Category Archives: Biotech Products

LC Sciences Launches Online Searchable Knowledgebase

LC Sciences, LLC, a leading provider of microRNA analysis services, today announced the launch of a new online searchable knowledgebase that researchers can use to locate technical information on the company’s website. This announcement comes on the heels of the launch of LC Sciences’ re-designed company website last week. The knowledgebase contains technical information in the form of application notes, technical bulletins, customer publications, presentations, reviews of seminal publications in the field, etc. This documents database contains over one thousand entries and encompasses a wide range of research fields; from plant science to neuroscience. Additionally, all entries have been carefully meta-tagged to improve search results.

“Having served the microRNA research community for the past nine years, we’ve accumulated quite a large library of reference documents such as application notes and related customer publications. This new resource offers the community a simple, user friendly search interface that makes it easier for them to locate the information they’re looking for within that library.” – Chris Hebel (Vice President of Business Development, LC Sciences)

The knowledgebase is freely accessible to all at: http://www.lcsciences.com/Knowledgebase/

Via EPR Network
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Innovative Drug Discovery Business, Biosortia Pharmaceuticals, Lands Two Health Care Veterans

Kurt Dieck formerly SVP of Strategy and Business Execution at Cardinal Health, will lead early stage drug discovery business at Biosortia Pharmaceuticals. Dieck was named President and CEO in November 2012 and has quickly identified other key executives, including Dr. Guy Carter, former Natural Product head at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, as his Chief Science Officer. In conjunction, other collaboration partners have joined the team, including NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), NCI (National Cancer Institute) and key universities, to strategically accelerate the development of novel drug leads in the therapeutic areas of cancer, infectious diseases, inflammation and neurological disorders. Biosortia Pharmaceuticals has seen promising early results with dozens of novel compounds having already been requested, and are under evaluation with NCI and Eli Lilly.

Dieck has spent nearly 30 years in healthcare, including 18 years at Arthur Andersen as a global equity partner and then 10 years with Cardinal Health, a Fortune 20 public company, as a senior executive; there he worked with a broad spectrum of partners, including brand pharmaceutical manufacturers, throughout the supply chain. Dr. Guy Carter has over 30 years of experience working in pharmaceutical R&D, primarily in the discovery and development of microbial natural products. He previously was the leader of natural products drug discovery at Wyeth Research, as head of the Chemical Technologies Department.

“Kurt and Guy make a great team. Their complementary Pharma experiences and backgrounds create great opportunities to accelerate Biosortia’s objective to become the premier, aquatic natural products company with a primary focus in drug discovery,” says Ross Youngs, Biosortia’s Founder and Chairman. “Kurt and Guy bring a wealth of research and business experience along with deep industry relationships in building successful Pharma partnerships. Everyone involved with this young biotech is excited about the future.”

Industry observers have commented that late-stage R&D pipelines are not providing Pharma with the desired revenue growth the market is expecting. Therefore, large Pharma is evolving the way it performs R&D in order to optimize efficiency and to boost patent cliff defenses. These changes require shifting from relying solely on in-house chemistry-based R&D to acquiring and licensing external technologies and natural products based compounds in various stages of development. Biosortia’s ability to supply novel, highly active and potent compounds with drug-like characteristics will increase the productivity and success rate for Pharma as well as reduce the overall cost of the discovery process. The cost to discover, develop and launch a new drug is estimated to reach nearly $3B per drug by 2015. Biosortia’s business model is designed specifically to support Pharma’s needs.

“With nearly unlimited microorganisms (3.7 nonillion), the aquatic environment and its consortia represent an extraordinary opportunity…a new frontier, to access extremely potent and chemically diverse secondary metabolites with drug-like properties with unique mechanisms of action never researched before,” said Dieck. In describing the opportunity, Dieck goes on to say, “Biosortia is on the cutting edge of natural product discovery
and has the capabilities to deliver on its aspiration. Our powerful natural products research team, led by Dr. Guy Carter, in partnership with NOAA’s Dr. Peter Moeller, a leader in aquatic natural products research, has the experience and know-how to decipher the complex unexplored environment in a very efficient manner leveraging all the current state of the art instrumentation. The need for more efficient and effective approaches to drug discovery has never been more important. Biosortia’s innovative technologies, deep research skills and key relationships will efficiently provide thousands of unique natural products as candidates for drug discovery at a time when Pharma is in critical need for “high quality shots on goal.”

“Aquatic microbial consortia are a rich source of metabolically active organisms including microalgae, bacteria, fungi and their secondary metabolites,” states Carter. “Owing to the competitive nature of their habitat, chemical investigations of microbial consortia reveal unique structurally diversified natural products that are responsible for signaling and self-defense that have potential as therapeutics with novel mechanisms of action. Since they have been pre-optimized by nature, these compounds are typically closer to a drug candidate than a synthetic lead, thus requiring less optimization and shorter time when found as ‘hits’ in screening programs.”

The team has also focused on agreements with strategic collaboration partners as vital components to the strategy. Biosortia has recently entered into several collaboration agreements with NOAA, Analyticon and exclusive harvesting relationships, just to name a few. Several others will be advanced by the end of January. Biosortia’s cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with NOAA’s Center for Human Health Risk at Hollings Marine Laboratory provides a 5-year framework for research and development regarding the analysis and purification of novel bioactive compounds. According to NOAA’s Technology Partnerships Office, “Success will result in the commercial development of new and unique chemical compounds from the sea which have benefits to human health, either through disease prevention or new treatments for disease.”

