DUBLIN, Apr. 08, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --Research and Markets

(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/334g8d/cell_analysis) has announced the addition of the "Cell Analysis Global Market - Forecast To 2020" report to their offering.

Cell analysis plays a major role in gene identification, protein identification, transcription analysis and epigenomics at cellular level. It proves to be an ultra-sensitive device to elucidate specific molecular processes and pathways and reveal the nature of cell heterogenecity. Hospitals, academic institutions, government bodies, as well as pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms are increasing their focus on application of cell analysis as a modern emerging tool in research, drug discovery and diagnosis. The cell analysis techniques global market is segmented into molecular approaches, image-based approaches and others.

The molecular approaches include the PCR, NGS and Microfluidics, cell isolation & separation techniques performed at cells genomic level, where as the image-based approaches include microscopes, FISH, FRAP, tracking, high content screening (HCS), cytometry techniques etc. The cell analysis products market is mainly segmented into consumables and instruments.

The consumables include reagents, assay plates and microplates where as the instrument segment comprises of microscopes, flow cytometers, spectrophotometer, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR), microfluidic devices, cell counters, high content screening (HCS) systems and cell microarrays.

By application, the market is segmented into by processes, by feild and by therapeutics. By processes is segmented into Cellular processes, Signal transduction pathways, Circulating tumor cells, Single cell analysis, Epigentic target analysis, Subpopulation Characterization, Drug and candidate screening. By field is further segmented into forensic Science, therapeutics, cell imaging, biomarker research, genomic analysis, stem cell analysis, and diagnostics. By therapeutics is further segmented into cancer research, infectious disease diagnosis, genetic testing, immunology, others.

By end-users, the market is segmented into Hospitals, Academic and Research Institutes, Contract Research Organizations (CROs), Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Companies, Cell Banks, Diagnostic Laboratories and others.

By geography, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of World. North America holds the largest market share, followed by Europe and Asia. The APAC regions tend to be an emerging market with an opportunity for growth and are likely to be a destination of investment for new investors in the cell analysis market. Drug discovery services outsourcing and government funding for novel screening technologies has resulted in growth of Asian markets.

The cell analysis market is expected to grow at a rate of 9.6% during the forecast period. The major factor influencing the growth is enhanced precision of cell imaging and analysis systems which in turn reduce time and cost of drug discovery process. In addition, the factors like increasing incidence of cancer, increasing government investments, funds and grants, availability of reagents and cell analysis instruments are driving the growth of the market.

However, the major market restraints include high capital investments and shortage of skilled labour for high content screening procedure. The biggest opportunities for this market is the emerging APAC market, high content screening services provided by contract research organizations, automation in cancer research for its early diagnosis and reduction of cost in the cancer treatment.

Read more:
Global Cell Analysis Market Forecasts and Opportunities, 2020

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Results may give hope for an effective therapy to combat a disease for which there is currently no cure

Huntington's disease is an hereditary disorder of the nervous system caused by a faulty gene on chromosome four. The faulty gene leads to nerve damage in the area of the brain resulting in gradual physical, mental and emotional changes. Those born to a parent with Huntington's disease have a 50:50 chance of developing it, and there is currently no cure.

Researchers from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry have received a grant of nearly 520,000 from the Medical Research Council, to investigate the potential of manipulating activity at a cellular level in order to develop an effective therapy for Huntington's disease.

The team will analyse a protein called Bim, which causes cell death in various tissues including those of the brain, and which regulates two important cell functions: autophagy and apoptosis.

Autophagy is important to cell survival, especially at times of body or cell stress. It allows the degradation and recycling of unnecessary or dysfunctional components of a cell, so maintaining the levels of cellular nutrition and energy. It is an adaptive response to stress which supports survival.

Apoptosis is programmed cell death, and this too is important to survival. Excessive apoptosis can lead to atrophy, while too little causes cells to proliferate, such as in cancer.

The research team found that levels of Bim activity were increased in tissue samples from people who had died with Huntington's disease, which led them to surmise that this could be linked to a brain cell death process in the disease. Bim inhibits autophagy, yet the team identified a peptide linked to Bim that promotes autophagy and inhibits cell death. Early study in mice suggests that the dual role of Bim in autophagy and apoptosis may be relevant to the pathology of Huntington's disease.

At present it is unclear how Bim levels and activity increase in Huntington's disease, and the study will aim to identify the mechanism which allows this increase. By understanding the mechanism and how it works, the way could be open for manipulating it to create an effective therapy for the disease.

The study is led by Dr. Shouqing Luo, Associate Professor in Clinical Neurobiology at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry. He said: "We believe that this is an important study, because there is real potential for the development of an effective therapy for a devastating neurological disease for which there is currently no cure. Based on our preliminary data, we aim to further establish the process that causes the increase of Bim in Huntington's disease, examine if Bim contributes to the progression of the disease and test the effectiveness of the Bim-derived peptide in treating the disease, initially in mice. It's my fortune to have Professor Robert Fern as the co-applicant in the project."

Cath Stanley, Chief Executive of the Huntington's Disease Association, added: "The HDA are really excited with the prospect of this research study. Its results will offer another piece in the jigsaw into finding an effective treatment for Huntington's disease."

Read this article:
Study to investigate a potential therapy at cellular level for Huntington's disease

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

COBIS 2015 Science Film (Genetic Engineering)
COBIS 2015 Science Film (Genetic Engineering) Vivek Narendra Kevin Abraham.

By: Vivekanand Narendra

More here:
COBIS 2015 Science Film (Genetic Engineering) - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Genetic Engineering Enlightenment
For Biology-- Created using PowToon -- Free sign up at http://www.powtoon.com/join -- Create animated videos and animated presentations for free. PowToon is a free tool that allows you to...

By: D-$andy

Go here to see the original:
Genetic Engineering Enlightenment - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Personalization is the New Name of the Game

Precision medicine, also known as personalized medicine, is a concept of combining a drug with a test that is modified to a persons genetic disposition. The test has the ability to predict disease risk, diagnose disease and monitor therapeutic response. Given the huge problem of drug failure rates, the concept of companion diagnostics in the realm of precision medicine has gained huge momentum since 2010. Precision medicine involves the selection of diagnostic tests (companion diagnostics) that have the potential to identify changes in each patients cells. The use of that knowledge may help prevent and treat diseases through the development of treatment strategies to target these specific molecular alterations. Ultimately, the goal of precision medicine is to improve patient outcomes.

Figure 1 shows the failure rates for drugs in several disease categories today. Personalized medicine can help save billions of dollars for the healthcare economy globally.

How Big is the Opportunity?

By 2020, the companion diagnostics market will experience a growth of 20.4 percent globally. In 2014, the market for test sales and test services alone was $2.4 billion and is expected to reach $6.9 billion globally.

Figure 2 shows the percentage distribution of partnerships by type of therapeutic area from 2011 to 2013. Companion diagnostics for oncology is obviously leading the way, but there are several other therapeutic areas, including neurology and cardiovascular, that have started to develop drug/diagnostics combo treatments. The challenges in adopting personalized medicine are boundless. The first and foremost challenge affecting the precision medicine landscape is coordinating the timelines. Aligning the development of a drug and diagnostic design program requires a lot of careful planning. This also closely ties into the fact that the current regulations must be modified to support this idea. Current regulations and the three-tier approval process significantly drives up the cost of delivering drugs to market ($800 million $2 billion per molecule) with times-to-market of seven to 10 years. This does not lend itself to driving the agility that is imperative for personalized medicine to become mainstream. A radical redesign of the drug approval process is imperative for personalized medicine to flourish.

View original post here:
It Takes Two To Tango: Combine Diagnostics And Drugs For Precision Medicine

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Spannabis 2015 Dabbing Out With Norcal Genetics
We dab out with John and Al from Norcal Genetics at Spannabis! Want to purchase my nutrients? http://www.remonutrients.com/ Like my page on Facebook: ...

By: urbanremo

View post:
Spannabis 2015 Dabbing Out With Norcal Genetics - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Cannaventure genetics
Sfv og x Ortega got 2 to pop so now its on.

By: (RMC)rockymountaincultivators

Read this article:
Cannaventure genetics - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

New approach estimates the average number of mutations per person that cause disease when inherited from both parents

Humans carry an average of one to two mutations per person that can cause severe genetic disorders or prenatal death when two copies of the same mutation are inherited, according to estimates published today in the journal Genetics. The new numbers were made possible by a long-term collaboration between medical researchers and a unique community that has maintained detailed family histories for many generations.

"These records offered a fantastic opportunity to estimate disease mutation carrier rates in a new way that disentangles the effects of genetic and socioeconomic factors," said lead author Ziyue Gao of the University of Chicago.

Most genetic disorders that result in sterility or childhood death are caused by recessive mutations, DNA sequence variants that are harmless when a person carries only one copy. But if such mutations are present at both copies (where one copy was inherited from each parent), they can cause devastating diseases like cystic fibrosis.

Recessive disease mutations are much more common than those that are harmful even in a single copy, because such "dominant" mutations are more easily eliminated by natural selection. But exactly how common are the recessive disease-causing mutations in humans?

Previous efforts to estimate the number have relied on studies of disease in children born to related parents. In this method, the increased rates of childhood mortality and disease in these families are assumed to be due to recessive mutations. But this method mixes up the effects of genetics and socioeconomic factors.

For example, in some places, marriage between close relatives correlates with poverty. In those cases, children with related parents can have higher disease and death rates simply because their families suffer from poor nutrition or lack of access to medical care. "There are many different non-genetic factors that can bias this kind of approach," said Gao.

But the new method elegantly sidesteps this problem. It relies on the fact that the Hutterites, a religious community that settled in North America in the 1870s, keep meticulous genealogical records and live a communal lifestyle that ensures uniform access to healthcare and food.

Co-author Carole Ober of the University of Chicago has worked closely with a group of Hutterites from South Dakota for two decades, studying genetic contributions to disease using a large 13-generation family tree that traces the ancestry of more than 1,500 living people.

Molly Przeworski, a population geneticist at Columbia University, realized that this ancestry tree could be used to estimate the number of recessive disease mutations carried by the group's founders in the 18th and 19th century. This calculation was possible because Ober's team and other medical researchers had compiled comprehensive records on the frequency of disorders that cause sterility or childhood death in the study population.

More:
Hidden burden: Most people carry recessive disease mutations

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Advanced Topics Successful Development of Quality Cell and Gene Therapy Products
FDA Presentation - Advanced Topics: Successful Development of Quality Cell and Gene Therapy Products - FDA Compliance Seminars (LIVE) at http://www.globalcomplianceseminar.com - Providing ...

By: Chris Leo

Originally posted here:
Advanced Topics Successful Development of Quality Cell and Gene Therapy Products - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Perpetuating the surge of interest in gene therapy technology from major pharmaceutical companies, such as Pfizer Inc. (PFE) and Novartis Inc. (NVS), biopharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) announced a partnership agreement with gene therapy research and development company uniQure NV (QURE) which gives them exclusive rights over uniQures gene therapy technology development for up to 10 genetic targets, for treating cardiovascular diseases, among others. Marking the first foray of Bristol-Myers into gene therapy, the deal gives the company the sole right to develop uniQures gene therapy drugs to treat diseases such as heart failure, which is one of the most common health problems in the world today. Cardiovascular disease is expected to affect about 40 million people around the world by 2030.

Bristol-Myers Squibb has an excellent and long-standing track record of success in discovering and developing treatments for cardiovascular diseases and in embracing advancing technologies for the treatment of human diseases, Carl Decicco, Ph.D., head of Discovery, R&D, Bristol-Myers Squibb said in a statement issued by the company. Collaborating with uniQure, a clear leader in the field with an innovative and validated gene therapy platform, further strengthens our capability to bring forward transformational new therapeutics for difficult-to-treat diseases.

Joern Aldag, Chief Executive Officer of uniQure had this to say: Bristol-Myers Squibbs strength in the cardiovascular area and its commitment to gene therapy will allow them to leverage the full breadth and capacity of our platform for cardiovascular diseases. This collaboration will accelerate the application of gene therapy for large patient populations suffering from heart diseases and will complement the further development of uniQures internal pipeline in two focus areas: liver diseases, including hemophilia, and CNS, including lysosomal storage diseases.

Lets find out what terms have been decided upon with respect to the deal, and well as what impact such an announcement had on the stock movement of both the partnering companies.

Terms of the deal

Bristol-Myers Squibb will make an upfront payment of $50 million to close the deal around the end of the second quarter of 2015. This will set in motion near-term payments totaling nearly $100 million, including $15 million on finalizing three collaboration targets, apart from synthesizing S100A1, a calcium-binding protein described as master regulator of heart function by the pharma major. These targets must be closed within three months from closing the deal. Bristol-Myers will acquire an initial 49% stake in uniQure at $33.84 per share or a minimum $32 million in total. Before the year end, Bristol-Myers will acquire an additional 5% stake at a 10% premium, plus two warrants to add up to 10% equity interest at a premium. This will be based on the targets added to the partnership.

UniQure will be tasked with manufacturing the gene therapy drugs under the supply contract portion of the agreement. In turn, it will be paid $254 million for the synthesis of S100A1 and $217 million for each additional gene therapy product developed under the agreement. UniQure is also set to receive royalty based single to double-digit payouts on sales and net sales-based milestone payments.

Shares on upswing

During premarket trading on this Monday, both UniQure and Bristol-Myers shares climbed and showed positive activity. Shares of UniQure performed the best by surging a whopping 47% to close at $33.61. Its stock climbed steadily, peaking at 54%, over the year through Thursday. Bristol-Myers saw a comparatively smaller rise in premarket trade of 0.25%, but closed at a drop of 0.36% at $63. After hours trading on Monday saw a further dip of 0.17 to $62.89.

Future development

See the rest here:
Bristol-Myers Signs An Exclusive Pact In Gene Therapy For Treating Cardiovascular Disorders

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

With no match in the family, his doctors in Ahmedabad started scrounging for random donors across India. There are only four voluntary marrow donor registries in Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai.

Two years ago, 15-year-old blood cancer patient Bhargav Gajipara's parents were a worried lot. Doctors had given up all hope for his cure as no medicines would work on the cancer. The last resort, they said, was a bone marrow transplant. Bhargav was suffering from acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a condition in which cancerous white blood cells (WBCs) get generated in the bone marrow and circulate in the blood stream. Even as Bhargav had fever and bleeding, his search for a bone marrow match within his family failed. The chances of a bone marrow transplant for him looked bleak until May in 2013.

With no match in the family, his doctors in Ahmedabad started scrounging for random donors across India. There are only four voluntary marrow donor registries in Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai.

Life suddenly changed for Bhargav in July, when his bone marrow matched with hundred percent accuracy with that of 26-year-old media professional Sachin Mampatta of Mumbai. The chance of finding a random bone marrow donor match are one in over 10,000.

On Tuesday, Bhargav and Sachin met one year after the latter donated his marrow to the patient. Sachin had incidentally pledged his marrow around the same time when the request for procuring Bhargav's match was put in by doctors. "I became aware that people can pledge their marrow when I attended a marrow donor drive at Matunga. The doctors took a swab from my inner cheek and genetically typed it. A few months later I received a call asking if I would be in a position to donate my marrow to Bhargav. I readily agreed," said Sachin.

"Sachin's blood was taken and his stem cells were extracted from the bloodstream. The 220 ml of stem cell component was transported to the Ahmedabad-based hospital where Bhargava was admitted," said Raghu Rajagopal, CEO, Datri Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry.

The doctors administered injections to destroy all the WBCs in Bhargav's blood and transfused Sachin's stem cells in Bhargav's blood. Soon, his blood was free of cancerous cells.

Ashok spent Rs 25 lakhs for Bhargav's bone marrow transplant procedure and raised money by selling his ancestral land in Rajkot.

Datri has 80,000 voluntary donors who have pledged their marrow since 2009. But the demand for marrow is very high. Up to one lakh people get blood cancer every year, a sizeable chunk of whom can be cured only through bone marrow transplant. "We have up to 2,500 patients on list, waiting to receive bone marrow, but have not been able to find a match for them. We get 15-20 patients every day who enroll for want of marrow. Many patients die on waiting list. More Indians need to come up and pledge their bone marrow," said Rajagopal.

More here:
A bone marrow transplant made them blood brothers

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Lab photographs of the dividing cells. The round, sun-like structures in each cell are the centrosomes. The fluorescent-tagged beta-catenin is the singular, oblong structure of contrasting color. (Photo courtesy of Bryan Phillips)

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com @BednarChuck

A newly-discovered process used by the dividing cells in worms to make sure that the processes of gene expression is properly coupled to cell division to ensure that the organism can develop as expected a finding that could also have implications for cancer research in humans.

Writing in the journal Current Biology, biologists from the University of Iowa explain that the same mechanism that they observed in the worm may be taking place in people, ensuring proper development. It involves a part of the cell known as the centrosome, which functions like a sort of internal timekeeper, and a crucial protein that is in charge of gene expression.

How the centrosome oversees beta-catenin distribution

UI integrated biology doctoral candidate and first author Setu Vora and his colleagues compare the centrosome to a train conductor and the protein, beta-catenin, to a hitchhiker that boards the cellular train and ensures that cells grow like they should. In this process, timing is everything, as the right processes need to take place at the right time for a person to be healthy.

Beta-catenin attaches itself to the centrosome to ensure that it can be properly regulated as well as divided out to newly-forming cells in just the right amounts. Since most tumors tend to have severe centrosome abnormalities, Vora explained, similar mechanisms involving the centosome could also be relevant in cancer and other human illnesses.

The centosome acts like the captain of the cell division process, the UI researchers said, and is responsible for ensuring that new cells are given equal portions of DNA when they are originally created. The new research reveals that it serves as the timekeeper of cell division processes, such as those involving beta-catenin, the protein responsible for controlling gene expression.

The inspiration for this research is, in a nutshell, understanding how gene expression works specifically through the regulation of an important protein called beta-catenin, Dr. Bryan Phillips, assistant professor of biology at the university and corresponding author of the study, explained to redOrbit via email. Beta-catenin controls gene expression in all animals and has important roles instructing cells during human development and even in adults.

We study beta-catenin regulation in a experimentally amenable genetic model system, the nematode C. elegans, he added. We find that beta-catenin levels build up on a cellular structure called the centrosome just before a cell divides. Because of this localization pattern, beta-catenin is degraded. As the centrosome grows and matures during the cell cycle, it accumulates and destroys more and more beta-catenin. This novel mechanism means beta-catenin levels are kept low in both daughter cells after division.

See the original post here:
Cell division study could provide new cancer, human development insights

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Let #39;s Play The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge - Episode 67
Thank you all for giving me so many baby names but sadly when I recorded this video and other I did not have your names. But don #39;t worry we will have many kids and I will try my best to use...

By: vampiregirl101101101

Originally posted here:
Let's Play The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge - Episode 67 - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Glasschair | Get mobile. Independently.
Glasschair is a Google Glass app that helps people with disabilities to get mobile independently through hands-free wheelchair driving. The idea is that lots of people worldwide, who are...

By: Glasschair

Read the rest here:
Glasschair | Get mobile. Independently. - Video

Recommendation and review posted by sam

The Prolotherapist: Fox 4 Morning Blend. April 7, 2015
In this segment, Dr. Hauser discusses Overmanipulation Syndrome and how Prolotherapy can offer relief to people suffering with this syndrome. If you have chronic neck pain, migraine headaches,...

By: Caring Medical Regenerative Medicine Clinics

Read more:
The Prolotherapist: Fox 4 Morning Blend. April 7, 2015 - Video

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Normal doses of chemotherapy (chemo) can harm normal cells as well as cancer cells. A stem cell transplant offers doctors a way to use the very high doses of chemo needed to kill all the leukemia cells. Although the drugs destroy the patient's bone marrow, stem cells given after the chemo can restore the blood-making bone marrow stem cells. This is called a stem cell transplant (SCT).

These blood-forming stem cells can come from the bone marrow or peripheral blood from either the patient or from a donor whose tissue type closely matches that of the patient. For CML, a donor (or allogeneic) transplant is most often used. The donor may be a brother or sister or less often a person not related to the patient.

Before modern targeted therapy drugs like imatinib (Gleevec), SCT was commonly used to treat CML. Thats because before drugs like imatinib, less than half of patients lived more than 5 years after diagnosis. Now, these drugs are the standard treatment, and transplants are being used less often. Still, a SCT from a donor offers the only proven chance to cure this disease, and many doctors will recommend a transplant for younger patients, especially children. Transplant may also be recommended if the CML is not responding well to the new drugs.

For more information on stem cell transplants, see Stem Cell Transplant (Peripheral Blood, Bone Marrow, and Cord Blood Transplants).

Here is the original post:
Bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant for ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Kenneth Lau

Wednesday, April 08, 2015

The Chinese University and three mainland institutions have produced a new kind of "engineered bone" with blood vessels and nerve cells to help treat patients.

Joining the Chinese University in the HK$50 million-HK$60 million research were Fourth Military Medical University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the Southern Medical University Nan Fang Hospital.

Professor Li Gang of Chinese University's department of orthopedics and traumatology said the discovery accelerates the recovery rate and lessens the pain.

In the past, traditional engineered bone had been used to replace bone lost in accidents or removed, but the outcome was not good enough and the new bone did not grow properly.

Li said if blood vessels and nerve cells are implanted into the engineered bone, the new bone will grow better, though the end result is still under study. Hong Kong's public hospitals had yet to use the new technology as a human clinical application. This had so far only been done in the mainland.

Li believes the cost for surgery will range between HK$80,000 and HK$100,000. He called on the government to put more resources into the study.

The Chinese University has received eight awards this year, including two first-class awards and five second-class awards in natural sciences, as well as one first-class award in scientific and technological progress.

University vice chancellor Joseph Sung Jao-yiu and his research team also received a first- class award in natural sciences. His research topic was integrative research on molecular basis and potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for colorectal cancer.

Originally posted here:
Team offers bone surgery hope

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Inside the microscopic world of the mouse hair follicle, Yale Cancer Center researchers have discovered big clues about how stem cells regenerate and die. These findings, reported in the journal Nature, could lead to a better understanding of how the stem cell pool is maintained or altered in tissues throughout the body.

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that replenish themselves and based on their tissue location can become specialized cells such as blood or skin cells. The hair follicle is an ideal site for exploring stem cell behavior because it has distinct and predictable oscillations in the number and behavior of stem cells, said the study's lead author Kailin R. Mesa, a third-year doctoral student in the lab of Valentina Greco, associate professor of genetics, cell biology and dermatology.

Using live microscopic imaging to track stem cell behavior in the skin of living mice, researchers observed that the stem cell niche, or surrounding area, played a critical role in whether stem cells grow or die.

"Prior to this, it wasn't clear whether stem cell regulation was intrinsic or extrinsic, and now we know it is external in that the niche instructs the stem cells," Mesa said. "In terms of cancer, we can next explore how we might perturb or change the niche in hopes of affecting the growth of cancer stem cells."

Also, researchers were surprised to find that the stem cells within the pool fed on other dying stem cells. This reveals a mechanism for removing dead cells, a process previously observed in mammary glands but never in the skin.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Yale Cancer Center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Here is the original post:
Tiny hair follicle holds big clues about the life and death of stem cells

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

9 hours ago by Vicky Agnew

Inside the microscopic world of the mouse hair follicle, Yale Cancer Center researchers have discovered big clues about how stem cells regenerate and die. These findings, published April 6 in the journal Nature, could lead to a better understanding of how the stem cell pool is maintained or altered in tissues throughout the body.

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that replenish themselves and, based on their tissue location, can become specialized cells such as blood or skin cells. The hair follicle is an ideal site for exploring stem cell behavior because it has distinct and predictable oscillations in the number and behavior of stem cells, said the study's lead author, Kailin R. Mesa, a third-year doctoral student in the lab of Valentina Greco, associate professor of genetics, cell biology, and dermatology.

Using live microscopic imaging to track stem cell behavior in the skin of living mice, researchers observed that the stem cell niche, or surrounding area, plays a critical role in whether stem cells grow or die.

"Prior to this, it wasn't clear whether stem cell regulation was intrinsic or extrinsic, and now we know it is external in that the niche instructs the stem cells," Mesa said. "In terms of cancer, we can next explore how we might perturb or change the niche in hopes of affecting the growth of cancer stem cells."

Also, researchers were surprised to find that the stem cells within the pool fed on other dying stem cells. This reveals a mechanism for removing dead cells, a process previously observed in mammary glands but never in the skin.

Explore further: Limited self-renewal of stem cells in the brain

More information: Niche-induced cell death and epithelial phagocytosis regulate hair follicle stem cell pool, Nature, DOI: 10.1038/nature14306

Journal reference: Nature

Provided by Yale University

Here is the original post:
Tiny hair follicle offers big clues about the life and death of stem cells

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Beverly Hills, California (PRWEB) April 07, 2015

Dr. Raj, the top Orthopedic Surgeon in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, is now offering stem cell therapy to heal chronic tendonitis. The treatment works exceptionally well for those suffering from tendonitis of the rotator cuff, achilles, elbow and knee. For more information and scheduling, call (310) 247-0466.

As a pioneer in regenerative medicine, Dr. Raj has been helping patients with degenerative arthritis achieve relief and avoid joint replacements for years with stem cell procedures. By adding the procedures for tendonitis, Dr. Raj is now helping patients avoid potentially risky surgeries and get back to being more active for soft tissue related pain.

"Surgery for tendonitis is often not 100% successful for patients, and the rehabilitation period may take six months," states Dr. Raj. "With the stem cell therapy, pain relief is quick and athletes get back to sports faster!"

Regenerative medicine for tennis elbow has been shown in research studies to be effective at relief and helping avoid surgery. A 2013 study out of South Florida showed that 28 out of 30 patients with chronic tennis elbow avoided surgery and got back to being very active.

For several years in a row, Dr. Raj has been named the top orthopedic doctor in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. He is an ABC News Medical Correspondent as well as a WebMD Medical Expert.

Hundreds of patients have benefited from stem cell procedures with Dr. Raj at Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute. They come from all over Southern California, along with throughout the country. Call (310) 247-0466 for scheduling stem cell therapy with an orthopedic surgeon Beverly Hills trusts and respects.

Read this article:
Dr. Raj at Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute Now Offering Stem Cell Therapy to Heal Chronic Tendonitis

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

IMAGE:Authors of the new study from The Scripps Research Institute included Professor Jerold Chun (right), Associate Professor Beth Thomas and colleagues. view more

Credit: Cindy Brauer, The Scripps Research Institute

LA JOLLA, CA - April 7, 2014- Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified a molecule in the brain that triggers schizophrenia-like behaviors, brain changes and global gene expression in an animal model. The research gives scientists new tools for someday preventing or treating psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism.

"This new model speaks to how schizophrenia could arise before birth and identifies possible novel drug targets," said Jerold Chun, a professor and member of the Dorris Neuroscience Center at TSRI who was senior author of the new study.

The findings were published April 7, 2014, in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

What Causes Schizophrenia?

According to the World Health Organization, more than 21 million people worldwide suffer from schizophrenia, a severe psychiatric disorder that can cause delusions and hallucinations and lead to increased risk of suicide.

Although psychiatric disorders have a genetic component, it is known that environmental factors also contribute to disease risk. There is an especially strong link between psychiatric disorders and complications during gestation or birth, such as prenatal bleeding, low oxygen or malnutrition of the mother during pregnancy.

In the new study, the researchers studied one particular known risk factor: bleeding in the brain, called fetal cerebral hemorrhage, which can occur in utero and in premature babies and can be detected via ultrasound.

In particular, the researchers wanted to examine the role of a lipid called lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), which is produced during hemorrhaging. Previous studies had linked increased LPA signaling to alterations in architecture of the fetal brain and the initiation of hydrocephalus (an accumulation of brain fluid that distorts the brain). Both types of events can also increase the risk of psychiatric disorders.

Originally posted here:
TSRI scientists find molecular trigger of schizophrenia-like behaviors and brain changes

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

IMAGE:Nucleic Acid Therapeutics is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly in print and online that focuses on cutting-edge basic research, therapeutic applications, and drug development using nucleic acids or related... view more

Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

New Rochelle, NY, April 7, 2015--An experimental single-stranded oligonucleotide-based drug, MGN1703, comprised only of natural DNA components, stimulates the human immune system to fight infections and attack cancer cells without causing the harmful side effects associated with similar compounds that also contain non-natural DNA components. The design and structural characteristics of MGN1703, which is in clinical testing to treat a variety of cancers, affect its potency and toxicity, as described in an article in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers . The article is available free on the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics website until April 24th, 2015.

"Design and Structural Requirements of the Potent and Safe TLR-9 Agonistic Immunomodulator MGN1703" presents a detailed look at this DNA molecule, which contains non-methylated cytosine nucleotides in cytosine-guanine pairs, a signature often found in bacteria and viruses that sends a danger signal to human immune cells. These compounds bind to and activate toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), triggering a cascade of signaling pathways in the immune system that enable recognition and destruction of foreign cells.

Manuel Schmidt and Matthias Schroff, Mologen AG (Berlin, Germany), Nicole Hagner and Burghardt Wittig, Freie Universitaet Berlin, Alberto Marco, Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona (Spain), and Sven Knig-Merediz, Vivotecnia (Madrid, Spain) describe their approach to the molecular design of MGN1703. They avoided the need to incorporate non-natural components into the DNA backbone to enhance its potency and stability by instead manipulating its size and shape.

"Moving forward to solve the concerns and disappointment of clinical implementation of cytosine-phosphodiester-guanine oligodeoxynucleotides, this work is an important step towards the application of a new class of safe and efficacious immunomodulators in humans," says Executive Editor Graham C. Parker, PhD, The Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI.

###

About the Journal

Nucleic Acid Therapeutics is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly in print and online that focuses on cutting-edge basic research, therapeutic applications, and drug development using nucleic acids or related compounds to alter gene expression. The Journal is under the editorial leadership of Editor-in-Chief Bruce A. Sullenger, PhD, Duke Translational Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, and Executive Editor Graham C. Parker, PhD. Nucleic Acid Therapeutics is the official journal of the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics website.

About the Society

Read this article:
New, natural DNA-based drugs are safe, potent activators of immune system

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

PBR Staff Writer Published 07 April 2015

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and Netherlands-based uniQure have entered into exclusive strategic collaboration to develop gene therapies for cardiovascular diseases.

The deal will give BMS exclusive access to uniQure's gene therapy technology platform for the development of new treatments.

The companies will collaborate on up to ten targets, mostly concentrating on cardiovascular therapies, such as a treatment to reinvigorate congestive heart failure patients' ability to synthesize S100A1.

The Dutch firm will lead discovery efforts and clinical manufacturing, while BMS will fund the research, lead development and regulatory activities as well as have sole commercialization rights under the deal.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Discovery R&D head Carl Decicco said: "Bristol-Myers Squibb has an excellent and long-standing track record of success in discovering and developing treatments for cardiovascular diseases and in embracing advancing technologies for the treatment of human diseases.

"Collaborating with uniQure, a clear leader in the field with an innovative and validated gene therapy platform, further strengthens our capability to bring forward transformational new therapeutics for difficult-to-treat diseases, including cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure."

As part of the deal, BMS will pay $50m upfront and $100m total in the near-term, and the company will gain a sizeable stake in uniQure with options to but even more equity.

In addition, uniQure will receive R&D and milestone payments of $254m for the first main therapy and up to $217m for each of the other therapies.

uniQure chief executive officer Joern Aldag said: "Bristol-Myers Squibb's strength in the cardiovascular area and its commitment to gene therapy will allow them to leverage the full breadth and capacity of our platform for cardiovascular diseases.

Continue reading here:
Bristol-Myers, uniQure enter cardiovascular gene therapy deal

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Chris Goodman said its one of the most rewarding things hes ever done.

His stem cells reside inthe blood of a woman hes never met.

Goodman, a junior at Western Kentucky University, is working with a drive sponsored byWKU Greek Life and WKU student-athletesto register people for potential bone marrow donations. Donated stem cells, which are extracted from bone marrow, can be used to help people recover from serious illnesses.

The drive is April 20-22 at Raymond B. Preston Health and Activities Center. The hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.April 20 and 21 and from 10 a.m.to 7 p.m.April 22 in the Blue Court. Goodman will be working at the drive April 21, he said.

Goodman, 20, is from Knoxville, Tenn., and is a backstroke swimmer for WKU. Hes studying speech pathology and communications disorders and wants someday to work with kids who have speech difficulties.

A five-minute swab of your cheek could help save a life, Goodman said.

Goodman received a short note from the woman who was helped by his donation.

The letter I received from my patient was one which was very short in length but nonetheless very impactful, he said in an email. She and her family were very grateful that a complete stranger would give so much to someone they dont know.

His journey to becoming a bone marrow donator began when he registered withDelete Blood Cancer DKMSas a potential donor in April 2013. In October, Delete Blood Cancer sent him to Washington, D.C., and he donated stem cells during a five-day process.

He watched movies while sitting in his hospital bed as the procedure occurred. Having never even given a blood donation before, Goodman said the process did leave him a bit weak, although he participated in a swim meet for WKU within a week following the procedure, he said.

More here:
WKU plans bone marrow registry drive

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

LOS ANGELES (KABC) --

While Roeuy Garay was pregnant with her daughter Brook, she felt weak and an unusual back pain. Her doctors thought it was just part of the pregnancy. But a few weeks after her delivery, her fiance Joseph knew something was seriously wrong.

"I passed out and he took me to urgent care and said, 'Something is wrong with her. It's got to be her kidney or something. We need to do some blood tests,'" Roeuy said.

A bone biopsy and body scan revealed a diagnosis the 36-year-old Corona mother of four could not believe.

"They came in and said, 'Yeah, you have multiple myeloma, and it's about between 70 to 80 percent of your blood is cancer,'" she said.

Multiple myeloma, also called Kahler's disease, is a cancer of the plasma cells, which are in the blood stream. Her best chance at survival is a bone marrow transplant.

None of her siblings were a match and being of Cambodian descent, Roeuy's odds of finding a match are very slim. It's a fact that is hard to hide from her children.

There are 12 million people in the National Bone Marrow Registry, but only 7 percent are Asian and only a small fraction of that are Southeast Asian.

Dr. Elizabeth Budde with City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte said it only takes a cheek swab to be part of the registry and donating stem cells can be as easy as donating blood.

For now, Roeuy is in remission so she needs a match as soon as possible.

Visit link:
Mother of 4 seeks bone marrow match

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith