Spinal Cord Injury and the Taoist Tai Chi arts
Bradley Bolden, an American veteran with spinal cord, nerve, muscle and skeletal damage, describes his experience with the Taoist Tai Chi arts, and how they help him cope with pain while...

By: Fung Loy Kok Taoist Tai Chi

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Spinal Cord Injury and the Taoist Tai Chi arts - Video

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Rethinking Spinal Cord Injury
Ongoing research on spinal cord injuries may change the way we think about the prognosis for patients with paralysis caused by Spinal Cord Injuries (SCIs). SCIs are a major public health burden,...

By: Dana Foundation

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Rethinking Spinal Cord Injury - Video

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Kansas Regenerative Medicine Center

By: Digital Concierge

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Kansas Regenerative Medicine Center - Video

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Stem Cell Therapy Testimonial
Arthritis Stem Cell Therapy Testimonial. Dr. Lox can be reached at http://www.drloxstemcells.com or Call (844) 440-8503 for information on Stem Cell Therapy.

By: Dr. Lox

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Stem Cell Therapy Testimonial - Video

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By Daniella Walsh on September 04th, 2014

By Daniella Walsh | LB Indy

Leslies stem cell

Janet Dreyer earned a doctorate in molecular biology, but in her 50s enrolled at the Pasadena College of Art and Design and became hooked on art. After a hiatus from both science and art for travel, shes back to art, creating a work that combines her training in both fields, The Stem Cell Scientist.

Dreyers computer generated work came to life at the request of Laguna Beach glass and multi-media artist Leslie Davis, who organized The Art of Stem Cells. The show features conceptual works by 29 artists. Their themes address debilitating diseases and injuries and the work of scientists trying to find cures. The month-long exhibition opens Saturday, Sept. 6, at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art in Santa Ana.

Dreyer delved into history when she built a mosaic for the show. The work includes references to the regenerating powers of the Egyptian scarab god Khepri, showing him rolling a cell instead of the sun, among other images. I chose the mosaic format because the tiles create a sense of motion reminding me of developing cells, Dreyer said.

The exhibitions opening and closing receptions will not only showcase what results when artists interact with 23 scientists, but also introduce art patrons to researchers and examples of their state-of-the art stem cell pursuits. Half of all proceeds will benefit research at the center, led for the past eight years by Dr. Peter Donovan, to whom the show is dedicated.

With a keen interest in science and particularly stem cell therapy, Davis has forged a connection to UC Irvines Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center. But since 2005, Davis twin interests have yielded three other medical related art exhibitions, including one for Mission Hospital.

It was her brainpower that led to pairing center researchers with artists selected on the strength and nature of their work.

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Stem Cells Star in Marriage of Art and Science

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

4-Sep-2014

Contact: Laia Cendrs laia.cendros@crg.eu 34-933-160-237 Center for Genomic Regulation

This news release is available in Spanish.

The protein Nanog, a transcription factor, is key to maintaining stem cells in a pluripotent state. Researchers from the Centre for Genomic Regulation have been investigating the role of this protein, and have just published an article in the prestigious journal Cell Reports where they reveal the mechanism whereby Nanog acts. The scientists have discovered that Nanog involves other agents and they have been able to detail their dynamics. In particular, by studying another protein that is also involved in cell reprogramming (beta-catenin) they have been able to improve the knowledge of Nanog's functioning.

Cell renewal is a natural process that takes place constantly in our body. For this to happen, we have stem cells that are responsible for generating new cells to replenish and renew those that die. Stem cells give rise to undifferentiated pluripotent cells which have the ability to become any cell type. These pluripotent cells follow a differentiation path towards specialisation, which can produce any cell type from neurones to skin.

The scientists want to understand the mechanisms that allow stem cells to either differentiate or remain pluripotent. There are also many studies that seek to reverse this process, to enable already differentiated cells to be reprogrammed and become pluripotent. Knowing all the players in these processes is of vital importance for understanding how stem cells work and allowing progress in regenerative medicine.

