INVESTMENT BANKER DONATES $20 MILLION
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
Mercury News
San Francisco investment banker John Scully and his wife, Regina, have donated $20 million to Stanford's medical school and hospital to help expand stem-cell research at the university, Stanford officials said Wednesday.
The money will go toward a new medical school building with laboratories for stem-cell and regenerative-medicine research. The university hopes to break ground on that building late this year. The donation also will be used to create space for stem-cell treatment of patients within a planned expansion of Stanford University Medical Center that is expected to be completed in 2015.
Scully, 63, said he was motivated to support stem-cell research because of its potential for treating diseases like cancer and because funding for such research has been severely limited by federal restrictions since 2001.
"I don't believe government should restrict scientific inquiry," said Scully, who graduated from Stanford's Graduate School of Business in 1968 and is managing director of SPO Partners & Co. in Mill Valley. "But . . . I'm highly confident those federal restrictions will go away. Perhaps gifts like mine will hasten that day by showing the potential for stem-cell therapies."
Stanford has been positioning
itself as a major player in stem-cell research. In March 2007, Business Wire founder Larry Lokey December donated $33 million to Stanford Medical School to promote stem-cell research. Then, last month, medical school researchers received nearly $11 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to help advance the careers of young scientists in the field.
Article:http://www.mercurynews.com/greenenergy/ci_7930193?nclick_check=1
Stem cells have the unique characteristic of "plasticity" -- they have the ability to give rise to all of the different tissues of the human body. In general, stem cells have two distinguishing characteristics: They are unspecialized, in that they can clone themselves without limit; and they can differentiate into many cell types with specific functions.
Recently, scientists have discovered that human adipose (fat) tissue has a higher concentration of adult stem cells than any other tissue in the body. In fact, a given volume of adipose tissue contains 1,000 times more stem cells than the same volume of bone marrow -- 500 mL of fat can yield approximately 200 million stem cells. Stem cells have many unique applications in science and medicine, but this is the first time, protein extract derived from stem cells are used in the field of cosmetic dermatology.
In July 2007, facial and scalp rejuvenate therapies using AAPE was introduced at The Sloane Clinic in Singapore. AAPE (advanced adipose-derived stem cell protein extract) is a mixture of refined growth factor proteins that is extracted from human adipose-derived stem cells. AAPE uses proteins or chemical messengers that are extracted from stem cells found in human fat tissue. These messengers, when deposited or absorbed into the skin or scalp if that were the case, would then send a signal to cells in the skin teaching them to regenerate.
a very simplistic way, we are basically using this product to tell your skin to be young again," says Dr. Low Chai Ling, Aesthetic Physician of The Sloane Clinic, Singapore, one of the first doctors in Singapore to offer this treatment to her patients with overwhelming response.
"These AAPE cells are extracted from human adipocytes (fat cells) during the process of lipoaspiration (fat suction) and they contain the maximal number of stem cells in the human body. By cultivating these regenerative cells in test-tubes, we can establish cell lines which will serve as a reservoir of stem cells for anti-ageing and aesthetic therapies far superior than traditional methods of synthetic chemicals," she added.
Stem Cell as a Therapy
Stem-cell therapy can be viewed as a way to restore embryonic potential to a patient's aged or damaged cells. The goal of stem-cell therapy in aesthetic surgery would be to regenerate aging tissue. (of the face or scalp)
AAPE is the protein messengers extracted from these stem cells, and hence AAPE have the innate ability to rearrange, change, or repair local tissues significantly and rapidly. One of the most promising uses for AAPE may be the regeneration of facial fat that has been lost through the natural aging process -- facial fat atrophy. AAPE to could not only replace lost facial volume, but may also be able to rejuvenate the face by regenerating the skin from the inside out.
AAPE on the scalp can also help with the regeneration of ageing hair follicles and help stimulate hair growth and reverse the effects of balding without the need for hair transplant surgery.
A session will take about 30 minutes with multiple tiny punctures and most will begin to see the effects from your 3rd session onwards. Most patients will do a series of 6 sessions initially to prime their skin for long lasting anti-ageing effects.
"As you know, no treatment is able to freeze time as our bodies and skin is subjected to many environmental assaults daily, but this treatment certainly comes close," says Dr. Low Chai Ling.
Safety and Efficacy
AAPE which is the growth factors derived from stem cells harvested from human fat cells have been certified safe by CTFA (Cosmetic. Toiletry and Fragrance Association) as an approved cosmetic ingredient (Sep/13/2006). It has also been registered with INCI as human adipocyte conditioned media extract. This product is patented. (Patent registration number: PCT/KR2006/004111).
Stem Cell Facial and Scalp Therapy -- Miracle Facial?
