Currents in Stem Cell Medicine 3

Currents in Stem Cell Medicine

September 13, 2011. Volume 1, Number 3.

 

News from the ICMS

ICMS Draft Guidelines for the Practice of Cell Based Medicine
The ICMS announces the publication of a newly expanded set of guidelines for review and comment. Members are encouraged to provide professional feedback to help the ICMS provide the most advanced standards in the world. These guidelines will be presented for approval at the 4th Annual International Congress in May, 2012.

4^th Annual International Congress on Regenerative and Cell Based Medicine
The ICMS is now accepting abstracts for its 4^th annual congress to be held in Hollywood, Florida on May 3 – 6, 2012. Members interested in presenting should Contact the ICMS. Applications are due November 1st, 2011.

Survey on Medical Malpractice Insurance Needs
The ICMS has published its first survey on the needs of its member physicians for medical malpractice insurance. The ICMS will announce in the coming weeks a plan to provide professional liability insurance for qualified members of the ICMS who practice PRP and cell based medicine.

ICMS Announces International Chapters
The ICMS announces the formation of new chapters in Argentina, Peru, China, Venezuela and Mexico. Members interested in chartering national chapters should Contact the ICMS.

 

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Latest Stem Cell News

Stem cells are therapy, not mere experiments
Stem cell therapy provides a promise of life to people with incurable diseases and is no longer only a research tool, opined Mammen Chandy, director, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.

Tulane stem cell biologist Aline Betancourt has discovered a method to “educate” stem cells so they will either turn on or turn off the body’s inflammatory response.

Adult stem cell therapy now used for spinal fusions
Neurosurgery researchers, Kee Kim and Rudolph Schrot, of the University of California - Davis Health System, have developed a leading-edge stem cell therapy to relieve the debilitating pain that can occur following the removal of cervical discs. The researchers used adult stem cells from bone marrow in order to promote growth of bone tissue for spinal fusion after surgery, used for numerous conditions like degenerative disc disease.

 

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Latest Stem Cell Research

Sources of adult mesenchymal stem cells applicable for musculoskeletal applications - a systematic review of the literature
MSCs are defined as undeveloped biological cells capable of proliferation, self renewal and regenerating tissues. All these properties of MSCs have been discovered in the past 35 years. MSCs can play a crucial role in tissue engineering, organogenesis, gene therapy, transplants as well as tissue injuries. These cells were mainly extracted from bone marrow but there have been additional sources for MSCs discovered in the laboratories including: muscle, dermis, trabecular bone, adipose tissue, periosteum, pericyte, blood, synovial membrane and so forth. The discovery of the alternative sources of MSCs helps widen the application of these cells in different areas of medicine.

Regulation of Stem Cell Differentiation in Adipose Tissue by Chronic Inflammation
Recent studies suggest that a local hypoxic response leads to chronic inflammation in adipose tissue of obese individuals. The adipose tissue hypoxia may reflect a compensatory failure in the local vasculature system in response to obesity. Studies suggest that inflammation stimulates angiogenesis and inhibits adipocyte activities in a feedback manner within the obese adipose tissue. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are able to differentiate into multiple linages of progenitor cells for adipocytes, endothelial cells, fibroblasts and pericytes. Differentiation of ASCs into those progenitors is regulated by the adipose tissue microenvironment.

The great migration of bone marrow-derived stem cells toward the ischemic brain: Therapeutic implications for stroke and other neurological disorders.
Accumulating laboratory studies have implicated the mobilization of bone marrow (BM)-derived stem cells in brain plasticity and stroke therapy. This mobilization of bone cells to the brain is an essential concept in regenerative medicine. Over the past ten years, mounting data have shown the ability of bone marrow-derived stem cells to mobilize from BM to the peripheral blood (PB) and eventually enter the injured brain. This homing action is exemplified in BM stem cell mobilization following ischemic brain injury. Various BM-derived cells, such as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and very small embryonic-like cells (VSELs) have been demonstrated to exert therapeutic benefits in stroke.

Pluristem study finds stem cells can treat radiation sickness
Pluristem Therapeutics Ltd. says that initial animal studies found that its placental stem cells can treat Acute radiation syndrome (ARS). In the study, animals exposed to lethal doses of radiation, were injected the following day with either PLacental eXpanded (PLX) cells or a placebo containing no cells. Nine days following treatment with the PLX cells, the animals' bone marrow and spleen were examined for signs of hematopoietic (blood forming) tissue. On day 23, bone marrow and blood samples were examined in the surviving animals. Overall survival and body weight changes were also monitored.

Mesenchymal stem cells: from experiment to clinic
There is much interest in adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and their ability to differentiate into other cell types and partake in the anatomy and physiology of remote organs. It is now clear these cells may be purified from several organs in the body and not only the bone marrow.

Stem cells 'promote bone tissue growth'
New research indicates that adult stem cells could be used to promote the growth of bone tissue after cervical disk removal.

Immunosuppressive Properties of Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) can be isolated from different adult tissues including bone marrow, adipose tissue, cord blood and placenta. MSCs modulate the immune function of the major immune cell populations involved in alloantigen recognition and elimination, including antigen presenting cells, T cells, B cells and natural killer cells.

Old stem cells exposed to a young environment can be rejuvenated
Exposure to a youthful environment may help old cellsfeel alive again - as the work of Professor Xiaodong Chen and co-workers from the University of Texas Health Science Center, USA, suggests.

Treatment of Chronic Tendinopathy with Ultrasound-Guided Needle Tenotomy and Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection
In this case series, we found US-guided percutaneous needle tenotomy followed by PRP injection to be a safe and effective treatment for chronic, recalcitrant tendinopathy, and this treatment was associated with sonographically apparent improvements in tendon morphology. However, because of the intrinsic limitations of the study design and the heterogeneity of treated tendons, further research is required to corroborate our findings.

New Form of Colitis Seen With Cord Blood Transplant
A new syndrome characterized by watery diarrhea has been identified in a group of patients who underwent cord blood stem cell transplantation.

Intravenous Infusion of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Is Associated With Improved Myocardial Function During Endotoxemia

Local Injections of Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Modulate Inflammation and Increase Angiogenesis Ameliorating the Dystrophic Phenotype in Dystrophin-Deficient Skeletal Muscle
The effects of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSC) transplantation on degeneration, regeneration and skeletal muscle function were investigated in dystrophin-deficient mice (24-week-old). ADMSC transplantation improved muscle strength and, resistance to fatigue. An increase in fiber cross-sectional area and in the number of fibers with centralized nuclei and augment of myogenin content were observed. In ADMSC-treated muscles a decrease in muscle content of TNF-α, IL-6 and oxidative stress measured by Amplex^® reagent were observed. The level of TGF-β1 was lowered whereas that of VEGF, IL-10 and IL-4 were increased by ADMSC treatment. An increase in markers of macrophage M1 (CD11 and F4-80) and a decrease in T lymphocyte marker (CD3) and arginase-1 were also observed in ADMSCs-treated dystrophic muscle. No change was observed in iNOS expression. Increased phosphorylation of Akt, p70S6k and 4E-BP1 was found in dystrophic muscles treated with ADMSC. These results suggest that ADMSC transplantation modulates inflammation and improves muscle tissue regeneration, ameliorating the dystrophic phenotype in dystrophin-deficient mice

Join the ICMS and Help Define the Future of Stem Cell Medicine

The ICMS is a physician guided international 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to patient safety and the protection of the practice of medicine and physician education through the production of global guidelines for the practice of cell based medicine. Membership in the ICMS is available to physicians, scientists and other healthcare professionals who are dedicated to the advancement of the field of adult stem cell medicine. Lend your voice and support. Join Now.

 

Currents in Stem Cell Medicine is a bi-monthly publication of the ICMS.