"We knew that Nanog was somehow involved in keeping stem cells pluripotent; now we know which mechanism it uses and we understand better how it works", explains Luca Marucci, one of the authors of the work from the cell reprogramming and regeneration laboratory at the CRG, led by researcher Pia Cosma. "Studying this process has allowed us to discover not only Nanog's key role in reprogramming, but also the dynamics of another protein, known as beta-catenin. We now know that beta-catenin, just like Nanog, continuously fluctuates in the cell and does not only appear when reprogramming is activated", adds Elisa Pedone, co-author of the work from the same laboratory.

In order to understand and define parameters for the activity of both proteins, the researchers have developed a mathematical model that could explain this dynamic. The model could be useful for understanding the behaviour of these proteins in the cell both over time and in different situations.

We are talking about a basic discovery on the functioning and dynamics of stem cell reprogramming. An ever-more studied process that holds great hope for the medicine of the future. The laboratory at the Centre for Genomic Regulation led by the ICREA research professor, Pia Cosma, is making a definitive contribution to this knowledge. Her group looks at basic mechanisms that orchestrate cell differentiation and reprogramming, right up to concrete reprogramming methods for repairing damage in certain tissues.

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New protagonist in cell reprogramming discovered

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

5-Sep-2014

Contact: Lisa Newbern lisa.newbern@emory.edu 404-727-7709 Emory Health Sciences

Creating induced pluripotent stem cells or iPS cells allows researchers to establish "disease in a dish" models of conditions ranging from Alzheimer's disease to diabetes. Scientists at Yerkes National Primate Research Center have now applied the technology to a model of Huntington's disease (HD) in transgenic nonhuman primates, allowing them to conveniently assess the efficacy of potential therapies on neuronal cells in the laboratory.

The results were published in Stem Cell Reports.

"A highlight of our model is that our progenitor cells and neurons developed cellular features of HD such as intranuclear inclusions of mutant Huntingtin protein, which most of the currently available cell models do not present," says senior author Anthony Chan, PhD, DVM, associate professor of human genetics at Emory University School of Medicine and Yerkes National Primate Research Center. "We could use these features as a readout for therapy using drugs or a genetic manipulation."

Chan and his colleagues were the first in the world to establish a transgenic nonhuman primate model of HD. HD is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder that leads to the appearance of uncontrolled movements and cognitive impairments, usually in adulthood. It is caused by a mutation that introduces an expanded region where one amino acid (glutamine) is repeated dozens of times in the huntingtin protein.

The non-human primate model has extra copies of the huntingtin gene that contains the expanded glutamine repeats. In the non-human primate model, motor and cognitive deficits appear more quickly than in most cases of Huntington's disease in humans, becoming noticeable within the first two years of the monkeys' development.

First author Richard Carter, PhD, a graduate of Emory's Genetics and Molecular Biology doctoral program, and his colleagues created iPS cells from the transgenic monkeys by reprogramming cells derived from the skin or dental pulp. This technique uses retroviruses to introduce reprogramming factors into somatic cells and induces a fraction of them to become pluripotent stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells are able to differentiate into any type of cell in the body, under the right conditions.

Carter and colleagues induced the iPS cells to become neural progenitor cells and then differentiated neurons. The iPS-derived neural cells developed intracellular and intranuclear aggregates of the mutant huntingtin protein, a classic sign of Huntington's pathology, as well as an increased sensitivity to oxidative stress.

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Disease in a dish approach could aid Huntington's disease discovery

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23 hours ago Stem cells. Credit: Nissim Benvenisty - Wikipedia

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)adult cells reprogrammed back to an embryonic stem cell-like statemay hold the potential to cure damaged nerves, regrow limbs and organs, and perfectly model a patient's particular disease. Yet through the reprogramming process, these cells can acquire serious genetic and epigenetic abnormalities that lower the cells' quality and limit their therapeutic usefulness.

When the generation of iPSCs was first reported in 2006, efficiency was paramount because only a fraction of a percentage of reprogrammed cells successfully became cell lines. Accordingly, the stem cell field focused on reprogramming efficiency to boost the pool of cells that could be studied. However, as scientists gained an increased understanding of the reprogramming process, they realized that myriad variables, including the ratio of reprogramming factors and the reprogramming environment, can also greatly affect cell quality.

