Cord Blood News Volume 9.42 | Oct 26 2017

TOP STORY

Blood-Based Epigenetic Research May Hold Clues to Autism Biology, Study Suggests

Using data from blood and brain tissue, researchers found that they could gain insights into mechanisms that might help explain autism by analyzing the interplay between genes and chemical tags that control whether genes are used to make a protein, called epigenetic marks. [Press release from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health discussing online prepublication in Nature Communications] Press Release | Full Article

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Ex–Vivo Selection of Transduced Hematopoietic Stem Cells for Gene Therapy of β-Hemoglobinopathies

The authors fused codon-optimized puromycin N-acetyl-transferase to herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase. When expressed from a ubiquitous promoter within a complex lentiviral vector comprising the β^AT87Q-globin gene, viral titers and therapeutic gene expression were maintained at effective levels. [Mol Ther] Full Article

Evaluation of a Disease Risk Index for Adult Patients Undergoing Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation for Hematological Malignancies

Researchers determined the applicability of the disease risk index (DRI) for patients undergoing unrelated cord blood transplantation (UCBT). Their results showed the applicability of DRI for stratifying UCBT recipients and confirm the prognostic value of this simple and robust tool in this setting. [Br J Haematol] Abstract

Allogeneic Stem Cells Alter Gene Expression and Improve Healing of Distal Limb Wounds in Horses

Scientists evaluated the effects of direct wound treatment with allogeneic stem cells, in terms of gross, histologic, and transcriptional features of healing. Umbilical cord-blood derived equine MSCs were applied to each wound one day after wound creation, in one of four forms: (a) normoxic- or (b) hypoxic-preconditioned cells injected into wound margins, or (c) normoxic- or (d) hypoxic-preconditioned cells embedded in an autologous fibrin gel and applied topically to the wound bed. [Stem Cells Transl Med] Full Article

Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Derived Osteoblasts Promote the Expansion of Hematopoietic Progenitors through Beta-Catenin and Notch Signaling Pathways

The authors investigated the use of in vitro derived osteoblasts as a new source of feeder cells and characterized the molecular pathways that mediate their growth promoting activities. They compared the growth and differentiation modulating activities of MSC-derived osteoblasts to that of their undifferentiated precursor on umbilical cord blood progenitors. [Stem Cells Dev] Abstract

Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell–Derived Lung Progenitor and Alveolar Epithelial Cells Attenuate Hyperoxia-Induced Lung Injury

Investigators hypothesized that induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) prevent lung damage in experimental oxygen-induced bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Mouse AECs, miPSCs/mouse embryonic stem sells, human umbilical cord MSCs, human iPSCs (hiPSCs), hiPSC-derived lung progenitor cells and hiPSC-derived AECs were delivered intratracheally to hyperoxia-exposed newborn mice. [Cytotherapy] Abstract

Transplantation Routes Affect the Efficacy of Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a Rat GDM Model

Scientists isolated and cultured human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs) for transplantation, and the biological activity of HUMSCs was verified by flow cytometric analysis and potency of osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic differentiation. Transplantation of HUMSCs to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) rats increased the number of offspring in comparison to the negative controls. [Clin Chim Acta] Abstract

The Patterns of In Vitro Cell-Death and Inflammatory Cytokines Induced by Distinct BCG Vaccine Strains Are Differentially Induced in Human Mononuclear Cells

Investigators analyzed host cells purified directly from whole blood of human immunodeficiency virus-negative volunteers, comprising adult healthy donors and neonates, with the aim to directly compare in vitro immune responses with distinct Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) strains in human mononuclear cells. [Hum Vaccin Immunother] Abstract

Stem Cells as Potential Candidates for Psoriasis Cell-Replacement Therapy

The authors review data on the role played by stem cells in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and initial attempts at using them in treatment. [Int J Mol Sci] Full Article

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the cord blood research field.

New Clinical Evidence and a Landmark VLU Study to Be Presented

MiMedx Group, Inc. announced that eight poster abstracts showing the clinical and cost effective healing results of the company’s EpiFix^® and AmnioFix^® dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane allografts, AmnioFill^® placental collagen matrix product, and EpiCord^® dehydrated human umbilical cord allograft was presented. [Press release from MiMedx Group, Inc. discussing research presented at the 2017 Symposium on Advanced Wound Care Fall (SAWC Fall), Las Vegas] Press Release

Plasticell and GSK Sign Collaboration Agreement to Produce Hematopoietic Cells from iPSCs

Plasticell entered into a collaboration with GSK to use its combinatorial stem cell screening technology, CombiCult^®, to optimize the directed differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to specific blood cell lineages for use by GSK in its therapeutic research. [Plasticell Limited] Press Release

MiMedx Notified by FDA that It Can Proceed with Phase IIb Investigational New Drug Clinical Trial for Osteoarthritis of the Knee

MiMedx Group, Inc. announced that the company has been notified by the FDA that its Investigational New Drug Phase IIb clinical study for osteoarthritis of the knee may proceed. [MiMedx Group, Inc.] Press Release

Key Legislator Tells Trump Officials to Back Off on Proposed Overhead Spending Cap for NIH

An influential legislator wants President Donald Trump’s administration and fellow Republicans to drop the notion of capping overhead costs on grants funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). And that lawmaker, Representative Tom Cole, used his clout as chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that funds NIH to administer a dose of what he hopes will be preventive medicine. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

China Announces Plans to Fast-Track Drug Approval

China is overhauling its drug-approval system to let companies bring their treatments to market quicker and more easily. The Communist Party of China and the State Council, two of the country’s most authoritative bodies, announced plans to reduce the backlog of medicines awaiting approval by the China Food and Drug Administration. [Nature News] Editorial

French Scientists in Uproar over Changes to Medical-Research Clusters

A group of French scientists is due to meet government officials in a bid to resolve a row that has left many of the country’s leading biomedical researchers furious. Scientists were shocked when the government unexpectedly postponed a call for applications to create a new crop of medical-research clusters just days before the closing date, and said that it would slash the budget earmarked for the project. [Nature News] Editorial

United States Should Dramatically Retool Animal Research Rules, Groups Say

The Association of American Medical Colleges and three allied groups are pushing for sweeping changes to animal research rules. In a report, the groups call for moving all oversight to a single, unnamed agency, conducting less frequent lab inspections, and giving researchers greater say in crafting new rules. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

NEW Applying the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) Cord Blood Standards in Private Banking
January 17, 2018
Online

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NEW Senior Customer Success Specialist – Blood & Marrow Transplantation and Cell Therapy (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Postdoctoral Opportunities – Hematological Malignancies (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

Scientists – In Vivo Leukemia Modeling (University of Copenhagen)

Faculty Positions – Hematological Malignancies (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Hematology (University of Tennessee Health Science Center)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Hematopoietic Stem Cell Development (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center)

Postdoctoral Position – Mesenchymal Stem Cells (University of Southern California)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Development & Epigenetics (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Hematopoietic Stem Cells (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Functional Genomics of Human Hematopoiesis (Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School)

Technical Director – Personalized Stem Cell Banking (Brilliant Research)

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