Cord Blood News Volume 2.37 | Sep 30 2010

Quantitative and Qualitative CD4 T-Cell Immune Responses Related to Adenovirus DNAemia in Hematopoietic-Stem Cell Transplantation
At three months, both incidence and level intensities of adenovirus-specific CD4 appeared similar in genoidentical and unrelated bone-marrow transplantation and not statistically different from age-matched controls, whereas cord-blood transplantated patients exhibited similar incidence but higher level intensities. [Biol Blood Bone Marrow Transplant]

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Inhibiting Cell Signaling Pathway May Improve Bone Marrow Transplant Success Rate
Identification of a molecular communications pathway that influences the mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells could lead to targeted therapies for improving bone marrow transplant success rates. [Press release from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center discussing online prepublication in Nature Medicine]

Pharmacological Inhibition of EGFR Signaling Enhances G-CSF-Induced Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization
Findings reveal a previously unknown signaling pathway regulating stem cell mobilization and provided a new pharmacological approach for improving hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell mobilization and thereby transplantation outcomes. [Nat Med]

Notch Signaling Is a Critical Regulator of Allogeneic CD4+ T Cell Responses Mediating Graft-Versus-Host Disease
Results identify Notch as a novel essential regulator of pathogenic CD4+ T cell responses during acute graft-versus-host disease and suggest that Notch signaling in T cells should be investigated as a therapeutic target following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. [Blood]

Modeling the Human 8p11-Myeloproliferative Syndrome in Immunodeficient Mice
Researchers report that expression of ZMYM2/FGFR1 (previously known as ZNF198/FGFR1) or BCR/FGFR1 in normal human CD34+ cells from umbilical-cord blood leads to increased cellular proliferation and differentiation toward the erythroid lineage in vitro. [Blood]

Suppression of Dendritic Cell Activation by Diabetes Autoantigens Linked to the Cholera Toxin B Subunit
Incubation of human umbilical cord blood monocyte-derived immature dendritic cells (DCs) with cholera toxin B subunit-proinsulin fusion protein autoantigen fusion protein increased the surface membrane expression of DC toll-like receptor (TLR-2) while no significant upregulation in TLR-4 expression was detected. [Immunobiology]

Lentiviral Labeling Reveals Three Germ Layer Differentiation Potential of a Single Unrestricted Somatic Stem Cell from Human Cord Blood
The proof of the clonal existence of unrestricted somatic stem cells is important for the assessment of biological properties unique for these unrestricted human stem cell candidates. [Exp Hematol]

Ex Vivo Expansion of Human HSCs with Sendai Virus Vector Expressing HoxB4 Assessed by Sheep In Utero Transplantation
Researchers tested the SeV/deltaP vector expressing the HoxB4 gene for the ex vivo expansion of human cord blood CD34+ cells (HSCs) using a sheep in utero transplantation assay. [Exp Hematol]

A Comparison of DNA Damage Induced by Aflatoxin B1 in Hepatocyte-Like Cells; Their Progenitor Mesenchymal Stem Cells and CD34+ Cells Isolated from Umbilical Cord Blood
Hepatocyte-mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were most sensitive to DNA damage, followed by umbilical cord blood (UCB)-CD34+ cells, then UCB-MSCs and finally hepatocyte-CD34+ cells. [Mutat Res]

Cord Blood Administration Induces Oligodendrocyte Survival Through Alterations in Gene Expression
Researchers have shown that infusion of human umbilical cord blood cells protects striatal white matter tracts in vivo and directly protects mature primary oligodendrocyte cultures from oxygen glucose deprivation. [Brain Res]

U.S. Budgets $1.9 Billion to Back New Drugs and Vaccines
The U.S. has $1.9 billion available for new biotech initiatives that can fight off the biologic threats of the future. The government's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority has handed out contracts worth potentially more than $100 million to help accelerate work on a range of drug and vaccine development technologies. [FierceBiotech Research]

Cerus Awarded $1.4 Million to Advance Development of Pathogen Inactivation for Red Blood Cells
Cerus Corporation announced that it has received an additional $1.4 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to support advanced development of the company's pathogen inactivation technology for red blood cells. [Cerus Corporation Press Release]

