Cord Blood News Volume 2.29 | Aug 5 2010

Human Cord Blood-Derived Endothelial Progenitor Cells and Their Conditioned Media Exhibit Therapeutic Equivalence for Diabetic Wound Healing 
Human cord blood-derived endothelial progenitor cell transplantation stimulated keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation substantially as early as three days after injury, leading to significantly accelerated wound closure in streptozotocin-induced diabetic nude mice, compared to PBS control. [Cell Transplant]

		Learn about the benefits of MethoCult® Express for cord blood samples by STEMCELL Technologies
		WATCH THE VIDEO

Researchers Find Key Step in Body’s Ability to Make Red Blood Cells
Researchers found that a tiny fragment of RNA prompts stem cells to mature into red blood cells. They also created an artificial RNA inhibitor to block this process. [Press release from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center discussing online prepublication in Genes and Development]

Purified Blood Stem Cells Improve Success of Bone Marrow Transplants in Mice, Study Shows
Researchers have challenged decades of accepted wisdom about bone marrow transplantation with a new study showing that mice receiving purified blood stem cells are less prone to complications than mice receiving stem cells plus purified T cells. [Press release from discussing online prepublication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA]

		Need to expand CD34+ cells? StemSpan® serum-free expansion media are optimized for expanding hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells
		REQUEST A SAMPLE

Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Hematological Malignancy: Relative Risks and Benefits of Double Umbilical Cord Blood
Researchers conclude that leukemia-free survival after double umbilical cord blood (dUCB) transplantation is comparable to that observed after matched related donor and mismatched unrelated adult donor transplantation. For patients without an available HLA matched donor, the use of two partially HLA matched UCB units is a suitable alternative. [Blood]

Allogeneic T Cells Impair Engraftment and Hematopoiesis After Stem Cell Transplantation
Findings demonstrate that even early post-hematopoietic cell transplantation, T cells retard donor hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) engraftment and immune recovery. These observations contradict the postulation that mature donor T cells provide important transient immunity and facilitate HSC engraftment. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A]

The Role of Biomaterials in the Direction of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Properties and Extracellular Matrix Remodeling in Dermal Tissue Engineering
Researchers compared the epithelial-mesenchymal interaction and extracellular matrix remodeling of cell-based and collagen-based dermal equivalents using fibroblasts, bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cells or umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells, respectively, in co-culture with the keratinocyte cell line HaCaT. [Biomaterials]

The Effect of Human Umbilical Cord Blood Cells on Survival and Cytokine Production by Post-Ischemic Astrocytes In Vitro
Data demonstrate that the tested cord blood fractions do not enhance astrocyte survival when delivered individually, suggesting there is either another cellular component that is neuroprotective or an interaction of all the cells is essential for protection. [Stem Cell Rev]

Safety Evaluation of Allogeneic Umbilical Cord Blood Mononuclear Cell Therapy for Degenerative Conditions
The current hematology-based paradigm of need for matching and immune suppression needs to be revisited when cord blood is used for non-hematopoietic regenerative purposes in immune competent recipients. [J Transl Med]

Prognostic Factors for Outcomes of Pediatric Patients with Refractory or Relapsed Acute Leukemia Undergoing Allogeneic Progenitor Cell Transplantation
Results support the notion that allograft offers only a small chance of cure for most pediatric patients with refractory or relapsed acute leukemia, and suggest that reduction of the leukemia burden and earlier optimal timing of transplantation are essential for long-term survival even in patients with refractory acute leukemia. [Biol Blood Marrow Transplant]

One Antigen Mismatched Related vs. HLA-Matched Unrelated Donor Hematopoietic Transplantation in Adults with Acute Leukemia: CIBMTR Results in the Era of Molecular HLA Typing
Since less chronic graft-versus-host disease was observed in mismatched related donor, this option when available remains the first choice in acute leukemia patients without an HLA-identical sibling in need of allogeneic transplantation. [Biol Blood Marrow Transplant]

GVHD After Unrelated Cord Blood Transplant in Children: Characteristics, Severity, Risk Factors and Influence on Outcome
Researchers conclude that GVHD after day +100 after unrelated cord blood transplant typically carries features of acute GVHD. Moreover, and in marked contrast to adult unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the GVHD observed in this series did not adversely affect survival. [Bone Marrow Transplant]

Sanofi-aventis Said to Be Likely to Bid $18 Billion for Genzyme
Sanofi-aventis is likely to make an unsolicited offer of up to $70 a share for Genzyme, raising the stakes for what could become one of the year’s biggest deals, people briefed on the matter said. [The New York Times]

Grant of Nearly $5.2 Million Supports RPCI-Led Research to Improve Survival After Blood/Marrow Transplant
The National Institutes of Health has awarded a four-year, $5.18 million Research Project Grant (R01) to investigators at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) to support research aimed at improving the survival rate of patients who undergo a transplant of blood or bone marrow from an unrelated donor and making transplant a possibility for more patients. [Roswell Park Cancer Institute Press Release]

