Archive for May, 2014

"In Your Genes" - Swedish Cancer Institute Personalized Medicine
http://SwedishCancerInstitute.org The Swedish Cancer Institute has a new weapon in the search for a cure. It #39;s personalized medicine, where DNA sequencing of a patient #39;s cancer cells helps...

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"In Your Genes" - Swedish Cancer Institute Personalized Medicine - Video

19 May 2014

Hip surgery conducted with a 3D printed titanium implant and bone stem cell graft has been conducted in Southampton.

The 3D printed hip was designed using the patients CT scan and CAD CAM file, thereby matching the patients exact specifications and measurements.

According to Southampton University, the implant will provide a new socket for the ball of the femur bone to enter. Doctors have also inserted a graft containing bone stem cells behind the implant and between the pelvis .

The graft is said to acts as a filler for the loss of bone, with the patients own bone marrow cells added to the graft to provide a source of bone stem cells to encourage bone regeneration behind and around the implant.

The benefits to the patient through this pioneering procedure are numerous, said Douglas Dunlop, consultant orthopaedic surgeon who conducted the operation at Southampton General Hospital. The titanium used to make the hip is more durable and has been printed to match the patients exact measurements this should improve fit and could recue the risk of having to have another surgery. The bone graft material that has been used has excellent biocompatibility and strength and will fill the defect behind the bone well, fusing it all together.

Over the past decade Dunlop and Prof Richard Oreffo, at Southampton University, have developed a translational research programme to drive bone formation using patient skeletal stem cells in orthopaedics.

The graft used in the operation is made up of a bone scaffold that allows blood to flow through it. Stem cells from the bone marrow will attach to the material and grow new bone, which will support the 3D printed hip implant.

In a statement, Prof Oreffo said: The 3D printing of the implant in titanium, from CT scans of the patient and stem cell graft is cutting edge and offers the possibility of improved outcomes for patients.

Fractures and bone loss due to trauma or disease are a significant clinical and socioeconomic problem. Growing bone at the point of injury alongside a hip implant that has been designed to the exact fit of the patient is exciting and offers real opportunities for improved recovery and quality of life.

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Patient receives 3D printed titanium hip

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Newswise SALT LAKE CITY In the body, a skin cell will always be skin, and a heart cell will always be heart. But in the first hours of life, cells in the nascent embryo become totipotent: they have the incredible flexibility to mature into skin, heart, gut, or any type of cell.

It was long assumed that the joining of egg and sperm launched a dramatic change in how and which genes were expressed. Instead, new research shows that totipotency is a step-wise process, manifesting as early as in precursors to sperm, called adult germline stem cells (AGSCs), which reside in the testes.

The study was co-led by Bradley Cairns, Ph.D., University of Utah professor of oncological sciences, and Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator, and Ernesto Guccione, Ph.D., of the Agency for Science Technology and Research in Singapore. They worked closely with first author and Huntsman Cancer Institute postdoctoral fellow, Saher Sue Hammond, Ph.D. The research was published online in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

Typically, sperm precursors live a mundane life. They divide, making more cells like themselves, until they receive the signal instructing them to mature into sperm.

There is evidence, however, that these cells have the potential to do more. Under the unusual conditions that promote the cells to form dense cancerous masses called testicular teratomas, the young sperm transform into precursors of skin, muscle, and gut.

This realization prompted the investigators to examine the gene program within sperm precursors. They wondered, would it be like that of a cell that is destined to become a single cell type, or like that of a cell with the potential to become anything?

The answer, they found, is that the sperm precursors are somewhere in between. The most telling evidence is the status of a quartet of genes: Lefty, Sox2, Nanog, and Prdm14. When activated, the genes can trigger a cascade of events that give cells stem cell properties. In cells limited to becoming one cell type, the genes are silent.

Yet in sperm precursors, the genes bear a code of chemical tags, called methylation groups, indicating that the four genes are silenced, but poised to become active. In other words, embedded within these cells, is the potential to become totipotent.

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The Young Sperm, Poised for Greatness

On The Offensive Against GMOs with Jeffrey Smith
Genetic engineering of foods is one of the most controversial subjects of the last two decades. Since humans first domesticated crops and animals, people have bred different breeds and species...

