Cord Blood News Volume 5.27 | Jul 11 2013

Targeting Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetes via Immune Modulation of Cord Blood-Derived Multipotent Stem Cells (CB-SCs) in Stem Cell Educator Therapy: Phase I/II Clinical Trial
In an open-label, phase I/phase II study, patients with long-standing type 2 diabetes were divided into three groups (Group A, oral medications; Group B, oral medications + insulin injections; Group C having impaired beta-cell function with oral medications + insulin injections). All patients received one treatment with the Stem Cell Educator therapy in which a patient’s blood is circulated through a closed-loop system that separates mononuclear cells from the whole blood, briefly co-cultures them with adherent CB-SCs, and returns the educated autologous cells to the patient’s circulation. [BMC Med] Abstract | Full Article

Cord Blood Lin^–CD45^– Embryonic-Like Stem Cells Are a Heterogeneous Population That Lack Self-Renewal Capacity
Human umbilical cord blood (hUCB) has been proposed to contain not only hematopoietic stem cells, but also a rare pluripotent embryonic-like stem cell (ELSc) population that is negative for hematopoietic markers (Lin^–CD45^–) and expresses markers typical of pluripotent cells. Researchers aimed to isolate, characterize and expand this ELSc fraction from hUCB, as it may provide a valuable cell source for regenerative medicine applications. [PLoS One] Full Article

TLR7/TLR8 Activation Restores Defective Cytokine Secretion by Myeloid Dendritic Cells but Not by Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in HIV-Infected Pregnant Women and Newborns
The consequences of HIV infection on the innate immune system of both mother-newborn are not well understood. Scientists analyzed peripheral blood and umbilical cord blood collected from HIV-1-infected and uninfected pregnant women. They measured TNF-α, IL-10 and IFN-α secretion after the stimulation of the cells with agonists of both extracellular Toll-like receptors (TLRs) (TLR2, TLR4 and TLR5) and intracellular TLRs (TLR7, TLR7/8 and TLR9). [PLoS One] Full Article

Production of Erythrocytes from Directly Isolated or Delta1 Notch Ligand Expanded CD34⁺ Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells: Process Characterization, Monitoring and Implications for Manufacture
CD34⁺ cord blood cells or equivalent cells that had been pre-expanded for seven days with Delta1 Notch ligand were placed in erythroid expansion and differentiation conditions in a micro-scale ambr suspension bioreactor. Multiple culture parameters were varied, and phenotype markers and metabolites measured to identify conserved trends and robust monitoring markers. [Cytotherapy] Abstract

Double Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation for Hematological Malignancies: A Long- Term Analysis from the SFGM-TC Registry
In order to overcome the low cellularity of one umbilical cord blood (UCB) unit, double UCB transplantation (dUCBT) has been developed in adults. The authors analyzed the outcome of 136 patients who underwent dUCBT reported to the SFGM-TC registry between 2005 and 2007. [Exp Hematol] Abstract

A Strategy for Enhancing the Engraftment of Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells in NOD/SCID Mice
Researchers showed that adipose tissue (AT)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs) and cord blood (CB)-MSCs enhanced the engraftment of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) as effectively as bone marrow-MSCs in NOD/SCID mice, suggesting that AT-MSCs and CB-MSCs can be used as alternative stem cell sources for enhancing the engraftment and homing of HSCs. [Ann Hematol] Abstract

Directed Differentiation of Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells into Cortical GABAergic Neurons
Investigators used purified umbilical cord blood non-hematopoietic stem cells to produced GABAergic neurons with similar developmental and functional characteristics to cortical GABAergic neurons. [Acta Neurobiol Exp] Abstract | Full Article

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Pluristem’s South Korean Partner Files IND with Korean FDA for PLX Cells
On the heels of announcing its strategic partnership agreement with Cha Bio&Diostech, Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. announced that Cha Bio&Diostech “Cha” has filed its first investigational new drug (IND) application for Pluristem’s PLacental eXpanded (PLX) cells with the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). This IND is for the use of PLX-PAD in the treatment of intermittent claudication (IC) and mirrors the clinical protocol implemented by Pluristem in its FDA supervised Phase II IC clinical trial in the United States. [Pluristem Therapeutics Inc.] Press Release

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