Dr. Peter Moeller, NOAA’s Research Scientist who leads the Toxins Natural Products Program stated after analyzing fractions of Biosortia’s biomass, “Coupling NOAA’s mission of characterizing toxins affecting environmental and/or human health with Biosortia’s drug discovery focus turns one man’s toxin into another’s chemotherapeutic. The microorganisms analyzed in the Biosortia biomass identified more unique activity than I have seen in my 30 year career. The volumes achieved from a single harvest delivered an equivalent of 30 years of accumulation. This could materially change the landscape for natural products drug discovery research.”

As of December 31, 2012, Biosortia has identified more than 30 bioactive candidate compounds (hits) from a fresh water eutrophic lake consortium. Therapeutic areas of focus include treatments for cancer, infectious diseases, inflammation and neurological disorders. In addition, more than a dozen of its patent protected compounds are in initial evaluation stage within Eli Lilly’s Open Innovation Drug Discovery Program.

Dieck states, “Looking forward, it is with great optimism. We have a great team built around mutual respect, deep experience, and a desire to succeed and make a difference. We are aligning with the right partners and collaborators to execute our strategy with speed and discipline to provide Pharma with much high quality & diverse compounds vs. “me-too” drugs than they have had in the past 10 years. We are excited about what this company can accomplish, not only for its shareholders but also for the millions of people who have been diagnosed with various forms of chronic diseases who are looking for Pharma to identify better ways to help them extend their lives or live a more productive life. Biosortia can play a big role in identifying compounds that can help Pharma achieve these goals. I am looking forward to the challenge and opportunity to build an industry leading drug discovery company.”

Via EPR Network
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Microtissues® Inc. and Sigma-Aldrich® Sign Worldwide Supply and Distribution Agreement for the 3D Petri Dish®

Microtissues® Inc. announced today the signing of a Supply and Distribution Agreement with Sigma-Aldrich® Corporation (Nasdaq: SIAL) for the worldwide sales and marketing of the 3D Petri Dish®, a new technology for the culture of living cells in three dimensions (3D). Invented at Brown University, the 3D Petri Dish® maximizes cell-to-cell interactions critical for replicating the function of natural tissues and organs. Shown in numerous peer reviewed papers to work with over fifty different cell types, including cell lines, primary cells and stem cells, the 3D Petri Dish® has applications in cancer research, drug discovery, toxicity testing and regenerative medicine.

“Researchers are rapidly recognizing the importance of 3D cell culture and its ability to reliably mimic in vivo function” said Brian Morgan, Director of Business Development, Microtissues® Inc. “The 3D Petri Dish® creates a natural 3D environment without artificial scaffolds and we’re excited that this distribution agreement will bring our unique and innovative line of products to the worldwide research community.”

Unlike the conventional plastic Petri dish where cells are grown as a thin layer on the surface of the dish, the 3D Petri Dish® forms 3D aggregates of cells. Spheroid size is controlled by the number of cells seeded and hundreds of uniform sized spheroids are formed in a single pipetting step. Spheroids are formed in a well ordered array in a stable platform suitable for long term culture. All spheroids are positioned on the same optical plane making them easy to image (phase contrast, fluorescent). Spheroid size is controlled by the number of cells seeded and a mixture of cells forms mixed spheroids, suitable for investigating tumor-stroma interactions. Spheroids can be grown from single cells, applicable to the study of cancer stem cells. For histology, Western blots and RT-PCR, spheroids are harvested by simply inverting the 3D Petri Dish®. No need to dissolve or digest the gel. The 3D Petri Dish® is a new fundamental tool for the world wide industry of life sciences research.

About Sigma-Aldrich®: Sigma-Aldrich® is a leading Life Science and High Technology company whose biochemical, organic chemical products, kits and services are used in scientific research, including genomic and proteomic research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, the diagnosis of disease and as key components in pharmaceutical, diagnostics and high technology manufacturing. Sigma-Aldrich® customers include more than 1.3 million scientists and technologists in life science companies, university and government institutions, hospitals and industry. The Company operates in 38 countries and has nearly 9,000 employees whose objective is to provide excellent service worldwide. Sigma-Aldrich® is committed to accelerating customer success through innovation and leadership in Life Science and High Technology. For more information about Sigma-Aldrich®, please visit its website at www.sigma-aldrich.com.

About Microtissues® Inc: Microtissues® Inc. is a privately held company located in Providence, RI, advancing technologies and applications of 3D cell culture. Microtissues®, Inc.’s products are designed to serve the needs of researchers in a wide range of areas including cancer research, stem cell biology, toxicity testing, developmental biology, drug discovery, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Microtissues®, Inc. has an exclusive worldwide license from Brown University to US and international patent applications on the 3D Petri Dish®. For more information on Microtissues®, Inc., please visit www.microtissues.com.

Sigma-Aldrich and Sigma are trademarks of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC registered in the US and other countries. Microtissues and 3D Petri Dish are registered trademarks of Microtissues, Inc.

