Australia issues first license to clone human embryos

Is this the beginning of the Brave New World?...

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The Australian government has issued its first license allowing scientists to create cloned human embryos to try and obtain embryonic stem cells.

The in vitro-fertilization firm Sydney IVF was granted the license and reportedly has access to 7,200 human eggs for its research.

If the firm is successful it would be a world first, the Australian government's National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), which granted the license, said on Wednesday.

Scientists in other countries have made stem cells they believe are similar to embryonic cells using a variety of techniques, but none have been able to extract embryonic stem cells from cloned human embryos.

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Stem cell advance may help transfusion supplies

Don't tell Northfield or Biopure...

NEW YORK - Scientists say they've found an efficient way to make red blood cells from human embryonic stem cells, a possible step toward making transfusion supplies in the laboratory. The promise of a virtually limitless supply is tantalizing because of blood donor shortages and disappointments in creating blood substitutes.

Red blood cells are a key component of blood because they carry oxygen throughout the body.

Experts called the new work an advance, but cautioned that major questions had yet to be answered.

The research, published online Tuesday by the journal Blood, was reported by scientists at Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Mass., the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

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Stem-Cell Therapy in China Draws Foreign Patients

Let's hope quality problems aren't happening in these circumstances...

China is gaining popularity among a new breed of travelers: patients with incurable conditions who are visiting the country to receive experimental stem-cell treatments not offered in the United States.

One company is now claiming a medical breakthrough, advertising that its treatments are restoring vision to blind children. It has ignited a firestorm of controversy in both China and in the U.S.

full story on npr

Novel genetic technique 'creates' stem cells

Scientists can now transform adult cells to a stem cell-like state without using a cancer inducing gene. Researchers at Harvard University said they can now map the stages of the reprogramming which had thus far been a mystery.

"By defining cellular intermediates of the reprogramming process, our work provides reference points for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying pluripotent (iPS) cell generation," said Dr. Matthias Stadtfeld, one of researchers on the project.

"For example, one can now take the whole reprogramming process apart into different stages and ask what enzymes or genes are important for the different stages to be initiated and completed."

The team at Harvard Stem Cell Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital have been studying the conversion of mouse adult cells to embryonic-like states by using four genes. The general way to induce iPS cells is to use cancer causing genes to initiate the process and use retroviruses to insert the genes into the target cells - retroviruses which could activate the cancer cells. The use of either oncogenes or retroviruses would make it impossible to use these cells in patients.

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Stem cell breakthrough uses no embryos

Follow-up to the story below and others...

NEW YORK - Scientists have made ordinary human skin cells take on the chameleon-like powers of embryonic stem cells, a startling breakthrough that might someday deliver the medical payoffs of embryo cloning without the controversy.

Laboratory teams on two continents report success in a pair of landmark papers released Tuesday. It's a neck-and-neck finish to a race that made headlines five months ago, when scientists announced that the feat had been accomplished in mice.

The "direct reprogramming" technique avoids the swarm of ethical, political and practical obstacles that have stymied attempts to produce human stem cells by cloning embryos.

Scientists familiar with the work said scientific questions remain and that it's still important to pursue the cloning strategy, but that the new work is a major coup.

"This work represents a tremendous scientific milestone — the biological equivalent of the Wright Brothers' first airplane," said Dr. Robert Lanza, chief science officer of Advanced Cell Technology, which has been trying to extract stem cells from cloned human embryos.

"It's a bit like learning how to turn lead into gold," said Lanza, while cautioning that the work

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UK Dolly Creator Gives Up Cloning Method

I couldn't decide to go with a "the more things change, the more they stay the same" or a joke about "evolution"...


LONDON - The Scottish scientist who created Dolly the sheep more than a decade ago said he is abandoning the cloning technique that he pioneered, according to an interview published Saturday.

Ian Wilmut, who led the team that created Dolly in 1996, told The Daily Telegraph that he is abandoning cloning to pursue a new technique that can create stem cells without an embryo.

Wilmut's announcement could mark the end of therapeutic cloning, in which DNA is inserted into an unfertilized egg, an embryo is produced and stem cells are harvested, the newspaper said. Tens of millions of dollars have been spent worldwide on therapeutic cloning research in the past decade, but nobody has made it work in humans.

Wilmut believes a rival method pioneered in Japan that creates stem cells from fragments of skin is better for growing tissue that can be used to treat people who are paralyzed or have illnesses ranging from diabetes to Parkinson's disease.

He said the Japanese method does not require human eggs, making it "easier to accept socially" than his Dolly method, known as "nuclear transfer." The Japanese method removes the need to destroy embryos - an action many people oppose and that has become a major stumbling block for funding and regulating research.

"I decided a few weeks ago not to pursue nuclear transfer," Wilmut was quoted as saying.

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Not everyone is willing to take the "Snooze/ Lose" approach

to job creation...that is...

unlike New Jersey, other states are investing...

Alabama...$65 million biotech wing opens

or private investment to complement public spending...Pfizer's Biotech Center

I'm sure there are others...

New Jersey Voters Defeat Stem Cell Measure

TRENTON, Nov. 6 — In a stunning defeat for Gov. Jon S. Corzine, New Jersey voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure that would have permitted the state to borrow $450 million for stem cell research.

The sound defeat, coupled with the failure of another initiative that would have set aside more money for property tax rebates, marked the first time in 17 years that voters in New Jersey had defeated any statewide ballot question.

The ballot questions offered a rare surprise on a day in which Democrats maintained their control over both houses in the State Legislature. As of midnight, Democrats appeared poised to add one seat to their 22-18 majority in the Senate by winning seats in Atlantic City and Cape May Counties that had been in the hands of Republicans. In the Assembly, Republicans appeared to chip one or two seats from the Democrats’ current 50-30 majority.

But it was the defeat of the stem cell measure by a resounding 53-47 percent margin that dealt a sharp blow to Mr. Corzine, who had campaigned heavily for it and had contributed $150,000 to the effort.

Supporters had argued that the borrowing would help pay for research that could help deliver New Jersey from financial distress by bringing additional tax revenue and tens of thousands of jobs to the state. Critics, by contrast, said that New Jersey could not afford to add to the state’s surging debt load of $30 billion.

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New nerves grown from fat cells

I should be ok then...plenty of supply...

New nerves grown from stem cells taken from a patient's fat could be available by 2011, researchers have said.

They could potentially be used to repair peripheral nerves left severed by surgery or accidents.

Manchester University scientists plan to place the new nerve tissue inside a biodegradable plastic tube, which can be used to rejoin the two broken ends.

The findings of their study on rats, in Experimental Neurology, could help hundreds of people a year, they say.

The patients will not be able to tell that they had ever 'lost' [the feeling to] their limb

At the moment, only limited techniques are available to help repair nerves outside the spinal cord, even though they have a limited capacity to regrow.

Other nerves from elsewhere in the patient are often used, which does not restore perfect function and can cause further damage.

The Manchester technique uses stem cells - immature cells which the body naturally uses to create different tissue types.

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Study Reveals How Stem Cells Decide To Become Either Skeletal or Smooth Muscle

I haven't been to Rochester in years...

Researchers have discovered a key protein that controls how stem cells “choose” to become either skeletal muscle cells that move limbs, or smooth muscle cells that support blood vessels, according to a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The results not only provide insight into the development of muscle types in the human fetus, but also suggest new ways to treat atherosclerosis and cancer, diseases that involve the creation of new blood vessels from stem cell reserves that would otherwise replace worn out skeletal muscle. The newly discovered mechanism also suggests that some current cancer treatments may weaken muscle, and that physician researchers should start watching to see if a previously undetected side effect exists.

Thanks to stem cells, humans develop from a single cell into a complex being with as many as 400 cell types in millions of combinations. The original, single human stem cell, the fertilized embryo, has the potential to develop into every kind of human cell. As we develop in the womb, successive generations of stem cells specialize (differentiate), with each group able to become fewer and fewer cell types. One set of mostly differentiated stem cells has the ability to become bone, blood, skeletal muscle or smooth muscle. Many human tissues keep a reserve of stem cells on hand in adulthood, ready to differentiate into replacement parts depending on the stimuli they receive. If body signals that skeletal muscle needs replacing, the stem cells take that route. If tissues signal for more blood vessels, the same stem cells may become smooth muscle that supports the lining of blood vessels.

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Fathers of 'targeted genetics' scoop Nobel prize

08/10/2007 - The discoverer of embryonic stem cells (ES cells) and two other scientists have won a Nobel Prize for their work to develop a 'magic wand' to modify the mouse genome.

The pioneering research by the trio has allowed scientists both to discover the function of a gene and create of animal models of human disease.

Professor Sir Martin Evans of Cardiff University shares the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with a second UK scientist, Oliver Smithies, and the Italian Mario Capecchi "for their discoveries of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells".

The trio have been tipped to win the Nobel for several years after winning the 2001 Lasker Award for 'Basic Medical Research'. These awards are also known as 'America's Nobels' and are one of the most coveted accolades in medical science. There are literally dozens of examples of eminent researchers winning both during their careers.

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Stem cells show potential to repair lungs

in mice, that is...still good news...

British researchers have successfully implanted lung cells grown from embryonic stem cells into the lungs of mice in a move that may one day provide treatments for humans with severe breathing problems.

Until now, stem cells have been seen as a promising avenue for conditions like diabetes and Parkinson's disease, but respiratory ailments have not featured because of the highly complex nature of lung tissue.

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Fat Kills Cancer

Check out the last line of the second paragrpagh...I assume it was very "tongue-in-cheek"...

Turning Stem Cells Taken from Fat Tissue into Personalized, Cancer-Targeted Therapeutics

PHILADELPHIA - Researchers in Slovakia have been able to derive mesenchymal stem cells from human adipose, or fat, tissue and engineer them into "suicide genes" that seek out and destroy tumors like tiny homing missiles. This gene therapy approach is a novel way to attack small tumor metastases that evade current detection techniques and treatments, the researchers conclude in the July 1 issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

"These fat-derived stem cells could be exploited for personalized cell-based therapeutics," said the study's lead investigator, Cestmir Altaner, Ph.D., D.Sc., an associate professor in the Cancer Research Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava. "Nearly everyone has some fat tissue they can spare, and this tissue could be a source of cells for cancer treatment that can be adapted into specific vehicles for drug transport."

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Stem cell study zeroes in on ALS cause

Progress!!!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cells that are supposed to nourish and support other nerve cells instead secrete the poisons that cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, researchers reported on Sunday.

Two reports published in the journal Nature Neuroscience may show new ways to treat the degenerative nerve disease, which slowly paralyzes its victims until they die.

Both teams showed that the nerve cells called astrocytes, which support and feed neurons, turn toxic when they carry a mutated gene called SOD1, which has been linked with ALS in the past.

Dr. Serge Przedborski of Columbia University in New York and colleagues created mouse motor neuron cells that carried mutated versions of the human superoxide dismutase-1, or SOD1, gene. But these mutated cells did not cause the damage typically seen in ALS when grown in lab dishes of cells.

Then they created astrocytes carrying the mutated human SOD1 gene. Astrocytes are one of the types of glial cells -- support cells in the brain and nervous system that secrete various compounds that nourish neurons.

When SOD1 is mutated in these glial cells, Przedborski and colleagues found, one of the nourishing proteins apparently turns toxic. When they grew astrocytes with mutated SOD1, they killed the neighboring mouse motor neuron cells.

"It was previously thought that astrocytes were merely spectators watching their neighboring motor neurons die," said Przedborski. "With these results, we have learned they are not just spectators, they are major players."

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Stem Cell Bill Approved by Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A stubborn Senate voted Wednesday to ease restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research, ignoring President Bush's threat of a second veto on legislation designed to lead to new medical treatments.

The 63-34 vote was shy of the margin that would be needed to enact the measure over presidential opposition, despite gains made by supporters in last fall's elections.

"Not every day do we have the opportunity to vote to heal the sick," said Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., a senator less than 100 days following a tough 2006 campaign in which the stem cell controversy played a particularly prominent role. "It is a noble cause," she added.

link to full AP article

Males more prone to cloning

Prone to cloning???...It's a guy thing...

Cloning researchers who wish to boost their success rates should try using male cells, researchers say. The advice is based on a new study which showed that mouse embryos created from male adult cells were more than three times as likely to develop to term as those created from female adult cells.

Cloning an adult animal usually involves putting the nucleus from an adult cell into an egg that has been stripped of its chromosomes. However, progress has been hindered by the fact that "reprogramming" adult nuclei in this way has very low success rates.

To get around this problem, a team led by Peter Mombaerts and Elaine Fuchs at Rockefeller University in New York, US, tried using adult skin stem cells, which are less differentiated and so should be easier to reprogram.

The success rate was still very low, but they did find that 5.4% of embryos created from male cells developed to term, compared with 1.6% for comparable cells from females.
More tests are now needed to confirm whether this sex bias holds true for other cell types.

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New international guidelines for stem cell science

The first international guidelines on human embryonic stem cell research, released on Thursday, echo public opinion in calling for a ban on human reproductive cloning. But they are already proving controversial in other angles.

Although the guidelines are not legally binding, they carry the weight of leading scientific opinion and are likely to be influential in many countries.
Written by a committee of leading stem cell scientists, the guidelines take a permissive stance on two key issues: paying women to donate eggs for research, and controls on projects involving human/animal chimeras.

Guidelines issued in 2005 by the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and laws in other countries, including the UK, prohibit using cash payments to induce women to donate eggs for research. But the new guidelines, issued by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), suggest that the question of payments should be left to local ethical committees.

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FDA Warns Doctor Over Stem Cell Implants

The research marches on...with or without the support of the government...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Las Vegas doctor has been implanting stem cells harvested from placentas into patients with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and other diseases in violation of federal law, according to a warning letter released by health officials Thursday.
Dr. Alfred Sapse failed to properly obtain, store, test and process the placentas, as well as screen both the suitability of the donors and the patients given the human tissue, according to the Food and Drug Administration letter. At least 16 patients received the stem cells, the FDA said.
Sapse also failed to obtain or even seek federal approval to carry out the procedures, done by at least one doctor under his direction, according to the FDA.

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Spitzer Wants New York to Enter Stem Cell Race

the job creation machines moves on...

ALBANY, Jan. 12 — Five years ago, the Bush administration decided to severely limit federal financing for embryonic stem cell research, a move that set off vigorous competition among the states to provide support for a research field that many scientists say could bring about major medical advances.

New Jersey was first out of the gate, pledging millions of dollars for stem cell research in the state. California raised the stakes with a huge $3 billion bond initiative, and other states followed with ballot initiatives or legislation to give scientists grants or to build research centers. Those efforts, supporters promised, would also bring in new jobs and tax revenue.

But New York — home to leading research universities, medical centers and biotechnology companies — has remained absent from the list. Legislative efforts in recent years to direct state money to embryonic stem cell research have stalled, and then fizzled.

Now, state lawmakers are preparing to move forward on what would be the most ambitious government-financed stem cell project on the East Coast.

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Stem cells nurture damaged spine: study

BOSTON (Reuters) - Human embryonic stem cells can help regenerate damaged nerves in rats, producing compounds that nurture nerve cells and stimulate the growth of new ones, Geron Corp. said on Wednesday.
The company's stock rose on the news, published in the journal Stem Cells and Development.
Geron had earlier reported that human embryonic stem cells had helped replace myelin, a fatty covering on nerves that is vital to function.
Now, the company's researchers said, they had shown the cells produce multiple nerve growth factors, which are proteins that stimulate the survival and regeneration of neurons.

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