TOP STORIES

Bioengineered Stem Cells May Offer New Hope for Pancreatic Cancer Patients
Bioengineered construct were used in a treatment targeting pancreatic cancer were made of engineered, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and a gene product toxic to tumor growth that is expressed when the tumor actively recruits the stem cells. [Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston]

SCIENCE NEWS

Fate Therapeutics Announces Creation of Small Molecule Platform for Commercial Scale Reprogramming
The discoveries represent a more than 200 fold improvement in reprogramming efficiency and reduce the reprogramming period to two weeks as compared to methods using only the four reprogramming factors (Oct 3/4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc). [Fate Therapeutics, Inc., La Jolla]

Adipose-Derived Stem and Regenerative Cells Show Potential in First-in-Man Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence
Cytori was informed that stem and regenerative cells from a patient's own fat tissue were used to treat stress urinary incontinence as part of an investigator-initiated five patient pilot study in Japan. [Cytori, San Diego]

Presentation of Adult Stem Cell Study Highlights Promising Application of Autologous Stem Cells for Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury
DaVinci Biosciences LLC announced recently the presentation of their safety and feasibility study demonstrating the administration of autologous bone marrow derived stem cells for the treatment of acute and chronic spinal cord injury. [DaVinci Biosciences LLC, Costa Mesa]

Cardio3 BioSciences Treats Its First Patient with C-Cure(R), a Second-Generation Stem Cell Derived Therapy for Heart Failure
The patient is participating in a Phase II/III clinical study, to assess 'cardiopoietic' cells generated from a patient's own bone marrow, for patients with heart failure. [Cardio3 BioSciences, Mont-Saint-Guibert]

Bioengineered Stem Cells May Offer New Hope for Pancreatic Cancer Patients
Bioengineered construct were used in a treatment targeting pancreatic cancer were made of engineered, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and a gene product toxic to tumor growth that is expressed when the tumor actively recruits the stem cells. [Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston]

Doctors Grow Facial Bone in Groundbreaking Procedure
In a first-of-its kind procedure, physicians have used stem cells taken from the fat tissue of a 14-year-old boy and combined them with growth protein and donor tissue to grow viable cheek bones in the teen. [Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati]

Stem Cells Offer New Hope for Kidney Disease Patients
The researchers found that stem cells derived from adult bone marrow are equally useful as embryonic stem cells in the treatment of Alport syndrome, a genetic kidney disease. [Harvard Medical School, Boston]

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CURRENT PUBLICATIONS

IL-18 Binding Protein-expressing Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improve Myocardial Protection after Ischemia or Infarction
In the present study, mesenchymal stem cells derived from mice transgenic for over expression of human IL-18BP were tested in rat models of global myocardial ischemia and acute myocardial infarction. [PNAS]

Adipocytes as Immune Cells: Differential Expression of TWEAK, BAFF, and APRIL and Their Receptors (Fn14, BAFF-R, TACI, and BCMA) at Different Stages of Normal and Pathological
In this paper, the researchers report the differential expression of TNF-superfamily members B cell activating factor of the TNF Family, a proliferation inducing ligand, and TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis in immature-appearing and mature adipocytes and in benign and malignant adipose tissue-derived tumors. [J Immunol]

Chondrogenesis of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Local Transforming Growth Factor-Beta Delivery in a Biphasic Re-absorbable Carrier
The researchers analyzed whether a collagen type I/III carrier and fibrin glue combined to a biphasic construct support in vitro chondrogenesis of MSCs and allow for local release of bioactive transforming growth factor-beta1. [Tissue Eng Part A]

Neo-vascularization and Bone Formation Mediated by Fetal Mesenchymal Stem Cell Tissue-engineered Bone Grafts in Critical-size Femoral Defects
The researchers here studied the functional performance of human fetal mesenchymal stem cell-mediated tissue-engineered bone grafts in 7 mm rat femoral critical-sized bone defects. [Biomaterials]

The Microenvironment in Mature B-cell Malignancies: a Target for New Treatment Strategies
This paper summarizes the current knowledge about the cellular and molecular interactions between neoplastic B lymphocytes and accessory cells that shape a supportive microenvironment, and the potential therapeutic targets that are emerging, together with the new problems they raise. [Blood]

INDUSTRY NEWS

Stemedica Completes Meeting with the FDA
Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc. announced that it completed its pre-IND meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding a proposed Investigative New Drug to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its high potency proprietary allogeneic mesenchymal bone marrow-derived stem cells as a treatment for ischemic stroke.

DARA BioSciences and America Stem Cell Enter Into Amendment to Material Transfer Agreement
Under the Material Transfer Agreement, the Company is providing ASC with dipeptidylpeptidase inhibitors from its proprietary library which ASC is using to further its research and development program related to hematopoietic stem cell transplants.

Biotechs Back From the Dead
The financial crisis was supposed to annihilate small companies, but many survived.

POLICY NEWS

Court Asked to Overturn Obama's Decision to Fund Embryonic Stem Cell Research
A hearing was held Wednesday to reinstate a ban on taxpayer funds being used for embryonic stem cell research.

2009 Meeting Materials, Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee

Public Workshop: FDA Regulation and Licensure of Whole Blood and Blood Components

EVENTS

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Conference 2009
November 12-14, 2009, Austin, TX, United States

Molecular Tri Conference & The Stem Cell Meeting
February 2-5, 2010, San Francisco, CA, United States

Blood and Marrow Transplantation
February 24-28, 2010, Orlando, FL, United States

World Congress Regenerative Medicine
March 12-14, 2010, Bangkok, Thailand

The European Group for Blood & Marrow Transplantation Annual Meeting
March 21-24, 2010, Vienna, Austria

9th Transgenic Technology Meeting
March 22-24, 2010, Berlin, Germany

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