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Is it a Moment or an Abuse: the Boom of iPSCs Research after 2012 Medicine Nobel Prize

On Creative Biomart website, we can read a report about the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine regarding the two winners. They bring hope for organ or tissue repair for human or even for rejuvenation, i.e. for long life through induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

Since the first appearance in 2006, iPSCs became the hit and focus. But there are still lots of unknowns waiting for us before achieving the ideal status. Thus, numerous scientists, researchers and businessmen are struggling and investing for that goal. Here are some examples:

On Dec. 5, 2012, Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) and the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) announced today the launch of StemBANCC, a new academic–industry partnership that unites ten pharmaceutical companies and 23 academic institutions. Initiated and coordinated by Roche and managed by Oxford University, StemBANCC aims to use human induced pluripotent stem cells as research tools for drug discovery with the goal of using this ground-breaking new technology to develop human disease models and enhance drug development.

On Oct. 29, 2012, on the PANS Journal there is an article about Cartilage tissue engineering using differentiated and purified induced pluripotent stem cells.

On Oct. 4, 2012, on Cell Stem Cell, there is a report with the title be Genome Sequencing of Mouse Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Reveals Retroelement Stability and Infrequent DNA Rearrangement during Reprogramming.

On Jan. 30, 2012, on the PANS Journal, there is a report about modeling hepatitis C virus infection using human induced pluripotent stem cells, which make the individual and tailor therapy further.

Above are only a small part of such studies. People still wonder does it is the moment or an abuse on the iPSCs research. When someone reviewed one of the winners, Shinya Yamanaka, about his opinion on the challenge of iPSCs research, he said, “I have two research directions, the first is to establish human iPSCs bank that comply with clinical application standards. The second is to study the cell mechanism of iPSCs regenerating. And I think the current threat is still to be the safety problem as good research respects both scientific and ethical standards.”

But no one deny the great potential of iPSCs.

Via EPR Network
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Sprint Bioscience Strengthens Its Cancer Metabolism Portfolio

Sprint Bioscience, a Swedish company developing oncology therapeutics targeting cancer metabolism, announced today that it has raised money to strengthen its drug discovery portfolio.

The investment by Första Entreprenörsfonden and Almi Invest will enable the company to continue to build a pipeline of drug discovery projects within cancer metabolism.

“We are investing in Sprint Bioscience because we consider their entrepreneurial drive and their particular skills in drug development to be key success factors for the changing environment of the future pharmaceutical industry. Sprint Bioscience’s business strategy involves out-licensing or collaborating at an early stage of drug discovery to ensure that projects are developed with a focus on current and relevant market needs,” says Rune Nordlander, partner at Första Entreprenörsfonden.

Sprint Bioscience is a company founded by experienced drug hunters with an ambition to improve the drug discovery process. “We believe in small organisations with effective working procedures and collaborations throughout the sector,” says the company’s CEO and co-founder, Dr. Anders Ã…berg.

“Sprint Bioscience has developed an efficient, fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) platform that can take parallel projects from initial idea to active molecules tested in cell-based systems in a very short time” Anders Ã…berg continues. Our goal is to align the early phase in the laboratory with pharmaceutical companies’ needs.

Targeting the metabolism in tumours provides exciting opportunities to develop drug therapies with novel mechanisms of action. This could be used to overcome the resistance that many cancer cells develop to current treatments.

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Advinus, SignalChem Start The Multi-Year, Multi-Target Collaboration On New Anti-Cancer Drugs

Advinus Therapeutics, a research-based pharmaceutical development company promoted by the TATA Group, and SignalChem Pharmaceuticals, a British Columbia-based drug discovery company, have started working on 15 programs based on SignalChem’s proprietary Kinase platform for targeted therapies in oncology. Each program is being developed with corresponding diagnostics and tracers for patient selection and biomarkers for follow up offering the right treatment to the right patient at the right time. The companies have received a very high level of interest from pharma companies to license and collaborate on the programs and therefore see a rapid progression to the clinic.

Dr. Jasbinder Sanghera, CEO of SignalChem said – “This is a path-breaking partnership that leverages SignalChem’s extensive biology and kinase expertise and Advinus’s end-to-end capabilities of medicinal chemistry, lead optimization, preclinical development and early-clinical development capabilities to rapidly and efficiently advance new anti-cancer drug candidates into human clinical trials.”Dr. Rashmi Barbhaiya, CEO and MD of Advinus said– “This collaboration is an exemplary model of polycentric and globally networked innovation for enhancing probability of success, reducing timelines, and focusing on cost-effective partnerships to bring innovative medicines to the market. This collaboration would also leverage leading edge biomedical research of British Columbia research institutions and Advinus’s capabilities and infrastructure to translate biomedical research discoveries into potential life saving drugs.”

The collaboration was announced by B.C. Premier Christy Clark during her visit to India who said – “This is what our Jobs Trade Mission is all about – helping local companies make connections that will allow them to do business in India. We have an innovative technology and life sciences sector in B.C., which has a lot to offer India to support its economic growth. The partnership between Advinus and SignalChem will benefit people around the world.”

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CYTOO Raises 10 M$ (7M€) in Series C Round

CYTOO SA, a company that specializes in cell-based assays, is pleased to announce the closing of a series C funding round of USD 10M (EUR 7M). New investors, Sham and Entrepreneurs Fund (EF), led the round. Existing investors AURIGA Partners and Jacques Lewiner, co-founder and president of the supervisory board at CYTOO, also participated.

CYTOO will use the financing to fully exploit its fast growing business within the global market of cellbased assays and screening, and bring the company up to profitability. Having the potential to lead the next innovation wave in cell-based drug discovery and in vitro toxicology, CYTOO is already on the radar screen of several key industrial actors.

