Bengaluru:Feb 27, 2015, DHNS

Two courses of stem cell therapy have helped Ashok Kumar, 59, who suffered from tremors and rigidity due to Parkinsons disease, recover completely, much to the joy of his family. The man was brought inside my cabin in a wheelchair. He was unable to even sit on the chair without support. Today, he walks independently. Stem cell therapy has made it possible for him, said Dr Naseem Sadiq, Director, Plexus Neuro and Stem Cell Research Centre, who began treating Kumar in October, last year.

Previously, medication and surgical procedure were the only treatment option for Parkinsons disease. Medication in the long-term often lacks effectiveness and may cause side effects, while surgery is not always feasible. Lately, stem cell therapy has turned out to be a boon for patients with Parkinsons, Dr Sadiq said.

Kumar is among the few who have benefited from stem cell therapy. However, though the State has been reporting an increase in the number of registered stem cell donors, it is far behind sufficient as the genetic match between donor and recipient could be anywhere between one in 10,000 and one in two million, according to experts.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Raghu Rajgopal, co-founder, Datri, a registry for stem cell donation, said, The response we get from Karnataka when we conduct stem cell camps is great. We see a lot of people and registering with us.

As many as 6,000 people have registered from the State under the Datri registry. A total of 72,000 people have registered across the country. In Kerala, 11,000 have signed up, the highest so far, he said.

Among the common myths are that by donating stem cells one turns infertile and weak, have increased chances of cancer and also that there would be excess loss of blood, he said.

According to studies, over one lakh people are diagnosed with Leukemia (blood cancer) and other blood disorders every year in India. The Indian Council of Medical Research has predicted that by the end of 2015, Leukemia cases will reach an estimated 1,17,649 and 1,32,574 by 2020. Stem cell therapy is a widely used treatment mechanism for Leukemia.

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New research that focuses on the mechanism by which Ebola virus infects a cell and the discovery of a promising drug therapy candidate is being published Feb. 27, 2015, in the journal Science. Dr. Robert Davey, scientist and Ewing Halsell Scholar in the Department of Immunology and Virology at Texas Biomedical Research Institute announced today that a small molecule called Tetrandrine derived from an Asian herb has shown to be a potent small molecule inhibiting infection of human white blood cells in vitro or petri dish experiments and prevented Ebola virus disease in mice.

The latest outbreak of Ebola virus disease has caused the death of more than 9,400 people worldwide and created an international crisis that has shown few signs of stopping, continuing to infect thousands in West Africa. Ebola virus causes hemorrhagic fever in humans and currently has no approved therapy or vaccine. Scientists at Texas Biomed have been working in the Institute's Biosafety Level 4 containment laboratory for more than 10 years to find a vaccine, therapies and detection methods for the virus.

Davey and his team have been working for more than five years on identifying and finding therapy targets for Ebola virus disease. Davey's research has focused on stopping the virus before it has a chance to enter or interact with cellular factors, as that is a critical first step to combating infection.

Ebola virus begins its entry into a cell by first binding to several types of cell surface proteins. Then the virus is taken into the cell and follows an endosomal route, or membrane-bound route that transports the virus to various cell compartments.

From previous studies, Davey said that during this endosomal process, he knew that calcium signaling in cells, which allow cells to transmit electrical charges to one another, controls many of the processes in the cell and was important for Ebola virus infection.

"We were not able, however, to pinpoint the mechanisms involved in this process," Davey explained. "With this research, we discovered that two pore channels (TPCs) are the key calcium sensor involved in Ebola virus infection. These TPCs essentially needed to be turned on in order for the virus to function properly."

Two pore channels are unusual calcium channels found in endosomes that control the way endosomes move through cells and the environment of the cells. Davey compared TPCs to traffic cops and air conditioners, helping direct the endosomes and any virus it might be carrying through the cell and making the endosomes and its passengers more comfortable along the way.

Davey and his team were able to show the critical role of two pore channels in Ebola virus infection, which has not previously been shown in any other virus.

In addition to identifying this critical mechanism to infection, Davey's team also showed that drugs targeting this interaction show some efficacy as potential treatments against Ebola virus disease.

In the study, Davey's team determined that existing drugs currently used to treat high blood pressure have an ability to turn this key calcium sensor on and off. Working with a group in Munich, Germany and Southwest Research Institute, the team tested several small molecules to see which was most effective at turning the sensors off thus prohibiting Ebola virus from moving any further through the cell.

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Asian Herb Holds Promise as Treatment for Ebola Virus Disease

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IMAGE:Laboratory fruit flies live in special glass containers. view more

Credit: Photo: Michael Bernkopf/Vetmeduni Vienna

The information encoded in the DNA of an organism is not sufficient to determine the expression pattern of genes. This fact has been known even before the discovery of epigenetics, which refers to external modifications to the DNA that turn genes "on" or "off". These modifications do not change the DNA sequence, but instead, they affect how genes are expressed. Another, less known mechanism called canalization keeps organisms robust despite genetic mutations and environmental stressors. If an organism experiences environmental or genetic perturbations during its development, such as extreme living conditions or genetic mutations, canalization acts as a way of buffering these disturbances. The organism remains stable and can continue to develop without recognizable changes.

A comfort zone in the fly genome

Christian Schltterer at the Institute of Population Genetics and his colleagues studied the mechanism of canalisation in fruit flies. The researchers subjected two genetically distinct strains of fruit flies, Oregon and Samarkand, to different temperatures (13C, 18C, 23C and 29C). Subsequently, they analysed the variation in gene expression in response to the different temperatures. The results revealed a homogenous pattern of gene expression among the two strains at 18C. No matter whether the flies were from the Oregon or to the Samarkand strain, their gene expression was almost indistinguishable.

"The flies' genetic comfort zone appears to be located at 18C. "As soon as the flies leave the comfort zone, move to either higher or lower temperatures, the gene expression of the two strains varies dramatically" Schltterer explains.

Buffering the genotype

The effect of canalization was first described in 1942, when researchers pointed out that organisms remain stable in their external appearance despite different environmental circumstances or genetic mutations. This sort of developmental buffering helps to stabilize organismal growth.

"If an organism develops along the canalization pathway, or along the comfort zone, mutations can accumulate without being expressed. Once an organisms leaves the canalized range, those hidden genetic variations can be expressed and become visible. The phenomenon is called decanalization", Schltterer explains.

Decanalization as the origin of complex genetic disease

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Living in the genetic comfort zone

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Washington, DC (PRWEB) February 26, 2015

Today, the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, released the report Genes, Culture, and Health: Ensuring the Best Health Outcomes for All. The report reviewed available research and found that while dramatic advances are being made in genetics and their clinical applications, the promise of personalized medicine is not being realized by all.

A lack of inclusion in genetic research is creating a genomic divide putting the frontiers of science and medicine at risk. Without a dramatic reversal in the quality of genetic studies, the benefits of personalized medicine will not be realized by all, said Dr. Jane L. Delgado, President and CEO of the Alliance.

Ensuring that all patients benefit from discoveries in genetic science and personalized medicine is critical to our nations health. The FDA is committed to working with diverse partners on the road forward for access to the best science and treatment, said Dr. Jonca Bull, Director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) Office of Minority Health. Dr. Bull added, The report issued today is an important update on the status of genetic research and personalized medicine. It calls on all of us to do a better job on inclusion to improve our understanding of how medical products will work in the populations intended to use them.

Among the key findings of the report released today

Downloadable copies of the Genes, Culture, and Health report and key findings are available online at the Alliance website (http://www.hispanichealth.org) and consumers can get information on how to have a discussion with their health provider on the role of genetics in their and their familys health by calling the Alliances bilingual Su Familia Helpline at 1-866-783-2645.

###

The National Alliance for Hispanic Health is the nation's foremost science-based source of information and trusted non-partisan advocate for the best health outcomes for all. The Alliance represents thousands of Hispanic health providers across the nation providing services to more than 15 million each year. For more information, visit http://www.hispanichealth.org, call the Alliances Su Familia Helpline at 1-866-783-2645, or find us on Facebook at healthyamericas or on Twitter at health4americas.

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FDA and National Alliance for Hispanic Health Release Genes, Culture, and Health Report

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Genetics Lecture 2

By: MsKilkenny21

Follow this link:
Genetics Lecture 2 - Video

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*:Sims 4 Perfect Genetics Challenge Sky #39;s New Friend*: Ep7
Hi. I #39;m losingfireflies ( ) So Sky has a new boytoy named Charlie and the series is on to a new phase! *Winky face cue #39;d* ==================================== Social Media...

By: LosingFireflies

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*:Sims 4 Perfect Genetics Challenge Sky's New Friend*: Ep7 - Video

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Lets Play~ The Sims 3 Perfect Genetics Challenge~ Ep.1 "Our Personal Baby Factory"
Thanks for watching another lets play about baby making! ~ Remember that the content that is said or done is all for entertainment purposes. None of which should be taken seriously! Enjoy...

By: FaictheCake

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Lets Play~ The Sims 3 Perfect Genetics Challenge~ Ep.1 "Our Personal Baby Factory" - Video

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Menu 14 Review - Human Genetics
This video is a synopsis of chapter 14 and highlights the major topics: karyotypes, genetic diseases, pedigree analysis, sex-linked traits, and nondisjunction.

By: MrDBioCFC

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Menu 14 Review - Human Genetics - Video

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Cancer researchers at Indiana University report that about 15 percent of people with pancreatic cancer may benefit from therapy targeting a newly identified gene signature.

Using data from the Cancer Genome Atlas, Murray Korc, M.D., the Myles Brand Professor of Cancer Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine and a researcher at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, and colleagues found that a sub-group of pancreatic cancer patients who possess a strong angiogenic gene signature could benefit from personalized therapies that cut off the pathways that feed the cancer's growth.

This particular gene signature enables abnormal blood vessels to form in tumors, which feeds the tumor's growth.

The finding, published online Feb. 25 in the journal Oncotarget, is new because the prevalence of this signature was not previously known. The authors also demonstrated for the first time that endothelial cells, the main type of cell found in the inside lining of blood vessels, can produce molecules that directly stimulate the growth of pancreatic cancer cells.

"We showed that endothelial cells can stimulate the growth of pancreatic cancer cells and that by silencing or inhibiting certain pathways -- JAK1-2 and STAT3 -- we can alter that effect," Dr. Korc explained. "We demonstrated that it is possible to target these pathways and prolong the survival of genetically modified mice whose pancreatic cancers also have a strong pro-angiogenic gene signature."

Thus, for people with a strong pro-angiogenic gene signature, the finding suggests that they may benefit from targeted therapy that is directed against one of these pathways.

An important feature of the study was to demonstrate that it is possible to implant in mice small biopsy samples obtained from patients undergoing endoscopic procedures and to generate human tumors in these mice. When the original human tumor had evidence for angiogenesis, the implanted human tumor also exhibited angiogenesis in the mouse. Additional studies are necessary to confirm that these approaches could guide the design of precision medicine using targeted therapies, Dr. Korc said.

The need for new therapies for pancreatic cancer patients is great as only 7 percent of people with the disease survive more than five years after diagnosis. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be an estimated 48,960 new cases of pancreatic cancer and 40,560 deaths from the disease in 2015.

Co-authors of the study were Jesse Gore, Ph.D.; Stuart Sherman, M.D.; Harvey Cramer, M.D.; Hai Nguyen, M.D.; Kelly Craven, Monica Cheng, and Julie Wilson, all of IU School of Medicine, and Gregory Cote M.D. M.S., formerly of IU School of Medicine and now at the Medical University of South Carolina.

The study was made possible, in part, by grant CA-075059 awarded by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

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Pancreatic cancer patients who benefit from personalized treatment identified

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Bengaluru:Feb 27, 2015, DHNS

Two courses of stem cell therapy have helped Ashok Kumar, 59, who suffered from tremors and rigidity due to Parkinsons disease, recover completely, much to the joy of his family. The man was brought inside my cabin in a wheelchair. He was unable to even sit on the chair without support. Today, he walks independently. Stem cell therapy has made it possible for him, said Dr Naseem Sadiq, Director, Plexus Neuro and Stem Cell Research Centre, who began treating Kumar in October, last year.

Previously, medication and surgical procedure were the only treatment option for Parkinsons disease. Medication in the long-term often lacks effectiveness and may cause side effects, while surgery is not always feasible. Lately, stem cell therapy has turned out to be a boon for patients with Parkinsons, Dr Sadiq said.

Kumar is among the few who have benefited from stem cell therapy. However, though the State has been reporting an increase in the number of registered stem cell donors, it is far behind sufficient as the genetic match between donor and recipient could be anywhere between one in 10,000 and one in two million, according to experts.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Raghu Rajgopal, co-founder, Datri, a registry for stem cell donation, said, The response we get from Karnataka when we conduct stem cell camps is great. We see a lot of people and registering with us.

As many as 6,000 people have registered from the State under the Datri registry. A total of 72,000 people have registered across the country. In Kerala, 11,000 have signed up, the highest so far, he said.

Among the common myths are that by donating stem cells one turns infertile and weak, have increased chances of cancer and also that there would be excess loss of blood, he said.

According to studies, over one lakh people are diagnosed with Leukemia (blood cancer) and other blood disorders every year in India. The Indian Council of Medical Research has predicted that by the end of 2015, Leukemia cases will reach an estimated 1,17,649 and 1,32,574 by 2020. Stem cell therapy is a widely used treatment mechanism for Leukemia.

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Stem cell therapy a boon to Parkinson's patients

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Almost all injuries, even minor skin scratches, trigger an inflammatory response, which provides protection against invading microbes but also turns on regenerative signals needed for healing and injury repair -- a process that is generally understood but remains mysterious in its particulars.

Writing in the February 25 online issue of Nature, an international team of scientists, headed by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, report finding new links between inflammation and regeneration: signaling pathways that are activated by a receptor protein called gp130. "We found that gp130 is capable of activating several signaling pathways that turn on a number of transcription factors known to have a key role in stem cell biology," said the study's lead author, Koji Taniguchi, MD, PhD, assistant project scientist in the Department of Pharmacology at UC San Diego.

These transcription factors -- specifically STAT3, YAP and Notch -- stimulate the proliferation and survival of normal tissue stem cells, which lead to healing and repair, said senior author Michael Karin, PhD, Distinguished Professor Pharmacology and Pathology and head of UC San Diego's Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction.

"While the work was mainly conducted on a mouse model of intestinal injury, similar to the one that underlies human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we provide evidence that the same mechanism may control liver regeneration, which suggests a general role in tissue repair," said Karin.

In addition to explaining a key biomedical phenomenon, the researchers said the findings have important clinical implications for the treatment of IBD and colorectal cancer. The major signal sensed by gp130 is the inflammatory hormone (cytokine) IL-6 and closely related proteins. Expression of IL-6 has been found to be elevated in IBD, both in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, giving rise to the possibility that inhibition of IL-6 binding to its receptor -- a complex between gp130 and a specific IL-6 binding protein -- may ameliorate the pathology of IBD.

But just the opposite has been observed. Drugs that block the binding of IL-6 to its receptor complex actually increase the risk of intestinal perforation and bleeding, making them unsuitable for the treatment of IBD. The new work suggests that IL-6 and the signaling pathways it stimulates are not the cause of IBD, but are part of the natural protective reaction to the initial injury and inflammatory response associated with the onset of IBD.

The Taniguchi and Karin team say it is important that future treatments not interfere with the healing response triggered by IL-6 and gp130. Nonetheless, the same pathways involved in healing and regeneration can go awry and become chronically stimulated in colorectal cancer.

The new work defines several molecular targets suitable for development of new targeted therapies for this very common malignancy -- the third leading cause of cancer-related death, though Karin cautioned that "such treatments should not be combined with conventional and highly toxic anti-cancer drugs whose major side effect is damage and inflammation of the intestinal mucosa, a disease known as mucositis that will only be exacerbated by blocking the regenerative response triggered by IL-6."

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of California, San Diego Health Sciences. The original article was written by Scott LaFee. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Link between inflammation, tissue regeneration and wound repair response

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Newswise LA JOLLA, CA February 25, 2015 A new study led by researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and the University of California (UC), San Diego School of Medicine shows that certain stem cell culture methods are associated with increased DNA mutations. The study points researchers toward safer and more robust methods of growing stem cells to treat disease and injury.

This is about quality control; were making sure these cells are safe and effective, said Jeanne Loring, a professor of developmental neurobiology at TSRI and senior author of the study with Louise Laurent, assistant professor at UC San Diego.

Laurent added, The processes used to maintain and expand stem cell cultures for cell replacement therapies needs to be improved, and the resulting cells carefully tested before use.

The findings were published February 25 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

Growing Stem Cells

Because these human stem cells, called "pluripotent stem cells," can differentiate into many types of cells, they could be key to reversing degenerative diseases, such as Parkinsons disease, or repairing injured tissue, such as cardiac muscle after a heart attack. Stem cells are relatively rare in the body, however, so researchers must culture them in dishes.

While all cells run the risk of mutating when they divide, previous research from Loring and her colleagues suggested that stem cell culturing may select for mutations that favor faster cell growth and are sometimes associated with tumors.

Most changes will not compromise the safety of the cells for therapy, but we need to monitor the cultures so that we know what sorts of changes take place, said the papers first author Ibon Garitaonandia, a postdoctoral researcher working in Lorings lab at the time of the study.

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New Study Shows Safer Methods for Stem Cell Culturing

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February 25, 2015

Credit: Thinkstock

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com @BednarChuck

Scientists from the UK and Israel have demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to make human egg and sperm cells using skin from two adults of the same sex a breakthrough that may make it possible for same-sex couples to have children with shared DNA.

The research, which was funded by the Wellcome Trust, was completed at Cambridge University with the assistance of experts from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Cambridge News reported on Monday. They were able to use stem cell lines from embryos and from five different adults (a total of 10 different donor sources) to successfully create germ-cell lines.

According to CBS Atlanta, the experiment had previously been successful in creating live baby mice, but this new study marks the first time in which engineered human cells were found to be an identical match to aborted fetuses. It also marks the first time that human stem and skin cells were combined to form entirely new germ-cell lines.

[STORY: FDA reconsidering ban on homosexual, bisexual blood donors]

We have succeeded in the first and most important step of this process, which is to show we can make these very early human stem cells in a dish, Azim Surani, project leader at the Wellcome Trust and a professor of physiology and reproduction at Cambridge, told The Sunday Times.

Hope for those who cant conceive

The key to the process was SOX17, a master gene which typically works to direct stem cells to form whatever type of tissue or organ is required. Their new process works by manipulating this gene so that it becomes part of a primordial germ cell specification (causing it to create cells that will form an entire person), making it possible to create primordial germ cells in the lab.

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Sperm and egg created from skin cells of two same sex adults

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While well known for its unique electromechanical properties, graphene may also prove key in preventing cancer tumor recurrence. A drawback of traditional cancer treatment with radiation and chemotherapy is that the primary developmental source of future tumors is not eradicated. Cancer stem cells, or CSCs, can survive treatment and give rise to recurring tumors, metatasis, and drug resistance after repeated treatments. Researchers from the University of Manchester and the University of Calabria have discovered that graphene oxides targets and neutralize CSCs in a manner that is not yet fully understood.

One CSC can develop into a ball of new CSCs called a tumor-sphere, or into new tumor cells, such as what happens in metastasis. They're immortal, divide rapidly, and resist stress. A potential solution? Graphene oxide, GO, which is an oxidized form of its well-known carbon cousin and soluble in many solvents.

For a complete look at the efficacy of GO across cancers, researchers used CSCs from six types of cancer: breast, pancreatic, lung, brain, ovarian and prostate. They also used normal skin cells to confirm that GO would not be toxic to the body.

After cells were treated for 48 hours with a GO solution, the researchers found that not only did GO interrupt the ability of CSCs in all cancer types to proliferate by forming spheres, but that GO was safe to the skin cells.

Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan of the National Graphene Institute at the University of Manchester says that GO seems to force the cancer stem cells to differentiate into non-cancer stem cells. In this way, GO effectively takes the CSC out of commission for creating future tumors. Currently the theory is that GO interferes with the signalling pathways in the cell membranes, curbing the proliferation mechanism.

Interestingly, this graphene derivative had already been researched for as a targeted delivery vehicle in tumors, but has now been found to have an important effect itself on the tumor.

While the researchers acknowledge that the mechanisms at play need to be researched more before the material can be used to treat cancers, the ability to destroy cancer stem cells is an an important component of a cancer treatment protocol that kills existing tumors as well as shuts down future metatasis.

Vijayaraghavan and the Graphene Institute have previously made headlines as a recipient of research money from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation towards the development of a better condom. Their proposal, of course, used graphene.

The team's research was originally published in Oncotarget on February 24, 2015.

Source: University of Manchester

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Graphene derivative interferes with seemingly invincible cancer stem cells

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A stem cell research breakthrough might someday allow same-sex couples to have their own biological children.

Researchers at Cambridge University in England have taken the first steps towards creating artificial sperm and eggs by reprogramming skin cells from adults and converting them into embryonic-like stem cells. The team then compared the engineered stem cells with human cells from fetuses to confirm they were in fact, identical.

The researchers published their findings in the journal Cell earlier this week, stressing that its early days for this type of research.

We have succeeded in the first and most important step of the process, Dr. Jacob Hanna, an investigator with the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, told ABC News.

Hanna said the team will now attempt to complete the process by creating fully developed artificial sperm and eggs, either in a dish or by implanting them in a rodent. Once this is achieved, the technique could become useful for any individual with fertility problems, he said, including couples of the same sex.

"It has already caused interest from gay groups because of the possibility of making egg and sperm cells from parents of the same sex," Hanna said.

However, the prospect of creating a baby by these artificial means alone is probably a long way off, Hanna said.

It is really important to emphasize that while this scenario might be technically possible and feasible, it is remote at this stage and many challenges need to be overcome, he said. Further, there are very serious ethical and safety issues to be considered when and if such scenarios become considered in the distant future.

The research was funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership.

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The Reason Same-Sex Couples May One Day Have Biological Kids

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Bengaluru, Feb 25, 2015, dhns:

Two courses of stem cell therapy have helped Ashok Kumar, 59, who suffered from tremors and rigidity due to Parkinsons disease, recover completely, much to the joy of his family.

The man was brought inside my cabin in a wheelchair. He was unable to even sit on the chair without support. Today, he walks independently. Stem cell therapy has made it possible for him, said Dr Naseem Sadiq, Director, Plexus Neuro and Stem Cell Research Centre, who began treating Kumar in October, last year.

Previously, medication and surgical procedure were the only treatment option for Parkinsons disease. Medication in the long-term often lacks effectiveness and may cause side effects, while surgery is not always feasible. Lately, stem cell therapy has turned out to be a boon for patients with Parkinsons, Dr Sadiq said.

Kumar is among the few who have benefited from stem cell therapy. However, though the State has been reporting an increase in the number of registered stem cell donors, it is far behind sufficient as the genetic match between donor and recipient could be anywhere between one in 10,000 and one in two million, according to experts.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Raghu Rajgopal, co-founder, Datri, a registry for stem cell donation, said, The response we get from Karnataka when we conduct stem cell camps is great. We see a lot of people and registering with us.

As many as 6,000 people have registered from the State under the Datri registry. A total of 72,000 people have registered across the country. In Kerala, 11,000 have signed up, the highest so far, he said.

Among the common myths are that by donating stem cells one turns infertile and weak, have increased chances of cancer and also that there would be excess loss of blood, he said.

According to studies, over one lakh people are diagnosed with Leukemia (blood cancer) and other blood disorders every year in India.

The Indian Council of Medical Research has predicted that by the end of 2015, Leukemia cases will reach an estimated 1,17,649 and 1,32,574 by 2020. Stem cell therapy is a widely used treatment mechanism for Leukemia.

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Stem cell therapy a boon for Parkinson patients

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Newswise STRATFORD Paola Leone, PhD, the director of the Cell and Gene Therapy Center and a professor of Cell Biology at the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine (RowanSOM), has been awarded a three-year, $477,000 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to develop a stem cell-based therapy for Canavan disease, a rare but devastating neurological disorder in children that typically takes a childs life by age 10.

Canavan disease is a fatal, inherited disease caused by a mutation in the aspartaocylase gene, Dr. Leone explained. The disease is characterized by progressive and severe brain atrophy that manifests in delayed development, developmental regression, microcephaly, spasticity, seizures, visual impairment and short life expectancy. There, currently, is no treatment or cure for Canavan disease.

Under Dr. Leones direction, a team of RowanSOM researchers and students will examine the potential of stem cells for the treatment of Canavan disease in an animal model. This new study will build on the research teams preliminary data that demonstrated the successful engraftment of stem cells in animal models.

Our project will generate pre-clinical data to support the development of a stem-cell based therapy for Canavan disease, Dr. Leone said. It will also provide an important opportunity for a new generation of clinical researchers. Both undergraduate and graduate students will participate in this project, providing them with valuable experience to work with an extremely promising therapeutic intervention.

The symptoms of Canavan disease usually appear within the first six months of a childs life. The disease is caused by a genetic mutation that stops cells, called oligodendrocytes, from developing myelin, the fatty substance that coats the nerves in the brain. Without the protective myelin covering, the nerves do not form properly, causing the brain to atrophy. The preliminary research that Dr. Leone conducted showed that the engraftment of stem cells promoted significant recovery of the myelin sheath surrounding the nerves.

Our research represents a significant departure from other studies that have focused solely on strategies to augment the loss of the aspartaocylase function that is highly reduced in the brains of these patients, Dr. Leone said. We believe that any strategy seeking to treat Canavan must include a way to restore the myelin development that is disrupted in children with this disease.

This research is supported by the NINDS of the National Institutes of Health, under grant number 1R15NS088763-01A1.

Journalists wishing to speak with Dr. Leone, should contact Jerry Carey, Rowan University Media and Public Relations at 856-566-6171 or at careyge@rowan.edu.

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U.S. and Australian scientists have found the mechanism a novel gene uses to affect brain function and elicit behavior related to neuropsychiatric disease.

Timothy W. Bredy, assistant professor of neurobiology & behavior at UC Irvine, and colleagues at the University of Queensland and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney discovered that a gene called Gomafu might be key to understanding how our brain rapidly responds to stressful experiences.

By looking across the entire genome for genes that are responsive to experience, they found Gomafu -- which has recently been associated with schizophrenia -- to be dynamically regulated in the adult brain.

"When Gomafu is turned off, this results in the kind of behavioural changes that are seen in anxiety and schizophrenia," said Bredy, who is also affiliated with UCI's Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory and UQ's Queensland Brain Institute.

The gene is a long, noncoding RNA and was found within a section of the genome most commonly associated with "junk" DNA -- the 98 per cent of the human genome that, until recently, was thought to have no function. This is the first time long, noncoding RNA activity has been detected in the brain in response to experience

"Early biologists thought that DNA sequences that do not make protein were remnants of our evolutionary history, but the fact is these sequences are actually highly dynamic and exert a profound influence on us," Bredy said.

Bredy and colleagues also found that noncoding genes such as Gomafu might represent a potent surveillance system that has evolved so that the brain can rapidly respond to changes in the environment. He added that a disruption of this network in the brain might contribute to the development of neuropsychiatric disorders.

These findings also will help to resolve the current controversy surrounding genome-wide association studies, where the majority of gene mutations that correlate with specific neuropsychiatric disorders are found within vast stretches of noncoding DNA sequences.

The scientists hope this finding will enable better prediction of vulnerability and resilience to developing a neuropsychiatric disease, with the primary goal to garner better treatment approaches across the lifespan.

Study results appeared online Feb. 10 in Biological Psychiatry.

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Hidden gene gives hope for improving brain function

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13 hours ago This is a figure depicting four regulatory models for genome-edited crops. Credit: Araki, M. and Ishii, T./Trends in Plant Science 2015

A survey of rice, wheat, barley, fruit, and vegetable crops found that most mutants created by advanced genetic engineering techniques may be out of the scope of current genetically modified organism (GMO) regulations. In a review of these findings, published in the February 25 issue of the Cell Press journal Trends in Plant Science, two bioethicists from Hokkaido University propose new regulatory models for genome-edited crops and declare a call to action for clarifying the social issues associated with such genetically engineered crops.

"Modern genome editing technology has allowed for far more efficient gene modification, potentially impacting future agriculture," says Tetsuya Ishii, PhD, of Hokkaido University's Office of Health and Safety. "However, genome editing raises a regulatory issue by creating indistinct boundaries in GMO regulations because the advanced genetic engineering can, without introducing new genetic material, make a gene modification which is similar to a naturally occurring mutation."

Under current regulations, a GMO is a living organism that has been altered by a novel combination of genetic material, including the introduction of a transgene. Advanced genetic engineering technologies, including ZFN, TALEN, and CRISPR/Cas9, raise regulatory issues because they don't require transgenes to make alterations to the genome. They can simply pluck out a short DNA sequence or add a mutation to an existing gene.

"Genome editing technology is advancing rapidly; therefore it is timely to review the regulatory system for plant breeding by genome editing," says Dr. Ishii. "Moreover, we need to clarify the differences between older genetic engineering techniques and modern genome editing, and shed light on various issues towards social acceptance of genome edited crops."

In their study, Dr. Ishii and a member of his research staff, Motoko Araki, present four regulatory models in order to resolve the indistinct regulatory boundaries that genome editing has created in GMO regulations. They propose that the most stringent regulation (in which most of the mutants are subject to the regulations, whereas only a portion of deletion and insertion mutants fall outside the regulations) should be initially adopted and gradually relaxed because the cultivation and food consumption of genome-edited crops is likely to increase in the near future.

While policy-level discussions about the regulations of genome-edited organisms are slowly taking place around the world, according to Dr. Ishii, his study will serve as a basis for the conversation with regulatory agencies in the world as well as the Japanese Ministry of the Environment.

Explore further: Coming soon: Genetically edited fruit?

Recent advances that allow the precise editing of genomes now raise the possibility that fruit and other crops might be genetically improved without the need to introduce foreign genes, according to researchers writing in ...

One of the most exciting scientific advances made in recent years is CRISPRthe ability to precisely edit the genome of cells. However, although this method has incredible potential, the process is extremely inefficient. ...

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Regulating genome-edited crops that aren't GMOs

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Newswise The therapeutic promise of human stem cells is indisputably huge, but the process of translating their potential into effective, real-world treatments involves deciphering and resolving a host of daunting complexities.

Writing in the February 25 online issue of the journal PLOS ONE, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with collaborators from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), have definitively shown for the first time that the culture conditions in which stem cells are grown and mass-produced can affect their genetic stability.

Since genetic and epigenetic instability are associated with cancers, we worry that similar alterations in stem cells may affect their safety in therapeutic transplants. Certain mutations might make transplanted stem cells more likely to form tumors, introducing the risk of cancer where it didnt exist before, said co-corresponding author Louise Laurent, MD, PhD, assistant professor and director of perinatal research in the Department of Reproductive Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

This study shows the importance of quality control, added Jeanne F. Loring, PhD, professor and director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at TSRI, and adjunct professor in the UC San Diego Department of Reproductive Medicine and the studys other co-corresponding author. Its almost certain these cells are safe, but we want to make sure they are free from any abnormalities.

To exploit the transformative powers of human pluripotent stem cells, which include embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, requires producing them in large numbers for transplantation into patients.

During this culturing process, mutations can occur, and mutations that increase cell survival or proliferation may be favored, such that the cells carrying such mutations could take over the culture, said Laurent.

Human pluripotent stem cells are cultured in several different ways. Key variables are the surfaces upon which the cells are cultured, called the substrate, and the methods used to transfer cells from one culture dish into another as they grow, called the passage method.

Originally, scientists determined that stem cells grew best when cultured atop of a feeder layer that included other types of cells, such as irradiated mouse embryonic fibroblasts. For reasons not fully understood, these cells provide stem cells with factors that support their growth. However, concerns about the feeder cells also introducing undesirable materials into stem cells has prompted development of feeder-free cultures.

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Culture Clash: How Stem Cells Are Grown Affects Their Genetic Stability

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Relief from peripheral neuropathy, spinal cord injury, foot and leg pain and balance issues
In late 2013 Kevin suffered a spinal cord injury, called an abcess. He was paraplegic and was told by 4 neurosurgeons that he would never be able to walk again. He began walking on his own,...

By: Arizona Chiropractic Neurology Center

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Relief from peripheral neuropathy, spinal cord injury, foot and leg pain and balance issues - Video

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Forth Worth, Texas (PRWEB) February 25, 2015

Board Certified Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine physicians, Scott Berlin, M.D., Andrew Cottingham, M.D., and Michael Scott Phillips, M.D. have created a new division of Pinnacle Pain Medicine offering state of the art biologic therapies to the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metropex. The new division, called OPTIMAL Pain & Regenerative Medicine, will provide pain management and regenerative therapies at offices in Alliance, Arlington, Burleson, Cleburne and Ft. Worth. These therapies, - Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC) - are used to treat neck and back pain, arthritis, joint and soft-tissue injuries and sports related injuries.

It is estimated that 116 million American adults will suffer from some degree of chronic pain during their lives. Since pain is debilitating both physically and emotionally, it is important to manage it the right way. Traditionally, patients seeking relief from pain are treated with injection/interventional therapy, implantable therapies, medication management and physical therapy.

For patients whose pain cannot be successfully managed with these treatments and therapies, Regenerative Medicine may offer new hope. OPTIMAL currently offers two forms of regenerative treatments, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC). PRP and BMAC are both non-surgical treatment options that use the bodys natural healing abilities to accelerate the treatment of back pain, joint, tendon and ligament injuries.

Platelet-Rich Plasma, commonly known as PRP, is an advanced regenerative therapy that uses the patients own blood components to help rebuild damaged tissue. First, blood is drawn and separated by a centrifuge device to create a concentrate of platelets in plasma. This platelet concentrate contains multiple growth factors that are essential in inducing and accelerating tissue repair and regeneration. Using the most advanced tissue guidance with ultrasound, the PRP concentrate is then injected into the damaged areas including connective tissues, bone, and hyaline cartilages to expedite the development of new blood vessels necessary for tissue healing.

A more advanced form of regenerative therapy is bone marrow aspirate concentrate, BMAC. Through a simple outpatient procedure, BMAC involves the removal of the patients own bone marrow from the pelvic bones (Iliac crest). This bone marrow is concentrated to contain all of the growth and healing factors that are contained in PRP, along with concentrated pluripotent (stem-like) nucleated cells that further contribute to the regenerative process. BMAC is used to help regenerate joint cartilage and spinal discs and may significantly speed the healing process for other injuries. It is often used in cases with significant tissue damage, or when other types of regenerative therapies have failed.

Regenerative medicine is on the forefront of innovative treatment. To date, many professional athletes, amateur and collegiate athletes around that world have been successfully treated with PRP and BMAC. If you are interested in exploring the treatment options for regenerative medicine, please contact us at 817-472-2140 or visit our website at OptimalDFW.com.

About Our Doctors

Drs. Scott Berlin, Andrew Cottingham and Michael Phillips are all double board certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine. Dr. Berlin was the first practitioner in Dallas to implant a fully implantable dual lead spinal cord stimulator system, which has now become the standard of care. Dr. Cottingham has been working exclusively in pain medicine since 2003, by providing comprehensive interventional pain therapies to patient in North Texas. Dr. Phillips began practicing both anesthesiology and pain medicine in 1999 and began practicing pain medicine exclusively in 2007. Dr. Phillips was the first physician in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to perform the intradiscal BMAC procedure.

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OPTIMAL Pain & Regenerative Medicine Brings Cutting Edge Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Bone Marrow Aspirate ...

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It's the fifth most common type of cancer in U.S. adults. For years, traditional therapies to treat 'non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) have included chemotherapy, radiation and a stem cell/bone marrow transplant. For the first time, a promising new option will be offered at Nebraska Medicine called Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR T-Cell Therapy). It's a way of taking the patient's own immune system and modifying it to attack the cancer.

"T cells are white blood cells that help our bodies fight infection and cancer," explains Julie Vose, MD, chief of hematology/oncology at Nebraska Medicine. "In lymphoma patients, these cells have gone haywire. They don't fight the cancer properly. This clinical trial will allow us to take the patient's own T cells outside the body and restimulate them to be able to fight their own lymphoma."

From start to finish, the entire process takes about three weeks. During the first phase, the patient's T cells are collected during an outpatient procedure at the hospital. The cells are then sent to a lab in California for processing. In the meantime, the patient receives several days of intense chemotherapy. When the cells return to Omaha, they're placed in a specialized processing center at Nebraska Medicine to complete the procedure. The patient then has their own modified T cells given back to them. A specialized team monitors the patient at the hospital for the next 7-10 days, including frequent blood tests and exams.

"It's a great opportunity for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients who have failed every other therapy," says Dr. Vose. "So far, this clinical trial has only been done in a few patients, but it looks very promising with high response rates."

In the past, CAR T-Cell Therapy has only been offered at a few places, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Nebraska Medicine is one of the first hospitals in the Midwest to offer the clinical trial.

"This type of treatment can't be done at just any hospital or center. It's specialized with respect to what's needed to collect and process the cells," explains Dr. Vose. "We have a very large lymphoma program at Nebraska Medicine, which specializes in research and clinical trials. We're hoping to attract patients from all over the region."

The clinical trial is open to adult patients (19 years and older) with relapsed b-cell lymphomas, which is a subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Because the treatment is extensive, the patient must be in good enough shape. Some of the treatment aspects are paid for by the study. Dr. Vose is looking to attract 5-10 participants over the next year, but will take more if interest is high.

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New Therapy Offered For Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Patients

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Durham, NC (PRWEB) February 25, 2015

A new study published in the latest issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine reveals how a particular type of stem cell generated from fat tissue may outperform other types of stem cells in speeding up the healing of wounds caused by type 1 diabetes. In the study, ulcers in a mice model treated with these cells healed significantly faster than those treated with general types of stem cells.

Slow-healing wounds present one of the most common and perplexing complications associated with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. If left untreated, they can lead to amputation, and even death. In fact, diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputation in the United States, according to the American Diabetes Association. Despite this, there are very few consistently effective treatments for speeding the wound-healing process in patients.

Addressing this issue, researchers at the University of Tokyo (UT) School of Medicine partnered with colleagues at the Research Center for Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Ibaraki, Japan) to test whether a type of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) called Muse, which is harvested from adult adipose tissue (that is, fat), might work better than other types of MSCs in treating diabetes wounds. Previous studies had shown that Muse which stands for multilineage differentiating stress-enduring cells do not have high proliferative activity, but they do generate multiple cell types of the three germ layers without inducing unfavorable tumors. Thus, Muse cells appear to be safer than other induced pluripotent or multipotent cells and might have better therapeutic potential than general (non-Muse) MSCs.

The study details how researchers isolated the Muse cells from human tissue and then injected them into skin ulcers in diabetic mice. Study leader Kotaro Yoshimura, M.D., of UTs Department of Plastic Surgery said that, After 14 days the mice treated with Muse-rich cells showed significantly accelerated wound healing compared to those treated with Muse-poor cells. The transplanted cells were integrated into the regenerated skin as vascular endothelial cells and other cells. However, they were not detected in the surrounding intact regions.

In fact, not only had the wounds of the mice treated with the Muse cells completely healed after the 14-day period, but the healed skin was thicker than that of the non-Muse treated wounds, too.

Were not sure yet why the Muse cells seem to work better, Dr. Yoshimura stated, but they expressed upregulated pluripotency markers and some angiogenic growth factors, and our animal results certainly suggest a clinical potential for them in the future. These cells can be achieved in large amounts with minimal morbidity and could be a practical tool for a variety of stem cell-depleted or ischemic conditions of various organs and tissues.

Fat tissue has been gaining attention as a practical source of adult stem cells, said Anthony Atala, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. This study suggests the future clinical potential for Muse cells.

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The full article, Therapeutic Potential of Adipose-Derived SSEA-3-Positive Muse Cells for Treating Diabetic Skin Ulcers, can be accessed at http://www.stemcellstm.com.

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Researchers Hone in on Stem Cell that Speeds Healing of Stubborn Diabetes Wounds

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Kyoto University Hospital says it will open a center to conduct clinical studies on induced pluripotent stem cell therapies in 2019 year.

Officials said the 30-bed ward will test the efficacy and safety of the therapies on volunteer patients.

The hospital aims to break ground at the site next February and complete construction by September 2019.

As an iPS cell research hub, we hope to apply (the cells) to groundbreaking therapies and make developments in the field of drug discovery, the hospital said in a statement Monday.

Ongoing research on iPS cells at Kyoto University includes turning the cells into dopamine-releasing neurons for transplant into patients with Parkinsons disease, and creating a formulation of platelets that helps blood to clot.

Professor Shinya Yamanaka, who shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in medicine, leads the existing iPS cell research center at Kyoto University.

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Kyoto University Hospital to open iPS cell therapy center in 2019

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