Healing Bones with Stem Cells

Healing Bones with Stem Cells at UC Davis – Mark Lee: CIRM Spotlight on Disease Presentation by Dr. Mark Lee at UC Davis on the use of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in complex fracture work. Severe bone fractures can lead to such massive bone loss that realigning and fixing the bone with implants is not enough to heal the bone. In these cases, the trauma victim is left with chronic pain and non-functioning limbs. Dr. Mark Lee, an orthopedic surgeon at the UC Davis School of Medicine, is developing new stem cell based methods to overcome these current challenges in treating non-healing bone. Dr. Lee spoke about his research at the CIRM governing board’s Spotlight on…

Issue is not competition… but too few donors

HOUSTON (KTRK) — This week, there’s been debate over the age of people getting transplants after former Vice President Dick Cheney received a heart transplant at 71. But the world’s biggest heart transplant center here in Houston says that’s not unusual. They say older people sometimes do better. Dr. Delgado holds a list of the 131 people now waiting for a heart. Each one is hoping for the phone call that will mean a new life. Experts say the real issue isn’t competition for organs but too few donors. Transplants are limited to about 2,000 a year in the US because so few people agree to be organ donors.   Watch KTRK Coverage   Recommend on…

Knowledge gained paves way for future of cell therapy

  Stem cell, heart heath study Stem cells from someone’s bone marrow could help repair heart damage Doctors from the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital have found that patients with heart failure may be able to repair the damaged areas of the heart with stem cells from the patient’s own bone marrow. Doctors presented the findings at the American College of Cardiology’s 61st Annual Scientific Session Saturday. The results are from a multi-center clinical study that measured the possible benefits of using a patient’s own bone marrow cells to repair damaged areas of the heart suffering from severe heart failure, a condition that affects millions of Americans.     The study, which…

Potential of the cell therapy for unmet medical needs

  Chis Mason, PhD (University of London), presented the potential of the cell therapy industry to become a multibillion dollar industry as a result of R&D, investment and media coverage. Emphasizing the difference between cell therapy and regenerative medicine, he spoke about the need to distinguish the two fields and allow them to grow to their full potential. Mason touted cell therapies as potentially revolutionary solutions for unmet medical needs and called for an effective business model to bring these therapies to market. Watch Presentation from 2011 World Stem Cell Summit: “Cell Therapy, Billion Dollar Global Business, Unlimited Potential, Chris Mason, PhD”   Further Reading and Related Videos 2012 World Stem Cell Summit 2011 Summit:…

Charitable donation the second largest in Children’s history

UT Southwestern, Children’s Partner for New Stem Cell, Cancer Institute Curing cancer is a lofty goal. But that is the talk among people involved in a new joint venture between the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center. Officials with both hospitals are set to announce a $150 million stem cell and cancer research institute, set to open on the UT Southwestern campus. The money includes a $10 million gift, the second-largest in Children’s history, from the Hamon Charitable Foundation. Dr. Sean Morrison, of UT Southwestern, will lead the Hamon Laboratory for Stem Cell and Cancer Biology. According to his supervisors, Morrison’s laboratory works at the interface of stem cell biology and…

Heart Stop Beating Premiers at Sundance

Two Houston surgeons have successfully implanted the world’s first continuous-flow artificial heart in a human patient, a significant advance that promises a smaller and much more durable alternative to existing artificial hearts. Drs. Bud Frazier and Billy Cohn took out the dead heart of 55-year-old Craig A. Lewis on March 10 at the Texas Heart Institute. After harmful proteins built up in his heart to the point it could no longer work, Lewis lived only with the aid of external breathing, dialysis and heart support machines. The Houston man had maybe a day to live when Frazier and Cohn were given the opportunity to test their device — a pair of turbines cobbled together to…

Anatomy of a 60 Minutes hidden-camera interview

Where’d they hide the cameras? Watch this behind-the-scenes breakdown as the crew sets up a surprise interview. Watch Video   Stem Cell Fraud: A 60 Minutes investigation  The Internet is full of websites selling unproven stem cell treatments for incurable illnesses. Scott Pelley confronts one disgraced doctor offering false hope to a family with a disabled child. Watch Video Read More Recommend on FacebookTell a friend

60 Minutes investigation: stem cell fraud

  The Internet is full of websites selling unproven stem cell treatments for incurable illnesses. Scott Pelley confronts one disgraced doctor offering false hope to a family with a disabled child. Dr. Dan Ecklund claims he can treat dozens of diseases using stem cells. But there’s a problem. Ecklund is a disgraced doctor whose medical license was revoked in 2005. That hasn’t kept him from founding a company and a website that offer hope where science cannot. Scott Pelley investigates the lucrative business of miracle stem cell “cures.” It’s 21st century snake oil being peddled to desperate people, including the parents of one young boy, Adam Susser, who has cerebral palsy and is blind and…

60 Minutes investigates online stem cell fraud

(CBS News)  Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg of Duke University tells Scott Pelley that stem cells purchased from one of the hundreds of websites promising stem cell cures for incurable diseases could actually cause a patient serious harm. The chief scientific officer for Duke’s stem cell research program spoke to Pelley as part of an eight-month investigation into the illicit stem cell industry. Kurtzberg decries the websites offering unproven stem cell remedies for what are currently incurable diseases like autism, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and every kind of cancer. She hears from patients who see those websites and has to inform them that thus far, stem cells have been used to successfully treat leukemia and a few rare…

Engineering Spare Parts

Spare Parts for Humans: Tissue Engineers Aim for Lab-Grown Limbs, Lungs and More A new research breakthrough has enabled scientists to grow human tissue to repair or replace organs, and someday, maybe even limbs. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports. Watch PBS NEWSHOUR video Recommend on FacebookTell a friend

‘Tooth fairy palace’

In the chilly studio of Liverpool-based artist Gina Czarnecki, a fantasy palace has taken shape. It is a riot of towers and tendrils, resembling something out of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.  It has been christened the Tooth Fairy Palace, but like many fairy tales, all is not as it seems as it has been designed to raise awareness about stem cell research and its implications. The palace will gradually become encrusted with real teeth – the teeth of children. These teeth can be a source of stem cells, the focus of pioneering and sometimes controversial research. “…this palace evolved from conversations about stem cells, but also about truth and illusion, and about…

Stem Cell Synergy

Highlights from California Stem Cell Synergy: the 2011 CIRM Grantee Meeting No family reunion is complete until somebody brings out the video camera. The CIRM family is no different. Todd Dubnicoff, CIRM’s videographer and video editor along with colleague Amy Adams went on-location to downtown S an Francisco in mid-September to film the 2011 CIRM Grantee Meeting. This three day event brought together the California stem cell scientists and trainees who receive CIRM funding including several international collaborators as well as out-of-state guest speakers. Scientists produce research results back in their labs at their home institutions, but getting the chance to discuss those results in person with fellow stem cell researchers can spark new discoveries….

Healing Damaged Hearts with Stem Cells

Dr. James T. Willerson, President and Medical Director: Texas Heart Institute and Professor and Edward Randall III Chair in Internal Medicine The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas discusses recent advances using stem cells to heal damaged hearts. Researchers from the Texas Heart Institute have found what they think is the best type of adult stem cell to heal the heart. “One can distinguish individual stem cells and look at their ability to repair the heart after injury or to increase blood flow to the legs or coming up help repair strokes,” said Dr. James T. Willerson. The Texas Heart Institute (THI) researchers were among the scientists presenting their latest studies at…

The Austin Forum Highlights

Stem Cell Therapy in the Treatment of Patients with Ischemic Heart Failure Emerson Perin, MD, PhD., Director, Clinical Research for Cardiovascular Medicine and the Medical Director of the Stem Cell Center, Texas Heart Institute, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital Scientific advancements in the stem cell field can lead to new treatments and therapies for diseases and medical disorders for which we have few or no effective medications or treatment options. The emerging field of regenerative medicine capitalizes on unparalleled collaboration among leading scientists, requires innovative technologies and holds the potential to benefit society through improved health care, disease prevention and treatment. The technologies, processes and equipment necessary to develop these new treatment options are of great…

Cerebral Palsy: Cord Blood Study

Augusta Stem Cell Study May Help Treat Cerebral Palsy It’s a first for Augusta. Georgia Health Sciences University is conducting the first FDA regulated trial using stem cells. Doctors want to know if cord blood stem cells can help cerebral palsy. There are 375,000 samples stored in the cord blood registry and sadly research shows, only 5% of Americans choose to save their umbilical cord blood. That means the other 95% is used as medical waste. But one family from Detroit saved their daughter’s blood, and that may help her to walk again. Meet 2-year-old Allison Thurman. The typical toddler enjoys playing with her toys but this little girl is part of a stem cell…

Adult Stem Cells for Heart Failure

Results Triple Researchers’ Projections With Use of Adult Stem Cells for Heart Failure Patients suffering from heart failure due to a previous myocardial infarction showed an average of 12 percent improvement one year following an investigative treatment that involved infusing them with their own stem cells. The results triple the 4 percent improvement average the researchers projected for the Phase I trial. Results of the trial are published today (Nov. 14) in The Lancet and concurrently presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Fla. They are the first report of administering subjects’ own cardiac stem cells in humans; previous studies have used stem cells harvested from bone marrow. The research team, led…

Diabetes On The Rise

November 14th was “World Diabetes Day,” and a new set of statistics from the International Diabetes Federation show that one in 10 people, or 522 million, could have diabetes by the year 2030. The World Health Organization says many of these future cases are preventable. Laura Templeton, who serves on the Austin JDRF Board of Directors, joined us this morning on Good Day to talk about the rising diabetes epidemic. 
  Read More/Watch Video Further Reading about the research focus JDRF believes it is important to pursue research on all stem cell sources that could potentially lead the type 1 research community to a cure for the disease and its complications.  The more knowledge gained…

High hopes: heart stem cell treatment

High hopes for heart stem cell treatment Nov. 14: Mike Jones is one of 5 million Americans suffering from heart failure. But Jones is also one of 16 patients to get a cutting edge experimental treatment with his own adult heart stem cells.  NBC’s Robert Bazell reports Source Recommend on FacebookTell a friend

Stress Ages Stem Cells

Building Hearts + Lengthening Telomeres Did you know that stress ages your stem cells? Stress makes telemeres shorter.  Telomeres are sections of DNA at the ends of chromosomes. Each time a cell divides, telomeres lose a small amount of DNA and become shorter. Ronald DePinho, M.D., internationally recognized for basic and translational research in cancer, aging and age-associated degenerative disorders, is the president of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and his work on telomeres has established the role of telomere dysfunction in acquired and inherited degenerative disorders, such as end-stage liver failure. His findings even suggest that there may be a “point of return” in which medicines might help severely aged organs recover…

Bringing Stem Cell Cures to the Clinic

The FDA requires the use of a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility for taking stem cell-based therapies into clinical trials. This GMP facility is a clean-room laboratory that ensures the therapeutic products will be safe and contamination-free for patients. In Spring 2008, CIRM gave $272 million for the construction of twelve stem cell research facilities in California. The University of California, Davis was one of the recipients of this Major Facilities grant. Their $20 million award is supporting construction of the new Institute for Regenerative Cures. This 60,000 square foot building will include a state-of-the-art GMP facility. Jan Nolta is the director of the UC Davis stem cell program and Institute for Regenerative Cures. Gerhard…