SWITZERLAND – Investments in Stem Cell Research

Posted on 10 May 2013 by Stem Man

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Halfway through February, the National Swiss Fund has established a national plan for stem cell research and regenerative medicine, providing 10 million francs (6,766,000 euros) in financing over 5 years. In November, the Foundation will make a decision on projects that have already been submitted. In January 2010, those which have been approved will get underway. The objective is to favor basic biological stem cell and regenerative medicine research, and to spread awareness internationally.

At the end of 2004 in a referendum, Swiss citizens approved a law that allows the use of excess embryonic stem cells from fertility clinics. Researchers assert that regulations, which are too restrictive, do not provide enough embryos for research. In the political world, liberal Senator Felix Gutzwiller is one of the most highly aware the criticisms made by scientists. He is willing to promote further modifications to legislation and to the Constitution, although it is expected that he will meet stiff opposition from ecologists and religious groups.

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Italy – top court changes strict fertility rules

Posted on 9 May 2013 by Stem Man

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Italy’s Constitutional Court relaxed parts of a law on artificial procreation that had imposed strict rules for fertility treatments.
The judges struck down as unconstitutional one of the most contested sections of the 2004 law, which said only three embryos could be created at one time, and all had to be implanted in the patient’s womb, a court spokesman said.

The judges also introduced stronger wording to ensure that embryos are implanted only if it doesn’t endanger the woman’s health, said spokesman Giovanni Gattarino.
The issue had been put before the constitutional judges by lower administrative and civil courts, which have been considering cases brought against the law by several couples, Gattarino said.

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First U.S. stem cells transplanted into spinal cord

Posted on 6 May 2013 by Stem Man

For the first time in the United States, stem cells have been directly injected into the spinal cord of a patient, researchers announced Thursday.

Doctors injected stem cells from 8-week-old fetal tissue into the spine of a man in his early 60s who has advanced ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It was part of a clinical trial designed to determine whether it is safe to inject stem cells into the spinal cord and whether the cells themselves are safe (…)

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ITALY – S.I.Di.P.: we are at the cutting edge of amniotic stem cells

Posted on 29 April 2013 by Stem Man

The latest developments in molecular biology in the prenatal diagnostic field, particularly regarding preserving stem cells extracted from amniotic liquid, were the focus of the latest S.I.Di.P conference (Italian Society of Prenatal Diagnosis and Maternal Fetal Medicine).

After a greeting from S.I.Di.P President Claudio Giorlandino and President of the Italian Gynecology and Obstetrics Society Giorgio Vittori, Professor Giuseppe Simone, the head of the Biocell Center in Busto Arsizio (VA), the first Italian center able to treat and store stem cells extracted from the amniotic liquid in liquid nitrogen, opened the conference.

“In the next five to ten years,” explained Professor Simoni, “scientific research will have developed therapy based on amniotic stem cells. They are very similar to embryonic stem cells, they are multipotent and young, and this means that they are preferable to embryonic stem cells.

Preserving them creates no risk and the embryo is not sacrificed. Investing into research in this field is an obligation to humanity. There are so many possibilities and the research into amniotic stem cells to treat diseases represents the new frontier for research in the third millennium.

Researchers hope that they can be used to combat many terrible diseases, as well as in reconstructive surgery, and to treat nerve system diseases.”

Stem cells derived from the amniotic liquid are able to differentiate into various tissues, including bone, fat, nerve, cartilage, muscle, hematopoietic tissue, and offer a wide range of clinical applications.

“The future,” continued Simoni, “is research into these types of stem cells, which many research groups, including research teams from Italy, are studying. Preserving them, from anyone who has already decided to undergo amniocentesis is a golden opportunity to donate a precious gift to the future: the gift of life itself. Cryoconservation will allow us to be ready when scientific progress achieves further developments, which will come soon.”

Scientists Create Stem Cells From Eggs Of Aging Mice

Posted on 23 April 2013 by Stem Man

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Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have created stem cells from the eggs of aging mice that could be used for reproductive purposes and regenerative medicine. The study, published in April issue of Aging Cell, found that even though the eggs from older females were slightly less efficient at making stem cells than those from younger females, the capacity to create stem cells was sustained.

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