SILVER SPRING, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB:NVLX), an emerging biotechnology provider of cell and gene therapy solutions, today provided additional details based on the Goldman Small Cap Research report issued February 29, 2012, that highlighted the companys cell encapsulation technology and its benefits for treating chronic diseases such as diabetes. The Companys technology involves encapsulating insulin-producing cells that respond to changes in glucose levels into the Cell-in-a-Box platform. As a result, the treatment would potentially eliminate the need for diabetes patients to continually test their glucose levels and inject insulin.

The Goldman report cited the completed animal study wherein SG Austria successfully treateddiabetesin an established, recognized animal model utilizing liveencapsulatedcells. In the study, the introduced cells responded to elevated blood sugar levels by producing insulin, thereby alleviating thesymptoms of diabetes. Moreover, encapsulated cells remained viable and responsive for many months.

The report stated, This data, as well as previously published results, demonstrate it is feasible to overcome the basis for diabetes by implanting encapsulated, insulin-producing cells. This should pave the way for future clinical trials of encapsulated cells as a means to continuously regulate blood glucose for months, eliminating the need for daily glucose assessment and insulin injections. Such treatment would present a more natural means of providing insulin to patients, mimicking the body's own insulin production and thereby maintaining healthy blood glucose levels.

The long term effects of diabetes include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, amputations, and stroke. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports346 million people in the world have diabetes and 4 million deaths occur globally each year. In fact, more than $378 billion is spent annually on diabetes treatment with the number expected to rise to $490 billion by 2030.

The report concluded that, Although it is early in the development process, the prospects on the diabetes front could be huge for the Company. Goldman set a current value of Nuvilex at $0.30 per share with a six month price target of $0.50 per share based on the cell encapsulation technology and the favorable clinical and pre-clinical trial results across multiple biotechnology fields.

Dr. Robert Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of Nuvilex, added, We are hopeful that through use of our cell encapsulation platform patients will no longer have to rely on daily insulin injections. The ultimate objective, if future trials prove effective, will be for patients to receive encapsulated live cell treatments intermittently, possibly as infrequently as every 3 to 6 months or longer, dramatically changing their lives.

Investors are recommended to study the Goldman Research Report for a detailed review and valuation methodology regarding Nuvilex.

About Nuvilex

Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB:NVLX) is an emerging international biotechnology provider of biotechnology and clinically useful, therapeutic live-cell encapsulation products and services for the research and medical communities. Through substantial effort, Nuvilex and SG Austria are rapidly moving toward our initial phase of funding acquisition and initial agreement completion. One of our first planned offerings is to include cancer treatments using the companys industry-leading live-cell encapsulation technology.

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Nuvilex’s Diabetes Treatment Utilizing Implanted Encapsulated, Insulin-Producing Cells Potentially Eliminates Need for ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 1-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Erin Pope Erin.Pope@NationwideChildrens.org 614-355-0495 Nationwide Children's Hospital

In 2010, the Center for Gene Therapy at Nationwide Children's Hospital launched a monthly podcast entitled, "This Month in Muscular Dystrophy," featuring internationally known scientists discussing the latest research in muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular disorders. Now, these podcasts will be available for users on iTunes and at http://www.NationwideChildrens.org/muscular-dystrophy-podcast.

The podcasts are geared toward patients, their families and primary care physicians who take care of patients with neuromuscular diseases. Hosted by Kevin Flanigan, MD, an attending physician in Neurology at Nationwide Children's Hospital, and a principal investigator in the Center for Gene Therapy in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's, the programs include interviews with authors of recent scientific publications discussing how their work improves understanding of inherited neuromuscular diseases and what their findings might mean for treatment.

New programs available for download on iTunes include:

Podcasts from previous months have also been uploaded to iTunes and are available for download.

"There is a lot of exciting work going on in the field of neuromuscular disease, and for patients and their families, it may be hard to get access to information about new results," said Dr. Flanigan, also a professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. "Our goal in offering this monthly podcast is to provide a way for people affected by the muscular dystrophies and related disorders to hear directly from top researchers about their latest results. It's my job to converse in understandable terms with these researchers about what is useful or exciting in their work."

Patients and their families are eager to find reliable information, especially about what new therapies are entering trials. With these podcasts available on iTunes, patients and their families have access to this information at their fingertips. These monthly podcasts provide reliable information directly from leading scientists and physicians in the field to empower patients to take the information they learn into their own clinics to discuss with their doctors. The podcasts also serve to provide reliable information to primary care physicians who often have the most contact with patients who have neuromuscular disorders.

"Through these podcasts, I think we can reinforce the hope shared by all families, and let them know that many pathways that may lead to meaningful treatments are being explored," Dr. Flanigan added.

Dr. Flanigan's primary research interest is in the genetic and molecular characterization of inherited neuromuscular diseases particularly muscular dystrophies and in the development of therapies directed toward these diseases.

Continue reading here:
Nationwide Children's Hospital neuromuscular disorder podcasts now available on iTunes

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

London, Mar 1 (ANI): Breaking a 'gene blockade' could pave the way for restoring memory loss and other cognitive functions in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease, a new study has suggested.

Researchers have shown that an enzyme overproduced in the brains of Alzheimer's patients creates a barrier that shuts off genes essential to form new memories.

Furthermore, by inhibiting that enzyme in mice, the MIT neuroscientists were able to reverse Alzheimer's symptoms.

The finding suggests that drugs targeting the enzyme, known as HDAC2, could be a promising new approach to treating the disease, which affects 5.4 million Americans.

Li-Huei Tsai, leader of the research team, says that HDAC2 inhibitors could help achieve that goal, though it would likely take at least 10 years to develop and test such drugs.

