TOP STORY Scientists Turn Skin into Blood In an important breakthrough, scientists have discovered how to make human blood from adult human skin. The discovery could mean that in the foreseeable future people needing blood for surgery, cancer treatment or treatment of other blood conditions like anemia will be able to have blood created from a patch of their own skin to provide transfusions. [Press release from McMaster University discussing online prepublication in Nature]
SPECIAL FEATUREClinical Development to Commercial Development With recognition that the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) is uniquely positioned to serve the global translational regenerative medicine research community as a network hub for scientific standards and policy, the ISCT commissioned the establishment of an Industry Task Force to address current and future roles for industry.[International Society for Cellular Therapy] Interested in recruiting talented individuals? Post your career opportunities in Cell Therapy News at no cost. Contact us at info@connexoncreative.com Follow us on Twitter! @CellTherapyNews
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| SCIENCE NEWSArmed Antibody Triggers Remissions for Hodgkin Lymphoma An antibody loaded with an anti-cancer agent produced complete or partial remissions in 38 percent of patients with relapsed or therapy-resistant Hodgkin lymphoma enrolled in a Phase I clinical trial, investigators report. [Press release from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center discussing online prepublication in the New England Journal of Medicine] Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Study Highlights Advances in Targeted Drug Therapy A multicenter study is testing whether the drug crizotinib effectively slows, stops or reverses growth in advanced non-small cell lung cancer tumors by targeting a genetic mutation that causes uncontrolled tumor growth. Study participants all tested positive for a mutation in the anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene. [Press release from the University of California, Irvine discussing online prepublication in the New England Journal of Medicine] Scientists Find Non-Viral Pathway of Blood Cancer Development An international team of scientists has found three new regions of DNA linked to the development of Hodgkin lymphoma. [Press release from The Institute of Cancer Research discussing online prepublication in Nature Genetics] Breakthrough in Cancer Vaccine Research New research reveals that a type of stromal cell found in many cancers which expresses fibroblast activation protein alpha plays a major role in suppressing the immune response in cancerous tumors — thereby restricting the use of vaccines and other therapies which rely on the body's immune system to work. [Press release from the University of Cambridge discussing online prepublication in Science] Small Protein Changes May Make Big Difference in Natural HIV Control An international research team describes finding that differences in five amino acids in a protein called HLA-B are associated with whether or not HIV-infected individuals can control viral levels with their immune system only. [Press release from Massachusetts General Hospital discussing online prepublication in Science]Timing Is Everything in Combination Therapy for Osteoporosis Researchers identified a subset of skeletal stem cells that were recruited to bone remodeling sites in response to bone resorption. Importantly, the authors demonstrated the TGF-beta1 is essential for recruitment of skeletal stem cells during PTH-stimulated bone remodeling. Further, alendronate inhibited release of TGF-beta1 during bone resorption. [Press release from EurekAlert! discussing online prepublication in Cell Stem Cell] New Lymphoma Therapy May Be More Effective with Fewer Side Effects Researchers have found a combination therapy that is more effective than traditional treatments and is able to kill the cancer cells without harm to surrounding tissues. [Press release from Weill Cornell Medical College discussing online prepublication in the Journal of Clinical Investigation] Fly Stem Cells on Diet: Scientists Discovered How Stem Cells Respond to Nutrient Availability A study revealed that stem cells can sense a decrease in available nutrients and respond by retaining only a small pool of active stem cells for tissue maintenance. When, or if, favorable conditions return, stem cell numbers multiply to accommodate increased demands on the tissue. [Press release from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies discussing online prepublication in Current Biology] Study Finds NSAIDs Cause Stem Cells to Self-Destruct, Preventing Colon Cancer Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) prevent colon cancer by triggering diseased stem cells to self-destruct, according to researchers. [Press release from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center discussing online prepublication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA] Of 50,000 Small Molecules Tested to Fight Cancer, Two Show Promise A class of compounds that interferes with cell signaling pathways may provide a new approach to cancer treatment. The compounds, called PITs (non-phosphoinositide PIP3 inhibitors), limited tumor growth in mice by inducing cell death. [Press release from Tufts University School of Medicine discussing online prepublication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA] Myostatin Exon Skipping Shows Promise for a Wide Range of Muscle Conditions Researchers have used exon skipping technology in mice to block the activity of myostatin, a protein that prevents muscles from growing bigger and stronger. Scientists think that by blocking the activity of myostatin, it might be possible to build up muscle size and strength in people with muscle disease. [Press release from the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign discussing online prepublication in Molecular Therapy] MRI Contrast Agents Change Stem Cell Proliferation When researchers tested three different labeling agents on three different stem cell populations to determine what effect the labeling agents had on stem cell phenotype, biological behavior and migration abilities, they found changes in stem cell proliferation depending on the type of contrast agent used. [Press release from EurekAlert! discussing online prepublication in Cell Transplantation] Researchers Engineer Miniature Human Livers in the Lab Researchers have reached an early, but important, milestone in the quest to grow replacement livers in the lab. They are the first to use human liver cells to successfully engineer miniature livers that function — at least in a laboratory setting — like human livers. [Press release from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center discussing research presented at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases] Scientists Unveil New Method to Create Bioartificial Organs Spanish scientists presented a new technique to create bioartificial organs for transplant using stem cells which they said will vastly reduce the risk of rejection of the donated organ. The technique involves “stripping” a donated heart, liver or other organ which is deemed unsuitable for donation of their cells, leaving just a “scaffold.” [PhysOrg] Potential Breakthrough for TB Treatment Immune Network Ltd. advises that a clinical trial of V5 Immunitor oral vaccine was published demonstrating an unexpected powerful effect against tuberculosis, including multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis and tuberculosis that is complicated by co-infection with HIV and hepatitis C. [Immune Network Ltd. Press Release] CURRENT PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by Impact Factor of the Journal) Brentuximab Vedotin (SGN-35) for Relapsed CD30-Positive Lymphomas To enhance the antitumor activity of CD30-directed therapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, the antitubulin agent monomethyl auristatin E was attached to a CD30-specific monoclonal antibody by an enzyme-cleavable linker, producing the antibody-drug conjugate brentuximab vedotin. [N Engl J Med] Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase Inhibition in Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer The inhibition of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) in lung tumors with the ALK rearrangement resulted in tumor shrinkage or stable disease in most patients. [N Engl J Med] Direct Conversion of Human Fibroblasts to Multilineage Blood Progenitors Researchers demonstrate the ability to generate progenitors and mature cells of the hematopoietic fate directly from human dermal fibroblasts without establishing pluripotency. [Nature] A Genome-Wide Association Study of Hodgkin's Lymphoma Identifies New Susceptibility Loci at 2p16.1 (REL), 8q24.21 and 10p14 (GATA3) To identify susceptibility loci for classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (cHL), researchers conducted a genome-wide association study of 589 individuals with cHL (cases) and 5,199 controls with validation in four independent samples totaling 2,057 cases and 3,416 controls. They identified three new susceptibility loci at 2p16.1, 8q24.21 and 10p14. [Nat Genet] Suppression of Antitumor Immunity by Stromal Cells Expressing Fibroblast Activation Protein-Alpha The stromal microenvironment of tumors suppresses immune control of tumor growth. A stromal cell type that was first identified in human cancers expresses fibroblast activation protein-alpha (FAP). Researchers created a transgenic mouse in which FAP-expressing cells can be ablated. [Science] The Major Genetic Determinants of HIV-1 Control Affect HLA Class I Peptide Presentation Specific amino acids in the HLA-B peptide binding groove, as well as an independent HLA-C effect, explain the SNP associations and reconcile both protective and risk HLA alleles. These results implicate the nature of the HLA-viral peptide interaction as the major factor modulating durable control of HIV infection. [Science] Inhibition of Sca-1-Positive Skeletal Stem Cell Recruitment by Alendronate Blunts the Anabolic Effects of Parathyroid Hormone on Bone Remodeling Researchers showed that mouse Sca-1-positive (Sca-1+) bone marrow stromal cells are a skeletal stem cell subset, which are recruited to bone remodeling sites by active TGF-beta1 in response to bone resorption. Alendronate inhibits the release of active TGF-beta1 and the recruitment of Sca-1+ skeletal stem cells for the bone formation. [Cell Stem Cell] BCL6 Repression of EP300 in Human Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Cells Provides a Basis for Rational Combinatorial Therapy Researchers show that retro-inverted BCL6 peptide inhibitor induces a particular gene expression signature in human diffuse large B cell lymphoma cell lines that included genes associated with the actions of histone deacetylase and Hsp90 inhibitors. [J Clin Invest] Stem Cell Dynamics in Response to Nutrient Availability Data indicate that stem cells can directly sense changes in the systemic environment to coordinate their behavior with the nutritional status of the animal, providing a paradigm for maintaining tissue homeostasis under metabolic stress. [Curr Biol] Chemoprevention by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Eliminates Oncogenic Intestinal Stem Cells via SMAC-Dependent Apoptosis Results suggest that effective chemoprevention of colon cancer by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs lies in the elimination of stem cells that are inappropriately activated by oncogenic events through induction of apoptosis. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A]
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EVENTS (Listed by Date)
5th Annual European Biomarkers Summit November 9-10, 2010 Florence, ItalySelect Biosciences 2nd International Forum on Stem Cells November 12-13, 2010 Tianjin, China Select Biosciences 2nd Annual RNAi Asia Conference and Exhibition November 15-16, 2010 Singapore The 16th International Conference of the International Society of Differentiation: From Stem Cells to Organisms November 15-18, 2010 Nara, Japan 3rd Annual Workshop on Genome Engineering November 16, 2010 Seattle, United States 22nd European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)-National Cancer Institute (NCI)-American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Symposium: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics November 16-19, 2010 Berlin, Germany 9th Annual Gene Therapy Symposium for Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases November 17-19, 2010 Sonoma, United States 8th Annual Commercial Translation of Regenerative Medicine Conference November 18-19, 2010 London, United Kingdom Translational Excellence in Regenerative Medicine (TeRM) – Biophysical Stimuli and Mass Transport for Tissue Development November 18-19, 2010 Lattrop, The Netherlands 4th Annual Conference of the Korea Society of Gene Therapy (KSGT) November 19, 2010 Seoul, Korea Stem Cell Network's 10th Annual Scientific Meeting November 22-24, 2010 Calgary, Canada HealthTech and Medicines Knowledge Transfer Network 7th Annual BioProcessUK Conference November 24-25, 2010 Manchester, United Kingdom American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Tumor Immunology – Basic and Clinical Advances November 30-December 3, 2010 Miami, United States 2nd European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) Meeting on Cardiac and Pulmonary Regeneration December 3-4, 2010 Vienna, Austria 3rd Annual BioPartnering China December 5-7, 2010 Shanghai, China Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society – North America (TERMIS-NA) 2010 Annual Conference December 5-8, 2010 Orlando, United States 5th Annual Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa December 7, 2010 La Jolla, United States Genesis 2010 December 9, 2010 London, United Kingdom The American Society for Cell Biology 50th Annual Meeting December 11-15, 2010 Philadelphia, United States Pharmacology in Stem Cells Research and Regenerative Medicine December 17, 2010 London, United Kingdom Functional Consequences of Structural Variation in the Genome January 8-13, 2011 Steamboat Springs, United States COGEM Symposium: GM Viruses as Medicine: Panacea or Pandora's Box? January 20, 2011 Amsterdam, The Netherlands Extracellular Matrix and Cardiovascular Remodeling January 23-28, 2011 Tahoe City, United States 5th Annual Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine World Congress January 24-25, 2011 San Diego, United States BIO Asia International Partnering Conference January 24-25, 2011 Tokyo, Japan Phacilitate 7th Annual Cell & Gene Therapy Forum 2011 January 24-26, 2011 Washington, D.C., United States Phacilitate 9th Annual North American Vaccine Forum January 24-26, 2011 Washington, D.C., United States IQPC’s 4th Biobanking Conference January 24-26, 2011 Philadelphia, United States Keystone Symposia: Stem Cells in Development, Tissue Homeostasis and Disease January 30-February 4, 2011 Santa Fe, United States 16th Proteomics Symposium February 3-6, 2011 Lorne, Australia 36th Lorne Conference on Protein Structure and Function February 6-10, 2011 Lorne, Australia CMC Workshop: Translating Science into Successful Regulatory Submissions February 7-9, 2011 Washington, D.C., United States 23rd Lorne Cancer Conference February 10-12, 2011 Lorne, Australia 32nd Lorne Genome Conference February 13-15, 2011 Lorne, Victoria BMT Tandem Meetings (ASBMT/CIBMTR) February 17-21, 2011 Honolulu, Hawaii 1st Annual Clinical Meeting of the Cell Society February 18-19, 2011 La Jolla, United States Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference: Stem Cells – Revolutionizing Regenerative Medicine and Personalized Therapy 2011 February 23-25, 2011 San Francisco, United States Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference: Inaugural Circulating Tumor Cells for Cancer Detection, Diagnosis, Prognosis and Treatment February 23-25, 2011 San Francisco, United States American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Targeting PI3K/mTOR Signaling in Cancer February 24-27, 2011 San Francisco, United States 9th Annual BioPartnering North America February 27-March 1, 2011 Vancouver, Canada 18th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2011) February 27-March 2, 2011 Boston, United States NEW 6th Annual Stem Cell Summit March 1, 2011 New York, United States American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Stem Cells, Development, and Cancer March 3-6, 2011 Vancouver, Canada Stem Cells, Cancer and Metastasis (C4) March 6-11, 2011 Dillon, United States BIO-Europe Spring 2011 March 14-16, 2011 Milan, Italy The 6th International Conference on Oncolytic Viruses as Cancer Therapeutics March 16-19, 2011 Las Vegas, United States HIV Evolution, Genomics and Pathogenesis March 20-25, 2011 Whistler, Canada United Kingdom National Stem Cell Network 2011 Annual Scientific Conference March 30-April 1, 2011 York, United Kingdom 10th Annual New England Science Symposium April 1, 2011 Boston, United States American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 102nd Annual Meeting 2011 April 2-6, 2011 Orlando, United States 5th RNAi & miRNA World Congress April 26-27, 2011 Boston, United States 3rd Epigenetics World Congress April 26-27, 2011 Boston, United States Inaugural Next-Gen Sequencing Congress April 26-27, 2011 Boston, United States GTCbio 2nd International Conference on Cancer Immunotherapy & Immunomonitoring May 2-5, 2011 Budapest, Hungary Australasian Gene Therapy Society (AGTS) 7th Meeting May 4-6, 2011 Melbourne, Australia BioPartnering India May 4-6, 2011 Bangalore, India Inaugural Theranostics for Personalised Medicine May 18-19, 2011 London, United Kingdom International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) 17th Annual Meeting May 18-21, 2011 Rotterdam, The Netherlands American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) 14th Annual Meeting May 18-21, 2011 Seattle, United States 13th Annual C21 BioVentures May 24-26, 2011 Napa, United States Gordon Research Conference: Viruses & Cells May 29-June 3, 2011 Lucca (Barga), Italy Visit our events page to stay up to date with the latest events in the cell, gene and immunotherapy community.
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