“Latest Stem Cells News”

New research has found that stem cells derived from human cord blood could be an effective alternative in repairing heart attacks.

At least 20 million people survive heart attacks and strokes every year, according to World Health Organisation estimates, but many have poor life expectancy and require continual costly clinical care.  The use of patient’s own stem cells may repair heart attacks, although their benefit may be limited due to scarce availability and ageing.  The researchers have found heart muscle-like cells grown using stem cells from human umbilical cord blood could help repair heart muscle cells damaged by a heart attack.

The study, led by Professor Raimondo Ascione, Chair of Cardiac Surgery & Translational Research in the School of Clinical Sciences at the University of Bristol, is published online in Stem Cell Reviews & Reports.

The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), found that it is possible to expand up to seven-fold, in vitro, rare stem cells (called CD133+) from human cord blood and then grow them into cardiac muscle cells.

The findings could have major implications on future treatment following a heart attack given that cells obtained from adults following a heart attack may be less functional due to ageing and risk factors.

Professor Ascione said: “We believe our study represents a significant advancement and overcomes the technical hurdle of deriving cardiac muscle-type cells from human cord blood.  The method we have found has the attributes of simplicity and consistency.  This will permit more robust manipulation of these cells towards better cell homing and cardiac repair in patients with myocardial infarction.

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It was stunning to see them closed inside of those plastic bubbles, kept far from all external contact because their immune system does not react against any foreign antigens. Today scientists can say that ADA-SCID (adenosine deaminase deficiency), a serious combined immunodeficiency caused due to a lack of the adenosine deaminase enzyme, has been definitively defeated by gene therapy developed at San Raffaele of Milan.

The final study, which combined the conclusions of clinical studies, which began in 2000 on strategic therapies developed by the HSR-TIGET (San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy) group, led by Maria Grazia Roncarolo and Alessandro Aiuti, and was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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In Spain the “conditions exist to perform experiments with this technique”. Health Minister Bernat Soria experienced a personal triumph with the approval of the first human testing with embryonic stem cells, even if it did occur in the US. He added that he is working on regulations “so that all of this, which is already legal, is effective in practical terms: both to provide guarantees for the researchers and volunteers and to facilitate procedures.

He also announced that his intentions have materialized in an agreement with the Governor of California, who, although a Republican, has made big investments into this field.

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A new stem cell ban advanced by the government and under discussion in the conference between the State and Regional governments, would contain the explicit exclusion of projects that study human embryonic stem cells, reports the Luca Coscioni Association.

“A ban such as this,” underlined the association in a note, “has no scientific foundation and is in contrast with the orientation of all of the leading countries in scientific research, now also including the USA. In the original version of the ban, prepared by a group of scientists instituted by the Berlusconi government did not mention the types of stem cell that could be studied and simply suggested to finance quality scientific projects and to not finance those that are simply not valid.”

The association pointed out “that law 40 on assisted fertilization, if it is true that it introduced the absurd ban on the use of embryos destined to rot in refrigerators for scientific research, does not prohibit research on cellular lines that have already been extracted before law 49 or that have been extracted abroad”.

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A law has been proposed again to the U.S. Senate to allow for federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research. Democratic Senator Tom Harkin and Republican colleague Arlen Specter declared that the proposal allows for federal funds to finance research done using embryonic stem cells derived from leftover embryos from fertility clinics.

“It is the same bill proposed and approved by the House and the Senate in 2007, but vetoed by President George W. Bush,” was read in their statement to the press.

President Barack Obama promised to eliminate limits on federal funding imposed on research.

“For too long politics have slowed research on treatments that could save the lives of many citizens. President Barack Obama has promised to eliminate the restrictions imposed by Bush, and I hope that he does so soon. Furthermore, I hope this is protected by a federal law so it will not be affected by future changes in the administration,” added Harkin.

The proposed law is also supported by Democratic Senators Edward Kennedy and Dianne Feinstein, and Republican Orrin Hatch.

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An agreement on funding stem cell research is closer than previously thought. A change in direction on financing stem cell research by US President Barack Obama has excited the American scientific community, starting with the major universities in California, including the San Francisco State, San Jose’ University, Stanford, and Berkeley. This time it will be the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to open its wallet, ready to fund grants worth 58 million dollars to groups and researchers studying stem cells.

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