Now researchers working in the lab of Whitehead Institute Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch together with scientists from the Hebrew University have determined that the reprogramming factors themselves impact the reprogramming efficiency and the quality of the resulting cells. Their work is described in the current issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell.

"Postdoctoral researcher Yosef Buganim and Research Scientist Styliani Markoulaki show that a different combination of reprogramming factors may be less efficient than the original, but can produce much higher quality iPSCs," says Jaenisch, who is also a professor of biology at MIT. "And quality is a really important issue. At this point, it doesn't matter if we get one colony out of 10,000 or one out of 100,000 cells, as long as it is of high quality."

To make iPSCs, scientists expose adult cells to a cocktail of genes that are active in embryonic stem cells. iPSCs can then be pushed to differentiate into almost any other cell type, such as nerve, liver, or muscle cells. Although the original combination of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and Myc (OSKM) efficiently reprograms cells, a relatively high percentage of the resulting cells have serious genomic aberrations, including aneuploidy, and trisomy 8, which make them unsuitable for use in clinical research.

Using bioinformatic analysis of a network of 48 genes key to the reprogramming process, Buganim and Markoulaki designed a new combination of genes, Sall4, Nanog, Esrrb, and Lin28 (SNEL). Roughly 80% of SNEL colonies made from mouse cells were of high quality and passed the most stringent pluripotency test currently available, the tetraploid complementation assay. By comparison, only 20-30% of high quality OSKM passed the same test. Buganim hypothesizes that SNEL reprograms cells better because, unlike OSKM, the cocktail does not rely on a potent oncogene like Myc, which may be causing some of the genetic problems. More importantly, the cocktail does not rely on the potent key master regulators Oct4 and Sox2 that might abnormally activate some regions in the adult cell genome.

To better understand why some reprogrammed cells are of high quality while others fall short, Buganim and Markoulaki analyzed SNEL colonies down to the genetic and epigenetic level. On their DNA, SNEL cells have deposits of the histone protein H2AX in locations very similar to those in ESCs, and the position of H2AX seems to predict the quality of the cell. The researchers believe this characteristic could be used to quickly screen for high quality colonies.

But for all of its promise, the current version of SNEL seems unable to reprogram human cells, which are generally more difficult to manipulate than mouse cells.

"We know that SNEL is not the ideal combination of factors," says Buganim, who is currently a Principal Investigator at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. "This work is only a proof of principle that says we must find this ideal combination. SNEL is an example that shows if you use bioinformatics tools you can get better quality. Now we should be able to find the optimal combination and try it in human cells to see if it works."

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New reprogramming factor cocktail produces therapy-grade induced pluripotent stem cells

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This has reference to the article titled Regenerative medicinean alternative to facelifts and surgery by Alex Y. Vergara (Lifestyle Wellness section, 6/17/14).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has noted that the procedureautologous platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections and cell therapy injections that involve cell extracts taken from sheep and rabbit fetuses featured in the article, i.e., getting the patients blood, processing it, and once the blood is processed, injecting its growth factors back to the patients anesthetized faceare analogous to stem cell procedure.

PRP and cell therapy injections are outside the initial three standard healthcare procedures recognized by the FDA, namely: hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, corneal resurfacing with limbal stem cells, and skin regeneration with epidermal stem cells.

The article also featured Swiss-made cellular products (known as MFIII Nano Cell Extracts and

Myopep Peptide Therapy) which are claimed to decrease fat buildup and to contour the body.

It must be stressed that the recognized skin regeneration procedure applies only to skin grafting for burn patients and not for any antiaging indications or aesthetic reason as featured in the subject news item.

To date, no human cells, tissues and cellular- and tissue-based products (HCT/Ps) are currently registered with the FDA; hence, any information on products and treatments which claims to use stem cells and the likewhether the information is in the form of an advertisement or information materialsis illegal as this could mislead the public on the standard of safety, efficacy and quality of the FDA-recognized HCT/P.

FDA highly recognizes the role of the media in promoting the consumers basic right to information. But it is our responsibility to give the consumers accurate facts and correct information to enable them to make an informed choice and be free from exploitation.

KENNETH Y.

HARTIGAN-GO, MD,

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FDA on alternative regenerative med

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Hair loss is a growing concern amongst the youth. With the fashion trend catching up and the want of a young look, there has been an increase in the quantum of research in this area. Thankfully, the genetic research experts have been able to discover the exact reason for hair loss. According to them, there is a specific gene (Sox21 in mice) which is responsible for the total hair growth and fall rate. If this gene can be tapped, the hair loss can be tapped.

This finding was a direct result of the theory of elimination in which, all genes are removed one at a time and changes observed. With the removal of these genes, the hair levels never crossed a certain degree of strength. When the fallen hair strands were studied, the discovery resulted in the hair strands lacking interlocking structures responsible for holding them in place.

The hype generated was not because the hair loss gene in the mice was found, but because the same gene is also present in humans which lead to the conclusion that this gene has a significant role to play in the disorders experienced by humans too. According to them, the hair growth is directly proportional to the structure, strength and length of the hair. It is the interlocking mechanism which gives the desired strength and thickness. Some scientists claim that if in case effective use of this gene could be put to practice, people may be able to have constant growth of hair throughout their lives and also be able to keep them conditioned with different hair styles. It would be a great achievement for the fashion industry and also for those aspiring to have hair on their bald heads.

Not only would the discovery help in solving the current disorders, but it would also help take precautionary measures against it. Vaccinations could be developed which could be administered at the time of birth of the baby. If everything gets implemented in the correct way, there is a possibility that no one would ever get bald in the future, much to the relief of the human race!!

Scientists have started roping in volunteers who would help analyze this finding by acting as subjects. People will different kinds of hair (with respect to their structure and color) have been studied and the experiment is further undergoing progress. Unfortunately, the progress is not as fast as people would want it to be. This is because all medical procedures take its due course of time. They cannot afford to hurry things up as it would only complicate matters.

Irrespective of all this, it would not be wise to start imagining things. There is still a significant amount of research that needs to be done. Genetic research experts say Sox21 though confirms the problem in mice, may not do so in humans too. This is just a theory that would take its course to come into the markets. Keep your fingers crossed and hope that a major breakthrough comes up soon in the recent years to come.

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Genetic Engineering - Hair Loss - Genetics Research

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AAP A breast cancer patient says she's stunned that human genes can be patented by corporations.

Corporations can continue owning the rights to human genes thanks to a federal court ruling but patients at the heart of the legal battle say the practice is immoral.

Central to the test case, between support group Cancer Voices Australia and US biotech company Myriad Genetics, is the susceptibility gene known as BRCA1.

The validity of Myriad's patent over the so-called "cancer gene" in its isolated state has been challenged, on the basis that under Australian law, patents cannot be granted over products of nature, as opposed to inventions.

But on Friday, the full bench of the federal court upheld the rights of Myriad, the patent owner.

Maurice Blackburn lawyer Rebecca Gilsenan feared the gene patent could stifle research.

"It places limits on genetic testing, genetic research and the development of treatments and cures for genetically associated disease," she said.

The case began in 2010 on behalf of Queensland cancer patient Yvonne D'Arcy, 68, who was devastated by Friday's outcome.

"To me now, they've made it personal," she told reporters in Brisbane.

"I don't think it's right ... I don't think any private company should own part of a human body."

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Gene decision fuels calls for legal change

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Yvonne D'Arcy, who fought to have the breast cancer gene patent overturned, outside the Federal Court in February last year. Photo: Peter Rae

Cancer survivors and advocates are devastated at a decision by the full bench of the Federal Court that private companies have the right to control human genes.

They fear the decision in the so-called "breast cancer gene" case, which found a company could patent mutations in the gene BRCA1, will lead to higher costs for patients in need of potentially life-saving tests.

They have called on the federal government to intervene to change the laws, andMaurice Blackburn, the lawyers that brought the case, have vowed to fight it "to the end", flagging a potential appeal to the High Court of Australia.

