Our aim at the Australian Stem Cell Centre is to keep you informed about the latest developments across the stem cell field including recent highlights in research, clinical translation and relevant policy and regulations.
We value your suggestions and contributions. If you wish to make a contribution please email us at info@stemcellcentre.edu.au.
STEM CELL RESEARCH NEWS
INDUSTRY NEWS
POLICY, REGULATION & ETHICS NEWS
FUNDING NEWS
Stem Cell Research News
RETINA GROWN FROM EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS
Scientists from UC Irvine have created early stage retinas from human embryonic stem cells and are testing them in animals. In the three year study that produced the retina, Associate Professor Hans Keirstead and his team created the complex structure which consists of many cell types. This is the first piece of complex tissue that is more than one cell layer deep, with multiple cell types working together, grown from human embryonic stem cells. It also marks the first step towards the development of transplant ready retinas to treat eye disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration that affect millions of people across the globe. The researchers hope that this discovery will lead to clinical trials.
Gabriel Nistor, Magdalene J. Seiler, Fengrong Yan, David Ferguson, Hans S. Keirstead (2010). Three dimensional early retinal progenitor 3D tissue constructs derived from human embryonic stem cells. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, Volume 190, Issue 1, Pages 63-70 with commentary from Science Daily.
UK SCIENTISTS LAUNCH STEM CELL PROJECT TO RESEARCH MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE
With GBP 800,000 project funding from the UK's Motor Neurone Disease Association, British scientists have launched the world's first stem cell project to recreate motor neurone disease (MND) in the laboratory. The team led by Sir Ian Wilmut will use human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to make diseased and healthy brain cells to study how MND progresses into a lethal condition. Wilmut's team at Edinburgh will work with scientists in London and New York to understand how the disease kills off nerve cells and spreads itself to healthy parts of the brain and central nervous system.
This research will allow scientists to perform detailed studies on human motor neurons. The hope is that pivotal biochemical pathways that are altered in MND will become apparent, opening up promising new treatment strategies.
See press release with commentary from The Guardian.
iPS CELLS CREATED USING A VIRUS ALONE
Andrew Baker, a gene therapy researcher at the University of Glasgow, and his team reported that they have transformed human skin cells into iPS cells without using any reprogramming genes. At the recent International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) meeting held in San Francisco they reported they just the viral vector normally used to deliver the genes. This discovery challenges the conventional wisdom about what it takes to produce iPS cells. The efficiency of the reprogramming was very low at less than one in a million and the iPS cells had many chromosomal abnormalities but reportedly passed the standard tests of pluripotency.
However, Associate Professor Ernst Wolvetang, an ASCC funded stem cell researcher at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Brisbane, and expert on iPS cell creation and the genetic stability of stem cells, commented in Nature that he was not convinced that the reported iPS cells were not just skin cells that had become cancerous.
More information and commentary at Nature News.
MOUSE SKIN CELLS DIRECTLY REPROGRAMMED TO BEATING CARDIOMYOCYTES
Professor Deepak Srivastava of the Gladstone Institute in California reported at the ISSCR meeting that he had taken mouse skin cells (fibroblasts), added a cocktail of heart specific reprogramming genes and successfully created heart muscle, or cardiomyocytes, without having to first form iPS cells. He reported that he had not yet reproduced the findings in human. The work will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Cell.
It was only back in February 2010 that this newsletter reported that researchers at California's Stanford University had discovered how to turn mouse fibroblasts directly into functioning neurons without the intermediate step of using pluripotent stem cells. Their discovery was published online in the journal Nature on 27 January 2010.
Read more at the Nature Medicine Blog.
STEP TO OVERCOMING KEY OBSTACLE TO STEM CELL THERAPY
Researchers at Lund University have come up with a way of identifying immature stem cells in colonies of embryonic stem cells (mouse and human), and iPS cells. This technique allows the elimination of these immature stem cells thus creating potentially safer stem cell transplantations, otherwise they carry a risk of forming tumours. The researchers have transplanted the stem cells into mice with Parkinson’s disease. The results are very promising with far fewer tumours and the cells that survive are the correct type of nerve cells.
Sachdeva R et al (2010). Tracking differentiating neural progenitors in pluripotent cultures using microRNA-regulated lentiviral vectors. PNAS published online doi: 10.1073/pnas.1006568107 with commentary from University of Lund.
STEM CELL THERAPY AND GENE THERAPY SHOWS PROMISE FOR BLOCKING HIV IN PHASE I CLINICAL TRIAL
A combination of stem cell transplantation and gene therapy may lead to new strategies for treating people infected with HIV. In a trial in the USA led by Australian firm Benitec and researchers at the City of Hope (a non-profit research institute near Los Angeles), extracted stem cells from the blood of four people with AIDS-related lymphoma (a type of blood cancer) and modified some of the stem cells to carry anti-HIV genes, before transplanting them back into the patients. The modified stem cells remained in the patients for two years, a sign that if given in greater number, they might be able to suppress the AIDS virus. The results have been published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
The next step is to replace a much larger portion of a patient's stem cells with the genetically modified stem cells and see if they can substantially reduce their HIV level. Benitec recently announced that it has agreed to fund a second clinical trial at the City of Hope and recruitment has commenced.
DiGiusto DL et al (2010). RNA-Based Gene Therapy for HIV with Lentiviral Vector–Modified CD34+ Cells in Patients Undergoing Transplantation for AIDS-Related Lymphoma. Science Translational Medicine 2.36 doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3000931.
View the press release with commentary from Bloomberg.
UNPROVEN STEM CELL TREATMENT AND MYSTERIOUS CELLULAR MASSES
A patient who had their own haematopoietic stem cells (blood forming stem cells usually from the bone marrow) injected into their kidneys in Thailand in 2006 developed a new type of cellular mass not previously reported. The patient had lupus nephritis, whereby the immune system attacks the kidneys, developed a four-centimetre mass on her left kidney and smaller masses in the kidney, liver and adrenal gland, six months after the treatment. Doctors at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok removed the kidney believing a malignant tumour to be present. However further analysis showed that the lesions were a proliferation of blood vessel and bone marrow cells. Details of the clinic and the rationale behind the treatment have not been released. Haematopoietic stem cells have been used to treat lupus nephritis with some reports of success but they are normally injected into the bloodstream, not the kidney,¬ in an attempt to 'reset' the immune system. The cellular masses were not directly linked to the patient's subsequent death.
Thirabanjasak D et al (2010). Angiomyeloproliferative Lesions Following Autologous Stem Cell Therapy. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology doi: 10.1681/ASN.2009111156 with commentary from Nature.
For information on stem cell therapies now and in the future see our Patient Information Handbook.
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STEM CELL THERAPEUTICS' STROKE DRUG FAILS TO PERFORM IN PHASE II CLINICAL TRIAL
Stem Cell Therapeutics' drug NTx-265 for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, which occurs when an artery to the brain is blocked by a blood clot or a fatty deposit, has failed to demonstrate efficacy in a Phase IIb clinical trial. While the results showed that NTx-265 was well tolerated in treated patients with no adverse affect on mortality, there was no statistical difference between the groups being treated with NTx-265 and placebo. The company is currently conducting a validation review process of the full trial and commented that the magnitude of the placebo response was extremely surprising.
See press release and commentary from Fierce Biotech.
GERMAN FIRM RECEIVES QUALITY CERTIFICATION FOR STEM CELL PRODUCT FROM EUROPEAN MEDICINES AGENCY
German regenerative therapeutics company t2cure has received a quality certification for its lead autologous bone marrow derived therapy, t2c001, under the European Medicines Agency's (EMEA) regulations for advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). This product is in Phase II development for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. It is believed that this is the first certification of its kind.
ATMPs are classed as stem cell, gene therapy or engineered tissue based therapeutics or diagnostics. In Europe such products are now regulated under a dedicated legislative framework set up at the end of 2008. This framework allows small and medium enterprises to voluntarily apply for certification of the quality of its ATMP.
With commentary from Genetic Engineering News.
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Policy, Regulation & Ethics News
ONLINE PATIENT GUIDE TO STEM CELL TREATMENTS
The ISSCR has launched a new website 'Take a Closer Look at Stem Cells' which will assist patients around the world to assess the recent explosion of online claims regarding stem cell treatments.
While stem cells hold a tremendous amount of promise there are currently only a small number of stem cell treatments that are medically proven. Visitors to the new website will be able to submit the details of a stem cell treatment provider they have seen advertised on the internet that they may be considering. The ISSCR will ask for evidence that the clinic has appropriate oversight and other patient protections in place. The ISSCR will list whether or not stem cell clinics provide this information on the website and the information will be made available to future patients.
See press release.
COSTA RICA SHUTS STEM CELL CLINIC
Costa Rica's Health Minister Maria Luisa Avila has ordered the country's largest stem cell clinic to stop offering treatment, saying there is no proof that it is effective. The ministry said the clinic has a permit to store the stem cells extracted from patients' own fat tissue, bone marrow and donated umbilical cords but is not authorised to perform the treatment which is considered experimental and involves harvesting a patient's own stem cells and reinjecting them. Doctors at the clinic have said that they have seen excellent results from the procedure, but ministry officials said that there is no proof that the treatments work.
The owners also have a US based company called Aidan Products that sells a nutritional supplement. According to the team behind the supplement it can stimulate the body's production of blood stem cells. The owners also operate a stem cell clinic in Panama.
See commentary from SBS News.
STEM CELL PATENT DIGESTS ONLINE
Following a successful pilot project in December 2008, the United Kingdom National Stem Cell Network (UKNSCN) is providing the community with bi-monthly digests of both published and granted patents in the stem cell field. UKNSCN produces these digests in partnership with the UK's Intellectual Property Office (IPO), who include their search strategy as an annex to each digest. To access the digests please visit United Kingdom National Stem Cell Network website.
NIH REJECTS USE OF DOZENS OF STEM CELL COLONIES BY FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCHERS
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has rejected a request to approve dozens of human embryonic stem cell lines for use by federally funded researchers. The availability of the lines, created by the private infertility clinic Reproductive Genetics Institute, were of interest to researchers because they carry mutations for a wide variety of diseases, including cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease and muscular dystrophy. NIH Director Francis Collins agreed with a group of experts gathered by NIH that use of the stem cell lines violated strict new guidelines. The advisory panel found that consent forms permitting use of the embryos contained unusually broad language and those who signed the forms gave up all rights to sue the clinic for any reason. The decision means that only researchers with private funding will be able to continue working on the lines.
For further commentary see The Washington Post. The NIH Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry can be found here.
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Funding News
CONNECTICUT GRANTS STEM CELL RESEARCHERS US$9.8 MILLION
More than 20 teams of scientists at the University of Connecticut and Yale University have been awarded a total of $9.8 million in research grants from the Connecticut Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee under an initiative to drive risktaking investigations using embryonic and adult stem cell research. The grants range from just under $200,000 to $1 million.
See the announcement here, with commentary from Mass High Tech.
MARYLAND AWARDS $11.7M IN STEM CELL GRANTS
The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission has awarded US$11.7 million in funding to 42 stem cell projects including 12 projects that are collaborations between university researchers and companies. The companies involved in the projects include Life Technologies, Inc. (Invitrogen, Inc.), Lonza Walkersville, Inc., Q Therapeutics, Inc., Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., Pfizer Inc., and Quality Biological, Inc. Other projects also include collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the NIH, and the University of Miami Lenard M. Miller School of Medicine.
See press release, with commentary from The Baltimore Business Journal.
CIRM ALLOCATES US$25 MILLION IN STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION AND IMMUNOLOGY AWARDS
The Governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) approved $25 million to fund 19 projects intended to overcome immune rejection of transplanted stem cells. The directors overturned four negative decisions by its grant reviewers in making the awards. While the transplantation of cells derived from stem cells to replace lost or damaged tissue represents one of the greatest promises of such technology, the key issue of immune rejection still remains. These grants by CIRM are intended to fund research into this area which may quicken the translation of stem cells into the clinic. Two of the awards include collaboration with partners Claude Bernard and Ban-Hock Toh at Monash University whose portion of the award will be funded by the Australian state of Victoria. The Victorian Government has committed $1.2 million toward funding these projects.
See CIRM press release and commentary from the California Stem Cell Report.
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2010 International Travel Awards Applications Now Closed
The ASCC International Travel Awards provide financial support for PhD students and early career postdoctoral fellows in Australia to present their research at international meetings and associated laboratory visits and seminars. APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED.
Stem Cells and the Tour de France
It is that time of the year again, when grown men don brightly coloured lycra to sweat their way through the Tour de France...which is timely as there has been some interesting research lately about how exercise affects the stem cell in our brain.
Stem Cell Therapies: Now and in the Future, a Free Public Lecture
CSIRO, in conjunction with the ASCC, is holding a free public lecture on stem cell research. Come along, listen and ask questions of three of Australia's leading experts in embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells and umbilical cord blood stem cells. Topics covered will be current stem cell therapies, current stem cell research and the future potential of stem cells.
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