MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT; OTCBB: ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that on Monday, March 12 it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a proxy statement containing a shareholder proposal for a reverse split of its common stock.

The annual meeting of stockholders will be held on Thursday, April 26, at the Hyatt Regency Suites, Palm Springs, 285 N. Palm Canyon Dr.,Palm Springs,Calif.,92262, on Thursday,April 26,2012, at 9 a.m. PDT, to consider the following proposals: election of five directors, ratifying the appointment of the companys public accounting firm, and a proposal to effect a reverse stock split of the companys common stock, at a ratio between one-for-twenty and one-for-eighty, and to reduce the number of authorized shares of the companys common stock in the same proportion as the reverse split, with the exact ratio to be determined by the board of directors.

This reverse stock split, which should better align the companys capital structure with its stage of development, and an accompanying Nasdaq listing application, will represent a significant step toward creating long-term shareholder value and building ACT into a world-class player in the regenerative medicine space, said Gary Rabin, chairman and CEO of ACT. I hope that our stockholders understand how important it is to vote For the reverse stock split. A Nasdaq listing will enable us to significantly broaden our shareholder base and attract institutional ownership, a process that can build on itself to position the company on very firm financial footing over the long term.

Stockholders who have questions on how to vote or need assistance voting their shares should contact the companys proxy solicitor InvestorCom, Inc. toll-free at(877) 972-0090.

Further Information ACT has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) and will furnish to stockholders of record on the record date for the annual meeting a definitive proxy statement in connection with the reverse stock split and other matters to be acted upon at the annual meeting. The company, Mr. Rabin and certain of its directors, executive officers and other members of management may, under SEC rules, be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from the companys stockholders with respect to the reverse stock split and the other matters to be acted upon at the annual meeting. INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS ARE ADVISED TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THOSE DOCUMENTS WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED REVERSE STOCK SPLIT AND OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION INCLUDING THOSE PERSONS WHO MAY BE DEEMED PARTICIPANTS IN THE SOLICITATION. Investors and stockholders may obtain a free copy of the definitive proxy statement, and other documents filed by us with the SEC, including the preliminary proxy statement, at the SECs web site at http://www.sec.gov. Free copies of the definitive proxy statement, and the Companys other filings with the SEC may also be obtained from the Company by directing a request to Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., 33 Locke Drive, Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752, Attention: Secretary.

About Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., is a biotechnology company applying cellular technology in the field of regenerative medicine. For more information, visit http://www.advancedcell.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release regarding future financial and operating results, future growth in research and development programs, potential applications of our technology, opportunities for the company and any other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words will, believes, plans, anticipates, expects, estimates, and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: limited operating history, need for future capital, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, protection of our intellectual property, and economic conditions generally. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in the companys periodic reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the companys management at the time they are made, and the company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances should change. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the companys management at the time they are made, and the company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances should change. There can be no assurance that the Companys clinical trials will be successful.

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ACT Announces Filing of Definitive Proxy

Recommendation and review posted by sam

14 March 2012 Last updated at 09:00 ET By Jane O'Brien BBC News, Maine

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One of Doreen Flynn's daughters, 13-year-old Jordan, says the whole transplant process scares her

A mother in the US is desperate to find bone marrow donors to save the lives of her three daughters who are critically ill from a rare blood disorder. Now, she is challenging a federal law barring her from compensating prospective donors.

Thousands of Americans who need transplants die every year because they cannot find a suitable donor, advocates say.

They propose a controversial way to encourage more people to come forward: Pay them.

"It is widening the donor pool. A lot of times employers don't pay for the time off that these donors take from work," says Doreen Flynn of Lewiston, Maine.

"So I think in those instances those people can say, 'you know I can do that,' knowing that there will be a support system for them at the end."

Ms Flynn's three daughters have a rare genetic blood disorder called Fanconi Anaemia. Their bone marrow does not make enough blood cells to keep them healthy and their only hope for survival is a transplant.

It is against US law to sell body parts - including bone marrow. But last year, Ms Flynn won a court ruling in favour of compensating donors whose blood stem cells are collected using a process called aphaeresis.

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Should it be legal to pay for bone marrow donations?

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

ScienceDaily (Mar. 14, 2012) A research team has identified epigenetic signatures, markers on DNA that control transient changes in gene expression, within reprogrammed skin cells. These signatures can predict the expression of a wound-healing protein in reprogrammed skin cells or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), cells that take on embryonic stem cell properties. Understanding how the expression of the protein is controlled brings us one step closer to developing personalized tissue regeneration strategies using stem cells from a patient, instead of using human embryonic stem cells.

The study was published in the Journal of Cell Science.

When skin cells are reprogrammed, many of their cellular properties are recalibrated as they aquire stem cell properties and then are induced to become skin cells again. In order for these "induced" stem cells to be viable in treatment for humans (tissue regeneration, personalized wound healing therapies, etc.), researchers need to understand how they retain or even improve their characteristics after they are reprogrammed.

Since the initial discovery of reprogramming, scientists have struggled with the unpredictability of the cells due to the many changes that occur during the reprogramming process. Classifying specific epigenetic signatures, as this study did, allows researchers to anticipate ways to produce cell types with optimal properties for tissue repair while minimizing unintended cellular abnormalities.

The researchers used reprogrammed cells to generate three-dimensional connective tissue that mimics an in vivo wound repair environment. To verify the role of the protein (PDGFRbeta) in tissue regeneration and maintenance, the team blocked its cellular expression, which impaired the cells' ability to build tissue.

"We determined that successful tissue generation is associated with the expression of PDGFRbeta. Theoretically, by identifying the epigenetic signatures that indicate its expression, we can determine the reprogrammed cells' potential for maintaining normal cellular characteristics throughout development," said first author Kyle Hewitt, PhD, a graduate of the cell, molecular & developmental biology program at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, and postdoctoral associate in the Garlick laboratory at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM).

