of the International Society for Stem Cell Research Guidelines (ISSCR) <a href="http://www.isscr.org/guidelines/index.htm">here</a>.

An international organization of stem cell scientists released guidelines yesterday that aim to dictate rigorous ethical standards for research on human embryonic stem cells.



AdvertisementThe guidelines were compiled by a task force of renowned scientists, as well as ethicists and lawyers from 14 countries, to promote responsible, transparent and uniform practices worldwide, according to the group, known as the International Society for Stem Cell Research.
“Realizing that stem cell research is an international community, we have to be able to share cells and our scientific methods across borders with some confidence that we have been doing our work to some agreed-upon ethical standards,” said Larry Goldstein, an embryonic stem cell researcher at the University of California San Diego.

Goldstein is a member of the task force that worked for more than a year on the guidelines.

The Foundation For Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica praised provisions in guidelines that emphasize the need for researchers “to promote public benefit as their primary objective” when turning over discoveries to commercial firms.

<a href="http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/biotech/20070202-9999-1b2stems.html">Group promotes worldwide practices</a> (Terri Somers, signonsandiego.com)

Work on developing first generation autologous stem cell therapies is starting to look a lot like work on old school drug trials; this is to be expected under the present regulatory regime, and by the general way in which new technologies mature.

Researchers are encouraged by reports that the therapy appeared to be well-tolerated and no serious adverse events directly related to the stem cell therapy in an earlier study. According to preliminary, anecdotal patient reports, 16 of the 24 total Phase I study subjects reported feeling better with reductions in chest pain and improved exercise capacity during the early stage of the trial.

The first phase of development in any new technology is a struggle to best the performance of old, mature technologies - here we have an early stem cell trial looking well placed (like others) to do at least as well as the best drugs and other well-developed medical technologies can do.

The difference here is that stem cell researchers are just getting started; this is a matter of doing a little with the first steps into the pool.

<a href="http://stemcell.taragana.net/archive/development-of-first-generation-stem-cell-therapies/">Development of First Generation Stem Cell Therapies</a> (stemcell.taragana.net)

Press release: "Today, marking the most comprehensive global effort to date, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) released its Guidelines for the Conduct of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research. The Guidelines call for special scrutiny of human embryonic stem cell research and specify rigorous ethical standards for scientists working with human embryonic stem cells, seeking to promote responsible, transparent and uniform practices worldwide."

<a href="http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/013827.html">International Society for Stem Cell Research </a> (bespacific.com)