Cord Blood News Volume 2.21 | Jun 3 2010

TOP STORY

Feasibility and Safety of Adoptive Immunotherapy with CIK Cells After Cord Blood Transplantation
Five patients with aggressive acute leukemias who had relapsed after cord blood transplantation were treated with cord blood derived Cytokine Induced Killer (CIK) cells. [Biol Blood Marrow Transplant]

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SCIENCE NEWS

Mannitol Boosts Effectiveness of Cord Blood Treatment for Cerebral Palsy, New Animal Study Finds
The sugar-alcohol compound mannitol improved the therapeutic effectiveness of human umbilical cord blood cells injected into neonatal rat models of cerebral palsy. [Press release from the University of South Florida discussing online prepublication in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine]

Study Identifies Promising Treatment for Aggressive Lymphoma
New research illustrates that some patients with transformed lymphoma showed “remarkable” response to lenalidomide, an oral drug with few side effects. [Press release from Mayo Clinic discussing research to be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting]

CURRENT PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by Impact Factor of the Journal)

Mannitol Facilitates Neurotrophic Factor Up-Regulation and Behavioral Recovery in Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Rats with Human Umbilical Cord Blood Grafts
Researchers examined whether the same blood-brain barrier permeabilization using mannitol increases the therapeutic effects of intravenously delivered human umbilical cord blood in a neonatal hypoxic-ischemic injury model. [J Cell Mol Med]

Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Seeding on Fast-Resorbable Calcium Phosphate Bone Cement
Researchers investigated the physical properties and the differentiation capacity of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on calcium phosphate cement scaffolds with improved dissolution/resorption rates. [Tissue Eng Part A]

Monosomal Karyotype Provides Better Prognostic Prediction after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in AML Patients
Researchers studied cytogenetic risk grouping schemes to stratify acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients (n=212) into prognostically distinct subgroups for relapse incidence, progression free and overall survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. [Biol Blood Bone Marrow Transplant]

Glycoprotein IbAlpha Receptor Instability Is Associated with Loss of Quality of Platelets Produced in Culture
The present study confirms that functional platelets can be generated in cord blood CD34+ cell cultures, though these are highly susceptible to ectodomain shedding of receptors associated with loss of function. [Stem Cells Dev]

Flow Cytometric Identification of CD93 Expression on Naive T Lymphocytes (CD4+CD45RA+ Cells) in Human Neonatal Umbilical Cord Blood
Results provide the first direct evidence of a novel/naive cell population (CD4+CD45RA+CD93+) in neonatal umbilical cord blood that may have an important role in cell biology, transplantation, and immature/mature immune responses. [J Clin Immunol]

Inefficient Dystrophin Expression After Cord Blood Transplantation in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
This case suggests that umbilical cord-derived hematopoietic stem cell transplantation will not be efficacious in the therapy of Duchenne muscular dystrophy without additional interventions that induce engraftment of donor cells in skeletal muscle. [Muscle Nerve]

Double Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation for Children and Adolescents
Umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) with two units has been conducted with promising results in adults to overcome the limitation of low cell numbers. In an attempt to improve the outcome, double UCBT was performed in children and adolescents. [Ann Hematol]

Human Cord Blood Stem Cell Therapy for Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence
Results suggest that transurethral umbilical cord blood stem cell injection is an effective treatment for women with all types of stress urinary incontinence. [J Korean Med Sci]

INDUSTRY NEWS

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® and Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. Enter Partnership to Advance Clinical Development of ESTYBON™ in High Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome Patients
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Onconova Therapeutics, Inc., announced that they are collaborating to support the clinical advancement of ESTYBON™, the lead compound under development for treating patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome. [Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. Press Release]

University of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic Sign Research Pact with Karolinska
The University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic, under the mantle of the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics, have formed a strategic research relationship with the Karolinska Institute of Stockholm, Sweden. Leaders of each institution signed memoranda of understanding to commit to the formal ongoing collaboration, called the Frontiers of Biomedical Research. [Mayo Clinic Press Release]

European Consortium Awards $29.5 Million for 16 Projects Employing Systems Biology
ERASYSBIO+ has agreed to fund systems biology projects involving a total 85 research groups from 14 countries. [GenomeWeb Press Release]