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On The Offensive Against GMOs with Jeffrey Smith - Video

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19-May-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ruehle kruehle@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, May 19, 2014Two studies of the anti-depressive drug duloxetine, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), compared its effectiveness and safety to either fluoxetine or placebo in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD). The results of these first controlled trials of duloxetine in pediatric patients with MDD are published in Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The articles are available free on the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology

Graham Emslie, MD and coauthors evaluated the efficacy and safety of a fixed dose of duloxetineeither 60 mg or 30 mg once a dayversus 20 mg daily of fluoxetine or placebo in children ages 7-11 years and adolescents ages 12-17 years. In the article "A Double-Blind Efficacy and Safety Study of Duloxetine Fixed Doses in Children and Adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder" they compare the treatments based on worsening of suicidal ideation, emergence of suicidal behavior, and adverse effects including abnormal findings on an electrocardiogram and laboratory tests.

Sarah Atkinson, MD and colleagues compared a flexible dosing regimen of duloxetine (60-120 mg daily) to fluoxetine (20-40 mg daily) or placebo and reported measures from a depression rating scale and a suicide severity rating scale, as well as treatment-related adverse events, in the article "A Double-Blind Efficacy and Safety Study of Duloxetine Flexible Dosing in Children and Adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder".

Neither study found a significant difference in response between the two drugs and placebo. The authors suggest that this may be due to the complexity of these novel studies and offer observations that may direct the design of future investigations.

"Drs. Emslie and Atkinson and their colleagues took a fascinating approach towards testing the efficacy of a novel SNRI in the pediatric population," said Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, and President, Child Mind Institute, New York, NY. "Researchers are of course excited by positive results, but in this case the curious lack of response tells us volumes about how to better design complex studiesstudies that may soon give us uncommon insight into our pharmacologic interventions."

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Is Duloxetine more or less effective than Fluoxetine in children and teens with MDD?

Researchers at the Weill Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) have published the first genetic map of the date palm, according to a report. The genetic map shows the order in which the date palms chromosomes are placed and also which chromosome is responsible for reproduction. In theory, the information could one day allow growers to manipulate the development of seeds, creating more female fruit-bearing plants than male plants that do not produce dates, an important food source for much of the Middle East, the report said. Scientists from Saudi Arabia and China completed mapping the genome of the date-palm tree late last year. Scientists from Riyadhs King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Chinas Shenzhen-based BGI had been working on the project since 2008. The map has been produced by the genomics group under the direction of Joel Malek, assistant professor of Genetic Medicine at WCMC-Q, in collaboration with Karsten Suhre, professor of physiology and biophysics at WCMC-Q, and with the help of colleagues at the Ministry of Environments Biotechnology Center and the Department of Agricultural Affairs. The program, entitled Establishing World Leadership in Date Palm Research in Qatar, was funded by the National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) at the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), which provided $4.5 million to the research. Malek and his team produced a draft version of the date palm genome three years ago. It was this that paved the way for the more accurate map. To create the map, Malek and Suhre worked with the Ministry of the Environments Biotechnology Center and their Department of Agricultural Affairs. The ministry provided the researchers with 150 seeds from a single female tree, which were then propagated by Ameena Al-Malki at the Biotechnology Center. Leaves and DNA were taken from the seedlings once they were large enough for testing. A new process called genotyping-by-sequencing was then applied which sequenced portions of the genomes of all 150 seedlings. It allowed the researchers to look at the parent tree and ascertain how the DNA was passed to the offspring. Khaled Machaca, associate dean of research at WCMC-Q, said the research demonstrates the value of funding novel, regionally relevant, collaborative research between different organizations. The NPRP exceptional proposal (NPRP-EP) funding the date palm research was the first NPRP-EP awarded by QNRF, he said. It funds regionally relevant research that has a high likelihood of contributing toward Qatars knowledge-based economy vision. This funding is beginning to bear fruits by generating the first chromosome map for date palm through collaborative efforts of multiple institutions in Qatar.

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Worlds first date palm genetic map published

Restoration of Function After Spinal Cord Injury
Grand Rounds in Neuroscience ant the University of Louisville. Presenter: Graham Creasey, MD, Paralyzed Veterans of America Professor of Spinal Cord Injury M...

By: UofL Neurosurgery

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Restoration of Function After Spinal Cord Injury - Video

The Site Of Insult: Spinal Cord Injury, "Push Girls" The Ground Zero Of Female Pleasure"
Neuroscience Grand Rounds 2/13/14 - "The Site Of Insult: Spinal Cord Injury, "Push Girls" The Ground Zero Of Female Pleasure" Presenter: Krista Kane, Direc...

By: UofL Neurosurgery

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The Site Of Insult: Spinal Cord Injury, "Push Girls" & The Ground Zero Of Female Pleasure" - Video

Fighting Something Big- Monica
Monica experienced a spinal cord injury while skiing. Since then, she has become an olympic athlete for both hand cycling and cross-country skiing.

By: Calvin McNelly

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Fighting Something Big- Monica - Video

Enliven: Journal of Stem Cell Research Regenerative Medicine
Enliven: Journal of Stem Cell Research Regenerative Medicine is an Open access, peer reviewed international journal and it aims to publish different types of articles on emerging developments...

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Enliven: Journal of Stem Cell Research & Regenerative Medicine - Video

Stem Cell Therapy using Bone Marrow Derived Mononuclear Cells in Treatment of Lower Limb Lymphedema

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Stem Cell Therapy using Bone Marrow Derived Mononuclear Cells in Treatment of Lower Limb Lymphedema - Video

On his journey from Birmingham boy to Hollywood star David Harewood has shared the silver screen with Leonardo Di Caprio and earned an MBE for services to drama.

But the Homeland actor says his finest moment came away from the cameras and the red carpet.

Seven years ago David received a telephone call from the Anthony Nolan Trust. Someone somewhere had the blood cancer leukaemia and was in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant to help them beat the disease.

David was the closest match.

David, 48, says: The call came completely out of the blue, I felt like I had won the lottery. It was like a giant finger in the sky pointing me out and saying, its you. I immediately wanted to do whatever I could to help.

The transplant was initially scheduled for a few months later, but those plans had to be hastily revised while RADA-trained actor David was in Romania filming The Last Enemy for BBC One.

I had another call to say my recipient had taken a turn for the worse, says David, who is best known for playing CIA counter-terrorism chief David Este in the hit US spy drama Homeland.

They couldnt wait until I finished filming as they might not make it. They needed my stem cells urgently, it was horrifying.

Thankfully David was due a break in filming, which he used to flew straight home to the UK. A nurse then visited him at home every morning for four days, giving him injections to boost his stem cell production.

On the fifth day David went to Harley Street in London to have his stem cells harvested. He was hooked up to a machine that took blood from one arm, filtered out the vital stems cells that would replace his recipients bone marrow and fed the blood back into his body through a needle in the other arm.

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Homeland star David Harewood on donating bone marrow: 'They needed my stem cells urgently - it was horrifying'

Doctors and scientists in Southampton have completed their first hip surgery with a 3D printed implant and bone stem cell graft.

The 3D printed hip, made from titanium, was designed using the patient's CT scan and CAD CAM (computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing) technology, meaning it was designed to the patient's exact specifications and measurements.

The implant will provide a new socket for the ball of the femur bone to enter. Behind the implant and between the pelvis, doctors have inserted a graft containing bone stem cells.

The graft acts as a filler for the loss of bone. The patient's own bone marrow cells have been added to the graft to provide a source of bone stem cells to encourage bone regeneration behind and around the implant.

Southampton doctors believe this is a game changer. Douglas Dunlop, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, conducted the operation at Southampton General Hospital. He says: "The benefits to the patient through this pioneering procedure are numerous. The titanium used to make the hip is more durable and has been printed to match the patient's exact measurements -- this should improve fit and could recue the risk of having to have another surgery.

"The bone graft material that has been used has excellent biocompatibility and strength and will fill the defect behind the bone well, fusing it all together."

Over the past decade Mr Dunlop and Professor Richard Oreffo, at the University of Southampton, have developed a translational research programme to drive bone formation using patient skeletal stem cells in orthopaedics.

The graft used in this operation is made up of a bone scaffold that allows blood to flow through it. Stem cells from the bone marrow will attach to the material and grow new bone. This will support the 3D printed hip implant.

Professor Oreffo comments: "The 3D printing of the implant in titanium, from CT scans of the patient and stem cell graft is cutting edge and offers the possibility of improved outcomes for patients.

"Fractures and bone loss due to trauma or disease are a significant clinical and socioeconomic problem. Growing bone at the point of injury alongside a hip implant that has been designed to the exact fit of the patient is exciting and offers real opportunities for improved recovery and quality of life."

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Ground breaking hip and stem cell surgery completed using 3D-printed implant

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Washington, May 17 : Researchers have completed their first hip surgery with a 3D printed implant and bone stem cell graft.

The 3D printed hip, made from titanium, was designed using the patient's CT scan and CAD CAM (computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing) technology, meaning it was designed to the patient's exact specifications and measurements.

The implant will provide a new socket for the ball of the femur bone to enter. Behind the implant and between the pelvis, doctors have inserted a graft containing bone stem cells.

The graft acts as a filler for the loss of bone. The patient's own bone marrow cells have been added to the graft to provide a source of bone stem cells to encourage bone regeneration behind and around the implant.

Southampton doctors believe this is a game changer. Douglas Dunlop, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, conducted the operation at Southampton General Hospital. He says: "The benefits to the patient through this pioneering procedure are numerous. The titanium used to make the hip is more durable and has been printed to match the patient's exact measurements - this should improve fit and could recue the risk of having to have another surgery.

"The bone graft material that has been used has excellent biocompatibility and strength and will fill the defect behind the bone well, fusing it all together."

--ANI (Posted on 17-05-2014)

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First ever hip surgery with 3D printed implant and bone stem cell graft conducted

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Washington, May 18 : Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital have found a potential solution for how to more effectively kill tumor cells using cancer-killing viruses.

The investigators report that trapping virus-loaded stem cells in a gel and applying them to tumors significantly improved survival in mice with glioblastoma multiforme, the most common brain tumor in human adults and also the most difficult to treat.

The work was led by Khalid Shah, MS, PhD, an HSCI Principal Faculty member. Shah heads the Molecular Neurotherapy and Imaging Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Cancer-killing or oncolytic viruses have been used in numerous phase 1 and 2 clinical trials for brain tumors but with limited success. In preclinical studies, oncolytic herpes simplex viruses seemed especially promising, as they naturally infect dividing brain cells.

However, the therapy hasn't translated as well for human patients. The problem previous researchers couldn't overcome was how to keep the herpes viruses at the tumor site long enough to work.

Shah and his team turned to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-a type of stem cell that gives rise to bone marrow tissue-which have been very attractive drug delivery vehicles because they trigger a minimal immune response and can be utilized to carry oncolytic viruses.

Shah and his team loaded the herpes virus into human MSCs and injected the cells into glioblastoma tumors developed in mice.

Using multiple imaging markers, it was possible to watch the virus as it passed from the stem cells to the first layer of brain tumor cells and subsequently into all of the tumor cells.

Using imaging proteins to watch in real time how the virus combated the cancer, Shah's team noticed that the gel kept the stem cells alive longer, which allowed the virus to replicate and kill any residual cancer cells that were not cut out during the debulking surgery. This translated into a higher survival rate for mice that received the gel-encapsulated stem cells.

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Herpes-loaded stem cells help kill brain tumor in mice

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New York, May 18 : Dubbed as a step towards the development of safe stem cell therapies for humans, researchers have successfully grown a new bone using a monkey's own skin cells.

The researchers used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) which are derived from adult skin cells and can be reprogrammed to work as other cells.

"Because monkeys are the closest model species to humans, with similar organ and tissue structure and immunity, testing iPSCs in monkeys should be indicative of the safety and efficacy of the process in humans," said senior author Cynthia Dunbar from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in the US.

Pluripotent stem cells can be used to make any type of healthy human tissue and therefore have great potential for treatment of disease, say experts.

According to Dunbar, the results would sidestep ethical issues surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells.

For the study, skin cells were taken from rhesus macaques to form stem cells (iPSCs), which were then turned into bone-forming cells.

These "bone" cells were then implanted into the monkeys on ceramic particles that were already in use by reconstructive surgeons attempting to fill in or rebuild bone.

The implants were retrieved at eight, 12 and 16 weeks with bone shown to be forming as early as eight weeks, the authors reported.

Previous work in this field has relied on scientists giving human iPSC products to immuno-deficient mice, she said.

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New bone grown from monkey's skin cells

CAR T-Cell Therapy Research: Where Are We Now?
There continues to buzz around chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), a potential immunotherapy for the treatment of CLL and also some other conditions. Many pat...

By: Patient Power

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CAR T-Cell Therapy Research: Where Are We Now? - Video

Meeri N. Kim, For The Inquirer Last updated: Sunday, May 18, 2014, 8:51 AM Posted: Saturday, May 17, 2014, 3:55 PM

Imagine a document 25,000 words long - about 100 pages, double-spaced - with one small error. Within the text of our genetic code, a single change like this can lead to a life-threatening disease such as sickle-cell anemia or cystic fibrosis.

Most of these single-gene disorders have no cure. But using a new technique, doctors may one day be able to correct the genetic typo by replacing a harmful mutation in the genome with healthy DNA.

Introducing CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats), a genetic editing tool that can cut and paste parts of any living animal's DNA. Although in its infancy, the system is generating excitement among scientists for its ease of use, accessibility, and vast potential.

The CRISPR system enables researchers to make a small chain of custom-made molecules, called a guide RNA, and a Cas9 enzyme. The guide RNA is like the search function of a word processor, running along the length of the genome until it finds a match; then, the scissorslike Cas9 cuts the DNA. CRISPR can be used to delete, insert, or replace genes.

"We didn't used to think that we had the tools to correct mutation in humans," said Penn Medicine cardiologist Jonathan Epstein, who just began using the technique in his lab. "The advantage of CRISPR is that we can."

For instance, sickle-cell anemia is caused by a mutation in chromosome 11 that causes red blood cells to be crescent-shaped, sticky, and stiff. They end up stuck in the blood vessels, keeping enough oxygen from reaching the body. While the disease can be treated with bone marrow or stem cell transplants, most patients cannot find well-matched donors.

Here's where CRISPR can help. Biomedical engineer Gang Bao of the Georgia Institute of Technology aims to use the system to repair the DNA of a patient's own stem cells, so no outside donor would be needed. The stem cells would be extracted from the patient's bone marrow, their mutations replaced with normal DNA, and inserted back in. The hope is that the gene-corrected stem cells would then begin making normal red blood cells.

The treatment works in mice, and Bao foresees human trials within a few years.

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Genetic 'typo' corrector

Honoring Janet Rowley, MD, cancer genetics pioneer, 1925-2013
As a cancer researcher in the 1970s, Janet Rowley, MD (1925-2013) was a pioneer in understanding the link between cancer and genetics, demonstrating that spe...

By: The University of Chicago Medicine

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Honoring Janet Rowley, MD, cancer genetics pioneer, 1925-2013 - Video

Walk4 Cinco De Mayo Event Chronicling Video Spinal Cord Injury
This is a video chronicling of the early stages and ideas of Walk4 and to date 5/4/14. This video was shown at my Cinco De Mayo fundraiser for Spinal Cord In...

By: Matt Valente

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Walk4 Cinco De Mayo Event Chronicling Video Spinal Cord Injury - Video

Roman V. Castillo Parapigic Drummer Studio Session
Roman showcases his talents at Lesmens music. Roman is a paraplegic due to a spinal cord injury.

By: Roman Castillo

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Roman V. Castillo Parapigic Drummer Studio Session - Video

Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital have a potential solution for how to more effectively kill tumor cells using cancer-killing viruses. The investigators report that trapping virus-loaded stem cells in a gel and applying them to tumors significantly improved survival in mice with glioblastoma multiforme, the most common brain tumor in human adults and also the most difficult to treat.

The work, led by Khalid Shah, MS, PhD, an HSCI Principal Faculty member, is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Shah heads the Molecular Neurotherapy and Imaging Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Cancer-killing or oncolytic viruses have been used in numerous phase 1 and 2 clinical trials for brain tumors but with limited success. In preclinical studies, oncolytic herpes simplex viruses seemed especially promising, as they naturally infect dividing brain cells. However, the therapy hasn't translated as well for human patients. The problem previous researchers couldn't overcome was how to keep the herpes viruses at the tumor site long enough to work.

Shah and his team turned to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) -- a type of stem cell that gives rise to bone marrow tissue -- which have been very attractive drug delivery vehicles because they trigger a minimal immune response and can be utilized to carry oncolytic viruses. Shah and his team loaded the herpes virus into human MSCs and injected the cells into glioblastoma tumors developed in mice. Using multiple imaging markers, it was possible to watch the virus as it passed from the stem cells to the first layer of brain tumor cells and subsequently into all of the tumor cells.

"So, how do you translate this into the clinic?" asked Shah, who also is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School.

"We know that 70-75 percent of glioblastoma patients undergo surgery for tumor debulking, and we have previously shown that MSCs encapsulated in biocompatible gels can be used as therapeutic agents in a mouse model that mimics this debulking," he continued. "So, we loaded MSCs with oncolytic herpes virus and encapsulated these cells in biocompatible gels and applied the gels directly onto the adjacent tissue after debulking. We then compared the efficacy of virus-loaded, encapsulated MSCs versus direct injection of the virus into the cavity of the debulked tumors."

Using imaging proteins to watch in real time how the virus combated the cancer, Shah's team noticed that the gel kept the stem cells alive longer, which allowed the virus to replicate and kill any residual cancer cells that were not cut out during the debulking surgery. This translated into a higher survival rate for mice that received the gel-encapsulated stem cells.

"They survived because the virus doesn't get washed out by the cerebrospinal fluid that fills the cavity," Shah said. "Previous studies that have injected the virus directly into the resection cavity did not follow the fate of the virus in the cavity. However, our imaging and side-by-side comparison studies showed that the naked virus rarely infects the residual tumor cells. This could give us insight into why the results from clinical trials with oncolytic viruses alone were modest."

The study also addressed another weakness of cancer-killing viruses, which is that not all brain tumors are susceptible to the therapy. The researchers' solution was to engineer oncolytic herpes viruses to express an additional tumor-killing agent, called TRAIL. Again, using mouse models of glioblastoma -- this time created from brain tumor cells that were resistant to the herpes virus -- the therapy led to increased animal survival.

"Our approach can overcome problems associated with current clinical procedures," Shah said. "The work will have direct implications for designing clinical trials using oncolytic viruses, not only for brain tumors, but for other solid tumors."

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Herpes-loaded stem cells used to kill brain tumors

Stem Cell Therapy Saves Eyesight Of Fountain Valley Mother
Stem cell therapy saved the eyesight of a Fountain Valley mother. CBS2 #39;s Lisa Sigell reports. Official Site: http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/ YouTube: http://...

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Stem Cell Therapy Saves Eyesight Of Fountain Valley Mother - Video

Mice have been poked, prodded, injected and dissected in the name of science. But there are limits to what mice can teach us especially when it comes to stem cell therapies. For the first time, researchers haveturned skin cells into bone in a creature more closely related to humans: monkeys.

In a study published Thursday in the journal Cell Reports, scientists report that they regrew bone in 25rhesus macaques using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) taken from the creatures skin. Since macaques are more closely related to humans, their discovery could help push stem cell therapies into early clinical trials in humans.

While this is the good news, the bad news is that iPSCs can also seed tumors in monkeys; however, the tumors grew at a far slower rate than in previous studies in mice. This finding further emphasizes the key role primates likely will play in testing the safety of potential stem cell therapies.

Repairing Bone

Researchers used a common procedure to reprogram macaque skin cells, and coaxed them into pluripotent cells that were capable of building bone. They seeded these cells into ceramic scaffolds, which are already used by surgeons used to reconstruct bone. The cells took, and the monkeys successfully grew new bone.

In some experiments, the monkeys formed teratomas nasty tumors that can contain teeth and hair when they were injected with undifferentiated iPSCs, or cells that have the potential to change into any kind of cell. However, the tumors grew 20 times slower than in mice, highlighting an important difference between mice and monkeys.

Fortunately, tumors did not form in monkeys that were injected with differentiated iPSCs, or cells that were programmed to createbone cells.

Advancing Research

Researchers say their successful procedure proves that monkeys willplay an important rolein research on therapies using iPSCs. These monkeys will help scientists test and analyze risks associated with the therapies and improve their safety.

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Successful Stem Cell Therapy in Monkeys is First of Its Kind

Lets Play The Sims 3 Perfect Genetics Part 1: Mr Unique
Watch as I introduce you to my VERY unique looking sim! My Sims 3 Page: http://mypage.thesims3.com/mypage/becky050890 My Husband #39;s Sims 3 Page: http://mypage...

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Lets Play The Sims 3 Perfect Genetics Part 1: Mr Unique - Video