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Press Releases from AlphaMed Press

June 23, 2016
Stem Cell Injections Help Woman with Lymphedema Caused by Cancer Treatment

DURHAM, NC - In a new case report published today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, doctors at Odense University Hospital in Denmark detail how a patient who developed lymphedema after being treated for breast cancer benefitted from an injection of stem cells derived from adipose (fat) tissue. The results could change the paradigm for dealing with this debilitating, frequent side effect of cancer treatment.

Lymphedema refers to the swelling that generally occurs in an arm or leg – or both – after lymph nodes have either been surgically removed (lymphadenectomy) or damaged by radiation during cancer treatment, particularly for breast cancer. Some patients’ bodies are able to accommodate for the missing or damaged nodes, but in others this causes a blockage in the lymphatic system, which in turn leads to a buildup of waste and fluid.

June 13, 2016
Low Dose of Stem Cells Might Provide Relief to Those Suffering from Arthritis of the Knee

DURHAM, NC - A new study appearing in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM) indicates that a single low dose of a patient’s own stem cells might offer relief from osteoarthritis of the knee.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common chronic condition of the joints, resulting from the cartilage or cushion between the joints breaking down. This leads to pain, stiffness and swelling. OA is on the rise in the western world, in part because of the aging population and also because of obesity, which strains the joints by increasing the load they carry. Any joint in the body may be affected by OA, but it is particularly common in the knee.

May 9, 2016
New Method of Treating Oxygen-Deprived Babies that Might Repair Brain Injury

DURHAM, NC - Treatment for full-term babies born with hypoxic-ischemic– brain damage due to blood and oxygen deprivation injuries is currently limited to therapeutic cooling to improve outcomes. There is no treatment for pre-term babies; however, a new study appearing in the latest issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine may lead to therapies that repair damage from hypoxia-ischemia.

March 31, 2016
Stem Cell Discovery Might Lead to Fix for Gene Mutation Behind Hereditary Hearing Loss

Durham, NC –  A new study in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine offers people with genetic hearing loss the promise of a new therapy that just might outperform artificial cochlear implants.

Implants currently are the most effective way to treat sensorineural hearing loss, a type of hereditary hearing loss caused by genetic mutations in the hair cells — the sensory receptors of the auditory system, found in the inner ear (the cochlea). A cochlear implant helps transfer sound to the patient’s hearing nerves and enables them to hear. But many researchers believe that stem cells could offer a more comprehensive and better fix for this problem.

March 22, 2016
Study Shows How Stem Cells Might Restore Bones Damaged by Osteoporosis

Durham, NC –  A study recently published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine points the way to a new, potentially restorative treatment for age-related or type II osteoporosis. When a single dose of a certain type of stem cell, called mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), was injected into mice with the disease, long-term bone engraftment and quality bone growth resulted. As an added benefit, the cells protected existing bone from damage.

March 9, 2016
Protein-revved stem cell could transform Alzheimer's treatment

Durham, NC –  A new type of engineered stem cell could transform how Alzheimer's disease (AD) is treated and perhaps even stop the disease in its tracks. In a study recently published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, a team of University of Michigan researchers describe how they revved up the levels of a protein called IGF-I in a line of neuronal stem cells (NSCs), which resulted in the NSCs producing brain cells that were both resistant to AD and capable of restoring AD-ravaged cells to normal.

November 12, 2015
Protein reprogramming method might yield rich source of heart cells for cardiac repair

Durham, NC – A new study appearing in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM) describes a highly efficient, protein-based method for turning fibroblasts — the most common cells in connective tissue — into cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs). The results could lead to a much-needed new source of cells for regenerating the heart. Equally exciting is that the technology also converts the fibroblasts directly to CPCs, skipping an in-between and significantly speeding up the process.

September 3, 2015
Extracellular Vesicles Repair Damage in Stroke-Impaired Mice

Durham, NC, Sep. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- According to a study released in the latest issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, a German team of researchers discovered that extracellular vesicles (EVs), tiny membrane-enclosed structures that travel between cells, seem to work as well as adult stem cells to help the brain recover from a stroke.

August 27, 2015
Stem Cell Treatments Help Rats Live Longer, Healthier Lives

Durham, NC, Aug. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- A new study appearing in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine indicates that stem cell injections helped rats live almost a third longer than normal. In addition, the treated animals remained both physically and mentally active longer throughout their life spans.

August 4, 2015
Cartilage Regeneration by Stem Cells Could Lead to Ultimate Knee and Hip Replacements

DURHAM, N.C., Aug. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- A study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine shows the promise of stem cells for growing new cartilage to replace the tissue damaged by osteoarthritis or injury. That's good news for the rapidly growing number of people undergoing knee and hip replacements each year – nearly a million (645,000 hips and 300,000 knees) in the U.S. alone, according to a 2011 report from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

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