British Companies to Receive Support to Develop New Regenerative Medicine Products and Technologies
The government-backed Technology Strategy Board is to invest over £5 million to support the research and development in the UK of new regenerative medicine products, tools and technologies. 16 research and development projects in the field of regenerative medicine therapeutics are to receive a total of £3.6 million of investment, while a further £1.6 million is to be invested in 12 feasibility studies in the area of regenerative medicine tools and technologies. [Technology Strategy Board Press Release]

Geron to Proceed with First Human Clinical Trial of Embryonic Stem Cell-Based Therapy
Geron Corporation announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the company that the clinical hold placed on Geron’s Investigational New Drug application has been lifted and the company’s Phase I clinical trial of GRNOPC1 in patients with acute spinal cord injury may proceed. [Geron Corporation Press Release]

Cytori Gains Stem Cell Device Approval in Europe for Breast Cancer Reconstruction and Soft Tissue Repair
Cytori Therapeutics received expanded European approval for its Celution® System, a medical device that extracts and separates stem and regenerative cells from a patient’s own fat tissue. [Cytori Therapeutics Press Release]

NSF Funding Request Faring Well in Congress
While the 2011 budget requests of other U.S. research agencies are struggling to stay afloat in choppy fiscal seas, so far National Science Foundation’s (NSF) is sailing through Congress largely intact. [National Science Foundation, United States]

FDA Lifts Hold on First-Ever Embryonic Stem Cell Trial
Regulators have given a green light to the world’s first approved experiment using embryonic stem cells to treat a human disease. In the Phase I clinical trial, Geron Corporation will use stem cells to treat spinal cord injury. [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) Public Meeting
The Food and Drug Administration announced a 2-day public meeting to obtain input on issues and challenges associated with the development and implementation of risk evaluation and mitigation strategies for drugs. An archived webcast of the meeting is available. [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

MHRA Business Plan 2010 and Corporate Plan 2010-15 Published
The MHRA gained ministerial agreement for the Agency’s Business Plan 2010 and the Corporate Plan 2010-15. [Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, United Kingdom]

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request [Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, United States]

National Human Genome Research Institute; Notice of Closed Meeting (Doc. 2010-18627) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

National Cancer Institute; Notice of Closed Meetings [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Office of the Director; Notice of Closed Meeting [National Institutes of Health, United States]

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering; Notice of Meeting [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Correction of Major Programmatic Priorities for RFA-HL-11-025 (R01); “New Strategies for Growing 3D Tissues” (NOT-HL-11-115) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Guidance for Industry and Researchers on the Radioactive Drug Research Committee: Human Research Without an Investigational New Drug Application; Availability [Docket No. FDA-2009-D-0125] [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

EVENTS (Listed by Date)

9th Mount Desert Island Stem Cell Symposium
August 6-7, 2010
Salsbury Cove, United States

Select Biosciences 3rd Annual Stem Cells Europe Conference
August 24-25, 2010
Edinburgh, Scotland

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

Select Biosciences Inaugural Cellular Therapy Summit
August 24-25, 2010
Edinburgh, Scotland

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

Stem Cells USA & Regenerative Medicine Congress 2010
September 13-15, 2010
Philadelphia, United States

Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) – Asia Pacific 2010
September 15-17, 2010
Sydney, Australia

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

Cellular Therapy of Cancer Symposium – ATTACK Project Meeting
September 24-27, 2010
Montpellier, France

International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy of Cancer (ISCGT) Congress
September 27-29, 2010
Doha, Qatar

5th Annual Meeting of the German Society for Stem Cell Research
September 30-October 2, 2010
Lübeck, Germany

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

Institute for Genomic Medicine Inaugural Symposium
October 11-12, 2010
San Diego, United States

5th Annual Translational Stem Cell Research Conference
October 12-13, 2010
New York City, United States

Fraunhofer Life Science Symposium Leipzig 2010
October 29-30, 2010
Leipzig, Germany

World Cord Blood Congress
November 4-7, 2010
Marseille, France

Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s Inaugural Stem Cells in Drug Discovery and Development
November 8-9, 2010
San Diego, United States

Select Biosciences 2nd International Forum on Stem Cells (2010 IFSC)
November 12-13, 2010
Tianjin, China

The 16th International Conference of the International Society of Differentiation: From Stem Cells to Organisms
November 15-18, 2010
Nara, Japan

Stem Cell Network’s 10th Annual Scientific Meeting
November, 22-24, 2010
Calgary, Alberta

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

Select Biosciences 5th Annual Stem Cells World Congress
January 24-25, 2011
San Diego, United States

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

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Recruit Top Talent
Reach more than 11,000 potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities with Cord Blood News.

Visit here to post your career opportunities.

Have we missed an important article or publication in Cord Blood News? Click here to submit!

Comments or Suggestions? Email info@connexoncreative.com with your feedback.