“Latest Stem Cells News”

Scientists have developed a new tool that illuminates connections between stem cells and cancer.
Researchers have been successful in breaking apart human prostate tissue, extract the stem cells in the tissue, and alter those cells genetically so that they spur cancer.

Many tissues contain pools of stem cells that replenish the tissue when it’s damaged or when changes take place. For example, stem cells in the skin produce new cells to replace those irreparably damaged by the sun, and stem cells in the breast create milk-producing cells when a woman is pregnant.

A characteristic of these stem cells is that they self-renew. This means that in addition to making cells with a specific function, they also make many new stem cells.

Incoming search terms:

Health Counselor Board, Javier Alvarez Guisasola, launched on Wednesday a clinical trial coordinated by Professor Margarita Calonge, IOBA’s on cell therapy applied to treat corneal blindness.
This study was coordinated by the IOBA and IBGM to demonstrate the long-term effectiveness of the epithelial stem cell transplantation of the cornea, previously cultivated to restore corneal blindness. Stem cells come from a healthy eye of the patient or family support.

Incoming search terms:

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.

Like a Hole in the Head: Living with a Brain Tumour

Incoming search terms:

An experimental drug is on the way, which might be effective to fight brain cancer (glioblastoma) and prostate cancer.
The researchers are experimenting on this drug at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre (UTSMC).
According to Jerry Shay, professor of cell biology, the drugs are promisisng because they attack not only the tumour cells but also the rare cancer stem cells in the body. So, it would be effective to root out cancer from the body.
“Because it attacks a mechanism that’s active in most cancers, it might prove to be widely useful, especially when combined with other therapies,” said Shay.

Incoming search terms:

BioMedReports: There has been some talk about the upcoming opening of your new state-of-the-art facility. Can you tell us about that?

CEO Matthew L. Schissler: We always try to focus on three core goals and in 2010 we are opening our new state of the art laboratory. One of those three core goals is the diversification of revenue streams. Not only will we have our own organic growth engine, by processing and storing for our own company, but we recently entered into a letter of agreement to process and store for another very successful stem cell company. That’s going to be the flavor for 2010 and onward- diversification of revenue streams by using our new facility to its full capacity. The other goal is continued growth- like we saw mention of when we announced in late 2009 when we signed an agreement with a national labor association, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. That’s how we’ll grow some more, through the insurance companies. And finally, we’re going to be very focused on acquisitions. In fact, I’ll tell you that in 2010 we have a voracious appetite for acquisitions. With the economy the way it is, a lot of stem cell companies are struggling and we’ve been very fortunate to have our company go in the right direction by reducing debt and raising capital. We feel it’s a very good time for us to make some acquisitions and so we’re going to be very focused on that this year.

BioMedReports: So I would imagine that these acquisitions are somehow related to the goal of increasing your revenue streams in some way?

CEO Matthew L. Schissler: The overall goal in our mission statement is to not only become the world’s number one most respected stem cell company but also to be the largest as well. As we say in our mission statement, the world’s globally dominant stem cell storage company and so, those acquisitions will be in related fields, but I can’t say too much but it’s all about cryogenic preservation of stem cells and other forms of biologics.

Incoming search terms:

Cultured stem cells from eyes helped improve the sight of eight patients with Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency, a painful, blinding disease, British doctors said.

The patients’ own corneal cells were cultured and used to reduce corneal cloudiness from the disease, The North East England Stem Cell Institute, Newcastle, England, reported in a release Thursday.

Incoming search terms: