What is Stem Cell: March 2008

Saturday, March 29, 2008

[StemCells] Uterine SC injections curb Parkinsons

Uterine Stem Cells Create New Neurons That Can Curb Parkinson's
Disease

Article Date: 28 Mar 2008 - 14:00 PDT

The injection of uterine stem cells trigger growth of new brain cells
in mice with Parkinson's disease, Yale School of Medicine researchers
report in an abstract presented at the 2008 Society for Gynecologic
Investigation (SGI) Annual Scientific Meeting held March 26-29 in San
Diego, California. "Previously, we were able to coax these
multipotent stem cells to differentiate into cartilage cells," said
lead author Hugh S. Taylor, M.D., professor in the Department of
Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of
Medicine and section chief of Reproductive Endocrinology and
Infertility at Yale School of Medicine. "Now we have found that we
can turn uterine stem cells into neurons that can boost dopamine
levels and partially correct the problem of Parkinson's disease."

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous
system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills and speech. The
primary symptoms are the results of decreased stimulation of the
motor cortex by the basal ganglia, which is normally caused by the
insufficient formation and action of dopamine.

The stem cells in this study were derived from human endometrial
stromal cells that were cultured under conditions that induce the
creation of neurons. These cells then developed axon-like projections
and cell bodies with a pyramid shape typical of neurons.

"The dopamine levels in the mice increased once we transferred the
stem cells into their brains," Taylor said. "The implications of our
findings are that women have a ready supply of stem cells that are
easily obtained, are differentiable into other cell types, and have
great potential use for other purposes."

Other authors include Erin Wolff, M.D., who will present the abstract
at SGI, Zane B. Andrews, Xiao-Bing Gao and Katherine V. Yao. This
abstract is an SGI Trainee Plenary Session Selection and winner of
the SGI President's Presenter Award.

http://www.yale.edu

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/102021.php

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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:

Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/

Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123

The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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Friday, March 28, 2008

[StemCells] Telomerase SCs & Cancer

Researchers Unmask Proteins In Telomerase, A Substance That Enables
Cancer

ScienceDaily (Mar. 21, 2008) — One of the more intriguing workhorses
of the cell, a protein conglomerate called telomerase, has in its
short history been implicated in some critical areas of medicine
including cancer, aging and keeping stem cells healthy. With such a
resume, telomerase has been the subject of avid interest by basic
scientists and pharmaceutical companies alike, so you'd think at the
very least people would know what it is.

But researchers have been frustrated in their attempts to find the
proteins that make up this complex. They know that it's a behemoth of
an enzyme and is made up of more than just the two components they've
gotten their hands on in the past. They also know what it does: it
maintains the cell's genetic material in fetal cells, normal adult
stem cells and in cancer cells.

What they don't know is what other proteins make up the massive
telomerase complex. Until now, that is.

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have identified
two new proteins that make up the telomerase complex and have a lead
on several more. This is the first significant step toward
understanding the makeup of telomerase since 1999. The discovery of
these two proteins provides new targets for cancer treatments, the
researchers said.

"It's so surprising that we are discovering new components of this
enzyme almost ten years after it was discovered," said Steven
Artandi, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine and senior author
of the study. The work will be published in the March 21 issue of
Cell.

Telomerase is best known for its role in maintaining the cell's
genetic material, the chromosomes. Every time a person's cell
divides, it makes a second copy of the 46 chromosomes, then sends one
copy to each of the two resulting cells. As that copying process
proceeds, each replication snips a bit off the protective tips of the
chromosomes, called telomeres. Those ever-shortening chromosomes are
one reason cells age. After a lifetime of cells dividing, the
telomeres dwindle down to a length that eventually triggers the cell
to stop replicating altogether or die.

Cancerous cells overcome that lifespan limitation by making
telomerase, which repairs those snipped chromosome ends. Without
shortening, the cells can divide forever. Telomerase is normally
active in fetal cells, then shortly after birth it is turned off in
all cells except normal tissue stem cells and some immune cells.

Since telomerase's discovery in cancerous cells in 1994, the idea has
been that if a drug could block telomerase, chromosomes in those
cancerous cells would eventually grow shorter and the cells would age
and die just like any other cell in the body. But without knowing
what proteins make up telomerase it's hard to design a drug to block
it.

In the study, Artandi and first author Andrew Veneicher, an MD/PhD
student, describe two protein components of telomerase. They also
show that disabling one of the proteins brings telomerase to a
grinding halt. Although the work was done in cells in a lab dish, the
findings suggest that a drug blocking that protein may be a useful
tool against cancer.

Artandi said one problem with studying telomerase is that it's
available in such small quantities. Growing huge vats of cancer cells
in the lab still only results in miniscule amounts of protein. Until
recently, no technology was sensitive enough to analyze proteins at
such minute levels.

"Many technical advances feed into our ability to make this
discovery," Artandi said.

Artandi and his colleagues at the National Cancer Institute and
Washington University School of Medicine took advantage of new
technologies to get around the quantity problem. They chopped the
massive telomerase complex into tiny protein pieces, then sent those
pieces through a sensitive device that detected the pieces and
compared the protein sequence to a genetic database that could match
the snippet to a particular gene.

With the gene in hand, the researchers could find the protein made by
that gene. They also used genetic trickery to disable one of the
proteins, which prevented the telomerase from working. Artandi said
the next step is to find small molecules that can block that newly
discovered protein in cancerous cells. He's also trying to identify a
handful of additional proteins that seem to be part of the telomerase
complex.

The work was funded by the National Cancer Institute, the National
Institutes of Health, the American Federation of Aging
Research/Pfizer, and the Medical Scientists Training Program Grant.

Adapted from materials provided by Stanford University Medical
Center, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use one of
the following formats:
APA

MLA Stanford University Medical Center (2008, March 21). Researchers
Unmask Proteins In Telomerase, A Substance That Enables Cancer.
ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2008, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/03/080320120834.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320120834.htm

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[StemCells] Endometrial regenerative (stem cells)

Medistem's Endometrial Regenerative Cell Discovery Publication
Receives BioMed Central's Article of the Year Award

March 20, 2008: 08:10 AM EST

Medistem Laboratories, Inc. (OTCBB: MDSM) is pleased to announce its
recent co-authored article entitled, "Endometrial regenerative cells:
a novel stem cell population" received BioMed Central's research
article of the year in medicine award. The award recognizes
excellence in research that has been made universally accessible
through open access publication in one of BioMed Central's > 170 peer
reviewed scientific journals. The award was presented to Medistem's
CEO Thomas Ichim and Dr. Xiaolong Meng at the Royal Society of
Medicine in London, England. The publication is freely available at
http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/5/1/57.

"We are extremely proud of the international recognition our
scientists and collaborators are receiving for the discovery of this
new type of stem cell," said Dr. Neil Riordan, President of
Medistem. "We believe that these cells, which we have termed
endometrial regenerative cells (ERC), offer a novel way of
circumventing the medical and ethical issues posed by embryonic stem
cells today."

Medistem owns intellectual property associated with endometrial
regenerative cells and is currently developing a pipeline of
therapeutic products around them. Medistem's lead product is based on
preventing amputation through restoring blood flow to the limbs of
patients with diabetes and advanced peripheral artery disease.

"The ERC population appears to be superior to other stem cell types.
These cells do not require matching with the recipient, they home to
areas of injury or tissue damage, and they can become most of the
tissue types found in the body," said Dr. Xiaolong Meng, lead author
of the article, Associate Director of the Bio-Communications Research
Institute, and Medistem collaborator.

About Medistem Laboratories

Medistem Laboratories is a biotechnology company founded to develop
and commercialize technologies related to adult stem cell extraction,
manipulation, and use for treating inflammatory and degenerative
diseases. The company's lead product, the endometrial regenerative
cell (ERC), is a "universal donor" stem cell derived from the
menstrual blood that possesses the ability to differentiate into nine
tissue types, produce large quantities of growth factors, and a large
proliferative capacity. Due to Medistem's relationships and
collaborative efforts with respected institutions, Medistem believes
it is well positioned to be a leading developer of adult stem cell
products. .

Cautionary Statement

This document does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation
of an offer to buy any of our securities. This document contains
certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A
of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking
statements may include projections of matters that affect revenue,
the ability to develop or license certain technologies and receive
associated licensing fees; operating expenses or net earnings;
projections of capital expenditures; projections of growth; hiring
plans; plans for future operations; financing needs or plans; plans
relating to the company's products and services; and assumptions
relating to the foregoing.

Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and
uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified.
Future events and actual results could differ materially from those
set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking
information.

Some of the important factors that could cause the company's actual
results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking
statements made by the company include, but are not limited to, the
following: the company's ability to anticipate future license fees,
technology development limitations, intense competition, risk of
business interruption, management of rapid growth, need for
additional financing, regulatory approvals and requirements,
dependence on key personnel and research, management and other
administrative costs.

These factors are discussed in greater detail in the company's
quarterly and annual periodic reports, all as filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contact:
Medistem Laboratories
Chris McGuinn
602-318-3535
http://www.medisteminc.com

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0377461.htm

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[StemCells] Science Teacher SC kits

Nanopoint's Live Cell Biology Science Kit to be Purchasable at
National Science Teacher Association Conference
March 20, 2008

Nanopoint Inc., an award-winning developer of cellTRAY® Fluidics and
Imaging System products, has announced it will be selling its special
educational cellTRAY® kits that make science personal for middle and
high school students in its booth at the National Science Teachers
Association (NSTA) 56th National Conference in Boston, March 27-30,
2008.

Honolulu, HI (PRWEB) March 20, 2008 -- Nanopoint Inc., an award-
winning developer of cellTRAY® Fluidics and Imaging System products,
has announced it will exhibit at the National Science Teachers
Association (NSTA) 56th National Conference in Boston, March 27-30,
2008. Nanopoint will exhibit its innovative cellTRAY Products in
Booth 814, including the cellTRAY slides used for RNAi-based
experimentation. Nanopoint will also be selling special educationally-
priced cell biology Science Kits featuring the company's cellTRAY
Dish, an environmentally-friendly Petri dish-type container that is
tailored for slide-based experiments.

The cellTRAY Science Kits for Teachers are priced at $30 and contain
materials and instructions as well as NSES standards reference. The
directions explain in a step-by-step fashion how the individual
student is to use the enclosed sterilized toothpicks to scrape inside
the cheek, place the cell scraping on the slide in the cellTRAY Dish,
and stain the scrapings of the cells with the enclosed Trypan Blue
solution. The student is then to observe his own live cells under a
microscope, making the experiment a personal experience directly
related to the individual student. The cellTRAY Science Kits for
Students are priced at $180 and contain cellTRAY Dishes, activity
worksheets and supplemental materials for a classroom of 30 students.

Nanopoint is focused on innovative products that solve problems in
the laboratories for research scientists and pharmaceutical
companies
"Nanopoint is focused on innovative products that solve problems in
the laboratories for research scientists and pharmaceutical
companies," said Cathy Owen, president of Nanopoint, Inc. "We also
recognize the need to look beyond today's marketplace and focus on
the future of scientific research and we sincerely want to encourage
young people to pursue scientific research as a career. Nanopoint has
a strong sense of community, especially strong here in Hawaii with
our state's history of service to education. We believe that the
cellTRAY Science Kit will inspire middle and high school students to
become more interested in biology by offering them these experimental
materials with a personal twist."

Live cell based imaging is one of the most important topics of this
era; Nanopoint offers a family of products especially designed for
live cell experimentation in drug discovery, life science, and stem
cell research. Nanopoint's cellTRAY Family of products won a gold
medal in the 2007 BusinessWeek International Design Excellence Awards
in the Medical and Scientific Products category.

Nanopoint's cellTRAY Imaging System Model CT-1000 creates new
standards of precision and levels of efficiency for the study of
small clusters of live cells, creates new approaches for multiple
cell analysis and simultaneous processing required by new drug
discovery applications and cell research. Nanopoint's award-winning
cellTRAY provides a microarray of etched wells and includes fluidic
channels necessary for delivery of drug compounds, nanoparticles and
long-term life supporting fluidics.

Nanopoint's cellTRAY Dish is commercially available as a stand-alone
product. The cellTRAY Dish was designed to contain the cellTRAY (or
any standard microscope slide) during the cell loading, incubation,
washing, and staining stages of an experiment. The autoclavable,
reusable container is environmentally friendly and can easily replace
single-use Petri dishes in many applications.

About Nanopoint, Inc.
Nanopoint, Inc. is a privately-held nano-biotechnology company that
is revolutionizing the study and treatment of diseases with its live
cell imaging solutions. Nanopoint's cellTRAY Fluidics and Imaging
System products have broad applications to life science research,
drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical production as well as other
areas where live cell analysis is important. For more information,
visit the Nanopoint website at www.nanopointimating.com.

cellTRAY is a registered trademark of Nanopoint, Inc.

Corporate Contact:
Ken Perel
Nanopoint, Inc.
kperel @ nanopointimaging.com
808-457-1145 Phone
808-537-4245 Fax

Media Contact:
Sandra Kay Helsel, Ph.D.
SK Helsel & Associates
www.skhelsel.com
skhelsel @ skhelsel.com
520-325-4636 Office
520-390-8184 Cell

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/03/prweb785944.htm

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Thursday, March 27, 2008

[StemCells] Breast Cancer Stem Cells Related to BRCA1 Mutation

A new study may explain why women with a mutation in the BRCA1 gene
face up to an 85 percent lifetime risk of breast cancer.

Researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer
Center found that BRCA1 plays a role in regulating breast stem cells,
the small number of cells that might develop into cancers.

The study, in mice and in human breast cancer cells, found that BRCA1
is involved in the stem cells differentiating into other breast
tissue cells. When BRCA1 is missing, the stem cells accumulate
unregulated and develop into cancer.

�Our data suggest that an important reason women with BRCA1
mutations get breast cancer is that BRCA1 is directly involved in the
regulation of normal breast stem cells. In these women, loss of BRCA1
function results in the proliferation of breast stem cells. Since we
believe that breast cancer may originate in these cells, this
explains why these women have such a high incidence of breast
cancer,� said senior study author Max S. Wicha, M.D., Distinguished
Professor of Oncology and director of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer
Center.

The study provides strong support for the hypothesis that a small
number of cells, called cancer stem cells, are responsible for
fueling a tumor�s growth. Wicha�s lab was part of the team that
first identified stem cells in human breast cancer in 2003.

BRCA1 is one of two genes, that when mutated confers a high risk of
breast and ovarian cancer. Previous research has shown that BRCA1 is
involved in DNA repair, but it has been unclear why women with this
gene mutation have such a high risk of breast cancer, up to 85
percent lifetime risk compared to 16 percent in the general
population.

The cancers which develop in these women are generally a more
aggressive form called �triple negative type,� because they do not
express hormones or proteins, including estrogen, that can be
targeted with therapies. In the current study using both mice and
human breast cells, researchers found that BRCA1 regulated the
development of the estrogen-receptor-negative stem cells into
estrogen-receptor-positive cells. When BRCA1 is missing, genetically
unstable stem cells accumulate and then may develop into breast
cancers.

Researchers detected clusters of expanded stem cells in breast tissue
isolated from women carrying BRCA1 mutations, and found that women
with these expanded stem cells had a particularly high chance of
developing breast cancer.

�If larger studies confirm these findings, it could potentially lead
to a test to identify BRCA1 carriers at particularly high risk of
developing breast cancer. This might help them and their physicians
make a more informed decision about preventative measures such as
prophylactic mastectomy,� Wicha says.

BRCA1 mutations are the most common cause of hereditary breast
cancer, which account for approximately 10 percent of the 180,000
breast cancers diagnosed in the United States this year.

In addition to Wicha, study authors were U-M research investigator
Suling Liu; U-M research fellow Christophe Ginestier; Emmanuelle
Charafe-Jauffret, M.D., Ph.D., from the Centre de Recherche en
Cancerologie de Marseille in France; U-M research assistant Hailey
Foco; Celina Kleer, M.D., Harold A. Oberman Collegiate Professor of
Pathology and associate professor of pathology at U-M; Sofia
Merajver, M.D., Ph.D., professor of internal medicine at U-M; and
Gabriel Dontu, M.D., Ph.D., research assistant professor of internal
medicine at U-M.

The University of Michigan has filed for patents covering these and
related technologies, and, through its Office of Technology Transfer,
is currently looking for commercialization partners to help bring the
technology to market. Much of the work is being commercialized
through OncoMed, a University of Michigan startup company in which
Max Wicha and other U-M inventors hold a financial interest.

Reference: Proceedings of the NationalAcademy of Sciences, online
early edition, doi_10.1073_pnas.0711613105

Adapted from materials provided by University of Michigan Health
System.

http://www.topcancernews.com/news/1557/1/Breast-Cancer-Stem-Cells-
Related-to-BRCA1-Mutation

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[StemCells] Retinal Regeneration using glutamate and aminoadipate

Awakening Sleeping Stem Cells Holds Cure for Regenerating Damaged
Retina

Researchers at Schepens Eye Research Institute have given new hope
for regenerating the human retina damaged by disease or injury - by
successfully awakening sleeping stem cells.

They have identified a chemical in the eye that triggers the dormant
capacity of certain non-neuronal cells to transform into progenitor
cells - a stem-like cell that can generate new retinal cells.

According to the researchers, the discovery offers new hope to people
suffering from diseases that harm the retina, such as macular
degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.

"This study is very significant. It means it might be possible to
turn on the eye's own resources to regenerate damaged retinas,
without the need for transplanting outside retinal tissue or stem
cells," said Dr. Dong Feng Chen, associate scientist at Schepens Eye
Research Institute and Harvard Medical School, and the principal
investigator of the study.

Scientists are already aware of Muller cells and they have generally
assumed that they kept retinal tissue protected and clear of debris.

However, in recent years, researchers have reported that these cells
sometimes exhibit progenitor cell behaviour and re-enter the cell
cycle.

Progenitor cells are like stem cells but are more mature and are more
limited in the number of cells types they can become.

However, until this study, researchers couldn't understand what
triggers the transformation.

In the new study, Chen and her research team found that when the
naturally occurring chemicals known as glutamate and aminoadipate
were injected into the eye, the Muller cells began to divide and
proliferate.

Not certain if these chemicals directly signalled the transformation,
the researchers tested them in the laboratory and in mice. They added
each chemical separately to cultures of pure Muller cells and
injected each into the space below the retina in healthy mice.

The researchers found that in both cases, the cells became progenitor
cells and then changed into retinal cells. And with aminoadipate, the
newly minted retinal cells migrated to where they might be needed in
the retina and turned into desirable cell types.

The study specifically showed that by injecting the chemical below
the retina, the cells give rise to new photoreceptors - the type of
cells that are lost in retinitis pigmentosa or macular degeneration,
which causes blindness.

Now, the researchers are planning to test this process in animals
that have been bred to have diseases that mimic macular degeneration
and retinitis pigmentosa.

The study is published in the March issue of Investigative
Ophthalmology and Visual Science (IOVS).

Source-ANI
SRM/L

http://www.medindia.net/news/Awakening-Sleeping-Stem-Cells-Holds-Cure-
for-Regenerating-Damaged-Retina-34351-1.htm

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[StemCells] hES for retina repair

Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Using Human Stem Cells To Enable
The Retina To Repair Itself

Article Date: 19 Mar 2008 - 2:00 PDT

Several new treatments are under investigation that may help prevent
vision loss in people with age-related macular degeneration.

Besides continuing development of treatments to prevent new blood
vessel growth, as well as leakage from blood vessels in the eye,
researchers are also studying drugs known as angiostatic
corticosteroids (such as anecortave acetate, tramcinolone, and
flucinolone), sometimes in conjunction with other treatments such as
photodynamic therapy.

PROMISING NEW TREATMENT ON THE HORIZON

Human retinas damaged by diseases, such as age-related macular
degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, are unable to repair
themselves.

But now in a report from the National Academy of Sciences (Volume
103, page 12769), researchers at the University of Washington and
elsewhere suggest that the regeneration of damaged cells in the
retina may someday be possible. Their optimism is based on successful
treatment of diseased retinas in mice using human stem cells.

USING STEMS CELLS: THE STUDY RESULTS SO FAR

The University of Washington scientists first grew human embryonic
stem cells (from a cell line approved in the United States) in a lab,
then added growth factors -- proteins that enable cell growth --
central to the development of both human and mouse heads as well as a
growth factor essential to a frog's sprouting of large eyes.

Within two weeks -- twice as fast as human cell development -- the
embryonic cells became progenitor (forerunner) cells for retinal
cells.

The scientists injected these into a damaged mouse retina, where they
developed into cones (the retinal cells responsible for color), rods
(the cells that allow night vision), and other cells.

The scientists' next step will be to measure the nerve reactions
within the repaired mouse retinas to see if vision has improved.

THE BOTTOM LINE

If the research proceeds well, the researchers speculate that human
tests using stem cells to repair retinas damaged by age-related
macular degeneration might begin in two to three years.

For a free special report, The Johns Hopkins Guide to Age-Related
Macular Degeneration, please visit: Johns Hopkins Guide to Age-
Related Macular Degeneration

http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/101012.php

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[StemCells] Radiation for Marrow complications

New Interventional Radiology Treatment Shows Hope For People With
Complications From Bone Marrow, Stem Cell Transplants

Article Date: 19 Mar 2008 - 0:00 PDT

The standard treatment to treat graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)
after bone marrow or cord blood transplant is intravenous (IV)
steroids that alter the immune response; however, it is not always
effective and failure results in very high mortality. In a study
released, 15 patients who failed standard treatment were given a high
dose of steroids directly to the affected organ. By delivering the
steroids via catheter to the arteries that are supplying the organs
affected by GVHD, a much higher, more effective dose can be given
because the rest of the body is spared from the steroid's side
effects.

"Overall, fewer than 30 percent of patients with steroid-resistant
GVHD respond completely or partially to the standard IV treatment,
and their chance of living one year is 15 percent or less. This
interventional radiology treatment can be life-saving for these
people," said Joshua L. Weintraub, M.D., chief of the Division of
Vascular and Interventional Radiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center
in New York City.

According to Weintraub, there were no immediate drug or procedure-
related complications, and the treatment appears to be safe and
effective in combating GVHD -- with about 40 percent of the patients
showing complete response to the intra-arterial treatment at less
than a year follow-up. The study was presented during the Society of
Interventional Radiology's 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting in
Washington, D.C.

GVHD is a common complication of an allogeneic bone marrow transplant
(one using blood-forming cells donated by a family member or
unrelated donor) or cord blood transplant. With GVHD, the immune
cells from the donated marrow or cord blood (the graft) attack the
body of the transplant patient (the host). GVHD, which can be mild to
life-threatening, can affect many different parts of the body,
particularly the skin, liver and intestines. In this study the
affected organs were the liver and small and large bowels.

Studies from the 1990s show that steroid resistance is common -- 80
percent of people fail to have a sustained, complete response rate or
only have a partial response, which means the immune cells are still
attacking the organ to varying degrees. "Until now, there has been no
good therapy for steroid-resistant patients with GVHD. This small
study -- the first of its kind in the United States--shows a new,
viable option; however, larger studies with longer follow-up results
are needed," added Weintraub.

Abstract 187, "Intra-arterial Steroid Injection Therapy for Systemic
Steroid Resistant Graft-Versus-Host Disease," can be found at
http://www.SIRmeeting.org.

About Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a common side effect of an
allogeneic bone marrow transplant (one using blood-forming cells
donated by a family member or unrelated donor) or cord blood
transplant. The differences between a donor's marrow and recipient's
tissues often cause T cells (a type of white blood cell) from the
donor's marrow to recognize the recipient's body tissues as foreign,
according to the National Institutes of Health. GVHD is the term used
when a donor's immune cells attacks the recipient's body -- causing
damage. Acute GVHD starts within three months after transplant, while
chronic GVHD begins more than three months after transplant (and can
last as long as three years). NIH notes that rates of GVHD vary from
30-40 percent for related donors and recipients to 60-80 percent for
unrelated donors and recipients. Following a bone marrow transplant,
the recipient is prescribed drugs that suppress the immune system to
help with reducing the chances or severity of GVHD.

Bone marrow transplants are usually reserved for individuals with
life-threatening diseases of the blood, bone marrow or certain types
of cancer.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology

Interventional radiologists are physicians who specialize in
minimally invasive, targeted treatments. They offer the most in-depth
knowledge of the least invasive treatments available coupled with
diagnostic and clinical experience across all specialties. They use X-
ray, MRI and other imaging to advance a catheter in the body, usually
in an artery, to treat at the source of the disease internally. As
the inventors of angioplasty and the catheter-delivered stent, which
were first used in the legs to treat peripheral arterial disease,
interventional radiologists pioneered minimally invasive modern
medicine.

Today many conditions that once required surgery can be treated less
invasively by interventional radiologists. Interventional radiology
treatments offer less risk, less pain and less recovery time compared
to open surgery. Visit http://www.SIRweb.org.

Society of Interventional Radiology
http://www.sirweb.org

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/100995.php

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Tuesday, March 25, 2008

[StemCells] qPCR NEWS March 2008 - qPCR robotics

qPCR NEWS March 2008 - qPCR robotics

Dear researcher,
dear Gene Quantification page reader,

Our newsletter informs about the latest news in quantitative real-time
PCR (qPCR and qRT-PCR), which are compiled and summarised on the Gene
Quantification homepage. The focus of this newsletter issue is:

- New - qPCR robotics
- Update - RNA interference & small interfering RNA (siRNA)
- qPCR application workshops in 2008
- If this newsletter is not displayed correctly by your email client,
please use following LINK: http://qpcrnews.gene-quantification.info/

----------------------------------------------------------
qPCR robotics - http://qPCRrobotics.gene-quantification.info

Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) is now a mainstay of molecular
biology. Just a few short years ago the purchase of a real-time
instrument was considered a luxury. Now most laboratories either
posses a real-time instrument or have easy access to one. We predict
the same will happen for robotic automation of qPCR setup; it will
soon be commonplace and probably expected.

A trend to automation is easy to understand. Firstly, the sheer
numbers of reactions that are run (all with one or more replicates)
means the workload is increasing dramatically. Secondly, and more
importantly, qPCR setup requires great skill and lots of practice
because even a very small variation when pipetting a DNA or RNA sample
translates into big differences after amplification. There is also the
question of repeatability. Identical results from different operators
and between laboratories are expected but that can be very hard to
achieve. Let's not forget that setting up qPCR assays is also tedious
and time consuming! A small and affordable liquid handling robot with
the precision necessary to tackle qPCR setup would address all these
issues. The good news is robots like this are now available.

Choosing a robot - the essential attributes
The importance of robot software
qPCR applications using pipetting robots
Movie: PCR technology in BVDV diagnostics / molecular diagnostics
/ LIMS

... read more on ... http://qPCRrobotics.gene-quantification.info

----------------------------------------------------------

http://RNAi.gene-quantification.info/

Update - RNA interference (RNAi): siRNA, saRNA and microRNA
A lot of new RNAinterference papers using siRNA, saRNA and microRNA
applications are present on various sub-pages.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a mechanism that inhibits or activates gene
expression at the stage of translation or by hindering the
transcription of specific genes. RNAi targets include RNA from viruses
and transposons (a form of innate immune response), and also plays a
role in regulating development and genome maintenance. Small
interfering RNA strands (siRNA) are key to the RNAi process, and have
complementary nucleotide sequences to the targeted RNA strand.
Specific RNAi pathway proteins are guided by the siRNA to the targeted
messenger RNA (mRNA), where they "cleave" the target, breaking it down
into smaller portions that can no longer be translated into protein. A
type of RNA transcribed from the genome itself, microRNA (miRNA),
works in the same way.

RNA interference: hitting the ON switch. Researchers in San Francisco
have findings that suggest a whole new side to RNA interference. Erika
Check reports on their attempts to make a revolutionary field more
revolutionary still.

Molecular biology: The expanding world of small RNAs
Molecular cell biology has long been dominated by a protein-centric
view. But the emergence of small, non-coding RNAs challenges this
perception. These plentiful RNAs regulate gene expression at different
levels, and have essential roles in health and disease.

... read more on ... http://RNAinterference.gene-quantification.info/

----------------------------------------------------------

update - microRNA

A lot of new papers and database links around microRNA are present on
5 pages.

http://microRNA.gene-quantification.info/

----------------------------------------------------------

With the new qPCR INFO PORTAL and all the presented tools we will help
you with to find the right information about qPCR and related topics
in Molecular Biology in the literature and in the World Wide Web.
=> Papers / Protocols / Methods / Databases / Alets / Feeds / Books /
Forums / E-mail / Directory

http://infoportal.gene-quantification.info/

----------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming Events World-wide academic and commercial qPCR Events
http://events.gene-quantification.info/

Symposia, Meetings, Conferences, Workshops, Seminars, Online-Seminars,
qPCR Education Program, ...etc...
Please submit your qPCR event here => events@gene-quantification.info

----------------------------------------------------------

WORKSHOP

TATAA Biocenter Germany - qPCR Application workshops

At the TATAA Biocenter Germany we offer qPCR application workshops,
the 3-day Core Module and a 2-day Biostatistics Module. qPCR courses
are held in regularly in Göteborg, Sweden, in English and in
Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany, in German and English, and in Prague,
Czech Republic in English and Czech.
Depending on the occasion the workshop language and the different
prices may apply. Further customized workshops and specialized
trainings will be held as well across Europe and world-wide. TATAA
Biocenter Germany courses are held in cooperation with the Institute
of Physiology, located at the Technical University of Munich, in
Freising-Weihenstephan, near Munich, very close to the Munich Airport
(MUC). For more information and to register for the qPCR application
workshops, please see our web page:
http://tataa.gene-quantification.info/

Course Occasions 2008:
3-day qPCR Core Module (Mon. - Wed.) and 2-day BioStatistics
Module (Thu. - Fri.)

* 5 - 9th May 2008 (in Freising, Germany, Kurs wird in DEUTSCH
gehalten, German language)
* 7 - 11th July 2008 (in Freising, Germany, English language)

Please register here => http://www.tataa.com/Courses/Courses.html

----------------------------------------------------------

Forward Please send the qPCR NEWS to further scientists and friends
who are interested in qPCR !

Best regards,

Michael W. Pfaffl
responsible Editor of the Gene Quantification Pages
http://www.gene-quantification.info

----------------------------------------------------------

If this newsletter is not displayed correctly by your email client,
please use following LINK: http://qpcrnews.gene-quantification.info/
The qPCR NEWS and the Gene Quantification Pages are educational sites
with the only purpose of facilitating access to qPCR related
information on the internet. The qPCR NEWS and the Gene
Quantification Pages are edited by Michael W. Pfaffl and powered by
BioScience Events. Copyright © 2005 - 2008 All rights reserved. Any
unauthorized use, reproduction, or transfer of this message or its
contents, in any medium, is strictly prohibited. Disclaimer &
Copyrights are displayed on the homepage www.gene-quantification.com
To subscribe or change your e-mail address in qPCR NEWS, and if you
would like to receive future issues FREE of charge, please send an
e-mail with the subject SUBSCRIBE to
mailto:newsletter@gene-quantification.info?subject=SUBSCRIBE

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[StemCells] qPCR NEWS March 2008 - qPCR robotics

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