Overall, stem cells raise the prospect of regenerating the aging face from the inside out, and thereby have the potential to change the entire practice of facial rejuvenation in the future. Stem Cell Facial Therapy for anti-ageing and intense facial rejuvenation purposes (reduction in wrinkles, pigmentation, evening of skin colour, closure of pores and softening and tightening ) costs around USD$600* per session. Stem Cell Scalp Therapy to regrow hair and reverse balding costs around USD$550*. Hair regrowth is usually seen in 6 sessions, 2 weeks apart.
For most, this is a leap in aesthetic advancement that is going to revolutionalize the cosmetic industry. And this will bring people a step closer to their anti-ageing ideal with the least amount of effort in the long run.
After all, pretty is what you are born with. But beautiful, that's an equal opportunity.
*Prices accurate at time of print but may be subjected to change.
Dr. Low Chai Ling is an aesthetic physician and the medical director of The Sloane Clinic, Singapore.
For more information on this and other treatment, please visit www.sloaneclinic.com
For general enquiries, please email enquiries @sloaneclinic.com
For press and media enquiries, please email marcom @sloaneclinic.com
This original article from: www.prweb.com
Stem Cells help California native
Twelve months ago David Traub fromWoodland Hills, California, was told by his cardiologist that it was doubtful he would survive the trip to Thailand for adult stem cell therapy for his heart failure.
As David sat in the waiting room recently after a scheduled check-up, he was told that the doctor wanted to speak with him. Naturally David was a little alarmed and wondered what could have gone wrong. After all he had a long history of hospitalizations and treatment for his cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease. He was used to hearing depressing news concerning his deteriorating health, but he continued to be hopeful that he could be helped.
The cardiologist came, “Running in with eyes wide,” in David’s words, and said, “David, all of your test results are normal. Not normal ‘for you’, but normal. Your heart has revascularized itself. It has to be the stem cell treatment because the left side of your heart now has a normal blood flow.”
Formerly this cardiologist was at the best doubtful and the David described him as “mostly negative, a real doubting Thomas” about any possible benefits from adult stem cell therapy. “Not any more,” said David.
David’s therapy consisted of having about half a pint of his own blood removed in Bangkok’s prestigious Bangkok Heart Hospital. This blood was flown to Theravitae’s laboratory where the therapeutic stem cells were isolated and multiplied many times before being injected directly into the heart muscle via a small incision in the chest wall.
Not only did David survive the trip half way around the world but he returned home to find, “The peaks were higher and the valley’s not as deep”. He still has problems due to an enlarged heart from cardiomyopathy but he is happy to wait a while longer knowing that his heart now has a richer blood supply compared with before stem cell treatment, so it is working normally rather than struggling. His partner, family and cardiologist share the excitement of proof that adult stem cell therapy has the ability to improve the blood supply to the heart muscle itself.
Millions of coronary heart disease patients will be able to benefit when cardiologists, like this patient’s, change their tune and give them the realistic and proven effective option of adult stem cell therapy instead of a death sentence.
About TheraVitae:
TheraVitae is a private, multinational company focused on using stem cells from the patient’s own blood in order to treat a variety of disorders, especially cardiovascular diseases. The company has developed a proprietary stem cell technology, ‘VesCell’, that is currently being used by hospitals in Thailand and Singapore to treat patients with heart disease and peripheral artery disease.
VesCell — A Natural Treatment for Heart Disease and Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
The body has natural ways of healing itself and the cardiovascular system is no exception. Angiogenic Cell Precursors (ACPs) originate in bone marrow and then circulate in the blood vessels. To manufacture VesCell, TheraVitae expands a small number of ACPs harvested from about 250cc of blood into a therapeutic quantity. VesCell is injected either through a coronary artery via catheter, or during surgery, directly into the heart muscle.
A key aspect of VesCell therapy is the advanced cell isolation and expansion technique that allows for the ACPs to be harvested from blood collected in a procedure similar to a common blood donation. VesCell uses a patient’s own adult stem cells to treat Heart Disease and PAD and is a viable therapeutic possibility for heart or PAD patients without any other treatment option.
Los Angeles, CA 9/5/2007 7:25 AM GMT (TransWorldNews - Top Story)
mailto:jerry@theravitae.com?subject=Cardiologist changes tune on adult stem cells
http://www.vescell.com/
The original article can be found at http://www.vescell.com/
Report proposes structure for national network of cord blood stem cell banks, USA
0 ความคิดเห็น ที่ 04:26
Blood from umbilical cords -- a byproduct of normal childbirth -- is a good source of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), the type of stem cells also found in bone marrow that give rise to various kinds of blood cells. Transplants of these stem cells have saved the lives of roughly 20,000 Americans with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia, and several other illnesses in recent years, the report notes. But thousands of patients who might benefit from a transplant die every year waiting for a match. Although 22 public banks have been established in the United States to collect, store, and distribute donated cord blood containing these cells, these banks operate without any centralized coordination, noted the committee that wrote the report.
"The lack of centralized organization, universal quality standards, and uniform matching mechanisms makes it more difficult than it has to be for physicians to provide patients with suitable cells in a timely way," said Kristine Gebbie, associate professor of nursing and director of the Center for Health Policy and Doctoral Studies Columbia University, New York City, and chair of the committee that wrote the report. "Moreover, there simply aren't enough units of cord blood available now to meet the needs of the roughly 11,700 Americans who could benefit from a transplant of these cells every year. The structure we are recommending for a national cord blood banking program would assure that patients receive high-quality therapeutic cells in the most timely, ethical, and cost-effective manner possible."
Three-quarters of the patients who require a transplant of HPCs do not have a relative whose cells would be a suitable match and must turn to public bone marrow donor registries or umbilical cord blood banks for donated cells. By increasing the size and quality of the cord blood inventory, nearly 90 percent of all patients who need a transplant should be able to find a suitable match from either cord blood banks or marrow donor registries, the report says.
The new National Cord Blood Policy Board should be established at the level of the office of the DHHS secretary to ensure that it is distanced from the day-to-day concerns of other parts of the department responsible for managing relationships with and funding for bone marrow donor programs and cord blood programs, the committee urged. The board should routinely review the results of cord blood stem cell transplants and guide DHHS and the cord blood banking program on procedures and standards for banking and allocation and on any changes to the inventory of cord blood units.
Decisions about which source of HPCs to tap must be made on a case-by-case basis and driven by the patient's needs, the report notes. To that end, the board should actively encourage collaboration between marrow donor registries and cord blood banks, as well as support cord blood banking's emergence as a transplant option.
Although the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and other organizations have developed several of the components necessary to manage daily coordination of banking and allocation on a large scale, no organization currently has all the necessary capabilities to serve as the Cord Blood Coordinating Center, the committee concluded. HRSA officials should use a competitive process to solicit proposals and identify an organization to take on this function. NMDP and other organizations would have an opportunity to present plans for ensuring that all the necessary elements are in place to link participating transplant centers and cord blood banks; establish standards for cord blood storage and matching; and make sure that data on the results of transplants are available for decision-making and quality assurance. Although the new center would coordinate these various activities, it need not assume all of these functions itself, the report says.
The majority of funding available for the national cord blood bank program should be targeted to expanding the inventories of participating banks. Based on the current estimate that 50,000 useable units of cord blood are now available through public banks and the NMDP, the committee projects a need for at least 100,000 more high-quality units. The larger the inventory, the greater the likelihood that a patient will be matched to a suitable unit and receive an optimal dose of cells, although the costs of collecting and storing cord blood also must be considered. The point at which the costs of banking cord blood exceed the benefits for the patient population is 200,000 units, according to an economic analysis conducted for the study.
Cord blood banks should strive to provide units with a high-enough concentration of stem cells to make up for imperfect matches between donor and recipient -- a frequent occurrence, the report notes. The more closely surface markers on donated cells match those on a patient's own cells, the less likely that the patient's body will reject the transplant. In many cases, a mismatch of one or two degrees is the best that can be found in public banks. Patients for whom an ideal match cannot be located should receive units that contain at least 2.5 x 107 cells per kilogram of body weight, the report says. When perfect matches can be found, cell concentration is less important.
For many racial and ethnic minority patients, it is difficult or impossible to find suitable matches because many cord blood collections are not ethnically and racially diverse. The committee's own survey determined that 62 percent of the current total inventory in the United States came from white donors, 15 percent from Hispanics, 7 percent from African-Americans, 5 percent from Asians, 5 percent from mixed race donors, and 1 percent from American Indians. However, individual cord blood banks have achieved greater diversity through geographically targeted collection efforts and other means, the report notes.
This study was sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration. The Institute of Medicine is a private, nonprofit institution that provides health policy advice under a congressional charter granted to the National Academy of Sciences. A committee roster follows.
A pre-publication version of CORD BLOOD: ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL BANK PROGRAM is available from the National Academies Press; tel. (202) 334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242 or on the Internet at HTTP://WWW.NAP.EDU. Reporters may obtain a pre-publication copy from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above).
Royal Society Response To Joint Committee Report On Draft Human Tissues And Embryos Bill, UK
0 ความคิดเห็น ที่ 04:39
"We hope that the new legislation permits the creation of all types of human-animal embryos for research, under the control of the relevant regulatory authority. It is crucial that regulators are allowed to do the job they were created to undertake. Clarifying the remits of such authorities will streamline the licensing process which is essential for fast moving scientific fields such as stem cell research."
The Royal Society is an independent academy promoting the natural and applied sciences. Founded in 1660, the Society has three roles, as the UK academy of science, as a learned Society, and as a funding agency. It responds to individual demand with selection by merit, not by field. As we prepare for our 350th anniversary in 2010, we are working to achieve five strategic priorities, to:
-- Invest in future scientific leaders and in innovation
-- Influence policymaking with the best scientific advice
-- Invigorate science and mathematics education
-- Increase access to the best science internationally
-- Inspire an interest in the joy, wonder and excitement of scientific discovery
http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk
