Brain Tumors Arise From Rare Stem Cells

Brain Tumors Arise From Rare Stem Cells

Researchers at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis have found that “Brain tumors called ependymomas that occur in different parts of the central nervous system appear to arise from subpopulations of stem cells called radial glia cells (RGCs),” according to a press release.

One of the mysteries of ependymomas has been why ones that appear to be the same under a microscope have different clinical effects and prognoses when they are located in different areas of the nervous system. The tumors must be treated with radiation and surgery, as no effective chemotherapy exists. The new findings, published in this month’s issue of Cancer Cell, suggest that the stem cells need to be targeted directly so that the tumors do not regrow. This identification of potential target cells allows for the possibility of a drug treatment in these types of cancers, and the research techniques could be extended to other cancers as well.

The researchers discovered that the various types of tumors expressed genes that regulate the proliferation and differentiation of normal primitive cells in the corresponding region of the embryonic nervous system. The tumors also contained mutant RGC cells, which caused cancer when inserted into laboratory models.

Placental Stem Cells Business News

Placental Stem Cells Business News

The Plureon Company, which has a proprietary form of placental stem cells, has reached an agreement with Cryo-Cell Inc for Cryo-Cell to store and market the cells. A detailed release can be found on the Plureon website. The cells, known as Plureon stem cells, or PSCs, have shown the ability to differentiate rapidly into many different forms of cell types and to remain stable. They have not produced cancers, and researchers have shown that the PSCs can cure diabetes in small animals.

Cryo-Cell plans to begins offering its services to new parents in 2006. Cord blood can also be collected and stored in addition to the PSCs derived from the placenta.

In related news, the governor of New Jersey is unveiling a program for the storage of umbilical cord blood at two nonprofit blood banks. The full article can be found at NorthJersey.com. And in Ireland, the three public maternity hospitals in Dublin no longer allow medical staff to help parents collect and store cord blood from their newborns. The full article can be found in the Irish Examiner.

An interesting article on the new stem cells derivation procedures

I blogged on a bunch of articles on this subject yesterday, but one more is worth noting. This is yesterday's article in the periodical The Scientist. The article gives a few more details about the technique used in the ANT process, and has a quote from Robert Lanza, who lead the PGD method team. Lanza believes that the ANT process does not resolve ethical issues. The Scientist article also gives some other useful links.

Cytori Therapeutics Press Release

Cytori Therapeutics Press Release

Cytori Therapeutics, a company which is focusing much of its research on stem cells derived from adipose tissue (fat), yesterday issued a press release about an animal study on fat-derived stem cells in treatment of heart attacks. In the study, 17 laboratory animals were given either injections of their own adipose stem and regenerative cells (treated) or a saline injection (control) via catheter into the artery at the site of the heart attack. After eight weeks, there was a statistically significant reduction in the perfusion defect, which is the area of the heart deprived of oxygen as a result of the infarct. A corresponding benefit was observed by the improvement in ejection fraction, a common measure of the heart's pumping efficiency.

The study was significant in that the cells came directly from the subject animals themselves and were not cultured in a laboratory. Cytori’s president said they were starting an application to initiate European clinical trials next year.