“Latest Stem Cells News”

Nerve stem cell transplants may help slow the progression of macular degeneration, the most common cause of blindness in the developed world, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

They said putting nerve stem cells from StemCells Inc near the retinas of rats with a form of macular degeneration helped keep the disease from advancing to blindness for several months.

“These cells improve the chemical environment in the back of the eye,” said Ray Lund of the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, whose findings were presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago.

Lund said the mechanism is not clear, but he suspects that when immature nerve cells are placed near the retina, they produce growth factors that protect the cells from damage by the disease.

Adult stem cells tested for defects before being implanted in the injured spinal cords of mice helped the animals recover with no cancerous side effects, according to new research. In recent years, scientists found that some experimental stem cell therapies can cause cancerous tumors. Pre-screened cells could result in potentially life- saving treatments without such side effects.

These new findings were presented at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. “We tried to identify induced pluripotent stem cells from adult tissue that would be safe when applied to cell therapy for central nervous system disorders,” said Masaya Nakamura, MD, PhD, at Keio University School of Medicine, a co-author of the study. “These results suggest that properly pre-evaluated cells may be a promising source for future transplantation therapy.”

Here, the authors investigated the possibility of making transplantation therapies safer and more efficient by examining different types of stem cells. They generated 36 induced pluripotent stem cell clones, which differed in their origins and other characteristics. They found that the cell’s origin was a crucial indicator of whether the cells would result in tumors.

Results showed that immature (undifferentiated) stem cells are more likely to form tumors than mature ones. The transplantation of “safe” cells into mice with spinal cord injuries resulted in the formation of new neurons, while “unsafe” cells sped recovery for a short period but ultimately formed tumors.

“This study confirms that before human clinical trials go forward involving treatment of central nervous system disorders with induced pluripotent stem cells, pre-evaluating each cell clone carefully is essential,” Nakamura said.

from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022115618.htm

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/