Scientists succeed in direct cell conversion

Stanford researchers recently succeeded in changing mice skins cells directly in to bloods cells. The current method for such transformations requires the intermediate step of first turning the skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells.
According to the researchers, this new method is simpler and easier. Researchers will now work on direcet conversion of other types of cells.
Here's an aritcle from the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journey Sentinel that gives a great overview of this new breakthrough.

lincRNAs improve cell reprogramming 8x

A recent study by Harvard and MIT researchers uncovered a potential breakthrough for developing iPSC therapies. The reseachers dicovered the lincRNAs play a vital role in cellular reprogramming. Apparently, lincRNAs are not only required to create induced pluripotent stem cells, but elevated levels of lincRNAs increases the efficiency of the process. Here are a few extracts from a Harvard Crimson article:

"In the study, the researchers detected elevated levels of lincRNAs in induced pluripotent stem cells, and found that the lincRNAs are also targeted by pluripotency reprogramming factors...
In fact, using lincRNAs increased the success rates of the reprogramming process up to eight times, compared to existing methods that do not use these molecules.
This finding may have significant implications for developing therapeutic interventions, Rinn said."

The full article can be found at www.thecrimson.com

New system developed for culturing stem cells

A researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has developed a new method for culturing both embryonic and induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. The benefits of this appear to be that it doesn't use mouse proteins, currently part of the many existing approaches,  that could contaminate the stem cells.

From my understanding, this is another great step forward in developing the processes required for the wide spread therapeutic use of stem cells. Here's a link to the U.W. news site.

How To Make Your Own Stem Cells

This a great article explaining Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer and how this technique can be applied to make matching stem cells for possible therapeutic use. This is an older and more controversial approach than using induced Pluripoten Stem Cells, but might avoid some of the current issues related to how iPSCs are created that increases the potential for malignancies and other issues.

SCNT related treatments are commonly referred to a therapeutic cloning. I believe this approach could be beneficial for creating both the types and volume of stem cells necessary to treat Cerebral Palsy. Another benefits of SCNT is that is should avoid graft vs. host issues, because the cells are identical to those of the patient.

Here's the link.

Scripps research scientists find nerve cell activity drains stem cell pool in developing brain

Scripps Research recently published these findings in the journal Neuron. Through this study researchers discovered that stem cell replication decreases as brain activity increases. They also found that the protein Musashi1 possibly plays a role in regulating stem cell replication. As Musashi1 levels decrease, so does stem stell replication.

Does these finding mean that Musashi1 proteins could be used to stimlate repair in the adult brain? Or do these findings also suggest that stem cells used thearpeutically will self regulate as they begin to differentiate and brain activity increases? At a minimum this study suggests there are additional avenues to pursue for treatment of numerous neural diseases and conditions.

Here's a link to a related article at FirstScience.com.

Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day

This video includes some great statistics about Cerebral Palsy. With advances in stem cell research, now is the time to make additional investments into Cerebral Palsy treatments. If anyone knows of any existing legislative or other efforts to increase funding for CP research please let me know. I am willing to participate in and to advocate for these initiatives!

Virus-free technique enables Stanford scientists to easily make stem cells pluripotent

This Feb. 2010 news release highlights a new method for inducing pluripotent stem cells that reduces some of the risks associated with using these cells for therapy. The initial induced cells are not neural, but hopefully this process can be used to create these types of cells as well and is another step towards safe stem cell therapies for all types of medical conditions, including Cerebral Palsy.

Stem Cells: Programming and Personalized Medicine

This video provides a nice overview of the history of stem cell related research, including the development of induced pluripotent stems cells and the challenges to moving forward with personalized medical treatments and using induced pluripotent stems cells for therapies.

Here's an excerpt from the MIT World web site:

After years of relentless lab work, rising and falling expectations, and the challenge of a sometimes hostile public, Rudolf Jaenisch says, “The scenario that looked like a fantasy … has come closer to reality. We can study complex human diseases in a Petri dish and potentially contribute to therapy.” In this lecture, Jaenisch describes the history of stem cell research and recent progress -- a story in which he has played a central role.

Safety Evaluation of Allogeneic Umbilical Cord Blood Mononuclear Cell Therapy

If I am understanding this study correctly, the researchers tested the safety of allogeneic cord blood in patients without immunosuppression. The results indicate that no graft versus host disease or serious adverse events were exhibited.

Here is some information about the study:

Methods

114 patients suffering from non-hematopoietic degenerative conditions were treated with non-matched, allogeneic cord blood. Doses of 1-3 × 10⁷ cord blood mononuclear cells per treatment, with 4-5 treatments both intrathecal and intravenously were performed. Adverse events and hematological, immunological, and biochemical parameters were analyzed for safety evaluation.

Results

No serious adverse effects were reported. Hematological, immunological, and biochemical parameters did not deviate from normal ranges as a result of therapy.

Conclusion

The current hematology-based paradigm of need for matching and immune suppression needs to be revisited when cord blood is used for non-hematopoietic regenerative purposes in immune competent recipients.

More information can be found at the Journal of Translational Medicine.

Allogenic Umbilical Cord Blood and EPO Combination Therapy for CP

This study is underway and combines donor cord blood and EPO for treatment of CP. I have found other studies that indicated EPO does not assist in the healing of the brain. It also appears that immunosuppression will take place during the process. I'm not sure if the immunosuppression is ongoing or ends after a set treatment period.

A couple additional point of interested with this study, 1) it is studying both safety and efficacy i, and 2) the comlpletion date is schedule for May 2011, which is a much shorter time frame than the other studies I have found.

Here is the study description:

Cerebral palsy is a disorder of movement and posture that result from a nonprogressive lesion or injury of the immature brain. It is a leading cause of childhood onset disability through one's life. Umbilical cord blood(UCB) is suggested as therapeutic method for cerebral palsy which resulted from animal studies. Stem cells included in UCB is expected to exert therapeutic efficacy for functional recovery.

It is also suggested that erythropoietin is useful to repair neurological injury in brain. The main mechanism of erythropoietin is supposed to be neuroprotection and neurogenesis which would reinforce the effect of stem cell as well.

Although autologous umbilical cord would be safe, the children who have problems at birth seldom have autologous stem cell. Allogenic umbilical cord blood might be useful for these children if its effect is approved.

 More information can be found at clinicaltrials.gov.

Medical College of Georgia Launches Stem Cell Trial for CP

Below is some information about this study which started recruiting participants in 2010 and will be completed in 2013. This study uses the patients' own umbilical cord blood and is only open to participants who have stored their cord blood.

Unfortunately, like many others, we did not choose to store our son's cord blood. However, if this treatment proves effective, it gives hope to possible effective treatments being developed from other sources of autologous stem cells.

Medical College of Georgia researchers are conducting a clinical trial to determine whether an infusion of stem cells from umbilical cord blood can improve the quality of life for children with cerebral palsy. The study, which meets FDA standards for investigative treatments, will include 40 children age 2-12 whose parents have stored cord blood at the Cord Blood Registry in Tucson, Ariz.

More information can be found at the Medical College of Georgia website.

Study details can be foud at clinicaltrials.gov

ReNeuron Launches Phase I Clinical Trial

RenNeuron has been approved for a Phase I clinical trial for its manufactured stem cell line in stroke patients. Personally, I am wondering if this could also have implications for treatment of people with Cerebral Palsy. I have emailed the company this question, but have not received a response. Below is some information on the study and links for more information.

The study is designed to test the safety of a manufactured neural stem cell line (CTX cells) delivered by injection into the damaged brains of male patients 60 years of age or over who remain moderately to severely disabled 6-24 months following an ischemic stroke. In addition the trial will evaluate a range of potential efficacy measures for future trials. Treatment will involve a single injection of one of four doses of CTX cells into the patient's brain in a carefully controlled neurosurgical operation performed under general anesthetic. The trial is designed to treat 12 patients and measure outcomes over 24 months. Patients will be invited to participate in a long-term follow-up trial for a further 8 years.

More information on this study can be found at clinicaltrials.gov 

More information on ReNeuron can be found at www.reneuron.com

Evaluation of Bone Marrow- and Brain-Derived Neural Stem Cells

In this study, published in 2010, researchers using a mouse model determine that neural stem cells (NSC) derived from bone marrow have the same theraputic effect as those derived from the adult subventricular zone.
Here's an excerpt: 

"In the present study, we demonstrate that NSCs derived from bone marrow (BM) cells exhibit comparable morphological properties as those derived from SVZ cells and possess a similar ability to differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes both in vitro and in vivo."

It appears the importance of this discovery, if it translates into humans, is that neural stem cells derived from bone marrow are as effective as those harvested from the brain. Because it is easier to harvest cells from bone marrow, this has positive implications for future therapies.

Here is a link to the study.

The authors are: Jingxian Yang, Yaping Yan, Bogoljub Ciric, Shuo Yu, Yangtai Guan, Hui Xu, Abdolmohamad Rostami and Guang-Xian Zhang.

Transplanted bone marrow generates new neurons in human brains

Here is a link to a 2002 study that identified neural stem cells that developed in humans after bone marrow transplants.


The study is one of the earliest I have found and was published by: Eva Mezey, Sharon Key, Geogia Vogelsang, Ildiko Szalayova, G. David Lange and Barbara Crain.

The study findings conclude:

"The distribution of the labeled cells was not homogeneous. There were clusters of Y-positive cells, suggesting that single progenitor cells underwent clonal expansion and differentiation. We conclude that adult human bone marrow cells can enter the brain and generate neurons just as rodent cells do. Perhaps this phenomenon could be exploited to prevent the development or progression of neurodegenerative diseases or to repair tissue damaged by infarction or trauma."