Soligenix Announces Grant of European Patent for the Treatment of Graft versus Host Disease and Leukemia with Oral Beclomethasone Dipropionate
Soligenix, Inc. announced that the European Patent Office granted patent EP 1830857 “Method of Treatment of Graft versus Host Disease and Leukemia with Beclomethasone Diproprionate and Prednisone.” [Soligenix, Inc. Press Release]

Biocell Center — The Nation’s First Amniotic Fluid Stem Cell Bank — Reaches Out to Online Moms
Biocell Center, the nation’s first amniotic fluid stem cell bank, reached out to the online expecting mothers’ community through the popular website “the Bump” in an effort to educate women about the opportunity to preserve stem cells from amniotic fluid during their pregnancy. [SEO Press Releases]

Cord Blood America Announces Early Start to Groundbreaking ‘Afford-A-Cord’ Program
Cord Blood America, Inc., announced that its groundbreaking “Afford-A-Cord” program, which reduces the initial cost of storing umbilical cord blood stem cells from $2075 to $495 plus medical courier service, will be launched on June 14, 2010 rather than July 1, 2010, as previously announced. [Cord Blood America, Inc. Press Release]

DFG Approves 12 New Collaborative Research Centers
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) has approved the establishment of twelve new Collaborative Research Centers. [German Research Foundation Press Release]

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to Hold Workshop on Health Consequences of Sickle Cell Trait
Scientists from across the nation will gather to discuss what is known about sickle cell trait and the potential health implications related to this genetic blood condition. [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Nod to Blood Storage Centers in Private Hospitals
For the first time in the State, the Health Department has given permission for private hospitals to start blood storage centers. [Department of Health, India]

Treasury Releases New Guidance for Tax Credit in Affordable Care Act to Support Groundbreaking Biomedical Research
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the guidelines for applying for the new Therapeutic Discovery Project Program created by the Affordable Care Act. [Department of the Treasury, United States]

Third Time’s a Charm for COMPETES Bill
By a vote of 262 to 150, legislators authorized $84 billion for research, education, and innovation programs over the next 5 years at the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and two Department of Commerce agencies—NOAA and NIST under the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act (HR 5116). [House of Representatives, United States]

Democrats: FDA Should Be Able to Recall Drugs
House Democrats repeatedly called for federal regulators to be given the authority to recall drugs. Pending legislation would grant that power to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for food, but not for drugs. [House of Representatives, United States]

Congress Considers Synthetic Biology Risks, Benefits
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the government is moving quickly to bring synthetic biology under review by two existing panels that have done a good job of monitoring cutting-edge research in the past. [U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, United States]

Last Hurrah from National Academies Stem Cell Committee
Even though the National Institutes of Health issued stem cell guidelines last year, there’s still a need for guidelines for research that remains off-limits for U.S. government-funded labs. [National Academies’ National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, United States]

NIH Set to Tighten Financial Rules for Researchers
After a wave of financial scandals over the past few years involving biomedical researchers, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposed far-reaching changes that would lead to tighter oversight of agency-funded extramural investigators and their institutions. [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Clarification of Requirements for Clinical Trials Populations and Data Sharing Plans for RFA-HD-10-008, Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network (U10) (NOT-HD-10-011) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Request for Information (RFI) on the NIH Plan to Develop the Genetic Testing Registry (NOT-OD-10-101) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

AABB Donor History Questionnaire Documents [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Exceptions and Alternative Procedures Approved Under 21 CFR 640.120 [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

EVENTS

International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) 8th Annual Meeting
June 16-19, 2010
San Francisco, United States

Select Biosciences World Biobanking Summit
August 24-25, 2010
Edinburgh, Scotland

International Society for Cellular Therapy – Europe 2nd Regional Meeting
September 11-14, 2010
Belgirate, Italy

International Society for Hematology and Stem Cells (ISEH) 2010 Meeting
September 15-18, 2010
Melbourne, Australia

AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks) Annual Meeting & Cellular Therapy and Transfusion Medicine Expo (CTTXPO) 2010
October 9-12, 2010
Baltimore, United States

52nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition
December 4-7, 2010
Orlando, United States

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

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Senior Scientist – Magnetic Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies)

Business Development Manager Europe – Cell Therapy Products (Pall Corporation)

Manager/Sr. Manager, Therapeutic Cell Solutions, Process Development (Lonza)

Sr. Product Support and Training Specialist (CardianBCT)

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