Author Archive
Stem Cells from Bone Marrow Grows New Bone
A research team led by UC Davis Health System scientists has developed a novel technique to enhance bone growth by using a molecule which, when injected into the bloodstream, directs the body’s stem cells to travel to the surface of bones. Once these cells are guided to the bone surface by this molecule, the stem cells differentiate into bone-forming cells and synthesize proteins to enhance bone growth. The study, which was published online today in Nature Medicine, used a mouse model of osteoporosis to demonstrate a unique treatment approach that increases bone density and prevents bone loss associated with aging and estrogen deficiency.
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Diabetes: Progress and Promise in Stem Cell Research
CIRM has funded the Diabetes Disease Team led by scientists at ViaCyte, Inc., UCSF, and the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology. This team aims to bring an embryonic stem cell based therapy for diabetes to clinical trials. For more info, see diabetes fact sheet.
Meet Cord Blood Registry’s Leader of Laboratory Operations
Cord Blood Registry takes pride in leading the cord blood banking industry with its state-of-the-art lab. Meet Kristen, who leads the effort to make sure we’re providing our clients with the best once their babies’ stem cells arrive in Tucson. Kristen is one of the many people who make sure that, from that first phone call to the day your baby’s stem cells are collected and stored, you receive the industry’s best service and support. For more information on CBR’s processes, visit: http://www.cordblood.com/best-cord-blood-bank/best-cord-blood-banks/?mtag=JCPH.
Learn more about cord blood stem cells here http://www.cordblood.com/?mtag=JCPH.
Stem Cells Reverse Heart Damage
By AlysaCartee, Anchor Megan Murphy
A breakthrough discovery in stem cell treatments. A patient’s own stem cells could actually regenerate the heart after a heart attack. WFLD explains the findings.
“The studies found that recent heart attack victims who receive stem cell infusions had a drop in unhealthy heart scar tissue from 24 to 12 percent.”
The procedure is minimally invasive. A catheter is inserted through the patient’s vein and a piece of heart muscle about the size of a peppercorn is removed.
That biopsied tissue is then grown in a petri dish and reintroduced to the damaged portion of the heart. This new procedure could change the way heart attacks are treated. ABC reports the typical damage a heart attack leaves and the limited options for treatment.
“The damaged scar tissue that results from a heart attack diminishes heart function, which can ultimately lead to enlargement of the heart. At best … there are measures doctors can try to reduce or compensate for the damage, but in many cases, heart failure ultimately sets in, often requiring mechanical support or a transplant.”
But the new treatment challenges the conventional wisdom that once the heart is damaged, it can’t be repaired. Doctor Sanjay Gupta told CNN this breakthrough in the use of stem cells means a few different things for the medical community.
“We’ve been talking about the promise of stem cells for so long but people have really yet to see it in action. … It really proved two things. First of all that this could be done safely. That’s always the first question. And second that it provided some benefit.”
As Fox News reports, the study is positive — but there are a few mysteries that need to be solved.
“…while the patients grew new heart muscle and saw a dramatic reduction in scar tissue, the actual function of their hearts did not show a significant improvement. And it appeared the stem cells themselves may not have turned into cardiac muscle, but rather they stimulated the heart to produce new muscle cells.”
Researchers will follow the patients who received the treatment to document long term effects, and a follow up study is planned for later this year.
Stem cell treatment could fight blindness
A UCLA eye surgeon has developed a possible stem cell treatment for Macular Degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older Americans. Dr. Jon LaPook explains how it works. (Jan. 23) (CBS News)
Suzanne Somers’ Stem Cell Breast Reconstruction Surgery – Episode 1
Watch Suzanne Somers’ amazing breast reconstruction surgery on Suzanne Somers Breaking Through – Episode 1. See how Suzanne used her stem cells to regrow her breast after battling breast cancer.
See a new episode of Suzanne Somers Breaking Through every Thursday.
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Skin cells as stem cells – medicine’s next big thing
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NeoStem’s CEO, Dr. Robin L. Smith, Letter to Shareholders
NEW YORK , Jan. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –
Dear NeoStem Shareholders,
We would like to take a moment to both look back at 2011 – a transformative year for NeoStem (NYSE Amex: NBS) – and to look ahead to near term catalysts that we expect to move the company forward in 2012 and beyond.
We have closed two acquisitions – Progenitor Cell Therapy, LLC (“PCT”) and Amorcyte, LLC (“Amorcyte”).
We believe our therapeutic product development team is very close to accomplishing its aggressive goal of getting a first patient enrolled in our AMR-001 Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of AMI with the clinical sites beginning to open. This brings us closer to achieving our goal of enrollment of the targeted 160 patients in the study over the next year or so with first data follow-up six months after the last patient is enrolled (roughly mid-2013).
Our cell therapy manufacturing business is growing and client satisfaction confirms our belief and excitement that we have unique skills and people (expertise, quality and work ethic) to serve as a platform to be a global leader in the cell therapy space.
We raised $16.5 million in gross proceeds in 2011 for working capital, including research and development of our cell therapeutic candidates.
We received awards of over $1.7 million in Department of Defense funding for development of our VSELTM Technology to treat osteoporosis and $245,176 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with Excell Therapeutics to progress our T regulatory program in Lupus.
We co-hosted a spectacular international conference in partnership with the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture on Adult Stem Cells: Science and the Future of Man and Culture, moving forward the public discussion of adult stem cells and adult stem cell research.
Our cord blood banking enrollment more than doubled over the previous year.
We have been marketing our ownership in Suzhou Erye Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. subsidiary for possible sale.
We have positioned our intellectual property portfolio to expand beyond the current indications and give us a strong position in the cell therapy arena.
We continue to make great headway in integrating IT systems, legal, finance, and marketing for our multiple entities to achieve cost savings and maximize efficiencies.
NeoStem gained a significant pharmaceutical partnership with Becton Dickinson through our co-ownership of Athelos, Inc. (80% NeoStem, 20% BD). We are actively pursuing additional strategic relationships with major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in 2012.
We look forward to keeping you updated and encourage your questions via the contact information below. I also encourage you to learn more by visiting our company websites, www.neostem.com, www.amorcyte.com, and www.progenitorcelltherapy.com, our social media outlets, and our company blog at thechairmansblog.com/robin-l-smith. Thank you for your continued support of NeoStem and our ongoing transformation.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robin L. Smith
Chairman and CEO
About NeoStem, Inc.
NeoStem, Inc. (“NeoStem”) is a leader in the development and manufacture of cell therapies. NeoStem has a strategic combination of revenues, including that which is derived from the contract manufacturing services performed by Progenitor Cell Therapy, LLC, a NeoStem company. That manufacturing base is one of the few cGMP facilities available for contracting in the burgeoning cell therapy industry, and it is the combination of PCT’s core expertise in manufacturing and NeoStem’s extensive research capabilities that positions the company as a leader in cell therapy development. Amorcyte, Inc., also a NeoStem company, is developing a cell therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Amorcyte’s lead compound, AMR-001, represents NeoStem’s most clinically advanced therapeutic, poised to commence enrollment of patients in a Phase 2 trial for the preservation of heart function after a heart attack. Athelos Corporation, also a NeoStem company, is developing a T-cell therapy for a range of autoimmune conditions with our partner Becton-Dickinson. NeoStem’s pre-clinical assets include its VSEL™ Technology platform for regenerative medicine, which NeoStem believes is an endogenous pluripotent non-embryonic cell that has the potential to change the paradigm of cell therapy as we know it today.
Adult Stem Cells Use Special Pathways To Repair Damaged Muscle
When a muscle is damaged, dormant adult stem cells called satellite cells are signaled to “wake up” and contribute to repairing the muscle. University of Missouri researchers recently found how even distant satellite cells could help with the repair, and are now learning how the stem cells travel within the tissue. This knowledge could ultimately help doctors more effectively treat muscle disorders such as muscular dystrophy, in which the muscle is easily damaged and the patient’s satellite cells have lost the ability to repair.
Stem Cells Now Allowed for Cosmetic Surgeries
A new process to make you look younger is now being used for the first time in Indianapolis. 24-Hour news 8 anchor Karen Hensel has the first look at Laviv.
