TOP STORY

Breakthrough Reveals Blood Vessel Cells Are Key to Growing Unlimited Amounts of Adult Stem Cells
In a leap toward making stem cell therapy widely available, researchers have discovered that endothelial cells produce growth factors that can grow copious amounts of adult stem cells and their progeny over the course of weeks. [Press release from the Weill Cornell Medical College discussing the online prepublication in Cell Stem Cell]

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`SCIENCE NEWS

Mathematical Innovation Turns Blood Draw Into Information Gold Mine in Study
Scientists have devised a software algorithm that could enable a common laboratory device to virtually separate a whole-blood sample into its different cell types and detect medically important gene-activity changes specific to any one of those cell types. [Press release from the Stanford University School of Medicine discussing the online prepublication in Nature Methods]

Extending Targeted Immune Depletion to Unrelated Cord Blood Transplantation
In this pilot study, patients with leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, or certain premalignant blood disorders (such as myelodysplastic syndromes) will undergo targeted immune-depleting chemotherapy followed by transplantation of umbilical cord blood from two unrelated donors (double transplant). [National Cancer Institute Press Release]

CURRENT PUBLICATIONS

Endothelial Cells Are Essential for the Self-Renewal and Repopulation of Notch-Dependent Hematopoietic Stem Cells
Researchers developed angiogenic models to demonstrate that endothelial cell-derived angiocrine growth factors support in vitro self-renewal and in vivo repopulation of authentic long-term hematopoietic stem cells. [Cell Stem Cell]

Cell Type–Specific Gene Expression Differences in Complex Tissues
Researchers describe cell type–specific significance analysis of microarrays for analyzing differential gene expression for each cell type in a biological sample from microarray data and relative cell-type frequencies. [Nat Methods]

Allogeneic Transplantation Improves the Overall and Progression-Free Survival of Hodgkin's Lymphoma Patients Relapsing after Autologous Transplantation: A Retrospective Study Based on the Time of HLA Typing and Donor Availability
To evaluate the role of reduced intensity conditioning allogeneic transplantation (alloSCT), researchers designed a retrospective study based on attending physicians’ commitment to perform a salvage alloSCT: thus only Hodgkin's lymphoma patients HLA-typed immediately after the failed autologous transplantation were included. [Blood]

Leukemia-Associated Minor Histocompatibility Antigen Discovery Using T-Cell Clones Isolated by In Vitro Stimulation of Naive CD8⁺ T Cells
Minor histocompatibility (H) antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors are found predominantly in the naive CD8⁺ T cell subset (T_N), and provide an efficient strategy for in vitro priming of T_N to generate T cells to a broad diversity of minor H antigens presented with common human leukocyte antigen alleles. [Blood]

Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells Exert Immunosuppressive Activities Through a Prostaglandin E₂-Dependent Mechanism
In this study, both proliferation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and their interferon-gamma production in response to mitogenic or allogeneic stimulus were effectively inhibited by human umbilical-cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells. [Clin Immunol] 

Identification of Candidate Surface Antigens for Non-Invasive Prenatal Diagnosis by Comparative Global Gene Expression on Human Fetal Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Researchers aimed to identify surface antigens specific to fetal mesenchymal stem cells and not maternal peripheral blood lymphocytes, using genome-wide analysis of actively-expressed transcripts. [Mol Hum Reprod]

Biocompatibility of Osteogenic Predifferentiated Human Cord Blood Stem Cells with Biomaterials and the Influence of the Biomaterial on the Process of Differentiation
Insoluble collagenous bone matrix followed by beta-tricalciumphosphate is highly suitable for bone tissue engineering regarding cell attachment and proliferation. [J Biomater Appl]

INDUSTRY NEWS

CaridianBCT Receives 510(k) Clearance on Latest Version of Trima Accel Automated Blood Collection System
The latest version of the Trima Accel system includes the Auto Red Blood Cell procedure, allowing for the collection of a ready-to-transfuse leukoreduced red blood cell product from donors and eliminating the requirement for post-procedure leukoreduction and addition of storage solution. [CaridianBCT Press Release]

Healthcare of Today Signs Letter of Intent for Medical Product Developer
Healthcare of Today, Inc. announced it has signed a letter of intent with leading edge medical product company DyfucaMed^®, LLC. [Healthcare of Today, Inc. Press Release]

Spectral Granted Investigational Device Exemption Approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration to Conduct Pivotal Trial for Toraymyxin™
Spectral Diagnostics Inc. announces that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Investigational Device Exemption approval for Toraymyxin™, a therapeutic hemoperfusion device that removes endotoxin from the bloodstream, allowing the Company to conduct a pivotal trial in the United States. [Spectral Diagnostics Inc. Press Release]

Conference Births New Veterinary Stem Cell Association
A new professional organization, the North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association, has been launched as the result of a recent international conference, co-sponsored by University of California, Davis, which focused on the use of stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine to treat horses and other animals. [University of California, Davis Press Release]

Winchester Firm in Blood-Freezing Breakthrough
A Winchester firm recognized for its freeze-drying expertise has won funding for a study on a technique which could make blood transfusions less reliant on donors. [Hampshire Chronicle]

Biocell Center Corporation Partners with New England's Largest Community-Based Hospital Network to Offer a Unique Service in Amniotic Fluid Stem Cell Preservation
Biocell Center Corporation, Caritas Christi Health Care  and its flagship hospital St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, are pleased to announce the launch of a cryopreservation service for amniotic fluid stem cells obtained during a routine second trimester amniocentesis procedure. [PR Newswire]

Histostem Works With Korean Government Agency to Provide Cord Blood Storage for Multicultural Families
AmStem Corporation announced that Histostem Ltd. of South Korea has signed a partnership with the Songpa-Gu Office, an office of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, to offer a program that will enable multicultural families to store umbilical cord blood, at no expense to them, for up to fifteen years. [Marketwire]

POLICY NEWS

Risks 'Taken' in Illegal Cord Blood Collections
Parents, hospitals and private firms are being warned over risky and illegal collections of umbilical cord blood. [Human Tissue Authority, United Kingdom]

Canadian Budget Light on New Research Dollars
Relief was the order of the day for Canadian scientists as the federal government brought down its fiscal blueprint for 2010-11. [Conservative Party, Canada]

In Annual Rite, Chinese Science Showered With Riches
At the opening session of the National People's Congress, officials announced that the science and technology budget will rise 8% to 163.3 billion RMB ($24 billion) in 2010. [National People's Congress, China]

Guidance for Industry: Characterization and Qualification of Cell Substrates and Other Biological Materials Used in the Production of Viral Vaccines for Infectious Disease Indications; Availability, 9905-9906 [2010-4553] [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

Request for Information (RFI): To Solicit Input for the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Strategic Plan for Training and Career Development (NOT-GM-10-102) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Correction to Required Budget Component for PAR-09-084: Enhancing Developmental Biology Research at Undergraduate Institutions Academic Research Enhancement Award (R15) (NOT-HD-10-007) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Clarification of Budget Form for PAR-09-092 Academic-Community Partnership Conference Series (U13) (NOT-HD-10-009) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Recovery Act Limited Competition: The National Institutes of Health Director's American Recovery & Reinvestment Act Funded Pathfinder Award to Promote Diversity in the Scientific Workforce (DP4) (RFA-OD-10-013) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Minority Access to Research Careers Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U-STAR) National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Grant (T34) (PAR-10-119)[National Institutes of Health, United States]

EVENTS

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

British Society for Haematology 50th Annual Scientific Meeting
April 19-21, 2010
Edinburgh, Scotland

XXIII International Symposium on Technological Innovations in Laboratory Hematology
May 10-12, 2010
Brighton, United Kingdom

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

International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) 8th Annual Meeting
June 16-19, 2010
San Francisco, United States

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

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

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