Seattle Genetics and Millennium Announce Positive Top-Line Brentuximab Vedotin (SGN-35) Data from Pivotal Trial in Relapsed and Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma
Seattle Genetics, Inc. and Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company announced positive top-line results from the pivotal trial of single-agent brentuximab vedotin (SGN-35), an antibody-drug conjugate targeted to CD30. [Seattle Genetics, Inc. Press Release]

Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Benefit of Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation with an Unrelated Donor has not Been Sufficiently Investigated
It remains an unresolved question whether adult patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma benefit from allogeneic stem cell transplantation with an unrelated donor. [German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care Press Release]

Stem Cells That Save Big Pharma a Bundle
Researchers hope they can use human tissue created from stem cells to help identify potentially dangerous side-effects from drugs under development before human trials. [BusinessWeek]

Bill to Spur Collection of Life-Saving Cord Blood Awaits Action by Schwarzenegger
A bill on Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk would set up a system to let parents donate cord blood at no cost. It would be made available to them and to members of the public seeking matches. [California Legislature, United States]

U.S. Can Continue Stem-Cell Funding, Court Says
Scientists who use embryonic stem cells for research can continue to receive U.S. taxpayer funding while the government challenges a lower-court order that barred federal support, an appeals court said. [Court of Appeals, United States]

Judges Ask Tough Questions of Both Sides in Appeal of Stem Cell Research Ban
Government lawyers asked an appeals court to suspend a lower court ruling that froze federally funded research on human embryonic stem cells last month. In a rapid-fire discussion that lasted more than an hour, a three-judge panel had tough questions for both sides in the dispute; at the end of the hearing, it wasn't clear which way the court was leaning. [Court of Appeals, United States]

New Legislation Introduced to Form First U.S. National Strategy for Regenerative Medicine, with Commendation from the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine
The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine announced the introduction of the bi-partisan Regenerative Medicine Promotion Act of 2010 in the U.S. House of Representatives. [House of Representatives , United States]

Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Create Jobs and Promote Investment in Life Sciences
U.S. Representatives introduced bipartisan legislation that will provide tax incentives for small and mid-sized businesses to invest in life sciences research and development on a targeted basis. The Life Sciences Jobs and Investment Act of 2010 provides an opportunity to enhance medical innovation, life sciences education and job creation in the United States. [House of Representatives, United States]

NIH and FDA Announce Awards to Advance Regulatory Science
The National Institutes of Health will award $9.4 million over three years to support four research projects in regulatory science. This research is conducted in partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which will contribute approximately $950,000. [National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration, United States]

FDA Issues Rule on Drug Trials
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a new rule aimed at boosting the quality of safety information it receives on investigational drugs and medical products during clinical trials. [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

U.K. Research Leaders Make Final Stand Against Science Cuts
Top officials from six U.K. universities joined Martin Rees, president of the Royal Society, in London in a last-ditch attempt to avert the government's expected cuts in science funding, which will be detailed in its forthcoming comprehensive spending review, scheduled for release on 20 October. [Royal Society, United Kingdom]

European Medicines Agency Publishes First Review of Orphan Designation
The European Medicines Agency has published the first of its ‘review of orphan designation’ documents. [European Medicines Agency, European Union]

Guidance on Withdrawal of Subjects From Research: Data Retention and Other Related Issues (FR Doc. 2010-23517) [Department of Health and Human Services, United States]

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Notice of Closed Meetings (FR Doc. 2010-24142) [National Institutes of Health, United States]
 
Office of Biotechnology Activities, Office of Science Policy, Office of the Director; Notice of Meeting (FR Doc. 2010-23947) [National Institutes of Health, United States]
 
Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings (FR Doc. 2010-23952) [National Institutes of Health, United States]
 
Investigational New Drug Safety Reporting Requirements for Human Drug and Biological Products and Safety Reporting Requirements for Bioavailability and Bioequivalence Studies in Humans [Docket No. FDA-2000-N-0108] (formerly Docket No. 00N-1484) [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

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