“We are very excited about joining CYTOO as it enters a new phase in its development,” says Olivier Szymkowiak, Chief Investment Officer at Sham. “There is an exceptional opportunity for CYTOO to revolutionize the cell culture for low and high throughput applications,” added Maciek Drozdz, Investment Manager at EF and future Supervisory Board member.

Leveraging its exclusive technology of adhesive micropatterning, CYTOO’s products and services bring robustness, sensitivity and powerful quantification to cell-based assays, high content analysis and cell screening for the life science research market.

CYTOO holds an exclusive worldwide license from the Institut Curie and the CNRS (The French national scientific research center) for the adhesive micropattern patent portfolio, as well as license agreements with Harvard University (USA) and CEA, the largest government-funded technological research organization in France.

“This funding represents a strong achievement in the young history of CYTOO: the company has now the financial means for turning its technological advantage into a commercial success. A shift that the company has already initiated with the commitment of existing investors and our support through the expertise of Jacques Mallet, partner at Auriga Partners” added Franck Lescure, partner at Auriga Partners and member of the supervisory board at CYTOO.

François Chatelain, CEO of CYTOO, commented: “I am excited to lead the company and thrilled to close our series C financing round with a renowned international venture capital investors syndicate. We are welcoming Entrepreneurs Fund and Sham who bring their high level experience in building up successful biotech and medtech companies, we are also pleased with the continued commitment of our historical investors. Together we are looking to move our business and technology onto the next level of growth.”

CYTOO was advised for its capital raising by Silver Ocean Ventures’ Managing Partner Dr John Tchelingerian.

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Investor Stem Cell Launches Online Discussion Community Dedicated To Stem Cell Investors: (OTC-ACTC) (NASDAQ-GERN) (AMEX-BTX) (NASDAQ:ATHX)

Investor Stem Cell (http://www.investorstemcell.com) is dedicated to bringing investors and stakeholders together in thoughtful discussion to educate and publicize the incredible medical advancements taking place in the regenerative medicine sector. Scientists are using stem cells both (hESC) and (iPSC) in hopes of easing the suffering of hundreds of millions of people world wide.

Our society is on the verge of a quantum leap moment in time thanks to regenerative medicine.

Regenerative medicine and Stem Cell research:

Utter those words at your next dinner party or casual gathering of friends and family. You will receive a concoction of half-truth’s and out right fallacy responses. Stem Cell research conjures images of futuristic Star–Trek like preservation chambers, human looking ears protruding oddly from the backs of mice, or worse yet an image of a late term fetus. Nothing could be farther from the truth when entering the reality of Regenerative medicine.

Never before has this area of research been more exciting and promising than right now. There is a medical revolution brewing, and like any revolution, there are those who want to suppress this uprising for continued personal and ideological gains. If we were to take all the major advances in the past 500 years of human medical history and multiply its effect by 10 fold it still would not compare to the paradigm shift in health care delivery that the world may witness in this decade using stem cells. Imagine that an $800,000 heart transplant is no longer needed and that instead the same money spent on one patient can now be stretched out to treat 20 patients who are needing a heart transplant. Is this what Regenerative medicine has in the offing? Only time will tell. Our healthcare system could very well be on the verge of a quantum leap moment thanks to regenerative medicine.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized 3 trials using human embryonic stem cells (hESC) in late 2010. Validation of hESC research efforts and the culmination of billions spent on research are coming to fruition. FDA validation for the treatments of spinal cord injury and age related macular degeneration is expected in 2011. It may be the shot heard around the world event sometime in late Q-4 2011 for the Regenerative medicine sector.

Find out more at http://www.investorstemcell.com, where investing is much more than charts and numbers.

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Gene Therapy and Stem Cell Therapy Standard Developed For A Unique Derivative Of Post Hetero-Plastic Inplantation Chronic Inflammation Syndrome, The NIDO Disease

Researchers task force, led by faculties of T-Protocol, registered Genom Project as controlled genom project in the hosted database of NCBI, a publication matter authority and function assigned organization under oversee of Department of Health & Human Services, reached once to share the exegetical impression officially pre-published concerning the understanding specific spectrum of symptoms covering boroad range of character usually complained and observed through chronic inflammation, granuloma, some types of lymphoma and various uncommon symptoms to let physician scientists suspecting indicium of neurological diseases, NIDO disease, an unique type of post hetero-plastic implantation chronic inflammation syndrome and setting Massachusetts indications of treatments standardized manual (Massachusetts manual) & diagnostic and standardized medical treatment manual for post hetero-plastic inplantation chronic inflammation syndrome, specific edition against NIDO Disease.

The once defined causes of NIDO disease, an unique type of post hetero-plastic implantation chronic inflammation syndrome are considered each of a common living organism to cause conformational diseases like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and kinds of and a set of biochemical and physical reaction and response realized by cross-species gene- mutation, as biotransformation, easily describing natural physiological and biochemical changes in vivo substrate of human bodies. After this studies, standardized protocol of gene therapy and applied stem cell therapy is now in practice and on available.

Faculties,committing themselves entirely to the project, of each institutes and organizations participating the project to ascertain proteins and DNA/genomic DNA/genom of human, other mammal and virulent microorganism including bacillus/virus affecting each symptom and the symptoms’ spectrum expressed generally and observed commonly on patients suffered from NIDO disease, extraordinarily unique derived type of post hetero-plastic implantation chronic inflammation syndrome and to develop diagnostic standard and treatment protocol standardized and to find a clue compose gene therapy protocol and applied stem cell therapy protocol to entirely heal NIDO disease, an unique type of post hetero-plastic implantation chronic inflammation syndrome and to let all of current suffered patients from various combined symptoms directly derived by chronic inflammation and various tumors, have to express full surprise at the fact that these disease and patients suffered are made up and left no attention and no relief.

