Vindon Scientific - News

The reality of human stem cell research in Europe

European Science Foundation reports on the scientific, ethical and legal issues in human stem cell research

A new report from the European Science Foundation examines the key scientific questions for human stem cell research in the context of the rapidly emerging field of regenerative medicine. It explores the current ethical concerns, particularly with clinical application, and analyses how the legislative landscape has altered in Europe within the previous six years.

Regenerative medicine promises to be one of the most fascinating and controversial scientific developments of the 21st century. In this medical field, human embryonic stem cells could be applied in a variety of ways, for example to identify new compounds for drug development, or as cell-based therapies for treatments. The potential to use human stem cells to repair or replace tissue or organ functions lost through age, disease, damage or birth defects, raises strong ethical issues that must be considered integrally with any research. The different ethical or religious beliefs in individual countries in Europe means each has different policies for human stem cell research, and some are not willing to develop human stem cell-based therapies.

Stem cell research can be focused on clinical use, which specifically investigates potential therapies, or on basic research, which examines fundamental cell function and provides knowledge useful for therapies as well as providing a wider understanding of human development. Stem cells come from a variety of sources, embryos, foetal tissue and adults, and each has different characteristics.

The report observes there is a risk that embryonic stem cell lines may not be equally investigated for basic research because induced pluripotent stem cells (adult-derived reprogrammed stem cells) are similar in terms of several characteristics, easier to obtain and may present fewer ethical problems in some countries. However, there are currently more safety issues reported with reprogrammed somatic cells than with embryonic stem cells. Their properties are not identical so research on both cell types is still necessary.

"Regenerative medicine is a promising area, but we need to understand the full picture of what stem cells could bring. We must be careful not to limit research on the different types of stem cells - both embryonic and non-embryonic stem cells offer complementary information," said Professor Outi Hovatta from Sweden's Karolinska Institute, who chaired the report. "More research will deepen our understanding about stem cells basic mechanisms, and the potential risks and benefits."

The authors recommend public funding at the national and European level is needed to support human embryonic stem cell research. Given the variable situation in different European countries, progress toward therapies would be faster if researchers across Europe were given equitable research opportunities, provided that balanced facts about the risks and benefits of research were understood. If therapies become available, all patients across Europe should have equitable access to such therapies.

The report highlights a particular issue with the complexity of patenting human embryonic stem cell technologies in Europe. While innovations based on human embryonic stem cells can fulfil standard patentability requirements, the European Patent Convention is not clear about what falls within ethical guidelines. Under the convention patents cannot be issued for uses of human embryos for industrial or commercial purposes, but the convention does not state whether purely therapeutic use of stem cells would be defined 'commercial'. The European Patent Office will not grant a patent if the invention relies exclusively on a method requiring the destruction of a human embryo. Yet this does not specify if 'human embryo' includes stem cells derived from a blastocyst, a very early stage embryo. Blastocysts that have lost the ability to develop into a human are a common source of stem cells for research.

Hovatta continues: "To make the most of potential innovations based on knowledge from stem cells it is important that we have a clearer picture of the patenting situation."

The science policy briefing 'Human Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine: A European Perspective on Scientific, Ethical and Legal Issues' is available online: www.esf.org/publications/science-policy-briefings

Stem cells from fat may help heal bone

Wounded soldiers may one day be treated with stem cells from their own fat using a method under development at UC Davis.

Kent Leach, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, has already used the treatment in three racehorses. Now, with a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Army, he will begin testing it in rats.
The method employs a gel-like material to encourage stem cells from fat to regenerate damaged bone.
The stem cells have been shown to stimulate the growth of small blood vessels in developing bone, encouraging healing. The gel keeps the stem cells at the injury site; as the bone heals, the gel breaks down.

"Straight injection of stem cells has a limited effect," Leach said. "If we can localize the cells at the treatment site, the treatments should be more effective."

With Larry Galuppo, professor of veterinary medicine at UC Davis, Leach has already tested the technique in racehorses undergoing treatment for bone cysts at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Galuppo and his colleagues are treating most of the horses by injecting them with stem cells alone, but in three horses to date, they have used Leach's gel method. Results from those equine patients are still being assessed. The technique has not yet been tested in humans.

Using stem cells from a patient's own fat has two main advantages, Leach said. The stem cells have a better chance of succeeding and not being rejected by the body; and the main alternative, extraction from bone marrow, can be painful, requires several days of recovery time, and is not feasible for severely injured or weakened patients.

"Stem cells from adipose tissue are an exciting alternative to stem cells from bone marrow or other tissues because we can isolate a large number, no matter what the patient's condition is," Leach said.
Leach envisions that eventually, surgeons could extract fat from a patient, separate out the stem cells, mix them into the gel and inject the mixture directly into a fracture.

The team will test several compositions in rats to find one that yields the most rapid growth of new blood vessels and resulting bone formation, using noninvasive imaging technologies

Reprogrammed human blood cells show promise for disease research

ells from frozen human blood samples can be reprogrammed to an embryonic-stem-cell-like state, according to Whitehead Institute researchers. These cells can be multiplied and used to study the genetic and molecular mechanisms of blood disorders and other diseases. The research is reported in the July 2 issue of Cell Stem Cell.

To date, most cellular reprogramming has relied on skin biopsy or the use of stimulating factors to obtain the cells for induction of pluripotency. This work shows for the first time that cells from blood samples commonly drawn in doctor's offices and hospitals can be used to create induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.

Using blood as a cell source of iPS cells has two major advantages. "Blood is the easiest, most accessible source of cells, because you'd rather have 20 milliliters of blood drawn than have a punch biopsy taken to get skin cells," says Judith Staerk, first author of the Cell Stem Cell paper and a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Whitehead Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch. Also, blood collection and storage is a well established part of the medical system.

"There are enormous resources-blood banks with samples from patients-that may hold the only viable cells from patients who may not be alive anymore or from the early stage of their diseases," says Jaenisch, who is also a professor of biology at MIT. "Using this method, we can now resurrect those cells as induced pluripotent stem cells. If the patient had a neurodegenerative disease, you can use the iPS cells to study that disease."

iPS cells are reprogrammed from an adult state to an embryonic stem-cell-like state by inserting four reprogramming genes into the adult cells' DNA. These reprogramming factors convert the adult cells, with defined cell functions, into much more flexible iPS cells. iPS cells can then be nudged to divide repeatedly or turn into almost any cell type found in the body, allowing scientists to create large amounts of the specific cells needed to study a disease, such as dopamine-producing neurons for Parkinson's disease research.

Unlike other cell types, human blood cells had proven extremely difficult to convert into iPS cells. Working with frozen blood samples similar to those found in a blood bank, Staerk found that she could convert the blood cells by inserting a "cassette" of the reprogramming factors end to end, rather than inserting each of the factors separately.

Not all of the cells in the blood samples were converted to iPS cells. Blood is composed of red cells that carry oxygen throughout the body, white cells that are part of the immune system, and platelets that clot the blood after an injury. Because red blood cells and platelets lack nuclei containing DNA, they cannot be converted to iPS cells. The only white bloods cells converted to iPS cells were T cells and a few myeloid cells. B cells failed to reprogram, most likely because the experiment's environment lacked the chemicals needed for successful B-cell conversion.

