PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

The future of stem cell applications challenging, bright

Stem cell transplantation offers 'sea of opportunity' for treating debilitating diseases

2011-06-09
(Press-News.org) An article in the current issue of Technology & Innovation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Inventors ™ reports on the bright future and enormous need for stem cell therapeutics that may offer hope for those suffering from debilitating and deadly diseases.

www.cognizantcommunication.com

Stem cell transplantation may offer therapy through "simple cell replacement" procedures to restructure damaged organs, tissues and cells, or provide methods for "reawakening" biological cues to regenerate cells.

"The future for stem cell applications is indeed promising, although there are no assurances that cures will be found," said corresponding author Dr. John Sladek, a professor of the University of Colorado College of Medicine's Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics. "However, there is scientific consensus that time and innovation, combined with a dose of serendipity, will lead to the cures people deserve."

According to Dr. Sladek and co-author Dr. Kimberly Bjugstad, also from the UC Department of Pediatrics, the need for stem cell therapies (based on two categories of stem cells, embryonic stem cells (ESCs), able to differentiate into many kinds of cells (pluripotent), and adult (somatic) stem cells, less capable of high differentiation) - corresponds to many of the diseases most responsible for mortality. The list of potential stem cell therapy targets includes: cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury and autoimmune diseases, including diabetes.

"One of the key, and as yet unanswered questions in cell-based therapeutics, is when in the course of human illness to intervene," said Dr. Sladek. "Traditional wisdom suggests that sooner is better."

Based on their research, Dr. Sladek and his fellow researchers suggest that younger patients with the shortest Parkinson's disease duration, for example, are more suitable for cell transplantations than patients who have suffered with the disease for a decade or longer. The less damaged brain, he said, is more receptive to new cells that function to protect and preserve remaining neurons.

Progress is great, yet scientific challenges to creating new cell-based therapies must be overcome one-by-one.

"Much more is to be learned about reprogramming cells," pointed out Dr. Sladek. "For example, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are a third source of stem cells. These cells can be reprogrammed in the laboratory to be self-renewing and pluripotent, but in some cases resist reprogramming or retain a genetic memory that may be a complication."

Besides scientific challenges, political challenges to stem cell transplantation persist as well. Despite on-and-off-again bans on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research in the U.S., to the discovery of increasingly more utility in the use of adult stem cells derived from bone marrow, fat cells and liver cells, research in the U.S. is moving forward at great speed as more animal model-based research is leading to human clinical trials.

"It is unlikely that all patients will benefit from cell-based therapies," concluded Dr. Sladek. "Factors related to patient selection need careful consideration, especially concerning stage and severity of disease, the patient's prior therapies, and the need for immunosuppression as well as many other factors."

INFORMATION:

The National Academy of Inventors ™ recognizes and encourages inventors who have a patent issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhances the visibility of university technology and academic innovation, encourages the disclosure of intellectual property, educates and mentors innovative students, and encourages the translation of the inventions of its members to benefit society.

The editorial offices of TECHNOLOGY and INNOVATION are located at the University of South Florida, Office of Research and Innovation, 3702 Spectrum Blvd., Suite 175, Tampa, Florida, 33612. Tel: (813) 974-3348. Email jlowry@research.usf.edu

News Release by Randolph Fillmore, Florida Science Communications, www.sciencescribe.net

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Aircraft systems in the environmental chamber

Aircraft systems in the environmental chamber
2011-06-09
The plane takes off from Munich in bright weather, temperature 10 degrees Celsius, and lands in Anchorage, Alaska, in driving snow, temperature minus 15. Parked on the airfield overnight, the aircraft takes off the next morning at a freezing minus 25 degrees, heading for Dubai, where the weather is a sunny 32 degrees. The temperature on the outside of the fuselage is over 80 degrees. The rapid changes in temperature pose a challenge for the technical systems and materials. How can it be ensured that the onboard equipment will function in all circumstances? Scientists at ...

Rhode Island and Miriam researchers say patient gender may influence nuclear stress test referrals

2011-06-09
Researchers identify gender disparities in the appropriate use of nuclear stress tests More women than men are unnecessarily referred for nuclear stress tests Majority of inappropriate studies ordered by primary care physicians PROVIDENCE, R.I. – New research from cardiologists at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals suggests a possible gender disparity in how patients are referred for nuclear stress tests, an imaging technique that measures blood flow to the heart muscle both at rest and during periods of stress, such as exercise. According to the study, published ...

The cellular root of colorectal cancers?

2011-06-09
June 8, 2011 – Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have found a marker called ABCB5 that both tags a small proportion of cells within colorectal cancers and fuels resistance in those cells to standard treatments. The results indicate that eliminating ABCB5-expressing cells is crucial for successful colorectal cancer treatment, while adding to the growing body of evidence for a theory of cancer growth called the cancer stem cell hypothesis. An international team led by Brian J. Wilson, PhD, Tobias Schatton, PhD, and Markus Frank, MD, of the Transplantation Research ...

Study finds widespread stream biodiversity declines at low levels of urban development

2011-06-09
A new study from biology researchers at Baylor University and the University of Maryland-Baltimore has found that there are consistent and widespread declines in stream biodiversity at lower levels of urban development more damaging than what was previously believed. The study found that aquatic life actually shows significant loss of biodiversity with less than two percent of developed land in a watershed. This is much less that what a decade-old analysis widely cited by environmental policymakers suggests that it takes up to 15 percent of solid surfaces like roads ...

Childhood trauma linked to higher rates of mental health problems, Stanford/Packard finds

2011-06-09
STANFORD, Calif. — New research has shown that children's risk for learning and behavior problems and obesity rises in correlation to their level of trauma exposure, says the psychiatrist at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital who oversaw the study. The findings could encourage physicians to consider diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder rather than attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, which has similar symptoms to PTSD but very different treatment. The study examined children living in a violent, low-income neighborhood ...

Stop on red! The effects of color may lie deep in evolution

2011-06-09
Almost universally, red means stop. Red means danger. Red means hot. And analyzing the results in the 2004 Olympics, researchers have found that red also means dominance. Athletes wearing red prevailed more often than those wearing blue, especially in hand-to-hand sports like wrestling. Why? Is it random? Is it cultural? Or does it have evolutionary roots? A new study of male rhesus macaques strongly suggests it's evolution. "The similarity of our results with those in humans suggests that avoiding red or acting submissively in its presence may stem from an inherited ...

Dangerous toxin discovered in critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal

2011-06-09
Researchers from NOAA have discovered a potent and highly-debilitating toxin in the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, a first-of-its-kind chemical finding that is now prompting investigations of other marine mammals in the state. The toxin, ciguatoxin, is produced by marine algae common on coral reefs, and accumulates in fish species that are consumed by humans. Ciguatera, the human disease caused by ciguatoxin, affects thousands of people every year worldwide and comes in the form of acute gastrointestinal and neurological illness with symptoms resembling chronic fatigue ...

New research provides breakthrough in understanding common cancer

2011-06-09
Researchers from the University of Sheffield have discovered valuable insight into how people develop B-cell lymphoma, one of the most common cancers in the UK. The team, from the University's Institute for Cancer Studies and funded by Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Yorkshire Cancer Research, found that a mechanism different to that previously thought to be the cause of lymphoma may be responsible for the development of the disease. Lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the blood, originating in ...

Study finds shingles may be related to elevated risk of multiple sclerosis

2011-06-09
Taiwanese investigators have found that there can be a significantly higher risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) occurring in the year following a shingles, or herpes zoster, attack. The findings, which support a long-held view on how MS may develop, are published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases and now available online (http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/06/07/infdis.jir239.abstract). MS is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, leading to inflammation and nerve damage as the body's immune cells attack the nervous system. Possible ...

Immediate use of an IUD following abortion more likely to prevent unintended pregnancies

2011-06-09
PORTLAND, Ore. — Women who receive a contraceptive known as an intrauterine device or IUD immediately following a first trimester abortion experience few complications and are less likely to have an unintended pregnancy than those who delay getting an IUD by several weeks, according to a new study at Oregon Health & Science University. The findings are published in the June 9 New England Journal of Medicine. Research has shown that IUDs are safe, highly effective, long-term reversible contraceptives that don't require active use once they've been inserted. IUDs are ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Major review highlights latest evidence on real-time test for blood – clotting in childbirth emergencies

Inspired by bacteria’s defense strategies

Research spotlight: Combination therapy shows promise for overcoming treatment resistance in glioblastoma

University of Houston co-leads $25 million NIH-funded grant to study the delay of nearsightedness in children

NRG Oncology PREDICT-RT study completes patient accrual, tests individualized concurrent therapy and radiation for high-risk prostate cancer

Taking aim at nearsightedness in kids before it’s diagnosed

With no prior training, dogs can infer how similar types of toys work, even when they don’t look alike

Three deadliest risk factors of a common liver disease identified in new study

Dogs can extend word meanings to new objects based on function, not appearance

Palaeontology: South American amber deposit ‘abuzz’ with ancient insects

Oral microbes linked to increased risk of pancreatic cancer

Soccer heading does most damage to brain area critical for cognition

US faces rising death toll from wildfire smoke, study finds

Scenario projections of COVID-19 burden in the US, 2024-2025

Disparities by race and ethnicity in percutaneous coronary intervention

Glioblastoma cells “unstick” from their neighbors to become more deadly

Oral bacterial and fungal microbiome and subsequent risk for pancreatic cancer

New light on toxicity of Bluefin tuna

Menopause drug reduces hot flashes by more than 70%, international clinical trial finds

FGF21 muscle hormone associated with slow ALS progression and extended survival

Hitting the right note: The healing power of music therapy in the cardiac ICU

Cardiovascular disease risk rises in Mexico, despite improved cholesterol control

Flexible optical touch sensor simultaneously pinpoints pressure strength and location

Achalasia diagnosis simplified to AI plus X-ray

PolyU scholars pioneer smart and sustainable personal cooling technologies to address global extreme heat

NIH grant aims for childhood vaccine against HIV

Menstrual cycle and long COVID: A relation confirmed

WMO report on global water resources: 2024 was characterized by both extreme drought and intense rainfall

New findings explain how a mutation in a cancer-related gen causes pulmonary fibrosis

Thermal trigger

[Press-News.org] The future of stem cell applications challenging, bright
Stem cell transplantation offers 'sea of opportunity' for treating debilitating diseases