Using a unique carbon-dating technique, an international research team has reported that human adults generate about 700 new neurons in each half of their brains per day, and that this capacity declines only modestly with age.
The ReNeuron Group Plc said it expects to seek final regulatory and ethical approvals in early July to start a Phase 2 study of its stem cell treatment for patients disabled by a stroke.
Advocates of stem-cell research have applauded the recent report that US scientists have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells to become embryonic stem cells capable of transforming into any other cell type in the body.
Cardio3 BioSciences SA, which has an autologous cell therapy for patients with chronic heart failure in the clinic, has raised €19 million in a private placement with existing investors to finance the clinical development of its lead product.
Researchers at Harvard University have reported the discovery of a hormone, betatrophin, that appears to control the proliferation of beta cells, which are essential in the storage and release of insulin in the human body.
Tissue Regenix Plc of the UK said that a trial of its skin graft in patients with chronic leg ulcers healed wounds in more than half of the patients tested. The trial results are being presented this week at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care in the US.
The European Medicines Agency is recommending approval of a new advanced therapy medicinal product which is intended for the repair of cartilage defects. The product had been available in some EU countries, but now it will be widely traded.
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California have discovered an antibody that can trigger the transformation of bone marrow stem cells directly into brain cells – something that reportedly has not been done before.
TiGenix NV has reported that a Phase 2a study of its allogeneic stem cell therapy in patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis had positive six-month safety data. The trial enrolled patients who had failed to respond to at least two biologic therapies.
GenSight Biologics, a privately-owned French company, has raised €32 million in a Series A round from a group of venture capital funds to develop a gene replacement therapy for Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), a serious eye disorder.