Posted by Iro Koliakou on 6:47 π.μ.
Cookie hadn't been herself for awhile.The 131/2-year-old Australian shepherd mix increasingly had trouble lying down and getting up. She saw stairs as her mortal enemy, and one of her legs had started giving out on walks, causing her to stumble or fall.
Ed Tani of Hayward was terrified the end was near for his old friend. Then he came across an article about a revolutionary new treatment for arthritic dogs -- stem cell therapy. The treatment had been used with great success in horses for years, but more and more veterinarians are adding the patented Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell therapy to their medical bag of tricks.
"This is an attempt to turn back time but without drugs," said Brian Maxwell, a veterinarian whose specialty is orthopedic surgery at Adobe Animal Hospital in Los Altos, where...
Posted by Iro Koliakou on 6:41 π.μ.
Ελπίδα σε εκατοµµύρια ανθρώπους σε όλο τον κόσµο που περιµένουν σε λίστα αναµονής για µια µεταµόσχευση συκωτιού, εκτιµάται ότι θα δώσει µια πρωτοποριακή θεραπεία µε βλαστοκύτταρα που ανέπτυξαν επιστήµονες του αµερικανικού πανεπιστηµίου Τζονς Χόπκινς.
Η τεχνική που εφάρµοσαν οι ερευνητές από το Κέντρο Κίµελ για τον Καρκίνο του πανεπιστηµίου, είναι σχετικά φθηνή και στηρίζεται στην αξιοποίηση βλαστικών κυττάρων από το δέρµα ή το αίµα του ασθενούς.
Ειδικότερα, οι ειδικοί αφού αποµονώσουν τα δύο είδη βλαστοκυττάρων, επιτυγχάνουν στο εργαστήριο να τους προσδώσουν την αρχική τους «ουδέτερη» µορφή και ακολούθως να τα µετατρέψουν σε κύτταρα συκωτιού. Στη συνέχεια, τα κύτταρα αυτά εισάγονται µε ενέσιµο τρόπο στο συκώτι και το βοηθούν να αναγεννηθεί.
Τα βλαστικάκύτταρα είναιη πιο βασική µορφή...
Posted by Iro Koliakou on 3:49 π.μ.
Researchers at the University of Alberta are working on what they say could be a "game changer" in the treatment of premature infants with lung disease -- and parents are doing what they can to speed up the process.
Researchers say they've seen promising results after injecting human stem cells into rats with lung disease. The cells repaired the lungs, returning them to almost normal, according to team leader Dr. Bernard Thebaud.
"The findings were so dramatic," says Dr. Thebaud. "The results were obvious from the first experiment."
"This has huge potential for babies with premature lung disease, but also adults with emphysema."
About half of all babies born before 28 weeks get chronic lung disease, a condition that can affect lung capacity as they grow up.
The research is still in an...
Posted by Iro Koliakou on 7:15 π.μ.
To launch a national strategy to support regenerative medicine through increased funding for research and commercial development of regenerative medicine products and development of a regulatory environment thatenables rapid approval of safe and effective products, and for other purposes.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Regenerative medicine has the potential to treat many chronic diseases, promote economic growth, and reduce health care spending in the United States.(2) Regenerative medicine products have allready successfully treated numerous health conditions, and have the potential to provide cures, treatments, and diagnostics for a range of diseases and disabilities including diabetes, spinal cord injury,heart disease, stroke, and various forms of cancer.(3) A United States national...
Posted by Iro Koliakou on 6:53 π.μ.
ARM Calls for National Strategy to Capitalize on Medical and Economic Potential of Regenerative Medicine
WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - May 12, 2011) - The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), the national voice for regenerative medicine, today announced the introduction of the Regenerative Medicine Act of 2011 (H.R. 1862) in the U.S. House of Representatives and expressed appreciation for the efforts of its lead sponsors, Reps. Brian P. Bilbray (R-CA) and Diana DeGette (D-CO).
"Regenerative medicine represents the single most promising new approach to mitigating the human and economic costs of disease and could change the course of human health," said Gil Van Bokkelen, PhD, Chairman of ARM. "Medical innovation and economic growth are important to all of us, regardless of our political...
Posted by Iro Koliakou on 2:38 π.μ.
Stem cell project needs 12,000 baby teeth.
The pearly whites are needed to decorate a "coral castle" which is designed to inspire debate about adult stem cells.
The idea came from a meeting between Professor Sara Rankin, a biologist at Imperial College London, and the artist Gina Czarnecki.
They say arguments about stem cells are focused mostly on the ethics of using embryos.
Professor Rankin said: "Ask a roomful of people where do stem cells come from and they will say embryos. What about fat? We can get a lot of stem cells in liposuction. There are different types of stem cell and people are not aware of that.
"We want to promote awareness about adult stem cells, such as those found in bone marrow or umbilical cord, which could be used to develop new treatments without any ethical issues."
Dental...
Posted by Iro Koliakou on 1:34 π.μ.
Stem cell research continues to move ahead. Not embryonic stem cell research, however, which relies on the destruction of young human life.
After over 30 years of embryonic stem cell research, first with mouse and then human embryonic stem cells, not a single patient has been helped. And while over the past year, three experimental trials have been approved in the U.S., even many embryonic stem cell scientists believe the practical dangers of embryonic stem cells (tumors, incorrect tissue growth, immune problems) make such trials preliminary; simply using patients for experiments. Embryonic stem cells fail on both ethical and practical aspects, and have contributed only hype to the debate and false hope to patients.
Adult stem cells are both successful and ethical. They can...
Posted by Iro Koliakou on 1:35 π.μ.
Επιστήμονες του Πανεπιστημίου της Δυτικής Αυστραλίας, στο Περθ, χρησιμοποιώντας εξειδικευμένες μεθόδους, ανίχνευσαν αρχέγονα κύτταρα σε δείγματα φρέσκου μητρικού γάλακτος, τα οποία έλαβαν σε διάφορα στάδια γαλουχίας.
Συγκεκριμένα, ανακάλυψαν ότι όλα τα δείγματα περιείχαν από 10 χιλιάδες έως 13,5 εκατομμύρια ζωντανά βλαστοκύτταρα σε κάθε ml μητρικού γάλακτος. Κατά μέσο όρο, υπήρχαν περίπου 4 εκατομμύρια αρχέγονα κύτταρα σε κάθε ml από πρωτόγαλα, περίπου 2 εκατομμύρια αρχέγονα, κύτταρα σε κάθε ml μητρικού γάλακτος στους 6 μήνες από τη γέννηση, περίπου ένα εκατομμύριο αρχέγονα κύτταρα σε κάθε ml μητρικού γάλακτος στους 12 μήνες από τη γέννηση, ενώ δεν έλειπαν και σε δείγματα μητέρων που μελετήθηκαν στους 15 μήνες.
Αυτά τα κύτταρα μπορούσαν να πολλαπλασιαστούν σε καλλιέργειες στο εργαστήριο και...
Posted by Iro Koliakou on 3:39 π.μ.
A 10-year-old girl with a deadly blood clot underwent a life-saving surgery that showed the power of using stem cells to regenerate healthy organs.
The girl developed a clot in the blood vessel between her intestine and liver during her first year of life, creating the risk of potentially fatal bleeding. Michael Olausson, a surgeon at Sahlgrenska University Hospital at the University of Gothenburg took a blood vessel from a donor, chemically removed tissue and DNA from it, then seeded stem cells from the girl’s bone marrow to create a healthy, living blood vessel.
“We carried out the surgery over three months ago now, and the result was very good, with no serious complications,” Olausson, of the hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, said today in a statement. “The girl is in good...
Posted by Iro Koliakou on 9:04 π.μ.
Νέες ελπίδες για τις πνευμονοπάθειεςΒλαστικά κύτταρα πνευμόνων ανθρώπων, τα οποία έχουν τη δυνατότητα να αυτο-ανανεώνονται και μπορούν έτσι να ανοίξουν νέους δρόμους στη θεραπεία των χρόνιων πνευμονικών παθήσεων, εντόπισαν για πρώτη φορά αμερικανοί επιστήμονες.
Μέχρι τώρα, οι ερευνητές είχαν καταφέρει να δημιουργήσουν πνευμονικά κύτταρα μόνο μέσω της χρήσης εμβρυικών βλαστικών κυττάρων, αλλά αυτή τη φορά απομόνωσαν απευθείας πνευμονικά βλαστικά κύτταρα, χρησιμοποιώντας χειρουργικά δείγματα ανθρώπινου πνευμονικού ιστού.
Μετά τα πρώτα πετυχημένα επιστημονικά πειράματα, περαιτέρω έρευνες σχεδιάζονται για τη βελτίωση της μεθόδου και την αξιοποίησή της με ασφάλεια στο μέλλον. Μέχρι σήμερα η θεραπεία των πνευμόνων με βλαστικά κύτταρα ήταν αδύνατη, επειδή ο πνεύμονας είναι ένα ιδιαίτερα πολύπλοκο...
Posted by Iro Koliakou on 2:51 π.μ.
For couples who have banked the umbilical cord blood stem cells of their newborns as a future shield against deadly diseases, there is now a litmus test to verify if the cells are alive and working.The ‘explant’ differentiation and culture technology, a processing method that guarantees the viability of the stored stem cells, is now available in Calcutta, a “first in the country”. The technology is expected to lift the veil of scepticism that has been shrouding this nascent field since the very start.“We are delighted to introduce this patented technology of isolating, differentiating and expanding two cell lines from the umbilical cord. This technology assures our clients that their babies’ stem cells have the ability to be used for therapies in future,” said Prosanto Chowdhury, the medical...
Posted by Iro Koliakou on 5:14 π.μ.
Results Show How Adult Stem Cell Therapy Reduces Inflammatory Damage and Improves Functional Recovery in Preclinical Models of Ischemic Stroke
Medical researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) presented new research results at the American Heart Association International Stroke Conference that demonstrated how MultiStem®, a novel stem cell therapy being developed by Athersys, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHX), provided multiple benefits when administered in preclinical models of ischemic stroke. The study, conducted by leading researchers from the Department of Neurology at the UTHealth Medical School working in collaboration with scientists at Athersys, illustrated the potential benefits of MultiStem therapy for treating stroke. Researchers observed that intravenous...
Posted by Iro Koliakou on 11:10 π.μ.
Thanks to the coordinated efforts of four major scientific organizations, the report describes the “novel cellular therapy” activity in Europe for the year 2009. 50 teams from 22 countries reported data on 814 patients using a dedicated survey, which were combined to additional 328 records reported by 55 teams to the standard European group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) database. Indications were cardiovascular (37%; 64% autologous), graft-vs-host-disease (27%; 7% autologous), musculoskeletal (17%; 98% autologous), epithelial/parenchymal (8%; 73% autologous), autoimmune (9%; 84% autologous) or neurological diseases (3%; 50% autologous). Autologous cells were used predominantly for cardiovascular (42%) and musculoskeletal (30%) disorders, whereas allogeneic cells were used mainly...
Posted by Iro Koliakou on 3:30 π.μ.
Τι είναι τα βλαστοκύτταρα;
Τα βλαστοκύτταρα είναι ένα νέο θεραπευτικό εργαλείο στην Ιατρική διαφορετικό από τα φάρμακα που μέχρι σήμερα είχαμε συνηθίσει. Η φύση διαθέτει τις δικές της δυνάμεις για να αυτοθεραπεύεται, αλλά όσο οι οργανισμοί γίνονται πολυπλοκότεροι τόσο η δυνατότητα αυτή εξασθενεί. Παραμένουν στο σώμα μας μετά την γέννηση και αποθηκεύονται στα όργανά μας συμβάλλοντας έτσι στην ολοκλήρωση της διάπλασής τους και στη διατήρηση της λειτουργίας τους μετέπειτα.
Πώς αποκαθιστούν τη βλάβη στον οργανισμό;
Για να μπορέσουν να δράσουν αποτελεσματικά πρέπει να κινητοποιηθούν από τις θέσεις της αποθήκευσης τους και να φθάσουν στο σημείο της βλάβης. Μετά την ανακάλυψη των ιδιοτήτων τους χρησιμοποιούνται ειδικές μέθοδοι απομόνωσης και χορήγησης για τη θεραπεία διαφόρων τύπων ασθενειών.
Πώς...
Posted by Iro Koliakou on 6:33 π.μ.
Stem cells extracted from body fat may pave the way for the development of new regenerative therapies including soft tissue reconstruction following tumor removal or breast mastectomy surgery, the development of tissue-engineered cartilage or bone, and the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
An interdisciplinary team of Queen’s University researchers led by Dr. Lauren Flynn, a professor in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Anatomy and Cell Biology, has been working with stem cells extracted from samples of human fat and is developing new methods in the lab to develop these cells into mature tissue substitutes.
While stem cells extracted from fat cannot be grown into as many different types of cells as embryonic stem cells, they do have a number of advantages.
“The advantages include...
