Cord Blood News Volume 2.48 | Dec 23 2010

Cord Blood Cell Transplantation Provides Improvement for Severely Brain-Injured Child 
In three monthly injections, researchers transplanted neurally-committed, autologous cord blood derived cells tagged with iron oxide nanoparticles into the lateral cerebral ventricle of a 16-month old child with severe global hypoxic ischemic brain injury. [Press release from EurekAlert! discussing online prepublication in Cell Medicine]

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A Collaborative Team of Scientists and Physicians at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Uses Genetic Sequencing to Identify and Treat an Unknown Disease
For the one of the first times in medical history, researchers and physicians sequenced all the genes in a boy’s DNA to identify a previously-unknown mutation. The team was able not only to identify the mutation, but to develop a treatment plan using a cord blood transplant, and stop the course of the disease. [Press release from the Medical College of Wisconsin discussing online prepublication in Genetics in Medicine]

How We Search: A Guide to the Selection and Acquisition of Unrelated Cord Blood Grafts
This manuscript aims to provide a framework for cord blood (CB) unit selection and help transplant centers perform efficient CB searches. [Blood]
 
KRAS(G12V) Enhances Proliferation and Initiates Myelomonocytic Differentiation in Human Stem/Progenitor Cells via Intrinsic and Extrinsic Pathways
Angiopoietin-like 6 was identified as an important factor in the KRASG12V secretome that enhanced proliferation of human cord blood CD34+ cells. [J Biol Chem]

Optimization of Culture Conditions for the Expansion of Umbilical Cord Derived MSC Like Cells Using Xeno-Free Culture Conditions
An optimized protocol for the expansion of mesenchymal stem or stromal cell (MSC)-like cells from whole umbilical cord tissue under xeno-free culture conditions is proposed. [Tissue Eng Part C Methods]
 
Making a Definitive Diagnosis: Successful Clinical Application of Whole Exome Sequencing in a Child with Intractable Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Based on his medical history, genetic and functional data, the child was diagnosed as having an X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis deficiency. Based on this finding, an allogeneic hematopoietic progenitor cell transplant was performed to prevent the development of life-threatening hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, in concordance with the recommended treatment for X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis deficiency. [Genet Med]

Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation with Full-Intensity Conditioning for Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Results from a Single Center 1998-2006
A retrospective analysis identified 161 consecutive adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation with full-intensity (myeloablative) conditioning between 1998 and 2006. [Biol Blood Marrow Transplant]

Thiolated Polyacrylic Acid-Modified Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for In Vitro Labeling and MRI of Stem Cells
The purpose of this study was to develop and characterize new surface-modified iron oxide nanoparticles demonstrating the efficiency to be internalized by human endothelial progenitor cells from umbilical cord blood. [J Drug Target]
 
Genetically Modified Human Umbilical Cord Blood Cells Expressing Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 Differentiate into Glial Cells After Transplantation into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Transgenic Mice
Results demonstrate that genetically naïve human umbilical cord blood cells (hUCBCs) may differentiate into endothelial (CD34+) and microglial (iba1+) cells; however when over-expressing vascular endothelial growth factor-human fibroblast growth factor 2, hUCBCs transform into astrocytes (S100+). [Exp Biol Med]
 
Intracerebroventricular Transplantation of Cord Blood-Derived Neural Progenitors in a Child With Severe Global Brain Ischemic Injury
This report indicates that intracerebroventricular transplantation of autologous, neutrally committed cord blood cells is a feasible, well tolerated, and safe procedure, at least during 6 months of the observation period. [Cell Med]

Circulating Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells in Cardiovascular Disease
Experiments in mice showed differentiation of bone marrow-derived very small embryonic-like cells (VSELs) into cardiac myocytes and effectiveness of expanded and pre-differentiated VSELs in improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction after myocardial infarction. [J Cardiovasc Transl Res]

LifeCell to Raise Rs 46 Crore via Private Equity
LifeCell International, a Chennai-based cord blood banking and stem cell research company, plans to raise around Rs 46 crore through private equity firms. [Business Standard]
 
Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Announces $3 Million in Convertible Note Funding
Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced $3 million in Convertible Note funding. The new funds will be used to prepare for Phase II trials of BPX-101, the company’s DeCIDe™ vaccine for metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer, and CaspaCIDe™, a cell therapy safety switch under initial development in the hematopoietic stem cell therapy setting. [Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Press Release]

CIRM Governing Board Re-Elects Robert Klein as Chair, Senator Art Torres and Duane Roth as Co-Vice Chairs
The Governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state stem cell agency created by proposition 71, voted to re-elect current chair Robert Klein. [California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Press Release]

FamilyCord and Hoag Hospital Team Up for Cord Blood Storage
FamilyCord and Hoag Hospital announced a transfer agreement establishing FamilyCord as the cord blood storage provider for the Hoag Cancer Center and Cell Biology Lab. [PR Newswire]

Massachusetts General Hospital’s Warren Triennial Prize to Honor Pioneers of Cellular Reprogramming
The 2011 Warren Triennial Prize of Massachusetts General Hospital will be awarded to Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, who discovered a method to convert adult cells into cells with characteristics of embryonic stem cells, and Rudolf Jaenisch, MD, whose extension of Yamanaka’s work includes using those cells to generate animal models of important human diseases. [Massachusetts General Hospital Press Release]

Presidential Commission on Bioethics Calls for Enhanced Federal Oversight in Emerging Field of Synthetic Biology
The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues released its first report — a wide-ranging review of the emerging field of synthetic biology — issuing 18 recommendations including a call for coordinated federal oversight of scientists working in both large institutions and smaller settings. [The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, United States]

Funding for Science and Research
Funding plans for science and research 2011/12 to 2014/15 were published by the Government. [Department for Business Innovation and Skills, United Kingdom]

National Institutes of Health (United States)

Food and Drug Administration (United States)

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)
 
European Medicines Agency (European Union)
 
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

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