“Latest Stem Cells News”

Apparently it looks like a simple tea bag but in reality it’s a genetically engineered concentrate able to completely revolutionize treatments for stroke patients. A special little bag called ‘CellBeads’ contains tiny capsules, each containing about 1 million stem cells. Thanks to genetic engineering techniques, stem cells taken from the bone marrow are transformed into a drug that protects brain cells from dying. This allows the cells to be rejuvenated and repair damage caused by the stroke. The stem cells are encapsulated to ‘fool’ the immune system, avoiding a rejection by the body. ‘CellBeads’ were developed by a group of British scientists from the Biocompatibles International Company, and are about 2cm, which allows them to be easily removed.

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In a couple of months, the first test to verify if embryonic stem cells directly injected inside patients’ brain plagued by stroke can regenerate damaged areas, will start in Scotland.
A team from Southern General Hospital of Glasgow selected 4 groups of 3 patients that will be treated during the next 2 years.
Firstly patients will take a dose of 2 millions embryonic stem cells. The amount will be gradually increased to 20 millions of stem cells, which is what doctors think patients need to start the re-creating processes.

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The first patient in the landmark Pilot Investigation of Stem Cells in Stroke (PISCES) trial has been treated with neural stem cells. The study is the first fully regulated clinical trial of neural stem cell therapy for stroke. Investigators will evaluate the safety of ReNeuron cells in disabled ischemic stroke patients.

“This is a first in man safety study,” lead investigator Keith Muir, MD, from the University of Glasgow‘s Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology in Scotland, explained to Medscape Medical News. “We are looking at neurological effects — clinical and imaging — only as secondary goals.”

The stem cells are from a genetically modified immortalized cell line derived from a tissue sample from 12-week fetal cortex.

“Critics of stem cell development generally have various reasons for their ethical objections,” Dr. Muir said. “For most, it relates to embryo use — not relevant in this case,” he argues. “Others might object to termination of pregnancy, but these cells are derived from material donated to a tissue bank from a single legal termination many years ago, which was done for social reasons and was unrelated to the subsequent use.”

This study was approved by the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. ReNeuron is the first company to receive regulatory approval for any stem cell–based clinical trial in the United Kingdom.

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Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. or the  wishes to announce the acceptance and publication of the paper entitled “The Beta-hCG + Erythropoietin in Acute Stroke (BETAS) Study” by the journal “Stroke”, on March 8, 2010.
This paper was authored by Dr. Steven C. Cramer, from the University of California, Irvine, Dr. David Brown at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, New Port Beach, Dr. Michael D. Hill of Foothills Hospital at the University of Calgary, and colleagues.

Dr. Allen Davidoff, VP of Product Development, commented as follows:

“The Stroke journal, published by the American Heart Association, is the top journal in the field of stroke research. Stem Cell Therapeutics is pleased to congratulate Dr. Steven C. Cramer, David Brown and Michael Hill for their efforts, acceptance and successful publication of this novel study by this highly respected, peer reviewed journal.

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U.S. researchers have found that a supplemental protein may help restore impaired mobility of people who suffer from a stroke.
Naturally occurring in humans, the protein has proved to work well in restoring motor function in rats after a stroke, according to two new studies by researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI).
The researchers hope that the protein will also help humans.

Administered directly to the brain, the protein restores 99 percent of lost movement; if it’s given through the nose, 70 percent of lost movement is regained. Untreated rats improve by only 30 percent.

Report of the Brain Tumor Progress Review Group (SuDoc HE 20.3502:B 73/10)

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Stroke-damaged brains could be repaired within 5-10 years using adult stem cells from teeth, according to one of Australia’s leading stroke physicians who is pioneering new research in this field.

Associate Professor Simon Koblar from the University of Adelaide and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is leading a research project that shows dental pulp stem cells extracted from teeth may prove far more beneficial for brain repair than other types of stem cells.

His research involving adult stem cells is the first of its kind in Australia and will be explained at a free public lecture at the University of Adelaide tomorrow night as part of the University’s highly successful Research Tuesdays monthly seminar series.

Stroke is the leading cause of disability in Australia, with 60,000 people suffering a stroke every year and approximately 30% of them losing their lives.

Assoc. Prof. Koblar says dental pulp stem cells have a natural ability to produce and repair neurones (nerve cells). Because they are in teeth, they can also be easily extracted and don’t pose rejection issues for patients.

In 2007 Assoc. Prof. Koblar was awarded $100,000 by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney for a collaborative pilot study on adult stem cells with Associate Professor Stan Gronthos from SA Pathology. Stroke SA also provided additional financial support for this project in 2009.

The two scientists are senior members of the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Stem Cell Research at the Robinson Institute.

“We have some very promising data from trials involving stroke-affected rats, who have shown an improvement in mobility when transplanted with dental pulp stem cells,” he says.

Assoc. Prof. Koblar says more research needs to be done to prove the benefit in animal models before it can be trialled in humans.

The Robinson Institute is currently working with University of Adelaide graduate and stroke victim Peter Couche to set up a Stem Cell for Stroke Foundation in his name.

“Like all research, what we can achieve will depend on how much money can be raised,” Assoc. Prof. Koblar says.

“Stem cell research has great potential to affect stroke patients and benefit the Australian community as a whole, because its impact in this country is enormous. Even if all we can do is to get someone’s hand function to improve, that would be a magnificent advance.”

An inaugural $75,000 collaborative research grant from the Centre for Stem Cell Research has been awarded to Associate Professors Koblar and Gronthos to continue their research into adult stem cell therapy for stroke patients.

from http://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news37182.html

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