The structure of the protein produced by the BRCA1 gene. Photo: Supplied

However, patent lawyers say the laws are a fair reflection of the work done by the biotechnology industry, and the decision may draw business to Australia.

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Sally Crossing, from Cancer Voices Australia, said the Australian community had made it clear the patenting of human genes was "offensive and counter-intuitive."

"This news is not good for cancer research, especially in the promising field of targeted therapies, or for people affected by any cancer," she said.

Director of Advocacy at Cancer Council Australia, Paul Grogan, said that, if the ruling was an interpretation of the law, then the law needed to change.

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Mutation of breast cancer gene can be patented, says Federal Court

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Yvonne D'Arcy, who fought to have the breast cancer gene patent overturned, outside the Federal Court in February last year. Photo: Peter Rae

Cancer survivors and advocates are devastated at a decision by the full bench of the Federal Court that private companies have the right to control human genes.

They fear the decision in the so-called "breast cancer gene" case, which found a company could patent mutations in the gene BRCA1, will lead to higher costs for patients in need of potentially life-saving tests.

They have called on the federal government to intervene to change the laws, andMaurice Blackburn, the lawyers that brought the case, have vowed to fight it "to the end", flagging a potential appeal to the High Court of Australia.

The structure of the protein produced by the BRCA1 gene. Photo: Supplied

However, patent lawyers say the laws are a fair reflection of the work done by the biotechnology industry, and the decision may draw business to Australia.

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Sally Crossing, from Cancer Voices Australia, said the Australian community had made it clear the patenting of human genes was "offensive and counter-intuitive."

"This news is not good for cancer research, especially in the promising field of targeted therapies, or for people affected by any cancer," she said.

Director of Advocacy at Cancer Council Australia, Paul Grogan, said that, if the ruling was an interpretation of the law, then the law needed to change.

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Cancer shock over BRCA1 gene patent

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

4-Sep-2014

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

New Rochelle, NY, September 4, 2014--Imagine a non-rigid, shape-changing robot that walks on four "legs," can operate without the constraints of a tether, and can function in a snowstorm, move through puddles of water, and even withstand limited exposure to flames. Harvard advanced materials chemist George Whitesides, PhD and colleagues describe the mobile, autonomous robot they have created in Soft Robotics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Soft Robotics website.

In "A Resilient, Untethered Soft Robot," Michael Tolley, PhD and a multidisciplinary team of coauthors from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA), and the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), detail the innovative composite materials, design features, and fabrication methods they used to develop a soft robot capable of functioning for several hours using a battery pack or for longer periods with a light-weight electrical tether, and able to carry payloads of up to 8 kg.

"This paper marks the emergence of soft robot technology from the research lab into the real world," says Editor-in-Chief Barry A. Trimmer, PhD, who directs the Neuromechanics and Biomimetic Devices Laboratory at Tufts University (Medford, MA).

###

About the Journal

Soft Robotics, a peer-reviewed journal published quarterly online with Open Access options and in print, combines advances in biomedical engineering, biomechanics, mathematical modeling, biopolymer chemistry, computer science, and tissue engineering to present new approaches to the creation of robotic technology and devices that can undergo dramatic changes in shape and size in order to adapt to various environments. Led by Editor-in-Chief Barry A. Trimmer, PhD and a distinguished team of Associate Editors, the Journal provides the latest research and developments on topics such as soft material creation, characterization, and modeling; flexible and degradable electronics; soft actuators and sensors; control and simulation of highly deformable structures; biomechanics and control of soft animals and tissues; biohybrid devices and living machines; and design and fabrication of conformable machines. Tables of content and a sample issue can be viewed on the Soft Robotics website.

About the Publisher

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Harvard & Cornell researchers develop untethered, autonomous soft robot

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The EU is investing in the development of personalised medicine, which allows doctors to offer preventative treatments for cancer and heart disease.

Most commonly used to treat cancer, personalised medicine can offer patients the best possible treatment by focusing on the individual genetic and biological make-up of their tumours. Thanks to advances in research, personalised medicine could be made available to more patients, and scientists are optimistic about its future.

If traditional treatments are ineffective, or the cancer is recurrent, patients can undergo tests to determine the specific molecular anomalies in their tumours, and how bestto block theirenzyme activity. Doctors can then target these anomalies, which may occur in multiple cancers, and are thus able to prescribe medication to treat several tumours simultaneously.

"Personalised medicine works by focusing on the genetic make-up of the tumour, rather than the patient," Agns Buzyn, president of the French National Cancer Institute (INCA), explained during a Medef Summer University workshop.

External factors such as environment and lifestyle are also taken into account, as they can influence a patient's illness andthe effectiveness of its treatment.

Heart disease risk-assessment

Personalised medicine can also be used to treat heart disease. Risk assessment can greatly improve the effectiveness of preventative treatment, and can enable doctors to intervene swiftly with effective measures before any problems arise.

By analysing the concentration of certain proteins in the blood, along with the patient's individual genetic data, it is possible to predict with relative accuracy whether the patient is at risk of developing heart disease in the future.

>> Read: New cardiovascular disease treatments urgently needed, experts say

Pharmaceutical companies take the strain

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Treatments improved through personalised medicine

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Let #39;s play Sims 3 Perfect genetics challenge #2 Bb N1
Nous nous retrouvons pour un tout nouveaux let #39;s play sur les sims 3 le Prefect genetics challenge j #39;espere qu #39;il vous plaira n #39;hesitez pas a laisser vos avis et a aim la vido . Bonne vido 🙂

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Let's play Sims 3 Perfect genetics challenge #2 Bb N1 - Video

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The Sims 3 - Speed Build 01 - Perfect Genetics Home
so im still not sure if im gonna pick this back up BUT heres what i recorded when i was thinkin bout it the other day.

By: simsiguess

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The Sims 3 - Speed Build 01 - Perfect Genetics Home - Video

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Personalized medicine and big data
In this talk, Dr. Anu Acharya of MapMyGenome project outlines the challenges and opportunities that big data presents for the field of genomics.

By: HasGeek TV

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Personalized medicine and big data - Video

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Michael Stocum of Personalized Medicine Partners on Personalized Diagnostics Today
Michael Stocum of Personalized Medicine Partners discusses material that will be presented at Personalized Diagnostics Today, AACC #39;s first-ever online meeting to be held October 28-29 online...

By: AACC

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Michael Stocum of Personalized Medicine Partners on Personalized Diagnostics Today - Video

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Watch Better, Stronger, Faster: The Future of the Bionic Body
In the future, a woman with a spinal cord injury could make a full recovery; a baby with a weak heart could pump his own blood. How close are we today to the bold promise of bionicsand could...

By: World Science Festival

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Watch Better, Stronger, Faster: The Future of the Bionic Body - Video

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Rudolf Jaenisch Ice Bucket Challenge
ISSCR President Dr. Rudolf Jaenisch, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, takes the #IceBucketChallenge and nominates three former ISSCR presidents, Dr. Fred Gage, Salk Institute for...

By: International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR)

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Newswise LOS ANGELES (Sept. 4, 2014) An interdisciplinary research team in the Cedars-Sinai Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Regenerative Medicine Institute and Department of Surgery received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop the first imaging technique used to identify biomarkers that could indicate patients have a painful, degenerative back condition.

Biomarkers are certain body substances, such as proteins or body fluids that can indicate specific health conditions. When noninvasive imaging procedures can identify exactly where the biomarkers are, researchers may alleviate the need for painful and invasive diagnostic procedures and, in the future, provide targeted, stem cell-based therapies to patients with the condition.

More than 85 percent of the United States population suffers from low back pain, much of which is caused by intervertebral disc degeneration. Disc degeneration is a progressive condition, resulting in chronic pain in the back and neck. For some patients, degeneration can occur for years before pain sets in, presenting symptoms, while others are affected almost immediately.

As described in an article in the journal Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, identifying the exact disc that is the source of pain by employing the latest imaging techniques may save patients from painful and invasive diagnostic procedures, such as procedures in which physicians inject a contrast agent or non-toxic dye into patients spinal discs.