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Nationaly Registered T-Protocol Of Genom Project Successfully Applied To Retrieve Bio Mechanism Of Hair Regrowth

Division of Gene Medicine & Stem Cell Application, School of Medical Science, complete the research and established completely new protocol totally recovering natural bio mechanism of hair regrowth.

The researchers, led by Lord. Prof. Dr. Daichent Otto Rie, specified protein and genom to affect internal bio mechanism to generate hair and control the level of successful growth being low which is the baldness.

The key cast of the set of the bio cycle is hair follicles, which is stem cell on head skin and effect or holding function to cure many neurotic diseases and disorders like Alzheimer’s disease – Prion Disease and even Trion Disease (Post Hetero-Plastic Implantation Chronic Inflammation Syndrome; PhCIS) has absolutely unique character being retrieved absolute stem cell, which can recover the ability as stem cell after got adult. The key genom and DNA has been found through the Genom Project’s T-Protocol research developing in the government registered Genom Project since 2005. The most concentrated attention of researchers is not “what is cause” but “What protocol is best”.

The team of Prof.Daichent has successfully completed in vivo and in vivro experiment actually using voluntary patients whose types of hair loss being across over highly wide range extent to even lymphoma and cancer and finally established next genetic hair loss curing treatment protocol mainly composed of stem cell therapy and gene therapy.

Most of cases are treatable through entry level stem cell theraputic technique or HIV-1 Vector using high level technique but A20 introduction as gene therapy is required when treating patients being suffered from lymphoma, cancer or any neurotic diseases like Alzheimer’s disease – Prion Disease and even Trion Disease (Post Hetero-Plastic Implantation Chronic Inflammation Syndrome; PhCIS).

As Prof.Daichent points since 2005 being on School of Public Health of Harvard, in the treatment manual (published 2005), the key factor to overcome of lymphoma and chronic inflammation on human skin is extraordinary redundancy coding of polyglutamine DNA synthesis as the type of disease caused by pathological proteins and lack or heavy impairment of an specific DNA of A20.

Actually, the treatment protocol curing for baldness is also found through T-protocol which was essentially aimed at achieving causal and complete treatment of lymphoma, cancer, chronic inflammation and many neurotic diseases. Under control over the T-Protocol, all of clinical practitioner must always keep their eyes on the fact of using steroid is taboo over administration so being strictly prohibited. And also the technique must be under control of the competent faculty accredited by board in accordance with Europ.Gene Institute or specifically set physically area solely for research and clinical practice of nations like Switzerland, Germany, India, Hongkong, U.K. territories (NEVER inside U.K.) appointed by protocol developer and assigned practice entity.

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Cryo-Cell CEO Mercedes Walton Invites Women to Share Their Ideas on Self-Care and the Power of Stem Cells

Cryo-Cell International, Inc. a global leader in stem cell innovation, resolves to help women inspire and empower each other to take charge of their health in the New Year, and to spark conversations about the promise of stem cells.  The company will be accepting video entries for its “Resolution Revolution” contest through January 31, 2010, and details on the event can be found at www.celle.com/resolution.

“This time of year, we often make New Year’s resolutions to take better care of ourselves, but the dawn of a new decade is particularly poignant as we look ahead with hope and inspiration at the steps we can take,” said Mercedes Walton, CEO of Cryo-Cell International.  “Never in history have we experienced a time of such rapid advances with stem cells, including the use of menstrual blood stem cells and how they may help women protect their health” she added.  “Because women often look to each other for information and inspiration, we’re looking to empower them to spread the word through video about what the power of stem cells means to them.”

The C’elle service is the first and only one of its kind, empowering women to collect and cryo preserve stem cells from their menstrual flow.

Stem cells from menstrual blood are proven to be a rich source of stem cells which proliferate rapidly and have the ability to become many different types of cells such as cardiac, neural, bone, fat and cartilage.

These stem cells are a potential source for promising regenerative therapies to treat stroke, cardiac, diabetes, breast cancer, spinal cord injury, chronic wounds, Alzheimer’s and other debilitating diseases.

Since launching its proprietary service, the company continues to expand research and development initiatives worldwide in order to accelerate the potential diagnostic and therapeutic benefits of these unique stem cells. Cryo-Cell partnered with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center, where research is underway to better understand the C’elle stem cells and their potential benefit for the treatment of breast cancer.  It also has entered research and licensing agreements with several other organizations to identify potential future diagnostic and therapeutic uses for endometriosis and stress urinary incontinence in women and regenerative medicine specific to wound healing. In 2009, the service was licensed in China, Thailand and Brazil.

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Cord Blood: Saving For The Future

For an expectant mother, there are a million details to worry about and a lot of important decisions to be made.

Cord Blood: Saving For The Future

One of those decisions to be made is whether to bank your baby’s umbilical cord blood. Cord blood is valuable because it’s full of stem cells scientists and doctors can use in research and regenerative medicine.

Cord blood stem cells are the ones that are obtained from the newborn. They’re closest in age to being an embryonic stem cell without being an embryonic stem cell,” said David Harris, PhD with Cord Blood Registry.

When they’re stored properly in a bank, like one in Arizona, the stem cells can be used to replace other cells in our bodies that may be damaged or missing due to disease. But, you only have one chance to harvest them.

“At the time of delivery, before the placenta is delivered, we have a little bag with a needle and a tube, like an IV tubing, and we actually draw the blood out of the placenta into a prepared bag and that’s what you send in to the cord blood banking people,” said Dr. Lynn Frame.

But, Dr. Frame says very few of his patients actually do it because of the cost.

Most private cord blood banks charge more than $1,000 up front. Then, for every year you store the blood in one of their cryogenic tanks, it costs about $100. For 18 years of storage, it can add up to about $3,000.

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Scientist Uses Stem Cells To Repair Heart

Dr. Joshua Hare believes medicine is close to a goal long thought to be impossible: healing the human heart.

The way to get there? Stem cells.

“These could be as big as antibiotics were in the last century,” said Hare, who leads the University of Miami ‘s new Stem Cell Institute. “Stem cells have the potential to have that kind of impact. Diseases like heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, liver failure — we will be able to transition them into things you live with.”

Hare spends his days peering through powerful microscopes, recruiting scientists from top universities and attending to patients betting on improving their conditions through his clinical trials.

Stem cells, only one-thousandth the size of a grain of sand, are the master cells of the body, the source from which all other cells are created.

The most basic are embryonic stem cells, which are “totipotent,” meaning they can divide into any other type of cell — heart tissue, brain tissue, kidney tissue — all 220 cells that exist in the human body. They’re controversial because when they are harvested, the embryo is destroyed, ending potential life.

But coming into view are new kinds of stem cells — immature adult stem cells that can be extracted from bone marrow, from organs such as the heart or kidney or even from the skin. These can be taken without destroying embryos.

While researchers until recently believed adult stem cells were limited because they could develop only into cells similar to them — bone marrow cells only into cord blood stem cells, for example — evidence is growing that they, too, may become the tissue for hearts, brains, kidneys and other organs.

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Will Intra-Osseous Injection of Umbilical Cord Blood Reduce Graft Failures?

Researchers from Italy have reported that the injection of umbilical cord blood directly into the pelvic bones of patients with leukemia appears promising. These results were recently published in an early online publication of the Lancet Oncology on August 9, 2008.

Transplantation of bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cells, and umbilical cord blood is accomplished by intravenous infusion. The original studies of human bone marrow transplantation were carried out by direct infusion into bone marrow spaces. However, this approach was abandoned as there was no advantage in speed or rate of engraftment over intravenous infusion. Since these early days of transplantation, there have been sporadic attempts to evaluate intra-osseous infusion of stem cells, but no advantage over intravenous infusion was ever found. The reason for this is thought to be that direct infusion of stem cells into the marrow cavity is in fact identical to intra-arterial or intra-venous infusion, and most stem cells enter the general circulation before homing into marrow spaces throughout the body.

Umbilical cord blood transplantation is associated with relatively high graft failure rates thought to be due to the relatively low dose of stem cells in each collection. Researchers have suggested that the infusion of stem cells from two separate cord blood collections alleviates the graft failure problem. However, Italian researches have posed the question of whether or not intra-osseous infusion would be better.

The current trial evaluated direct infusion of umbilical cord blood into the pelvic bones. This trial included 32 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 12 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); median age was 36 years. Overall, 14 patients had advanced-stage disease that did not respond to standard therapies, and no patient had a suitable donor for the stem cell transplant.

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Now, Women Can Bank On ‘Monthly Miracle’ For Future Treatment

Women in the city will soon have the option of banking their menstrual blood so that menstrual blood stem cells can be used for treatment of serious disorders through stem cell therapy.

In six months, Life Cell International, in technology partnership with Cryo-Cell International, will set up the facility, which will be the first to store menstrual blood in the country.

Cryo-Cell, which has patented technology to decontaminate samples, started menstrual blood banks in the US last year, and other countries are yet to catch up. Cryo-Cell calls it ‘your monthly miracle’. The endometrium-lining of the uterus regenerates every month, suggesting the presence of stem cells. However, there is no published scientific work on the curative properties of such cells.

Stem cells have the ability to regenerate themselves through cell division and act as a repair system for the body. Research on stem cells provides knowledge about how healthy cells replace damaged ones in adults, leading to the possibility of cell-based therapy to treat diseases.

“Menstrual blood contains millions of stem cells that have many properties and characteristics similar to those of stem cells found in bone marrow and embryos. These stem cells exhibit capabilities for self-renewal and multi-potency,” says LifeCell International executive director Mayur Abhaya. Stem cell research hopes to find answers to problems such as cardiac and degenerative diseases, besides cancer.

The women would be given a collection kit comprising a menstrual cup and collection tubes. The blood would be processed and preserved in liquid nitrogen at extremely low temperatures.

Though the Chennai bank has not decided on the rates, it hopes registration will cost less than that charged for preserving cord blood. At present, the bank, which has stored over 13,000 samples of cord blood at a facility near Chennai, charges Rs 41,100 for collection, processing and storage of the blood for the first year. From the second, the client pays an annual fee of Rs 3,500 to preserve the blood for two decades.

The biggest advantage of menstrual blood, according to LifeCell chief scientific officer Dr Ajit Kumar, is that it can be easily harvested in a painless, non-invasive manner. “And it also extends the scope of stem cell therapy to a larger section of the people. Cord blood is an option open to only those who are pregnant or those planning babies,” he says.

At a time when legal restrictions on collection of embryonic stem cells have been stymieing research, the option to save menstrual blood is a boon because these cells have similar properties to that of cord blood, he adds.

Via EPR Network
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Website Recognizes Benefits of Biotech Crops

A new website by The United Soybean Board (USB) highlights the important role biotechnology plays in allowing U.S. farmers to continue to meet the world’s food demand as well as ensuring our environment and food supply remains as safe as ever. Whether you know it as biotech, genetically modified or GM—the technology that allows farmers to grow more per acre with fewer inputs plays a critical role in feeding our growing world.

Website Recognizes Benefits of Biotech Crops

Biotechnology allows researchers to select the desired characteristics in a variety of seeds and crops, resulting in improved nutrition, increased pest and disease resistance and greater crop yields. This technology enables farmers to generate a sustainable supply of food, feed and fuel for customers here at home and abroad.

Click here for additional information on biotechnology.

About the United Soybean Board
The United Soybean Board (USB) represents a group of volunteer farmer-leaders administering a U.S. soy research and promotion program known most commonly as the “soybean checkoff.” Through the soybean checkoff, U.S. soybean farmers invest a portion of their sales in research and promotion to provide food, feed, fuel and fiber to the world. By building demand for such things as soy biodiesel, soybean meal, soybean oil, soy exports and more, USB and the soybean checkoff help provide profit opportunities for all U.S. soybean farmers.

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Stem Cells From Menstrual Blood May Benefit Stroke Patients

Cryo-Cell International, Inc. today announced results of a study published [this month] in the cover article of Stem Cells and Developmentshowing that stem cells found in menstrual blood may one day be a potential source for stem cell therapies in stroke and other central nervous system disorders. Menstrual stem cells, known as MenSCs, offer an easily accessible, non-controversial and renewable stem cell source with the potential to one day treat a host of diseases, such as stroke, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, according to a number of early studies. The study, entitled “Menstrual Blood Cells Display Stem Cell-Like Phenotypic Markers and Exert Neuroprotection Following Transplantation in Experimental Stroke,” was conducted by researchers at Cryo-Cell International, the University of South Florida , Saneron-CCEL Therapeutics and the Medical College of Georgia.

Stem Cells From Menstrual Blood May Benefit Stroke Patients

Because the cell damage after an initial stroke episode occurs over an extended time, treatment strategies directed at quickly rescuing these nerve cells have the potential to slow the disease progression and possibly restore nerve function. In this study, researchers found that transplantation of MenSCs, either directly into the brain or peripherally, significantly reduced behavioral and histological abnormalities, suggesting that the MenSCs had a protective effect on brain cells, averting further apoptosis, or cell death, and potentially reversing the neural trauma experienced during a stoke.

“The data shows immediate behavioral recovery at an early period after transplantation although the exact mechanism underlying the neural benefits of MenSCs remains unknown,” said lead researcher Cesar V Borlongan Ph.D., Professor and Vice-Chair of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida Health . “ We do know that several trophic factors have been identified post transplant that may potentially point to a secretion of therapeutic substances from MenScs versus one of cell replacement. Equally important, is that there was no instance of complications or negative effects such as detectable tumor, ectopic formation or overt graft-versus-host in any of the transplanted animals.”

During the study, the investigators analyzed shed menstrual blood and tissue to identify MenSCs. The samples were obtained using a menstrual cup and transferred to a laboratory for processing and cryopreservation. After inducing a simulated stroke (oxygen glucose deprivation, OGD) on adult rats, the researchers injected the rats withmenstrual blood –derived stem cells and found that those who were exposed to MenSCs exhibited a significantly reduced death rate. Behavioral assessments of motor coordination and neurological function were performed on the rats 14 days after stroke-transplantation and indicated improvements in both motor and neurological abnormalities.

“Compared to other stem cell sources, such as bone marrow and umbilical cord blood , MenSCs are harvested from a readily available and renewable source of adult mesenchymal stem cells. These novel and highly prolific stem cells are easily obtained using non-invasive methodology and create the potential for matched cell transplantations in large scale clinical trials,” said Julie Allickson, Ph.D., study investigator and Vice President, Laboratory Operations, Research and Development at Cryo-Cell International, Inc.

The benefits of stem cells derived from menstrual blood were first indicated in a study sponsored by Cryo-Cell that was published in Cell Transplantation in April 2008. That study demonstrated that MenSCs are stromal stem cells, meaning they have the capability to differentiate into important cells, such as such as bone, cartilage, fat, nerve and cardiogenic cells.

“Stroke is the third leading cause of death and disability in U.S. adults,” said Mercedes A. Walton, Cryo-Cell’s Chairman and CEO . “According to the American Heart Association, stroke will cost almost $68.9 billion in both direct and indirect healthcare costs in 2009. In view of these statistics, we are clearly encouraged by research study results that demonstrate significant promise for the development of regenerative medicine therapies to potentially treat and manage the debilitating conditions caused by stroke and possibly other neurological disorders.”

The Celle SM service is based on Cryo-Cell’s expansive IP technology portfolio and was introduced in November, 2007 as the first and only service that empowers women to collect and cryopreserve menstrual flow containing undifferentiated adult stem cells for future utilization by the donor or possibly first-degree relatives in a manner similar toumbilical cord blood stem cells. Based on the continued success of MenSCs in the research setting, Cryo-Cell is actively expanding its portfolio of research collaborations with world renowned scientists committed to study this novel stem cell population for a broad range of regenerative therapeutic development.

Via EPR Network
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Catalent to Present Webinar on Regulatory Documents Surrounding Extractables and Leachables Testing Requirements

Catalent Pharma Solutions will host a free webinar featuring Principal Scientist, Alan D. Hendricker, Ph.D. The one-hour webinar provides an introduction to the regulatory documents surrounding leachables and extractables testing requirements for pharmaceutical products intended for US submission. The presentation, titled “Leachables and Extractables: Regulatory Context,” will be held on Thursday, March 18th from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT. To register for the webinar, please visit: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/290022131.

Catalent to Present Webinar on Regulatory Documents Surrounding Extractables and Leachables Testing Requirements

The presentation will be beneficial to all managers, directors, and vice presidents of small and large pharmaceutical companies that are working in product development of all dosage forms. The regulatory documents covered will include those for MDI, DPI, nasal spray, topical, oral and parenteral drug products. Additionally, the webinar will explore other applicable guidance and recommendation documents including: ICH guidance, Product Quality Research Institute (PQRI) recommendations, and EMEA and FDA guidance on genotoxic and carcinogenic impurities. The webinar will conclude with direction on modern approaches to applying this information in an analytical laboratory.

Catalent Pharma Solutions provides expert extractables and leachables services to the pharmaceutical industry with a focus on applying their industry leading scientific, regulatory and compliance expertise to all dosage forms and drug delivery platforms. Participants can expect to learn from Catalent’s expertise in these areas and take away an understanding of regulatory documents surrounding extractables and leachables testings, modern approaches and strategies to these testings, and guidance in analytical laboratory actions.

For more information on Catalent’s broad range of drug and biologic development services, go to www.catalent.com/development.

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Gregory T. Bleck, PhD. To Co-Chair Cell Line Development And Engineering Conference

Gregory T. Bleck, PhD., Senior Director of Cell Line Engineering for Catalent Pharma Solutions, will be co-chairing the Cell Line Development and Engineering conference being held in San Francisco, California on February 25-26, 2010.

Gregory T. Bleck, PhD. To Co-Chair Cell Line Development And Engineering Conference

In addition to co-chairing the conference, Dr. Bleck will be presenting “Characteristics of an Effective Mammalian Cell Line Generation Process for Bio-Pharmaceutical Production.” His session will explore how steps in the generation of mammalian cell lines have been optimized to make the process more efficient. Dr. Bleck will also outline certain approaches to improve timelines and throughput. Additionally, data collected f r o m Catalent’s development of more than 200 cell lines, each producing a different antibody or recombinant protein, will be reviewed.

Dr. Bleck received his BS and Ph.D. f r o m the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and performed postdoctoral work at the University of Illinois-Urbana working in the areas of gene regulation and expression, and joined Catalent Pharma Solutions in 1998. At Catalent, he transferred his knowledge of gene expression and transgenic systems to the development and continued optimization of retrovector expression systems and is one of the developers of the GPEx® gene expression technology. Dr. Bleck has published over fifty-five research papers and authored three book chapters. He has seven issued patents and eight patents currently under review.

For more information on Catalent’s broad range of biopharmaceutical development services, go to http://www.catalent.com/development.

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Maastricht University And PharmaCell Publish Results On Possible Improved Immune

In a collaborative publication in the prestigious journal Blood that appears this week, PharmaCell BV, the Maastricht University, Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Switzerland and the Research Center for Allergy and Immunology in Japan present data on a novel approach to improve treatment of acute leukemia patients. In a study that received a grant from the Dutch governmental organization SenterNovem, the consortium has shown that hematopoetic stem cells, commonly used in the treatment of those patients, can be cultured such that they show clear signs of an improved capacity to repair the immune system.

Maastricht University And PharmaCell Publish Results On Possible Improved Immune

Patients suffering from acute myeloid leukemia can be cured by hematopoetic stem cell transplantation, but many viral or bacterial infections occur after the treatment and are life threathening. The protocol developed by the consortium can potentially reduce the period after treatment that the patient is susceptible to such opportunistic infections.

The proposed treatment may greatly reduce morbidity and mortality in those patients. In the study that was conducted in mice, it was found that the stem cells treated with their protocol quickly migrated specifically to the thymus and matured there into effector cells of the immune system. Further research is needed to delineate the precise mechanism of action and to prepare the technique for application in patients.

Alexander Vos, CEO of PharmaCell comments: “The outcome of this projects shows the strength of consortia in which academia collaborates with industry. It has enabled us to keep a focus towards clinical application in a research project that had fundamental questions. As a company that focuses on the development and production of cell therapies, this research fitted very well in our profile. We are very pleased with the collaboration as well as with the outcome. PharmaCell intends to closely follow future developments in this project and will expertly support future clinical application of this cell therapeutic application where possible.”

Dr. Gerard Bos, who together with Dr. Wilfred Germeraad,is the lead investigator of the Division of Heamatology, Department of Internal Medicine of the Maastricht University Medical Center+ announces: “We believe that the potential of this technique to improve patient care is high. Further research is needed before application in patients is possible, but we feel very confident about that. The research has been carried out by a very strong international group of scientist and the results are convincing. We are looking forward to further developing the method.”

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