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Press Releases from AlphaMed Press

October 28, 2011
New Evidence for Spinal Membrane as a Source of Stem Cells May Advance Treatment of Spinal Cord Injuries

“Our research offers the first evidence that the spinal cord meninges, the system of membranes which cover the surface of the brain and the spinal cord, contains stem cells which are capable of self-renewal and proliferation,” said lead authors Dr Ilaria Decimo and Dr Francesco Bifari, at the University of Verona.

Following a spinal injury meningeal cells increase in number and migrate to form glial scars and the team believe this process explains part of the mechanism of stem cell activation in central nervous system diseases; a mechanism which could in turn be used for treatments.

Dr Decimo’s team microdissected samples of spinal cord meninges from adult rats revealing that meningeal cells contain crucial stem cell properties. It is these properties which increase following a spinal cord injury.

April 8, 2011
Announcing the first stem cell translational journal

The potential of stem cells therapies and regenerative medicine is both provocative and unique, offering the distinct possibility of eventually repairing or replacing tissues damaged from disease, including certain cancers. Under the leadership of the esteemed scientist-clinician Anthony Atala, MD as Editor, STEM CELLS Translational Medicine will speed expertly executed translations of emerging lab discoveries into noteworthy clinical trials.

“This exciting new journal will foster the proper growth and ethical development in this fast-moving field. There is a gap in the existing stem cells journal spectrum that STEM CELLS Translational Medicine will fill,” said Dr. Atala. “SCTM is the sister journal to STEM CELLS, the thirty-year-old premier journal in the field, and together they will elevate our science to applications that will impact the lives of many patients.”

February 9, 2011
Hearing with your Nose: How Nasal Stem Cells Could Tackle Childhood Hearing Problems

“One of the challenges in tackling this condition is that the regenerative ability of the human cochlea is severely limited”, said lead author Dr. Sharon Oleskevich from the Hearing Research Group at The University of New South Wales. “It has been proposed that the transplantation of cells from other parts of the body could treat, prevent or even reverse hearing loss. The transplanted cells have the potential to repair tissue by replacing damaged cells and enhancing the survival of existing cells, preventing the condition from developing further.”

To investigate the effects of this treatment, nasal stem cells were injected into the cochlea of mice displaying symptoms of hearing loss. Mice were chosen for this treatment as they display a similar decline in hearing function following infancy.

November 29, 2010
New Study into Bladder Regeneration Heralds Organ Replacement Treatment

“Advances in the use of bone marrow stem cells taken from the patient opens up new opportunities for exploring organ replacement therapies, especially for bladder regeneration”, said Sharma. “Several findings from our study have demonstrated the plasticity of stem cells from bone marrow which make them ideal for this type of work.”

The team discovered that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have phenotypic and physiological similarities with bladder smooth muscle cells (bSMCs) implying that MSCs can serve as an alternative cell source for potentially damaged bSMCs.

“For our research we developed a primate-based model, using a baboon bladder in conjunction with bone marrow MSCs to attempt partial bladder regeneration,” said Sharma. “We found that the mesenchymal stem cells used throughout the study retained the ability to populate a surgically grafted area while remaining active 10 weeks after surgery.”

November 3, 2009
Stem Cells Used to Reverse Paralysis in Animals

Press Release published on 28/01/09

Valencia, Spain – January 28, 2009 – A new study has found that transplantation of stem cells from the lining of the spinal cord, called ependymal stem cells, reverses paralysis associated with spinal cord injuries in laboratory tests. The findings show that the population of these cells after spinal cord injury was many times greater than comparable cells from healthy animal subjects. The results open a new window on spinal cord regenerative strategies. The study is published in the journal Stem Cells.

The transplanted cells were found to proliferate after spinal cord injury and were recruited by the specific injured area. When these cells were transplanted into animals with spinal cord injury, they regenerated ten times faster while in the transplant subject than similar cells derived from healthy control animals.

November 3, 2009
Researchers Generate Functional Neurons From Somatic Cells

Press Release published on 24/02/09

Los Angeles, Calif. – February 24, 2009 – In a new study, researchers were able to generate functionally mature motor neurons from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are engineered from adult somatic cells and can differentiate into most other cell types. A potential new source of motor neurons that does not require human eggs or embryos could be an enormous boon to research into conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal cord injury and could open the door to eventual treatments. The study is published in Stem Cells.

November 3, 2009
New Stem Cell Therapy May Lead To Treatment for Deafness

Press Release published on 23/03/09

Sheffield, England – March 23, 2009 - Deafness affects more than 250 million people worldwide. It typically involves the loss of sensory receptors, called hair cells, for their “tufts” of hair-like protrusions, and their associated neurons. The transplantation of stem cells that are capable of producing functional cell types might be a promising treatment for hearing impairment, but no human candidate cell type has been available to develop this technology.

A new study led by Dr. Marcelo N. Rivolta of the University of Sheffield has successfully isolated human auditory stem cells from fetal cochleae (the auditory portion of the inner ear) and found they had the capacity to differentiate into sensory hair cells and neurons. The study is published in STEM CELLS.

November 3, 2009
Stem Cell Transplant in Mouse Embryo Yields Heart Protection in Adulthood

Press Release published on 14/05/09

Rochester, Minn. – May 14, 2009 - Stem cells play a role in heart muscle rejuvenation by attracting cells from the body that develop into heart muscle cells. They have been successfully used to halt or reverse cardiac injury following heart attack, but not to prevent injury before it occurs.

A new study that delivered embryonic stem cells to mouse embryos in the earliest stages of development found that the resulting mice demonstrated a capacity to recover from cardiac injury in adulthood. The study, which provides the first evidence that preventive regenerative medicine can successfully be used to treat myocardial infarction through prophylactic intervention, is published in STEM CELLS.

November 3, 2009
Stem Cells Which "Fool Immune System" May Provide Vaccination For Cancer

Press Release published on 5/10/09

North Carolina, October, 2009 – Scientists from the United States and China have revealed the potential for human stem cells to provide a vaccination against colon cancer, reports a study published in STEM CELLS.

This discovery, led by experts in immunology, Dr. Bei Liu and Dr. Zihai Li, builds upon a century old theory that immunizing with embryonic materials may generate an anti-tumour response. However, this theory has never before been advanced beyond animal research so the discovery that human stem cells are able to immunize against colon cancer is both new and unexpected.

"This finding potentially opens up a new paradigm for cancer vaccine research,” said Dr. Zihai Li. “Cancer and stem cells share many molecular and biological features. By immunizing the host with stem cells, we are able to ‘fool’ the immune system to believe that cancer cells are present and thus to initiate a tumor-combating immune program."

November 3, 2009
STEM CELLS Promotes Miodrag Stojković to Editor

Durham, NC, & Craigavon, UK, July 1, 2009 – AlphaMed Press, co-publisher of the journal STEM CELLS®, the first journal in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine, has promoted Miodrag Stojković to Editor.

Professor Miodrag Stojković is Deputy Director of the Prince Felipe Research Centre and head of its Cellular Reprogramming Laboratory in Valencia, Spain. He led the team that first announced derivation of pluripotent human embryonic stem cells (hESC) from non-viable early human embryos that had stopped their cleavage. First published in STEM CELLS, this technique and stem cells derived with it are now being used to better understand and fight debilitating diseases.

Professor Stojković has long served the Journal, first on its editorial board, then as an associate editor, and most recently as its Co-Editor.

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