Staerk is particularly interested in using these iPS cells to study blood diseases. "With this method, you could reprogram blood samples from patients where the underlying cause of their diseases is not known, and get cell numbers large enough to screen for genetic factors and study the molecular mechanisms underlying the blood disorders," she says. "That's a big advance, especially if the patient is not alive anymore and new material cannot be obtained."

Tel Aviv University develops method for tracking adult stem cells as they regress

It's a new technology that uses molecular therapy to coax adult cells to revert to an embryonic stem cell-like state, allowing scientists to later re-differentiate these cells into specific types with the potential to treat heart attacks or diseases such as Parkinson's. But at this point in the technology's development, only one percent of cells are successfully being reprogrammed.

Now, for the first time, scientists at Tel Aviv University in collaboration with researchers at Harvard University have succeeded in tracking the progression of these cells through live imaging to learn more about how they are reprogrammed, and how the new cells evolve over time.

Dr. Iftach Nachman of TAU's Department of Biochemistry says that this represents a huge stride forward. It will not only allow researchers to develop techniques and choose the right cells for replacement therapy, increasing the efficiency of cell reprogramming, but will give invaluable insight into how these cells will eventually react in the human body. Results from the research project were recently published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

Looking at your cell's family tree
Dr. Nachman and his fellow researchers used fluorescent markers to develop their live imaging approach. During the reprogramming process, the team was able to visually track whole lineages of a cell population from their single-cell point of origin.

Cell lineage proved to be crucial for predicting how the cells would behave and whether or not they could be reprogrammed successfully, says Dr. Nachman. _By combining quantitative analysis of the data, we were able to see that these 'decisions' are made very early on. We analyzed the cells over time, and we were able to detect subtle changes that occur as early as the first or second day in a long, two-week process.

This is the first time that scientists have looked within a cell population to determine why some cells successfully reprogram while most fail or die along the way. The state in which cells enter the reprogramming process are thought to have an impact on the outcome.

Nature in reverse
Scientists are only beginning to understand this enigmatic process, which reverses nature by causing cells to regress back to their embryonic stage. Increased knowledge of how reprogramming cells proliferate will allow scientists to develop better real-life therapies and reduce risk to patients, says Dr. Nachman.

While embryonic stem cells culled from live embryos can be manipulated to become new "replacement" tissues such as nerve or heart cells, these reprogrammed stem cells from adults represent a safer and ethically more responsible approach, some scientists believe.

The next step for Dr. Nachman and his team is research into specific cell-type characteristics before adult cells even enter the reprogramming process. They will try to discover the molecular markers that differentiate between cells that successfully reprogram and those that do not. Several projects in their lab are now attempting to track different cell types and how they change under live imaging.

Total climatic and impact packaging

Vindon's new barrier foil packaging solution, is designed to eliminate product damage caused by moisture ingress, providing a “total climatic and impact packaging solution”.

An inner layer of aluminium barrier foils protects products from moisture/oxygen ingress, aggressive gasses and temperature extremes. This foil layer combines with a desiccant inside the barrier foil bag to absorb any existing water vapour and to neutralise any water vapour which may pass through the barrier foil.

The barrier foil bags and corrosion prevention liners have no limitation on size or shape and are ideally suited for our products - requiring no preservation methods which require cleaning.

We’ve weathered the storm - A positive outlook for Vindon

The company has renewed confidence for 2010 and beyond, with the appointment on 23 March of Jon Scopes as the new Finance Director of Vindon Healthcare plc.

He qualified as a chartered accountant with Price Waterhouse in 1980, has over twenty years of experience in working at board level, and has already been involved with our finance team to introduce his extensive experience in strategy development and performance management.

Jon is confident about Vindon’s future success. He comments, “Despite the costs associated with the move to our new premises at Rochdale and the acquisition of Westech in Atlanta, we managed to turn in a healthy profit, as well as an increase of 10% in share dividends in 2009. With the economy emerging from recession, we are now set fair to improve our financial strength yet further.”

Jon will carefully monitor the situation while the anticipated increase in market demand builds up over the next few years. With such a positive attitude, the future looks healthy for Vindon’s worldwide businesses under his financial leadership.

Training Courses

Vindon always aims to help customers make the most of their investment in us. That’s why our Validation department offers comprehensive training on all aspects of the operation and monitoring of environmental rooms and cabinets.

Our training regime can be tailored to individual company requirements as part of the installation of a new room or chamber. Like retrospective training following installation. Or when new personnel join the company. We have twenty-five years of experience in the field. We’ve used this to establish a rigorous training procedure. Which means that operators and maintenance engineers have a thorough understanding of the operation and working of chambers and storage rooms.

Operator Training consists of:

• Working knowledge of chamber controllers
• Alarm systems local and remote
• Probe types and uses
• Chart recorders
• 2300 and 2400 loggers
• Bridge software
• Review software
• Documentation
• CFR 21 part 11

Basic Maintenance consists of :

• Visual inspection of chamber
• Temperature alarm system
• Humidity alarm system
• Internal alarms
• Connection to Building management system
• Pure water systems local & remote
• Humidity generation system
• Dehumidification system
• Refrigeration system
• Lighting system
• Door seals and door heaters

Rochdale - Home to Vindon Scientific

Rochdale is home to the prestigious Kingsway business park where Vindon Scientific are based. Recent change and regeneration has seen newly built schools, a new college, new leisure facilities, a major housing renewal programme and an ambitious masterplan for the Borough - and Rochdale town centre - that will transform the experience of visitors and residents alike.



It’s far too easy to take for granted the many special things we have such as beautiful countryside, canals and rivers - and how close we are to Leeds and Manchester. However, despite these and other significant advantages, outside of the Borough we are something of a secret.

As a Borough many people have come together to develop ideas of how we can change and raise our profile while improving their experience of our place to help us to attract new jobs, encourage more people to come and live here, interest visitors and get developers to invest in us.

So, over the coming months you will begin to see the Borough portrayed in a new and different way. We have a story we are proud of and we want as many people as possible to know it and share in it.

Vindon helps the next generation

We recently discovered that Michael Whatmough, our Validation Manager, wanted to invest in his family’s future health by storing the stem cells of Corey, his newborn baby. We automatically offered to help him and his wife, Lynn, by providing our unique service for them.

At Vindon we believe that everyone should be able to process and store their stem cells for future use

Michael is aware that his baby’s umbilical cord blood contains potential lifesaving stem cells. Vindon has become the guardian of these cells - for a lifetime. Their newborn child now has the assurance that his umbilical cord blood stem cells could play an important part in his future health and well-being. Medical use of stem cells could be extensive throughout his lifetime.

At Vindon we believe that everyone should be able to process and store their stem cells for future use - whether it is for tried and tested cancer therapy, transplant medicine or for future medical breakthrough applications. We’re a company that prides itself in the provision of a fully-accredited and HTA-licensed state-of-the-art storage facility. And we offer this as a free service to all of our staff. Proof that, at Vindon, we practise what we preach.

Vindon Heritage storage

Many cultural works are sensitive to environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity and exposure to light and ultraviolet light. They must be protected in a controlled environment where such variables are maintained within a range of damage-limiting levels.

Britain’s collective cultural heritage is an irreplaceable and treasured resource. As such, it requires precise and committed storage. Vindon’s low temperature and low humidity dedicated heritage storage suite is an ideal repository for items such as master archive microfilm collections, manuscripts, historical records, nitrate and acetate films, costumes, paintings and fine art, archaeological artefacts and rare books.

There is often a lot of data associated with heritage items, so we allocate a barcode label containing a 2D barcode together with a short human-readable description. This enables all artefacts to be readily identifiable by sight for easy recognition.

VIMS Inventory Management

Vindon’s Cryobank is a worldwide biorepository for the collection and storage of biological materials. These biospecimens comprise tissue, stem cells, bacterial cultures, blood and even environmental samples. It’s vitally important that the location of any sample is easily traceable when access to it is required. To facilitate this process, we created the Vindon Inventory Management System (VIMS).



It would be impossible to remember the exact location of every individual sample we store. Having a paper audit trail is time consuming and data can be easily mislaid. VIMS, our automated audit trail, is the perfect solution. It’s accurate, quick to use and items are readily accessible at any time.

Reliable storage
VIMS is a comprehensive management solution for cryogenic storage. It provides peace of mind to customers who entrust us with their important samples. And we can access them at the touch of a button.

As one of the UK’s leading pharmaceutical outsourcing companies, we required a system to match our customer’s expectations

Stem cell samples are received and their data is uploaded to the sample control system, eliminating the need for tedious manual input. This data contains comprehensive information about the individual, so it is imperative that these details are correct. A secondary advantage of eliminating manual input is that the chance of human error in this important data entry process is removed. Once the data is entered, samples are placed in our Cryofreezer system.

Foolproof barcoding
A typical Cryofreezer comprises racks and drawers, all with unique barcode labels. The location of each sample is recorded by scanning the barcodes, using a Honeywell Dolphin 7600 scanner. Samples are stored in cassettes, which are also barcode labelled and placed into the drawers, with up to ten cassettes per drawer. Finally, each Cryofreezer is barcoded externally, using a 2D barcode label.

Our barcode labels have been manufactured to survive in freezing temperatures down to minus 196°C. This ensures that the data on sample barcodes does not become damaged over time and they can be scanned and read for future identification.

Suite solutions for UK storage

To avoid large capital expenditure on chambers or rooms and extra laboratory space, many organisations are now using Vindon’s unique stability storage suites for their trials. We can store over 2000 cubic metres of product in our Walk-In Stability Rooms and Chambers, which are always available for specific requirements.

Ultra-low storage
Vindon’s ultra-low temperature storage facility provides an ideal solution for the long-term preservation of biological specimens at minus 80ºC. Our freezers can store millions of samples, vials or tube racks and can be customised to precise biotechnology and pharmaceutical needs.

Cryogenic storage
Our Cryobank consists of dry-store freezers, specifically designed as vapour phase storage systems, offering first-class biological storage conditions with exceptional sample security and real-time tracking. The ideal solution for short-, medium- or long-term preservation of biological samples, stem cells, bone marrow and culture collections, as well as microbial and viral seed stocks.

Vindon expands into US market

Vindonwestech is the new name for stability storage services and products in the USA. With new premises opening in Atlanta this summer, we can now offer pharma and biopharm storage, validation and calibration, stability storage and heritage storage facilities to the same high levels currently enjoyed by our UK and European customers.

Vindonwestech will distribute our high quality equipment to the pharmaceutical research, manufacturing and healthcare markets in the US including our environmental products, ranging from small bench-top cabinets to large purpose-built rooms.

We’ve had a working partnership with Westech for over three years, during which time it became apparent that the American market could benefit from our reputation and expertise. Vindon subsequently acquired Westech Instruments Inc from its parent company, Westech Instrument Services Limited, to form Vindonwestech, a significant move that was completed on 28 January 2010.


Vindon Westech Inc.
300 Town Park Drive, Building 1, Suite 130, Kennesaw, GA 30144. USA
Tel: +1 770 988-3095 Fax: +1 770 988 3094
Web: www.vindonwestech.com

Freezing and storing sperm

Although here at Vindon we don't freeze sperm for individuals, Freezing sperm is relatively straightforward.

The Vindon cryogenic storage service is for institutions and research organisations.
If the Vindon cryobank were to store sperm for individuals, we would require a referral from a clinic as you would normally require a consultation at a recognised clinic by a nurse or doctor to discuss and assess the reasons for considering freezing sperm. Frozen sperm is never as good as fresh sperm. Freezing sperm can be expensive and is not always successful.

Depending on the reason for storing the sperm, the man is asked to produce several sperm samples over one or two weeks. Each sample is mixed with an equal volume of a cryoprotectant media (fluid that protects the individual sperm when they are frozen). The sample is then cooled slowly before being stored in liquid nitrogen at –196°C.



A member of the clinical team will provide information about the procedure before sperm is stored and get the donors informed consent in writing. This must also name the person who can use the sample and state the fate of the sample should the donor die or become mentally incapacitated. The law also lays down strict limits on the length of time for which sperm is allowed to be stored in a facility like the Vindon Cryobank.

Before storing sperm, the donor must have a blood test to screen for diseases such as HIV and hepatitis B and C, (leaflets are available such as ‘Routine Infection Screening’). If any viable sperm are evident, the sample will be loaded into labelled ’straws’ and stored in liquid nitrogen at -196°C, for possible future use. (The sperm count and quality do not have to meet the criteria required for sperm donation.)

New Start-up Company Progenteq

Fusion IP, the AIM listed university commercial company that turns world class university research into business, is pleased to announce that it has created a new spin-out company, Progenteq, under its exclusive agreement with Cardiff University.

Progenteq, is developing a novel cartilage replacement therapy that has the potential to revolutionise the treatment of acute knee injuries. The company is founded on the work of Professor Charlie Archers research group at Cardiff Universitys School of Biosciences. Professor Archer is Leader of the Connective Tissue Biology Group, recognised for excellence in tissue engineering and repair research.

The group has successfully isolated a defined population of cells from the articular cartilage which surround the main bones in the knee joint. These cells display stem-cell like properties and can be expanded in the laboratory to produce very large quantities of cartilage. As a result this cell type could provide an ideal source of material for an allogeneic cartilage replacement therapy, whereby cells derived from donors can be taken and used to grow a large tissue bank of cartilage that can be stored and is suitable for insertion into patients with acute knee injuries as and when needed. This model promises a more cost-effective cell therapy than current autologous approaches, where cells are removed from a patient, expanded and then implanted into the same patient. The successful development of a cartilage cell bank could also pave the way for treatment of degenerative cartilage damage such as that seen in osteoarthritis.

David Baynes, CEO of Fusion IP said:
Cardiff University continues to produce world class IP. Although this is an early stage project, an allogeneic approach has been described as the holy grail of cartilage repair. We believe that Professor Archers discovery may be the key and as such it has the potential to revolutionise the way we treat acute knee injuries. The support from the Technology Strategy Board is proving invaluable in catalysing innovation in regenerative medicine in the UK and we look forward to Progenteq taking its first stages towards the clinic.

Fusion IP owns the rights to 100% of university-owned research generated at two of the UK's leading universities The University of Sheffield and Cardiff University.

6 million to be invested in further regenerative medicine research and development

The Technology Strategy Board is to invest a further 6m in regenerative medicine research and development and has invited British companies to bid for funding through two new competitions.

As part of a 21.5m programme in regenerative medicine, the Board is to invest up to 4m in commercial research and development projects in regenerative medicine therapeutics. A second competition will see investment of up to 2m in feasibility projects in regenerative medicine tools and technologies. Both competitions open on 8 March 2010.

The aim of the Developing Therapeutics competition is to enable UK businesses to carry out preclinical and clinical development of regenerative medicine therapeutic products. The competition will enable consortia to accelerate product development to take advantage of future market or funding opportunities.

Meanwhile, the aim of the Tools and Technologies Feasibility Studies competition is to enable UK businesses to address challenges currently being faced by developers of regenerative medicine therapeutics through the development of platform technologies. Particular challenges to be addressed through the competition include the ability to assess the safety and/or efficacy of therapeutic products and being able to develop reproducible and robust manufacturing processes.

The Technology Strategy Board launched its 21.5m programme of competitions in the area of regenerative medicine in September 2009. It is supported by the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). In January the Board announced its first investments through the programme, with 30 feasibility studies receiving 2.8m of funding while two major collaborative research and development projects received a further 1.7m. (Ends)Issued by

New 10-year UK blood stem cell strategy to be created

Stem Cell Strategic Forum to be led by NHSBT

Gillian Merron, Public Health Minister, has asked NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) to lead a team of experts in creating a new 10-year strategy for the provision of blood stem cells, including those from cord blood to fight leukaemias and other blood disorders.

The group will carry out the first UK-wide, expert-led review to ensure blood stem cells from adult donors or cord blood are available for patients requiring transplants.

The strategic review will bring together the UKs leading experts and organisations working in this ground-breaking field of science and medicine under the leadership of NHSBT.
The UK already hosts world-leading services providing stem cells from adult and cord blood for therapeutic treatment. In October 2009, the NHS Cord Blood Bank, one of the worlds most advanced, opened its expanded state-of-the-art storage facility at Filton, Bristol. The NHS Cord Blood Bank is the fourth largest in the world with 14,500 donations available for therapeutic use; NHSBT will be increasing the bank to 20,000 donations by 2013.

Lynda Hamlyn, Chief Executive of NHSBT said: The Department of Health is committed to making sure the UK has the best options available for NHS patients needing stem cell therapy. The launch of this ground-breaking review means the Government will have the best advice to develop and deploy these life-saving new services.

NHSBT has 15 years of expertise in cord blood collection, banking and research. We intend to ask the countrys leading clinicians and charities working in this field to add their expertise to our own so that we can build on the success already established in bringing advanced stem cell therapy and transplantation to NHS patients.

Gillian Merron said: We should make the most of the possibilities that stem cells offer to treat diseases such as leukaemia. I have asked the Forum to think about how to maximise the use of bone marrow registries and cord blood banks in finding a suitable donation to patients needing a transplant.

National Blood Services in the UK and the Anthony Nolan Trust already provide an excellent service, led by dedicated people with a common objective to help save more lives. I want to ensure that this work gets even better.

Professor Charles Craddock, Chair of the Strategic Forum, said: "This is an excellent initiative that will bring together the UK's leading experts to develop a set of clear recommendations for the future of stem cell policy. I am delighted to have been asked to Chair the Strategic Forum and look forward to commencing work to determine how we can ensure the needs of patients are best met in the future."

Henny Braund, chief executive of the Anthony Nolan Trust, added: We warmly welcome todays announcement and are delighted to be playing a key role in this vital project, which will build on our work of 35 years, providing life-saving stem cell donors. We look forward to working with all parties in exploring the fantastic potential of cord blood to save even more lives in future.

5M funding partnership to bring new innovation and economic benefit to UK

A 5M development at the Norwich Research Park (NRP), funded by a partnership including the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) will provide facilities for start-up and growing businesses that will turn world-class science into products and technologies. This new development, announced today (26 January 2010), will bring new innovation and a boost to local and national economies. Over 30 office and laboratory units will be created in a totally refurbished and customised building housing up to 300 new staff. The main contractors have been appointed to carry out the work and the new facilities will be fully operational as early as July 2010.
BBSRC will provide 500,000 as well as the land and buildings to host the new facilities, with 1.4M coming from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), 1M from the Greater Norwich Development Partnership (GNDP), 500,000 from NRP partner the University of East Anglia (UEA), and the remainder from other NRP partners.
BBSRC, the Institute of Food Research (IFR), the John Innes Centre (JIC) and the University of East Anglia (UEA) are involved with the management of the facility, which will be controlled by new joint venture company Colney Innovations Ltd (CIL).

David Parfrey, BBSRC Director of Finance and director of CIL said: "The office and laboratory suites will provide unrivalled facilities for new and expanding research businesses attracted to the cluster of science facilities at the Norwich Research Park. The research carried out by the two thousand scientists already working at the Park is world-class and it makes absolute sense to create a facility on this site where the results of such research can be taken through to applications."
Prof Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of BBSRC, said: "The Norwich Research Park is home to three world-class BBSRC institutes: the John Innes Centre, the Institute of Food Research and The Genome Analysis Centre. This new facility will play a key role in helping our scientists, and others, to translate their excellent science into products, services, advice and jobs to benefit the economy and people of the UK. BBSRC is proud to be a partner in this venture."

Fat Tissue May Be a Source of Valuable Blood Stem Cells, Study Says

Bone marrow is a leading source of adult stem cells, which are increasingly used for research and therapeutic interventions, but extracting the cells is an arduous and often painful process. Now, researchers have found evidence that fat tissue, known as adipose tissue, may be a promising new source of valuable and easy-to-obtain regenerative cells called hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), according to a study prepublished online in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.

"It's not outside the realm of possibility that a donor graft of adipose tissue-derived HSPCs might be able to partially replace the need for bone marrow transplantation within 10 years," said lead study author Gou Young Koh, MD, PhD, of the Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daedeok Science Town, Daejeon, South Korea.

HSPCs are powerful cells that have the ability to regenerate and develop into many different kinds of cells. With advances in technologies and understanding of cell functions, HSPCs are now used to repair damaged tissue and are being studied for their potential to treat a vast array of chronic and degenerative conditions. HSPCs are found in high quantities in the bone marrow, but a certain portion known as extramedullary tissue, found outside of bone marrow, circulate between the marrow and the peripheral blood.

Previous research has found that adipose tissue contains many different types of adult stem cells. In this study, researchers hypothesized that the adipose tissue might be a valuable alternative source of HSPCs as an extramedullary tissue but questioned whether the tissue could provide a sufficient quantity of cells to be used for research and therapeutic purposes.
"We know that adipose tissue and bone marrow tissues share similar properties, so we suspected that valuable stem cells might be found in the adipose regions, offering a unique resource for stem cells that might be easier and less costly to extract," said Dr. Koh.

Within the adipose tissue is a special cell population known as the stromal vascular fraction (SVF), which consists of other undefined stem cells as well as immune, endothelial (blood vessel lining), progenitor (undifferentiated or premature precursor cells), and stromal (connective tissue) cells. Cells in the SVF share similar properties to those in the bone marrow. Both contain a population of cells that have the ability to differentiate into several cell types. In addition, both adipose tissue and bone marrow offer similar environments for optimal stem cell growth and reproduction, including a smaller amount of circulating oxygen and specialized vascular systems as compared with other organs.

The research team characterized the HSPCs in the SVF of mouse adipose tissue with both in vitro and in vivo analyses. They studied the origin of the HSPCs to better predict their behavior and determine whether the quantity of cells could be increased by promoting more frequent HSPC movement between the bone marrow and peripheral blood using granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, or G-CSF, a growth hormone used to encourage development of stem cells. The team found that the more they could mobilize the HSPCs between the bone marrow and the peripheral blood, the more HSPCs they would find in the SVF.

The study results provide compelling evidence that the SVF derived from adipose tissue contains functional HSPCs capable of generating hematopoietic (blood-forming) cells. Importantly, researchers found that the cells were able to differentiate into a variety of hematopoietic cells when tracked for at least 16 weeks post-transplantation, which reflects long-term and permanent reconstitution of donor hematopoietic cells in recipients.

The frequency of HSPCs in the adipose tissue found in the study was significantly less than that found in bone marrow (approximately 0.2 percent of the HSPCs found in total bone marrow). Therefore, researchers wanted to determine whether the SVF might be used practically as an alternative source of HSPCs. Fortunately, according to the researchers, a vast amount of the SVF in adipose tissue can be easily obtained from patients using conventional liposuction and isolation methods that are safe and relatively pain-free.

"These study results suggest that more HSPCs might be obtained from the stromal vascular fraction through increased mobilization of these cells from the bone marrow using G-CSF," said Dr. Koh. "So once a technology can be defined to purify HSPCs from the stromal vascular fraction, we believe adipose tissue may be a good alternative and novel resource for obtaining functional and transplantable HSPCs."

The research team is actively extending their research in this area, including plans for a human clinical study. They also emphasize the need for a clinically safer and more efficient method for isolating the HSPCs from the adipose tissue.

Reporters who wish to receive a copy of the study or arrange an interview with Dr. Koh may contact Patrick Irelan at 202-776-0544 or pirelan@hematology.org.

TAP Begins New Five Year Collaboration with Top Regenerative Medicine Centre Following an Injection of 5.3 Million from the UK Government

The Automation Partnership (TAP), a world leader in the design and development of innovative automation for life science applications is pleased to announce that its collaboration with leading translational research group, the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Regenerative Medicine at Loughborough University is to continue into a second five year phase. This follows the recent announcement by Prime Minister, Gordon Brown and Lord Mandelson, UK Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills of a 5.33 million grant to the centre.

TAP's new five year partnership with EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Regenerative Medicine will mean the further development and testing of its CompacT CellBase(TM) system for culturing clinically applicable stem cells in a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) environment. Additionally, the funding will allow TAP to begin new research with the centre to develop ambr(TM), TAP's advanced microscale bioreactor that mimics the characteristics of classical bioreactors. This project will enable the centre to explore the use of alternative technology platforms to ensure high quality stem cell therapies are manufactured both rapidly and cost-effectively.

This new collaboration is a continuation of the work TAP began as part of the remedi (regenerative medicine - a new industry) EPSRC Grand Challenge consortium in 2005 and has contributed to remedi achieving three world firsts in automated cell culture, including production in a CompacT CellBase of a clinical grade neuronal stem cell line.

David Newble, TAP's CEO stated: "We are delighted our collaboration with the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Regenerative Medicine will continue to be funded and is a great endorsement of the success we have all achieved with the remedi consortium. Utilising and developing TAP's innovative technology is firmly at the heart of this partnership and sends a clear signal that TAP is leading the way in regenerative medicine and playing a vital role in making affordable new stem cell therapies a reality."

28 January 2010 AIM: VDN

Vindon Healthcare plc

(“Vindon” and together with its subsidiaries the “Group”)

Vindon Acquires US based Westech Instruments Inc

Vindon Scientific Limited (“Vindon Scientific”), Vindon’s wholly owned subsidiary, has today acquired the entire issued share capital of Westech Instruments Inc (“Westech Inc”) from its parent company, Westech Instrument Services Ltd.

Westech Inc’s core business was originally the US distribution of equipment for pharmaceutical inhalers. Since 2006, Westech Inc has distributed Vindon’s storage products in the US, steadily building up a customer base across North America. However, the inhaler business has reduced significantly during this period and as a result the distributorship agreement with Vindon Scientific has become the major part of Westech Inc’s operations.

The Group plans to grow the US business substantially, including establishing its own stability storage operation. A new storage facility is scheduled to come into operation in Atlanta in June 2010. This will mirror the business model already successfully deployed in the Group’s Irish operations.

The capital base of Westech Inc is to be increased and the new operation will trade under the Vindon name, which is already established and highly respected throughout the pharmaceutical world.

In the three years to 31 December 2009 the annual sales through Westech Inc as sales agent for Vindon Scientific have increased from £46k to £331k. With the benefit of the new storage facility and backed by the Vindon brand this growth is anticipated to further accelerate. In the six months to 31 December 2009, Westech Inc recorded an (unaudited) pre-tax profit of US$52k and a deficit in net assets, which will reduce to US$139k following the acquisition.

Westech Inc is being acquired for an initial cash consideration of £80k together with deferred consideration of up to £30k and a further amount of up to £70k payable within three years, based on a share of the increase in the value of positive net assets in Westech Inc.

Liam Ferguson, Chairman of Vindon Healthcare , said, “The Board had identified the US as a key market for the Group and planned to scale up its operations in this territory. The acquisition of Westech Inc provides Vindon with an ideal opportunity to rapidly develop its operations in the US market. We inherit a talented sales team and an operating base at significantly less cost than establishing our own business from a standing start. We intend to move quickly to build on the established brand and secure our reputation within the US as the first choice for high quality stability storage services and equipment.”

For further information, please contact:

Liam Ferguson, Vindon Healthcare plc. Tel: 01706 716 710
Daniel Bate, WH Ireland Limited. Tel: 0161 832 2174
Justine James, Hansard Communications. Tel: 020 7245 100 or 07525 324431

Notes to editors
Vindon is a manufacturer and service provider of speciality storage solutions for controlled environmental testing, heritage artefact storage, ultra-low temperature and cryogenic sample storage. These facilities are provided at its state of the art storage facilities in Rochdale, where the equipment is also designed and manufactured to client specification.
?Products and services include: Environmental Rooms and Cabinets, Disaster Recovery Management, Outsourced Stability Storage, Photostability Cabinets, Fridges and Freezers, Ovens, Blood Banks, Plasma Freezers, Plant Growth Cabinets, Incubators and Validation, Service and Repair

Vindon Scientific is an acknowledged leader in the field of controlled Environmental Rooms and Chambers.

RXi Pharmaceuticals and the University of Massachusetts Medical School Announce Research Collaboration Focused on Ocular Disease

RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation (Nasdaq: RXII), a biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi), today announced a collaboration with Shalesh Kaushal, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). The research collaboration will be focused on the application of RXi's self-delivering RNAi (sd-rxRNA(TM)) compounds for ocular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 55 years of age.

RXi previously presented encouraging data on spontaneous cellular uptake and potent activity of sd-rxRNA compounds in retinal cells. The collaboration with UMMS will further advance RXi's therapeutic platform by evaluating the delivery and silencing activity of sd-rxRNAs in preclinical models of ocular disease.

Noah D. Beerman, President and CEO of RXi Pharmaceuticals commented, "We are eager to explore the use of our sd-rxRNA compounds in additional therapeutic areas, such as ocular disease, and to continue our successful relationship with the leading researchers at UMMS. Leveraging academic collaborations is an essential part of our business strategy and we are looking forward to collaborating with one of the top clinical research ophthalmologists in the U.S."
Dr. Kaushal commented, "RXi's next generation sd-rxRNA compounds incorporate many drug-like properties of a successful therapeutic and may improve the clinical success of RNAi therapeutics. I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with such promising technology from one of the leading RNAi therapeutics companies."

About RNA Interference (RNAi) and Self-delivering rxRNA(TM) (sd-rxRNA(TM))
Regarded as a revolutionary discovery in biology, RNA interference (RNAi) is a naturally occurring mechanism whereby short, double-stranded RNA molecules interfere with the expression of genes in living cells. This mechanism has the potential to be harnessed to "silence" or specifically block the production of disease-causing proteins before they are made. This technology can potentially be used to treat human diseases by "turning-off" genes that lead to disease in the first place. RXi Pharmaceuticals is using RNAi technology to develop RNA-derived molecules targeting disease-causing genes.

Self-delivering rxRNA(TM) (sd-rxRNA(TM)) is a proprietary technology developed at RXi which has the potential to enable the efficient delivery of RNAi compounds without the requirement of an additional delivery vehicle. This technology has potential clinical applications for diseases where localized delivery is an option and also has the potential to be applied for indications requiring systemic delivery of RNAi.

About RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation
RXi Pharmaceuticals is a discovery-stage biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi) for the treatment of human diseases. RXi has a comprehensive therapeutic platform that includes both RNAi compounds and delivery methods. RXi uses its own version of RNAi compounds -- rxRNA(TM) -- that provide an advanced alternative to conventional small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and define the next generation of RNAi technology. rxRNA(TM) compounds are designed specifically for therapeutic use and contain many of the properties needed to move RNAi based drugs into the clinic. RXi Pharmaceuticals believes it is well positioned to compete successfully in the RNAi-based therapeutics market with its accomplished scientific advisors, including Dr. Craig Mello, recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize for his co-discovery of RNAi; a management team that is experienced in developing RNAi products; and a strong early intellectual property position in RNAi chemistry and delivery. www.rxipharma.com

About the University of Massachusetts Medical School
The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) attracts more than $240 million in research funding annually, and its innovative programs are the centerpiece of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative. Consistently ranked by U.S.News & World Report as one of the leading medical schools in the nation for primary care education, UMMS comprises a medical school, graduate school of nursing, graduate school of biomedical sciences and an active research enterprise, and is a leader in health sciences education, research and public service. UMMS is the academic partner of UMass Memorial Health Care. For more information, visit www.umassmed.edu

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future expectations, plan and future development of RXi Pharmaceutical Corporation's products and technologies. These forward-looking statements about future expectations, plans and prospects of the development of RXi Pharmaceutical Corporation's products and technologies involve significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the risk that the development of our RNAi-based therapeutics may be delayed or may not proceed as planned and we may not be able to complete development of any RNAi-based product, the risk that the FDA approval process may be delayed for any drugs that we develop, risks related to development and commercialization of products by our competitors, risks related to our ability to control the timing and terms of collaborations with third parties and the possibility that other companies or organizations may assert patent rights that prevent us from developing our products. Actual results may differ materially from those RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation contemplated by these forward-looking statements. RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect a change in its views or events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release.

SOURCE: RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation
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Beike Biotechnology, Jiangsu University and Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Receive $1.8 Million for Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell R&D and Clinical Trials

The Jiangsu Government’s Science and Technology Department has announced a $1.8 million grant - the Jiangsu Technological Achievements Transformational Grant - to support the research and development of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (hUC-MSC) technologies. The grant recipient and administrator, Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (http://www.beikebiotech.com), is working with Jiangsu University and Nanjing University’s Drum Tower Hospital to fulfill the grant’s requirements.

This grant marks the start of the second stage of Beike’s stem cell engineering industrialization project. The project’s first phase began in May 2008, when Beike opened an 1,800 square-meter stem cell bank in Taizhou’s China Medical City district. In the second phase, the bank will be used as a library for storing and indexing hUC-MSC samples. In April 2009, Beike broke ground on its 20,000 square-meter Stem Cell Regenerative Medicine Industrial Complex, the world’s largest stem cell storage and processing facility. Beike will use a portion of the Jiangsu Technological Achievements Transformational Grant to outfit this complex with over 80 specialized pieces of equipment including fully automated enzyme immunoassay analysis systems, carbon dioxide incubators, and cell viability analyzers.
The grant’s three-year objectives are to systematically develop hUC-MSC technology and its medical application from “bench-to-bedside” - from harvesting, to laboratory modeling, through clinical trials, and finally clinical applications in treating Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other degenerative diseases. In support of this effort, Beike will provide the facilities, equipment, management framework and certain proprietary clinical stem cell technologies for the project. Nanjing University Medical School’s renowned Drum Tower Hospital will be responsible for administering the human trials while Jiangsu University will bring its vast biological research and development resources to the production and animal study phases of the project.

Dr. Sean Hu, CEO and Chairman of Beike Biotechnology, commented on the collaboration saying, “As Asia’s leader in stem cell technology and its applications, Beike is proud to partner with two of Jiangsu’s top medical universities - both already established as leaders in stem cell technology and application. I am confident that with continued support from both Jiangsu Province and China’s government, this collaboration will continue to produce groundbreaking work in the field of stem cells.”

The Drum Tower Hospital will be responsible for the human clinical trials enlisting 200 patients. Dr. Sun Lingyun, the Director of the Hospital’s Rheumatology and Immunology Department, will direct the 140-patient Systemic Lupus Erythematosus clinical trial while Dr. Xu Yun, Director of the Hospital’s Neurology Department, will oversee the 60-patient Multiple Sclerosis trial.

“I have been studying stem cells since 1997 and have seen their healing potential in animal studies and in human subjects,” stated Dr. Sun, commenting on his previous experience with stem cells. “This grant will help solidify China Medical City as one of the primary hubs for stem cell technology research. The studies conducted under this grant will be groundbreaking in the large number of patients they include.”

Dr. Sun Lingyun has worked extensively with stem cell technology both in the laboratory and clinically. This project will build on his earlier publication in the journal Stem Cells, entitled “Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation Reverses Multi-Organ Dysfunction in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Mice and Humans.”

With encouraging outcomes already apparent for MS and SLE, Jiangsu University’s next task will be to create animal models for testing hUC-MSCs potential in other disorders such as brain injury, spinal cord injury, liver disease and kidney damage. Jiangsu University has already made advances in hUC-MSC separation, detection, purification, amplification and quality control. As part of this grant, the university will be researching hUC-MSC growth, differentiation characteristics, identification standards and serum-free medium studies.

About China Medical City
Jiangsu Province is the number one location for China's medical industry based on the revenue generated over the past five years. The city of Taizhou is fast becoming Jiangsu’s leading biotech location, with over 35% annual growth since 2004. China Medical City enjoys a prime 25-square kilometer location in the heart of Taizhou City. The district was established by the Chinese Government in 2005 and has active support from the local government. It embodies China's goal of streamlining the pharmaceutical and medical materials industry by concentrating all medical services and support in one central location.

About Beike Biotechnology Company Limited
Beike Biotechnology (http://www.beikebiotech.com) is China's leading biotechnology company. Its scientists have been focused on the development and commercialization of adult stem cell therapies since 1999. The company currently produces a full line of stem cell products from umbilical cord, cord blood, and bone marrow stem cells. Beike's unique processing technologies prepare the cells for use in treating a variety of serious medical conditions including ataxia, brain injury, cerebral palsy, diabetic foot disease, lower limb ischemia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, and optic nerve pathologies.

Fake skin patches could deliver helpful genes

Patches of synthetic skin could deliver gene therapies to patients without the need for injections.

Jon Vogel and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, cultured fibroblasts and keratinocytes – the principal cells of the skin – and introduced into their genomes the gene for atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), which is naturally released by cells in the heart. It reduces blood pressure by dilating blood vessels and lowering blood volume.

They mixed these cells into a jelly-like matrix. The cells in the gel formed layers just like those in human skin. These delicate grafts were then attached to the backs of mice.

Within a few weeks, the grafts were accepted by the mice as normal skin and had started pumping ANP into their bloodstreams. The team used tiny radio transmitters inserted into the animals' arteries to measure blood pressure. These showed the grafts led to a drop in blood pressure, and it stayed low even when the mice were put on a high-salt diet.

Vogel hopes that synthetic skin grafts could be used to deliver genes for proteins that might otherwise be expensive or difficult to administer. "Skin is a good target because it's accessible," he says. "If anything goes wrong you can just remove it."

Human trials are still a few years away, Vogel says. "We hope to test the graft on larger animals, such as pigs, which have skin similar to humans."

The team are working on ways to control or boost the dose that the skin patch delivers. For example, Aa topical cream could be used to promote the gene's activity, increasing protein production. "In the case of diabetes, you could imagine insulin being released at a constant rate," says Vogel. "You could just rub in some cream to control your blood sugar levels."

Jeff Morgan, a cell biologist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and a member of the first group to look into genetically modified skin grafts, thinks the research is exciting. "This paper is a significant step towards applications in humans," he says.

Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0908882

Growing Blood Vessels: Bioengineered Materials Promote the Growth of Functional Vasculature, New Study Shows

Regenerative medicine therapies often require the growth of functional, stable blood vessels at the site of an injury. Using synthetic polymers called hydrogels, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have been able to induce significant vasculature growth in areas of damaged tissue.

“This study shows that bio-artificial materials are suitable for promoting vasculature growth and remodeling,” said lead author on the study Andrés García, professor and Woodruff Faculty Fellow in Georgia Tech’s Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. “Because hydrogels are very compatible with biological tissues, they are a promising therapeutic delivery vehicle to improve treatment of peripheral artery disease, ischemic heart disease, and survival of cell and tissue transplants.”
Details of the research were published in the early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on December 21, 2009. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute (ACTSI) through the Georgia Tech/Emory Center (GTEC) for the Engineering of Living Tissues, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the American Heart Association.

As part of the research, García and Georgia Tech graduate student Edward Phelps tailored the biochemical and mechanical properties of polyethylene glycol-based hydrogel matrices to enable vasculature to form in and around them. First, the researchers incorporated specific chemical cross-links into the gels so that they would maintain their structural integrity and only degrade in the presence of enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases that are typically expressed by invading cells. They also incorporated into the matrices a protein, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which stimulates the growth of blood vessels.

“Incorporating these cross-links controlled the release of VEGF from the matrix so that VEGF was only released as the matrix was digested by invading cells,” explained García. “This was very important because if you have something solid such as a matrix that cannot degrade, you will not have any vasculature growth into that area.”

Adhesive amino acid sequences were also added to the gel so that cells could spread within the gel and interact with nearby endothelial cells undergoing the blood vessel growth process called angiogenesis.
When the researchers implanted the pre-formed hydrogel constructs into small animals, the matrix exhibited constant levels of VEGF for two days followed by a gradual decrease during the following 12 days. When animals were injected with soluble VEGF, a steady decline of VEGF was recorded until 90 percent of the compound was lost within two weeks.

“With the degradable implant that included growth factors, after two weeks we saw that new vessels were growing into and around the implant,” noted Phelps.
Additional studies with micro-CT imaging showed a six-fold increase in vascular density at two weeks and a 12-fold increase in vascular density at four weeks with the degradable matrix compared to an injection of soluble VEGF. In addition, the hydrogel degraded in a controlled fashion and was replaced by normal tissue.

“We found that the vasculature was functional and connected to the host circulatory system, which we saw when a contrast agent injected through the aorta reached the vessels in the implant,” added García.
To place the hydrogel deeper inside the body than the pre-formed matrix construct would allow and to be able to fill in an injured area of any shape, the researchers developed a liquid material that forms a gel inside the body when exposed to ultraviolet light.
“In reality, most injuries are not well-defined defects so you can’t take a pre-formed construct and fill the irregular-sized site,” added García. “Instead, you want to be able to access the area in a minimally invasive way and injecting this solution through the skin allows us to do that without surgery.”

The researchers injected the VEGF-containing matrix solution into mice suffering from restricted blood flow, known as ischemia, in one leg. After seven days, the animals exhibited a 50 percent increase in blood perfusion to the affected leg and a 100 percent increase in perfusion to the affected foot. The blood flow to the affected leg was greatly enhanced compared to treatment with a non-degradable hydrogel and injection of soluble growth factors alone.

“The engineered matrix containing VEGF performed much better than injecting soluble VEGF, indicating that the delivery vehicle acted synergistically to amplify the effect of the growth factor,” noted Phelps.
According to the researchers, the increased perfusion was due to growth factor sequestration in the matrix, resulting in prolonged exposure that persisted as the matrix was degraded and remodeled.
Additional studies are currently being conducted to determine the clinical viability of these hydrogels as therapeutic vascularization therapies to treat peripheral artery disease and ischemic heart disease, and cell transplantation to treat diabetes. Future studies may incorporate more or different growth factors to achieve even more robust healing effects.

Other researchers involved in the study include W. Robert Taylor, a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, Emory’s Division of Cardiology, and the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Peter Thulé, an associate professor in Emory University’s Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipids, and the Atlanta Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center; and Natalia Landázuri, a postdoctoral fellow in the Emory University Division of Cardiology.

RESEARCH NEWS & PUBLICATIONS OFFICE
Georgia Institute of Technology
75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 314
Atlanta, Georgia 30308 USA
MEDIA RELATIONS CONTACTS: Abby Vogel (404-385-3364) (avogel@gatech.edu) or John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu).
TECHNICAL CONTACT: Andrés García (404-894-9384); E-mail: (andres.garcia@me.gatech.edu)
WRITER: Abby Vogel

UK lays out regulatory roadmap for stem cell treatments

The UK Department of Health has drawn up a regulatory roadmap to guide stem cell researchers seeking to get treatments to clinics, following complaints that progress is being blocked by bureaucratic complexities.

The UK Stem Cell Tool Kit is a website that will allow researchers to build a customised map outlining all of the regulatory steps they need to take to translate treatment from the laboratory to the clinic. Researchers will be asked seven key questions and depending on their answers, a route will be generated that provides a list all the regulatory requirements, information and points of contact within the relevant organisation.

The regulatory labyrinth is made self-evident in the fact that developing the website has required input from nine bodies that each have a role in overseeing stem cell research. These are: the Department of Health, the Medical Research Council, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee, the Human Tissue Authority, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the Health and Safety Executive, the Home Office and the UK Stem Cell Bank.

Brendon Noble of the Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine in Edinburgh said the roadmap will be an important tool in therapy development planning, adding, “It will also act as a focus for discussion over key issues and roadblocks to the development of cell based therapies.”

Marking of tissue-specific crucial in embryonic stem cells to ensure proper function

Marking of tissue-specific crucial in embryonic stem cells to ensure proper function
Tissue-specific genes, thought to be dormant or not marked for activation in embryonic stem cells, are indeed marked by transcription factors, with proper marking potentially crucial for the function of tissues derived from stem cells.

The finding in the study by researchers at the Broad Stem Cell Research Center involves a class of genes whose properties previously were thought to be unimportant for stem cell function. Most research has instead focused on genes that regulate a pluripotency network and genes that regulate differentiation of embryonic stem cells into other cell lineages.
The Broad center researchers focused on a third class of genes, those expressed only in defined cell types or tissues, which generally remain silent until long after embryonic stem cells have differentiated into specific cell lineages.

"Although prior models suggested that the cascade of events leading to the activation of tissue-specific genes doesn't begin until embryonic stem cells have differentiated, our findings support a new hypothesis in which the competence of these genes for expression is dependent on specific marks established in the pluripotent state," said Stephen Smale, a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and senior author of the study. "If this hypothesis is correct, the proper marking of tissue-specific genes may be essential for pluripotency and the efficient differentiation of stem cells into clinically usable cell types and tissues."

The study is published in the Dec. 15, 2009 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Genes and Development.

Prior to this study, typical tissue-specific genes were believed to have no critical interactions and exist in a base state in embryonic stem cells, sitting silently in the cell waiting to be "marked" by proteins that set in motion a cascade of molecular events. However, Smale and his team unexpectedly identified protein marks on these genes in stem cells and obtained striking evidence that the absence of these stem cell marks compromises gene expression in stem cell-derived tissues. The finding that these genes were already marked was surprising, Smale said.

"This finding may help us understand what it really means to be pluripotent," Smale said. "True pluripotency may depend on faithful marking in pluripotent stem cells of many or all genes within the human genome."

This could be particularly important for those seeking to use embryonic stem cells or reprogrammed cells, called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, to treat diseases or in regenerative medicine. The stem cell marks may ensure that the end result – a beta cell to treat diabetes, a neuron for Parkinson's disease, or a cardiac cell for heart problems – is a fully functional cell operating at 100 percent of its potential.
"We really do need to pay attention to these genes at the outset," Smale said. "Although silent in stem cells, their properties appear to be very important."

Umbilical cord could be new source of plentiful stem cells, say Pitt researchers

Banking cords, as well as cord blood, may be invaluable

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 17 – Stem cells that could one day provide therapeutic options for muscle and bone disorders can be easily harvested from the tissue of the umbilical cord, just as the blood that goes through it provides precursor cells to treat some blood disorders, said University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers in the online version of the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology.

Umbilical cord tissue cells can be expanded to greater number, are remarkably stable and might not trigger strong immune responses, said senior investigator Bridget M. Deasy, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Pitt School of Medicine. The cells are obtained from the gelatinous material in the cord known as Wharton's jelly and from blood vessel walls.

"Our experiments indicate also that at least 21 million stem cells, and possibly as many as 500 million, could be banked from a single umbilical cord after the birth of a baby," she noted. "So, the cord could become an accessible source of a multitude of stem cells that overcomes many of the restrictions, such as limited quantity as well as donor age and donor sex issues, that come with other adult stem cell populations."

Dr. Deasy and her team analyzed sections of two-foot-long human umbilical cords that were donated for research, looking for cells in Wharton's jelly and blood vessel walls that displayed the characteristic protein markers found in stem cells derived from other sources. The researchers then sought to find the best way to isolate the stem cells from the cords, and tested them in the lab to confirm their ability to produce specialized cells, such as bone and cartilage, while retaining their invaluable ability to renew themselves.

To build on these findings, the team will test the umbilical cord stem cells in animal models of cartilage and bone repair, as well as muscle regeneration.

Co-authors of the paper include lead investigator Rebecca C. Schugar, of Pitt's Stem Cell Research Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and the Center for Cardiovascular Research, Washington University School of Medicine; Steven M. Chirieleison, Yuko Askew, M.D., Ph.D., Jordan J. Nance, and Joshua M. Evron, all of the Pitt Stem Cell Research Center; Kristin E. Wescoe, Benjamin T. Schmidt, both of Pitt's Department of Bioengineering; and Bruno Peault, Ph.D., of the University of California-Los Angeles and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, a joint effort of Pitt and UPMC.

The research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Research and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.

Vince Frodsham retires from Vindon
Having served the company and its clients for over 21 years Vince Frodsham has taken the opportunity to retire. On the 31st October 2009 Vince started the next chapter in his life.

The Director’s and staff at Vindon thanked Vince for his valuable contribution to the sales department throughout his term of office, colleagues and clients had been a central part of Vince’s life. Whilst Vince looks forward to the opportunities retirement will bring him, All the staff at Vindon are still saddened that he is leaving the company. All the staff at Vindon will miss him personally and the Director’s will miss the professional relationships he has developed.

Vince was looking forward to enjoying his retirement after twenty one years with the company Vince will be deeply missed. May he have a long, happy and healthy retirement.

Stem Cell Europe and World Biobanking Summit

23-25th September 2009

Vindon Cryobank exhibited for the first time alongside other members of the pharmaceutical and biotech industries inaugural World Biobanking Summit and exhibition, held in the beautiful and historic city of Edinburgh at the Heriot-Watt University.

Over the three days of the conference, over two hundred delegates drawn from legal, government, and senior academia from around the world, interacted with exhibiting companies and other scientists at this dual conference.

Key Stem Cell Europe topics under discussion included Therapeutic Advances Using Adult Somatic Stem Cells; and key World Bio-banking Summit topics included Sample Collection, Storage and Automation. Topics were presented by distinguished speakers, such as Professor Paolo Macchiarini (University of Barcelona) and Stephen Minger (Director, Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, King’s College).

Vindon’s presence at this high profile exhibition generated a great deal of interest amongst delegates and exhibitors alike. Our introduction to this market was a resounding success.

Vindon Cryobank is pleased to confirm that Jenna Chambers, Marketing, Communications and Administrative Assistant for SSCN Ltd in Edinburgh won the Vindon Cryobank prize draw, for a NOKIA E71 MOBILE PHONE...CONGRATULATIONS!
Jenna was absolutely thrilled, and stated:
‘... thank you once again for the phone - it's absolutely amazing I've no excuses for being disorganised now!!...’