“Latest Stem Cells News”

Scientists have taken the first steps toward producing the “heart patch,” a design for a medical implement used to repair damage from heart disease, a new study suggests.

Last week, researchers from Duke University presented the results of a study which, using mouse embryonic stem cells, examined the way these cells develop into heart muscle, HealthDay News reports (…)

from http://www.privatemdlabs.com/news/Heart_Health_and_Cholesterol/Mouse-stem-cell-study-examines-heart-repair$19405309.php

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Five years after the passage of Proposition 71, the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine is awarding grants for stem-cell research targeted at clinical applications. In what both the San Diego Union-Tribune and Knight Science Journalism Tracker are calling an “irony,” ten of the 14 grants are going to researchers working with adult stem-cells.

On Thursday, October 29, the New York Times reported: “In a tacit acknowledgment that the promise of human embryonic stem cells is still far in the future, California’s stem cell research program on Wednesday awarded grants intended to develop therapies using mainly other, less controversial cells.

“The $230 million in grants awarded Wednesday to California universities and companies represent a big step toward moving stem cells from basic research toward application in treating diseases like cancer and AIDS. Grant recipients are supposed to have a therapy ready for initial human testing in four years.

“But only four of the 14 projects involve embryonic stem cells. The others will use so-called adult stem cells or conventional drugs intended to kill cancer stem cells, which are thought to give rise to tumors.

“The grants thus represent a departure from the program’s original mission. California voters approved the 10-year, $3 billion effort in 2004 largely to get around restrictions on embryonic stem cell research imposed by the administration of President George W. Bush.”

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Viet Nam’s National Hospital of Pediatrics in Ha Noi this morning announced the initial success of its first stem cell therapy treatment of epidermolysis bullosa (EB), making it only the second medical institution in the world to successfully treat this genetic skin disease in this manner.

Children with EB lack a protein that anchors the outer layer of skin to the body, resulting in very fragile skin that peels off with minor friction or trauma. They suffer painful wounds and infections which eventually are fatal.

The four-year-old boy who underwent the bone marrow transplant received tissue taken from his sister, aged 10, on September 16, to stimulate the production of healthy skin cells.

Nguyen Viet Anh had a severe form of EB, which caused his toes to stick to each other and skin to peel off the inside of his mouth, said hospital director Nguyen Thanh Liem.

“It is a very complicated technology but we are happy that the donor’s bone marrow tissue has taken in his body,” he said.

Anh’s white cell count has increased to a normal level 40 days after the transplant from almost zero. The area of affected skin is now only 7 per cent of the body, a big progress from 23 per cent before the transplant.

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Prominent Texan, Dusty Durrill, discusses his improvements after undergoing stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis at the Stem Cell Institute in Panama City, Panama.

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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

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Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi (image by Getty Images via @daylife)

An international conference entitled: ‘Adult Stem Cells: Science and the Future of Man and Culture‘ is due to begin today in the Vatican, lasting until 11 November. The event, which has been organised by the US Stem for Life Foundation and by the Pontifical Council for Culture, has the aim of supporting research and increasing public awareness of treatment using adult stem cells.

The conference will be attended by 350 scientists, religious figures, politicians, educators and industry representatives.
Primary stem cells are of two kinds: embryonic and adult. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or to become another type of cell with a more specialised function, such as a muscle cell or brain cell.

Sources of adult stem cells have been found in the bone marrow, the blood and the liver. This offers the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat many diseases.

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