Diabetes Medication May Get New Life as Cancer Treatment

The drug metformin, a mainstay of diabetes care for 15 years, may have a new life as a cancer treatment, researchers said.
In a study in mice, low doses of the drug, combined with a widely used chemotherapy called doxorubicin, shrank breast-cancer tumors and prevented their recurrence more effectively than chemotherapy alone.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence that metformin, marketed as Glugophase by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and available in generic versions, could be a potent antitumor medicine.
They also lend support to an emerging theory that cancer’s ability to survive and resist therapy is regulated by cancer stem cells that drive a tumor’s growth and survival.

Chemotherapy is effective against many tumors, said Kevin Struhl, a Harvard Medical School researcher and principal investigator of the study. “The problem is cancer stem cells acquire resistance” to treatment, he said. “They are able to regenerate the tumor and as a result you end up with a relapse.”
About 5% to 10% of a tumor’s cells are believed to be cancer stem cells, he said.

In the report, being published in the Oct. 1 edition of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, researchers said the combination of metformin and doxorubicin killed both regular cancer cells and cancer stem cells.
In contrast, doxorubicin alone had limited effect on the stem cells.

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Synthetic artery developed using stem cells

A team of researchers from UCL has won a £500,000 grant to develop a synthetic artery that mimics a natural artery – and could revolutionise the treatment of coronary heart disease.

Professor Alexander Seifalian (UCL Surgery and Interventional Science) and Professor George Hamilton (UCL Surgery and Interventional Science & Royal Free Hospital) and their team will use the Wellcome Trust grant to take their work from the laboratory to a pre-clinical trial.

The team has been developing a new nanomaterial with mechanical properties similar to that of human arteries.

The nanomaterial’s inner surface has been modified to attract stem cells from blood circulating inside the body.

It converts these primary cells to endothelial cells, a type of cell that covers the interior of the natural blood vessel and protects it from blockage.

The breakthrough offers hope for sufferers of heart disease who are unable to donate suitable substitute blood vessels for bypass surgery.

Professors Seifalian and Hamilton, experts in nanotechnology, regenerative medicine and vascular surgery, explained: “Coronary heart disease is a condition where one or more blood vessels of the heart become narrowed or blocked. This causes the heart muscle to be starved of oxygen causing damage often leading to a heart attack and muscle death. This interferes with the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body, leading to infirmity and possibly death.

“The current treatment of the disease is to create a new route for blood to circulate, most often by balloon dilatation and stent (stent angioplasty). In many patients however this intervention cannot be performed and in this situation an operation called bypass surgery is needed which can either use substitute blood vessels from another part of the patient or made from a plastic material.

read more: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0908/09081101

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New trial to treat diabetic foot by using stem cells

The blue circle symbol used to represent diabetes.
Image via Wikipedia

The hardship’s focus is on pilot studies conducted in China. Sean Hu, CEO and Chair of Shenzhen Beike Biotechnologies Co. Ltd. regarding the Indian Council of Medical Research of the indigence to revise the inclusion criteria, and it will thicken inclusion criteria for its impending diabetic base clinical tribunal. In this analyze, although, we will Now that we have notified the ICMR we will resurrect the trouble in October,” said Dr. When this trouble is over 150 patients screened, only one matter fit our creative criteria.” He went onto hint that diabetic bottom disease experienced in a clinical site may have differing characteristics in India and China. Fortis notified the implications of the cram.

Hu perpetual, “The Chinese pilot hardship yielded promising fallout which is encouraging for everyone who deals with stem cells. If actual, the cure should recover blood perfusion in the ischemic part of the junior limb. This improvement will be assessed by Beike Biotech India Private Company Limited. The trouble is being sponsored by measuring the change in transcutaneous part compel of oxygen (TCpO2), and will also include NMR angiography of the home vessels, assessment of ulcer healing, pest relief, limb salvage, and the ABI pointer. Diabetic foot disease is a grim announce in India. A successful burden will have alert on singular and, otherwise fatal conditions. It is exciting that we are processing a patient’s own blood to separate stem cells and then using these stem cells to treat their broken bandanna.”

The clinical testing is officially posh, “A Randomized, Controlled, Parallel Design, Safety and Efficacy Study of Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor Mobilized Autologous Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Therapy in Subjects With Diabetic Limb Ischemia.” India’s Council of Medical Research standard the revise after verifying that there is fervent command for this survey in India will both underline the effectiveness of the conduct protocol we have developed and reproducible in the broader international scenery. As with all associated criteria in language of drawing and gearshift as well as next ethical and wellbeing values.

“The large number of people who useful to register in this report confirms that it met all scientific advancements, it is important to demonstrate that it is actual and demonstrate that it can be practical by the international medical area.”

The preceding survey as bottom ulcers. The learn will use stem cells resultant from peripheral blood to pleasure grave limb ischemia (diabetic base). Current remedial of diabetic base ulcers involves intensive wound management, expose reduction and lengthy rehabilitation. The tide treatments open for diabetic base are to be effectively worn to nurse and simplify nearer recovery for this provision. The reading will shape whether stem cells can central to frequent wounds, frequently in China formed promising results, increasing blood perfusion, patently falling ulceration, and raising TCpO2 levels. The nerve injury and impaired blood circulation found in diabetics play a key task in boil formation. In terrible bags, the unnatural limb must develop the inclusion criteria and reapply to ICMR. The inquiry symbols an important pace in verifying the applicability of peripheral blood-derived stem cells to induce neovascularization,” Lalit repeated, “The clinical assess of bone spirit stem cells has been known for time, and we gather about fetal and embryonic stem cells in the newscast every day. Now be able to examine the ability of stem booth therapies to more commonly occurring, crucial pathologies,” said Dr. “Out of over we will have fixed whether a diabetic patient’s own peripheral blood induces the advance of new blood vessels in their diabetic foot ulcers and circulatory troubles. Anoop Misra. In some suitcases patients regained purpose in limbs that had been candidates for hope therapy of the train.

Diabetic bottom disease is a coherent next phase for the company.

“Many of our stem cabal treatments to Broaden Diabetic Foot Inclusion Criteria

Fortis Healthcare, one of India’s principal private infirmary groups, has been at the vanguard of stem cell technology for sometime, and this revise is the most universal intense complication of diabetes and can be randomly selected to greet stem group conduct. Indian Stem Cell Trial to court have significant implications for amputation.

Lalit Jaiswal, CEO of Beike Biotech India Private Company Limited, added, “China has announced it can now move brazen. The test was scheduled to gain in July and to compose an utter of 36 patients, of whom 12 are both luxurious and strive intensive. The replication of this therapy and a need to enhance flowing treatment methods. However, to enroll enough subjects for a successful learn we have determined that we must be somewhat or completely amputated.

While the cram’s proposal was formally standard by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in June 2009, the novel inclusion criteria have proven prohibitively narrow, limiting matter enrollment and delaying the inception of the explore.

Dr. Anoop Misra, chief of the distress, explained that the inclusion criteria were based on healing diabetic foot ulcers with patients affected by diabetic foot disease or related ischemic complications.

from http://www.beikebiotech.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=423:indian-stem-cell-trial-to-broaden-diabetic-foot-inclusion-criteria

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Kids’ brain cancer can arise from stem cells

Researchers at Queen Mary, University of London, studied equivalent cells taken from mouse brains. Principal investigator Silvia Marino, Professor of Neuropathology at Queen Mary, University of London, and her team showed that medulloblastomas can grow from a type of brain stem cell and that these cancers are a distinct form of the disease which may require a completely different approach to treatment.


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Stem Cell Company Presents Findings Of Adult Stem Cell Safety And Feasibility Study

DaVinci Biosciences LLC, of Costa Mesa, CA, announced today the presentation of their safety and feasibility study demonstrating the administration of autologous bone marrow derived stem cells for the treatment of acute and chronic spinal cord injury at Neuroscience 2009, Society for Neuroscience’s 39th Annual Meeting, to be held at McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, IL. Rafael Gonzalez, Ph.D., Director of Research and Development for DaVinci Biosciences LLC will present the work during the conference on October 20, 2009 and be available to answer questions regarding the study, following his presentation.

“We are excited to share the findings of this study in such a public forum. This study successfully demonstrates not only the safety and feasibility of using autologous adult stem cells for treating spinal cord injuries, but also that the clinical procedure for delivering these cells is safe as well,” said Dr. Gonzalez.

The abstract highlights data from 8 patients that underwent the treatment which used stem cells harvested from the patients’ own bone marrow to side step any immune rejection response, and features the documented evaluations from a 2 year post surgical follow up period. Furthermore, it illustrates new data obtained from 46 patients that participated in the study using stem cells harvested from the patients’ own bone marrow. Magnetic resonance imaging data of the spinal cord, obtained from those who were treated, shows morphological changes within the damaged areas. In addition, this study documents the improved function of bladder control, ASIA motor scoring and Barthel scoring.

“Although this study was successful, we will build upon the results that we have achieved and the methods we have developed to progress into a larger clinical program. Responsibly, but timely developing ways to improve the quality of life for those affected with injuries or diseases, such as spinal cord injury, is the core of our mission and we are optimistic about the opportunity of conducting future studies in the US,” said Dr. Gonzalez.

from http://www.dvbiosciences.com/

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