TOP STORIES

Umbilical Stem Cells May Help Recover Lost Vision for Those with Corneal Disease
New research has found that transplanting human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells into mouse models that lack the protein lumican restored the transparency of cloudy and thin corneas. [University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati]

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SCIENCE NEWS

UCLA Researchers Demonstrate that Stem Cells can be Engineered to Kill HIV
Researchers from the UCLA AIDS Institute and colleagues have for the first time demonstrated that human blood stem cells can be engineered into cells that can target and kill HIV-infected cells - a process that potentially could be used against a range of chronic viral diseases. [University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles]

Intelligent Blood Bags
Have the blood supplies got too warm? Do they match the patient's blood group? In the future, these kinds of questions will be answered by intelligent radio nodes attached to blood bags. [Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, Fraunhofer]

CURRENT PUBLICATIONS

Human Platelets Produced in Nonobese Diabetic/Severe Combined Immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) Mice Upon Transplantation of Human Cord Blood CD34+ Cells are Functionally Active in an Ex Vivo Flow Model of Thrombosis
Scientists demonstrate that the production of human platelets in NOD/SCID mice after transplantation of unexpanded cord-blood CD34+ cells was detected within 10 days after transplantation, with the number of circulating human platelets peaking at 2 weeks. [Blood]

Cyclin C Regulates Human Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cell Quiescence
Researchers identified an important role of cyclin C in regulating human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell quiescence, as knocking down cyclin C expression in human cord blood CD34+ cells resulted in a significant increase in quiescent cells that maintain CD34 expression. [Stem Cells]

Cotransplantation of Placental Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Enhances Single and Double Cord Blood Engraftment in Nonobese Diabetic/Severe Combined Immune Deficient Mice
Limited cell numbers in a unit restricts cord blood transplantation in adults. Researchers evaluated whether cotransplantation of placental mesenchymal stromal cells would enhance engraftment. [Stem Cells]

A New Automatic Device for Routine Cord Blood Banking: Critical Analysis of Different Volume Reduction Methodologies
Researchers analyzed and compared critically three different volume reduction methods [hydroxyethylstarch, top and bottom with Optipress II and Compomat G4, and AXP], useful for reducing storage space and dimethyl sulfoxide quantity in the final product, used at the Valencia Cord Blood Bank over 10 years. [Cytotherapy]

Red Blood Cell Hemolysis During Blood Bank Storage: Using National Quality Management Data to Answer Basic Scientific Questions
Researchers analyzed and compared critically three different volume reduction methods (hydroxyethylstarch, top and bottom with Optipress II and Compomat G4, and AXP) used at the Valencia Cord Blood Bank over 10 years.  Data illustrated AXP to be a highly efficient method for red blood cell depletion, providing the same total nucleated cell recovery as the hydroxyethylstarch method. [Transfusion]

Toward Cell Therapy Using Placenta-Derived Cells: Disease Mechanisms, Cell Biology, Preclinical Studies, and Regulatory Aspects at the Round Table
The international workshop aimed to harness an understanding of basic inflammatory mechanisms inherent in human diseases with updated findings regarding biological and therapeutic properties of human placenta-derived cells, with particular emphasis on their potential for treating inflammatory diseases.
[Stem Cells Dev]

INDUSTRY NEWS

ThermoGenesis Announces Agreement for Adipose Tissue Clinical Program
ThermoGenesis Corp., said recently that it has entered into a material transfer agreement with the GID Group for the processing of adipose, or fatty, tissue - a rich source of adult stem cells.

BioLife Solutions Announces Custom cGMP Manufacturing & License Agreement
BioLife Solutions, Inc. recently announced that it has executed a license and custom cGMP manufacturing agreement with Centocor Research & Development, Inc. The agreement includes the production of a custom variant of BioLife's proprietary serum-free and protein-free CryoStor biopreservation media product.

NHLBI Grant Awarded to Wake Forest, Pitt to Improve Banked Blood
A new, $2.8 million, four-year federal grant will support researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and their collaborators at Wake Forest University as they study why the quality of stored transfusion blood degrades over time and how to address the problem.

CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank Receives Grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to Increase the National Cord Blood Inventory
CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank recently announced that the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank a three-year, multi-million dollar contract to expand the supply of cord blood units for the National Cord Blood Inventory.

Cryo-Save Arabia Becomes Middle East's First Accredited Cord Blood Bank
Cryo-Save Arabia has announced it has become the region's first Cord Blood Stem Cell Bank to be accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks.

POLICY NEWS

The Public is Encouraged to Support Medicare Coverage of Bone Marrow Transplants for Myelodysplastic Syndromes Patients
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is currently accepting input from the public about whether the Medicare program should be expanded to cover the cost of bone marrow and umbilical cord blood transplants for myelodysplastic syndromes patients.

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (United States)

Delays in Grant Application Submission due to Winter Storm December 2009 (NOT-OD-10-028)

Administrative Supplement to Extend Human Tissue Banking Efforts to Distribute CNS Tissues Collected by the NIH Roadmap GTEx Project (NOT-MH-10-007)

Public Workshop: Emerging Arboviruses: Evaluating the Threat to Transfusion and Transplantation Safety

THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADMINISTRATION (Australia)

Draft Australian Code of Good Manufacturing Practice: Human Blood and Blood Components, Human Tissues and Human Cellular Therapies

EVENTS

2010 BMT Tandem Meetings
February 24-28, 2010
Orlando, Florida

36th Annual Meeting of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
March 21-24, 2010
Vienna, Austria

12th Biennial CBMTG Conference
April 7-10, 2010
Vancouver, British Columbia

16th Annual ISCT Meeting
May 23-26, 2010
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

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