A dramatic stem cell discovery has been made in Wichita, Kansas, that could potentially influence the balance of stem cell research and treatment as we know it today.

Dr. Xiaolong Meng of the Bio-Communications Research Institute has discovered that at least nine different types of human tissue can be developed from adult stem cells harvested from women’s menstrual fluid.

Meng said that, “ERC cells can be converted into basically all the major tissues of the body, including the liver, lung, pancreas, brain, heart, blood vessel, and muscle. Additionally, these cells produce 100,000 times the number of growth factors found in cord blood, opening the door to numerous regenerative applications.”

The finding is particularly promising given the controversial climate surrounding embryonic stem cells. The menstrual blood stem cells, which have been named Endometrial Regenerative Cells (ERC), are a type of adult stem cell and non-controversial. Additionally, not only were adult stem cell markers present in the cells, but a few embryonic markers were observed as well, particularly, the “master” marker Oct-4.

Adult stem cells are found in abundance in the endometrium, or uterine lining. But despite the rich source, actually harvesting the cells is a similar process as is involved with other sources such as bone marrow: the process is invasive. However, Meng’s discovery has opened a new door in stem cell research and treatment since menstrual blood contains these same endometrial stem cells.

Dr. Meng collaborated with Medistem Laboratories, Inc. (OTC BB:MDSM.OB – News) (Frankfurt:S2U.F – News in making the discovery. Their paper which is titled, “Endometrial Regenerative Cells: A Novel Stem Cell Population”, has been published in the Journal of Translational Medicine. The paper can be viewed at www.translational-medicine.com/content/5/1/57

Medistem Laboratories, Inc. own the intellectual property rights to the discovery.

“The ability to take a cell and differentiate it into the tissue type needed by the body creates a world of opportunity in the world of organ and tissue regeneration,” said Neil Riordan, PhD, President and CEO of Medistem. He added, “With IP filed around the cell line, we have begun taking the next steps in the commercialization process. Currently, our collaborators at Western Ontario, Alberta, and the Bio-Communications Research Institute are doing a series of pre-clinical studies to establish efficacy data in a variety of indications. The indications currently being assessed include diabetes, liver cirrhosis, lung fibrosis, organ rejection, and multiple sclerosis. Should the data gathered prove strong in one or all the indications the next step will be to file INDs with the FDA and move into clinical trials,” said Riordan.

Using the stem cells for future applications in the field of regenerative medicine is the hope for researchers. The outlook is promising once the cells are cultured in large scale.

“If there is a part of the heart that is damaged, that is dead, you can inject some of the stem cell, which will repair the damaged part,” Dr. Meng said. “Then you have whole new heart again.”

A paper describing a novel stem cell population derived from menstrual blood has been published by Medistem Laboratories, Inc. (OTC BB:MDSM.OB – News) (Frankfurt:S2U.F – News) in collaboration with the Bio-Communications Research Institute in Wichita, Kansas, the University of Alberta, and the University of Western Ontario. The Journal of Translational Medicine has published the paper which is titled, “Endometrial Regenerative Cells: A Novel Stem Cell Population”. The publication is free to read at www.translational-medicine.com/content/5/1/57

“I view the discovery of the Endometrial Regenerative Cell (ERC) as a great step forward in providing an ethical, easily accessible, and potentially highly useful adult stem cell for treatment of numerous degenerative conditions,” said Dr. Xiaolong Meng, head of the research team. He continued, “ERC cells can be converted into basically all the major tissues of the body, including the liver, lung, pancreas, brain, heart, blood vessel, and muscle. Additionally, these cells produce 100,000 times the number of growth factors found in cord blood, opening the door to numerous regenerative applications.”

The study has exhibited that menstrual blood stem cells possess special cellular and molecular characteristics. This is the first publication in a peer-reviewed medical journal demonstrating these facts.

“The ability to take a cell and differentiate it into the tissue type needed by the body creates a world of opportunity in the world of organ and tissue regeneration,” said Neil Riordan, PhD, President and CEO of Medistem. He added, “With IP filed around the cell line, we have begun taking the next steps in the commercialization process. Currently, our collaborators at Western Ontario, Alberta, and the Bio-Communications Research Institute are doing a series of pre-clinical studies to establish efficacy data in a variety of indications. The indications currently being assessed include diabetes, liver cirrhosis, lung fibrosis, organ rejection, and multiple sclerosis. Should the data gathered prove strong in one or all the indications the next step will be to file INDs with the FDA and move into clinical trials,” said Riordan.

About Medistem Laboratories, Inc.
Medistem Laboratories is a biotechnology company that discovers, develops, and commercializes adult stem cell products that address serious medical conditions. Medistem’s primary focus is drug discovery and development, however, Medistem also outlicenses proprietary technology from their growing intellectual property portfolio to commercial entities in markets where stem cell administration is permissible. Medistem believes it is well positioned to be a leading developer of adult stem cell products given its licensee relationships and collaborative efforts with respected institutions.

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U.S. researchers report that brain stem cells can now be tracked for the first time with the identification of a new marker.

The team’s senior author said that for the conditions of and involving multiple sclerosis, early childhood development, and depression, the accomplishment is opening doors to new research.

“This is a way to detect these cells in the brain, so that you can track them in certain conditions where we suspect that these cells play a certain role,” explained Dr. Mirjana Maletic-Savatic, an assistant professor of neurology at the State University of New York, Stony Brook.

“This is also very applicable for situations where people envision the transplantation of stem cells into the brain,” the researcher said.

The breakthrough “is very important, because it now allows us to look and see ways in which to measure changes in endogenous [natural] neural stem cells,” agreed Paul Sanberg, director of the Center for Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida, in Tampa. He was not involved in the research.

The study was published in the November 9th issue of Science, and was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

The human brain and/or nervous system sustains critical damage in individuals who suffer from Parkinson’s, stroke, multiple sclerosis, traumatic injury, Alzheimer’s, and other conditions. Scientists believe they might be manipulated to repair or replace lost cells and tissues because stem cells have the potential to develop into other types of cells.

Stem cells called progenitor cells are already produced by key parts of the brain.

“There are two major areas where you can find them in the brain — one is the center for learning and memory, called the hippocampus, and the other is around the brains’ ventricles,” Maletic-Savatic explained.

So they can develop into new or replacement cells, these brain cells, like other adult stem cells in the body, are held in reserve.

Since humans keep collection memories, the stem cells found in the hippocampus are particularly useful. In order to interpret and store memories, the brain needs new cells.

“Memories always change,” Sanberg pointed out.

Since scientists haven’t had any means of tracking neural stem cells, research in this area has been slow. Because scientists discovered molecular markers that reliably identify them on MRS, two dominant cell types — glial cells and neurons — have been tracked for some time using a non invasive technology called magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).

Now, brain stem cells can be marked for the first time.

A chemical signature that distinctly characterizes neural stem cells has been discovered by Maletic-Savatic’s team. The discovery was made using computer and state-of-the-art scanning technology.

“We think that it’s a complex lipid or lipoprotein,” the Stony Brook researcher said. Further investigation is under way to define and describe the molecule’s identity, she added.

The researchers tracked the quantity and location of neural progenitor cells in the brain using MRS imaging on mice, rats, and human volunteers who were healthy. They also used MRS to verify the transplant location after implanting some of these cells into an adult rat’s brain.

The concentration of neural progenitor cells in the brains of adult humans, adolescents, and young children was compared by Maletic-Savatic’s team. This marked another first. Their findings revealed that the number of these cells in the brain decreases markedly with age. This confirmed suspicions that arose during animal studies.

“We were actually really surprised that there was such a dramatic decline,” Maletic-Savatic said.

The researcher said she’s already planning to use the new tracking technology in a variety of neurological studies.

For example, it is suspected that antidepressants work by boosting the creation of new brain cells. With that in mind, Maletic-Savatic’s team will use MRS to “clarify whether abnormalities in these progenitors have any role in causing depression,” she said.

Maletic-Savatic said she is also planning a study looking at the cells’ role in early brain development because she is primarily a pediatric neurologist.

“Particularly in premature babies who can develop cerebral palsy and mental retardation,” she added.

MRS-guided research into neural stem cells may also benefit multiple sclerosis patients.

“We are now doing a study that already started a year ago on patients with MS, and we plan to prospectively follow them and see whether we can use this bio-marker as a prognostic tool,” Maletic-Savatic said.

She added that this type of stem cell research could also benefit research on a wide range of brain disorders. Maletic-Savatic said breakthroughs in that area are probably years away, but that tracking stem cells in the brain has obvious implications for research into stem cell transplantation.

“On the other hand, if we find drugs or ways that can stimulate your own endogenous cells, that would be even better,” she said.

Sanberg agreed that brain research would enjoy a marked boost with scientists being able to track neural stem cells.

“To be able to show that you are increasing neurogenesis in the brain through your treatment — through drugs that induce neurogenesis — that’s going to be very important,” he said. “This is a really strong first step.”

CBC News

A $2.4-million grant was awarded to two Ottawa researchers for their work in fighting the chronic and often disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord that is multiple sclerosis.

Dr. Harry Atkins and Dr. Mark Freedman will continue a closely watched clinical trial involving an experimental bone marrow stem cell transplant therapy. Their team was awarded the money by The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.

Improvements in the ability to walk and see have been among the most dramatic observations of their MS research along with data on MS symptoms slowing down.

“The idea behind this clinical trial is to replace the diseased immune system with a new one derived from the patient’s own bone marrow stem cells,” said Atkins, a scientist at the Ottawa Health Research Institute, and a bone marrow transplant specialist at the Ottawa Hospital.

“First, we purify and freeze the patient’s stem cells, then we use strong chemotherapy to destroy their existing immune system,” he said. “We then transplant the purified stem cells back into the patient.”

“It takes time, but eventually these stem cells will form a completely new immune system — one that does not attack the brain and spinal cord — we hope.”

Researchers say that applying the procedure to treat autoimmune diseases such as MS is novel, but a similar procedure has been used to treat certain types of blood cancer for more than 25 years.

“We hoped that this therapy would halt or slow the progression of MS, and in the patients examined so far, it seems to have worked,” Freedman said. “In addition, some patients have experienced substantial improvements in their ability to see and walk.”

“This was unexpected, and it suggests the exciting possibility that the therapy may be contributing to some sort of repair or regeneration. With this funding, we can investigate this further.”

The knowledge gained could lead to significant improvements in the treatment of MS and other autoimmune diseases, even though the therapy is highly experimental researchers said.

Making it the most common neurological disease of young adults in Canada, between 55,000 and 75,000 Canadians have multiple sclerosis. People are typically diagnosed with MS between the ages of 15-40.

Stiffness of muscles, extreme fatigue, speech problems, loss of balance, double or blurred vision, bladder and bowel problems, or even partial or complete paralysis can be among the unpredictable and varying symptoms that a person with MS can experience.