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Press Releases from AlphaMed Press

October 7, 2020
Amniotic fluid may yield new, better treatment for ischemic stroke

Durham, NC (October 7, 2020) - A study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine points the way to a possible new avenue of treatment for ischemic stroke. The study, led by Annamaria Cimini, Ph.D., of the University of L'Aquila, and Liborio Stuppia, M.D., of D'Annunzio University, Italy, reveals how the secretome of amniotic fluid stem cells can restore neuronal plasticity (the brain's capacity to change and adapt), improve cognition, and replace neurons damaged or lost due to an ischemic stroke.

Their finding may lead to a more broadly applicable stroke therapy that is not hindered by a narrow treatment window or pre-existing conditions.

September 14, 2020
Stem cells engineered to evade immune system hold promise for ‘off-the-shelf’ grafts

Durham, NC (Sept. 15, 2020) – Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) hold promise in the field of regenerative medicine for how they give rise to every other cell type in the body and for their ability to propagate indefinitely. Their potential, however, is hampered by the body’s tendency to reject any “allogeneic” cells or tissue, which means that the cells come from a donor other than the patient.  This rejection is due to the body’s immune system labeling the cells as “foreign invaders” and setting in motion a series of strategies intended to ward off what it deems an attack — leaving researchers scrambling for a way around this protective measure.

September 9, 2020
Adding stem cells to educational intervention can significantly help kids with autism

Durham, NC (Sept. 9, 2020) - Results of a clinical trial released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine indicate that a combination of stem cell therapy and educational intervention can significantly help children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

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August 13, 2020
Enzyme inhibitor enhances transplanted stem cells' ability to treat heart failure

Durham, NC (August 13, 2020) – Stem cell replacement offers great potential for helping people recover from a heart attack by regenerating the damaged cardiac tissue. However, a critical barrier to the success of this promising therapy is the significant loss of transplanted stem cells due to inflammation in the host environment, which causes fibrosis (scarring) and the stem cells to die off. Today, a team of researchers report in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine that they have found a way to overcome this obstacle.

July 28, 2020
Adult Stem Cells/Glaucoma Drug Combo Promotes Diabetic Wound Healing in Mice

Durham, NC (July 28, 2020) - A new study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine shows promise of a major breakthrough in healing chronic foot ulcers resulting from diabetes. The study, by researchers at the University of California, Davis, is the first to demonstrate how a bioengineered scaffold made up of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) combined with timolol -- a drug commonly used to treat glaucoma -- improved healing and decreased inflammation in the wounds of diabetic mice by as much as 75 percent over the control groups.

July 23, 2020
New Platform Enables Long-Term Tracking of Stem Cell-Derived Tissues After Transplantation

Durham, NC (July 23, 2020) – A new platform reported on today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine will enable long-term tracking of cardiomyocytes produced from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) after implantation into the heart. This non-invasive strategy, created by the use of modern gene editing to insert a gene called sodium/iodide symporter (NIS), features superior safety and allows long-term non-invasive cell tracking, plus offers the potential for a broad variety of applications in the preclinical and clinical development of cardiac and other cell therapies, its creators say.

July 8, 2020
Adipose-derived stem cells considerably improve fat graft retention in breast augmentation

Durham, NC (July 8, 2020) - Results of a clinical trial released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine indicates that breast augmentation in patients treated with fat grafts enriched with autologous adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) had significantly superior results compared to those treated with non-enriched grafts.

July 2, 2020
New platform gauges effects of plastic nanoparticles on human development and health

Durham, NC (July 2, 2020) - Plastic pollution is a critical environmental issue facing the world today, yet the impact of all the microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) that have seeped into the food and beverage supply on human health is an "undervalued avenue of research," according to the team behind a revealing new study released today in STEM CELLS. This study outlines the new platform researchers designed that allowed them to investigate the potentially harmful effects of MPs and NPs. The results show not only how these particles can impact a developing infant's health, but also may open novel ways to study this prevalent type of pollution and its contributions to the origin of various diseases.

June 18, 2020
Study sheds light on why retinal ganglion cells are vulnerable to glaucoma

Durham, NC (June 18, 2020) - Millions of sufferers of glaucoma might someday benefit from a study released today in STEM CELLS in which a "disease in a dish" stem cell model was used to examine the mechanism in glaucoma that causes retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) to degenerate, resulting in loss of vision. The knowledge the study provides could result in new therapeutic approaches for this leading cause of blindness worldwide.

RGCs are a group of nerve cells located in the retina that send images to the brain and enable you to see. Glaucoma attacks these cells and, once they die, they are not replaced. However, why and how glaucoma causes the RGCs to degenerate is something of a mystery.

June 15, 2020
Magnetic guidance improves stem cells' ability to treat occupational lung disease

Durham, NC (June 15, 2020) - Results of a study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM) may point the way to a cure for a serious lung disease called silicosis that affects millions of workers worldwide. Silicosis results from years of breathing in dust microparticles of silica by workers in professions such as construction and sand blasting. The particles can eventually lead to inflammation and scarring of the lung tissue, which in turn makes it difficult to breathe and can result in death.

There currently is no cure for silicosis and once the damage is done it cannot be reversed. Treatment is focused on relieving symptoms and slowing down the progression of the disease, while the medical world searches for a permanent solution.

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