"I would really strongly advocate for an active program to develop agents that can contain HDAC2 activity," said Tsai, director of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT.

"The disease is so devastating and affects so many people, so I would encourage more people to think about this."

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a family of 11 enzymes that control gene regulation by modifying histones - proteins around which DNA is spooled, forming a structure called chromatin.

When HDACs alter a histone through a process called deacetylation, chromatin becomes more tightly packaged, making genes in that region less likely to be expressed.

HDAC inhibitors can reverse this effect, opening up the DNA and allowing it to be transcribed.

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Reversing Alzheimer's gene 'blockade' 'can bring back memory'

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By a GenomeWeb staff reporter

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) Researchers from Columbia University and Brandeis University plan to use a $2 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to survey and investigate attitudes about taking genetic tests for epilepsy.

The project, led by principal investigator and Columbia University Professor of Epidemiology Ruth Ottman, will involve in-depth interviews and analysis and clinical genetic testing.

"Genetic testing is rapidly moving into the clinical arena for epilepsy, but we still know very little about the psychosocial impact of genetic information on people with epilepsy and their family members," Ottman told GenomeWeb Daily News today.

"Research in this area is urgently needed because of the significant psychosocial dimensions of living with epilepsy, which include stigma, discrimination, reduced rates of marriage and reproduction, and reduced quality of life," she said. "The ways in which genetic information might alter the experience of living with epilepsy are unclear."

In the first part of the effort, the researchers will survey 1,053 individuals from 115 families containing multiple individuals with epilepsy to evaluate whether they would like to take genetic tests, and what they see as the benefits and downsides of testing, as well as their views on how testing could affect the stigmatization of epilepsy and the quality of their lives.

The researchers also will offer clinical genetic tests to individuals from 21 families containing 195 individuals with an uncommon form of epilepsy called autosomal dominant partial epilepsy with auditory features, or ADPEAF. Half of these families were previously found to have specific gene mutations, but they have never been offered their individual results or the chance to engage in linked discussions about their views.

As part of the study of ADPEAF, in-depth qualitative interviews will also be performed. This part of the research will be led by Sara Shostak, assistant professor in the department of sociology at Brandeis University, which will join in the project under a $200,000 sub-contract. "The intention of the in-depth interviews is to explore, in much greater depth than can be done in a survey, what genetic information actually means in peoples' lives and how they plan to make use of it,", said Shostak in a statement.

In previous research, the investigators found that people are concerned about genetics-related issues when they think about future generations and having families. In addition, they found that people with epilepsy and their families hope that genetic information about the disease could help to lessen stigma and discrimination by influencing public understanding about the disease.

Currently, around 25 genes have been associated with specific epilepsy syndromes.

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Brandeis Leads Study of Attitudes on Genetic Tests for Epilepsy

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

An online tool launched by the National Institutes of Health will make it easier to navigate the rapidly changing landscape of genetic tests.

Genetic tests currently exist for about 2,500 diseases, and the field continues to grow at an astonishing rate. To keep pace, GTR will be updated frequently, using data voluntarily submitted by genetic test providers. Such information will include the purpose of each genetic test and its limitations; the name and location of the test provider; whether it is a clinical or research test; what methods are used; and what is measured. GTR will contain no confidential information about people who receive genetic tests or individual test results.

Genetic tests that the Food and Drug Administration has cleared or approved as safe and effective are identified in the GTR. However, most laboratory developed tests currently do not require FDA premarket review. Genetic test providers will be solely responsible for the content and quality of the data they submit to GTR. NIH will not verify the content, but will require submitters to agree to a code of conduct that stipulates that the information they provide is accurate and updated on an annual basis. If submitters do not adhere to this code, NIH can take action, including requiring submitters to correct any inaccuracies or to remove such information from GTR.

In addition to basic facts, GTR will offer detailed information on analytic validity, which assesses how accurately and reliably the test measures the genetic target; clinical validity, which assesses how consistently and accurately the test detects or predicts the outcome of interest; and information relating to the test's clinical utility, or how likely the test is to improve patient outcomes.

"Our new registry features a versatile search interface that allows users to search by tests, conditions, genes, genetic mutations and laboratories," said Wendy Rubinstein, M.D., Ph.D., director of GTR. "What's more, we designed this tool to serve as a portal to other medical genetics information, with context-specific links to practice guidelines and a variety of genetic, scientific and literature resources available through the National Library of Medicine at NIH."

GTR is built upon data pulled from the laboratory directory of GeneTests, a pioneering NIH-funded resource that will be phased out over the coming year. GTR is designed to contain more detailed information than its predecessor, as well as to encompass a much broader range of testing approaches, such as complex tests for genetic variations associated with common diseases and with differing responses to drugs. GeneReviews, which is the section of GeneTests that contains peer-reviewed, clinical descriptions of more than 500 conditions, is also now available through GTR.

Related Link The free resource, called the Genetic Testing Registry (GTR): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gtr/

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Genetic Testing Registry Goes Online

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Transgenomic, Inc. (OTCBB: TBIO.OB - News) today announced the publication of a new study by researchers at Vanderbilt University that further validates the role of both genes found in the Companys PGxPredict:CLOPIDOGREL (Plavix) Panel, a comprehensive test to predict a patients response to clopidogrel (Plavix). The study confirms the results of two previous studies demonstrating that outcomes in patients receiving clopidogrel were better for patients without genetic variations in CYP2C19, a gene whose effect is described in the drugs label, and ABCB1, a gene that is unique to Transgenomics panel and is covered by issued and pending patents owned by Transgenomic. The results were published by Delaney, et al., in the February issue of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

The effectiveness of clopidogrel, the most widely prescribed antiplatelet drug used to reduce the risks of death, stroke, and heart attack in heart disease patients, is dependent on CYP2C19, a gene that codes for an enzyme responsible for metabolizing clopidogrel into its active form. As a result, patients with a dysfunctional variation in CYP2C19 who are treated with clopidogrel exhibit higher cardiovascular event rates than do patients with normal CYP2C19 function. The seriousness of this problem prompted the FDA to add a black box warning to clopidogrels label in 2010 to alert physicians and patients about this risk.

Researchers in the United States and France recently demonstrated that, in addition to CYP2C19, genetic variation in ABCB1 is also predictive of therapeutic outcomes for patients taking clopidogrel, due to the gene products role in transporting clopidogrel into the bloodstream. The Vanderbilt study is now the third independent study demonstrating the value of testing both CYP2C19 and ABCB1 to identify patients at increased risk for death, stroke and heart attack due to ineffective antiplatelet therapy.

A growing number of large, independent studies support the clinical importance of testing for genetic variants in both CYP2C19 and ABCB1 to predict clopidogrel response and establish the appropriate treatment strategy for each patient, said Craig Tuttle, CEO of Transgenomic. There are approximately 6 million new patients prescribed Plavix each year. Approximately 47% will not get the full benefit of the therapy due to genetic variations in either CYP2C19 or ABCB1. The PGxPredict:CLOPIDOGREL Panel is the only panel to test for genetic variations in both CYP2C19 and ABCB1 and represents a potential multi-billion dollar market opportunity for our Clinical Laboratories division.

This publication can be accessed via the following link: http://www.nature.com/clpt/journal/v91/n2/full/clpt2011221a.html

About the PGxPredict:CLOPIDOGREL Panel

The PGxPredict:CLOPIDOGREL Panel analyzes the genes CYP2C19 and ABCB1 to help predict a patients response to clopidogrel (Plavix), a widely used antiplatelet drug. The test results can be used to aid clinicians in developing a treatment plan for their patients being considered for or receiving clopidogrel.

About Transgenomic, Inc.

Transgenomic, Inc. (www.transgenomic.com) is a global biotechnology company advancing personalized medicine in cancer and inherited diseases through its proprietary molecular technologies and world-class clinical and research services. The company has three complementary business divisions: Transgenomic Pharmacogenomic Services is a contract research laboratory that specializes in supporting all phases of pre-clinical and clinical trials for oncology drugs in development. Transgenomic Clinical Laboratories specializes in molecular diagnostics for cardiology, neurology, mitochondrial disorders, and oncology. Transgenomic Diagnostic Tools produces equipment, reagents, and other consumables that empower clinical and research applications in molecular testing and cytogenetics. Transgenomic believes there is significant opportunity for continued growth across all three businesses by leveraging their synergistic capabilities, technologies, and expertise. The company actively develops and acquires new technology and other intellectual property that strengthen its leadership in personalized medicine.

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Transgenomic’s Proprietary Clopidogrel (Plavix®) Response Panel Includes Both Genetic Markers Demonstrated to Be ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

SGI (NASDAQ:SGI - News), the trusted leader in technical computing, announced today that Japans National Institute of Genetics, an information and systems research organization located in Mishima, Shizuoka, under the leadership of Director-General Yuji Kohara, has selected an SGI UVTM 1000, the top model in the SGI UV series, for a new supercomputer system. Featuring 768 processor cores 10TB of memory, the system will function as a server for next-generation sequencing data analysis.

As a leading international genetics research laboratory and inter-university research institution in Japan, the National Institute of Genetics builds an international DNA database, develops and provides various search and analysis services, and provides supercomputing resources to researchers throughout Japan and the world. The newly installed SGI UV 1000 will form the backbone of these operations and serve a crucial role in next-generation sequencing data analysis.

The amount of data created by next-generation sequencers is growing exponentially. As the number of sequences that can be readand thus the amount and size of data created at one time by next-generation sequencers multipliesincreasingly powerful computing resources are needed to handle the analytical processing of that data. These data include sequence assembly and mapping. Sequence assembly is the method of aligning and piecing together numerous reads (DNA fragments) to determine a genome sequence. Used when sequencing is performed on an unknown genome sequence, it is also called de novo assembly. Mapping refers to the method of determining a genome sequence by assembling reads against a reference genome whose sequence is already known.

The SGI UV 1000 adopted by the National Institute of Genetics as a pipeline server for next-generation sequencing analysis is a large-scale coherent shared memory server with 768 processor cores powered by Intel Xeon processor E7 family series and 10TB of memory. Certain sequencing data analysis processes, particularly de novo assembly programs, require vast amounts of computer memory, more than distributed parallel clusters can typically offer today. Anticipation at the Institute is growing around the SGI UV 1000 which, as an analysis server for de novo assembly programs, is the worlds only server to date that includes a massive 10TB of shared memory (scalable to 16TB) in a single system.

About SGI

SGI, the trusted leader in technical computing, is focused on helping customers solve their most demanding business and technology challenges. Visit sgi.com for more information.

Connect with SGI on Twitter (@sgi_corp), YouTube (youtube.com/sgicorp), and LinkedIn.

2012 Silicon Graphics International Corp. All rights reserved. SGI, the SGI logo and UV are trademarks or registered trademarks of Silicon Graphics International Corp. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Intel and Xeon are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders.

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National Institute of Genetics Adopts SGI HPC Solution for New Supercomputer System

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Updated: Thu Mar. 01 2012 18:08:34

ctvwinnipeg.ca

When a person suffers a heart attack, the time it takes to get treatment is crucial. That's because once heart muscle tissue is damaged, it can't be healed.

A researcher from St. Boniface Hospital, however, has found a gene that could bring damaged heart tissue back to life.

"The cells that make up the heart muscle itself - once they're damaged or injured they're not replaced by new ones," said Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum, a researcher at St. Boniface Hospital.

Researchers had little success locating a key gene.

"This gene we've been chasing for about 12 years," said Kirshenbaum.

But now they've found it.

"For us, it was initially disbelief," he said.

Kirshenbaum is now working on a way to use gene therapy so that when a person suffers a heart attack, they won't suffer lasting damage to the heart.

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Winnipeg researcher's gene discovery could help healing damage caused by heart attacks

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 29-Feb-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Ong Siok Ming ong_siok_ming@a-star.edu.sg 65-682-66254 Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore

A*STAR scientists have for the first time, identified that precise regulation of polyamine levels is critical for embryonic stem cell (ESC) self-renewal the ability of ESCs to divide indefinitely and directed differentiation. This paper is crucial for better understanding of ESC regulation and was published in the journal Genes & Development on 1st March by the team of scientists from the Institute of Medical Biology (IMB), a research institute under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

Embryonic stem cells hold great potential for the development of cellular therapies, where stem cells are used to repair tissue damaged by disease or trauma. This is due to their unique ability to renew themselves and differentiate into any specific types of cell in the body. One of the challenges with cellular therapies is ensuring that ESCs are fully and efficiently differentiated into the correct cell type. This study sheds light on understanding how ESCs are regulated, which is essential to overcome these challenges and turn the vision of cell therapies into reality.

Using a mouse model, the team of scientists from IMB showed that high levels of Amd1 , a key enzyme in the polyamine synthesis pathway, is essential for maintenance of the ESC state and self renewal of ESCs. To further demonstrate the critical role of Amd1 in ESC self-renewal, the scientists showed that increasing Amd1 levels led to delayed ESC differentiation. The research also revealed that downregulation of Amd1 was necessary for differentiation of ESCs into neural precursor cells and that Amd1 is translationally regulated by a micro-RNA (miRNA), the first ever demonstration of miRNA-mediated regulation of the polyamine pathway.

While the polyamine pathway is well established and polyamines are known to be important in cancer and cell proliferation, their role in ESC regulation until now was unknown. This novel discovery, linking polyamine regulation to ESC biology, came about when the team set up a genome-wide screen to look for mRNAs under translational control in order to identify new regulators of ESC differentiation to neural precursor cells.

Dr Leah Vardy, Principle Investigator at the IMB and lead author of the paper, said, "The polyamines that Amd1 regulate have the potential to regulate many different aspects of self renewal and differentiation. The next step is to understand in more detail the molecular targets of these polyamines both in embryonic stem cells and cells differentiating to different cellular lineages. It is possible that manipulation of polyamine levels in embryonic stem cells through inhibitors or activators of the pathway could help direct the differentiation of embryonic stem cells to more clinically useful cell types."

Prof. Birgitte Lane, Executive Director of IMB, said, "This is a fine piece of fundamental research that will have breakthrough consequences in many areas and can bring about far-reaching applications. Developing cellular therapies is just one long-term clinical benefit of understanding ESC biology, which can also help develop stem cell systems for disease modeling, developing new drugs as well as a tool for researchers to answer other biological questions."

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Notes for editor:

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A*STAR scientists make groundbreaking discovery on stem cell regulation

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Nuffield Council on Bioethics, which examines ethical issues raised by new developments in biology and medicine, launched a consultation on Thursday on the ethics of new technologies and devices that intervene in the human brain.

The three main areas of the group's focus are brain-computer interfaces, neurostimulation and neural stem cell therapy.

Here are some details about each area of research and how it is being explored.

* Brain computer interfaces (BCIs)

BCIs measure and analyze a person's brain signals and convert them into an output such as movement.

A paralyzed person, for example, could use a BCI to operate a wheelchair, or someone who has extreme difficulty speaking could use a BCI to communicate via a computer voice.

These sorts of applications have been shown to be successful in a few reported cases, but the technology has not yet been developed for regular clinical use and there are questions over whether these technologies are reliable enough for use in everyday life.

Military applications, such as remote control of vehicles and machinery are not yet in wide use but are being researched and tested, mainly in the United States.

Some commercial BCI developments are already on the market in the gaming sector. Gamers can buy a wireless headset that aims to replace a joystick by controlling game play through brain signals.

The use of BCIs sometimes require surgery to implant electrodes into a person's brain, although the most successful current developments are less invasive ones That detect brain signals from the scalp.

More:
Factbox: Neurotechnologies in spotlight of UK ethics review

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

15-02-2012 09:31 In an amazing twist of fate, a cancer patient receiving a bone marrow transplant apparently received stem cells which made him immune to HIV and his AIDS symptoms have disappeared.

Visit link:
AIDS Patient Healed Using Stem Cells From Bone Marrow - Video

Recommendation and review posted by sam

24-02-2012 18:53 In February 2012, the FDA published 3 Guidance documents for biosimilars. Under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCI Act), a biological product may be demonstrated to be "biosimilar" if data show that, among other things, the product is "highly similar" to an already-approved biological product. George Dranitsaris discusses the market and challenges of biosimilars.

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Biosimilars and the FDA Guidance Documents - a discussion at Personalized Medicine TV - Video

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The Open University has come up with a 3D cell culture model that could provide insight into how cells in the spinal cord repair after damage.

The research, published in Tissue Engineering, shows how an interface develops between the injured and surrounding tissue after spinal cord injury. The interface inhibits neuronal regeneration, and this research will aid development of treatment to encourage repair.

Dr James Phillips, Lecturer in Health Sciences, explained: Astrocytes are central nervous system (CNS) cells that normally support neuronal activity, but they change behaviour following damage and can inhibit regeneration. With our model, we can simulate the interaction between astrocytes and regenerating neurons after CNS injury.

We found at first the astrocytes in our model were in a resting state, and then became reactive over 15 days, just like they do following CNS damage. As the astrocytes became reactive we were able to monitor the way in which the neurons interacted with them the neurons grew well in their part of the model but when they reached the boundary with the reactive astrocytes they could not penetrate it, mimicking the kind of regeneration failure associated with spinal cord damage.

By using the culture system, the research team can monitor both cell types continuously and control variables to test specific scientific questions. The 3D model provides a powerful new tool for neuroscience research and provides a new way to test the development of new therapies.

The authors Emma East PhD, Jon P. Golding PhD and James B. Phillips PhD from The Open University Faculty of Science, received support from The Wellcome Trust.

The rest is here:
Open University offers spinal cord injury solution

Recommendation and review posted by sam

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

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT; OTCBB: ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that it will release 2011 fourth quarter and year-end results on Thursday, March 1st after the market closes. The Company will hold a conference call on Friday, March 2nd at 9:00 am eastern time to discuss the results and provide an update on clinical activities.

Interested parties should dial (888)264-3177 followed by the reference conference ID number 57426004. The call will be available live and for replay by webcast at:

http://us.meeting-stream.com/advancedcelltechnology030212

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, 2010. 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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Advanced Cell Technology To Announce 2011 Fourth Quarter and Year-End Results on March 1st

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Regenerative Medicine Institute, Mexico has been granted full accreditation for its clinical stem cell trials

Portland, Oregon (PRWEB) February 29, 2012

We are pleased that RMI undertook this process, says David Audley, executive director of the ICMS. The clinic understood that patient safety can only be assured through strict evaluation and rigorous oversight. From day one they have embraced the transparency that this program requires.

RMI is the first clinic to achieve this status under the ICMS Accreditation Program. The clinic has undergone two separate site audits as well as an institutional review board review evaluation. Most importantly, the clinic has placed in excess of 50 patients into the Treatment Registry for long-term outcome tracking. The safety profile has been excellent, continued Audley. We have tracked patients over at least two follow-ups and a minimum of six months and not seen a single cell-related adverse event.

The ICMS is currently evaluating nearly a dozen clinics worldwide. Accreditation is based upon the Guidelines for the Practice of Cell-Based Medicine developed and published by the ICMS. Key components of these guidelines are the ethical recruitment of patients, proper consent of patients and compliance with local laws and regulations in the treatment of patients.

###

Mr. David Audley International Cellular Medicine Society 503-884-6590 Email Information

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International Cellular Medicine Society Grants First Worldwide Accreditation to Tijuana Clinical Trial

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Lafayette College theater director Michael O'Neill has never seen the classic Czech play "R.U.R," but after teaching it in his theater classes for years, he became intrigued by the relevance of its premise.

So after reading many translations of the play about robots and a mechanized world where people show no emotions, O'Neill decided to write his own translation and produce it at the college. The play opened Wednesday and continues through Saturday at the Williams arts center.

"I made a lot of cuts," O'Neill says. "In those days, they tended to be awfully talky."

"R.U.R." or "Rossum's Universal Robots" was written in 1920 by Karel Capek. It was a response to the death and destruction he had witnessed during World War I and the emotional dislocation and upheavals of the 1917 Communist revolution in Russia.

The play was written as an expressionistic journey into genetic engineering on a mass scale, O'Neill says. It predicted a mechanized world where people have no emotional connections and where workers have lost their human rights. The play takes place in a factory that makes Robots that can think for themselves and can be mistaken for humans.

"I thought that the play had a lot to say about today and our interest in human cloning and our dependence on technology," O'Neill says. "I was concerned about our growing dependence on our cell phones and our computers and the increasing mechanization of everyday life. I also thought that that this play was particularly relevant to Lafayette, which has such a big engineering program."

The play was the first to introduce the word robot to the English language.

"Actually the word robot means 'worker' in Czech, and the Robots in our production look less like Hollywood robots than Soviet workers from the 1920s," O'Neill says. Costume designer Locklyn Brooks has created gray and monochrome outfits that make the Robots look less like machines and more like people, he says.

O'Neill says the play is not so much science fiction as a social satire with a utopian vision.

"This is actually a very traditional play, and despite the presence of the Robots, its main theme is that the human race needs love to be able to survive," he says.

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Lafayette's 'R.U.R' deals with robots, role of technology

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The Collaborative Cross, a project that aims to duplicate the diversity of human genetics in a lab mouse population, is currently focused in North Carolina.

Genetics play an important role in the most common diseases. As humans cannot be tested genetically in a lab environment, the Collaborative Cross is developing a strain of human genetics in mice. The goal is to ultimately fast-track important discoveries about genetics and disease into tests and treatments that will impact human health.

After a series of 15 essays were published in the Genetics Society of America, the Collaborative Cross set up at UNC Chapel Hill.

The project is led by Fernando Pardo-Manuel de Villenaof the UNCdepartment of genetics, David Threadgill, a geneticist at North Carolina State University, and Gary Churchill of the Jackson Laboratory. The mice are being housed at UNC Chapel Hill.

Villena wrote one of the papers featured in Genetics. His paper provides the first comprehensive description of the mouse genome library.

The Collaborative Cross is a free resource for all scientists.

In a press release from UNC Health Care, Terry Magnuson, chair of genetics at UNC Chapel Hill and vice dean for research at the UNC School of Medicine, said, "Just as a museum curator is responsible for the heritage of art in their facility, our colleagues at UNC and NC State University are responsible for the heritage of the mice in the Collaborative Cross. As scientists use this resource to find ways to prevent and address the genetic changes that cause disease, findings in laboratory experiments should be much easier to translate to humans."

The Collaborative Cross project is also being used for studies on breast cancer.

Dr. Norman E. Sharpless, UNC Lineberger's associate director for translation research, said in a press release from UNC Health Care, "I expect that the results of this work will help human breast cancer patients. Huge consortia are successfully identifying regions of the genome associated with important human diseases like cancer and diabetes, but there are limitations in working with the human genome. The Collaborative Cross provides the best means to understand why certain genes are linked to certain diseases."

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Genetics study focused in North Carolina

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

28-02-2012 16:31 Learn more about cord blood stem cells here http://www.cordblood.com Cord Blood Registry takes pride in leading the cord blood banking industry with its state-of-the-art lab. Meet Kristen, who leads the effort to make sure we're providing our clients with the best once their babies' stem cells arrive in Tucson. Kristen is one of the many people who make sure that, from that first phone call to the day your baby's stem cells are collected and stored, you receive the industry's best service and support. For more information on CBR's processes, visit: http://www.cordblood.com

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Meet Cord Blood Registry's Leader of Laboratory Operations - Video

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

Women may make new eggs throughout their reproductive yearschallenging a longstanding tenet that females are born with finite supplies, a new study says. The discovery may also lead to new avenues for improving women's health and fertility.

A woman has two ovaries, which release eggs during her monthly ovulation.(Learn more about the human body.)

Previous research had suggested that a woman is born with all the egg cells she will ever have in her lifetime.

But in recent experiments, scientists discovered a new type of stem cell in the ovaries thatwhen grown in the labgenerates immature egg cells.The same immature cells isolated from adult mouse ovaries canturn into fertile eggs.

Stem cells,found in embryos and certain adult body tissues, have the potential to grow into many different types of cells.

(See"Liposuction Fat Turned Into Stem Cells, Study Says.")

The finding reinforces the team's previous experiments in mice, which had identified a new type of ovarian stem cell that renews a female mouse's source of eggs throughout its fertile years.

That study, published in the journal Nature in 2004, was the "first to reach the conclusion that this long-held belief in our fieldthat young girls are given a bank account at birth that you can no longer deposit eggs to, just withdraw fromwas no longer true," said study leaderJonathan Tilly.

By reinforcing these earlier results in people, the new study is a "big step forward" from the mouse work, emphasized Tilly, director of the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

From a purely biological perspective, the concept that a woman would continually generate new eggs during her reproductive years makes sensesince men constantly replenish their sperm, Tilly added. (Read how men produce 1,500 sperm a second.)

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Women Can Make New Eggs After All, Stem-Cell Study Hints

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

Regenerative Medicine Institute, Mexico has been granted full accreditation for its clinical stem cell trials

Portland, Oregon (PRWEB) February 29, 2012

We are pleased that RMI undertook this process, says David Audley, executive director of the ICMS. The clinic understood that patient safety can only be assured through strict evaluation and rigorous oversight. From day one they have embraced the transparency that this program requires.

RMI is the first clinic to achieve this status under the ICMS Accreditation Program. The clinic has undergone two separate site audits as well as an institutional review board review evaluation. Most importantly, the clinic has placed in excess of 50 patients into the Treatment Registry for long-term outcome tracking. The safety profile has been excellent, continued Audley. We have tracked patients over at least two follow-ups and a minimum of six months and not seen a single cell-related adverse event.

The ICMS is currently evaluating nearly a dozen clinics worldwide. Accreditation is based upon the Guidelines for the Practice of Cell-Based Medicine developed and published by the ICMS. Key components of these guidelines are the ethical recruitment of patients, proper consent of patients and compliance with local laws and regulations in the treatment of patients.

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Mr. David Audley International Cellular Medicine Society 503-884-6590 Email Information

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International Cellular Medicine Society Grants First Worldwide Accreditation to Tijuana Clinical Trial

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

By David Cyranoski of Nature magazine

With Texas pouring millions of dollars into developing adult stem-cell treatments, doctors there are already injecting paying customers with unproven preparations, supplied by an ambitious new company.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any such stem-cell treatment for routine clinical use, although it does sanction them for patients enrolled in registered clinical trials. Some advocates of the treatments argue, however, that preparations based on a patient's own cells should not be classed as drugs, and should not therefore fall under the FDA's jurisdiction.

There are certainly plenty of people eager to have the treatments. Texas governor Rick Perry, for instance, has had stem-cell injections to treat a back complaint, and has supported legislation to help create banks to store patients' harvested stem cells.

One company that has benefited from this buoyant climate is Celltex Therapeutics, which "multiplies and banks" stem cells derived from people's abdominal fat, according to chairman and chief executive David Eller. Its facility in Sugar Land, just outside Houston, opened in December 2011 and houses the largest stem-cell bank in the United States.

Celltex was founded by Eller and Stanley Jones, the orthopaedic surgeon who performed Perry's procedure, and it uses technology licensed from RNL Bio in Seoul. Because clinical use of adult-stem-cell treatments are illegal in South Korea, RNL has since 2006 sent more than 10,000 patients to clinics in Japan and China to receive injections.

Celltex says that although it processes and banks cells, it does not carry out stem-cell injections. It declined to answer Nature's questions about whether its cells have been used in patients. But there is evidence that the company is involved in the clinical use of the cells on US soil, which the FDA has viewed as illegal in other cases.

Public hype

In addition to the publicity surrounding Perry's treatment, a woman named Debbie Bertrand has been blogging about her experiences during a five-injection treatment with cells prepared at Celltex. Her blog (http://debbiebertrand.blogspot.com) hosts photographs of herself alongside Jones; Jennifer Novak, a Celltex nurse; Jeong Chan Ra, chief executive of RNL Bio; and her doctor, Jamshid Lotfi, a neurologist who works for the United Neurology clinic in Houston. Another photo is captioned: "My cells are being processed in here for my next infusion!!!" A third shows Bertrand, Lotfi and a physician called Matthew Daneshmand, who is, according to the caption, injecting Bertrand's stem cells into an intravenous drip, ready for the infusion. Nature has been unable to contact Bertrand.

Lotfi says that he has administered cells processed by Celltex to more than 20 people. "Five or six" -- including Bertrand -- have multiple sclerosis and "four or five" have Parkinson's disease, he says. Lotfi explains that patients sign up for treatment by contacting Novak, and that cells are prepared by removing about five grams of fat -- containing roughly 100,000 mesenchymal stem cells -- from the patient's abdomen. Over a three-week period, the cells are cultured until they reach about 800 million cells. Lotfi says that patients get at least three injections of 200 million cells each, and that the cells do not take effect for a few months. According to Lotfi, Celltex charges US$7,000 per 200 million cells, and pays Lotfi $500 per injection.

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Stem-Cell Therapy Takes Off in Texas

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

OLDSMAR, Fla., Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Cryo-Cell International, Inc. (OTC:QB Markets Group Symbol: CCEL) (the "Company"), the world's first private cord blood bank to separate and store stem cells in 1992, today announced results for its fiscal year 2011.

"Cryo-Cell fiscal 2011 results are indicative of a company that is in the process of making many organizational and operational improvements," stated David Portnoy, Cryo-Cell's Chairman and Co-CEO. "Although the implementation of these steps is still in the early stages, we are encouraged in our belief that our goals will be achieved."

Mark Portnoy, Cryo-Cell's Co-CEO, added, "With the transition of the new Board of Directors last year, the Company made significant changes over the last six months. We are continuing to improve the IT systems and website, and have embarked on a major rebranding/marketing effort. Although these efforts have increased our expenses, we have balanced that somewhat with cost reductions. We feel these are appropriate and necessary investments for the Company's future. In addition, the Company has implemented its previously announced stock repurchase plan, and to date, has repurchased 415,117 shares on the open market and in private transactions."

Financial Results

Consolidated revenues for fiscal year ended 2011 were approximately $17.9 million compared to approximately $17.7 million for fiscal 2010. The revenues for fiscal 2011 consisted of approximately $16.5 million in processing and storage fee revenue and approximately $1.4 million in licensee income compared to approximately $16.2 million in processing and storage fee revenue and approximately $1.5 million in licensee income for fiscal 2010. Licensee income for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2011 primarily consisted of approximately $1.3 million in royalty income earned on the processing and storage of cord blood stem cell specimens in geographic areas where the Company has license agreements. The remaining licensee income of approximately $41,000 related to installment payments of non-refundable up-front license fees from the licensees of the Company's umbilical cord blood program in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Germany. Licensee income for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2010 primarily consisted of approximately $1.3 million in royalty income earned on the processing and storage of cord blood stem cell specimens in geographic areas where the Company has license agreements. The remaining licensee income of $175,000 related to installment payments of non-refundable up-front license fees from the licensees of the Company's umbilical cord blood program in Chile, Colombia, Peru, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Curacao, Bonaire, St. Maarten, Aruba and Suriname.

The Company reported a net loss in fiscal 2011 of approximately ($2.1 million), or ($0.18) per basic and diluted share, compared to net income of approximately $3.5 million, or $0.29 per basic and diluted share in fiscal 2010. The decrease in net income for fiscal 2011 principally resulted from a 31% increase in marketing, general and administrative expenses. The increase was due in part to an increase in fees associated with the annual meeting. The total fees expended for the 2011 Annual Meeting were approximately $957,000. The increase was also due to a write-off of approximately $211,000 for abandoned patents and trademarks due to the decision of management to discontinue pursuing certain patents and trademarks and an approximate $627,000 impairment of previously capitalized costs associated with the development of internal use computer software. Also, included in marketing, general and administrative expenses is approximately $950,000 related to an accrual of severance in accordance with the employment agreement of Mercedes Walton, the Company's former Chairman and CEO dated August 15, 2005, as amended July 16, 2007 because the circumstances relating to her termination are in dispute. Per the employment agreement, Ms. Walton would be entitled to severance in the amount up to $950,000 related to lost salary, bonuses and benefits if she had not been terminated for Cause, as defined in the agreement. The Company believes that Ms. Walton has not earned the right to this severance and intends to defend this position. Excluding all one-time charges noted above, the Company had net income before one-time charges in fiscal 2011 of approximately $645,000, or $0.05 per basic and diluted share before one-time charges. Included in the net income of $3.5 million for fiscal 2010 was the reversal of approximately $1.7 million of the Company's valuation allowance for income taxes. The decision to reverse a portion of the allowance was based on the Company's historical operating performance and future projections of taxable income.

As of November 30, 2011, the Company had approximately $7.3 million in cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and other investments compared to $9.5 million as of November 30, 2010, representing a 23% decrease. The decrease is primarily attributable to the funding of a Grantor trust in the amount of $2,500,000 to escrow amounts that may become payable to the Company's former Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers of the Company under their respective Employment Agreements as a result of a change in control. The Company had no long-term debt at the end of fiscal 2011.

About Cryo-Cell International, Inc.

Cryo-Cell International, Inc. was founded in 1989 and was the world's first private cord blood bank to separate and store stem cells in 1992. Today, Cryo-Cell has over 240,000 clients worldwide from 87 countries. Cryo-Cell's mission is to provide our clients with the premier stem cell cryopreservation service and to support the advancement of regenerative medicine.

Cryo-Cell operates in a state-of-the-art Good Manufacturing Practice and Good Tissue Practice (cGMP/cGTP)-compliant facility, is ISO 9001:2008 certified and accredited by the AABB. Cryo-Cell is a publicly traded company. OTC:QB Markets Group Symbol: CCEL. Expectant parents or healthcare professionals may call 1-800-STOR-CELL (1-800-786-7235) or visit http://www.cryo-cell.com.

Originally posted here:
Cryo-Cell Reports Financial Results for Fiscal 2011

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

SILVER SPRING, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB:NVLX), an emerging biotechnology provider of cell and gene therapy solutions, announced today Goldman Small Cap Research has reissued its buy recommendation on Nuvilex with a short term price target of $0.50 per share.

According to the research report prepared by Goldman, The current share price represents but a fraction of its true value, in our view. With recently increased interest and valuation in the pancreatic cancer treatment arena, we believe that Nuvilex is worth $0.20 just on the oncology therapies alone and that the shares will reach $0.50 in the next six months. Looking ahead, as milestone events occur, $1.00 per share is within reach over the next 12-18 months.

Goldman bases this value projection, in part, on the pending acquisition of SG Austria assets, and with it complete control over the cell encapsulation technology that forms the backbone of Nuvilexs planned biotechnology development. The report states in part the following:

Following execution of the SG Austria asset acquisition, we expect to see a flurry of events and progress on the development side which will serve as catalysts, including when management submits its protocol for the next stage pancreatic cancer trial. We would not be surprised to see the stock break through the $0.50 price on such news as well as progress on the next stage of trials for other therapies.

One reason we are so convinced of the great buying opportunity is the fact that pancreatic cancer treatments are currently at the forefront of the biotech space and are enjoying very high valuations. Although Nuvilex is a not a drug producer, but an existing therapy enhancer through the use of its live cell encapsulation enhancement platform, the timing of these milestone events could not be better for Nuvilex and a re-valuation of its offering.

The Goldman report also compares alternative oncology therapies, including Gemzar from Threshold Pharmaceuticals and Merrimack Pharmaceuticals drug encapsulation technology, noting that, contrary to these treatments, the Nuvilex live-cell encapsulation technology is not limited to one specific use, but can be adapted to use for a host of cell types. The report states, Its difficult to compare apples-to-apples in this space as Nuvilex is the only firm utilizing live-cell encapsulation therapy for cancer, while all the other treatments are based upon a particular drug usage. Contrasting the results of different Phase II clinical trials, the Goldman report comments that the pancreatic cancer therapy, based on completed Phase 1/2 data, appears to have yielded statistically greater results than competing technologies.

Commenting on The Goldman Report, Nuvilex Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Robert Ryan, stated, The report did an excellent job highlighting the value and capabilities of our cell encapsulation technology, not just for cancer therapy, but also for the vast array of treatments where live-cell encapsulation can aid multiple diseases. In the case of the completed cancer trials, it generated superior results with lower drug dosages, and reduced chemotherapeutic side effects. As we move forward with diabetes and stem cell therapy treatments, we are confident our success will, as Goldman predicts prompt leaders in multiple treatment segments to partner with Nuvilex in order to maintain their respective market shares.

Investors are recommended to study the Goldman Research Report for a detailed review and valuation methodology regarding Nuvilex.

About Nuvilex

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Nuvilex Reveals Goldman Small Cap Research Cites Groundbreaking Cancer Therapy in Updating Buy Recommendation

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

29-02-2012 10:12 I am a senior undergraduate student majoring in biotechnology. Although I am an undergraduate, I am quite familiar with the works of life science, especially on biochemistry and molecular biology with my undergraduate GPA is 3.81. I have undertaken various and relevant work experience, in both Cooperative Demonstration Laboratory of Centrifuge Technique and Beckman Coulter Ltd. Co., Nanjing Agricultural University. My commitment to research has earned me co-authorship of five papers published, and two manuscripts in preparation. I have also assist my professor to translate the book Cytology and Genetics. This video introduces my research area and my social works, brief and interesting. I think you will like it. Now I am applying the scholarship administered by the Chinese Scholarship Council which will cover my most expenses. Hopefully one day, I will be your student, work with you together on our shared dream and please feel free to write or call me. fjfnjau@foxmail.com; fjfnjau@gmail.com.

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Research Proposal on life science by Jianfei Feng (Hoping to pursue the possible PhD position).mp4 - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco Zoo officials are mourning the death of "Gene," a 41-year-old black rhinoceros who's been a popular figure at the zoo since 1978.

Zoo officials, who described Gene as gentle and friendly, said he died of kidney failure on Monday.

The zoo's animal care and veterinary staff had been keeping an eye on Gene because his appetite had dropped and he was lethargic, according to zoo officials.

After a recent blood sample indicated that Gene had kidney failure, zoo staff focused on keeping him comfortable for the remainder of his life.

Gene was named after the late Eugene Friend, who served on the Recreation and Park Commission for 24 years, zoo officials said.

Gene was born in Kenya and came to the San Francisco Zoo in 1978 at the age of seven.

During his time at the zoo, Gene fathered five offspring, three of which are now living at other accredited zoos, zoo officials said.

Gene's animal keeper, Julie McGilvray, said he had a good disposition and was very friendly.

"We nicknamed him Big Dog because he loved to be rubbed, either by hand or with a scrub brush, and oftentimes he would lie down and absorb the soothing experience," McGilvray said in a statement.

Zoo officials said black rhinos are a critically endangered species because they are targeted by poachers who covet their valuable horns.

Originally posted here:
41-year-old black rhino 'Gene' dies of kidney failure

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith