Embargo Policy

Materials submitted to STEM CELLS are embargoed for release until 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time the day of online publication or until 2 p.m. EST on the day before the mailing date (for the print edition), whichever comes first. This policy applies to members of the media, authors, institutions' public information officers, and the public. Authors may not discuss their work with the media until one week before online posting of the article or one week before the mailing date, whichever is earlier, and must ensure that the media representatives agree to abide by the embargo policy. STEM CELLS may refuse to publish a manuscript, despite acceptance for publication, if it has been prematurely released to the press.

Communication Among Scientists or Clinical Investigators

STEM CELLS does not wish to hinder communication among scientists or clinical investigators. Authors are permitted to discuss their manuscripts with their peers and to present their work to their peers at professional conferences. However, authors should not discuss or distribute any portion of an unpublished manuscript in a manner that may intentionally or inadvertently lead to the distribution of the material to the media or general public. Manuscript material may be projected onto a screen for viewing, but no handouts or photocopies of article proofs or preprints may be disseminated. Furthermore, we ask that comments to the media do not elaborate upon the content of your presentation. Finally, please inform STEM CELLS that you are planning to make such a presentation.

Stem Cells Which "Fool Immune System" May Provide Vaccination For Cancer

Press Release published on 5/10/09

North Carolina, October, 2009 – Scientists from the United States and China have revealed the potential for human stem cells to provide a vaccination against colon cancer, reports a study published in STEM CELLS.

This discovery, led by experts in immunology, Dr. Bei Liu and Dr. Zihai Li, builds upon a century old theory that immunizing with embryonic materials may generate an anti-tumour response. However, this theory has never before been advanced beyond animal research so the discovery that human stem cells are able to immunize against colon cancer is both new and unexpected.

"This finding potentially opens up a new paradigm for cancer vaccine research,” said Dr. Zihai Li. “Cancer and stem cells share many molecular and biological features. By immunizing the host with stem cells, we are able to ‘fool’ the immune system to believe that cancer cells are present and thus to initiate a tumor-combating immune program."

The research is the first of its kind to implicate the role of human stem cells in vaccinating against colon cancer, and represents collaboration between the prestigious laboratories of Dr. Zihai Li and stem cell expert Dr. Renhe Xu at the University of Connecticut Stem Cell Institute.

The team vaccinated laboratory mice with human embryonic stem (hES) cells and discovered a consistent immune response against colon cancer cells. The team witnessed dramatic decline in tumor growth within the immunized mice. This revealed that immunized mice could generate a strong anti-tumour response through the application of hES cells.

The team also discovered that while natural embryonic stem cells are able to provide a response, artificially induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are not. This is significant as it challenges the theory that iPSC are the same as hES cells and may replace them at the forefront of stem cell research.

"Although we have only tested the protection against colon cancer, we believe that stem cells might be useful for generating an immune response against a broad-spectrum of cancers, thus serving as a universal cancer vaccine." ” concluded Dr. Bei Liu.

This paper is published in STEM CELLS. Media wishing to request a copy should contact Ben Norman on Lifesciencenews@wiley.com or +44 (0) 1243 770 375

Full Citation: Li.Y, Hui.Z, Ren-He.X, Bei.L, Z.Li “Vaccination with Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Generates A Broad Spectrum of Immunological And Clinical Response Against Colon Cancer”, STEM CELLS, 2009, DOI: 10.1002/stem.234
About the Author: The first author of this paper is Dr. Yi Li, M.D., who performed this work in the laboratory of Dr. Zihai Li, MD, PhD. The two corresponding authors are Dr. Bei Liu, M.D., M.P.H. and Dr. Zihai Li. Dr Zihai Li is based at the Department of Immunology at the University of Connecticut Health Centre. His research focuses on the mechanism of immune regulation by the innate immunity in the context of tumors, infections and autoimmune diseases.
Media wishing to contact Dr Li should do so via the Communications Officer Carolyn Pennington,
860-679-4864 or cpennington@uchc.edu

About STEM CELLS: STEM CELLS, a peer reviewed journal published monthly, provides a forum for prompt publication of original investigative papers and concise reviews. The journal covers all aspects of stem cells: embryonic stem cells/induced pluripotent stem cells; tissue-specific stem cells; cancer stem cells; the stem cell niche; stem cell epigenetics, genomics and proteomics; and translational and clinical research. For more information, please visit:

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121607285/grouphome/home.html

STEM CELLS is co-published by AlphaMed Press and Wiley-Blackwell. 

STEM CELLS Promotes Miodrag Stojković to Editor

Press Release published on 17/07/09

Durham, NC, & Craigavon, UK, July 1, 2009 – AlphaMed Press, co-publisher of the journal STEM CELLS®, the first journal in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine, has promoted Miodrag Stojković to Editor.

Professor Miodrag Stojković is Deputy Director of the Prince Felipe Research Centre and head of its Cellular Reprogramming Laboratory in Valencia, Spain. He led the team that first announced derivation of pluripotent human embryonic stem cells (hESC) from non-viable early human embryos that had stopped their cleavage. First published in STEM CELLS, this technique and stem cells derived with it are now being used to better understand and fight debilitating diseases.

Professor Stojković has long served the Journal, first on its editorial board, then as an associate editor, and most recently as its Co-Editor.

Dr. Martin J. Murphy, STEM CELLS’ Executive Editor, lauding the new editor said, “Miodrag is a consummate editor devoted to the publication of the most important scientific and medical advances in this fast-paced and promising research arena. His appreciation for the field derives both from being a leading investigator and as the chief scientific officer of a famed institute with a research faculty and staff of more than 400. Under his leadership the journal STEM CELLS will continue to advance stem cell research and their clinical applications to relieve catastrophic human diseases.”

Dr. Murphy also expressed his appreciation to retiring co-editor Donald G. Phinney and retiring associate editor Margaret Baron. “We deeply appreciate the supportive leadership of Don and Margaret and for their devotion to the ever demanding task of keeping up with the Journal’s spectacular growth with more than 1,500 new manuscripts submitted annually for peer-review,” he said. “We are especially honored and grateful that they both remain on the Journal’s distinguished editorial board”.

About STEM CELLS®
STEM CELLS, now in its 27th year of publication, publishes original articles at the leading edge of stem cell research and regenerative medicine. STEM CELLS is co-published by AlphaMed Press and Wiley-Blackwell and is the first journal devoted to this fast-paced field of research. Its 2008 Impact Factor is 7.741. For more information, please visit www.StemCells.com

STEM CELLS®
Media: Dr. Martin J. Murphy, Jr., Executive Editor
AlphaMed Press
318 Blackwell Street, Suite 260
Durham, NC 27701
E-mail: Martin.Murphy@StemCells.com

Stem Cell Transplant in Mouse Embryo Yields Heart Protection in Adulthood

Press Release published on 14/05/09

Rochester, Minn. – May 14, 2009 - Stem cells play a role in heart muscle rejuvenation by attracting cells from the body that develop into heart muscle cells. They have been successfully used to halt or reverse cardiac injury following heart attack, but not to prevent injury before it occurs.

A new study that delivered embryonic stem cells to mouse embryos in the earliest stages of development found that the resulting mice demonstrated a capacity to recover from cardiac injury in adulthood. The study, which provides the first evidence that preventive regenerative medicine can successfully be used to treat myocardial infarction through prophylactic intervention, is published in STEM CELLS.

Led by Dr. Andre Terzic of the Mayo Clinic, researchers injected mouse embryos with embryonic stem cells that had been used to successfully treat ischemic heart disease following heart attack. The resulting animals incorporated between five and 20 percent of labeled stem cell-derived tissue. They were born with no apparent abnormalities, and the tested and control groups had similar overall baseline cardiac disease risk profiles. They also demonstrated similar cardiac performance during the one year follow-up.

Researchers induced cardiac injury in both groups by tying off the left anterior artery, causing complete coronary blockage. The group that had received the embryonic stem cell treatment recovered cardiac function, while the other group deteriorated, demonstrating ischemic myopathy, myocardial scarring and significant pulmonary congestion, which are typically seen in the progression towards heart failure. Overall, the group treated with stem cells displayed a favorable disease course, with superior exercise workload capacity and stress test performance, as well as increased survival.
“Preemptive stem cell-based intervention in utero thus provides a strategy to engineer tolerance, and prevent incidence of life-threatening organ failure in the adult,” the authors state. In utero therapy was introduced 30 years ago to treat congenital defects and has been used successfully since then to improve outcomes after birth, but this study takes the concept one step further.

“In this way, prenatal transplantation of embryonic stem cells expands the scope of traditional retrospective therapy to the previously unexplored prospective protection,” the authors note. They conclude that beyond reconstructive surgery, stem cell transplantation in prenatal development could offer an innovative approach for preventing disease.
“This study expands the scope of stem cell therapy including traditional retrospective and preventive cell therapy,” says Miodrag Stojković, co-editor of the journal. “Therefore, STEM CELLS is very proud to publish this pioneering work which is the very first proof of principle for prevention of adult heart stress intolerance to ischemic injury through preemptive cell based intervention.”
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This study is published in STEM CELLS. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact journalnews@bos.blackwellpublishing.com

Dr. Andre Terzic is a professor in the Departments of Medicine, Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and Medical Genetics at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Terzic can be reached for questions at terzic.andre@mayo.edu

Stem Cells, a peer reviewed journal published monthly, provides a forum for prompt publication of original investigative papers and concise reviews. The journal covers all aspects of stem cells: embryonic stem cells/induced pluripotent stem cells; tissue-specific stem cells; cancer stem cells; the stem cell niche; stem cell epigenetics, genomics and proteomics; and translational and clinical research. For more information, please visit http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121607285/grouphome/home.html

Media Contact
Sean Wagner
Public Relations Specialist
350 Main St.
Malden, MA 02148
United States
781-388-8550 (phone)
781-338-8550 (fax)
swagner@bos.blackwellpublishing.com
 

New Stem Cell Therapy May Lead To Treatment for Deafness

Press Release published on 23/03/09

Sheffield, England – March 23, 2009 - Deafness affects more than 250 million people worldwide. It typically involves the loss of sensory receptors, called hair cells, for their “tufts” of hair-like protrusions, and their associated neurons. The transplantation of stem cells that are capable of producing functional cell types might be a promising treatment for hearing impairment, but no human candidate cell type has been available to develop this technology.

A new study led by Dr. Marcelo N. Rivolta of the University of Sheffield has successfully isolated human auditory stem cells from fetal cochleae (the auditory portion of the inner ear) and found they had the capacity to differentiate into sensory hair cells and neurons. The study is published in STEM CELLS.

The researchers painstakingly dissected and cultured cochlear cells from 9-11 week-old human fetuses. The cells were expanded and maintained in vitro for up to one year, with continued division for the first 7 to 8 months and up to 30 population doublings, which is similar to other non-embryonic stem cell populations, such as bone marrow. Gene expression analysis showed that all cell lines expressed otic markers that lead to the development of the inner ear as well as markers expressed by pluripotent embryonic stem cells, from which all tissues and organs develop.

They were able to formulate conditions that allowed for the progressive differentiation into neurons and hair cells with the same functional electrophysiological characteristics as cells seen in vivo.

“The results are the first in vitro renewable stem cell system derived from the human auditory organ and have the potential for a variety of applications, such as studying the development of human cochlear neurons and hair cells, as models for drug screening and helping to develop cell-based therapies for deafness,” say the authors.

Although the hair cell-like cells did not show the typical formation of a hair bundle, the authors suggest that future studies will aim to improve the differentiation system. They are currently working on using the knowledge gleaned from this study to optimize the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into ear cell types.

“Although considerable information has been obtained about the embryology of the ear using animal models, the lack of a human system has impaired the validation of such information,” the authors note.

“Access to human cells that can differentiate should allow the exploration of features unique to humans that may not be applicable to animal models,” says Donald G. Phinney, co-editor of the journal. The protocol they developed to expand and isolate human fetal auditory stem cells may be able to be adapted for deriving clinical-grade cells with potential therapeutic applications.

Dr Ralph Holme, director of biomedical research for Royal National Institute for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People, said: “There are currently no treatments to restore permanent hearing loss so this has the potential to make a difference to millions of deaf people.”
_________________________________________________________________
This study is published in STEM CELLS. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact journalnews@bos.blackwellpublishing.com

Dr. Marcelo N. Rivolta is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield and can be reached for questions at m.n.rivolta@sheffield.ac.uk

Stem Cells, a peer reviewed journal published monthly, provides a forum for prompt publication of original investigative papers and concise reviews. The journal covers all aspects of stem cells: embryonic stem cells/induced pluripotent stem cells; tissue-specific stem cells; cancer stem cells; the stem cell niche; stem cell epigenetics, genomics and proteomics; and translational and clinical research. For more information, please visit: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121607285/grouphome/home.html

Media Contact

Sean Wagner
Public Relations Specialist
350 Main St.

Malden, MA 02148
United States
781-388-8550 (phone)
781-338-8550 (fax)
swagner@bos.blackwellpublishing.com
 

Researchers Generate Functional Neurons From Somatic Cells

Press Release published on 24/02/09

Los Angeles, Calif. – February 24, 2009 – In a new study, researchers were able to generate functionally mature motor neurons from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are engineered from adult somatic cells and can differentiate into most other cell types. A potential new source of motor neurons that does not require human eggs or embryos could be an enormous boon to research into conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal cord injury and could open the door to eventual treatments. The study is published in Stem Cells.

This study is the first to use human iPS cells to generate electrically active motor neurons, a key hallmark of functional maturation that is essential for any future application of iPS cells. “To our knowledge, our results present the first demonstration of the electrical activity of iPS-derived neurons and further suggest the feasibility of using these cells to explore how changes in motor neuron activity contributes to the degeneration of these cells underlying these disorders,” the authors state.

Led by William Lowry, and in collaboration with Bennett Novitch, Harley Kornblum, and Martina Wiedau-Pazos of the University of California Los Angeles, researchers compared the ability of different human cell lines to generate motor neuron progenitors and fully differentiated motor neurons. “These findings support the possibility that reprogrammed somatic cells might prove to be a viable alternative to embryo-derived cells in regenerative medicine,” the authors note.

When measuring the electrophysical properties of the iPS-derived neurons, the researchers found that the iPS cells followed a normal developmental progression to mature, electrically active neurons.

“It seems possible that disease-specific somatic cells may be reprogrammed and utilized to model, and ultimately to treat a variety of human neurological disorders,” says Miodrag Stojković, co-editor of the journal.
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This study is published in Stem Cells. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact journalnews@bos.blackwellpublishing.net

To view the abstract for this article, please click here.

William Lowry is an Assistant Professor at the University of California Los Angeles and can be reached for questions at blowry@ucla.edu

Stem Cells, a peer reviewed journal published monthly, provides a forum for prompt publication of original investigative papers and concise reviews. The journal covers all aspects of stem cells: embryonic stem cells/induced pluripotent stem cells; tissue-specific stem cells; cancer stem cells; the stem cell niche; stem cell epigenetics, genomics and proteomics; and translational and clinical research. For more information, please visit http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121607285/grouphome/home.html.

Media Contact

Sean Wagner
Public Relations Specialist
350 Main St.

Malden, MA 02148
United States
781-388-8550 (phone)
781-338-8550 (fax)
swagner@bos.blackwellpublishing.com
 

Stem Cells Used to Reverse Paralysis in Animals

Press Release published on 28/01/09 15:02 

Valencia, Spain – January 28, 2009 – A new study has found that transplantation of stem cells from the lining of the spinal cord, called ependymal stem cells, reverses paralysis associated with spinal cord injuries in laboratory tests. The findings show that the population of these cells after spinal cord injury was many times greater than comparable cells from healthy animal subjects. The results open a new window on spinal cord regenerative strategies. The study is published in the journal Stem Cells.

The transplanted cells were found to proliferate after spinal cord injury and were recruited by the specific injured area. When these cells were transplanted into animals with spinal cord injury, they regenerated ten times faster while in the transplant subject than similar cells derived from healthy control animals.

Spinal cord injury is a major cause of paralysis, and the associated trauma destroys numerous cell types, including the neurons that carry messages between the brain and the rest of the body. In many spinal injuries, the cord is not actually severed, and at least some of the signal-carrying nerve cells remain intact. However, the surviving nerve cells may no longer carry messages because oligodendrocytes, which comprise the insulating sheath of the spinal cord, are lost.

The regenerative mechanism discovered was activated when a lesion formed in the injured area. After a lesion formed in the transplant subject, the stem cells were found to have a more effective ability to differentiate into oligodendrocytes and other cell types needed to restore neuronal function.

Currently, there are no effective therapies to reverse this disabling condition in humans. However, the presence of these stem cells in the adult human spinal cords suggests that stem cell-associated mechanisms might be exploited to repair human spinal cord injuries.

Given the serious social and health problems presented by diseases and accidents that destroy neuronal function, there is an ever-increasing interest in determining whether adult stem cells might be utilized as a basis of regenerative therapies.

“The human body contains the tools to repair damaged spinal cords. Our work clearly demonstrates that we need both adult and embryonic stem cells to understand our body and apply this knowledge in regenerative medicine,” says Miodrag Stojkovic, co-author of the study. “There are mechanisms in our body which need to be studied in more detail since they could be mobilized to cure spinal cord injuries.”

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This study is published in Stem Cells. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact journalnews@bos.blackwellpublishing.net

To view the abstract for this article, please click here.

Miodrag Stojkovic, Ph.D., is the Deputy Director and Head of the Cellular Reprogramming Laboratory at Centro de Investigacion Principe Felipe. Dr. Stojkovic can be reached for questions by contacting prensa@cipf.es

Stem Cells, a peer reviewed journal published monthly, provides a forum for prompt publication of original investigative papers and concise reviews. The journal covers all aspects of stem cells: embryonic stem cells/induced pluripotent stem cells; tissue-specific stem cells; cancer stem cells; the stem cell niche; stem cell epigenetics, genomics and proteomics; and translational and clinical research. For more information, please visit: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121607285/grouphome/home.html.

Media Contact

Sean Wagner
Public Relations Specialist
350 Main St.

Malden, MA 02148
United States
781-388-8550 (phone)
781-338-8550 (fax)
swagner@bos.blackwellpublishing.com