Stem-cell-based, tissue engineered tracheal replacement in a child: a 2-year follow-up study

Stem-cell-based, tissue engineered transplants might offer new therapeutic options for patients, including children, with failing organs. The reported replacement of an adult airway using stem cells on a biological scaffold with good results at 6 months supports this view. This study describes the case of a child who received a stem-cell-based tracheal replacement and report findings after 2 years of follow-up.

 

A 12-year-old boy was born with long-segment congenital tracheal stenosis and pulmonary sling. His airway had been maintained by metal stents, but, after failure, a cadaveric donor tracheal scaffold was decellularised. After a short course of granulocyte colony stimulating factor, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were retrieved preoperatively and seeded onto the scaffold, with patches of autologous epithelium. Topical human recombinant erythropoietin was applied to encourage angiogenesis, and transforming growth factor β to support chondrogenesis. Intravenous human recombinant erythropoietin was continued postoperatively. Outcomes were survival, morbidity, endoscopic appearance, cytology and proteomics of brushings, and peripheral blood counts.

 

The graft revascularised within 1 week after surgery. A strong neutrophil response was noted locally for the first 8 weeks after surgery, which generated luminal DNA neutrophil extracellular traps. Cytological evidence of restoration of the epithelium was not evident until 1 year. The graft did not have biomechanical strength focally until 18 months, but the patient has not needed any medical intervention since then. 18 months after surgery, he had a normal chest CT scan and ventilation-perfusion scan and had grown 11 cm in height since the operation. At 2 years follow-up, he had a functional airway and had returned to school.

 

Follow-up of the first paediatric, stem-cell-based, tissue-engineered transplant shows potential for this technology but also highlights the need for further research. 

This research is funded by : Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, The Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, University College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Region of Tuscany.

 

Source/Read whole paper:

The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 26 July 2012

doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60737-5

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)60737-5/abstract

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Cells from human placenta could be useful in treating heart disease

Washington, July 20 (ANI): Endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) derived from human placenta are better for forming blood vessels than the ECFCs derived from umbilical cord blood, according to a new study.

The study was carried out by researchers at the Indiana School of Medicine.

"Circulating ECFCs isolated from umbilical cord blood and those isolated from human placenta are phenotypically identical and have equivalent proliferative potential," said study lead author Michael P. Murphy, MD of the Indiana University's Department of Surgery.

"After transplantation, the circulating placenta-derived ECFCs formed significantly more blood vessels in vivo than the ECFCs derived from umbilical cord blood, indicating not only that there are inherent functional differences between resident and circulating ECFC populations, but that the placenta-derived cells are more vasculogenic," Murphy noted.

Umbilical cord blood and the extra-embryonic membranes of placenta are ideal sources of progenitor cells, said the researchers, because the tissues are discarded as medical waste and ethical concerns facing embryonic stem cells are avoided. The quantity of cells that can be derived from placenta, however, is much greater than the amount that can be derived from umbilical cord blood, making the placenta the more abundant source.

They concluded that the placenta represents an abundant source of ECFCs that could provide a therapeutic dose of cells.

"The potential volume of placenta-derived ECFCs that can be harvested from a single placenta would provide a sufficient dose of cells without the necessity of expansion," indicated Murphy.

According to the researchers, the role of circulating ECFCs has yet to be determined, yet circulating mature endothelial cells are rarely found in normal, healthy individuals as they are markers of vascular damage, remodeling and dysfunction.

"We envision that placenta-derived ECFCs may provide some benefit in neonatal cerebral ischema or can be used for tissue banking for future and be useful in treating cardiovascular disease," said Murphy and his colleagues.

The study has been published in a recent issue of Cell Medicine.

Source : http://in.news.yahoo.com/cells-human-placenta-could-useful-treating-heart-disease-103454140.html

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New Stem Cell Treatment that Benefits Diabetics

Diabetics who suffer from diabetic peripheral neuropathy may benefit from a new type of stem cell preparation, says a new study published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage, causes pain or loss of feeling in the toes, feet, legs, hands, and arms among diabetic patients. About 70 percent of diabetes suffer from neuropathy. Current treatments for severe diabetic peripheral neuropathy include tricyclic antidepressants, anticonvulsants, opioids, serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, and topical agents.
“However, none of these therapies directly targets the inflammation, most have negative side effects and less than 30 percent of patients experience adequate pain relief. Clearly, new therapies are needed,” explains Dr. Ruth Waterman of the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans and lead author of the study
However, a new preparation of stem cell treatment may target the inflammation that is thought to be the main cause of neuropathy.
Dr. Waterman recently collaborated with other researchers including Dr. Aline Betancourt from Tulane University’s Center for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine to develop a new stem cell treatment that controls the inflammation that causes diabetic peripheral neuropathy.


Source/Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/271921/new-stem-cell-treatment-reduces-diabetic-peripheral-neuropathy-inflammation-benefit-diabetics-study/#DqmDq7k14vxzZszY.99

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Local research team announces stem cell science breakthrough

TAIPEI--A research team from Taipei Veterans General Hospital and National Yang Ming University announced yesterday a breakthrough in the cultivation of stem cells that will provide a better source of such cells for disease treatment.
The use of mesenchymal stem cells, which can be obtained from bone marrow, is less controversial than the use of embryonic stem cells, said Hung Shih-chieh, the professor leading the team.
The team found in animal tests that mesenchymal stem cells helped the healing of wounds and the regeneration of blood vessels.
The tests also show that mesenchymal stem cells are helpful in treating poor circulation, which is often found in diabetic patients, as well as in repairing broken bones and damaged joints, Hung said.
The findings, along with the results of other studies, suggest that mesenchymal stem cells can be used in the treatment of blood clots in peripheral arteries and in cases of bone marrow transplant rejection.
In addition, Hung said, they found that under hypoxic conditions, the culture of mesenchymal stem cells can obtain better results.
At an oxygen level of 1 to 2 percent, the amount of mesenchymal stem cells yielded after 60 days of culture is 100 to 1,000 times the results under the normal oxygen level of 21 percent, Hung said.
He noted that the new cells bear an 80- to 90-percent similarity to embryonic stem cells and have two genetic expressions — Oct4 and Nanog — of embryonic stem cells.
Oct4 and Nanog are both factors involved in the self-renewal of embryonic stem cells and the team found that the two factors also play the same role in mesenchymal stem cells.
The results of the research, of which Tsai Chih-chien — a researcher at the university's Institute of Clinical Medicine — is the first author, were published in the journal Molecular Cell and online July 12.

Source: http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2012/07/17/347835/Local-research.htm

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Tα νεαρά βλαστοκύτταρα είναι καλύτερα

Και τα βλαστοκύτταρα, αν και αρχέγονα κύτταρα, εντούτοις υφίστανται τη φυσιολογική φθορά του χρόνου και γηράσκουν. Στη γήρανση των βλαστοκυττάρων οφείλεται η συνολική γήρανση του ανθρώπινου σώματος.

Βλαστοκύτταρα υπάρχουν σε όλα τα όργανα και τους ιστούς και συμβάλλουν στη φυσιολογική ανανέωσή τους και την αντιμετώπιση της φθοράς που υφίστανται με το χρόνο. Μετά όμως από κάποια ηλικία η ανανέωση των ιστών επιβραδύνεται ή σταματά με αποτέλεσμα οι βλάβες της γήρανσης να μην είναι αναστρέψιμες.

Από λίγες θέσεις του ανθρώπινου σώματος μπορούν να εξαχθούν βλαστοκύτταρα τα οποία έχουν πρακτική χρήση. Ένα τέτοιο όργανο είναι ο μυελός των οστών, ο οποίος χρησιμοποιείται για τη θεραπεία κακοήθων ασθενειών, κυρίως της λευχαιμίας. Όταν λοιπόν χρησιμοποιείται για την αντικατάσταση του προσβεβλημένου από τη λευχαιμία μυελού του ασθενούς έχει βρεθεί ότι η ενσωμάτωσή του στην καινούρια θέση είναι βραδεία και εξαρτάται από την ηλικία του δότη. Η επιβράδυνση της εμφύτευσης οφείλεται στον αργό ρυθμό πολλαπλασιασμού των ενήλικων βλαστοκυττάρων και αυτό έχει ως συνέπεια τη βραδεία αποκατάσταση των αιμοποιητικών και αμυντικών κυττάρων του αίματος.

Η αντιμετώπιση της γήρανσης των κυττάρων είναι ένα θέμα που απασχολεί πολλούς επιστήμονες ανά τον κόσμο. Επιστήμονες από το πανεπιστήμιο του Cincinnati και της Ulm στη Γερμανία ανακοίνωσαν από κοινού την αναγνώριση ενός μορίου που ευθύνεται για τη γήρανση των βλαστοκυττάρων. Οι επιστήμονες δρουν προς την κατεύθυνση αυτή επιδιώκοντας την αναστολή της δράσης αυτής της ουσίας.

Άλλες ομάδες επιστημόνων, μεταξύ αυτών και ελληνικές, έχουν προχωρήσει περισσότερο εστιάζοντας προς τα τελομερή τα οποία υπάρχουν στα χρωμοσώματα όλων των κυττάρων και έχουν συγκεκριμένο μήκος, το οποίο ελαττώνεται με την πάροδο της ηλικίας. Η αναγέννηση των τελομερών και η διατήρηση του αρχικού μήκους τους με τη χρήση μεθόδων γονιδιακής θεραπείας αναμένεται να δώσει τέλος στο φαινόμενο της γήρανσης των κυττάρων και του οργανισμού. Ήδη έχουν ανακοινωθεί αποτελέσματα σε πειραματόζωα.

Ο αντίλογος στα πειράματα αυτά είναι ότι η παράταση της ζωής των ανθρώπων θα οδηγήσει σε εμφάνιση ασθενειών, όπως του καρκίνου λόγω της αύξησης των μεταλλάξεων με την πάροδο της ηλικίας.

Υπάρχει όμως μια πηγή βλαστοκυττάρων στο σώμα μας από την οποία μπορούμε με ασφάλεια να συλλέξουμε υγιή και νεαρά βλαστοκύτταρα τα οποία θα βοηθήσουν εμάς και την οικογένειά μας σε περιπτώσεις κακοήθων ασθενειών, αλλά και εφαρμογών αναγεννητικής ιατρικής. Η πηγή αυτή είναι το ομφαλοπλακουντιακό αίμα, ο ομφάλιος λώρος και ο πλακούντας.

Ένα μέρος των βλαστοκυττάρων του ομφαλοπλακουντιακού αίματος εγκλωβίζεται στην κυκλοφορία του αίματος του παιδιού μετά την αποκοπή του ομφαλίου λώρου και το υπόλοιπο που παραμένει μέσα στον πλακούντα συλλέγεται και κρυοσυντηρείται για μελλοντική χρήση. Η λήψη τους είναι ασφαλής και η κρυοσυντήρησή τους μέσα στο υγρό άζωτο εξασφαλίζει την εφ όρου ζωής παραμονή τους στη διάθεση του ατόμου.

Το ομφαλοπλακουντιακό αίμα που συλλέγεται ανήκει στο παιδί, είναι απόλυτα συμβατό μαζί του και έχει κατά 30% πιθανότητα να είναι απόλυτα συμβατό (100%) με τα αδέλφια του. Αμέσως μετά τα αδέλφια κατά σειρά συμβατή είναι η μητέρα, διότι εκτός από την κληρονομική υπάρχει και η επίκτητη συμβατότητα την οποία παίρνει το παιδί από τη μητέρα του, λόγω της επί εννέα μήνες συμβίωσης μαζί της. Το ομφαλοπλακουντιακό αίμα περιέχει εκτός από τα αιμοποιητικά και πολυδύναμα βλαστοκύτταρα τα οποία μπορούν να μετατραπούν σε οκτώ διαφορετικά είδη κυττάρων και να χρησιμοποιηθούν για αποκατάσταση των αντίστοιχων οργάνων. Εκτός από το αίμα η ομφαλοπλακουντιακή μονάδα περιέχει και τα μεσεγχυματικά κύτταρα, τα οποία αποχωρίζονται από τον ιστό και κρυοσυντηρούνται ανεξάρτητα από τα αιμοποιητικά βλαστοκύτταρα και αποτελούν τα πλέον συχνά χρησιμοποιούμενα βλαστοκύτταρα σήμερα.

Τα βλαστοκύτταρα του ομφαλοπλακουντιακού αίματος είναι κύτταρα μηδενικής ηλικίας, η χρήση τους προσφέρει σημαντικά θεραπευτικά αποτελέσματα και παρακολουθώντας τη διεθνή βιβλιογραφία διαπιστώνει κάποιος τη συνεχή αύξηση της θεραπευτικών χρήσεων, με τάση κυρίως από το ίδιο το παιδί που του ανήκουν και στη συνέχεια από τα συμβατά μέλη της οικογένειάς του.

Πηγή:   http://www.newsbeast.gr/health/arthro/367762/ta-neara-vlastokuttara-einai-kalutera/

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Stem cells used to repair damaged eyes in world-first Aussie trial

A MEDICALl breakthrough by Australian scientists has shown how sheets of stem cells grown on contact lenses can repair damaged eyes.
The treatment transfers minuscule strips of adult stem cells from specifically designed contact lenses onto the eye, to help rebuild the surface of the cornea.
The world-first research could pave the way for an effective treatment for painful caustic or thermal burns, or severe inflammation of the surface of the eye.
Centre for Eye Research Australia researcher Karl David Brown said it was the first time they had proved cells had transferred from the contact lens to the eye to rebuild the surface.
During the trial, limbal stem cells, which function naturally to repair the eye, were taken from the edge of the cornea. Sheets containing hundreds of thousands of cells were grown on contact lenses.

They were inserted in the eye and left for four days. During this time the cells transferred from the lens to the wounded eye.
There are already experimental treatments using human amnion, a membrane that surrounds an embryo, but sourcing the donor tissue after a baby is born and ensuring it is of sufficient quality is difficult.
Brown said the benefit of this new technique was that the cells could be harvested from the patient's own eyes or, if they are too damaged, from donor tissue. Small human trials of the technique are about to start.
"I'm cautiously optimistic that the human trials will yield positive results," Brown said


Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/stem-cells-used-to-repair-damaged-eyes-in-world-first-aussie-trial/story-e6frf00i-1226389410129

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Stem cell hope for hip patients

Hip replacements for some patients could be a thing of the past after surgeons pioneered a new stem cell procedure to tackle a bone disease that leads to arthritis.

Doctors at Southampton General Hospital are extracting stem cells from the bone marrow of patients in need of hip repair due to osteonecrosis - a condition where poor blood supply causes significant bone damage leading to severe arthritis.
These cells are mixed with cleaned, crushed bone from another patient who has had their own hip replaced and used to fill the hole made by surgeons after dead and damaged tissue has been removed from the joint.
The procedure has been developed by Doug Dunlop, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Southampton General Hospital, and Professor Richard Oreffo, a specialist in musculoskeletal science at the University of Southampton.
"Although this work is still ongoing, several patients who have had the procedure have reacted very well and, if we get the results we are hoping for, these patients won't need to have their hip joints replaced - they should be fixed completely," said Mr Dunlop.
Professor Oreffo added: "By using stem cells to send out chemical signals to blood vessels, we hope the body will continue to create new vessels in the hip which supply enough nutrients to maintain bone strength."
Osteonecrosis is on the rise in the UK with around 4,000 cases a year but it is much more widespread in Asia where it is the most common form of arthritis of the hip, the hospital said.
It can also be treated with drugs to help avoid arthritis and usually strikes between 30 and 50 years of age.
Osteonecrosis is one of the three main causes of arthritis alongside osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Source: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/stem-cell-hope-hip-patients-131022232.html

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