 |
|
Researchers find stem-cell therapy effective in targeting metastatic cancer
December 21, 2006Preclinical findings show tumors are attacked, not normal tissue
DUARTE, Calif. - Patients with advanced cancer that has spread to many different sites often do not have many treatment options, since they would be unable to tolerate the doses of treatment they would need to kill the tumors.
Researchers at City of Hope and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital may have found a way to treat cancers that have spread throughout the body more effectively. They used modified neural stem cells to activate and concentrate chemotherapeutic drugs predominately at tumor sites, so that normal tissue surrounding the tumor and throughout the body remain relatively unharmed.
"This approach could significantly improve future treatme nt options for patients with metastatic cancer," said Karen Aboody, M.D., assistant professor of Hematology/Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Neurosciences at City of Hope. "It not only has the potential to destroy residual tumor cells, but it should also improve patients' quality of life by minimizing toxic side effects such as nausea, diarrhea or bone marrow suppression."
Aboody is the lead investigator of the study done in collaboration with senior investigator Mary Danks, Ph.D., associate member of Molecular Pharmacology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. The study will be published Dec. 20 in PLoS ONE. A second paper with extended results from the study has been accepted for publication in Cancer Research in January.
Most chemotherapy drugs affect both normal and cancerous tissue, which is why they also are toxic to naturally fast-growing cells in the body such as hair follicles and intestinal cells. Aboody and her colleagues have developed a two-part system to infiltrate metastatic tumor sites, and then activate a chemotherapeutic drug, thereby localizing the drug's effects to the tumor cells.
The technique takes advantage of the tendency for invasive tumors to attract neural stem cells. The researchers injected modified neural stem/progenitor cells into immunosuppressed mice that had been given neuroblastoma cells, which then formed tumors. After waiting a few days to allow the stem cells to migrate to the tumors, researchers administered a precursor-drug. When it reached the stem cells, the drug interacted with an enzyme the stem cells expressed, and was converted into an active drug that kills surrounding tumor cells. The precursor-drugs were administered for two weeks, then after a two-week break, a second round of stem/progenitor cells and drugs were administered.
One hundred percent of the neuroblastoma mice appe ared healthy and tumor-free at six months. Without treatment, all the neuroblastoma mice died within two-and-a-half months.
The results hold promise for treating solid tumors that metastasize including neuroblastoma, which represents 6 percent to 10 percent of all childhood cancers worldwide, with higher proportions in children under 2 years of age.
"The results are especially important in the case of high-risk neuroblastoma, because treatment-resistant cancer returns in as many as 80 percent of children, and the majority die of their disease," said co-principal investigator Danks.
Aboody and her colleagues had previously published the efficacy of this technique in primary and metastatic tumors in the brain. This is the first research to demonstrate that it is also effective in a metastatic cancer model, targeting multiple solid tumor sites spread throughout the body. They speculate that the technique could also be applie d to other malignant solid tumors, including colon, brain, prostate and breast cancer, and are planning future preclinical trials using those tumors as well.
Public Library of Science
"This approach could significantly improve future treatme nt options for patients with metastatic cancer," said Karen Aboody, M.D., assistant professor of Hematology/Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Neurosciences at City of Hope. "It not only has the potential to destroy residual tumor cells, but it should also improve patients' quality of life by minimizing toxic side effects such as nausea, diarrhea or bone marrow suppression."
Aboody is the lead investigator of the study done in collaboration with senior investigator Mary Danks, Ph.D., associate member of Molecular Pharmacology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. The study will be published Dec. 20 in PLoS ONE. A second paper with extended results from the study has been accepted for publication in Cancer Research in January.
Most chemotherapy drugs affect both normal and cancerous tissue, which is why they also are toxic to naturally fast-growing cells in the body such as hair follicles and intestinal cells. Aboody and her colleagues have developed a two-part system to infiltrate metastatic tumor sites, and then activate a chemotherapeutic drug, thereby localizing the drug's effects to the tumor cells.
The technique takes advantage of the tendency for invasive tumors to attract neural stem cells. The researchers injected modified neural stem/progenitor cells into immunosuppressed mice that had been given neuroblastoma cells, which then formed tumors. After waiting a few days to allow the stem cells to migrate to the tumors, researchers administered a precursor-drug. When it reached the stem cells, the drug interacted with an enzyme the stem cells expressed, and was converted into an active drug that kills surrounding tumor cells. The precursor-drugs were administered for two weeks, then after a two-week break, a second round of stem/progenitor cells and drugs were administered.
One hundred percent of the neuroblastoma mice appe ared healthy and tumor-free at six months. Without treatment, all the neuroblastoma mice died within two-and-a-half months.
The results hold promise for treating solid tumors that metastasize including neuroblastoma, which represents 6 percent to 10 percent of all childhood cancers worldwide, with higher proportions in children under 2 years of age.
