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Press Releases from AlphaMed Press

January 6, 2020
New Protocol Could Signal Shift in Bone Regenerative Medicine

DURHAM, N.C. (JANUARY 06, 2020) - A new, safe and efficient way to coax stem cells into bone cells is reported in a recently published article from STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM). The protocol, developed by researchers at the University of Sydney, Australian Research Centre (ARC) for Innovative BioEngineering, could lead to a shift in the treatment of bone regenerative medicine.

Large bone defects and loss due to cancer or trauma can result in scar tissue that impairs the bones’ ability to repair and regenerate. The current gold standard therapy, autografting, has inherent drawbacks, including limited availability and donor site morbidity. This leaves researchers seeking an alternative source of bone cells — and makes bone tissue engineering a growing field with considerable translational potential.

December 31, 2019
Study Indicates Treating Perianal Fistula With Patient’s Own Stem Cells Promotes Sustained Healing

DURHAM, N.C. (DECEMBER 30, 2019) - A study published today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine indicates that treating cryptoglandular perianal fistula with autologous adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) is safe and can in fact promote long-term and sustained healing. This condition affects about two out of every 10,000 people per year — most often, young men — according to the National Institutes of Health. While most patients can be treated successfully with surgery, there is a a high rate of recurrence and frequent side effects such as fecal incontinence and, thus, impaired quality of life.

December 30, 2019
Study Shows How Diabetes Developed in Pregnancy Might Program Baby’s Stem Cells for Health Issues in Adulthood

DURHAM, N.C. DECEMBER 27, 2019 - Researchers have come to suspect that women who contract gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during pregnancy pass along to their offspring a preponderance for type 2 diabetes and other health complications while the child is still in the womb. A new study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine further lends credence to that idea.

GDM, a type of diabetes that happens only during pregnancy, results from hormones released by the placenta that prevents the body from using insulin effectively. It affects about 6 to 15 percent of all pregnant women. This condition is associated with short-term adverse obstetric and perinatal complications, and with long-term health consequences for offspring.

December 3, 2019
Fat Grafting Improves Range of Motion in Limbs Damaged by Radiation Therapy

DURHAM, N.C. DECEMBER 03, 2019 - A new study released today in STEM CELLS outlines how fat grafting – which previous studies have shown can reduce and even reverse fibrosis (scar tissue) buildup – also improves the range of motion of the affected limb. The study, conducted by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, was conducted on mice.

November 25, 2019
Multiple Doses of Stem Cells Show Potential in Treating Severe Asthma

DURHAM, N.C. (November 20, 2019) - A study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM) describes how multiple doses of a type of stem cell called mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) might offer a new way to treat people suffering from severe asthma.

An asthma attack is triggered by allergens entering the lungs and causing swelling of the airways. This sets off a domino effect that results in narrowing of the airways from the nose and mouth to the lungs. The most severe cases can lead to death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 13 people have asthma. There is no cure, but it can be managed in most cases with proper prevention and treatment.

September 30, 2019
Gene-Edited, Stem Cell Reporter Line Could Boost Cardiac Research

DURHAM, N.C. (SEPTEMBER 30, 2019) - As human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) move closer to becoming a possible mainstream therapy and an accepted model for studying the development and diseases of the human heart, there is an increasing need for stable stem cell lines that allow electrical or potential activities of the progeny heart muscle cells to be clearly and easily recorded. A study released today in STEM CELLS details the development of one such line, CRISPR-generated ArcLight-hiPSCs.

The UC Davis Health research team that developed the line reported that it incorporates a tracking process that overcomes several drawbacks inherent in other methods for recording how hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) function. This feature makes CRISPR-generated ArcLight-hiPSC a promising tool for studying these cells and utilizing them for drug testing.

September 16, 2019
Study Indicates Early Infusion of Mononuclear Cells Could Aid in Recovery from Stroke

Durham, NC (September 17, 2019) – Results of a clinical trial published today in STEM CELLS are the first to document the safety and feasibility of the early administration of bone marrow cells to treat acute ischemic stroke patients. The information provided by the study could aid in developing new cellular therapies for this most common form of stroke — caused by a blocked artery — which affects over 13 million people each year, according to the World Health Organization. 

September 10, 2019
Study Shows Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Importance of Tissue Origin in Predicting Function

DURHAM, N.C. SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 - A new study released today in STEM CELLS demonstrates that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) expanded from adipose tissue (ASC) outperform those expanded from bone marrow (BM-MSCs). Importantly, while several previous studies have compared the performance of BM-MSCs versus ASCs, this is the first to pair MSCs from the same donor to show that tissue, rather than donor origin, is the functional predictor.

“Numerous clinical trials are evaluating the therapeutic potential of MSCs in degenerative and inflammatory diseases,” said lead investigator Karin Tarte, Pharm D, Ph.D., of the Université de Rennes. "However, the influence of their tissue of origin on their functional properties, including their immunosuppressive activity, remains unsolved.

September 6, 2019
Study Shows Stem Cells May Be Better Choice Than Tissue Transplantation for Treating LSCD

DURHAM, N.C.  SEPTEMBER 05, 2019 - Results of a phase II clinical trial released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM) indicate that a limbal stem cell (LSC) transplantation is superior to a tissue graft in treating limbal stem cell deficiency syndrome (LSCD).

The study’s lead investigator, Vincent Borderie, M.D., Ph.D.
August 14, 2019
Human amniotic fluid stem cells show promise in treating severest type of spina bifida


DURHAM, N.C. AUGUST 14, 2019 - A study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine provides compelling evidence of how an injection of human amniotic fluid stem cells can be used to protect the spinal cord of a fetus from myelomeningocele (MMC). The finding could lead to a new strategy for treating this debilitating birth defect that affects about 1 out of every 4,000 children born in the United States each year.

The most severe form of spina bifida, myelomeningocele results when the backbone and spinal canal do not close before birth. It can leave a child with many disabilities, including partial or full paralysis, difficulty with bowel and bladder control, hydrocephalus and developmental delay.

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