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1.: Stem Cell Action News.........November 24, 2008 From: Stephen Meyer

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1.: Stem Cell Action News.........November 24, 2008

Posted by: "Stephen Meyer" Stephen276@comcast.net stephen_meyer_stemcells

Tue Nov 25, 2008 6:12 am (PST)

Stem Cell Action News
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November 24, 2008

Welcome to issue number 2 of Stem Cell Action News, dedicated to
informing the stem cell community on the latest and most important
developments impacting the Pro-Cures Movement.

Headlines & Advocacy

Landmark windpipe transplant shocks the world – patient, Claudin
Castillo, received a bioengineered trachea after nearly loosing her left
lung due to a severe case of tuberculosis
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis> . The bioengineered
windpipe was constructed by removing all cells and MHC antigens
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_histocompatibility_complex> from a
donated trachea - leaving behind a fibrous
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibrous_connective_tissue> scaffold. The
scaffold was then populated with autologous
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autologous> mesenchymal stem-cell
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesenchymal_stem_cell> -derived
condrocytes <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chondrocyte> to construct the
graft. The cells were cultured at Professor Martin Birchall's lab
at Bristol U! niversity <http://www.bristol.ac.uk/> , and the surgery
was conducted in Barcelona, Spain. Additional collaborations were
established between colleagues in Padua and Milan, Italy. Listen to
NPR's All Things Considered
<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97210169&ft=1&f=10\
07> and read The Lancet's Early Online Publication
<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS0140-6736(08)61598\
-6/fulltext> .

Reporter Luke Timmerman interviews Novocell's
<http://www.novocell.com/> CSO, Edward Baetge, on the challenges of
commercializing embryonic stem cells
<http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics3.asp> to treat Diabetes
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes> (full article link).

The Vatican once again warns Obama about the ethics of embryonic stem
cell research (full article link)
<http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=30510> .

Hadassah is offering an educational program on stem cell research with
an invited speaker from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (full article
link) <http://www.andovertownsman.com/local/local_story_317174234.html>
.

Dr. Mark Nobel, a leading stem cell researcher from the University of
Rochester and a member of the GPI Science Advisory Board, discusses the
big picture – a video interview worth watching
<http://www.13wham.com/content/news/political/story.aspx?content_id=e21d\
d960-d6c0-4b02-8df5-a669891a4586> .

Policy

Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission received 187 letters of intent
for stem cell funding compared to last year's 127. Applications for
funding are due on January 15, 2009. For application and guidelines,
please visit www.mscrf.org <http://www.mscrf.org/> . Additionally, on
December 3rd Governor O'Malley and the Maryland Stem Cell Research
Commission host the first annual Maryland Stem Cell Symposium. The
symposium allows the 2008 awardees to present findings (register by
clicking this link!)
<http://techcouncilmd.com/events/detail.php?list=Events&laction=detail.p\
hp&evt_id=149>

Traveling across the Atlantic and south of the equator, Health Ministers
from member states of the Economic Commission of West Africa
<http://www.ecowas.int/> will gather tomorrow to discuss stem cell
research and therapy (full article link)
<http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/22237/42/> .

In Washington, Obama transition team selected Jonathan Moreno, professor
of bioethics at University of Pennsylvania to manage activities related
to bioethics (full article link)
<http://change.gov/learn/department_of_health_and_human_services_team_le\
ads> . Moreno is a supporter of embryonic stem cell research and serves
on the Legal and Human Rights Advisory Board of the Genetics Policy
Institute. Additionally, R. Alta Charo, a UW-Madison professor of law
and ethics was appointed to the Obama's transition team. She was
previously a member of former President Bill Clinton's Bioethics
Advisory Commission. (read full article)
<http://www.dailycardinal.com/article/21414> .

Science

Researchers at the University of Utah <http://www.utah.edu/> are
enrolling 40 patients in a Phase II
<http://www.fda.gov/CDER/HANDBOOK/phase2.htm> study that will use
autologous <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autologous> , bone-marrow
derived stem cells to treat patients with Dilated Cardiomypoathy
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilated_cardiomyopathy> (DMC, or heart
disease). Of the 40 patients, 20 are to be diagnosed with ischemic
<http://medical.merriam-webster.com/medical/ischemic> DMC and, 20 with
nonishemic DMC. The study is sponsored by Aastrom Biosciences, Inc
<http://www.aastrom.com/> ., a company specializing in autologous cell
products (full article link) <http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11008681> .

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
<http://www.med.upenn.edu/> discovered a protein marker that helps
select for rare adult liver stem cells. Led by Linda Greeman, MD., the
findings allow scientists to now isolate liver stem cells which could be
used to regenerate liver tissue.

Don't space out yet, HepaLife's
<http://www.hepalife.com/index.php> Patented `PICM-19' Liver
Stem Cell Lines are onboard Space Shuttle "Endeavour"
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Endeavour> for outer space
testing (full article link)
<http://www.hepalife.com/press_releases/20081117.html.php> .

Business

G. Steven Burrill, CEO of life sciences VC firm, Burrill and Company
<http://www.burrillandco.com/> , predicts continuing market volatility
that will affect both large and small biotech's. Burrill stated
early last week, "Stuff is cascading through the financial system in
a toxic way." He also commented, " The biotech industry has
lived with easy access to capital for 30 yeas or more. That world is
now permanently changed." (full article link)
<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/16/BUHT1440RI.\
DTL&type=tech>

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer <http://www.pfizer.com/home/> ,
launched a new research unit know as Pfizer Regenerative Medicine. The
unit will be co-located in Cambridge, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts
(full article link)
<http://www.pfizer.com/news/press_releases/pfizer_press_releases.jsp?rss\
Url=http://mediaroom.pfizer.com/portal/site/pfizer/index.jsp?ndmViewId=n\
ews_view&ndmConfigId=1010794&newsId=20081114005161&newsLang=en>

Also last week, Stem Cell Sciences <http://www.stemcellsciences.com/>
signed a service agreement for up to five-years with Pfizer Limited.
Stem Cell Sciences will provide research services, cell lines, media,
and reagents to support Pfizer's stem cell R&D efforts (full article
link) <http://www.stemcellsciences.com/pressoffice/releases/108.html> .
Furthermore, Stem Cell Sciences' patent covering its IRES technology
was upheld – the technology can monitor gene activity without
knocking out normal gene function (full article link)
<http://www.stemcellsciences.com/pressoffice/releases/107.html> .

Sigma Aldrich <http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/united-states.html>
announced it will be the exclusive supplier of AlphaGenix
<http://www.alphagenix.com/> -developed antibodies and research tools
for regenerative medicine and stem cell biology – expanding
Sigma's stem cell product portfolio (full article link)
<http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=110312&p=irol-newsArticle&I\
D=1226379&highlight=> .

Neuralstem, Inc. <http://www.neuralstem.com/index.asp?pgid=1> entered a
collaborative agreement with Professor Guido Nikkah Ph.D, of
Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg, Germany
<http://www.uni-freiburg.de/index_en.php> to further develop
Neuralstem's human neural stem cell therapies for Huntington's
disease (full article link)
<http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Neuralstem-Enters-prnews-13604293.html> .

Lastly, Mesoblast Limited's <http://www.mesoblast.com/> sister
company, Angioblast Systems <http://www.angioblast.com/default.php> ,
was awarded the 2008 Frost & Sullivan
<http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/frost-home.pag> United States Stem
Cell Market Technology Innovation of the Year (full article link)
<http://www.mesoblast.com/#> .

Contact GPI
Robert E. Margolin
Associate Director
908-605-4203
rob@genpol.org <mailto:rob@genpol.org>

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