Cord Blood News Volume 3.03 | Jan 27 2011

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    Cord Blood News 3.03, January 27, 2011.
    In this issue: Science News  |  Current Publications  |  Industry News  |  Policy News  |  Events

    TOP STORY

    Gene Therapy of Intracranial Glioma Using Interleukin 12-Secreting Human Umbilical Cord Blood-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
    Results provide the rational for designing novel experimental protocols to induce long-term antitumor immunity against intracranial gliomas using umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells as an effective delivery vehicle for therapeutic cytokines including modified interleukin-12. [Hum Gene Ther]

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    SPECIAL FEATURE

    A Very Sad Loss – Stem Cell Pioneer Ernest A. McCulloch Passes Away
    It is with great sadness that scientists honor the life and extraordinary contributions of Dr. Ernest “Bun” McCulloch who passed away on Wednesday, January 19th, 2011. Dr. McCulloch, along with his close friend and colleague, Dr. James Till, was a pioneer in the field of stem cell research. [Canadian Stem Cell Foundation Press Release]

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    SCIENCE NEWS

    Prototype Drug Targets Metabolism, Halts Disease That Limits Bone Marrow Transplantation
    A prototype drug already shown to hold promise for treating autoimmune disorders like lupus, arthritis and psoriasis halts established graft-versus-host disease in mouse models of bone marrow transplantation, research shows. [Press release from the University of Michigan discussing online prepublication in Science Translational Medicine]

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    CURRENT PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by Impact Factor of the Journal)

    Sox6 Enhances Erythroid Differentiation in Human Erythroid Progenitors
    Researchers explore the role of Sox6 in human erythropoiesis by its overexpression in both the erythroleukemic K562 cell line and in primary erythroid cultures from human cord blood CD34+ cells [Blood]

    Regulation of Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease by Human Umbilical Cord Blood Derived Stromal Cells in Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation in Mice Through Very Late Activation Antigen-4
    This study aimed to investigate the possible mechanism by in vitro cocultured splenocytes of donor mice with human umbilical cord blood derived stromal cells and in haploidentical stem cell transplantation in mice with acute graft-versus-host disease. [Clin Immunol]

    Successful Reduced-Intensity SCT from Unrelated Cord Blood in Three Patients with X-Linked SCID
    Reduced-intensity conditioning consisting of fludarabine and BU and transplantation from unrelated cord blood was an effective and safe treatment for these patients with X-SCID. [Bone Marrow Transplant]

    Apheresis Days Required for Harvesting CD34+ Cells Predicts Hematopoietic Recovery and Survival Following Autologous Transplantation
    Researchers sought to determine whether patients requiring more aphereses to obtain adequate numbers of CD34+ cells had delayed hematopoietic recovery following autologous transplantation. [Bone Marrow Transplant]

    Covalently Immobilized Glycosaminoglycans Enhance Megakaryocyte Progenitor Expansion and Platelet Release
    This study sought to examine the effects of immobilized glycosaminoglycans on the expansion, apoptosis, and platelet release activity of CD41a+ Mk progenitors in vitro. [J Biomed Mater Res A]

    Human Umbilical Cord Blood Plasma Can Replace Fetal Bovine Serum for In Vitro Expansion of Functional Human Endothelial Colony-Forming Cells
    The novel formulation of endothelial cell culture medium allows researchers, for the first time, to isolate and expand human endothelial colony-forming cells efficiently in vitro with a low concentration of human umbilical cord blood plasma (1.5%) and without bovine serum additives. [Cytotherapy]

    Manipulating the Bioenergetics of Alloreactive T Cells Causes Their Selective Apoptosis and Arrests Graft-Versus-Host Disease
    Researchers found that bone marrow (BM) cells proliferating after BM transplantation increased aerobic glycolysis but not OXPHOS, whereas T cells proliferating in response to alloantigens during graft-versus-host disease increased both aerobic glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation. [Sci Transl Med]


    INDUSTRY NEWS

    International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) Launches Inaugural Cell Therapy Commercial Development Focus Group on Peripheral Vascular Disease
    In keeping with its commitment to connect industry, regulatory experts, therapeutic societies and translational centers to advance emerging cellular therapies, ISCT announced its first commercial development focus group addressing Cell Therapies for Peripheral Vascular Disease. [Reuters]

    Héma-Québec Selects Pilgrim Software to Manage Enterprise-Wide Quality and Compliance Processes
    Pilgrim Software, Inc. announced that Héma-Québec, the Canadian service organization that manages the collection and distribution of blood and blood products for the Province of Québec, has selected Pilgrim to manage key quality-related processes across its province-wide operations. [Pilgrim Software, Inc. Press Release]

    NYU Langone Medical Center Establishes The Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Stem Cell/Bone Marrow Transplant Center
    NYU Langone Medical Center announced the opening of The Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Stem Cell/Bone Marrow Transplant Center (Kaplan Center), dedicated to providing stem cell transplants and comprehensive in-patient and out-patient care for adult and pediatric patients with hematologic cancers. [NYU Langone Medical Center Press Release]

    First Cord Blood Collection Center in the Midlands
    Cord blood donation is now taking place at Leicester’s Hospitals thanks to the development of a new Anthony Nolan cord blood collection centre, the first of its kind outside the south east of England. [University Hospitals of Leicester Press Release]

    Consensus Statement: Statement on Policies and Practices Governing Data and Materials Sharing and Intellectual Property in Stem Cell Science
    Tension is increasing between fairly new and pervasive policies and practices governing data and materials sharing and intellectual property in science, and norms of openness and free exchange. While intellectual property rights can bring private investment into areas underfunded by governments and help bridge gaps between scientific invention or discovery and useful technologies, some new and emerging policies and practices risk slowing innovation in research and development and skewing attention toward large markets, to the disadvantage of small markets, such as those for rare diseases and in some emerging economies. [Hinxton Group]


    POLICY NEWS

    Senator Wants to Get the Word Out on Umbilical Cord Blood
    Senator Margaret Sitte, R-Bismarck, is pushing a bill that would require the state to distribute information on the use of umbilical cord blood. Sitte said she wants the Health Department to start distributing information on the process and its risks and benefits. [North Dakota Senate, United States]

    Advisory Council on Blood Stem Cell Transplantation; Notice of Meeting (FR Doc. 2011-1266) [Health Resources and Services Administration, United States]

    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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