Cell Therapy News Volume 10.16 | May 4 2009

Learn to culture Neural Stem Cells with the Cell Experts(TM)
STEMCELL Technologies is offering a 2-day Neural Stem Cell Training Course that provides hands-on instruction in the dissection, culture, identification and enumeration of neural stem and progenitor cells.

May 22-23, 2009, Vancouver, Canada

Gladstone Scientists Identify Key Factors in Heart Cell Creation
Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease have identified for the first time key genetic factors that drive the process of generating new heart cells.
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World’s Fastest Camera Relies on an Entirely New Type of Imaging
Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a novel, continuously running camera that captures images roughly a thousand times faster than any existing conventional camera.
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Stem Cell Focus for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Wound Healing
Scientists at The University of Nottingham are investigating whether stem cell markers could have a role to play in speeding up wound healing in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease.
Article

From Connective Tissue to Bone
Cartilage, bones and the internal walls of blood vessels have been successfully created by using common connective tissue cells from human skin.
Article

Discovery a Key to Blood Cell Development
A West Australian research team has made the world-first discovery a ‘pied piper’ molecule within blood cells, called Liar, which leads other molecules into the nucleus of the cell.
Article

Scientists Shed Light on Inner Workings of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Scientists at UC Santa Barbara show that a microRNA lowers the activity of three key ingredients in the recipe for embryonic stem cells.
Article

Gene Therapy Shows Potential in Treating Diabetic Polyneuropathy
Intramuscular injections of vascular endothelial growth factor gene show promise for improving neuropathic symptoms in individuals with diabetic polyneuropathy, a condition most commonly affecting diabetics who have had the disease for many years.
Article

First Large-scale Computer Simulation of Gene Therapy
Recently a group of researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and Los Alamos National Laboratory describe the first comprehensive, molecular-level numerical study of gene therapy.
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Medistem Reports Positive Multiple Sclerosis Data Using Fat Stem Cells
Medistem Inc. announced recently the publication of a peer reviewed paper describing the scientific rationale and preliminary results of three patients with multiple sclerosis treated with their own fat derived stem cells.
Article

New Data Regarding ReNeuron’s ReN001 Stem Cell Line for Stroke
ReNeuron Group plc recently announced further data concerning the pre-clinical characterization and mode of action of ReNeuron’s lead ReN001 neural stem cell line for stroke.
Article

ABSTRACTS, REVIEWS AND SPECIAL REPORTS

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Facilitate the Derivation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells from Cryopreserved Poor-quality Embryos
Here the researchers attempted to optimize hESC derivation from frozen poor-quality embryos, which is usually low and normally achieved by plating embryos on mouse or human foreskin feeders.
Article

Three key Variables Involved in Feeder Preparation for the Maintenance of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Three variables have been evaluated with respect to feeder preparation and MMC involvement, including mEF exposure to MMC, density of feeder cells, and different wash steps during the preparation of feeder cells.
Article

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Obama Cools the Stem Cell Debate
While juggling a collapsing economy and major initiatives during his first months in office, President Obama tackled – and cooled – the contentious issue of embryonic stem cell research.
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Republican Senator Pushes Biotech Funding
A Senate Republican who could prove a swing vote in the U.S. healthcare debate said recently he wanted a new agency to help struggling biotech companies as part of a future healthcare system.
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California’s Stem Cell Scientists Fear Federal Red Tape
California researchers are worried that the expected limits could still cause them aggravation if they don’t jibe with standards set out by their own funding body, the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.
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Translational Stem Cell Research Programme – Response Mode Funding
Funding for translational stem cell research is available through a new funding stream led by the MRC as part of the MRC/NIHR single health research strategy.
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South Korea Lifts Ban on Stem Cell Research
South Korea on Wednesday conditionally lifted a ban on stem cell research using human eggs, three years after outlawing the practice because a scientist was found to have faked his work.
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PerkinElmer and Accelrys Announce Software Collaboration to Enable New Single Cell Imaging and Analysis Techniques
PerkinElmer, Inc announced a cellular imaging and analysis software relationship with Accelrys, Inc.
Article

Isis and Alnylam Form New Collaboration to Develop Single-Stranded RNAi Technology
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced recently that they have formed a new collaboration focused on the development of single-stranded RNAi technology.
Article

CIRM Doles Out $67M in Early Translational Grants
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has chalked up a plan to fund 15 grants with $67.7 million that are all focused on moving basic research toward patients.
Article

2 Columbus Companies Up For High-tech Cash
Ohio companies working on fuel cells, stem cells, medical device technology and in the pharmacology sector have been targeted to receive approximately $39 million from a state research and development program.
Article

Pfizer Says Goodman Resigns as Head of Biotech Center
Pfizer Inc. said that Corey Goodman, a senior vice president hired 19 months ago to lead Pfizer’s biotechnology center in California, has resigned.
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NIH Policy Loosening Stem Cell Research Restrictions Disappoints Both Sides in Debate
Some research advocates and scientists are upset that techniques they support would get no federal money.
Article

Extended Error Correction Window for Electronic Submission of NIH Challenge Grants and Funding Opportunities with Submission Deadlines From April 27 Through May 1, 2009 (NOT-OD-09-091)
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Delays in Grant Application Submission Due to Closure of Institutions because of 2009 H1N1 Flu Concerns (NOT-OD-09-092)
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Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Phase III: Transitional Centers [P30] (RFA-RR-09-005)
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Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting
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2009 Biological Device Application Approvals
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2009 Biological License Application Approvals
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FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (United States)

Science Board to the Food and Drug Administration; Notice of Meeting
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Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request; Guidance for Industry on Formal Dispute Resolution; Appeals Above the Division Level
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THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADMINISTRATION (Australia)

Note for Guidance on Biotechnological/Biological Products Subject to Changes in their Manufacturing Process
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