Cell Therapy News Volume 10.14 | Apr 20 2009

Large Quantity of Stem Cells Produced From Small Number of Blood Stem Cells
A team from the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer at the Universite de Montréal has succeeded in producing a large quantity of laboratory stem cells from a small number of blood stem cells obtained from bone marrow.
Article

Platelet Derived Growth Factor Protection of Cardiac Mycardium
Investigators at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University have described a platelet-derived growth factor-AB-mediated communication between cardiac microvascular endothelial cells and neighboring cardiac myocytes.
Article

Scientists Discover Way to Jumpstart Bone’s Healing Process
Astute observations led a team of clinicians and researchers to uncover how teriparatide, or Forteo can also boost our bodies’ bone stem cell production to the point that adults’ bones appear to have the ability to heal at a rate typically seen when they were young kids.
Article

Creating Ideal Neural Cells for Clinical Use
Investigators at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research have developed a protocol to rapidly differentiate human embryonic stem cells into neural progenitor cells that may be ideal for transplantation.
Article

Emory Study Yields Clue to How Stem Cells Form
An Emory University study shows some of the first direct evidence of a process required for epigenetic reprogramming between generations.
Article

Penn Scientists Use RNA to Reprogram One Cell Type into Another
By simply flooding one cell type, a nerve cell, with an abundance of a specific type of messenger RNA from another cell type, the investigators changed a neuron into an astrocyte-like cell.
Article

Embryonic Stem Cells Used to Regenerate Hair on Mice
A university lecturer has succeeded in regenerating hair on mice using embryonic stem cells, an achievement that could pave the way for the development of treatments for conditions including hair loss, it has been learned.
Article

Device Protects Transplanted Pancreatic Cells from the Immune System
Scientists at Burnham Institute for Medical Research and the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have demonstrated in mice that transplanted pancreatic precursor cells are protected from the immune system when encapsulated in polytetrafluorethylene.
Article

Gene Therapy for Muscular Dystrophy Shows Promise Beyond Safety
Researchers have cleared a safety hurdle in efforts to develop a gene therapy for a form of muscular dystrophy that disables patients by gradually weakening muscles near the hips and shoulders.
Article

University of Texas Houston Enrolls First Patient in Stem Cell Study for Stroke
For the first time in the United States, a stroke patient has been intravenously injected with his own bone marrow stem cells as part of a research trial at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
Article

Equine Stem Cell Technique to be Trialed in Human Medicine
A pioneering equine stem cell technique, which is used to successfully return injured horses to top levels of performance, is to be trialed in human medicine.
Article

ABSTRACTS, REVIEWS AND SPECIAL REPORTS

C-Peptide Levels and Insulin Independence Following Autologous Nonmyeloablative Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Patients that underwent autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation who became insulin free with normal levels of glycated hemoglobin A1c was investigated.
Article

Human Oligodendrocytes from Embryonic Stem Cells: Conserved SHH Signaling Networks and Divergent FGF Effects
Using oligodendrocyte differentiation as a model system, the researchers show that sonic hedgehog (SHH)-dependent sequential activation of the transcription factors OLIG2, NKX2.2 and SOX10 is required for sequential specification of ventral spinal OLIG2-expressing progenitors, pre-oligodendrocyte precursor cells and OPCs from hESC-derived neuroepithelia.
Article

Visit our events page to stay up to date with the latest events in the cell, gene and immunotherapy community.

TriMark Point of Care Testing Conference 2009
May 11, 2009  |  San Diego, California
Enter “CONNEXON” at checkout and receive 10% off registration.
Visit here to register today.

Recruit Top Talent
Reach more than 11,000 potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities with Cell Therapy News.
Visit here to post your career opportunities.

Georgia House to Withhold Stem Cell Bill, Legislators Weigh In
The Georgia House of Representatives plans to withhold a bill that would make it unlawful to create human embryos for any purpose besides clinical fertilization.
Article

Oklahoma Lawmakers Vote to Ban Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Lawmakers in the state Senate have passed legislation that would ban embryonic stem cell research in Oklahoma.
Article

iZumi Bio and Kyoto University Form Collaboration to Advance Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Technology
iZumi Bio, Inc., and Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, recently announced a collaboration to promote the basic research, development and application of induced pluripotent stem cell technology.
Article

Scottish and Chinese Stem Cell Experts Sign Landmark Deal
Representatives from the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and China’s National Centre for International Research in Stem Cells gathered in Beijing to seal the “landmark” deal to increase collaboration on stem cell treatments.
Article

China Looks to Expand Stake in Stem Cell Technology
China will build Asia’s biggest base to develop uses for stem cell medical technology, which the health minister described as having huge potential for development.
Article

NeoStem, Inc. Announces Agreement with Progenitor Cell Therapy, LLC
NeoStem, Inc. recently announced that it will be moving its commercial adult stem cells processing and storage operations and utilizing exclusively Progenitor Cell Therapy, LLC.
Article

Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository Adopts BioLife Solutions CryoStor as Standard Biopreservation Media
BioLife Solutions Inc. recently announced that the Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository has adopted the Company’s CryoStor as the exclusive cryopreservation media for its transformed lymphocyte cell lines.
Article

Genentech Executives Leave as Roche, Soriot Arrive
Genentech Inc., the biotechnology company bought by Roche Holding AG for $46.8 billion, lost its chief financial officer, head of product development and compliance manager after the Swiss drug maker named a new chief executive officer for the unit.
Article

Gene Network Sciences Announces Brain Cancer Collaboration with M.D. Anderson
Gene Network Sciences, Inc. recently announced that it has entered into research collaboration with The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center aimed at the rapid translation of DNA sequence and clinical data from patients with glioblastoma.
Article

StemCells, Inc. Announces License Agreement with Major Pharmaceutical Company Covering Gene Insertion Technology
StemCells, Inc. announced recently that a major international pharmaceutical company has taken a non-exclusive license to the Company’s recently acquired Internal Ribosome Entry Site technology.
Article

Advanced Cell Technology Inc. Advances Filings, Looks to Get Back on Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board
Advanced Cell Technology Inc. reports that it is moving closer to being relisted on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board, now that it has updated the status of its filings for quarterly and annual reports for certain periods of calendar 2008.
Article

Stem Cell Consortium $43 Million Richer
The state Pooled Money Investment Board this week approved putting $43 million in an escrow account for San Diego’s stem cell consortium.
Article

Parfet’s $1 Million Donation Promotes Stem Cell Research
The owner of MPI Research donated $1 million last year to a group that supported a ballot proposal to ease restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research in Michigan.
Article

NIH Offers Rules for Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Scientists seeking taxpayer money for embryonic stem cell research under President Barack Obama’s new plan must use cells originally culled from fertility clinic embryos that otherwise would be thrown away.
Article

Implementation of Executive Order on Removing Barriers to Responsible Scientific Research Involving Human Stem Cells (NOT-OD-09-085)
Link

NIH Small Research Grant Program (Parent R03) (PA-09-163)
Link

NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21) (PA-09-164)
Link

New NIH Recovery Act Opportunity Seeks to Fund High Impact, Large-Scale, Accelerated Research
Link

Fast Track Designation Request Performance
Link

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (United States)

Return to FDA: Senate Staffer Dorsey Takes Senior Counselor Position to Sharfstein
Top Senate Health Committee FDA staffer David Dorsey will return to the agency as Senior Counselor to Acting FDA Commissioner, Sharfstein and a “senior member” of the agency’s leadership.
Article

Preparation for International Conference on Harmonisation Meetings in Yokohama, Japan; Public Meeting
Link

Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget Approval; Current Good Manufacturing Practices and Related Regulations for Blood and Blood Components; and Requirements for Donor Testing, Donor Notification, and “Lookback”
Link