TOP STORY

Study Weighs Benefits of Transplants for Leukemia
Leukemia patients who have blood stem cell transplants survive just as long on average as those who undergo the more invasive procedure of having a bone marrow transplant. [Press release from Reuters discussing the online prepublication in Lancet Oncology]

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SCIENCE NEWS

Platelet Finding Challenges Understanding of Blood Cell Development
An international team of scientists is the first to report on the previously undescribed ability of platelets to reproduce themselves in the circulation. [Press release from the University of Utah discussing the online prepublication in Blood]

Stem Cell Breakthrough: Bone Marrow Cells Are the Answer
New research shows that bone marrow cells fuse to different types of cells, including embryonic stem cells, creating new hybrids that may evade immune rejection. [Press release from the University of Iowa discussing the online prepublication in the FASEB Journal]

CURRENT PUBLICATIONS

Long-Term Outcome and Late Effects in Patients Transplanted with Mobilised Blood or Bone Marrow: a Randomised Trial
More than 9 years after transplantation, overall and leukemia-free survival remains similar in patients who underwent bone-marrow transplantation and peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation. [Lancet Oncol]

An In Vivo Model to Study and Manipulate the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche
Because the microenvironment that supports hematopoietic stem cell proliferation and differentiation is not fully understood, researchers adapted a heterotopic bone formation model as a new approach for studying the hematopoietic stem cell microenvironment in vivo. [Blood]

Derivation of Human T-Lymphocytes from Cord Blood and Peripheral Blood with Antiviral and Antileukemic Specificity from a Single Culture as Protection against Infection and Relapse after Stem Cell Transplantation
Researchers have generated cytotoxic T-lymphocytes lines from peripheral blood or cord blood units that recognize multiple common viruses and provide antileukemic activity by transgenic expression of a chimeric antigen receptor targeting CD19 expressed on B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. [Blood]

Clearance of Cytomegalovirus Viremia and Survival after Double Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation in Adults Depends on Reconstitution of Thymopoiesis
CD8⁺ T cells capable of secreting IFN-gamma in a cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific ELISpot assay are detectable at 8 weeks after transplantation, prior to reconstitution of thymopoiesis, but fail to clear CMV viremia. [Blood]

Cell Fusion of Bone Marrow Cells and Somatic Cell Reprogramming by Embryonic Stem Cells
Cell fusion is ubiquitous after cellular transplants and the subsequent sharing of genetic material between the fusion partners affects cellular survival and function. [FASEB J]

Cord Blood-Derived CD133⁺ Cells Improve Cardiac Function after Myocardial Infarction
CD133⁺ cells were purified from human umbilical cord blood, expanded in vitro without losing their biological activity. Both purified and expanded cells showed promising results for use in cellular cardiomyoplasty. [Exp Biol Med]

INDUSTRY NEWS

Hematologists Can Now Earn Continuing Medical Education Credits Through the Journal Blood
Through a partnership with Medscape, hematologists can earn continuing medical education credits by testing their comprehension of articles published in The American Society of Hematology’s widely-cited biomedical journal Blood. [The American Society of Hematology Press Release]

IpAuctions^® to Market Predicant Biosciences and BioSpect Patents and Certain Perlegen Patents
IpAuctions, Inc. is selling the patents and patent applications developed by Predicant Biosciences, formerly called BioSpect, and certain intellectual property of Perlegen. [IpAuctions, Inc. Press Release]

Stem Cell Therapy Closes Merger with Histostem
Stem Cell Therapy International Inc. completed its merger with Histostem Ltd. of South Korea. [Tampa Bay Business Journal]

Head of Blood Agency in Hot Seat
New Brunswick health officials are hoping for a breakthrough as they prepare for a critical meeting in the battle to save the Canadian Blood Services production and distribution centre in Saint John. [Telegraph-Journal]

POLICY NEWS

2009 National Blood Collection and Utilization Survey Deadline Extended to March 1, 2010!
The deadline for the submission of the National Blood Collection and Utilization Survey has been extended to March 1, 2010 in order to ensure that comprehensive data are included for hospitals and blood centers. [Department of Health and Human Services, United States]

Forum Explores Umbilical Cord Blood Bank
Legislators and medical professionals are exploring the possibility of banking umbilical cord blood as a way to potentially save people whose lives are threatened by cancers and other diseases. [Connecticut Public Health Committee, United States]

2009 Meeting Materials, Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee - December 15, 2009 Meeting Transcript: Posted [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

Science Board to the Food and Drug Administration; Notice of Meeting [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

Clarification on the Extended Error Correction Window and Format of the Research Strategy Section for Restructured Applications Intended for Due Dates on or After January 25, 2010 (NOT-OD-10-050) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Clarification of SF424 (R&R) Application Instructions for Resubmissions of Revision and Renewal Applications (NOT-OD-10-052) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

UPDATE TO RFA-OD-10-001: ARRAOS Recovery Act Limited Competition: Behavioral Economics for Nudging the Implementation of Comparative Effectiveness Research: Clinical Trials (RC4) - Announcement of Additional Funds Availability and Increased Allowable Total Costs (NOT-OD-10-053) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Notice of Intent to Publish a Request for Applications for NHLBI Research Centers at Minority-Serving Institutions (P30) (NOT-HL-11-150) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award (U54) (RFA-RM-10-001) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Scientific Meetings for Creating Interdisciplinary Research Teams (R13) (PA-10-106) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

PHS 2010-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, FDA and ACF for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications [Parent SBIR (R43/R44)] [Small Business Innovation Research, United States]

PHS 2010-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications [Parent STTR (R41/R42)] [Small Business Technology Transfer, United States]

EVENTS

2010 Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Tandem Meetings
February 24-28, 2010
Orlando, United States

American Association of Blood Bank's (AABB) Cord Blood Licensure Workshop
March 8-10, 2010
Rockville, United States

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

12th Biennial Canadian Blood and Marrow Transplant Group (CBMTG) Conference
April 7-10, 2010
Vancouver, Canada

American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 101st Annual Meeting 2010
April 17-21, 2010
Washington, DC, United States

16th Annual International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) Meeting
May 23-26, 2010
Philadelphia, United States 

8th Annual International Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation Symposium
June 3-5, 2010
San Francisco, United States

Select Bioscience's World Biobanking Summit
August 24-25, 2010
Edinburgh, Scotland

Society for Hematology and Stem Cells (ISEH) 2010 Meeting
September 15-18, 2010
Melbourne Australia

36th Annual American Society for Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics (ASHI) Meeting
September 26-30, 2010
Hollywood, United States

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Business Development Europe - Cell Therapy Products (PALL Corporation)

Research & Development Scientist - Pancreatic Cell Biology (STEMCELL Technologies)

Research & Development Scientist - Endothelial Cell Biology (STEMCELL Technologies)

Research & Development Scientist - Epithelial Cell Biology (STEMCELL Technologies)

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