Stem Cell Watch List

Following the article is a partial list of stem list companies with more reasonable prices and am inviting all to add to the list...


Embryonic stem cells made from skin

By Clive Cookson in London

Published: November 20 2007 17:26 | Last updated: November 20 2007 17:26

Two research teams in the US and Japan have made embryonic stem cells – or something very like them – directly from human skin cells, without having to destroy an embryo in the process.

Their achievement, published on Tuesday in the journals Science and Cell, promises to overcome the ethical and political barriers that could impede the application of stem cell biology to regenerative medicine. Many chronic and degenerative diseases, from diabetes to Parkinson’s, might then be treated by implanting stem cells, which would grow and repair damaged tissues.

One of the research groups that has reprogrammed skin cells to behave like embryonic stem cells is headed by James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin, who derived the first human embryonic stem cells in 1998. The other is led by Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University, whose laboratory announced the successful reprogramming of mouse cells last year.

Both teams took skin cells – the Americans from a baby boy and the Japanese from an adult man and woman – and turned back their genetic clock by inserting a combination of four genes involved in embryonic development. The two groups used slightly different gene combinations, which is encouraging because it shows that the reprogramming is a flexible process.

The reprogrammed or “induced” cells “do all the things that embryonic stem cells do”, said Prof Thomson. Most importantly they are “pluripotent”, with the ability to convert into any type of specialised cell.

“They are probably more clinically relevant than embryonic stem cells,” he added. “Immune rejection should not be a problem using these cells.”

The research papers received enthusiastic praise from independent stem cell biologists. “It is relatively easy to grow an entire plant from a small cutting, something that seems inconceivable in humans,” commented Azim Surani, professor of physiology and reproduction at Cambridge University. “Yet this study brings us tantalisingly close to using skin cells to grow many different types of human tissues.”

Anti-abortion activists are bound to use the discovery in their campaign to stop governments funding embryonic stem cell research and “therapeutic cloning” of human embryos. But stem cell biologists said the latest developments were a direct outcome of embryo experiments – and insisted that embryo research must continue.

Prof Thomson said further study of the new cells was required to make sure they “do not differ from embryonic stem cells in a clinically significant or unexpected way, so it is hardly time to discontinue embryonic stem cell research”.

Prof Surani agreed: “It is important to continue with human therapeutic cloning. The cells we get from embryos provide us with an essential reference point.”

Induced stem cells could be employed quite quickly in research, for example to test drug candidates or investigate the genetic causes of disease, but scientists have a substantial obstacle to overcome before they can be used to treat patients.

Both the Japanese and the US researchers used a virus to carry reprogramming genes into the skin cells, which would carry a risk of causing infection or cancer in patients. For therapy it will be essential to find a safer method.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fb35e448-9...0779fd2ac.html


STEM CELL COMPANIES

ACTC - Advanced Cell Technology - PPS = .25
ARIA - ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc - PPS = $4.54
ASTM - Aastrom Biosciences - PPS=.84
AVII - AVI BioPharma - PPS= $2.50
BCLI - BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics - PPS = .60
CBAI - Cord Blood America - PPS = .038
CCEL - Cryo-Cell International - PPS = $1.25
KOOL - ThermoGenesis Corp - PPS = $1.73
OPXA - Opexa Therapeutics - PPS= $2.65
STEM - StemCells - stem - PPS = $1.80

[Klipper22]

STEM's news today:

StemCells, Inc. Receives FDA Approval to Initiate Clinical Trial of HuCNS-SC® Cells in a Myelin Disease
Thursday December 18, 7:30 am ET

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--StemCells, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEM - News) today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a clinical trial of the Company's proprietary HuCNS-SC product candidate (purified human neural stem cells) to treat Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD), a fatal brain disorder that mainly affects young children. This Phase I trial is designed to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of HuCNS-SC cells as a treatment for PMD. Currently, there are no approved treatments for this disease.

This is the Company's second FDA-approved clinical trial to evaluate HuCNS-SC cells as a potential treatment for neurodegenerative diseases. The first such study was the Company's Phase I clinical trial of HuCNS-SC cells to treat neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCL), or Batten disease. The Phase I NCL trial will be completed in January 2009.

Patients with PMD are born with a gene mutation that results in insufficient myelination of nerve fibers in the brain, neurological impairment and eventually death. Myelin, which is produced by special cells called oligodendrocytes, insulates nerve fibers to allow electrical signals to be conducted normally. Other, more common, myelination diseases include cerebral palsy, transverse myelitis and multiple sclerosis.

Preclinical studies performed by the Company and its collaborators provide a rationale for potential therapeutic use of HuCNS-SC cells in myelination diseases. The Company has demonstrated that, when transplanted into an animal model of hypomyelination (shiverer mouse), HuCNS-SC cells engraft and differentiate into mature oligodendrocytes and form myelin sheaths around host nerve fibers. The initial myelination data in the shiverer mouse was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (Cummings, et al. 2005) and the results of additional myelination studies were presented by Nobuko Uchida, Ph.D., the Company's Vice President of Stem Cell Biology, at the International Society of Stem Cell Research annual meeting in Philadelphia earlier this year.

"PMD is one of the most severe myelin disorders known to man. Children afflicted with this disease suffer progressive neurodegeneration and an untimely death. Unfortunately, they have no option for restorative treatment," said Stephen Huhn MD, FACS, FAAP, Vice President and Head of the CNS Program at StemCells, Inc. "We are very pleased to be the first company to initiate a neural stem cell trial for a myelination disease. Establishing safety and efficacy of our cells in patients with PMD may pave the way for similar studies in patients with other myelin diseases."

The Company has begun the process of seeking approval by the Investigational Review Board (IRB) of potential clinical trial sites in order to begin enrolling patients.

About Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD)

PMD is a rare, degenerative, central nervous system disorder and is one of a group of genetic disorders known as leukodystrophies. Leukodystrophies involve abnormal growth of the myelin sheath which is the fatty substance—or insulator—on nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. PMD is most commonly caused by a genetic mutation that affects an important protein found in myelin, proteolipid protein (PLP). PMD is most frequently diagnosed in early childhood and is associated with abnormal eye movements (nystagmus), abnormal muscle function, and in some cases seizures. The disease form in early infancy is referred to as connatal PMD and diagnosis in later childhood is most typically associated with the classic form. The neurological course of both forms is marked by progressive deterioration resulting in premature death.

About HuCNS-SC® Cells

StemCells' lead product candidate, HuCNS-SC cells, is a purified composition of normal human neural stem cells that are expanded and stored as banks of cells. The Company's preclinical research has shown that HuCNS-SC cells can be directly transplanted; they engraft, migrate, differentiate into neurons and glial cells; and they survive for as long as one year with no sign of tumor formation or adverse effects. These findings show that HuCNS-SC cells, when transplanted, act like normal stem cells, suggesting the possibility of a continual replenishment of normal human neural cells.

About StemCells, Inc.

StemCells, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of cell-based therapeutics to treat diseases of the central nervous system and liver. The Company's product development programs seek to repair or repopulate CNS and liver tissue that has been damaged or lost as a result of disease or injury. StemCells has pioneered the discovery and development of HuCNS-SC cells, its highly purified, expandable population of human neural stem cells. StemCells owns or has exclusive rights to more than 50 issued or allowed U.S. patents and more than 150 granted or allowed non-U.S. patents. Further information about the Company is available on its web site at: StemCells, Inc..

Apart from statements of historical fact, the text of this press release constitutes forward-looking statements regarding, among other things, the future business operations of StemCells, Inc. (the "Company") and its ability to conduct clinical trials as well as its research and product development efforts. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. Such statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain assumptions that may or may not ultimately prove valid. The Company's actual results may vary materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties to which the Company is subject, including uncertainty as to whether the FDA or other applicable regulatory agencies will permit the Company to continue clinical testing in NCL, PMD or in future clinical trials of proposed therapies for other diseases or conditions despite the novel and unproven nature of the Company's technologies; uncertainties about whether the Company will receive the necessary support of a clinical study center and its ethics board to initiate a clinical trial in PMD; uncertainties regarding the Company's ability to obtain the increased capital resources needed to continue its current research and development operations and to conduct the research, preclinical development and clinical trials necessary for regulatory approvals; uncertainty as to whether HuCNS-SC and any products that may be generated in the future in the Company's cell-based programs will prove safe and clinically effective and not cause tumors or other adverse side effects; uncertainties regarding the Company's manufacturing capabilities given its increasing preclinical and clinical commitments; and other factors that are described under the heading "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of Part II of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.








Contact:

StemCells, Inc.Rodney Young, 650-475-3100 ext. 105Chief Financial Officerirpr@stemcellsinc.com

[sg1efc]

Originally Posted by Klipper22

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--StemCells, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEM - News) today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a clinical trial of the Company's proprietary HuCNS-SC product candidate (purified human neural stem cells) to treat Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD), a fatal brain disorder that mainly affects young children.

Stem cells might end up being a miracle cure or treatment for many different ailments. It's a shame there are people out there who believe that stem cell treatments are evil. End of my rant.

[Klipper22]

Originally Posted by sg1efc

Stem cells might end up being a miracle cure or treatment for many different ailments. It's a shame there are people out there who believe that stem cell treatments are evil. End of my rant.

I'm completely on board with you. I've got a step-dad (Vietnam vet) that would benefit tremendously from stem cell developments. It seems that research should be very high on the priority list. I'm not understanding why it just can't be heavily regulated as a precaution for wrong-doing. It seems that those who want to do "evil" things with it will still do it anyway, they just won't do it right here in the States. Other countries, I believe, are pushing forward in ongoing efforts to develop more and more uses for stem cells.

[Klipper22]

Study: Stem Cells Reverse Paralysis in Rats


LiveScience.com livescience Staff

livescience.com – Thu Jan 29, 3:33 pm ET AFP/File – Embryonic stem cells are pictured through a microscope viewfinder in a laboratory. US authorities have … Transplanted adult stem cells have been found to reverse paralysis associated with spinal cord injuries in lab rats, a new study finds.


The study, headed up by Miodrag Stojkovic, deputy director and head of the Cellular Reprogramming Laboratory at Centro de Investigacion Principe Felipe in Spain, involved transplanting so-called progenitor stem cells from the lining of rats' spinal cords into rodents with serious spinal cord injuries.


The rats recovered significant motor activity one week after injury, Stojkovic and his co-authors wrote in the Jan. 27 early online edition of the journal Stem Cells.


Spinal cord injury, for which no therapy currently exists to undo the damage, is a major cause of paralysis. Up to 400,000 people in the United States are estimated to live with these injuries, according to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. Most spinal cord injuries are caused by vehicle crashes and falls, and most of those injured are males.


The researchers say the new rat results "open a new window on spinal cord regenerative strategies."


The rat study involved adult stem cells, which are found in adult tissues. It is the other type of stem cells, embryonic stem cells, that some activists find objectionable, partly because these cells are derived from embryos though a process that currently destroys them.


Last week, there was big news related to embryonic stem cells. The Food and Drug Administration approved the first study to inject human-derived embryonic stem cells into individuals with acute spinal cord injuries.


The Bush Administration had placed restrictions on federal funding for new lines of embryonic stem cells for research, but the cells to be used in the study are old ones that would still have been eligible for funding in the Bush era. It is expected that President Obama will lift the restrictions.


Cells proliferated


The transplanted progenitor cells, which had been taken from the injured rats after spinal cord injury, were found to proliferate and were recruited by the specific injured area, Stojkovic said. The transplanted cells regenerated 10 times faster while in the transplant subject than similar cells derived from healthy control animals.


The trauma associated with spinal cord injury destroys numerous cell types, including the neurons that carry messages between the brain and the rest of the body. In many spinal injuries, the cord is not actually severed, and at least some of the signal-carrying nerve cells remain intact. However, the surviving nerve cells may no longer carry messages because oligodendrocytes, which comprise the insulating sheath of the spinal cord, are lost.


The regenerative mechanism discovered was activated when a lesion formed in the injured area. After a lesion formed in the transplant subject, the stem cells were found to have a more effective ability to differentiate into oligodendrocytes and other cell types needed to restore neuronal function.


Human potential


The presence of these stem cells in the adult human spinal cords suggests that stem cell-associated mechanisms might be exploited to repair human spinal cord injuries.


Given the serious social and health problems presented by diseases and accidents that destroy neuronal function, there is an ever-increasing interest in determining whether adult stem cells might be utilized as a basis of regenerative therapies.


"The human body contains the tools to repair damaged spinal cords. Our work clearly demonstrates that we need both adult and embryonic stem cells to understand our body and apply this knowledge in regenerative medicine," Stojkovic said.


The research was funded by the Spanish Program of Regenerative Medicine, Conselleria de Sanidad de la Generalidad Valenciana-Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias-Instituto de Salud Carlos III and the Ministerio de Educacion, Ciencia y Tecnologia.


Original Story: Study: Stem Cells Reverse Paralysis in Rats
LiveScience.com chronicles the daily advances and innovations made in science and technology. We take on the misconceptions that often pop up around scientific discoveries and deliver short, provocative explanations with a certain wit and style. Check out our science videos, Trivia & Quizzes and Top 10s. Join our community to debate hot-button issues like stem cells, climate change and evolution. You can also sign up for free newsletters, register for RSS feeds and get cool gadgets at the LiveScience Store.

[3DCyclone]

World Stem Cell Summit 2009

check out the news... Obama is sending someone to the upcomming event in March. Another story mentions reversal of Bush's restrictions.

[taterbug23]

I not positive but I think the meeting is this month feb 17th
From a athx pr:
Athersys to Present At 4th Annual Stem Cell Summit: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

[3DCyclone]

Originally Posted by taterbug23

I not positive but I think the meeting is this month feb 17th
From a athx Page Ranking:
Athersys to Present At 4th Annual Stem Cell Summit: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

The one I found was for March is in Connecticut, so must be multiple one's taking place with the big summit planned for September 2009.



Obama Advisor Joins Connecticut and International Scientists at New Haven Stem Cell Symposium


NEW HAVEN, Conn., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- More than a dozen internationally renowned speakers, including a key bioethics advisor on the Obama transition team, will be coming to New Haven, CT to present at StemCONN 09, the international stem cell research symposium taking place March 23-24, 2009.

[Aufan 1983]

Guys keep an eye on ASTM. According to Ru it has good potential for next week.

[seagull339]

Aufan/Ru In February, I looked and watched all the stem cell companies and picked out ASTM as the one to invest in. Have bought in twice since then and will see where it goes this coming week. Probably all the stem cell companies will make a run...some more than others.