The RegMed Daily Dialogue, Friday, 5/13/11, a jinxed day
Regenerative medicine/stem cell universe stocks are down in mid-day trading on Friday (5/13/11). The NASDAQ is down -21.55 (0.75%) to 2841.49. The Dow is down -777.73 (-0.61%) to 12,618.19. What’s driving the regenerative medicine – stem cell market today …
ACTC.OB, ASTM, IMUC.OB, OPXA and STEM are up – barely!
FDA Panel Narrowly Backs Proposed BioMimetic (BMTI) Bone Device: A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel narrowly backed the use of a proposed bone-graft device developed by BioMimetic Therapeutics Inc. (BMTI).
Researchers use iPS cells to treat mice with cirrhosis: US researchers said induced pluripotent stem cells developed from human liver, bone marrow and skin cells injected into a mouse with humanlike cirrhosis engrafted with efficiency of up to 15%. The iPS cells also functioned like normal liver cells, according to the study published in the journal of Science Translational Medicine. The bottom line, these findings provide a foundation for producing functional liver cells for patients who suffer liver diseases and are in need of transplantation..
Stem Cell Assurance (OTC:SCLZ): announced today that it has filed a General Form for Registration of Securities on Form 10 pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Form 10 includes audited financial statements as of 12/31/09 and 2010 and for the years then ended. The bottom line, based upon this filing, effective 7/11/11, SCLZ.PK will become an SEC reporting company and -K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. The effectiveness of the Form 10 on will be subject to the requirements of the Exchange Act which will require the filing of annual reports on Form 107/11/11 will facilitate the listing of the shares on stock markets other than the Pink Sheets.
Human lung-derived stem cells regenerate damaged lungs in mice: US scientists found that human lungs contain stem cells that can be coaxed to develop into vascular cells and other types of lung cells, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine found. In an experiment with mice, the stem cells regenerated a substantial portion of damaged lungs about two weeks after the transplantation. The bottom line, these findings might pave the way for bioengineered lungs and lead to treatments for emphysema and other respiratory diseases.
Clinician-researchers at the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center are investigating whether stem cell infusion, delivered during bypass surgery, will generate new blood vessels and improve heart function … more than what is accomplished through bypass surgery alone. The individual underwent a four-hour procedure but because he is enrolled in a single-blind research study, he will not know if he received his own stem cells until study results are released. “Unlike previous studies where we injected stem cells only, this study includes stem cell transplantation during cardiac bypass surgery. The goal is to enhance the bypass surgery by causing the formation of new blood vessels at the site of injection,” said Dr. Brian Bruckner, cardiac surgeon and principal investigator on the research study at Methodist. In this study, individuals randomized to receive stem cells will have their stem cells harvested from their own bone marrow in the operating room while they are under anesthesia. After the bone marrow cells are harvested, Bruckner and Methodist cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Michael Reardon perform the bypass procedure. The cells are simultaneously processed to separate stem cells from bone marrow. After performing the bypass, the surgeons then inject the stem cells into the subject’s heart, and the procedure is complete. The bottom line, the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center is one of only 3 centers in the country to have this study available. The technology that processes the stem cells, developed by Harvest Technologies, sorts the cells quickly, enabling the procedure to be intra-operative, rather than having the individual come in days prior to surgery for the bone marrow aspiration procedure. Weren’t these 2 PIs associated with ASTM’s past heart program …. But, are NOW using Harvest’s hardware versus ASTM’s TRC program
Study finds lung stem cells, likely to generate debate: In a provocative new finding, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital report they have discovered human lung stem cells, which they say can give rise to the many different types of cells in the lung and ultimately may hold the potential to regenerate and repair damaged lung tissue in patients. The results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, challenge the current understanding of how the lung develops and will probably generate significant debate and skepticism within the field. The bottom line, many scientists did not expect that a single human lung stem cell would give rise to all the many cell types found in the lung.
Juventas plans $25M venture round in wake of PI success: Juventas Therapeutics, a spinoff of the Cleveland Clinic has wrapped a successful PI trial of its lead stem cell therapy; it plans to raise $25M in a Series B. The treatment takes stem cells from bone marrow to build new blood vessels as a treatment for critical limb ischemia. The bottom line, the focus of the trial was safety of the doses, but also showed encouraging signs of efficacy. The 2nd round will be used to pay for a PII study.
IPierian, Stem Cell Startup with Big Science & Big Bucks, Axes Group of Top Executives The board of iPierian, the South San Francisco-based stem cell company with high-profile scientific founders from Harvard University and prominent financial backers that include GlaxoSmithKline, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Google Ventures, and Biogen Idec, has terminated several members of the company’s senior executive team. The bottom line, some drama with a shift in strategy as Michael Venuti, who was named CEO of IPierian in July 2010, was fired by the board in late April of this year, and the company’s top executives in charge of finance, business development, and legal/intellectual property were dismissed within days.
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