TOP STORY |
T-Cell Therapy Eradicates an Aggressive Leukemia in Two Children Two children with an aggressive form of childhood leukemia had a complete remission of their disease, showing no evidence of cancer cells in their bodies, after treatment with a novel cell therapy that reprogrammed their immune cells to rapidly multiply and destroy leukemia cells. [Press release from Penn Medicine discussing online prepublication in The New England Journal of Medicine] Press Release | Abstract
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REVIEWS |
The Rise of Cell Therapy Trials for Stroke: Review of Published and Registered Studies Different clinical trials for stroke, the majority of them small, non-randomized and uncontrolled, have been reported and their results indicate that cell therapy seems safe and feasible in these conditions. In the last two years, the number of published and registered trials has dramatically increased. The authors review the main findings available in the field, with emphasis on clinical results. [Stem Cell Dev] Abstract | Full Article
Interaction between Natural Killer Cells and Regulatory T Cells: Perspectives for Immunotherapy This review discusses the recent information on the interaction between regulatory T (Treg) cells and natural killer cells under healthy and pathologic conditions, to describe the specific conditions in which this interaction takes place, the effect of Treg cells on hematopoietic stem cell differentiation and the consequences of this interaction on the optimization of immunotherapeutic protocols. [Cell Mol Immunol] Abstract
Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the cell, gene and immunotherapy research field.
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POLICY |
Congress Completes Work on 2013 Spending Bill U.S. research agencies finally know what they have to spend for the rest of the 2013 fiscal year after Congress completed work on a bill to fund the government through 30 September. [House of Representatives, United States] Press Release
Canadian Budget Targets Industrial Applications Canadian scientists are feeling a decided chill in the air after federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty unveiled the government’s fiscal blueprint for 2013 to 2014. The new budget promises stiffer competition for a smaller pool of research grants. What little new money is made available will again be funneled into targeted “industry-academic” partnerships. [Finance Minister, Canada] Press Release
New French Science Law Falls Short of Expectations Months of consultation with the French scientific community culminated when the science minister presented a draft bill for a new higher education and research law that France’s Parliament will soon consider. [French Parliament, France] Press Release
U.K. Agency Cautiously Endorses Mitochondria Replacement There is broad public support in the United Kingdom for allowing a new type of IVF treatment that could prevent mitochondrial diseases, the country’s Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) announced. The techniques would introduce new DNA into an embryo, and so it has raised thorny ethical questions. At the same time, the authority advised the government that several safeguards should be included in any proposals for new regulations that would permit clinics to perform the technique. [Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, United Kingdom] Press Release
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BUSINESS |
Stem Cell Agency Banks on $32 Million New Approach to Advance Research When you need money you go to the bank. But when researchers need high quality stem cells where do they go to get those? Soon they’ll be able to go to a stem cell bank set up by California’s stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). The governing Board of the agency voted to approve nine applications to create the cells that will go in that bank and to run it. [California Institute for Regenerative Medicine] Press Release
bluebird bio Announces Global Strategic Collaboration with Celgene to Advance Gene Therapy in Oncology bluebird bio announced the formation of a broad, global strategic collaboration with Celgene Corporation to discover, develop and commercialize novel disease-altering gene therapies in oncology. The collaboration will focus on applying gene therapy technology to genetically modify a patient’s own T-cells, known as chimeric antigen receptor T-cells, to target and destroy cancer cells. [bluebird bio] Press Release
Sanofi and Transgene Announce Innovative Long-Term Collaboration for the Production of Immunotherapy Treatments Sanofi and Transgene SA announced a collaboration agreement for the creation of a new state-of-the-art industrial platform dedicated to the production of immunotherapy products including Transgene’s therapeutic products. [Sanofi SA] Press Release
Benitec Selects the Duke Clinical Research Unit as a Site for Hepatitis C Phase I/II Clinical Trial RNAi-based therapeutics company Benitec Biopharma Limited announced the selection of the Duke Clinical Research Unit, the early phase unit of the Duke Clinical Research Institute Durham, North Carolina, USA as a site for its upcoming phase I/II first-in-man trial for TT-034 in Hepatitis C. TT-034 is being developed as a potential “one-shot-cure” for Hepatitis C. [Benitec Biopharma Limited] Press Release
Bone Therapeutics Awarded Manufacturing Authorization and European Approval to Produce Allogeneic Bone Cell Therapy Products BONE THERAPEUTICS announced that it has been awarded both ‘Tissue Establishment and ‘GMP’ Accreditation for the manufacturing of its ALLOB® allogeneic bone cell therapy product, being initially developed for the treatment of impaired fractures. [Bone Therapeutics SA] Press Release
European Patent Office to Grant Patent for Macrocure’s CureXcell® Macrocure announced that the European Patent Office intends to grant a European patent covering Marcocure’s flagship product, CureXcell®. The patent will be officially granted under an application titled “Activate Leukocyte Composition” and will provide patent coverage for CureXcell® in Europe through March 2030. [MacroCure] Press Release
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Announces Issuance of U.S. Patent for Genetically Modified Human Immune Cells for Cancer Therapy The United States Patent and Trademark Office awarded St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital U.S. patent number 8,399,645 for St. Jude’s invention of compositions for genetically modifying human immune cells so they can destroy some of the most common forms of cancer in children and adults. [St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital] Press Release
NW Bio Receives U.S. Patent on Broad Processes for Producing More Potent Dendritic Cells Northwest Biotherapeutics (NW Bio) announced that it has been issued a key U.S. patent (#8389278) covering novel processes for manufacturing human dendritic cells. The cells produced through these processes are much more potent in their capacity to activate the immune system than those produced by the standard methods used throughout academia and industry today to produce dendritic cells. [Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc.] Press Release
Regen BioPharma Receives IND # from FDA for HemaXellerate Regen BioPharma, Inc. announced issuance of IND number 15376 for its proposed Phase I/II clinical trial evaluating use of its stem cell product, HemaXellerate, for treatment of aplastic anemia. [Marketwire] Press Release
Dicerna Announces Patent Issuance for Dicer Substrate siRNA Directed at the KRAS Gene, a Key Cancer Regulator Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued patent claims specific to double-stranded RNAs directed against the important oncology gene target KRAS. [Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc.] Press Release |
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