The goal of our institute is to develop and apply novel imaging techniques that translate to clinical significance, said Debiao Li, PhD, director of the Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, corresponding author of the article and a co-principal investigator on the NIH grant. This imaging technology may allow us to do just this. By mapping a patients lower spinal region, we can identify the discs causing discomfort, which allows physicians to then treat accordingly.

In the study, investigators developed various imaging techniques using magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, which can identify specific biomarkers to potentially provide a noninvasive diagnostic approach to intervertebral disc degeneration. The approach, which has been tested on patients and in the laboratory, enabled investigators to precisely pinpoint the origin of pain and monitor the progression of each patients condition.

With this imaging technique, investigators in the Regenerative Medicine Institute aim to generate a stem cell-based therapeutic for patients suffering from the degenerative condition.

Our research team is interested in the role of stem cells in this disease and how we can utilize these cells to regenerate the disc and turn it back into a functional tissue, said Dan Gazit, PhD, co-principal investigator on the grant and director of the Skeletal Regeneration and Stem Cell Therapy Laboratory in the Department of Surgery, the Skeletal Program in the Regenerative Medicine Institute and the Molecular and Micro Imaging Core Facility. Using this novel imaging technique, we will be able to evaluate the effect of our future stem cell therapies on back pain.

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Researchers Developing Noninvasive Method for Diagnosing Common, Painful Back Condition

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Newswise NEW YORK, NY, September 4, 2014 Research led by investigators at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has shown for the first time that organoids derived from human prostate cancer tumors can be grown in the laboratory, giving researchers an exciting new tool to test cancer drugs and personalize cancer treatment.

The researchers, whose results were published today in Cell, successfully grew six prostate cancer organoids from biopsies of patients with metastatic prostate cancer and a seventh organoid from a patients circulating tumor cells. Organoids are three-dimensional structures composed of cells that are grouped together and spatially organized like an organ. The histology, or tissue structure, of the prostate cancer organoids is highly similar to the metastasis sample from which they came. Sequencing of the metastasis samples and the matched organoids showed that each organoid is genetically identical to the patients cancer from which it originated.

Identifying the molecular biomarkers that indicate whether a drug will work or why a drug stops working is paramount for the precision treatment of cancer, said Yu Chen, MD, PhD, Assistant Attending Physician in the Genitourinary Oncology Service and Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program at MSK. But we are limited in our capacity to test drugs especially in the prostate cancer setting, where only a handful of prostate cancer cell lines are available to researchers.

With the addition of the seven prostate cancer organoids described in the Cell paper, Dr. Chens team has effectively doubled the number of existing prostate cancer cell lines.

We now have a new resource at our disposal that captures the molecular diversity of prostate cancer. This will be an invaluable tool we can use to test drug sensitivity, he added.

The use of organoids in studying cancer is relatively new, but the field is exploding quickly according to Dr. Chen. In 2009, Hans Clevers, MD, PhD, of the Hubrecht Institute in the Netherlands demonstrated that intestinal stem cells could form organoids. Dr. Clevers is the lead author on a companion piece also published in Cell today that describes how to create healthy prostate organoids. Dr. Chens paper is the first to demonstrate that organoids can be grown from prostate cancer samples.

The prostate cancer organoids can be used to test multiple drugs simultaneously, and Dr. Chens team is already retrospectively comparing the drugs given to each patient against the organoids for clues about why the patient did or didnt respond to therapy. In the future, its possible that drugs could be tested on a patients organoid before being given to the patient to truly personalize treatment.

After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men about 233,000 new cases will be diagnosed in 2014. It is also the second leading cause of cancer death in men; 1 in 36 men will die of the disease.

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The Newest Precision Medicine Tool: Prostate Cancer Organoids

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Tampa, FL (PRWEB) September 04, 2014

On Tuesday, September 9, the Lung Institute will hold an inaugural Stem Cell Social at its Tampa location. The Lung Institute created this event to address how stem cell treatment can help lung disease sufferers. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn how stem cell therapy can help, as well as set up a free consultation. In addition, a number of recent patients will be present to share how stem cell therapy has personally impacted their lives by repairing damaged lung tissue and improving function.

As a leader in regenerative medicine, the Lung Institute has provided almost 300 stem cell treatments to lung disease patients who previously had no hope for better breathing and regaining quality of life. The Lung Institute treats lung diseases including pulmonary fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive disease that causes difficulty breathing, and is the third leading cause of death in the United States.

Led by Dr. Burton Feinerman, a world-renowned physician in the field of regenerative medicine, the Lung Institute offers minimally invasive, and outpatient stem cell treatments for patients with a variety of debilitating lung diseases. Stem cells are taken from the patients own blood or fat tissue. The treatments cue healing processes in the lungs, allowing patients to get back to normal, everyday activities and breathe easier.

Patients from the United States and around the world have traveled to Tampa to receive treatment. We provide hope to our patients, and an improved quality of life, said Dr. Feinerman. Our inaugural stem cell social is the perfect opportunity to learn about this innovative treatment option that can literally change a persons life.

Join the Lung Institute for its inaugural Stem Cell Social:

When: Tuesday, September 9, 4 p.m.7 p.m. Where: Lung Institute, 201 E. Kennedy Blvd., Suite 425, Tampa, FL 33602 What: A presentation by Dr. Feinerman and feedback from his patients about stem cell therapy. In addition, there will be refreshments and three grand-prize winners will receive $3,000 gift cards toward the purchase of treatment at the Lung Institute*! RSVP: Space is limited with only 30 spots available. Please RSVP to (855) 469-5864.

About the Lung Institute At the Lung Institute, we are changing the lives of hundreds of people across the nation through the innovative technology of regenerative medicine. We are committed to providing patients a more effective way to address pulmonary conditions and improve quality of life. Our physicians, through their designated practices, have gained worldwide recognition for the successful application of revolutionary minimally invasive stem cell therapies. With over a century of combined medical experience, our doctors have established a patient experience designed with the highest concern for patient safety and quality of care. For more information, visit our website at LungInstitute.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or call us today at (855) 469-5864.

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Lung Institute Holds Inaugural Stem Cell Social

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

3-Sep-2014

Contact: Robert Miranda cogcomm@aol.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair

Putnam Valley, NY. (Sept. 3, 2014) A team of researchers from Korea and Canada have found that transplantation of B10 cells (a stable immortalized human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cell line; B10 hMSC) directly into the bladder wall of mice modeled with spinal cord injury (SCI) helped inhibit the development of bladder fibrosis and improved bladder function by promoting the growth of smooth muscle cells in the bladder.

The study will be published in a future issue of Cell Transplantation and is currently freely available on-line as an unedited early e-pub at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/content-CT-1227_Lee.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can cause severe lower urinary tract dysfunction and conditions such as overactive bladder, urinary retention and increased bladder thickness and fibrosis. HMSCs, multipotent cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types, including bone cells, cartilage cells, and fat cells, have been transplanted into injured spinal cords to help patients regain motor function.

In this study, mice receiving the B10 hMSCs injected directly into the bladder wall experienced improved bladder function while an untreated control group did not.

"Human MSCs can secrete growth factors," said study co-author Seung U. Kim of the Division of Neurology at the University of British Columbia Hospital, Vancouver, Canada. "In a previous study, we showed that B 10 cells secrete various growth factors including hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and that HGF inhibits collagen deposits in bladder outlet obstructions in rats more than hMSCs alone. In this study, the SCI control group that did not receive B10 cells showed degenerated spinal neurons and did not recover. The B10-injected group appeared to have regenerated bladder smooth muscle cells."

Four weeks after the onset of SCI, the treatment group received the B10 cells transplanted directly into the bladder wall. To track the transplanted B10 cells via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the researchers labeled them with fluorescent magnetic particles.

"HGF plays an essential role in tissue regeneration and angiogenesis and acts as a potent antifibrotic agent," explained Kim.

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Transplanted stem cells help prevent bladder fibrosis after spinal cord injury

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith