“Latest Stem Cells News”

A year after President Barack Obama issued a landmark executive order to remove eight years of limitations on U.S. federal funding of stem cell research, the WiCell Research Institute has expanded the number of cell lines available through its WISC Bank (Wisconsin International Stem Cell) to 33.

WiCell, host of the former National Stem Cell Bank (NSCB) for five years under a contract from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has transitioned the distribution of all of the 20 human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines formerly available through the NSCB to its own stem cell bank. The bank also continues to carry its previously banked seven induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines and six genetically modified hES cell lines.

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 (…)

In a ray of hope for millions of leukaemia patients, American scientists have claimed to have developed a technique which multiplies the small number of stem cells in the donor blood, making it much more potent for the treatment of the fatal disease.

It also eliminates the need for a matching donor, whose bone marrow is usually transplanted to the patient, according to a study which appeared in the journal Nature Medicine. Traditionally, there was always a risk that the patient’s body may reject the new cells from a donor.

Call it pork in a petri dish – a technique to turn pig stem cells into strips of meat that scientists say could one day offer a green alternative to raising livestock and help alleviate world hunger.
Dutch scientists have grown pork in the laboratory since 2006, and while they haven’t gotten the texture right or even tasted the meat, they say the technology promises to have widespread implications for the food supply.

“If we took the stem cells from one pig and multiplied it by a factor of a million, we would need 1 million fewer pigs to get the same amount of meat,” said Mark Post, a biologist at Maastricht University involved in the In-vitro Meat Consortium, a network of research institutions that is carrying out the experiments.

Post describes the texture of the meat as sort of like a scallop, firm but a little squishy and moist.
Similar research was funded by NASA, which hoped that astronauts could grow their own meat in space. But after growing thin sheets of tissue, NASA decided that it would be better for astronauts to simply eat vegetarian.

from http://www.star-telegram.com/238/story/1897846.html

Dutch scientists say they haven’t got the texture right yet, but they have managed to grow pork in a lab using stem cells from pig muscles.
So far, they’ve only been able to grow meat strips half an inch long, but one of the researchers estimates a small pork chop would take about 30 days in the lab. Mark Post says the main problem is producing pork with the same protein content as regular meat. The lack of protein gives the petri pork a softer, flimsier consistency more like scallops.

Still, Post says the development could eventually offer an alternative to raising livestock and help ease hunger around the world.
One American researcher not involved in the Dutch study says the findings could also help develop healthier foods. For instance, healthy omega 3 fatty acids from fish stem cells could be mixed in to produce meat without the usual artery-clogging fats that come from livestock.

Other experts warn that lab-produced meat could pose health dangers.
None of the researchers have actually eaten the lab-made meat yet, but they’re guessing it won’t really taste like pork.

http://www.kgan.com/template/inews_wire/wires.international/22d7e1c1-www.kgan.com.shtml

Chinese researchers have become the world’s fifth most prolific contributors to peer-reviewed scientific literature on Regenerative Medicine (RM), according to an international study published on Friday (…)
Regenerative Medicine is an emerging interdisciplinary field of research and clinical applications focused on the repair, replacement or regeneration of cells, tissues, or organs, which uses a combination of approaches including gene therapy, stem cell transplantation, tissue engineering, and the reprogramming of cell and tissue types.

But as the stem cell research develops fast in recent years, RM becomes more and more dependent on this side, and shared some ethic criticism against stem cell research since it involves the usage of human embryos.

Hematologists are not typical “first responders,” and many feel ill-equipped to act in an emergency situation. Dr. Nelson Chao of Duke University hopes that those who attend the Emergency Preparedness Education Program Session this morning at 7:30 in La Nouvelle Ballroom C will feel more prepared to respond in times of crisis. Dr. Chao explains, “Preparation is an area that we don’t stress or think about enough, and we probably should. Our preparation would help both our patients and our staff in an emergency.” The session will include discussion of two recent crises and one hypothetical disaster that we will hopefully never face.

This year, the annual ASH meeting returns to New Orleans for the first time since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. The effects of Hurricane Katrina were felt throughout the United States, but only those who lived through the natural disaster can truly understand its impact. Dr. Cindy Leissinger of Tulane University School of Medicine experienced the disaster first-hand and will share her unique perspective. She hopes that attendees will learn that the unimaginable can happen and that preparation can help in the recovery.

She will focus on the state of the medical community prior to Hurricane Katrina and what was learned from the disaster. One of her lessons involves the importance of communication. As she explains, “After Katrina, all of us were displaced — more than a million people were displaced — and that continued for many months for most of us. The most essential thing during that period for us as professionals and for our patients was the ability to communicate with each other. We had to scramble to put communication systems in place after Katrina — hopefully we learned some lessons that will help us to do a better job if another Katrina happens.” The lessons that Dr. Leissinger will present can be applied to other situations and are essential knowledge for all medical providers.

Questions about the H1N1 influenza outbreak from patients, families, and other providers are common for many hematologists this season. Some of these questions are relatively straightforward, including inquiries about the safety of vaccination and indications for prophylaxis. Other questions are more challenging, including how to vaccinate large patient populations efficiently, what to do when a staff member who has been at work becomes ill, and how to handle a worst-case scenario like an outbreak on a stem cell transplant unit. Dr. Richard Hatchett from the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease will update the audience on the international H1N1 outbreak. He will address the current state of readiness and review public health measures. Dr. Hatchett’s expertise will be invaluable for hematologists and oncologists who care for populations vulnerable to influenza and other pathogens.

The session will conclude with Dr. Chao’s discussion of international preparedness for a potential radiological attack. Hematologists, oncologists, and experts in stem cell transplantation are uniquely qualified to care for survivors of a nuclear disaster and would be called on in such an emergency. International collaboration and preparation is necessary for the response to be effective. Dr. Chao will examine the nature of radiation injury and describe current international strategies for emergency response. In the event of a nuclear attack the response must be swift; preparation is essential. The unifying theme of preparedness promises to stimulate thought and discussion.

from http://www.hematology.org/Publications/ASH-News-Daily/2009/4627.aspx