Stem Cell and Umbilical Cord Blood Information » stem cell cancer treatment

Stem Cell Technology Eases Cancer Treatments

Sarah — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:36:51 +0000

Indianapolis researchers are developing technology which could alleviate negative side effects during stem cell transplants for cancer patients. General BioTechnology’s device pumps bone marrow stem cells through a specially designed tube. The fiber filled tube gradually filters the Dimethyl Sulfoxide preservative from the bone marrow transplant while still maintaining the cell’s efficacy. DMSO is a commonly used preservative which increases the shelf life of cells, but can cause complications with patients when it is injected into their system.

“There has been a demand for this technology as long as frozen bone marrow transplants have been used to treat patients. This project originated through our company’s mission of listening to physicians and specifically developing technologies to meet critical needs,” said Erik J. Woods, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of General BioTechnology. “Over 30,000 people a year in this country receive this type of procedure, our hope is that our system will help yield better outcomes with fewer complications.”

America Stem Cell Inc Awarded $2.5 M From TX Fund

Sarah — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:04:09 +0000

America Stem Cell announced today that they’ve been awarded $2.5 million from the State of Texas Emerging Technology Fund. This investment will allow the stem cell research company to spped the development of its breakthrough enzyme technology to enhance the homing and engraftment of cord blood stem cells and achieve improved clinical outcomes for cancer patients receiving these stem cell transplants.

“Texas is the best state in the nation to live, work and do business, and the ETF is helping supercharge our technology environment by bringing Texans’ good ideas and hard work to the marketplace,” Texas Gov. Rick Perry said. “This investment demonstrates our commitment to improving the lives of cancer patients by developing innovative cord blood stem cell technology, while protecting the unborn from exploitation.”

America Stem Cell’s enzyme treatment could transform cord blood stem cell engraftment, speed patients’ immune system and platelet recovery, reduce opportunistic infections and improve cord blood stem cell transplant patient survival and quality of life. This enzyme treatment will enable the tens of thousands of adult cancer patients in the U.S. to be treated quickly with umbilical cord blood, versus enduring what is often a long and futile wait for matching marrow or peripheral blood stem cells, during which time many patients die needlessly.

New Studies Using Cord Blood For Cancer Treatment

Sarah — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:02:21 +0000

The University of Pittsburgh’s Cancer Institute and Allegheny General Hospital’s heart center are starting to sign up patients for test studies that will significantly increase research studies.

The University has joined a group of cancer centers in Europe and Israel for a study assessing the safety and success of using a derivative of umbilical stem cells to treat blood cancers, including leukemia and lymphoma.

A new product called StemEx would be used instead of bone marrow transplants, which researchers believe and are trying to prove it is easier to match umbilical cord blood to a patient than bone marrow.

Stem Cells Proving Effective in Fighting Cancer

Sarah — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:34:49 +0000

Embryonic stem cells are once again getting attention this year, because of work being done by scientists at the University of Minnesota.

“Embryonic stem cells are often talked about to treat things like diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injury,” says researcher Dan Kaufman. “Now we really can add cancer to that list.”

Dr. Kaufman says his research team used embryonic stem cells to produce natural killer cells. Those killer cells were then used on a dozen mice that had leukemia tumors. “Every mouse that we treated with these cells, the cancer went away completely,” said Dr.Kaufman.

The scientists also produced natural killer cells from other sources, like umbilical cord blood, with less positive results. It’s proof, Dr. Kaufman says, that embryonic stem cells will play a key role in cell-based cancer therapies. In lab experiments, researchers also found the natural killer cells derived from embryonic stem cells were effective in killing breast cancer, prostate cancer, testicular cancer and brain tumor cells.