Interested in stem cell developments.
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Young Blood Reverses Signs of Aging in Old Mice
A mysterious substance in blood rejuvenates blood-forming stem cells.
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24421/
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If true, could this provide a much bigger market by virute of applications in areas like preventive health and anti-aging approaches than was previously anticipated for the ACTC/CHA scalable blood supply?
NIH recommends approval of another stem cell line
USA Today (blog), 1/22/2010 - Dan Vergano
A National Institutes of Health advisory committee Friday voted to recommend the first human embryonic stem cell line leftover from Bush administration rules receive federal research funding.
NIH chief Francis Collins announced at the meeting he had approved two other stem cell lines for federal research funding, bringing the total to 42. He will consider whether to accept the advisory committee recommendation for approval of the "WA01(H1)" stem cell line from the WiCell Research Institute.
Embryonic stem cells are the progenitors of all tissues in the body. Since 1998, when a University of Wisconsin team first isolated human embryonic stem cells into colonies, or lines, researchers have contemplated using the cells to screen drugs, investigate organ development and perhaps grow rejection-free replacement tissues for victims of diabetes, paralysis and other ailments.
The research has been controversial because gathering the cells requires the destruction of human embryos. The controversy led President Bush in 2001 to limit federal research support of studies involving the cells to already-existing lines.
The WA01 line is the first of the 21 lines approved under those rules to come up for consideration under new Obama administration rules opening federal research support to all lines gathered with informed consent of embryo donors.
NIH sent out about 300 samples of the WA01 line last year to researchers, said NIH chief Collins at the meeting, adding he would make a decision on the cells quickly. "WA01 is "one of the most utilized lines in the world," he said.
This is another area in which ACTC has previously made progress:
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DNA Read the World > Sci/Tech
Scientists discover way to create functional blood vessel cells from human stem cells
Thursday, January 21, 2010 14:53 Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College have developed a new technique and described a novel mechanism for turning human embryonic and pluripotent stem cells into plentiful, functional endothelial cells, which are critical to the formation of blood vessels.
The development is a significant step toward restoring healthy blood circulation to treat a variety of diseases.
Endothelial cells form the interior "lining" of all blood vessels and are the main component of capillaries, the smallest and most abundant vessels. The study appears in the advance online issue of Nature Biotechnology.
"This technique is the first of its kind with serious potential as a treatment for a diverse array of diseases, especially cardiovascular disease, stroke and vascular complications of diabetes," says Dr. Shahin Rafii, the study's senior author.
Dr. Rafii is the Arthur B. Belfer Professor in Genetic Medicine and co-director of the Ansary Stem Cell Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College, and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
rocky and penny, thanks for your ongoing pursuit of these bond issues.
Study shows that delivering stem cells improves repair of major bone injuries in rats
http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=72676972
Grant money could speed stem cell cures
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-stem-cells10-2010jan10,0,725609,full.story
Here is a post made a short while ago by thttlpckg on the Yahoo ACTC Board (the article cited by straightstocks.com was also referenced under qualitystocks.com):
"I contacted Jonathan Keim at qualitystocks.com and he confirmed that their article was a mistake and they would be correcting their story."
Yes, it's fruitflies but fascinating stem cell stuff.
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Fruit Fly Bodies Hoard Stem Cells
January 7, 2010, Tina Hesman Saey, Science News
Stem cells lead sheltered lives. A new study of fruit flies shows how stem cell precursors create their own niches where the developing cells can safely hang out. These cell banks give the fly a reserve of stem cells to draw on later to create and replenish organs, make new cells or repair wounds.
A stem cell in the fruit fly gut divides, creating a daughter cell that wraps itself around its mother and siblings and prevents them from turning into specialized tissues, researchers from Columbia University report online January 7 in Science.
The stem cell, called an adult midgut progenitor, is a precursor to intestinal cells. The team found that the stem cell sends a signal, in the form of the protein Notch, to one of its daughters. The daughter cell then becomes a peripheral cell, which acts “like an octopus covering other cells with its tentacles,” says Benjamin Ohlstein, a geneticist and developmental biologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City who led the research. In Drosophila larvae, these peripheral cell holding pens block differentiation signals from reaching the stem cell herd during gut development.
During the flies’ larval stage, the peripheral cells protect their stem cell siblings from becoming digestive cells prematurely, the team reports. When the fly larva undergoes metamorphosis into an adult, the niche breaks down and most of the cells that had been sequestered inside begin to form the gut. A few retain their identities as stem cells in the intestines and stand at the ready to replace cells that are damaged or have sloughed off.
These findings could help scientists understand how stem cells maintain their identities while an organism develops, and may have implications for cancer and regenerative medicine. Ohlstein speculates that cancer stem cells may also create their own niches, allowing them to move around the body. “It’s like driving across the country,” Ohlstein says, “and instead of staying in a hotel, you take your own tent with you.”
Scientists might also use niche-forming cells to keep stem cell populations in an undifferentiated state in the laboratory.
Geron good news follows on heels of Pfizer's bad news:
Drug for breast, lung cancers can cure other cancers 1/4/2010
Studyhttp://www.indianexpress.com/news/Drug-for-breast--lung-cancers-can-cure-other-cancers--Study/563196
Pfizer Stops Research on Experimental Cancer Drug 12/30/2009
http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/health-care/pfizer-stops-research-experimental-cancer-drug/
The message embodied in the close juxtatposition of Geron's success with Pfizer's failure is that Geron and other stem cell companies (like ACTC) are on to something the major pharmaceuticals are missing (and need to get, at this point, even if they have to buy into it).
Terminally ill patients in city get new hope from stem cells
Malathy Iyer, TNN 2 January 2010
MUMBAI: In a cheery home with blood-red walls in Borivli’s IC Colony, 23-year-old Ankur Nath welcomed the New Year by snacking on pizzas. Pizzas on party nights may be commonplace, but this was a special case: in the past nine years. Ankur had never eaten a single morsel through his mouth.
Some distance away to the south, Dr Hemangi Sane spent the 31st in her Dadar flat making a mental list of changes. “My shoulders are no longer droopy. I can speak clearly and for hours at a stretch. I can walk without swaying,’’ the 34-year-old listed. Until August, she spoke mostly in whispers and, while walking with assistance, could only register the designs on the floor. “Now, I can hold my neck up and watch all the beautiful colours,’’ she added.
What has brought about the subtle changes in Ankur and Hemangi is a dose of stem cell therapy at the civic-run Sion Hospital four months back. A fortnight back, the US gave the green signal for the first clinical trial of stem cell therapy for spinal cord patients, but in Mumbai the therapy has for the past two years been bringing smiles and enhancing the quality of life for seriously ill patients.
While Ankur suffers from muscular dystrophy, a disorder in which the muscles waste away, Hemangi has motor neuron disease, which is better known as the condition that crippled British scientist Stephen Hawking. Both are terminal conditions.
Stem cells are the master cells of the body, having the ability to take on the function of any organ cell. In the last five years, many centres across India have been offering stem cell therapy to patients but a complete cure is still a distant dream, admit doctors.
Sceptics abound. A senior doctor who doesn’t want to be named feels that stem cells are, at present, over-rated. “There is no known cure for progressive neurological disorders. While studies are being done across the world, none have shown any concrete results in academic sense,’’ said the doctor. Another doctor alleged that the talk of stem cell therapy only resulted in patients making a beeline for private clinics that offered the same therapy for lakhs of rupees. “Patients and their families are so desperate that they don’t really think long-term,’’ he added.
But the degree of changes in the patient’s life is there for all to see. Incidentally, two former city mayors played a role in getting both Ankur and Hemangi to the Sion Hospital’s stem cell therapy laboratory. While Dr Shubha Raul was instrumental in getting the hospital team led by neurosurgeon Dr Alok Sharma to evaluate Ankur, Vishaka Raut is Hemangi’s aunt.
“My aunt was confident that stem cells would help me, but I was sceptical, having tried out everything from ayurveda to cosmic therapy,’’ said Dr Hemangi, who was working as an internal medicine specialist in New York when the diagnosis was made.
The first patient whom Sion Hospital treated, Ravindra Ahire, who met with a bike accident in April 2007 and sustained severe spinal cord injuries, is, in fact, walking with a stick. “We have treated 76 patients with various diseases so far and most are doing much better than what they were doing before the therapy,’’ said Dr Sharma, who began the stem cell treatment after years of conducting laboratory studies.
“Muscular atrophy and motor neuron disease can bring about a complete change in the patient’s life. By offering them stem cell therapy, we have managed to brighten their lives to an extent. They are more independent than before,’’ said Dr Sandhya Kamat, dean of Sion Hospital.
In fact, Dr Sharma feels that Ankur’s recovery “after stem cell therapy is nothing short of miraculous’’. For one, Ankur was the first patient on a ventilator to be treated by the Sion team.
“While the results of stem cell therapy with spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis patients are good, the results with motor neuron disease are not as encouraging. Yet, approximately half the patients do show a positive response. Fortunately, Dr Hemangi was one of them,’’ said Dr Sharma.
Thanks mandracchio. I had discovered that and did find files up to 295. I was hoping there would be some not yet released news in there but no such luck!
Thanks again, rocky.
rocky,
I took a look at the link you provided:
www.advancedcell.com/file_download/154
and it is fascinating. I have not seen it before and though it is indicated to come from the ACTC website I can't even find a way to access it from the website so thanks for posting it.
Did you access it throught the ACTC website and, if so, how?, and if not, how did you find it? And are there anymore files like it?
New stem cell treatment holds promise for cerebral palsy patients
http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-stem-cell-treatment-122909,0,6138543.story
Reflecting On A Decade Of Stem Cell Research
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121974325
Ground-breaking stem cell treatment being used on dogs
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/health&id=7178856
17-year-old gets gift of sight from controversial treatment in China
http://www.elpasotimes.com/health/ci_14078374
Will Pfizer go after ACTC who, right now, is ahead?
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Stem Cells Implantation- A Miracle Cure for Blindness
by Snigdha Taduri for Biomed-ME, December 27, 2009
In a revolutionary experiment, British scientists have discovered a innovative treatment for curing the most common cause for blindness by using a line of patients own embryonic stem cells. Age related macular degeneration is the most common case of blindness in elderly, with at least 300,000 patients being affected every year- a number that is expected to treble in the next 25 years.
The London Project to Cure Blindness is the world’s first blindness therapy that involves replacing damaged retinal cells with stem cells which entailed injecting cells into the back of the eye to replaced damaged photoreceptors – tiny light-sensitive cells found in the retina and key to vision. The key step in the experiment was the selection of slightly more mature stem cells that turned into photoreceptors and formed connections with the nerves leading to the brain.
Most of the transplanted photoreceptors were rod cells that are responsible for vision in the night. It is believed that transplant of cone cells would help enhance viewing of colour and viewing detail. This transplant combination of rod and cone cells would provide an overall enhanced vision to patients.
This premise of this experiment is based on the belief that human retina houses cells that can be used for such transplants. This pioneering stem cell surgery, spearheaded by researchers at the world-famous Moorfields Eye Hospital in London plans to begin clinical trials on humans in two years.
Lyndon da Cruz, a surgeon at Moorfields says the surgery has the potential to become as commonplace as a cataract surgery in a few years time. Tom Bremridge, chief executive of the Macular Disease Society, said: “This is a huge step forward for patients. We are extremely pleased that the big guns have become involved, because, once this treatment is validated, it will be made available to a huge volume of patients.”
Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical research company, has announced its financial backing to bring the therapy to patients. Pfizer’s role would be crucial in bringing production of the membranes to an industrial level. Professor Coffey, the project leader for the London Project to Cure Blindness commented: “We have not only the benefit of Pfizer’s experience of the regulatory process and their expertise in stem cell technology but the ability, if this works, to produce on a much larger scale. It has huge implications, not only for our project, but for the field of regenerative medicine as a whole. And it is great that Britain is at the forefront of this research.”
"3. "NED" code.... where does this code come from."
NED indicates No Embryo Destruction.
Great find if this is accurate.
Thanks rumit and rocky. It's great to see that separate and distinct "NED" designation.
Thanks rocky. I did think they were looking for a partner and your insights about the problems there look right on to me.
I second that hope that we are on the brink of a new era.
rocky, any idea why ACTC hasn't brought in a partner for this myoblast Phase II Trial?
Another step forward and more help for the cause.
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Pioneering stem cell treatment restores sight
A man blinded in one eye by a chemical attack as he intervened to stop a fight has had his sight restored thanks to pioneering new stem cell treatment.
By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent, Telegraph.co.uk
2:04PM GMT 22 Dec 2009
Russell Turnbull, 38, lost most of the vision in his right eye when he had ammonia sprayed into it as he tried to break up a fight on a late night bus journey home.
The attack, which badly burned and scarred his cornea, left him with permanent blurred sight and pain whenever he blinked.
The new operation involves cutting away a millimetre squared section of his left eye complete with stem cells and growing it to 400 times that size in the laboratory.
The new outer skin of the eye is then stitched onto the badly damaged cornea in place of the damaged membrane.
The technique, developed by scientists and eye surgeons at the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI). has been used on eight patients and for most of them including Mr Turnbull it has almost completely restored their vision.
Dr Francisco Figueiredo, Consultant Eye Surgeon at NESCI team, who co-led the project, said: "Corneal cloudiness has been estimated to cause blindness in eight million people worldwide each year.
"The stem cell treatment option is aimed at total cure rather than symptom relief only. This new treatment will alleviate patient suffering and remove the need for long term multiple medications as well as returning the patient to functional and social independence."
Dr Sajjad Ahmad, who developed the Newcastle method for culturing limbal stem cells, said "This study shows that stem cell research conducted in the laboratory can have a major impact on the quality of life of patients with corneal disease. This work has been a team effort involving stem cell researchers and hospital doctors working together effectively."
A larger study involving 24 new patients is currently underway with funding from the UK's Medical Research Council.
Mr Turnbull, a storeman, said: "The operation was a complete success and I now have my sight back. This really has given me my life back."
Details of the treatment have been published in the American journal, Stem Cells.
ACTC was considering a reverse split quite awhile go. To consider it again they would have to make a new proposal and bring it to a shareholder meeting. There would be plenty of advance warning on anything like that at this point.
Whoa, whoa, Louisa. We don't want to have any nasty gaps that need filling!
Excellect info again, rocky. Thanks very much.
Good points, bballer. CUR, of course, did have a much bigger short term rally leading into and right after the FDA approval.
ACTC is a totally different story leading out of the 30 day window so it will certainly be interesting to see what happens.
Neuralstem Receives Approval To Commence First ALS Stem Cell Trial at Emory ALS Center
It's another sign of a new FDA acting in a new way.
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Neuralstem Receives Approval To Commence First ALS Stem Cell Trial at Emory ALS Center
ROCKVILLE, Md., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE Amex: CUR) today announced that its Phase I trial to treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) with its spinal cord stem cells has been approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. The trial, which was approved by the FDA in September, will take place at the Emory ALS Center, under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Glass M.D., Director of the Emory ALS Center, who will serve as the site Principal Investigator (PI).
The trial will study the safety of Neuralstem's cells and the surgical procedures and devices required for multiple injections of Neuralstem's cells directly into the grey matter of the spinal cord. The Emory ALS Center has posted the relevant trial information for patients on its website at http://www.neurology.emory.edu/ALS/Stem%... ALS affects roughly 30,000 people in the U.S., with about 7,000 new diagnoses per year.
"The commencement of the first trial using our stem cells, and the first ALS stem cell trial in the U.S., represents a significant step in regenerative medicine," said Richard Garr, Neuralstem CEO. "We look forward to working with the Emory ALS Center. We expect to begin treating patients with our stem cells in January. Again, patients who are interested should reach out directly to the Emory ALS Center."
About the Trial
This Phase I trial, which will primarily evaluate safety of the cells and the surgery procedure, will ultimately consist of 18 ALS patients with varying degrees of the disease, who will be treated with spinal injections of Neuralstem's patented human neural stem cells. The FDA has approved the first stage of the trial, which consists of 12 patients who will receive five-to-ten stem cell injections in the lumbar area of the spinal cord. The patients will be examined at regular intervals post-surgery, with final review of the data to come about 24 months later.
In addition to Dr. Glass, site PI at Emory, the overall PI for the Neuralstem ALS trial program is Dr. Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the University of Michigan Health System ALS Clinic and the Program for Neurology Research & Discovery.
rocky, again, thanks for your response. I also did read your previous info on the Orphan Drug Act and strategy which was excellent. It is easy enough for all of us to get overly excited about an investment and even moreso with a small company on the verge of making history (so to speak). And maybe even Lanza can become a victim of this, as well. I do think the timeframe you cite is what we should expect, even work to restrain ourselves to, but it does seem to me that Lanza has some hope for an upside surprise. So even as I work to restrain myself (and fail), still, I must ask, do you see any legitimate possibilities in the last part of this statement?
"Lanza said ACT decided to target Stargardt’s macular dystrophy first because it has been designated an “orphan disease” and could benefit from a faster regulatory review."
rocky, the citation I made was from an LA Times blog on Nov. 19 a day after the Stargardt's IND and the article does refer to the Stargardt's IND filing the day before. We don't know precisely when the writer interviewed Lanza but it seems like the filing might have been the reason the writer spoke with Lanza. The writer, however, is not giving exact quotes from Lanza so we have to hope her summary was accurate. But it does sound like Lanza is more optimistic than Caldwell. The article is clear on Lanza saying ACTC went with the Stargardt's IND because it could benefit from a faster regulatory review. Strictly speaking it only implies Lanza also said the clinical trial could begin early next year, but it does sound like that did come from Lanza. Of course, Lanza was making comments in a less formal format. Caldwell, presenting at an international conference may have chosen to be more conservative, or Caldwell and Lanza may have a difference of opinion, or assessments may have changed between Nov. 3 and Nov. 19. Maybe they even got the Stargardt's IND in somewhat earlier than they thought they would. At any rate, your opinion is highly valued so take a look at the full article and let us know what you think:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/11/human-embyronic-stem-cells-stargardts-macular-dystrophy.html
fulleroots, I think Caldwell was talking about the AMD IND while Lanza was talking about the Stargardt's IND. Here is a Lanza comment:
"Lanza said ACT decided to target Stargardt’s macular dystrophy first because it has been designated an “orphan disease” and could benefit from a faster regulatory review. The FDA has 30 days to respond to the company’s filing....and the clinical trial could begin early next year."
Excellent stuff. Thanks again, rocky.
Still moving up, 0.085!
Yes, it could be something that only Mary Maculata can handle. :)
Thanks again, rocky. What is your assessment of the ACTC deal with Cha Group and what other companies would you like to see them partner with and in what ways? Thanks.
"My rods and cones are attacking my dendrons."
This is serious. This can lead right into the Coney Island of the Mind.
Hey, it just bounced all the way back up to 0.0835!
Green eye or green needle? :)
"I feel like I have a needle in my eye. and a knife in my heart today.Grrrr"
louisa, hopefully it is the case that you are just being injected with RPE and cardiomyocyte stem cells which will then improve your outlook dramatically.