Cord Blood News Volume 10.50 | Dec 20 2018

TOP STORY

Cord Blood Transplantation Is Associated with Good Outcomes in Secondary Acute Myeloid Leukemia in First Remission

Scientists conducted a retrospective survey within the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation registry to assess the outcomes of cord blood transplantation in secondary acute myeloid leukemia. [J Intern Med] Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Reduced-Toxicity Myeloablative Conditioning Consisting of Fludarabine/Busulfan/Low-Dose TBI/G-CSF-Combined Cytarabine in Single Cord Blood Transplantation for Elderly Patients with Non-Remission Myeloid Malignancies

Investigators evaluated the outcome of unrelated single cord blood transplantation using a conditioning regimen of fludarabine 180 mg/m², intravenous busulfan 9.6 mg/kg, 4 Gy total body irradiation, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-combined high-dose cytarabine in 23 elderly patients with non-remission myeloid malignancies between 2013 and 2018 in their institution. [Biol Blood Marrow Transplant] Abstract

Combination of Epigallocatechin Gallate and Sulforaphane Counteracts In Vitro Oxidative Stress and Delays Stemness Loss of Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells

Scientists investigated the protective effect of two antioxidants, sulforaphane and epigallocatechin gallate, against in vitro oxidative stress due to hyperoxia and freeze-thawing cycles in amniotic fluid stem cells. [Oxid Med Cell Longev] Full Article

Nucleated Red Blood Cells as a Novel Indicator of CD34⁺ Cell Content in Umbilical Cord Blood

The authors sought to identify a readily available preprocessing metric that would correlate with CD34⁺ cell counts, without the cost of additional analysis. Data were compiled for 131 umbilical cord blood units processed at the regional cord blood bank. Preprocessing hematologic metrics, including complete blood count and differential, were compared to postprocessing CD34⁺ cell quantities. [Transfusion] Abstract

Seasonal Variability Is not Observed in the Rates of High Anti‐A and Anti‐B Titers in Plasma, Apheresis Platelet, and Whole Blood Units Tested by Different Methods

Researchers collected data on anti‐A and anti‐B titer practices for plasma, apheresis platelet, and whole blood units from January 2015 through December 2017 to determine the prevalence of high‐titer units using local definitions. [Transfusion] Abstract

Comparative Evaluation of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Umbilical Cord and Amniotic Membrane in Xeno-Free Conditions

Scientists conducted a direct head-to-head comparison with regard to biological characteristics and immunosuppression effects of amniotic membrane MSCs and umbilical cord MSCs expanded in platelet lysate. [BMC Cell Biol] Full Article

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Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Preclinical Cancer Cytotherapy: A Systematic Review

The authors evaluated the impact of experimental anti-cancer therapies based on MSCs of human origin (with special focus on human bone marrow-/adipose tissue-/umbilical cord-MSCs). [Stem Cell Res Ther] Full Article

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the cord blood research field.

Be The Match BioTherapies^® Announces Collaboration with National Health Service Blood and Transplant of the United Kingdom

Be The Match BioTherapies^® announced a collaboration with the National Health Service Blood and Transplant, the public organization responsible for the donation and storage of blood in England, and organ, tissue, bone marrow and stem cells in the U.K. [Be The Match BioTherapies] Press Release

ExCellThera Receives FDA Orphan Drug Designation for ECT-001 for the Prevention of Graft-versus-Host Disease

ExCellThera Inc. announced that the FDA has granted the ExCellThera’s lead solution, ECT-001, orphan drug designation for the prevention of graft-versus-host-disease. ECT-001 uses a proprietary small molecule and an optimized culture system to expand therapeutic stem and immune cells and is being evaluated in several clinical trials. [ExCellThera Inc.] Press Release

University of California Squares Off against Major Publisher, with Big Stakes for Access to Research

There’s a high-stakes fight in California that could shape the way that academic research gets read and published far beyond the West Coast. The battle is pitting the University of California system against Elsevier, the Netherlands-based publisher of academic journals. At issue is how open-access research gets paid for. [STAT News] Editorial

Canadian Government Ending Networks of Centres of Excellence Program

Canada’s federal government is ending a 30-year-old research funding program, the Networks of Centres of Excellence, leaving researchers uncertain about where future funding will come from, The Globe and Mail reports. The program will be phased out over the course of the next three years, according to a spokesperson for Science Minister Kirsty Duncan. [The Scientist] Editorial

Plan S: The Ambitious Initiative to End the Reign of Paywalls

Efforts to eradicate paywalls have been gaining stream in Europe. Over the last few years, university consortia in several countries have been pushing for open-access agreements in negotiations that have occasionally led to heated stalemates. [The Scientist] Editorial

Australia Cuts Research Funding for Universities

Australian scientists have expressed disappointment over an AU$328.5 million cut to research funding that had been expected over the next four years. In a budget update, the government announced that it will freeze funding increases for the program that supports research, facilities, and training, including of PhDs, at universities. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW International Conference on Cellular Therapies: Focus on Immune Based Therapeutic Concepts
September 20-22, 2019
Mandelieu, France

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.

NEW Research Associate/Assistant Professor – Hematopoiesis (Pennsylvania State University)

Staff Scientist – Hematology (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)

Research Officer – Hematopoietic Stem Cells (The University of Queensland)

Tenure Track Assistant Professor – Center for Regenerative Medicine (Massachusetts General Hospital)

Associate Professor/Professor – Regenerative Medicine or Stem Cell Biology (University of Toronto)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Leukemia (Lund University)

Research Scientist – Hematologic Malignancies (Mayo Clinic)

Postdoctoral Research Scholar – Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (Washington University School of Medicine)

Faculty Position – GvHD or Immunotherapy (Medical College of Wisconsin)

Postdoctoral Associate – Hematopoiesis and Leukemia (The Jackson Laboratory)

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