Cell Therapy News Volume 7.32 | Aug 21 2006

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    Volume 7.32, August 21, 2006
         In this issue: Science | Policy | Business | NIH | CBER | Regulatory
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    Top Stories

    Researchers Find Healing Potential in Everyday Human Brain Cells: University of Florida researchers have shown ordinary human brain cells may share the prized qualities of self-renewal and adaptability normally associated with stem cells.
    Article

    Science

    Cancer Stem Cells Spur Glioma Angiogenesis, Could Hold Key to Brain Tumor Therapy
    Stem cell-like glioma cancer cells that share many characteristics with normal stem cells propel the lethal growth of brain cancers by promoting tumor blood vessel formation, and may hold the key to treating these deadly cancers.
    Article

    Tumors Use ‘Hijacking’ Trick to Evade Attack by Immune Cells
    Researchers have identified a potential mechanism by which tumors in mice escape attack from antitumor immune cells.
    Article

    Stem Cell Procedure Promising for Repair of Retina
    University of Washington scientists reported that they have successfully used stem cells to treat diseased tissue in mouse retinas.
    Article

    Research to Unleash Gene Therapy on Arthritis
    Within months, scientists will begin testing the first gene therapies for osteoarthritis, in search of a more effective treatment and perhaps a cure for the joint disease that afflicts more than 21 million Americans.
    Article

    Argos Therapeutics Initiates Phase I/II Trial with AGS-003 Personalized Immunotherapy in Advanced Kidney Cancer
    The trial will evaluate a new production process that may yield more potent immune response.
    Article

    Pharmexa Discontinues Phase II Trial of Breast Cancer Vaccine
    Following a review of the preliminary data from the Phase II trial of Pharmexa’s breast cancer vaccine, PX 104.1, the company has decided to stop recruitment of new patients.
    Article

    Use Of Umbilical Cord Blood To Fight Diseases Is On the Rise
    While cord-blood stem cells may not be as versatile as those taken from human embryos, transplants for diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma and other blood disorders are increasing.
    Article

    Focus Moves from Short-Term Cell Treatments to Long-Term Tools
    Science has moved from seeing stem cell therapy as a near-term goal to looking at longer-term use of human embryonic stem cells as a research tool.
    Article

    Hwang Continues Research
    Disgraced cloning expert Woo Suk Hwang, currently standing trial for fraud over faked stem cell research, has opened a new lab focusing on cross-species organ transplants.
    Article

    ABSTRACTS, REVIEWS & SPECIAL REPORTS

    Derivation and Large-Scale Expansion of Multipotent Astroglial Neural Progenitors from Adult Human Brain
    The findings suggest an unprecedented degree of inducible plasticity is retained by cells of the adult central nervous system.
    Article

    Policy

    Australian MPs Welcome Stem Cell Bill
    Government MPs pushing for a conscience vote on stem cell research have welcomed a Liberal Senator’s move to draft a private member’s bill on the issue.
    Article

    Australian Parliament to Review Stem Cell Limits
    Australian politicians will push to overturn a ban on cloning stem cells for medical research after Australia’s conservative Prime Minister John Howard said he would allow a conscience vote on the issue.
    Article

    Private Donors Sustain California Stem Cell Project
    Even as legal challenges have tied up funding for California’s ambitious $3 billion effort to fund stem-cell research, big-dollar contributions from prominent Californians who stepped into the breach have kept the effort going.
    Article

    Florida Funding for Stem Cell Work Could Ride on Election
    Whether Florida joins California and a growing list of other states that pay for embryonic stem cell research could depend on who wins the governor’s race.
    Article

    Singapore Filling Void in Stem Cell Research
    Singapore, conservative on most social issues – including a ban on most types of chewing gum – is emerging as a hotbed of stem cell research, thanks to liberal laws in that field and equally liberal government financing.
    Article

    Animal-Human Embryonic Hybrids Raise Serious Ethical Concerns
    A new ethics report has raised concerns about using animal-human embryonic hybrids in drug testing in which the creation of these chimeras are creating exciting avenues of research as well as controversy.
    Article

    Business

    Medinet and MaxCyte Initiate Collaboration for Novel Cancer Immuno-Cell Therapy
    Under the agreement MaxCyte will optimize its proprietary cell loading system for the development of Medinet’s novel cancer immuno-cell therapy and implementation in a closed-system manufacturing process at Medinet’s four cell processing centers in Japan.
    Article

    Florida Officials Wooing California Research Centers
    Florida development officials are dangling hundreds of millions of dollars worth of incentives before the Burnham Institute and the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies in the hopes the San Diego research centers will follow Scripps and open satellite facilities in the state.
    Article

    NIH

    NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

    Revision: Notice of New NIH Policy for Funding of Tuition, Fees, and Health Insurance on Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NOT-OD-06-093)
    Link

    Notice of NEI’s Intent to Withdraw from PAS-06-207, Interactions Between Stem and Progenitor Cells and the Microenvironment (R03) (NOT-EY-06-007)
    Link

    Clinical Research Education and Career Development (CRECD) in Minority Institutions (R25) (RFA-RR-06-003)
    Link

    Independent Scientist Award (K02) (PA-06-527)
    Link

    CBER

    All new CBER information can be reached from the What’s New page at What’s New Page

    Order to Cease Manufacturing and to Retain HCT/Ps – Donor Referral Services
    Link

    Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Roster – Updated
    Link

    Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee Roster – Updated
    Link

    ISCT

    For more information on the Somatic Cell Therapy Symposium, see www.celltherapysociety.org.

    AABB-ISCT Cellular Therapy Audioconference Series
    Link

    European branch of the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT-Europe) and German Society for Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology (DGTI) Joint meeting “Regulatory Framework for Advanced Medicinal Products in Europe”
    Link

    Profiled Journal

    Join ISCT($130) and receive the journal as a benefit of membership.

    Current Volume: Volume 8 Number 4 / August 2006

    Cytotherapy publishes original research, reviews, meeting reports, special focus issues and letters in the general field of cell therapy. The scope of the journal includes basic and applied research with hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic stem cells, immune cells, and antigen-presenting cells. Therapeutic topics within the scope of Cytotherapy include ex-vivo and in-vivo aspects of gene therapy, immunotherapy, stem cell transplantation and tissue regeneration. Cytotherapy particularly welcomes contributions from researchers, clinicians, technicians and individuals involved in regulatory aspects of cell therapy.
    http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/link.asp?id=107693


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