“Latest Stem Cells News”

Statement by Maurizio Bolognetti, Secretary of the Associazione Radicali Lucani (Radical Association of the Lucania Area)

As recently stated, Senators Perduca and Poretti have questioned individuals about the stem cell bank in Matera. After three years, it is necessary to finally shed light on the matter, which has not been clearly explained. The many mothers who have donated umbilical cords have the right to know the truth about how and why an opportunity to potentially treat individuals was lost. EU Parliament member Marco Cappalto expressed his desire for Minister Sacconi to provide clear responses.

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The text of the questioning follows:

Questioning of the Minister for Labour Policy Maurizio Sacconi by Senators Perduca and Poretti

Considering that

On December 31 1996, with regional law number 478, the regional council in Basilicata instituted an umbilical cord stem cell bank at the Matera Hospital.

In 2004, the umbilical cord stem cell bank was transferred to the Microcythemia Center where the bank was put under the direct responsibility of Doctor Carlo Gaudiano at the Transfusion Center at “Madonna delle Grazie” Hospital in Matera.

In the summer of 2006, some donors learned about the destruction (others believe the disappearance) of umbilical cord stem cells. The matter was debated upon for months by the national and local media and in particular by the ‘Quotidiano della Basilicata’ on April 7 2006. Weekly magazine in Matera, Il Resto, Sole 24 Ore, and Corriere della Sera newspapers also covered the story. The matter came to the attention of the Public Prosecutor’s office of Catanzaro.

We hereby ask:

If and in what way the stem cells were lost;

Who exactly and which professionals in general were trained in the removal, handling, and freezing of stem cells;

What and how much equipment was acquired and what was its purpose;

The total cost of the operation after revenue earned.

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An international team of scientists led by researchers at The Scripps Research Institute has developed a straightforward technique to determine the ethnic origin of stem cells.

The team’s analysis of a variety of human embryonic stem cell lines currently in use in research laboratories around the world found that these cells originated largely from Caucasian and East Asian populations, with little representation from populations originating in Africa. In response to these results, the scientists used skin cells from an individual of West African Yoruba heritage to create a new stem cell line, the first to carry the genetic profile of this ethnic group.

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Transplanting own stem cells into heart of severe angina patients lessens their pain and improves their ability to walk, a new study has revealed.

The largest national stem cell study for heart disease showed that transplant subjects also experienced fewer deaths than those who didn’t receive stem cells.

In the 12-month Phase II, double-blind trial, subjects’ own purified stem cells, called CD34+ cells, were injected into their hearts in an effort to spur the growth of small blood vessels that make up the microcirculation of the heart muscle (…)

He also said that this study provides the first evidence that a person’s own stem cells can be used as a treatment for their heart disease. However, he cautioned that the findings of the 25-site trial with 167 subjects, require verification in a larger, Phase III study.

The stem cell transplant is the first therapy to produce an improvement in severe angina subjects’ ability to walk on a treadmill. Twelve months after the procedure, the transplant subjects were able to double their improvement on a treadmill compared to the placebo group (…)

from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/Your-own-stem-cells-can-help-treat-heart-disease/articleshow/5242519.cms

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“For centuries, scientists have known that certain animals can regenerate missing parts of their bodies. Humans actually share this ability with animals like the starfish and the newt. Although we can’t replace a missing leg or a finger, our bodies are constantly regenerating blood, skin, and other tissues.

The identity of the powerful cells that allow us to regenerate some tissues was first revealed when experiments with bone marrow in the 1950s established the existence of stem cells in our bodies and led to the development of bone marrow transplantation, a therapy now widely used in medicine.

This discovery raised hope in the medical potential of regeneration. For the first time in history, it became possible for physicians to regenerate a damaged tissue with a new supply of healthy cells by drawing on the unique ability of stem cells to create many of the body’s specialized cell types (…)”

Read full story clicking here

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The U.S. government approved the first 13 batches of human embryonic stem cells on Wednesday, enabling researchers using them to get millions of dollars in federal funding as promised by President Barack Obama in March.

“Today we are announcing the approval of the first 13 stem cell lines,” Collins told reporters in a telephone briefing.

In March, Obama lifted restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research imposed by his predecessor, George W. Bush.

He could not lift a restriction set by Congress, called the Dickey-Wicker amendment, that forbids the use of federal money to make the stem cells, which require destruction of a human embryo. But the decision made it possible for researchers to use federal funds to work with cells that others have made.

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UW-Milwaukee researcher Andrew Cohen has successfully developed a software program that facilitates predicting the evolution of stem cells. The program essentially speeds up what has been a tedious process for researchers in the past.

The program was published last week in the journal Nature Methods. It applies algorithmic information theory to the growth and movement of stem cells tracked over time to show what type of cells (i.e. brain, skin, etc.) they will eventually develop into.

“People look at images and take measurements by hand,” Cohen explained. “It takes a long time, and using computers makes the process a lot less tedious.”

Stem cells all start out the same before they develop into the different cells of our bodies. Scientists do not know what triggers the stem cell’s future growth pattern into a particular type of cell, but researchers like Cohen are figuring out how to predict the cell’s future based on measurements and math.

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