5TH ANNUAL RALLY WILL BE HELD SEPT 22TH, 2012

5th ANNUAL RALLY FOR ALI

IN SEARCH OF A CURE FOR DIABETES

ALL DONATIONS WILL GO TO HARVARD STEM CELL INSTITUTE

PICNIC FOR A CAUSE

KRAUSE’S GROVE, 2 Beach Road, Halfmoon, NY

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2013

1:00 PM TO 6:00 PM ~ RAIN OR SHINE

$30.00 per adult ticket at gate - $20.00 for children under 12

includes donation to Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

5 hour picnic with soda, beer, games, raffles, 50/50, live music

JAMBONE - THE BEAR BONES PROJECT - BLUE HAND LUKE

SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE BY AWARD-WINNING IRISH STEP DANCER

GRACE CATHERINE MOMROW (Ali’s cousin)

Abundant food and dessert being served 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Those who wish to join a pre-picnic motorcycle cavalcade around the beautiful Tomhannock Reservoir in Ali’s honor will meet at the Troy Plaza on Hoosick Street at 10:00 A.M. for sign up and the cavalcade will kick off at 11:00 A.M. sharp.

For more info: https://www.facebook.com/Rally4Ali


For Further Information

Contact

For the Run, Wally Urzan

518-368-4826

For the Picnic & Cause

Alison Fisk

AFisk10302@aol.com




Friday, June 28, 2013


Tokyo OKs world’s first IPS stem cell trial


iol scitech june 28 stemcell
REUTERS
A human embryonic stem cell line derived at Stanford University is seen in this handout photo released to Reuters by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Tokyo - Japan has given the green light to the world's first clinical trial using stem cells harvested from a patient's own body, officials said on Thursday, testing a treatment that may offer hope to millions of people robbed of their sight.
A government committee approved proposals for tests aimed at treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common medical condition that causes blindness in older people, using “induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells”, a health ministry official said.
The trial treatment will try to create retinal cells that can be transplanted into the eyes of patients suffering from AMD, replacing the damaged part of the eye.
AMD, a condition that is incurable at present, affects mostly middle-aged and older people and can lead to blindness. It afflicts around 700 000 people in Japan alone.
Stem cell research is a pioneering field that has excited many in the scientific community with the potential they believe it offers.
A China-based research group on Wednesday said they were hoping for regulatory approval to test stemcell therapy on spinal cord injuries they believe can help immobile people walk again.
Stem cells are infant cells that can develop into any part of the body.
Until the discovery of iPS cells several years ago, the only way to obtain stem cells was to harvest them from human embryos.
This is controversial because it requires the destruction of the embryo, a process to which religious conservatives, among others, object.
Groundbreaking work done in 2006 by Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University, a Nobel Laureate in medicine last year, succeeded in generating stem cells from adult skin tissue.
Like embryonic stem cells, iPS cells are also capable of developing into any cell in the body, but crucially their source material is readily available.
Following the government approval, the Riken Centre for Developmental Biology will start the world's first clinical trial using iPS cells as soon as next summer, a Riken spokesperson said.
Riken will recruit six patients suffering from AMD, all aged at least 50 years, and take cells from their skin.
These cells will be genetically reprogrammed to become iPS cells. The infant cells will then be nudged in the direction of developing into retina cells.
Once a network of retina cells has been developed - a process that could take around 10 months - this can be transplanted into the patient's eye, the spokesperson said.
Patients will be monitored over the next four years to determine how well the implants have performed, whether the body has accepted them and if they have become cancerous.
“Because no one in the world has used iPS cells in a clinical trial, what we are doing will set the standard,” research leader Masayo Takahashi told the Mainichi, a daily paper. “It's a daunting prospect, but one that brings joy.”
She said she expects that patients in the initial trial will see only a very modest improvement in their sight.
“We don't want people to have excessive expectations,” she said.
Kanji Takahashi, chief ophthalmologist at Kansai Medical University Hirokata hospital, told AFP the trial was a positive step, but not a done deal.
He said current treatment regimes include monthly drug injections directly into the eyes of AMD sufferers, at a cost of 150 000-170 000 yen per injection.
“Improving the eyesight of AMD patients is a difficult task, and what's important is whether transplanting cells improves vision,” he said.
“The trial is a hope for AMD patients, but it will probably take years before the new treatment will actually contribute to improving the vision of many people.” - Sapa-AFP

Wednesday, June 26, 2013


Hong Kong stem-cell trial gives spinal patients hope

stem cells
A stem-cell trial in Hong Kong has given hope for spinal patients.  Source: Supplied
A RESEARCHER into severe spinal cord injuries said trials for stem-cell therapy showed groundbreaking results in helping immobile patients walk again.
After progress in a second round of tests using stem cells to regrow nerve fibres, the China Spinal Cord Injury Network (ChinaSCINet) has applied for regulatory approval in China for a third and final phase, which it hopes to start in the autumn.
"This will convince the doctors of the world that they do not need to tell patients 'you will never walk again'," US-based doctor Wise Young, chief executive officer of ChinaSCINet, said.
He said that 15 out of 20 patients in the Chinese city of Kunming, who received umbilical cord blood cell transplants and intensive walking therapy, were on average able to walk with minimal assistance seven years after complete spinal cord injury.
"It's the first time in human history that we can see the regeneration of the spinal cord," Dr Young said.
The treatment involves injecting umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells into patients' damaged spines to help regenerate nerves, while lithium is used to promote the growth of the nerve fibres.
Each component of the combination therapy will be tested in the third phase, which Dr Young said would involve 120 patients in China and another 120 across India, Norway and the United States.
"If the phase three trial is successful, we should have achieved worldwide regulatory approval by the beginning to the middle of 2015," he said.
ChinaSCINet, a non-profit organisation that calls itself the world's largest clinical trial network for spinal cord therapies, was established in Hong Kong in 2005.
"Hong Kong is going to be way ahead of all the other countries if the spinal cord injury trial turns out to be positive," Dr Young said.
"That means Hong Kong will be the centre for stem-cell therapies."
Dr Young also said China is investing heavily into stem-cell research, while the technology remains highly controversial in the United States because of the anti-abortion camp's concerns about cells derived from human embryos.

Stem Cells Market is Expected to Reach USD 119.51 Billion Globally in 2018: Transparency Market Research

Published: Tuesday, Jun. 25, 2013 - 2:41 am
/PRNewswire/ --
According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research (http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com)"Stem Cells Market (Adult, Human Embryonic , Induced Pluripotent, Rat-Neural, Umbilical Cord, Cell Production, Cell Acquisition, Expansion, Sub-Culture)- Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2012 - 2018," the market for stem cells was valued at USD 26.23 billion in 2011 and is expected to reach an estimated value of USD 119.51 billion in 2018, growing at a CAGR of 24.2% from 2012 to 2018.
The market growth is majorly attributed to therapeutic research activities led by government support worldwide owing to the growing number of patients with chronic diseases across the globe. In addition, rising awareness of regenerative treatment options and growing importance of stem cell banking services are also fostering the growth of the market. Apart from these, development of medical tourism hubs in developing nations such as India and China and in turn migration of patients from developed nations such as the U.S., and Europe for quality treatment at significantly lower prices will also serve the market as a driver especially for the Asian stem cells market.
Stem cells market will be driven by rising proportion of patients with neurological and other chronic conditions and rising disposable incomes of patients induced by economic growth of Asian regions in the next five years In addition, increasing dependence on stem cells for drug discoveryand screening will boost the growth of the market in future. Increased outsourcing of contract research and clinical trials to developing Asian regions will further encourage growth of the stem cells market.
Adult stem cells held majority share of the overall stem cells market in 2011 at over 80%. This is due to less laborious procedure of harvesting, and less probability of contamination during expansion and sub-culture of adult stem cells. However, fewer post-transplant complications and lesser risk of graft vs. host reaction from the recently introduced induced pluripotent stem cells will lead to its rapid inclusion in research activities and help the global induced pluripotent stem cells market to grow at a relatively faster CAGR during the forecast period.
Related & Recently Published Reports by Transparency Market Research
Regenerative medicine dominated the stem cells market by applications in 2011, and is expected to maintain its leading position till 2018. Considerable research activities and the resultant developed therapies in neurology will drive the stem cells market in the forecast period.
North America was the market leader of the total stem cells market in 2011 and is expected to maintain its leading position till 2018. North American market is a center for stem cells research owing to greater support offered by federal government, and higher affordability of treatment in the region. High prevalence of chronic diseases in the region and support in terms of funding from government and private organizations is driving the European stem cells market.
The key players in stem cell research and technology include Advanced Cell Technology Inc., Stem Cell Technologies Inc., Cellular Engineering Technologies Inc., BioTime Inc., and Cellartis Ab among others.
Related & Recently Published Reports by Transparency Market Research

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/25/5521786/stem-cells-market-is-expected.html#storylink=cpy

Friday, June 14, 2013


Now, bank your stem cells for future use

PTI Jun 13, 2013, 11.56PM IST
(The cells are presumably…)
WASHINGTON: With stem-cell therapies poised to become the next big thing in medical treatments, companies in the US are offering people a unique chance to bank their stem cells for use in future.
It is believed that storing stem cells will come in handy in future when advance treatments are available. There will be stem cells ready to go that came from the patient's own body, eliminating the issue of rejection of donor cells.