"The ability to generate patient-specific cells from the reprogrammed skin cells may allow for improved, individualized, cell-based therapies for wound healing. Potentially, these reprogrammed cells could be used as a tool for drug development, modeling of disease, and transplantation medicine without the ethical issues associated with embryonic stem cells," said senior author Jonathan Garlick, DDS, PhD, a professor in the department of oral and maxillofacial pathology and director of the division of tissue engineering and cancer biology at TUSDM.

Jonathan Garlick is also a member of the cell, molecular & developmental biology program faculty at the Sackler School and the director of the Center for Integrated Tissue Engineering (CITE) at TUSDM.

Additional authors of the study are Yulia Shamis, MSc, a PhD candidate in the cell, molecular, and developmental biology program at the Sackler School; Elana Knight, BSc, and Avi Smith, BA, both research technicians in the Garlick laboratory; Anna Maione, a PhD student in the cell, molecular & developmental biology program at the Sackler School, and Addy Alt-Holland, PhD, MSc, assistant professor at TUSDM.

This work was supported by grant # DE017413 to Dr. Garlick from the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health.

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Epigenetic signatures direct the repair potential of reprogrammed cells

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Starting with the first-ever production of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) in 2006, cell reprogramming - the genetic conversion of cells from one type to another - has revolutionized stem cell research and opened the door to countless new medical applications. Inducing such reprogramming, however, is difficult, inefficient and time-consuming, involving a largely hit-or-miss process of selecting candidate genes.

In the current study, the OSC research team explored an alternative to iPS cells based on the use of transcriptional regulatory networks (TRNs), networks of transcription factors and the genes they regulate. Previous research by the team characterized the dynamic regulatory activities of such transcription factors during cellular differentiation from immature cell (monoblast) to developed (monocyte-like) cell using human acute monocytic leukemia cell lines (THP-1). Their findings led them to hypothesize that functional characteristics of the cell-type are maintained by its specific TRN.

Their new paper builds on this hypothesis, establishing a series of new methods for identifying transcription factors (TFs) for the monocyte network, which play a key role in inducing cell-specific functions. Four core TF genes of the monocyte TRN, identified using this approach, were introduced into human fibroblast cells, expression of which activated monocytic functions including phagocytosis, inflammatory response and chemotaxis. Genome-wide gene expression analysis of this reprogrammed cell showed monocyte-like gene expression profile, demonstrating that reconstruction of a functional TRN can be achieved by introducing core TRN elements into unrelated cell types.

Published in the journal PLoS ONE, the newly-developed methods open the door to a new form of direct cell reprogramming for clinical use which avoids the pitfalls of embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, charting a course toward novel applications in regenerative medicine and drug discovery.

Provided by RIKEN (news : web)

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Study demonstrates cells can acquire new functions through transcriptional regulatory network

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

EDMONDS, Wash., March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Washington Center for Pain Management is participating in a nationwide FDA-cleared adult stem cell study testing novel treatment for chronic low back pain and has enrolled its first patient. The study will test the use of Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs) adult stem cells derived from bone marrow that will be directly injected into the lumbar disc. The minimally invasive procedure may offer an alternative to back surgery for eligible patients with chronic pain from degenerative discs.

An estimated 30 million people in the United States suffer from back pain. Degenerative disc disease is the most common cause of low-back pain, which develops with the gradual loss of a material called proteoglycan, which cushions the bones of the spine and enables normal motion.

Most patients with low-back pain respond to physical therapy and medications, but in advanced cases, artificial disc replacement or spinal fusion -- removal of the degenerated discs and the fusion of the bones of the spine -- is necessary. However, these surgeries often are not entirely effective.

"Millions of Americans are debilitated by chronic low back pain," says Dr Hyun Joong Hong MD, the lead investigator at The Washington Center for Pain Management. "This promising therapy is at the cutting edge of medical science and has the potential to create a paradigm shift in our approach to minimally invasive solutions to this disease."

Researchers will enroll approximately 100 study participants. About fifteen participants will be enrolled at The Washington Center for Pain Management and the rest at 11 other medical centers throughout the United States. The trial is scheduled to last for three years.

Washington Center for Pain Management is enrolling study participants suffering from moderate low-back pain for a minimum of six months and whose condition has not responded to other, conventional treatments.

Once enrolled, patients are randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups:

Patients will receive a single injection of their assigned test agent directly into the center of the target discs within their spine and will be monitored for safety. Patients will also be monitored using imaging to identify any changes in their disease condition or disease progression. Use of pain medications, self-reports of pain, subsequent surgical interventions and assessments of disability, quality of life, productivity and activity will be evaluated. Repair of the disc and reduction of chronic back pain will be assessed in each patient.

Promising results have been observed in prior research using animal models when stem cells were investigated for the repair of damaged spine discs. The cells were well tolerated in these study animals.

This study is sponsored by Mesoblast Limited, a world leader in the development of biologic products for the broad field of regenerative medicine. Mesoblast has the worldwide exclusive rights to a series of patents and technologies developed over more than 10 years relating to the identification, extraction, culture and uses of adult Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs). The MPCs are derived from young adult donors' bone marrow and are immune tolerant.

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Washington Center for Pain Management Begins Enrollment in United States Stem Cell Therapy Study in Subjects With ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received a complaint alleging the Houston company involved in Gov. Rick Perry's unregulated adult stem-cell operation is a potential danger to patients and not in compliance with federal law.

In an eight-page letter sent last month, University of Minnesota bioethicist Leigh Turner called on the FDA to investigate Celltex Therapeutics Corp., which banks people's stem cells for future reinjection in the event of disease or injury. Perry was the company's first customer last year.

"It appears their business plan involves injecting or infusing on a for-profit, commercial basis non-FDA-approved adult stem cells into paying customers," Turner wrote in the Feb. 21 letter. "This plan conflicts with FDA regulations governing human stem cells."

An FDA spokeswoman declined comment, but Turner said an agency official told him the matter has been assigned to an investigator and is being taken seriously.

Celltex co-founder David Eller said Tuesday night he is confident the company will "meet all FDA specifications." He emphasized that Celltex doesn't administer stem cells, but stores and processes them at the behest of doctors who later reinject them into patients.

Dr. Stanley Jones, a Houston orthopedic surgeon, injected Perry's stem cells during his back surgery in July.

The plan by Celltex and Perry to make Texas a leader in the therapy have been controversial since details about the governor's procedure became known last summer. The therapy, drawing on the ability of adult stem cells to replenish dying cells, is promising but thought by most medical researchers to need much more clinical study before it is commercialized.

Stem cells are a kind of medicine known as biologics, therapy involving living cells rather than chemicals. Most medical experts say that adult stem-cell therapy involves more than the "minimal manipulation" the agency allows without its oversight because the cells are isolated, cultured in a laboratory and stored for some period of time before being reinjected.

The FDA has recently stepped up enforcement of unregulated adult stem cell activity, though legal experts interviewed last fall by the Chronicle said it was unclear whether the agency would look into Perry's procedure because he seemed fully informed and unharmed by it.

The Texas Medical Board is currently considering a policy that would require providers of stem cells and other experimental drugs to use them only with the permission of independent review committees that assess trials for patient safety. The policy comes up for final approval in April.

Link:
Perry's stem-cell firm draws FDA scrutiny

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

To: MEDICAL, NATIONAL AND SCIENCE EDITORS

--Anti-Inflammatory Drugs May Offer Novel Treatment for Heart Disease, Say Gene Researchers in Large Study--

PHILADELPHIA, March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A large international study indicates that anti-inflammatory drugs may become a new tool for preventing and treating coronary heart disease (CHD), the leading global cause of death. In investigating a specific gene variant linked to inflammation and heart disease, the researchers used the Cardiochip, a gene analysis tool designed by Brendan J. Keating, Ph.D., a researcher in the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and co-author of the study.

Scientists already knew that inflammation is associated with atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls that causes CHD, but until now, no one had identified an inflammatory agent causing the disease. Likewise, it was unknown whether a drug targeted at reducing inflammation might treat CHD.

The current study focused on the interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R), a signaling protein found in the blood that increases inflammatory responses. "This study provides robust evidence that IL6R is implicated in coronary heart disease," said Keating. "Furthermore, our analysis showed that an existing anti-inflammatory drug, acting on this receptor, may offer a new potential approach for preventing CHD."

The study, which appeared online today in The Lancet, was performed by the IL6R Mendelian Randomisation Analysis Consortium, an international research team led by Dr. Juan Pablo Casas, Professor Aroon D. Hingorani, and Dr. Daniel I. Swerdlow, all of University College London in the U.K. The study was a meta-analysis of data from 40 existing studies that included nearly 133,500 participants from the U.S. and Europe. Mendelian randomization is a research method that uses knowledge of genes and biological mechanisms to predict likely effects of a new drug before conducting a clinical trial, with its high cost and potential risk of side effects.

A companion study in the same issue of The Lancet, by the IL6R Genetics Consortium and Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration, found that a genetic variant in the IL6R gene, which carries the code for the IL6R protein, dials down inflammation and thus lowers the risk of heart disease.

The study in which Keating participated focused on SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) single-base changes in the IL6R gene that codes for the IL6R protein.

Among the research team's tools was a DNA array, the IBC Human CVD BeadChip, also called the Cardiochip, created by Keating in 2006 and since used in many large gene studies. That chip contains DNA markers for 2000 gene variants implicated in cardiovascular disease. When brought into contact with test samples of DNA from research participants, the chip detects specific SNPs in the sample --gene variants that may affect biological functions and risks of heart disease among the participants.

They found that one SNP, the gene variant rs8192284, altered several biological markers associated with inflammation. Those results were similar to those found in trials of tocilizumab, an anti-inflammatory drug currently used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. By inhibiting the action of IL6R, this drug reduces the painful inflammation common in rheumatoid arthritis.

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Gene Chip, Invented by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Scientist, Pinpoints New Target to Prevent Heart Disease

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

--Anti-Inflammatory Drugs May Offer Novel Treatment for Heart Disease, Say Gene Researchers in Large Study--

Newswise Philadelphia, March 14, 2012 A large international study indicates that anti-inflammatory drugs may become a new tool for preventing and treating coronary heart disease (CHD), the leading global cause of death. In investigating a specific gene variant linked to inflammation and heart disease, the researchers used the Cardiochip, a gene analysis tool designed by Brendan J. Keating, Ph.D., a researcher in the Center for Applied Genomics at The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, and co-author of the study.

Scientists already knew that inflammation is associated with atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls that causes CHD, but until now, no one had identified an inflammatory agent causing the disease. Likewise, it was unknown whether a drug targeted at reducing inflammation might treat CHD.

The current study focused on the interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R), a signaling protein found in the blood that increases inflammatory responses. This study provides robust evidence that IL6R is implicated in coronary heart disease, said Keating. Furthermore, our analysis showed that an existing anti-inflammatory drug, acting on this receptor, may offer a new potential approach for preventing CHD.

The study, which appeared online today in The Lancet, was performed by the IL6R Mendelian Randomisation Analysis Consortium, an international research team led by Dr. Juan Pablo Casas, Professor Aroon D. Hingorani, and Dr. Daniel I. Swerdlow, all of University College London in the U.K. The study was a meta-analysis of data from 40 existing studies that included nearly 133, 500 participants from the U.S. and Europe. Mendelian randomization is a research method that uses knowledge of genes and biological mechanisms to predict likely effects of a new drug before conducting a clinical trial, with its high cost and potential risk of side effects.

A companion study in the same issue of The Lancet, by the IL6R Genetics Consortium and Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration, found that a genetic variant in the IL6R gene, which carries the code for the IL6R protein, dials down inflammation and thus lowers the risk of heart disease.

The study in which Keating participated focused on SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) single-base changes in the IL6R gene that codes for the IL6R protein.

Among the research teams tools was a DNA array, the IBC Human CVD BeadChip, also called the Cardiochip, created by Keating in 2006 and since used in many large gene studies. That chip contains DNA markers for 2000 gene variants implicated in cardiovascular disease. When brought into contact with test samples of DNA from research participants, the chip detects specific SNPs in the sample gene variants that may affect biological functions and risks of heart disease among the participants.

They found that one SNP, the gene variant rs8192284, altered several biological markers associated with inflammation. Those results were similar to those found in trials of tocilizumab, an anti-inflammatory drug currently used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. By inhibiting the action of IL6R, this drug reduces the painful inflammation common in rheumatoid arthritis.

Further analysis of data from CHD patients and controls showed that subjects carrying the gene variant had a lower risk of CHD. What this tells us is that IL6R blockers such as tocilizumab mimic the benefits of having this gene variant, said Keating. A next step will be for cardiology researchers to design and carry out clinical trials to determine whether tocilizumab or similar anti-inflammatory drugs will prevent heart disease.

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Gene Chip Invented by CHOP Scientist Pinpoints New Target to Prevent Heart Disease

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

WEDNESDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- By analyzing gene mutations in patients with acute myeloid leukemia, researchers were able to more accurately predict which ones had the best chances of going into remission, and which ones would respond well to standard treatments or needed more aggressive treatment.

Doctors from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City analyzed 18 genes from about 500 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML is a cancer of the bone marrow, or the soft tissue that forms blood cells.

The patients had previously taken part in a clinical trial for a chemotherapy drug, daunorubicin, and researchers knew how everyone had fared in that study.

In the new analysis, the scientists used the latest gene-sequencing technology to determine what mutations were present in the cancer cells of the patients, and whether the presence of those mutations predicted how well people did.

They found that certain combinations of mutations were associated with both better or worse chances of survival, and that those genetic predictors could be used to determine whether patients would respond to the standard dose of daunorubicin or whether they should receive a higher, more aggressive dose of the drug.

Currently, some cancer hospitals already do a limited genetic analysis in leukemia patients to look for three mutations that are associated with a low or high risk of relapse, experts explained.

But about 60 percent of people fall into the intermediate category, said senior study author Dr. Ross Levine, an associate member in the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program at Sloan-Kettering. That leaves oncologists with a lot of uncertainty about how aggressively to treat those patients and what to tell them about their prognosis.

"If you know patients have a high chance of cure, you would pursue a standard therapeutic route," Levine said. "If you have a patient with a low chance of cure, you might consider more aggressive or investigational therapies."

Using the information from the more extensive analysis, about half of the patients who were in the intermediate risk could be put into a low- or high-risk category, Levine said.

"What we found was by studying the DNA of patients with leukemia and classifying all 500 patients, you could identify a set of mutations, which allows us to more accurately separate those at high risk of relapse, at intermediate risk of relapse and at low risk of relapse," Levine said. "Specifically, risk stratification with more extensive mutational profiling better predicts outcome than current classification schema."

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Detailed Gene Scan Might Help Guide Leukemia Treatment

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Green revolution:Fast-track breeding is beginning to develop crops that can produce more and healthier food without controversial genetic engineering.

In Zambia during the current planting season, a corn crop will go into the fields that begins the process of rapidly boosting vitamin A content by as much ten-fold helping to address a nutritional deficiency that causes 250,000-500,000 children to go blind annually, most of them in Africa and Asia. In China, Kenya, and Madagascar, also this planting season, farmers will put out a crop of Artemisia annua that yields 20 to 30 percent more of the chemical compound artemisinin, the basis for what is now the worlds standard treatment for malaria.

Both improvements are happening because of fast-track breeding technology that promises to produce a 21st-century green revolution. It is already putting more food on tables though its unclear whether it can add enough food to keep pace as the worlds human population booms to 9 billion people by 2050.

Fast-track breeding is also giving agronomists a remarkable tool for quickly adapting crops to climate change and the increasing challenges of drought, flooding, emerging diseases, and shifting agricultural zones. And it can help save lives: In the absence of prevention, half those victims of vitamin A deficiency now die shortly after going blind, according to the World Health Organization; and in 2010, lack of adequate treatment meaning artemisinin contributed to the deaths of 655,000 children from malaria.

The fast-track technology, called marker-assisted selection (MAS), or molecular breeding, takes advantage of rapid improvements in genetic sequencing, but avoids all the regulatory and political baggage of genetic engineering. Bill Freese, a science policy analyst with the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit advocacy group, calls it a perfectly acceptable tool. I dont see any food safety issue. It can be a very useful technique if its used by breeders who are working in the public interest.

Molecular breeding isnt genetic engineering, a technology that has long alarmed critics on two counts. Its methods seem outlandish taking genes from spiders and putting them in goats, or borrowing insect resistance from soil bacteria and transferring it into corn and it has also seemed to benefit a handful of agribusiness giants armed with patents, at the expense of public interest.

By contrast, molecular breeding is merely a much faster and more efficient way of doing what nature and farmers have always done, by natural selection and artificial selection respectively: It takes existing genes that happen to be advantageous in a given situation and increases their frequency in a population.

In the past, farmers and breeders did it by walking around their fields and looking at individual plants or animals that seemed to have desirable traits, like greater productivity, or resistance to a particular disease. Then they went to work cross-breeding to see if they could tease out that trait and get it to appear reliably in subsequent generations. It could take decades, and success at breeding in one trait often meant bringing along some deleterious fellow traveler, or inadvertently breeding out some other essential trait.

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Fast-track breeding could bring a second Green Revolution

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

SAN MARINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Viral Genetics (Pinksheets: VRAL.PK - News) today published its March 2012 Letter to Shareholders. Providing updates on the companys progress, the letter discusses the recent Pre-IND filing for its Lyme Disease drug candidate, notes other drugs in the pipeline that have developed out of the companys Metabolic Disruption Technology Platform, and talks about progress in proving the efficacy of the yield enhancement in the companys algal biofuels subsidiary, VG Energy.

The letter is available on the companys website at http://www.viralgenetics.com/shareholder-letters/Letter-to-Shareholders-Mar-12.PDF.

About Viral Genetics, Inc.

San Marino, California-based Viral Genetics discovers drug therapies from two platform technologies based on over 60 patents: Metabolic Disruption (MDT) and Targeted Peptides (TPT). Founded in 1994, the biotech company is researching treatments for HIV/AIDS, Lyme Disease, Strep, Staph and drug resistant cancer. A majority-owned subsidiary, VG Energy (www.vgenergy.net), is dedicated to exploring biofuel and agricultural applications for the MDT platform. For more information, visit http://www.viralgenetics.com.

About VG Energy

VG Energy Inc. is an alternative energy and agricultural biotech company that is a majority-owned subsidiary of Viral Genetics Inc. Using its Metabolic Disruption Technology (MDT), Viral Genetics' cancer research led to discoveries with major consequences in a wide variety of other industries, including production of biofuel and vegetable oils. VG Energy holds the exclusive worldwide license to the MDT patent rights for use in the increase of production of various plant-derived oils from algae and seeds. Application of MDT technology to the biofuel industry could potentially allow it to overcome its major obstacle in the area of production efficiency: namely, an increase in production yields leading to feasible economic returns on investment, allowing renewable biodiesel to be competitive with fossil fuels. For more information, please visit http://www.vgenergy.net.

SAFE HARBOR FOR FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties associated with financial projections, budgets, milestone timelines, clinical trials, regulatory approvals, and other risks described by Viral Genetics, Inc. from time to time in its periodic reports, including statements about its VG Energy, Inc. subsidiary. None of Viral Genetics' drug compounds are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration or by any comparable regulatory agencies elsewhere in the world, nor are any non-pharmaceutical products of VG Energy, Inc. commercialized. While Viral Genetics believes that the forward-looking statements and underlying assumptions are reasonable, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, including, but not limited to, the ability of Viral Genetics to establish the efficacy of any of its drug therapies in the treatment of any disease or health condition, the development of studies and strategies leading to commercialization of those drug compounds in the United States, the obtaining of funding required to carry out the development plan, the completion of studies and tests including clinical trials on time or at all, the successful outcome of such studies or tests, or the successful commercialization of VG Energy, Inc.s non-pharmaceutical products. Therefore, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this release will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Viral Genetics or any other person that the objectives and plans of Viral Genetics will be achieved.

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Viral Genetics Publishes March 2012 Monthly Letter to Shareholders

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(Reuters) - Advances in genetic profiling are paving the way for more precise, and effective, treatment of the aggressive bone marrow cancer known as acute mylogenous leukemia, or AML, according to new research.

Two studies, published in the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, show that genetic testing can guide doctors in how best to use current therapies as well as identify new drug targets.

"As lots of studies identify new alterations in genes in leukemia and other cancers, we need to begin to understand how these alterations in DNA can predict outcomes and determine differences in treatment," said Dr. Ross Levine of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the lead author of one of the studies.

Such personalized therapy is considered the new frontier for medical practice, and hopes for its success underpin a $5.7 billion hostile bid by drugmaker Roche Holding for gene sequencing company Illumina.

The second study, from Washington University in St. Louis, found that 85 percent of bone marrow cells in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome, a blood-related disorder that can precede AML, were linked to mutations in progressive cancer.

The Sloan-Kettering study analyzed bone marrow samples from 502 AML patients for mutations in 18 genes associated with the disease. The researchers were able to categorize two-thirds of the patients into groups clearly defined by their survival chances.

The study found that high-dose chemotherapy improved the rate of survival for patients with three specific genetic mutations, compared with standard-dose chemo.

It also showed that genetic profiling makes it possible to more precisely determine which patients are most likely to have their leukemia return after treatment.

AML is typically cured in about 40 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 60, according to Levine.

"We were able to identify a very large subset of patients who need new therapies," he said. "Another set was found to do incredibly well with existing therapies, and that is very informative."

Link:
Leukemia gene mutations linked to survival odds

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

EDMONDS, Wash., March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Washington Center for Pain Management is participating in a nationwide FDA-cleared adult stem cell study testing novel treatment for chronic low back pain and has enrolled its first patient. The study will test the use of Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs) adult stem cells derived from bone marrow that will be directly injected into the lumbar disc. The minimally invasive procedure may offer an alternative to back surgery for eligible patients with chronic pain from degenerative discs.

An estimated 30 million people in the United States suffer from back pain. Degenerative disc disease is the most common cause of low-back pain, which develops with the gradual loss of a material called proteoglycan, which cushions the bones of the spine and enables normal motion.

Most patients with low-back pain respond to physical therapy and medications, but in advanced cases, artificial disc replacement or spinal fusion -- removal of the degenerated discs and the fusion of the bones of the spine -- is necessary. However, these surgeries often are not entirely effective.

"Millions of Americans are debilitated by chronic low back pain," says Dr Hyun Joong Hong MD, the lead investigator at The Washington Center for Pain Management. "This promising therapy is at the cutting edge of medical science and has the potential to create a paradigm shift in our approach to minimally invasive solutions to this disease."

Researchers will enroll approximately 100 study participants. About fifteen participants will be enrolled at The Washington Center for Pain Management and the rest at 11 other medical centers throughout the United States. The trial is scheduled to last for three years.

Washington Center for Pain Management is enrolling study participants suffering from moderate low-back pain for a minimum of six months and whose condition has not responded to other, conventional treatments.

Once enrolled, patients are randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups:

Patients will receive a single injection of their assigned test agent directly into the center of the target discs within their spine and will be monitored for safety. Patients will also be monitored using imaging to identify any changes in their disease condition or disease progression. Use of pain medications, self-reports of pain, subsequent surgical interventions and assessments of disability, quality of life, productivity and activity will be evaluated. Repair of the disc and reduction of chronic back pain will be assessed in each patient.

Promising results have been observed in prior research using animal models when stem cells were investigated for the repair of damaged spine discs. The cells were well tolerated in these study animals.

This study is sponsored by Mesoblast Limited, a world leader in the development of biologic products for the broad field of regenerative medicine. Mesoblast has the worldwide exclusive rights to a series of patents and technologies developed over more than 10 years relating to the identification, extraction, culture and uses of adult Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs). The MPCs are derived from young adult donors' bone marrow and are immune tolerant.

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Washington Center for Pain Management Begins Enrollment in United States Stem Cell Therapy Study in Subjects With ...

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received a complaint alleging the Houston company involved in Gov. Rick Perry's unregulated adult stem-cell operation is a potential danger to patients and not in compliance with federal law.

In an eight-page letter sent last month, University of Minnesota bioethicist Leigh Turner called on the FDA to investigate Celltex Therapeutics Corp., which banks people's stem cells for future reinjection in the event of disease or injury. Perry was the company's first customer last year.

"It appears their business plan involves injecting or infusing on a for-profit, commercial basis non-FDA-approved adult stem cells into paying customers," Turner wrote in the Feb. 21 letter. "This plan conflicts with FDA regulations governing human stem cells."

An FDA spokeswoman declined comment, but Turner said an agency official told him the matter has been assigned to an investigator and is being taken seriously.

Celltex co-founder David Eller said Tuesday night he is confident the company will "meet all FDA specifications." He emphasized that Celltex doesn't administer stem cells, but stores and processes them at the behest of doctors who later reinject them into patients.

Dr. Stanley Jones, a Houston orthopedic surgeon, injected Perry's stem cells during his back surgery in July.

The plan by Celltex and Perry to make Texas a leader in the therapy have been controversial since details about the governor's procedure became known last summer. The therapy, drawing on the ability of adult stem cells to replenish dying cells, is promising but thought by most medical researchers to need much more clinical study before it is commercialized.

Stem cells are a kind of medicine known as biologics, therapy involving living cells rather than chemicals. Most medical experts say that adult stem-cell therapy involves more than the "minimal manipulation" the agency allows without its oversight because the cells are isolated, cultured in a laboratory and stored for some period of time before being reinjected.

The FDA has recently stepped up enforcement of unregulated adult stem cell activity, though legal experts interviewed last fall by the Chronicle said it was unclear whether the agency would look into Perry's procedure because he seemed fully informed and unharmed by it.

The Texas Medical Board is currently considering a policy that would require providers of stem cells and other experimental drugs to use them only with the permission of independent review committees that assess trials for patient safety. The policy comes up for final approval in April.

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Perry's stem-cell firm draws FDA scrutiny

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London, March 13 (ANI): Scientists hope to genetically tweak ordinary oranges into 'healthier' blood oranges, which could combat obesity and heart disease.

They have identified the 'ruby' gene that makes the blood orange red.

The distinctive red pigment is believed to have health benefits, which include combating obesity and heart disease.

They also discovered how the gene is activated, raising the possibility of switching it on in ordinary 'blond' orange varieties, the Daily Mail reported.

One recent study found that drinking blood orange juice with a full English breakfast reduced the harmful effects of a fat-laden fry-up.

Blood oranges need a period of cold as they ripen and currently the only place where they can be reliably grown on a commercial scale is in the foothills of Mount Etna in Sicily in the Mediterranean.

As a result, blood orange juice is hard to come by and a carton costs about 1pounds more than ordinary orange juice.

"Blood oranges contain naturally occurring pigments associated with improved cardiovascular health, controlling diabetes and reducing obesity," said Professor Cathie Martin, who led the research team from the John Innes Centre in Norwich.

"Our improved understanding of this trait could offer relatively straightforward solutions to growing blood oranges reliably in warmer climates through genetic engineering," she stated.

The pigments are anthocyanins, chemicals that colour red, purple and blue fruits.

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Gene that could turn 'normal' fruit into 'healthier' blood oranges identified

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Washington, March 14 (ANI): A gene that can simultaneously protect against cancer and favour its growth has been identified.

Researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre who made the discovery suspect there may be many more genes that share this double-edged property.

In the words of Oscar Fernandez Capetillo, head of the group responsible for the study, this gene "can be both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, in that it can either protect us against the appearance of tumours or promote tumour growth".

The study co-authored by Andre's J. Lopez-Contreras and Paula Gutierrez Martinez, focuses on the activity of Chk1, a gene known for its tumour suppressing effect.

It is what Fernandez-Capetillo calls "a genome guardian, a gene that keeps our genome free of mutations and, therefore, protects against the development of tumours".

The team wished to ascertain whether the tumour-protective effect of Chk1 was magnified in organisms with a larger quantity of the protein it codes for, so they created a mouse with three copies of the gene instead of the normal two.

They then extracted and cultured the animal's cells and turned them cancerous with the aid of other genes. What they observed confounded all expectations: the cells became malignant more easily when carrying an extra copy of Chk1.

The reason for this paradox is that Chk1 has a beneficial effect on healthy cells, but also benefits tumour cells once they have established themselves in the body.

"Initially, Chk1 prevents the appearance of tumours, by limiting the spontaneous mutations that take place in our cells," explained Fernandez Capetillo.

"This is the Dr. Jekyll side. However, advanced tumours exhibit extensive damage to their DNA and it is here that Chk1 comes to the tumour's aid by reducing the damage built up in its genome," he said.

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Gene known to protect against cancer can also promote tumour growth

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Genetically engineered microbes that might one day churn out biofuels, clean up toxic waste or generate new medicines need to be proved safe before they are released into the environment, a coalition of 111 environmental and social justice groups said Tuesday.

Led by the environmental advocacy group Friends of the Earth, the coalition also called for stronger government regulations over extreme genetic engineering and a moratorium on the commercial use and release of lab-created organisms.

Without proper safeguards, we risk letting synthetic organisms and their products out of the laboratory with unknown potential to disrupt ecosystems, threaten human health and undermine social, economic and cultural rights, the coalition said in a new report.

The technology to manipulate the genes of bacteria, yeast and other organisms has existed since the 1970s, leading to pest-resistant crops, bacteria that produce human insulin and other breakthroughs.

But in 2010, biologist J. Craig Venter announced that his institute had invented synthetic biology by transplanting the entire genome of one bacterium into a different species, which then reproduced. While not qualifying as an entirely new organism, the lab-built microbe did fuel concerns that this technology presented new and hard-to-quantify risks.

The White House jumped in, with the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues recommending in 2010 that federal agencies adopt a middle course that encouraged enhanced oversight and careful consideration of possible risks but no new laws or regulations.

Environmental groups say those measures dont go far enough.

The field is evolving incredibly rapidly in the face of almost no regulation, said Eric Hoffman of Friends of the Earth. A moratorium puts the brakes on to allow society time to decide which applications are okay and which arent.

Representatives of the biotechnology industry say that genetically modified organisms are already adequately regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Agriculture Department, the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies.

I think the reports kind of silly, frankly. It makes no sense to call for a moratorium, said Brett Erickson, executive vice president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, a trade group. Weve been doing genetic engineering for 30years, and weve been doing it safely. People are hyping this as something new.

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Environmental groups call for tighter regulation of ‘extreme genetic engineering’

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Dublin - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/aaa990c9/research_report_on) has announced the addition of the "Research Report on Chinese Monoclonal Antibody Industry, 2012" report to their offering.

Antibody medicine is generally obtained from monoclonal antibody through genetic engineering, possessing the advantages of strong targeting and few drug side effects. At the present time, it is mainly used for the cure of tumor and immune system diseases and has good application prospects in clinical treatment. From the point of the global market, antibody medicine accounts for over 40% of the entire biotechnology medicine. With constant growth of the market share, antibody medicine has become the most important part of the biotechnology medicine, and monoclonal antibody medicine is the best-selling product in the antibody medicine. In 2010, in the 10 world's best-selling drugs, monoclonal antibody medicine took up 5, and the market sales revenue of each single product all exceeded USD 5 billion.

More following information can be acquired through this report:

- Development Course of Chinese Monoclonal Antibody Market

- Competition in Chinese Monoclonal Antibody Market

- Research and Development of Chinese Monoclonal Antibody Market

- Major Monoclonal Antibody Production Enterprises in Chinese Market

- Hot Products of Chinese Monoclonal Antibody Market

- Prediction on Chinese Monoclonal Antibody Market

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Research and Markets: Research Report on Chinese Monoclonal Antibody Industry, 2012

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How studies of Jewish DNA could help answer a question that's at the heart of some of Israeli society's biggest problems: Who counts as a Jew?

Modified from Shutterstock/Dream Designs

Herzliya, a broad-beached ocean-side resort 10 miles north of Tel Aviv, is booming with construction -- big hotels going up on the bluffs and expensive new bungalows on the bougainvillea-laden streets. Herzliya was named for Theodor Herzl, the 19th-century Zionist visionary whose dream to see the Jewish people resettled in their homeland triumphantly came to pass.

From across the Atlantic, Israel looks to be a liberal and fully modern Western state, albeit one with a terrific burr under its saddle, the Palestinian problem. Until you come here, you don't sense the second conflict, just as severe for Israelis, over the religious character of the nation. The essential question is, Who is a Jew? The issue is driven by the religious right, which has never been stronger in Israel. All new citizens must prove they are Jewish in order to get married, for example. So the question of who qualifies and who doesn't could define not just the country's identity but its demographic future. Is a person Jewish because of blood or because of culture? Must Jewish identity follow the biological pathway of descent, like those tongue-twisting names in the Hebrew Bible connected by begat, or can Jewishness be acquired merely by espousing the faith?

The implications of the debate matter for more than just Jewish Israelis. Allowing for biological yardsticks of Jewish ancestry begs a question about the blood origins of the Palestinians in their midst. On the family tree of humanity the two peoples are surprisingly close, or so says science.

Last June, some two dozen Israeli and American geneticists met at the Dan Accadia Hotel in Herzliya. Although the purpose of the two-day conference was to discuss the latest findings about the DNA of the world's populations, the focus soon narrowed to the genetics of Jews. Jewish DNA, with its tracks of ancient migrations and rare genetic diseases, such as Tay-Sachs, was the material the scientists knew best. The 20-minute presentations were hurried and dense. As the scientists took the podium, each made quips about their tribe's DNA. "Somebody should do a genomic study about why Jews eat so much," said one, in a nod to the food the hotel had lavishly laid on. "In Jews," said another, "there's probably a stop codon [a unit of DNA that tells a cell to stop making a protein] in the human gene for smell. That's why we can eat gefilte fish."

On the afternoon of the second day, the participants edged away from science to ask if genetics might help resolve the identity issues paining Israel. One of the conference organizers, the Israeli Karl Skorecki, said that the meeting had been evading the subject for two days. "I believe Jewishness is metaphysical, cultural, unrelated to DNA."

"But some others," he went on, "such as politicians, journalists, genealogists, and professors of French theater, have jumped ahead of us scientists. Why have we been so reticent over the years?"

By "French theater," Skorecki was taking a swipe at his compatriot Shlomo Sand, a professor of contemporary history. Sand was not in attendance, but his work was a presence at the conference nonetheless. He was the author of The Invention of the Jewish People, a 2009 best-seller in Israel and France and point of controversy in the U.S. On the one hand, Sand agreed with most scientists that Jewishness was a cultural, not a biological, construct. On the other, he attacked the "myth" of Israel's blood connection to the Biblical founders, and he disputed recent genetic findings that tie Jews' origins to the Middle East. Earlier, when the American scientist Harry Ostrer had declared, as he did again at the conference, that markers on the DNA reveal "a biological basis for Jewishness," Shlomo Sand had retorted, "It is a bitter irony to see the descendants of Holocaust survivors set out to find a biological Jewish identity: Hitler would certainly have been very pleased!"

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Defining Jews, Defining a Nation: Can Genetics Save Israel?

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12-03-2012 12:12 (Sonoran Living Advertiser) Envita Medical Centers Leaders in Cancer and Chronic Disease Personalized Medicine

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Envita Medical Centers offers personalized medicine - Video

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08-03-2012 15:12 What is personalized medicine? Collaboration and leading-edge advancements in Greater Phoenix

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GPEC Personalized Medicine - Video

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08-03-2012 13:51 Brief introduction to our services, staff and facilities.

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The Regenerative Medicine Institute, Mexico - Video

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Edited by M. A. Hayat 384 pp, $209 New York, NY, Springer, 2012 ISBN-13: 978-9-4007-2015-2

Stem cells and cancer stem cells are 2 distinct, evolving, and promising areas of research. Hematopoietic stem cells are already used in the treatment of bone marrow failure and hematologic malignancies, and there is now great interest in isolating stem cells from other organs for use in replenishing damaged tissue in the heart, brain, bones, and other organs and structures. In contrast, cancer stem cells, a newly recognized component of some cancers, have some properties of pluripotent stem cells in that they replicate without normal cell cycle regulation and apoptosis. Moreover, they are naturally resistant to chemotherapy because of drug-exuding pumps, DNA repair proteins, and dormancy; thus, these cells are now suspected to be the root cause of relapse and metastasis after conventional therapies in some malignancies, especially leukemia. Targeting cancer stem cells in addition to cancer cells may therefore lead to better eradication of cancer than is presently possible.

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Stem Cells and Cancer Stem Cells: Therapeutic Applications in Disease and Injury, Volume 2 [Book and Media Reviews]

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Newswise MADISON For the first time, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have made early retina structures containing proliferating neuroretinal progenitor cells using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from human blood.

And in another advance, the retina structures showed the capacity to form layers of cells as the retina does in normal human development and these cells possessed the machinery that could allow them to communicate information. (Light-sensitive photoreceptor cells in the retina along the back wall of the eye produce impulses that are ultimately transmitted through the optic nerve and then to the brain, allowing you to see.) Put together, these findings suggest that it is possible to assemble human retinal cells into more complex retinal tissues, all starting from a routine patient blood sample.

Many applications of laboratory-built human retinal tissues can be envisioned, including using them to test drugs and study degenerative diseases of the retina such as retinitis pigmentosa, a prominent cause of blindness in children and young adults. One day, it may also be possible replace multiple layers of the retina in order to help patients with more widespread retinal damage.

We dont know how far this technology will take us, but the fact that we are able to grow a rudimentary retina structure from a patients blood cells is encouraging, not only because it confirms our earlier work using human skin cells, but also because blood as a starting source is convenient to obtain, says Dr. David Gamm, pediatric ophthalmologist and senior author of the study. This is a solid step forward.

In 2011, the Gamm lab at the UW Waisman Center created structures from the most primitive stage of retinal development using embryonic stem cells and stem cells derived from human skin. While those structures generated the major types of retinal cells, including photoreceptors, they lacked the organization found in more mature retina.

This time, the team, led by Gamm, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and postdoctoral researcher and lead author Dr. Joseph Phillips, used their method to grow retina-like tissue from iPS cells derived from human blood gathered via standard blood draw techniques.

In their study, about 16 percent of the initial retinal structures developed distinct layers. The outermost layer primarily contained photoreceptors, whereas the middle and inner layers harbored intermediary retinal neurons and ganglion cells, respectively. This particular arrangement of cells is reminiscent of what is found in the back of the eye. Further, work by Dr. Phillips showed that these retinal cells were capable of making synapses, a prerequisite for them to communicate with one another.

The iPS cells used in the study were generated through collaboration with Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) of Madison, Wis., who pioneered the technique to convert blood cells into iPS cells. CDI scientists extracted a type of blood cell called a T-lymphocyte from the donor sample, and reprogrammed the cells into iPS cells. CDI was founded by UW stem cell pioneer Dr. James Thomson.

We were fortunate that CDI shared an interest in our work. Combining our labs expertise with that of CDI was critical to the success of this study, added Dr. Gamm.

Other members of the research team include:

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Scientists Produce Eye Structures from Human Blood-Derived Stem Cells

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Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Diabetes Article Date: 13 Mar 2012 - 12:00 PDT

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The study was carried out by Chutima Talchai, Ph.D, a New York Stem Cell Foundation-Druckenmiller Fellow, and Domenico Accili, M.D., professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that kills cells in the pancreas which produce insulin, resulting in high levels of glucose in the blood. As the pancreas is unable to replace these cells, individuals suffering with the disease must inject insulin into themselves in order to manage their blood sugar. Patients must also monitor their sugar levels numerous times a day, as blood glucose that is too low or too high can be fatal.

For scientists researching type 1 diabetes, one of the leading goals is to replace lost insulin-producing cells with new cells that release insulin into the bloodstream as needed. Even though researchers are able to generate these cells in the laboratory from embryonic stem cells, they are not suitable for transplant in patients as they do not release insulin appropriately in response to sugar levels, potentially resulting in a deadly condition called hypoglycemia.

In the intestine of mice, the researchers found that certain gastrointestinal progenitor cells are able to generate insulin-producing cells.

Usually, progenitor cells are responsible for generating a vast range of cells, such as gastric inhibitory peptide, cells that produce serotonin, as well as other hormones secreted into the GI tract and bloodstream.

The researchers discovered that when they switched off Foxo1 (a gene known to contribute in cell fate decisions), the progenitor cells also generated cells that produced insulin. In addition, the team found that although more cells were produced when Foxo1 was switched off early in development, they were also produced when the Foxo1 was switched off in adult mice.

Dr. Accili, explained:

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Gut Cells Turned To Insulin Factories - New Type l Diabetes Treatment

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