"The results are especially important in the case of high-risk neuroblastoma, because treatment-resistant cancer returns in as many as 80 percent of children, and the majority die of their disease," said co-principal investigator Danks.
Aboody and her colleagues had previously published the efficacy of this technique in primary and metastatic tumors in the brain. This is the first research to demonstrate that it is also effective in a metastatic cancer model, targeting multiple solid tumor sites spread throughout the body. They speculate that the technique could also be applie d to other malignant solid tumors, including colon, brain, prostate and breast cancer, and are planning future preclinical trials using those tumors as well.
Public Library of Science
Stem-cell Therapy Current Events and Stem-cell Therapy News RSSStem-cell transplantation improves muscles in MD animal model, UT Southwestern researchers report
Using embryonic stem cells from mice, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have prompted the growth of healthy - and more importantly, functioning - muscle cells in mice afflicted with a human model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
MIT: Stem-cell therapies for brain more complicated than thought
An MIT research team's latest finding suggests that stem cell therapies for the brain could be much more complicated than previously thought.
Stem cells show promise for treating Huntington's disease
Paying close attention to how a canary learns a new song has helped scientists open a new avenue of research against Huntington's disease - a fatal disorder for which there is currently no cure or even a treatment to slow the disease.
New generation of cardiac interventions, therapies optimize heart disease care
Research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 55th Annual Scientific Session and the inaugural Innovation in Intervention: i2 Summit 2006 in Atlanta, Ga., highlights critical advances in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
First Parkinson's Gene Therapy Patient Passes One Year
The first ever patient to have undergone gene therapy for Parkinson's appears to have come through phase I without a hitch, suggesting that the therapy is safe and effective, reports Marina Murphy in Chemistry & Industry.
Stem-cell transfer could improve cardiac functioning after heart attack (pp 121, 141)
Results of a randomised trial in this week's issue of THE LANCET suggest that the transfer of adult stem cells derived from bone marrow could improve cardiac functioning after heart attack. Evidence is emerging that adult stem cells from bone marrow have therapeutic potential for restoring cardiac cells among people who have had heart attack. Helmut Drexler (University of Freiburg, Germany) and colleagues assessed whether the transfer of patients' own bone-marrow cells could improve functioning of the left ventricle of the heart 6 months after treatment. 60 patients who had undergone successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; balloon angioplasty and coronary stenting) to restore co
Stem-cell therapy could have benefits and risks for heart-attack patients (pp 746, 751, 783)
Two studies in this week's issue of THE LANCET raise questions about the feasibility and safety of stem-cell therapy for heart disease, suggesting that such treatments could have both benefits and drawbacks. Adult haemopoietic stem cells give rise to blood cells, and are thought to be able to generate other types of cell. Recent studies have investigated the potential of stem cells to reverse heart damage caused by diseases such as acute myocardial infarction (heart attack). Use of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) to mobilise stem cells has shown promise, but its safety has not been tested in patients with myocardial infarction. Hyun-Jae Kang, Huo-Soo Kim, and colleagues from S
Nature press release for 5 April issue
[410701] LIFELINES: HOPE STEMS FOR A BROKEN HEART (pp701-705; N&V) Stem cells from mouse bone marrow can help repair muscle killed in heart attacks, Piero Anversa and his team at New York Medical College, New York, and colleagues, show in this week’s Nature. The results are likely to raise the already high profile of adult stem cells as a valuable source of treatments for disease. Bone marrow cells may be an ideal solution to the problem of replacing damaged hearts: they give rise to both heart muscle and blood vessels, can be harvested from the patient to prevent rejection, and adult stem cells avoid the ethical minefield of embryonic stem-cell use. Anversa thinks that stem-cell thera
More Stem-cell Therapy Current Events and Stem-cell Therapy News Articles
 |
Stem Cell Medicine: The New Adult Stem Cell Regenerative Therapy for Cancer, Spinal Injuries, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's and other conditions. by Robin Smith MD MBA (Author), Suzanne Somers (Foreword) Unlock the Power of Your Own Cells Stem Cell Medicine gives an authoritive, comprehensive and understandable "crash course" in this important scientific technology, and explains how the adult stem cell--extracted from patients' own bodies--offers incredible curative possibilities, without political controversy. As a primitive cell that call transform into many different types of cells, the adult stem cell can be used to combat a variety of diseases, including multiple sclerosis, heart disease, cancer, leukemia and Lupus. Real-life sucess stories prove that this technology that seems "too good to be true" is actually changing lives. In addition to presenting remarkable evidence and true stories of stem cells treating and, in many cases, curing diseases, Stem Cell... |
 |
ABC News Nightline Stem Cell Breakthrough for Suffering Pets" Stem Cell Breakthrough for Suffering Pets: Stem cell therapy for humans has long been mired in ethical debates. But for animals, the therapy is already here. By injecting animals with their own adult stem cells, common pet maladies, like hip dysplasia and arthritis, can be improved 70 percent of the time. California's Vet-Stem laboratories has developed the groundbreaking procedure, harvesting the regenerative cells from the animals' fat deposits. Can the procedure one day be adapted for humans? Hillary Clinton: Sen. Hillary Clinton's surprise victory in New Hampshire last night was especially welcome at her campaign headquarters, a much-needed rebound after a third-place finish in last week's Iowa caucuses. Was her emotional moment before the primary the difference? Driving Smart: We... |
 |
Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Therapy: The Gift of Healing from Healthy Newborns by Anthony G. Payne (Author), David Steenblock (Author) We are standing at the threshold of a new and exciting medical era-an era of regeneration, rejuvenation, and renewal in which stems cells will set the stage for healing and in some cases, the restoration of injured, diseased, and debilitated tissues and organ. While stem cell therapy is still in its infancy, the field is rich with promise. The debate over the use of embryonic stem cells and the questionable effectiveness of adult stem cells have led many scientists and clinicians to concentrate their energies on umbilical-cord-derived stem cells from healthy newborn babies. While these cells are technically classifed as "adult stem cells," they appear to have greater restorative and regenerative potential than stem cells derived from adult tissues due to their young age. Human... |
 |
Alzheimer's Disease: A Wilderness Exposed (NCME Video S103) Also With: Network For Continuing Medical Education (Primary Contributor), Kenneth L. David (Primary Contributor), Allen D. Roses (Primary Contributor), Dennis J. Selkoe (Primary Contributor), Rudolph E. Tanzi (Primary Contributor) |
 |
How Adult Stem Cell Therapies Can Save Your Life: Medicine's Best Kept Secret Saved My Life by Bernard van Zyl (Author) Laced with hope and promise for sufferers of seemingly incurable illnesses, How Adult Stem Cell Therapies Can Save Your Life: Medicine?s Best Kept Secret Saved My Life reveals that non-controversial adult stem cell therapies are already available for those with serious diseases and injuries. This book is a practical guide to those seeking adult stem cell treatments with step-by-step instructions on how to use the Internet to locate suitable FDA approved clinical trials for almost all major infirmities Seven years ago, van Zyl suffered cardiac arrest; his heart literally stopped until doctors shocked his chest. Over the next ten months, after receiving bypass surgery, an angioplasty, and entering a cardiac rehabilitation program, van Zyl?s heart was still deteriorating. Turned down by two... |
 |
Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes (Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine) by Shimon Efrat (Editor) Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes, one of the latest installments of the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine series, reviews the three main approaches for generation of sufficient numbers of insulin-producing cells for restoration of an adequate beta-cell mass: beta-cell expansion, stem-cell differentiation, and nuclear reprogramming. Adeptly collecting the research of the leading scientists in the field, Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes compares the merits of employing autologous versus banked allogeneic cell sources for generation of surrogate beta cells, and addresses tissue engineering and ways for cell protection from recurring autoimmunity and graft rejection. Sure to pique the interest of investigators, clinicians, and students of stem-cell application in regenerative... |
 |
Becoming Immortal: Combining Cloning and Stem-Cell Therapy by Stanley Shostak (Author) Explores how new organs might be engineered via cloning and reproductive technology to produce human immortality. |
 |
Cardiovascular Regeneration and Stem Cell Therapy by Annarosa Leri MD (Author), Piero Anversa MD (Author), William H. Frishman MD (Author) This book is the definitive reference on two of the most exciting areas of cardiovascular research – myocardial regeneration and stem cell therapy – for the treatment of disease. Edited by pioneers in the area, with contributions from every major investigator worldwide, it covers:
This fully referenced publication presents the current state... |
 |
Stem Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering for Cardiovascular Repair: From Basic Research to Clinical Applications by Nabil Dib (Editor), Doris A. Taylor (Editor), Edward B. Diethrich (Editor) In excess of 7 million people worldwide die of coronary heart disease each year. Only one-third of these heart attack victims recover completely. The remainder suffer the consequences of myocardial infarction and its ill fated remodeling process, resulting in chronic congestive heart failure. This malady alone is the leading cause of hospital admissions in the United States. New breakthroughs in stem cell therapy and tissue engineering have promised to reverse this dismal outcome by cardiovascular repair. World authorities, including scientists and regulatory authorities, have joined in a collaborative effort to present for the reader the first collective review of stem cell therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. These contributions in basic science, pre-clinical... |
 |
Handbook Of Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy by Ioannis Dimarakis (Author) This book is an impressive compilation of contributions on the hot topic of cardiac stem cell therapy from leading groups all over the world. In the assembly of chapters, a structured approach is adopted; starting from the clinician's perspective, all developments in both the experimental and clinical research areas are covered. This journey will take the reader from the bench-top to the bedside, with all chapters written by leading authorities in their respective fields, including data still in press with medical journals. So, beyond being excellent as an overall update for scientists in the field of cardiac stem cell therapy, this book will likely prove an indispensable tool for every budding scientist considering a research project within this field. Contents: The... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |